But this man was, after all, a fierce bandit who had spent years licking blood from the edge of a blade.
The hostility in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest; instead, it was completely ignited!
The straight punch he had thrown suddenly flipped. His five fingers snapped together like a blade, slashing back fiercely like a guillotine towards Shen Xiuhan's arm!
【Baboon Fist: Inverted Golden Baboon】
Before the fist even arrived, the fierce wind whipped against their sleeves, making them flutter loudly.
A sharp gleam flashed in Shen Xiuhan's eyes, and he changed his stance without a moment's hesitation.
His arm flicked like a fish shaking its tail. With immense flexibility and resilience, it spun and twisted, sliding half an inch along the side of the palm-blade, barely dodging its sharp edge.
The martial technique 【Heavenly Eagle Wind-Tearing Hand】 was not only full of variations and hidden moves within moves, but it was also highly practical for adaptation and grappling.
Especially the final five sequences, which followed a path of extreme softness and resilience. It was a style of close-quarters wrestling specifically designed to counter rigid and overbearing martial styles.
A surge of soft force erupted!
As if his forearm were coated in oil, Shen Xiuhan slid it gently along Tang Jin's palm-blade, redirecting most of the impact.
He lightly raised his left hand, curling his fingers slightly with only the knuckle of his middle finger protruding. Like a dragonfly skimming the water, he tapped toward Tang Jin's Yintang acupoint and flicked downward!
Thud!
A crisp, clean flick of the finger landed squarely right between Tang Jin's eyebrows.
The sound was not loud, but it was chillingly crisp.
A red, swollen lump the size of a copper coin instantly rose on Tang Jin's forehead, quickly turning a deep shade of purple and blue.
“Sss...”
Tang Jin gasped.
This tap seemed light, but it actually sent a jolt of Anjin force deep into his bones. It made him see stars, his head ringing and his vision swimming.
He staggered back two steps. A moment later, the excruciating pain on his forehead finally exploded, making his mouth twitch in agony.
But Shen Xiuhan did not give him any room to breathe.
Stamping his right foot, he spun like a top, his green robes flaring into a perfect arc.
Using the centrifugal force, his left arm swept upward. His fingers curled into a claw, force condensing at his fingertips like hooks. Accompanied by a piercing whistle of wind, he thrust straight toward the Shanzhong acupoint on Tang Jin's chest!
A shorter reach brought greater danger!
This strike was vicious and sharp, entirely devoid of any useless flair, yet it was so fast that one could barely blink.
Caught off guard, Tang Jin's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and horror filled his heart.
In his haste, he hollowed his chest and pulled back, stumbling backward as the soles of his boots dragged two long furrows in the mud.
“Trying to run?”
Shen Xiuhan sneered. Gliding along the ground like a shadow, he swung his arm like a steel whip and leaped into the air, pressing down fiercely with the momentum of his descent!
Whoosh!
The sound of rushing air was sharp and ear-piercing.
With no way to dodge, Tang Jin could only grit his teeth and raise his left arm to block the blow.
Boom!
Their single arms collided, producing a deafening explosion. Shockwaves rippled outward, sending pebbles and mud flying in all directions.
The three onlookers watched in dumbfounded silence, their mouths agape and their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
“T-Third Chief... Is... is this the power of the Anjin Rank?!”
Zhong Kui opened his mouth, but it felt as though his throat were stuffed with cotton, leaving him completely speechless.
Having served in the Longxiang Army, he had witnessed many battles between Anjin Rank experts.
For instance, his own First Chief, Zheng Dadao, possessed a cultivation of the mid-stage Anjin Rank and was renowned for both his palm and blade techniques. Even in the army, Zheng Dadao had a bit of a reputation, and Zhong Kui had once witnessed his might from afar.
Yet, the more he recalled this, the more bitter his heart became.
Chief Zheng is already over forty. He broke through to the Anjin Rank more than ten years ago, spending half his life cultivating to achieve such might. Tang Jin isn't young either; he has spent at least seven or eight years refining his Anjin Rank... But this Shen kid, how the hell is he doing this?!
A youth of seventeen or eighteen, who had entered the Anjin Rank barely a month ago, was actually suppressing and beating a veteran Anjin Rank expert?
Did this make any sense?
While his mind was racing—
Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!
The sounds of fists and arms colliding on the pier rang out like a torrential downpour, one after another, never-ending.
Shen Xiuhan had already exchanged dozens of blows with Tang Jin!
He used only one hand throughout the entire fight and employed only the 【Heavenly Eagle Wind-Tearing Hand】. Yet, his footwork was as fluid as flowing water—weaving left and right, advancing and retreating. He left Tang Jin scrambling to defend, thoroughly disheveled.
The more Tang Jin fought, the more alarmed he became.
His empty right sleeve whipped wildly in the wind like a funeral shroud.
Every block he made was incredibly strained. Sweat mingled with mud as it dripped down his forehead, and his breathing grew heavier and more labored.
He remembered it clearly.
The last time he saw Shen Xiuhan was only two months ago.
Back then, the boy had barely reached the Tendon Tempering Rank. In his eyes, the youth was nothing more than an ant he could crush with a single finger.
Even if he had broken through to the Anjin Rank now, he had probably only opened his Taichong acupoint. He should still be far behind him!
During the Anjin Rank, the nine acupoints were divided into three stages: early, mid, and late.
With each stage, the quality and quantity of the Anjin force within the body would multiply.
Tang Jin had opened three of his Anjin acupoints years ago. Logically speaking, fighting someone who had just entered the Anjin Rank should have been an easy task, or at least shouldn't require much effort.
But now?
He was actually no match!
Impossible... Absolutely impossible!
Tang Jin's eyes bulged, filled with bloodshot veins. He ground his teeth so hard they clicked, throwing everything he had into the clash.
It was one thing to lose to Ji Ning's sword-glow. That black-clothed brat's swordsmanship was superb, and he had even cultivated sword-glow, making him truly brilliant... But how could I lose to someone who was still in the Mingjin Rank just two months ago?!
His boxing stance suddenly shifted. He converted his fist into an elbow, thrusting it forward like a spear straight toward Shen Xiuhan's chest.
Shen Xiuhan's gaze flickered. His claw-like hand flattened into a palm. With force coiled in his palm, he gave a gentle flick and pull, easily neutralizing the elbow strike.
Boom!
They separated the instant they clashed.
The massive force sent Tang Jin stumbling backward. The packed earth beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, leaving two footprints dragged several feet like furrows.
Yet, instead of being alarmed, he was overjoyed!
Because with this retreat, he had put more than thirty feet of distance between himself and Shen Xiuhan.
A distance of thirty feet was more than enough to rally his forces!
With a roar, Tang Jin shot forward like an arrow from a bow. Mud exploded under his feet as he charged once more at breakneck speed!
“Die!”
The stance of his left hand shifted dramatically. It was no longer single strikes, but a rapid succession of straight punches. One after another, fast as a volley of cannon fire, every single punch aimed directly at vital spots!
The eyes, the throat, and the heart!
Three fatal targets. Every punch carried a biting Anjin force, producing a series of muffled booms in the air.
【Baboon Fist: Continuous Three-Strike Volley】
Shen Xiuhan seemed to be forced back half a step by this relentless barrage. His body faltered slightly, his center of gravity appearing somewhat unstable.
“Go to hell!”
Seeing this, wild joy erupted in Tang Jin's eyes. He poured all of his blood qi, hot as boiling lava, into his left fist. Veins bulged on his knuckles as he unleashed a strike of immense weight, tearing through the air in pursuit!
With this punch, he was gambling everything!
Yet, in the next instant.
Shen Xiuhan's body twisted slightly, tilting just a fraction to the side.
No more, no less—exactly half an inch.
The angle was incredibly precise, and the timing was absolutely perfect!
Tang Jin's face instantly twisted in horror. A cold shiver ran from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head, his scalp tingling as a deep dread washed over him like ice water.
No! It's a trap!
The corner of Shen Xiuhan's mouth curled upward, his eyes filled with mockery.
“Such a glaring weakness, yet you dare gamble on it?”
Tang Jin's eyes turned blood-red. He instinctively tried to pull back his fist, but his momentum was like water breaching a dam—rushing forward with no hope of recovery!
Whoosh!
The instant the heavy punch grazed Shen Xiuhan's left shoulder—
Shen Xiuhan's left hand suddenly snapped up like a ferocious dragon bursting from the water. His five fingers clamped onto the shoulder blade of Tang Jin's left arm, his fingertips sinking deep into the flesh, making the joints creak.
I'm finished!
Despair washed over Tang Jin's face.
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