Chapter Forty-Two: The Most Opportune Moment!

Yan Lincu had just defeated his previous opponent when he immediately challenged Chen Fan. This move naturally caused a stir among the crowd, leaving many in disbelief. It was unheard of for a martial artist in the Strength Training stage to possess such a terrifying level of vitality and blood energy.

Even someone as knowledgeable as Li Linliu could not help but marvel inwardly: “Such stamina and blood energy can only be achieved by someone who has completed the minor internal circulation, a martial artist of the sixth tier... Could it be that Yan Lincu truly possesses some special constitution?”

Alas, the world is vast and bodies differ greatly; even Li Linliu could not deduce the exact reason for Yan Lincu’s formidable physique based on a few matches alone!

The fact that the final was being held ahead of schedule thrilled countless spectators. The battle between the two youngest prodigies was filled with drama, making everyone eager to see who would triumph.

Especially Chen Fan—each time he was deemed inferior to his opponent, he would stage a comeback and seize victory. More and more people were eager to see if Chen Fan could defy the odds and win it all! As for Yan Lincu, his monstrous constitution had everyone curious about the true limits of his body.

The medicinal pill Chen Fan had taken the day before had not yet been fully digested, leaving residual power in his body. He had also just drunk the restorative tonic provided by the organizers. Now, in nearly perfect condition, he naturally had no fear of facing Yan Lincu!

He vaulted onto the stage, standing across from Yan Lincu. As he ascended, the crowd below erupted, shouting the names of both competitors.

Both were considered legends of this martial gathering. Among them, the cheers for Yan Lincu were slightly louder. After all, his displayed constitution was simply too formidable—defeating a third-tier martial artist was no small feat, and now he dared challenge Chen Fan without even resting, a testament to his confidence!

At the referee’s signal, the final officially began!

Yan Lincu’s eyes widened, a sinister grin on his face as he lunged straight at Chen Fan.

His fist swept forward like the wind—a direct assault!

Confident in his own blood energy and physique, Chen Fan did not retreat in the slightest. He unleashed the sixth form of “Tiger Fist,” meeting the attack head-on with a single punch!

Thud!

Both felt the terrifying force from each other’s bodies and staggered backward.

Yan Lincu retreated significantly more.

Smack.

Chen Fan had the upper hand!

Almost as soon as he regained his balance—

“Your strength…” Yan Lincu pushed off with his back foot, frowning in surprise at Chen Fan, then charged again.

There was almost no pause for recovery!

Chen Fan’s eyes were sharp as he counterattacked once more.

In terms of raw power, Chen Fan, having broken through several times, was slightly superior to Yan Lincu.

After all, when he had defeated Feng Yuancheng before, he hadn’t had a significant advantage in technique either! In terms of skill and combat experience, Lin Qingyu and Feng Yuancheng surpassed Yan Lincu, but Yan Lincu’s physique was simply too overwhelming. His blood energy seemed inexhaustible, allowing him to maintain a relentless assault and disregard his opponent’s attacks—that was his true strength!

In every fight, he never won by exquisite technique but by almost ignoring his opponent’s attacks and relying on a tidal wave of offense to exhaust his enemy’s stamina completely!

Simply put, Yan Lincu was fast and sturdy, but not quite as strong in terms of raw power.

Coincidentally, Chen Fan’s blood energy and stamina were also extremely robust, though his technique was not particularly refined…

In fact, the two could be said to have the strongest foundations and vitality in this competition, with equally frightening endurance.

As a result, their battle quickly devolved into a contest of attrition!

Of course.

Chen Fan felt the pressure of Yan Lincu’s onslaught, but it was far less than when Feng Yuancheng had attacked him recklessly in the previous match.

This was partly because Chen Fan’s “Shattered Jade Fist” had reached perfection, and the medicinal pill taken yesterday had further boosted his strength.

It was also because Yan Lincu’s moves lacked refinement—he was simply aggressive and forceful!

Both were young, with comparable strength and distinct advantages, making the fight extremely intense.

In truth, Chen Fan believed himself stronger than his opponent, but Yan Lincu’s relentless attacks kept him from seizing victory…

...

“Yan Lincu already went through a fierce battle earlier, yet his strength shows no sign of waning. It seems he truly is akin to a typical sixth-tier martial artist, with full blood energy and no weaknesses in his body…” The masters and leaders on the main dais all watched with admiration.

“With such a unique constitution, once Yan Lincu begins training in true martial arts, he’ll likely face no barriers up to the seventh tier—as long as he accumulates enough, he can break through!” Li Linliu unfurled his white jade fan, fanning himself gently, his mind running through the traits of various special constitutions…

None present had surpassed the sixth tier; save for Li Linliu, most were over forty. Breaking through after the seventh tier was an entirely different matter. For the rest, it was unlikely that anyone would ever advance further in this lifetime.

But Yan Lincu could become a sixth-tier expert with almost no obstacles. The contrast and sense of dissonance this created was immense!

“Yan Lincu keeps pressing the attack, but he and Chen Fan are evenly matched. It seems Chen Fan has the edge in strength and technique—but only by a small margin…”

“At this rate, the only possible outcome is that Chen Fan will be worn out by Yan Lincu’s relentless assault!”

If Chen Fan’s strength or technique surpassed Yan Lincu’s by two or three levels, he could forcefully defeat him, leaving no chance for attrition. Victory would be possible then!

The problem was that Chen Fan’s advantage was only slight, and he could only fall passively into Yan Lincu’s rhythm.

Chen Fan’s greatest asset in defeating Lin Qingyu and Feng Yuancheng was his blood energy and physique, but before Yan Lincu, this was actually a disadvantage!

“I can’t let this continue…”

Chen Fan knew well that Yan Lincu’s constitution was special. Engaging him in a battle of attrition was far from wise.

His strongest moves only forced his opponent back a few steps, and Yan Lincu would come at him again in the blink of an eye. There was no way to knock him off the stage!

Yan Lincu had fought his way to the final by defeating opponent after opponent—he was naturally not so easy to deal with.

...

“But this is actually a great opportunity!” Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.

The skills he had set to auto-practice—“Wind and Thunder Palm,” “White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm,” and “Shattered Jade Fist”—had all been comprehended in actual combat, but he hadn’t had another chance to gain further insights.

Yet he still had more than a dozen other techniques!

Martial arts comprehension wasn’t limited to those set to auto-practice—one could gain insight into any skill during battle!

When he ambushed Pi Liu, his breakthrough in “Tiger Fist” came after mastering all six forms, creating a new one from scratch. It was different from the spontaneous insights he’d gained in recent days.

This battle with Yan Lincu was bound to be a protracted contest.

He could feel a certain pressure—greater than even when fighting Feng Yuancheng.

Wasn’t this the perfect chance to “comprehend” all those fully practiced but never battle-tempered skills?

Even if it didn’t raise his progress much, if he could develop an extra form for each technique, it would be a tremendous boost to his strength!

Moreover, the medicinal power from the pill he’d taken yesterday had yet to be fully absorbed; his blood energy would leap forward once more.

With that thought, Chen Fan’s eyes flashed.

He withdrew his palm and switched to fists, beginning to use a third-tier manual he had mastered—“Duck Walk Fist”!

Crack!

Yan Lincu’s eyes widened. “You little brat, are you looking down on me!”

As a third-tier manual, its moves were far less refined, but with Chen Fan’s passive defense and advantage in strength, he didn’t fall too far behind!

Yet to the audience, the scene looked rather odd…

Li Linliu squinted and shook his head with a laugh. “Chen Fan is experimenting with moves again!”

The other masters were speechless as well.

This young man’s strength might not be overwhelming, but his audacity was certainly admirable.

“What use is a handful of worthless techniques?” someone muttered, shaking his head.

Third-tier manuals usually contained only two or three forms and were performed very quickly. Chen Fan would execute a few moves, and as soon as the special runic sensation appeared before his eyes, he’d immediately switch to a new technique.

Originally, Chen Fan held the upper hand in moves and strength, and even facing Yan Lincu’s fierce assault, he was not disadvantaged. But once he began switching to third-tier martial arts, his performance became somewhat lacking—he made frequent mistakes!

Yan Lincu, thinking Chen Fan was faltering, grew more excited. His fists became even sharper!

In the blink of an eye, the two had already exchanged several hundred blows. As Chen Fan continued to change techniques, he steadily retreated, and it seemed it would not be long before he reached the edge of the stage…