Seeing this scene, the crowd erupted in astonished murmurs.
“Who is this Liang Shanchu? Never heard of him!”
“At twenty, reaching the ninth level of Heavenly Martial, he should qualify for the genius table, yet he’s sitting among the ordinary seats, unnoticed.”
“Looks like there’s hope for this fight.”
“Even we didn’t expect this hidden gem in the Lanlan Empire, so how could Duan Dongfeng?”
Voices of surprise rose and fell, all eyes fixed on the youth named Liang Shanchu, a burly man with powerful muscles, exuding strength at a glance.
“Oh?” Seeing someone step forward, Duan Dongfeng wasn’t alarmed but delighted, his mocking expression deepening.
Soon, Liang Shanchu reached the stage, drawing all attention.
“I’ll fight you!” Liang Shanchu stood a few zhang away, coldly addressing Duan Dongfeng.
Duan Dongfeng raised a single finger, a scornful smile on his lips, and said lightly, “One move.”
“Damn it, too arrogant!”
“Liang Shanchu, defeat him! Beat that cocky bastard!”
“Crush the youths of the Moyu Empire!”
“Right, take down that Duan guy, let’s see him act smug then!”
The Lanlan Empire’s crowd couldn’t hold back their angry shouts; Duan Dongfeng’s arrogance was infuriating.
“Die, Mountain-Smashing Fist!”
Liang Shanchu roared, clenching his right fist, muscles bulging as explosive power surged through him. With ferocious momentum, he charged at Duan Dongfeng, his fist, brimming with immense force, tearing through the air toward him.
“So powerful!”
“Let’s see how Duan Dongfeng handles this!”
The crowd gasped at the fist’s might.
Its power far surpassed Feng Wushuang’s.
Yet, facing Liang Shanchu’s ferocious strike, Duan Dongfeng stood motionless. Only when the fist neared did he casually throw a punch, meeting Liang Shanchu’s head-on.
Boom!
A loud clash shook the air, as if the void itself trembled. Under the crowd’s watchful eyes, Liang Shanchu’s body was sent flying backward.
In that instant, everyone was stunned.
A ninth-level Heavenly Martial, Liang Shanchu, blasted away by a casual punch?
Just how strong was Duan Dongfeng?
Were the youths of the two empires this powerful?
The Lanlan Empire’s people couldn’t fathom it, struggling to accept the reality.
Feng Wushuang lost in one move, and now this ninth-level Heavenly Martial prodigy was defeated in one move by Duan Dongfeng.
Who could possibly beat him now?
Was there no one under twenty in the entire Lanlan Empire who could fight?
“He thinks he can defeat Brother Duan? Laughable.”
“Heh, the Lanlan Empire’s youths are too weak, sending out such people.”
Mocking voices came from the two empires’ genius tables, dripping with disdain.
The Lanlan Empire’s youths were furious but speechless, utterly frustrated.
“Mountain savage!” On the stage, Duan Dongfeng scornfully glanced at the blasted Liang Shanchu, then scanned the Lanlan Empire’s crowd at the banquet, saying, “Anyone else want to fight?”
The Lanlan Empire’s fists clenched tightly. Though outmatched, they all felt the urge to rush up and fight.
“Too arrogant!”
Across from Lin Xiao, the cloaked youth gripped his fists, wishing he were ten years younger. But as a second-level Martial King, he was far over twenty and helpless.
Lin Xiao’s expression remained unchanged, though he felt some irritation deep down. After all, he was from the Lanlan Empire.
“Ling Hu, go teach those guys a lesson,” Lin Xiao said calmly to Ling Hu.
At nineteen, Ling Hu could fight as a Lanlan Empire rogue cultivator without issue.
“Alright, heh!” Ling Hu stood, grinning with interest.
“What? You’re going up?” The cloaked youth across from Lin Xiao was stunned, staring at Ling Hu in surprise.
The two other cloaked figures, a middle-aged man and an elder, also flashed with astonishment. Did this youth have the strength to fight?
All three were puzzled.
“Hm?” The scene was steeped in sullen silence when a masked youth stood, surprising everyone.
Could the Lanlan Empire still have hidden talents?
But seeing his burly, bear-like frame, disappointment surged.
Probably just another “mountain savage” like Liang Shanchu, with no chance against Duan Dongfeng.
Some prominent figures on the stage showed slight surprise; they couldn’t sense this youth’s aura.
“I can’t detect his aura!”
Not just the big shots, others noticed too.
“Maybe he has a treasure concealing his cultivation, but beating Duan Dongfeng? That’s tough!” Someone shook their head helplessly.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to win, but Duan Dongfeng’s displayed strength was overwhelming, blasting away both Feng Wushuang and Liang Shanchu with one punch. This youth, seemingly of ordinary origin and a lone wanderer, likely couldn’t match him.
As the crowd shook their heads, Ling Hu leaped onto the stage, standing calmly a few zhang from Duan Dongfeng.
“Heh, interesting, another mountain savage. Looks like the Lanlan Empire’s really out of people.”
Duan Dongfeng laughed mockingly, his face full of disdain.
“Ready to start?” Ling Hu asked without elaboration.
Duan Dongfeng raised a finger, “One move!”
“Fine!” Ling Hu, enraged, nodded without further words. He took a few unhurried steps forward and threw a straightforward punch at Duan Dongfeng, without any apparent might.
Some in the crowd couldn’t help but cover their faces, too embarrassed to watch.
Where did this guy come from? His move was too “casual,” wasn’t it?
They could already imagine the outcome.
Duan Dongfeng was briefly stunned, expecting some skill from someone bold enough to step up, only to find another hothead seeking a beating.
Then, Duan Dongfeng threw a casual yet powerful punch, meeting Ling Hu’s fist.
Boom!
A loud collision rang out, and a figure was sent flying backward.
“Blasted away…” Some in the Lanlan Empire muttered instinctively, averting their eyes.
“Wait, no… it’s not that guy who was blasted away.”
Then, those avoiding the sight snapped back, realizing the figure flew from Duan Dongfeng’s position.
As everyone focused, seeing the masked youth still standing on the stage, their eyes widened, bulging like eggs.
