Chapter 57: Instincts

The old man who had disappeared from his position appeared high above the sky and gazed down at the dueling area where Qing and Jin were now preparing. The old man smiled before taking a comfortable sitting position in the empty air itself and spoke, "This will be quite entertaining even when the winner is already decided."

His gaze remained fixed on the two people below as he waited for the duel to begin.

Meanwhile, below, Qing spoke up, "Alright Senior, I hope to learn much from you."

With that, Jin moved first, his speed so high that no normal cultivator would even be able to see him moving as he zig-zagged through the air. In an instant, he was already in front of Qing with a punch streaking forward without any Spiritual Qi in it.

Qing could see his movements clearly, as if he wasn’t bothered by the speed at all. No, the case was actually the opposite, as the speed at which Jin moved appeared almost like slow motion to Qing. Without saying anything, Qing’s body shifted slightly as he dodged the incoming fist, then his hand moved toward the fist that had come to punch him.

With a slight push against Jin’s wrist while everything seemed to move in slow motion, Qing completely removed the incoming force from the punch. He didn’t stop there, immediately using his left hand to punch toward Jin with fierce intensity.

Jin, who had been using Spiritual Qi in his eyes to make his senses and perception extremely fast, noticed the incoming punch aimed at his gut and reacted immediately.

His instincts kicked in as he released Spiritual Qi from the bottom of his feet. The moment he did, he gave the energy a slight push, causing his lower body to suddenly jump upward. Qing’s punch struck empty air where Jin’s gut had been just moments ago, but Qing didn’t wait as he immediately vanished from his position after sensing an incoming kick from the left, which slightly surprised him.

’Damn, this kid has some skills in a fight. Even with my fifteen years of fighting demons, this guy appears to be a worthy opponent.’ Qing smiled slightly as he lifted his loosened hand and thought, ’This is a risky move, but it will let my instincts control my body rather than my constantly churning thoughts, just like back in the days I did, hehe.’

His expression remained relaxed as he prepared to try something he had not used in this manner for some time.

SNAP

The moment he snapped his fingers, Spiritual Energy surged toward his brain through the nerves. Qing’s mind felt as if it were going through a rapid electric shock before suddenly stopping all thought, and his entire guard, which had been active at all times, lowered alongside his body. His hands hung loosely on both sides while his head bent forward, making him look like some kind of drunken person.

Jin frowned when he saw this and waited for a moment to see if something was happening. ’What kind of move is that? He sent his Spiritual Qi to his brain...’ Killing intent started coming out from Jin’s body once again as he felt like Qing was disrespecting the battle by shutting off his own brain. His expression became colder as he clenched his teeth and prepared to attack again.

Jin immediately moved as he clenched his teeth. In an instant, he was again in front of Qing, this time with his kick streaking forward from the left side as he coated it with his Spiritual Qi to make it multiple folds stronger.

Just as his leg was an inch away from hitting Qing’s head, Qing’s loosened hand moved ever so slightly before suddenly appearing below Jin’s ankle while it was still in motion.

The moment it was there, Qing’s palm moved upward with intense speed and force. Jin widened his eyes as he suddenly felt the force of the palm striking his ankle from below, and in one sweeping motion, his entire figure turned around without his permission. He rolled across the floor before arriving several meters away, but just as he landed there, Qing was already behind him.

’Wha-!’ Before Jin could even register Qing’s presence by turning around, Qing’s attacks descended on him. A palm strike landed at the back of his head, and the force behind it immediately sent a shockwave forward.

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted from the front of Jin’s face as he felt his mind going numb. Yet Qing hadn’t stopped there, as another punch came toward Jin’s back with almost no pause between the attacks. The punch struck his back with force, causing another shockwave to erupt from the front of his body.

BOOM!

Jin’s body bent backward before shooting forward from the force, ’How the hell is he moving like that?!’ Qing’s eyes remained closed the entire time as he arrived in front of Jin’s shooting body once again. A punch was already streaking toward Jin’s face, and an instant later, it connected directly with his jaw.

CRACK! BOOM!

The sound of the jaw cracking and another shockwave spread from the point of contact. Jin’s body streaked backward until it grazed along the ground like a ragdoll, only stopping when Jin forced his legs downward against the floor with such force that the floor cracked, ’HOW DARE YOU!! I AM GONNA KILL YOU!’ Jin’s eyes turned red as killing intent consumed them.

BOOOOOM!

All his Qi was released at once, shaking the fighting arena itself. All the core disciples widened their eyes in shock as they shouted, "How the hell does he have that much Killing Intent?! Don’t tell me he completed the ninetieth floor’s test?!!!" Their voices spread throughout the area as the others reacted to the sudden release of Jin’s Killing Intent.

"What the hell are you saying? If he cleared that floor, then isn’t he the second strongest now?" Their shouting seemed to reach both Qing and Jin’s ears, but neither of them spoke anything as both were in no state to even hear them properly. Jin’s attention remained completely focused on Qing as the Killing Intent around him continued to surge.

Jin moved as a crimson sword made from his own Killing Intent and Spiritual Qi formed in his hand. ’I WILL KILL YOU!!’ He screamed in his mind as he sliced his sword without hesitation the moment he was in front of Qing. The sword moved directly toward Qing as he swung it with all the Killing Intent he had released.

Just as he swung...

CLANG

The sound spread in all directions as Qing also materialized his QI-sword, but this time, it was mixed with his Killing Intent, and his Killing Intent was so much that the sword had turned dark red.