36: Chapter 36 Shocks the Entire Audience

"The fist fight begins!"

As the middle-aged man in the green robe finished speaking, it was like cold water dropping into boiling oil; the entire Life-and-Death Ring arena instantly erupted into a frenzy!

Lin Tian and Master Wu Zhe stepped forward almost simultaneously, mounting the broad stage built of heavy bluestone, standing five feet above the ground.

Four black flags were planted at the edges of the stage, snapping in the morning breeze and adding a touch of murderous aura.

Below the stage, the nimble bookmaker had already begun shouting to solicit bets: "Place your bets! Master Wu Zhe of Liehuo Martial Arts Hall versus Lin Tian of Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall! Fair odds, come place your bets now!"

"Does that even need thinking? Of course, I'm betting on Master Wu Zhe to win!"

"I'll bet ten taels on Master Wu Zhe!"

"I'll bet five taels!"

"Master Wu Zhe! Twenty taels!"

The crowd swarmed over, almost unanimously betting on Master Wu Zhe.

Master Ding Kui, seeing this, laughed heartily, pushed through the crowd, pulled out a one-hundred-tael silver note, and slapped it down in front of the bookmaker: "I, Ding, bet one hundred taels on Master Wu Zhe!"

"Master Ding is generous!"

"It looks like Master Wu Zhe is certain to win!"

Exclamations and murmurs of agreement rose from the surrounding crowd.

Master Ding Kui, feeling smug, shot a sidelong glance at the grim-faced Patriarch Liu opposite him and deliberately raised his voice: "Clan Chief Liu, why not place a bet and add some excitement? Or is it that... even you yourselves don't have much confidence in this 'young hero' you've invited?"

These words were dripping with sarcasm.

Patriarch Liu's face turned livid. With a cold snort, he also took a one-hundred-tael silver note from his bosom and slammed it down on the other side of the bookmaker's table: "The Liu Family bets one hundred taels on young hero Lin Tian!"

"Hiss..." The crowd let out another gasp.

In front of the betting pool for Lin Tian to win, apart from the Liu Family's one hundred taels, only three or four people had tossed in some loose silver and copper coins, hoping for a long shot, and among them was Wang Yu.

He gritted his teeth and bet his entire savings of four taels of silver.

"Wang Yu? Are you crazy?" a familiar Disciple from the martial arts hall nearby saw this and whispered in shock.

Wang Yu stared at the gray figure on the stage, saying nothing.

Soon, the betting odds were finalized: for a Lin Tian victory, one to ten; for a Master Wu Zhe victory, one to one point one.

The lopsided odds reflected the judgment of almost everyone.

On the stage.

Master Wu Zhe looked at Lin Tian, who stood five steps away, his eyes scanning him as if he were a dead object.

He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse but carrying a scorching Internal Energy that made the eardrums of nearby spectators buzz: "Kid, kneel now, kowtow three times to admit defeat, and I might just show some mercy and let you roll off this stage alive."

This was not only an insult to Lin Tian but also a common, insidious tactic in the Life-and-Death Ring to disrupt an opponent's mind with sound.

Below the stage, Patriarch Liu's expression changed, cursing the underhandedness, and he looked at Lin Tian nervously.

Yet, he saw that Lin Tian's expression remained normal, his eyes clear and completely unmoved. He only said calmly: "You want me to lose? I'm afraid you don't have the ability."

"You're courting death!" Seeing that words were useless, a fierce glint flashed in Master Wu Zhe's eyes, and he stopped talking.

He stomped his foot violently onto the bluestone stage!

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the stone surface vibrated slightly.

Master Wu Zhe's figure shot out like an arrow from a bow, his right hand splayed, and an unnatural fiery red light suddenly erupted from his palm.

The surrounding air warped slightly because of it, carrying a scorching, fishy wind as he struck fiercely at Lin Tian's face!

Fire Killing Palm! Before the palm even arrived, the intense, rigid palm wind struck his face, stinging the skin.

Lin Tian's pupils constricted. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, sank his waist into a horse stance, clenched his right fist, and his arm muscles suddenly tightened like iron as he threw a straight punch!

The fist broke through the air, faintly carrying a sharp sound like metal vibrating. It was straightforward, with no frills, striking directly at Master Wu Zhe's palm.

Metal Element Fist!

Fist and palm collided!

"Boom—!"

A low, heart-shaking muffled sound exploded!

Airwaves scattered from the center of the two, blowing the black flags at the edge of the stage into a frenzy.

Both figures shook simultaneously, actually deadlocked in place!

Where fist and palm met, fiery red and pale gold light flickered uncertainly.

A trace of surprise flashed in Master Wu Zhe's eyes. Although he hadn't used his full strength in that palm, he had used seventy percent. An ordinary First Grade Early Stage Martial Artist who took that head-on would at least have numb arm bones and stumble back, yet this kid had actually withstood it?

His reaction was extremely fast. In the moment of the deadlock, his left palm, like a blade, silently thrust out from under his ribs, slashing towards Lin Tian's waist and abdomen!

This palm was faster and trickier, the fiery red light restrained, but the power was even more concentrated.

Lin Tian seemed to have anticipated this. He bent his left arm and met it with the outer side of his forearm, still using the energy-channeling method of the Metal Element Fist, but turning the fist into a defense.

"Clang!"

Another crisp sound like metal clashing!

Lin Tian only felt a scorching, immense force transmit through his arm, forcing his body to slide back three steps involuntarily. The bluestone under his feet was left with faint marks, and the blood in his body surged.

As for Master Wu Zhe, his upper body only swayed slightly before he stood firmly in place.

The difference in strength was clear!

"Nothing more than this." Master Wu Zhe sneered. Pressing his advantage, he followed up relentlessly, his footwork moving in succession, his palms turning into a sea of fiery red palm shadows once again, shrouding Lin Tian like a violent storm.

Lin Tian's expression was solemn. He executed the Metal Element Fist, coordinating it with his footwork, and tried his best to block and dodge amidst the sky-filling palm shadows.

"Bang, bang, bang!" "Clang, clang, clang!"

On the stage, the sounds of fist-palm collisions and the whistling of wind were incessant.

The two figures intertwined, one red and one gray, fighting extremely intensely.

The audience below watched, dazzled, exclaiming repeatedly:

"This young man... can actually block Master Wu Zhe!"

"They've fought for nearly twenty moves! And he still hasn't been defeated!"

"What a hard fist! What a solid Foundation! Where did the Liu Family find this freak?"

"He is indeed a young Genius! It's a pity that his cultivation is still a bit lacking. Look at him, he's been suppressed and beaten the whole time; his defeat is only a matter of time."

Listening to the surrounding discussion, Master Ding Kui laughed and raised his voice towards Patriarch Liu: "Clan Chief Liu, don't be happy too soon! Master Wu Zhe hasn't even used the ultimate move of the Fire Killing Palm yet!"

As if to verify his words, Master Wu Zhe, who was fighting on the stage and couldn't secure a victory after a long time, felt a surge of anger and roared suddenly: "Kid, this is the end!"

The fiery red light on his palms suddenly surged, the color of his palms instantly turning dark red, and even faint sparks were splashing out!

The surrounding temperature soared suddenly! He circled and guided his palms as if holding an invisible ball of raging flames, then suddenly pushed forward!

Fire Killing Palm ultimate move — Magma Eruption!

A scorching hot, tangible crimson palm force, like a volcanic eruption, surged towards Lin Tian with the momentum of crushing everything!

Where the palm force passed, the air emitted a "hissing" burning sound. It covered a huge area, almost sealing off all of Lin Tian's escape routes!

"Oh no!" Patriarch Liu and the others turned pale, their hearts in their throats.

"It's over." The corners of Du Fei's mouth curled into a cold arc.

The Ding Family crowd was already preparing to cheer.

In this split second, just as the crimson palm force was about to engulf Lin Tian—

A sharp light flashed in Lin Tian's eyes, and his footwork changed suddenly!

It was no longer the steadiness of hard-hitting with the Metal Element Fist, but transformed into an indescribable lightness and swiftness!

His whole body seemed to lose weight instantly, turning into a wisp of catkin blown by a gale, or like a shadow skimming across the ground!

Minor Achievement Realm — Wind-Chasing Footwork!

At the critical moment, the gray figure, by a hair's breadth, weirdly "slid" out from the weakest, fleeting gap in the crimson palm force!

The speed was so fast that it left a faint afterimage in place!

"What?!" Master Wu Zhe's sure-kill strike missed, and he watched helplessly as Lin Tian appeared like a ghost three steps to his side, his face showing genuine astonishment for the first time.

Below the stage, the exclamations stopped abruptly, turning into dead silence.