Chapter 105: The Hidden Heir

Zhi Yuan’s palm struck forward with tremendous force, carrying the remaining spiritual energy within his body as it slammed toward the Vermilion Flame Sect’s disciple.

The Vermilion disciple’s expression immediately became solemn.

He had already realized that Zhi Yuan’s condition was far worse than his own, but the force behind that palm was still far beyond what he had expected.

He quickly raised both arms and crossed them in front of his chest, gathering spiritual energy around his forearms to form a defensive barrier.

BOOM!

The palm attack comparable to a high tier Profound Rank technique, struck his defense with a thunderous explosion.

The violent impact caused the surrounding air to tremble.

The arena beneath their feet cracked slightly from the force transmitted through their bodies.

The remaining energy from the impact of their attacks forced both figures backward. Their feet scraping heavily against the stone surface as they struggled to stabilize themselves.

Zhi Yuan took several steps before finally stopping.

His chest rose and fell heavily. His face was already covered with sweat, and his breathing had become noticeably rougher than before.

Across from him, the Vermilion Flame Sect’s disciple also staggered backward before regaining his balance.

His eyes became increasingly serious.

’He’s strong.’

The thought appeared in his mind as he slowly lowered his arms.

He could feel a dull pain spreading through both forearms.

A sense of shame came in his heart as he attacked again with more power than before.

Zhi Yuan’s body flashed forward, and his palm once again swept toward his opponent’s chest.

The Vermilion disciple twisted his body slightly, causing the palm to pass dangerously close to his shoulder.

At the same time, he stepped forward and threw a powerful punch toward Zhi Yuan’s ribs.

BANG!

The fist landed solidly.

Zhi Yuan’s body shook violently.

A muffled groan escaped his throat as the force of the punch penetrated through his defenses and struck his body. Blood immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.

However, instead of retreating, Zhi Yuan took advantage of the close distance. His eyes flashed coldly as his palm turned.

PAK!

His palm struck directly against the Vermilion disciple’s shoulder.

A sharp cracking sound echoed through the arena.

The disciple’s expression changed as the tremendous force forced his shoulder backward. His entire body staggered several steps.

The two once again separated.

Zhi Yuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes remained calm. The pain spreading through his ribs was becoming increasingly intense.

’That punch was heavier than the previous one.’

He couldn’t afford to slow down. The moment he did, his opponent would seize the opportunity.

Across from him, the Vermilion Flame Sect’s disciple rolled his injured shoulder. His expression became darker.

’His palm technique is incredibly powerful.’

The two stared at each other for a brief moment before attacking with their whole might. Their figures moved rapidly across the arena.

Every exchange produced a loud impact that echoed throughout the battlefield.

Zhi Yuan’s palm swept across his opponent’s chest, but the Vermilion disciple managed to block it with his forearm.

At the same time, the unknown disciple’s knee slammed toward Zhi Yuan’s abdomen.

Zhi Yuan immediately twisted his waist and avoided the full force of the attack. His elbow descended.

BANG!

The disciple blocked it with his arm. The force caused his body to sink slightly.

But he immediately counterattacked. His fist shot forward like a cannonball. Zhi Yuan raised his palm to meet him head-on.

BOOM!

The collision sent another shockwave through the arena.

Both of them were attacking each other with different powerful techniques. No one was willingly to take a step backward.

But gradually the difference in their endurance began to reveal itself.

Zhi Yuan’s movements became slower. The speed at which he released his palms was no longer as sharp as before.

As if realizing his limits approaching, he stopped attacking.

The Vermilion Flame Sect’s disciple, who had been preparing for another exchange, immediately became cautious.

He didn’t dare to approach him close. His eyes stared suspiciously at Zhi Yuan.

"What are you..."

Zhi Yuan slowly closed his eyes. For a moment, he stood completely motionless.

The entire arena seemed to become strangely quiet.

Then his spiritual energy began circulating through his meridians in a completely different manner.

Instead of flowing normally, the spiritual energy inside his body suddenly began moving at an extremely rapid pace.

BOOM!

A violent aura erupted from Zhi Yuan’s body. The surrounding spiritual energy trembled.

Then, as though being pulled by an invisible force, it began surging toward him from every direction. The spiritual energy around the arena became turbulent.

The spectators were stunned.

"What is he doing?"

"That aura..."

"He hasn’t used this technique before!"

Even the elders watching the battle couldn’t remain completely indifferent.

Several of them slightly straightened their bodies. Their gazes became focused on Zhi Yuan.

The calm spiritual energy that had surrounded him moments ago had completely transformed. It had become violent and aggressive. Veins faintly appeared across his arms as his aura continued rising.

The disciple’s expression changed dramatically.

"You’re using a secret technique?"

Zhi Yuan slowly opened his eyes. A sharp light flashed through them.

"So what?"

The disciple immediately became more cautious. He knew exactly what this meant.

Secret techniques that temporarily increased one’s combat strength almost always came with a price. That’s a double-edged sword!

Zhi Yuan also couldn’t deny this.

This technique burns through his remaining spiritual energy and forces my body beyond its normal limits.

His gaze locked onto the disciple in front of him.

"But I only need enough strength for one final attack."

The instant those words fell, Zhi Yuan disappeared.

BOOM!

The disciple’s pupils contracted violently.

’So fast!’

He immediately circulated every remaining trace of spiritual energy within his body. Both arms crossed in front of his chest.

And just then, Zhi Yuan had already arrived.

BANG!

His palm slammed into the defensive barrier.

The barrier trembled violently. Cracks immediately spread across its surface, causing him gritted his teeth.

"Break!"

The defensive spiritual energy shattered.

The terrifying force behind Zhi Yuan’s palm continued forward without slowing. The disciple’s arms were forced backward. His body was blasted away.

Before he could stabilize himself, a figure suddenly appeared above him.

Zhi Yuan’s eyes were cold. His right hand was raised high. The remaining spiritual energy within his body erupted completely.

"Mountain Breaking Palm!"

BOOM!!!

A massive palm descended from above. He had used all of his strength to finally cast a Earth Rank technique.

The Vermilion disciple’s expression changed. He desperately gathered spiritual energy around his body.

But there was simply no time. The enormous palm struck him directly.

The impact exploded across the arena. The ground beneath him shattered.

Dust and fragments of stone were thrown into the air as the disciple’s body crashed heavily into the arena.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

The spectators stared at the enormous cloud of dust, even the Vermilion Flame Sect disciples were silent.

Finally, a figure appeared beside the fallen disciple.

The referee quickly checked his condition. After several moments, he finally raised his hand.

"The Vermilion disciple is unable to continue."

"The winner is Zhi Yuan!"

Silence.

These words made all of them so stunned that no words come out from their mouth.

Then, the eastern side of the arena exploded.

"HE WON!"

"Brother Zhi defeated three opponents!"

The Azura Heaven Sect disciples erupted into cheers. Even those who had been worried about his condition couldn’t hide their excitement.

The Vermilion disciples were equally shocked. Nobody had expected this result.

Zhi Yuan’s body swayed. The violent aura surrounding him suddenly disappeared. His face instantly became pale.

Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. His legs finally gave out and dropped to one knee.

The secret technique had allowed him to unleash tremendous power, but the price had been equally severe.

His spiritual energy had been almost completely drained.

His body had also suffered serious strain from forcing itself beyond its normal limits.

Still, the spectators couldn’t hide their amazement.

"Li Qiang was already impressive."

"But Zhi Yuan... he’s on another level."

"He really is the number-one inner disciple of Azura Heaven Sect."

Even several elders nodded with admiration. Elder Dong looked toward the exhausted figure kneeling on the arena.

"Well done."

The praise was simple. But coming from an elder, it carried considerable weight.

Not far away, two figures were watching the battle.

Long Feng stood quietly with his arms crossed, beside him was Li Qiang.

After receiving treatment, Li Qiang had recovered enough to return and watch the battle. His face was still somewhat pale, and several bandages were wrapped around his body.

He looked toward Zhi Yuan on the arena and let out a long breath.

"That guy really went all out."

Long Feng also nodded in agreement.

To perform one secret technique and earth rank techniques several times, it could be said that this time Zhu Yuan really went all out.

"You also did your job."

Li Qiang looked at him for a moment before laughing.

"That doesn’t matter. Matter is that our victory is still far away."

"Hmm, that’s a little hard."

Li Qiang looked toward the Vermilion Flame Sect’s side and his expression gradually became serious again.

"Little were our chances of winning. Don’t forget that there are still three people left to defeat, and one of them is Han Tianyu."

Long Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had heard that name several times since the competition began.

"What’s so special about this Han Tianyu?"

He couldn’t help but ask that what’s so special in this Han Tianyu. At least he didn’t something special in him, after all, he had even taken down his woman.

Li Qiang looked at him strangely.

"You still don’t understand? Han Tianyu isn’t just an ordinary inner disciple."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "It’s said that he’s a direct descendant of one of the high-ranking elders of the Vermilion Flame Sect."