21: In the first round, they narrowly won.

"Kid, you're asking for death!"

Along with Shi Lei's roar, like a wild ox, a fierce Coiling Force rushed towards him!

His burly body, running on the Arena Number Seven, actually caused the sturdy black ironwood to subtly vibrate. His fist, the size of a sandbag, carried the full power of his Qi Refinement Stage second layer Peak, like a howling meteor, directly striking Lin Ye's seemingly fragile chest!

The crowd below seemed to have already foreseen the next scene—that skinny kid, who didn't know his place, would be sent flying by this punch, spitting blood, falling out of the arena like a kite with a broken string, completely losing his combat ability.

However, facing this thunderous blow, Lin Ye on the Arena Number Seven made a reaction that baffled everyone.

He did not dodge, he did not evade.

On his pale, haggard face, there was even a lingering hint of lazy sleepiness from having just yawned. He stood there quietly, as if he had been scared silly, or perhaps, he simply didn't take this fatal punch seriously at all.

"What is he doing? Is he looking for death?"

"He's crazy! This kid is absolutely crazy!"

Amidst the terrified gasps of the crowd below, Shi Lei's unstoppable iron fist solidly landed on Lin Ye's chest!

"Bang!!!"

A muffled, extreme thud, like a giant hammer striking a war drum, clearly echoed throughout the entire Martial Arts Training Ground!

However, the expected gruesome scene of flesh and blood flying did not appear at all!

Instead, the moment the fist made contact with Lin Ye's chest, his washed-out coarse cloth shirt suddenly caved inward, and then, a very faint, almost imperceptible bronze glow flashed across the surface of his skin!

Lin Ye's slender body was uncontrollably shaken backward three steps by this immense force, each step leaving a shallow imprint on the hard Arena Number Seven.

By the third step, his body stabilized, and he actually managed to completely dissipate that violent impact, standing firm!

He did not Move a muscle!

On the contrary, the aggressive attacker, Shi Lei, now had an expression that instantly froze!

He only felt that his punch didn't land on a person's flesh and blood body, but rather fiercely struck a three-foot-thick bronze bell buried deep underground!

An unimaginably huge Reaction force (recoil force) surged back along his fist, making his entire arm numb, and the sharp pain from his fist made him instinctively gasp in cold air.

This... what is going on?!

The entire venue fell into a dead silence!

Everyone's eyes almost popped out, staring intently at the slender figure on the Arena Number Seven, who, though his face grew paler, still stood steadily, with a look as if they were observing a monster.

"Cough... cough cough..." Lin Ye seemed to have just recovered from the intense impact. He coughed violently a few times, covering his chest with one hand and pointing at Shi Lei with the other, a perfectly timed expression of "terror" and "lingering fear" on his face, "You... you, how could you... how could you just strike without warning..."

His appearance instantly transformed the shock in Shi Lei's heart into boundless shame and rage!

"Impossible! You trash, how could you take my punch! Fall down!!!"

Shi Lei roared, like an enraged beast, and once again launched a furious, storm-like assault!

Fists, palms, elbows, knees!

He unleashed all the Moves he had painstakingly cultivated over the past year without reservation. For a moment, the entire Arena Number Seven was filled with howling Coiling Force and shadowy fists, completely engulfing Lin Ye's slender figure!

Facing such a violent offensive, Lin Ye's "performance" entered a new stage.

He appeared completely terrified, flustered, and unable to make any effective defense or dodge. He merely curled his body, protecting his head and face with his arms, like a scarecrow battered by a strong wind, passively enduring repeated heavy blows on the Arena Number Seven.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Dull thuds, like dense raindrops, continuously echoed on the Arena Number Seven.

Each time a heavy punch landed on Lin Ye, the faint bronze glow on his body would flash once. He was staggered and swayed by the immense force, looking as if he would fall at any moment, yet he always managed to stabilize himself at the last second, in an extremely disheveled manner.

He was like a roly-poly toy, an incredibly resilient human sandbag!

The crowd below had already gone from initial shock to complete numbness.

"Is this... is this guy's body made of iron? He's still not down after all that?"

"What Cultivation Technique? How have I never seen such... such a beating-enduring Cultivation Technique?"

"He doesn't even fight back! He's just toughing it out with his thick skin! If Shi Lei runs out of strength, he might have a slim chance, but now... he's bound to be beaten down eventually!"

On the high platform, several Elders also exchanged glances, one of them stroking his beard, a subtle glint flashing in his eyes: "This Disciple... his Foundation seems exceptionally solid. He appears to be practicing some kind of extremely ancient body-tempering Dao."

In the crowd, Zhao Tian's face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

He stared intently at Lin Ye on the Arena Number Seven, the unsettling feeling in his heart growing stronger.

And amidst the violent attacks, Lin Ye would occasionally seize an opportunity, swinging a few soft palm strikes in an extremely clumsy, uncoordinated manner. Most of these "counterattacks" were easily dodged by Shi Lei, and the few that fortunately landed on Shi Lei's body were like scratching an itch through a boot, causing no damage whatsoever.

This further convinced everyone that he was merely a "meat shield" with only defense.

However, no one knew that every seemingly disheveled retreat, every clumsy block by Lin Ye, was quietly leading his opponent into a trap he had already designed.

An incense stick's time passed.

Shi Lei's offensive clearly slowed down. His forehead was already drenched in sweat, his chest heaved violently, and every punch was accompanied by heavy gasps.

The high-intensity assault had greatly depleted his stamina. And his opponent's unyielding "turtle shell" further unbalanced his mentality, making his attacks increasingly disorganized.

Now is the time!

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Lin Ye's always calm eyes!

Shi Lei roared again, using his last bit of strength to swing his right arm, unleashing a powerful haymaker, intending to deliver the final killing blow!

This punch, due to excessive force, left his center wide open, and his lower body also became momentarily unstable.

This was a mistake so tiny it was almost negligible!

But in Lin Ye's eyes, this mistake was infinitely magnified!

He seemed to be swept by Shi Lei's punch, his body cooperatively stumbling backward, seemingly about to fall, but his right hand, using the momentum of this "stumble," gently "pushed" towards Shi Lei's exposed chest, which was open due to his exertion, at an extremely tricky angle, seemingly weakly.

This push was so "coincidental," so "lucky."

However, within that seemingly powerless palm, the purest and most condensed Coiling Force of the Iron Sand Palm's Minor Achievement Realm was gathered!

"Bang!"

A muffled thud!

Shi Lei, who was in a state where his old strength was exhausted, new strength had not yet emerged, and his lower body was unstable, only felt an irresistible, extremely penetrating immense force suddenly coming from his chest!

His burly body, as if struck by a high-speed charging wild ox, instantly left the ground!

"Ugh ah!"

Shi Lei let out an incredulous cry, desperately flailing his arms in the air, trying to regain his balance, but it was all in vain.

Under everyone's stunned gaze, his tall body arced in a parabola, and with a "thud," he heavily fell below the hard Arena Number Seven, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire venue once again fell into a dead silence!

After a full three breaths, the Disciple serving as the referee finally awoke from his dream, stammering loudly:

"Arena... Arena Number Seven, Lin Ye... wins!"

On the Arena Number Seven, Lin Ye seemed to have also exhausted all his strength. He first stared blankly at his right hand, his face filled with "disbelief" and "bewilderment," then his body softened, and he also slumped to the ground, gasping for air, his weak appearance looking even more miserable than Shi Lei's below the stage.

A battle that, in everyone's eyes, was full of "luck."