357: Chapter 357 One Against Four, Effortlessly

The open space in the center of Qixia Valley was cleared, and the crowd formed a large circle, leaving a battlefield of a hundred zhang in diameter in the middle.

The light from the bonfires illuminated the battlefield, stretching everyone's shadows long.

The night breeze blew by, bringing a hint of chill, but it could not disperse the burning passion in everyone's hearts.

Xu Ruyu stood in the center of the battlefield, dressed in a green robe, standing with his hands behind his back.

The night breeze blew, his sleeves fluttering, giving him the air of an expert—though his aura was still only at the Qi Refinement Stage, and he looked frail and weak.

But at this moment, no one dared to underestimate him.

Leng Ningshuang and the other three stood opposite him, about thirty zhang away.

Zhao Yan took off his shirt, revealing his lean, powerful muscles.

Faint flame patterns flowed across his chest, and his body began to emit a scorching aura, causing the surrounding air to distort and warp from the heat.

He clenched his fists, and raging flames ignited upon them, the firelight reflecting red on his face.

Ning Caihe drew his sword from its scabbard.

It was a long sword with a deep blue body, three feet three inches long, with a blade as thin as a cicada's wing.

He stood holding the sword, his entire being seemingly merging with it, exuding a sharp Sword Intent.

That Sword Intent was incomparably sharp, making people afraid to look directly at it.

A cold mist permeated around Leng Ningshuang, and a thick layer of frost had already formed beneath her feet, spreading outwards.

Her long hair moved without wind, and it seemed as if snowflakes were falling within her icy blue eyes.

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and some of the lower-cultivation Disciples had already started shivering.

Qingyan took a half-step back, standing behind the three of them.

She formed a hand seal, and a faint pink light radiated from her body.

The light was soft and warm, yet it inexplicably made one's heart ache, as if recalling some unforgettable memory.

Her eyes became deep, as if she could see through people's hearts.

The four's auras intertwined, forming a powerful pressure that swept towards Xu Ruyu!

The watching Disciples retreated one after another, their faces full of shock.

Is this the strength of the Nascent Soul Stage? It's too terrifying!

However, Xu Ruyu remained standing in place, motionless.

When that pressure reached him, it seemed to hit an invisible wall, automatically splitting to both sides, unable to get close to him at all.

"Sect Master, we will not hold back."

Zhao Yan grinned, his eyes burning with Battle Intent.

Xu Ruyu smiled slightly and said calmly, "That is perfect, neither will I."

As soon as the words fell—

Zhao Yan moved!

He threw a punch, and a crimson flame fist energy smashed towards Xu Ruyu like a meteorite!

That fist energy was the size of a millstone, and wherever it passed, the air was scorched and distorted, emitting a "chi chi" sound!

Before the fist energy even arrived, the scorching heatwave already rushed towards his face!

The power of this punch was more than ten times stronger than half a month ago!

The strength of the Nascent Soul Stage, combined with the thermal energy converted by the Qi Induction and Micro-Movement Art, allowed the power of this punch to reach a terrifying level!

The watching Disciples exclaimed!

"So strong!"

"Senior Brother Zhao's punch could level a small mountain!"

"Sect Master, be careful!"

However, Xu Ruyu did not dodge or evade, only raising his right hand, spreading his five fingers, and gently pressing towards that flame fist energy.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, that astonishingly powerful flame fist energy actually exploded out of thin air a zhang in front of him, turning into sparks that filled the sky and dissipated into the night sky!

Zhao Yan was stunned.

"This... what is going on?"

That punch of his had condensed all his strength! Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator of the same rank would not dare to take it head-on!

Yet Xu Ruyu had neutralized it with just a gentle press?

The watching Disciples were also dumbfounded.

Xu Ruyu withdrew his hand and said calmly, "Although your flames are strong, their essence is still an explosion of thermal energy."

"I only needed to create a vacuum layer around your fist energy to isolate the air, and your flames could no longer be sustained."

"A vacuum layer?" Zhao Yan widened his eyes. "What is that?"

Xu Ruyu smiled slightly: "Simply put, it means extracting the air around the fist energy."

"Without air, the flames cannot burn."

"No matter how strong your fist energy is, without air to fuel the combustion, it will instantly extinguish."

Zhao Yan listened, feeling completely confused, but he understood the general meaning—his flame fist energy had been "extinguished" by Xu Ruyu using some method.

"I don't believe it!" He roared and attacked again!

This time, he did not attack from a distance, but instead closed in for melee combat!

His form was like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, and his fists bombarded Xu Ruyu like a storm!

His fist technique was inherently fierce and domineering, and combined with his strength at the Nascent Soul Stage, every punch had the power to split mountains and crack rocks!

Wherever the fist energy passed, the air exploded, and sparks flew everywhere!

His punching speed was astonishingly fast, one punch after another, dense and rapid, dazzling to the eyes!

However, Xu Ruyu's movement technique was bizarre to the extreme—he always avoided Zhao Yan's fists by a hair's breadth at the most critical moment.

Sometimes, when the fist was clearly pressed against his body, it seemed to be slid away by an invisible force, unable to land solidly!

"What is going on? I clearly hit you!"

Zhao Yan was both shocked and angry, and his punching speed increased by a few points.

While dodging, Xu Ruyu explained, "When your fists strike, I deploy a high-speed rotating air layer in front of me."

"Your fist force is largely dissipated by this layer of air, and what remains cannot hurt me at all."

"This is called an Air Shield."