Chapter 95: One Strike

Qiu Chufeng? The Sect Master of the Solar Vermillion Sect?

Li Pin thought.

Li Pin was a little surprised. "He wants to avenge Zhang Chiyan and Han Li?"

Has this sect master always been so loyal and righteous?

—It's not just about avenging Zhang Chiyan and Han Li! The Solar Vermillion Sect has been failing in its missions lately. Lin Yuzhi is displeased with Qiu Chufeng and is no longer shielding him from the investigation team. I used the opportunity to redirect the team's focus onto the Solar Vermillion Sect, causing them considerable trouble. His only way out was to regain Lin Yuzhi's favor. I'm not sure how, but he managed to persuade Lin Yuzhi to authorize an investigation order against you!

Lian Hongchen spoke rapidly.

—But... the investigation order is just the beginning. Qiu Chufeng will surely fabricate charges to prevent you from participating in the martial competition. This is all to ensure that Lin Yuzhi could secure Gu Haoran first place in the martial competition! But forget all of that for now! Just avoid him at all costs! I'll rush over as soon as possible!

"Avoid him!?"

—Yes, don't try to play the hero!

Lian Hongchen took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

—Qiu Chufeng is a Martial Saint! He may have aged, but he's far beyond your average grandmaster! He isn't someone you could possibly confront! Even Zhou Zhaoguang at his peak had to act humble before him. You're just an Aura Force expert! How can you possibly stand up to him?

A Martial Saint!

Li Pin thought.

With the outcome of the Jiang Province Martial Competition now almost set in stone, Li Pin had already set his sights on a new goal—the national competition.

The national competition would feature even stronger opponents, including those who had manifested Spirit Force. To secure victory, manifesting Spirit Force was crucial.

However, Li Pin was at a disadvantage because he had never been exposed to true Spirit Force. Despite having watched numerous videos, listened to detailed descriptions, and researched extensively on Spirit Qi Unity, this mystical concept was far less tangible compared to Core Force or Aura Force.

As a Martial Saint, Qiu Chufeng should still be capable of unleashing a strike of Spirit Qi Unity. Even if he had attained the title through political maneuvering, he wouldn't be too shabby.

If Li Pin could get to experience Spirit Qi Unity for himself....

—Qiu Chufeng will be arriving soon. In any case, I'll reach your house in half an hour. Do your best to hide till I am there!

As Lian Hongchen spoke, a commotion erupted on his end, causing him to hurriedly hang up the phone.

Li Pin took a deep breath and quickly exited the training room, heading downstairs.

"A... living Martial Saint!" muttered Li Pin.

He swiftly opened all the mansion doors, including the courtyard's iron gate. After that, he turned on all the lights, not even sparing the cameras' lights, illuminating the mansion's vicinity. The mansion was like a shining pearl in the dark night.

Standing at the yard's entrance and looking down the road, Li Pin muttered "That should do!"

A moment later, a thought struck him, and he turned back to look at his newly renovated house.

"No, better not do it here."

A Martial Saint or a grandmaster had considerable destructive power. If he fought one in his courtyard, his home would likely be destroyed.

Just as Li Pin was about to leave the courtyard to change the battleground, someone's voice came from the side, "Leaving? Isn't it a bit too late to think about that now?"

Li Pin stopped in his tracks.

Three figures emerged from the darkness. One was Teng Sheng, Qiu Chufeng's Core Formation disciple, and another was someone Li Pin didn't know. The third person, and the one in the lead, was none other than the Sect Master of the Solar Vermillion Sect, Qiu Chufeng himself. He seemed to have aged a bit, but his mental state was surprisingly good.

"You've come," Li Pin said.

"Yes, I have. So, have you decided how you want to die?" Qiu Chufeng replied, his hands clasped behind his back.

Li Pin's gaze shifted to Qiu Chufeng's disciple, Teng Sheng. Teng Sheng had taken out a specialized device. A few red lights flashed on the device, but nothing else happened.

"Don't understand high-technology? This is a signal jammer," Qiu Chufeng stated confidently. "No one is coming to save you tonight."

"I doubt so," Li Pin responded.

"Oh, you doubt so?" Qiu Chufeng's frustration from the past half month seemed to be boiling over as he sneered. "Who can you rely on? Lian Hongchen? Let me tell you the truth, Chairman Lin will be dealing with him! Cao Tianyou? My cousin is 'visiting' the Five Elements Sect today! Jiang Qingyue? He was called to Zanglong City by a phone call not long ago. Even if he were to return now, it would take him at least two hours!"

"You've forgotten one person."

"Who?"

"Me."

"You?"

"Come." Li Pin extended his hand and made a "please" gesture. "Let me witness how strong the Sect Master of the Solar Vermillion Sect, a Martial Saint recognized ten years ago, really is."

Qiu Chufeng stared at Li Pin. He was raging on the inside.

A challenge! A twenty-two-year-old Aura Force practitioner dared to challenge me, a Martial Saint acknowledged ten years ago? Arrogant! How incredibly arrogant!

Qiu Chufeng stared at Li Pin for a full three seconds before suddenly erupting with furious laughter.

Qiu Chufeng, the dignified Sect Master of the Solar Vermillion Sect and a Taibai Kingdom Martial Saint for the past decade, had been pushed to his wits' end by an ignorant youngster over the past half month!

If he had known about his arrogance, he would have provoked him sooner. Li Pin would have undoubtedly come running to him to meet his own doom!

With this thought, Qiu Chufeng's eyes burned with an even more ferocious intensity. "Li Pin!"

"So you want to kill me? Don't just say it, show me," Li Pin said. "Martial Saint, the Spirit Qi Unity, a strike that channels all the Vitality, Qi, and Spirit of a top-tier expert, along with the immense power of the Blood Core Eruption.

"This single blow is like a deity descending to the mortal realm, known as the Spirit Force. I have long yearned for this level of power. As for the rest of the fight... I have cultivated a technique that grants me recovery that far surpasses the average martial artist. You cannot outlast me in a prolonged battle, so..."

Li Pin raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and continued, "Use your strongest strike to tear through all my tendons and muscles, break every bone in my body, and make my organs cry out in agony from the force that pierces through them! Believe me, at that moment, you'll hear the most beautiful sound in the world! That sound... is called destruction!"

Qiu Chufeng listened to Li Pin's words and looked at him with growing disbelief.

He had initially dismissed Li Pin as nothing more than an arrogant young man, a fearless calf challenging a tiger. But now it seemed... he was simply insane.

Judging by the brightly lit mansion with its wide-open doors, it became clear that Li Pin never decided to flee. But rather, he had prepared himself mentally for a battle to the death.

Li Pin wanted... to fight him! To face him, a Martial Saint head-on!

Such dedication and fervor for battle explained how Li Pin had managed to refine his qi into Aura and cultivate Aura Force at just twenty-two!

However, Qiu Chufeng's heart held no appreciation for such individuals. He despised those who didn't fear anything, even death. He also despised those blessed with extraordinary martial talent. What he preferred to do was to crush these talents, to crush those destined to shine brightly and potentially surpass him in the future.

At that moment, driven by resolute killing intent, Qiu Chufeng mobilized his qi and blood and unleashed the full extent of his power, the limit of what a human could exert.

A moment ago, he was a frail, withered old man, but now he had transformed into a terrifying, ferocious beast.

Qi and blood surged, murderous intent soared, and the pressure from life's pinnacle emanated and diffused from him. His potent aura spread, agitating the air currents. He looked as if he was about to tear apart the grass beneath his feet.

"Spirit Qi Unity! I shall fulfill your desire!" Qiu Chufeng roared.

Qiu Chufeng's feet thrust forward with immense force. Resembling a fearsome demon god, he shattered the air within a dozen meters as he charged toward Li Pin.

Before becoming a Martial Saint, a martial artist had to first master the Internal Aura realm. The perfection of the Internal Aura realm, often referred to as the pinnacle of human potential, would earn the individual the title of great grandmaster.

A being of such caliber could unleash force akin to that of several tons, effortlessly shattering monuments and splitting rocks.

Qiu Chufeng was not merely releasing this power; he was driving it to its absolute limit. His Vitality, Qi, and Spirit soared to unprecedented heights, their combined force and the momentum of his charge becoming almost tangible. Even without striking a blow, the sheer force of his movement and the resulting shockwaves were potent enough to crush an ordinary adult.

"Vermillion Phoenix Rise!"

***

Despite being a Martial Saint, Qiu Chufeng knew he was no longer at his peak. He dared not underestimate an opponent who could kill Zhou Chaoguang, an Internal Aura Grandmaster. Even a lion hunts a hare with all its might.

Moreover, he had promised Lin Yuzhi that he would succeed this time! He had already formed a plan to catch Li Pin off guard, erupting with his strongest blow possible to crush Li Pin like dry weeds!

Driven by these motivations, he unleashed his ultimate technique right from the start—the Vermillion Phoenix Rise. This was a formidable move derived from the perfection of his Solar Vermillion Force.

As the surging heat and overwhelming pressure washed over Li Pin, his blood began to boil with anticipation.

"Good!" Li Pin exclaimed.

Pressure. A suffocating, terrifying pressure bore down on him. Under this pressure, Li Pin could clearly feel the fundamental gap between himself and Qiu Chufeng.

But... So what?

As Qiu Chufeng's qi and blood erupted, Li Pin's own energy surged in response, his Blood Core erupting like a boiling volcano. A torrent of raw, fiery power surged through every part of his limbs and bones, imbuing him with the strength to slay a Tyrannosaurus rex with a single blow.

Not enough! Still not enough!

Against a Martial Saint who had pushed the limits of the human body, every ounce of strength was needed. And the only way to do so was through igniting his blood. Hence....

Blood-Seething Secret Art!

Li Pin activated the Blood-Seething Secret Art without hesitation!

At the same time, his organs resonated with one another! His heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen! The qi across these organs burst forth, drawing the raging, violent energy within him toward his arms.

Finally, the five energies converged into a cataclysmic force. With a mighty surge forward, he met Qiu Chufeng's devastating Vermillion Phoenix Rise head-on, unleashing a punch imbued with the full force of his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit.

In that instant, his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit reached their peak, merging into the most dazzling and brilliant Five Elements Unity. The punch he threw was no ordinary punch, but a culmination of his entire Vitality, Qi and Spirit. Just like... The Spirit Qi Unity!

With this punch, he unleashed a power so immense that it could shatter the heavens and split the earth.