174: Chapter 174 A Fierce Battle!

With his own 547 cal of Vital Energy, boosted by approximately 3% from his Stage Four Sword Technique, it rose to about 711 cal!

Add to that the 10 cal of Vital Energy power inherent in the Sword Light, plus the 200 cal boost from the Ten-Layer Sword Sigils!

His peak Vital Energy eruption actually broke the thousand-cal mark, reaching 711 + 10 + 200 = 1011 cal!

Chen Tian swung his long sword—the blade entwined with Ten-Layer Sword Sigils and burning with crimson Sword Light...

...and met the golden Spear of Judgment head-on!

In the next instant, spear and sword collided!

Clang—!!!!!!!!!

The two extreme lights of gold and crimson frantically consumed each other, squeezing and exploding!

Immediately following that, the two figures separated as soon as they touched!

Chen Tian let out a muffled groan, his body stumbling back half a step uncontrollably, his sword-wielding arm trembling slightly.

Blood seeped from the webbing of his thumb, and the Vital Energy within his body churned.

As for Qin Yan, his body only swayed slightly before he stood firm!

In this straightforward peak clash, Qin Yan held a slight advantage!

Without the suppression of the Tidal Domain, Qin Yan's explosive power was perfectly displayed!

His own 523 cal of Vital Energy, bolstered by his Stage Four Spear Technique, rose to approximately 680 cal!

The Spear Light's power was 10 cal! The twenty-four Spear Auras added a 240 cal boost!

His instantaneous Vital Energy eruption reached a staggering 680 + 100 + 240 = 1020 cal!

It was nearly 10 cal higher than Chen Tian's!

This tiny gap allowed Qin Yan to gain a slight edge!

"What a... what a powerful Nine Revolutions Golden Body Spear!"

Chen Tian steadied his breathing, his gaze toward Qin Yan filled with wonder and solemnity.

Only by experiencing it firsthand could one understand just how overbearing and peerless this Body Tempering Martial Technique truly was!

However, there wasn't a hint of excitement on Qin Yan's face after gaining the upper hand; instead, his brow furrowed slightly.

Although he had won this exchange by half a margin, his previous battle with Lin Qingyue—especially the final forced eruption of Spear Light to resist the domain suppression—had caused significant depletion of his Vital Energy and physical stamina.

At this moment, he seemed to have surging momentum, but in reality, he could not withstand a prolonged war of attrition.

Of course, from a team strategy perspective, he was not fighting alone.

Behind him was Xiao Wangshu, who had yet to make a move!

Instructor Fang Yan had just informed him via a secret voice transmission that Xiao Wangshu had also mastered Stage Four Sword Technique!

This gave him a sense of confidence.

But... he wanted to rely on himself to take this victory!

Not just for the school's honor, but for himself!

He knew well that on a stage like the National Tournament, the better he performed and the more potential he showed, the rewards and resource allocations from the school after the match would definitely be substantial!

This concerned how far and how fast his future path of martial arts could go!

"Fight!"

The two of them let out a roar almost simultaneously, turning into golden and crimson streaks of light once more, colliding fiercely!

Clang! Qiang! Boom!

On the arena, spear shadows were like dragons, and sword light was like flames!

Both men pushed their martial skills, techniques, and will to the absolute limit!

Every collision was earth-shattering, and every exchange was fraught with peril!

Spear Light and Sword Light constantly intersected in the air.

The stray energy was like the sharpest blades, plowing furrow after furrow into the arena floor.

The scars on their bodies began to increase and accumulate.

Sword Light grazed Qin Yan's shoulder, bringing a spray of blood and tearing his martial robe;

Chen Tian was struck by a Spear Aura below his ribs, leaving a deep gash that exposed the bone, blood instantly staining his sleeve red.

Small wounds covered their arms, cheeks, and chests...

Blood began to embellish this peak duel.

This utterly tragic scene left many in the audience below afraid to even take a breath.

Even the instructors in the preparation areas of various martial arts universities cast appreciative and solemn gazes, nodding frequently.

"As expected of top-tier martial arts universities. Such strength, such willpower... truly terrifying!"

"Indeed, whether it's Qin Yan's Nine Revolutions Golden Body Spear or Chen Tian's Prairie Fire Sword Art, both have grasped the essence. What's even rarer is this ruthless determination to fight to the death without retreating!"

"This is where the hope for our human race to resist the alien races in the future lies!"

The geniuses of the top-tier institutions used this contest of blood and fire to prove to everyone once again what 'top-tier' meant!

Clang! Clang!

After another unreserved clash, the two used the rebound to leap back, standing over ten meters apart.

They panted heavily, staring intently at each other.

At this point, neither of them possessed their previous composure.

Qin Yan's Modu University of Martial Arts team uniform was already in tatters, soaked with blood and sweat, clinging tightly to his body.

His torso was covered in crisscrossing sword wounds; though not deep, they were numerous, making for a quite wretched appearance.

The webbing of both hands holding the spear had split, blood flowing down the shaft.

And the brilliant golden Spear Light on the long spear in his hand had completely dissipated due to excessive consumption.

The twenty-four surrounding Spear Auras had also dimmed and crumbled; now he could barely maintain six basic Spear Auras, their light faint.

Opposite him, Chen Tian's situation was equally unoptimistic, looking even a bit more disheveled than Qin Yan.

His face was pale, his breathing rapid, and his chest heaved violently.

The Jingdu University of Martial Arts team uniform he wore had almost turned into tattered rags.

His exposed skin was covered in spear marks and deep gashes that reached the bone.

The crimson Sword Light on the long sword in his hand had also vanished.

Of the ten burning Sword Runess on the blade, only three remained flickering with a faint light, like candles in the wind.

On the arena, where the two stood, blood dripped and gathered into small puddles.

The air was thick with the scent of blood.

"Fight!"

Without any redundant words, with just a single glance, both saw the same determination and unyielding spirit in each other's eyes!

They let out a hoarse roar once more.

With their scarred bodies, like two wounded beasts, they lunged at each other again!

However, in this exchange, the situation instantly reversed!

Losing the boost of the Spear Light and most of the Spear Auras, Qin Yan's overall explosive power plummeted!

With only six Spear Auras, his Vital Energy eruption was far lower than Chen Tian's, who still had three Sword Runess on him!

Clang!

As soon as they clashed, Qin Yan was knocked back repeatedly by one of Chen Tian's sword strikes, his arms going numb; offense and defense were instantly flipped!

If not for the fact that Chen Tian was also heavily injured and unable to fully exert his strength, this one strike would have been enough to severely wound Qin Yan!

Chen Tian pressed his advantage, enduring the sharp pain coming from the numerous wounds all over his body.

The long sword in his hand swung freely, the heat of the Prairie Fire Sword Art like a maggot on a bone, constantly invading Qin Yan's defenses.

Qin Yan gritted his teeth, parrying left and right, only able to hold his spear and struggle to block.

But under the absolute gap in power and speed, his defense appeared riddled with holes.

Chii! Pffft!

As sword light flashed, several more deep wounds were added to Qin Yan's body!

His outer thigh was slashed open, blood gushing out;

Another deep, bone-exposing wound was added to his left arm!

Qin Yan instantly became a man of blood, every step he moved leaving a bloody footprint on the arena.

(Grabbing a meal~ Will continue coding after eating!

Four chapters today~ Asking for gifts~)