Chapter 148: Chapter 148: On This Stage, I Am the Protagonist

"YEAH!"

"Alright!"

"Send him flying with one punch!"

Feeling the domineering force of Li Ge’s fist, the crowd below was completely electrified. They roared with excitement, as if they could already see Shen Haoran being utterly crushed by this one punch!

But as Shen Haoran watched the ferocious Li Ge, his eyes were filled with nothing but disdain.

Li Ge saw Shen Haoran’s reaction clearly. The look of disdain in his eyes sent him into a rage, and he put even more power into his fist.

BOOM! The next instant, the overwhelming fist flew straight for Shen Haoran’s face!

Shen Haoran’s expression remained unchanged. He simply sidestepped, leaned forward, and slammed his knee viciously into Li Ge’s stomach.

The series of movements was fluid and seamless, as fast as lightning. Li Ge had no time to react at all.

THUD! A muffled sound echoed out. In that moment, Li Ge felt as if his internal organs had been shattered. His once-imposing aura instantly dissipated. After Shen Haoran withdrew his knee, Li Ge collapsed, kneeling before him. He clutched his stomach, the pain so intense he could only manage pained grunts of "Aaargh!"

The abrupt reversal left the disciples around the Martial Arts Arena stunned. As they stared at Li Ge kneeling before Shen Haoran, the entire venue fell silent. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The disciples’ arms, which had been raised high to cheer for Li Ge, now hung frozen in the air. The scene before them was a vicious slap in the face. They could only lower their arms in disgruntled silence. They just couldn’t understand. Shen Haoran hadn’t used a single shred of Spiritual Power, so how could he possibly have defeated a Tier Three Spirit General in a single blow?

Shen Haoran was oblivious to the crowd’s shock. He looked down at the kneeling Li Ge and said coldly, "A useless aura and flashy moves. Is this the standard for an expert on the Dragon and Tiger List? How pathetic. I’m truly disappointed in you."

A real battle isn’t won with an intimidating aura and flashy Martial Skills. It requires speed, precision, and ruthlessness—a one-hit kill! Dealing the most effective blow for the least cost, that is true combat sense. In this respect, Li Ge was worlds apart from Shen Haoran.

"Ugh... Ah..." Li Ge struggled to lift his head, Shen Haoran’s heavy blow having stolen his voice.

Seeing that Li Ge was trying to speak, Shen Haoran frowned. He raised his foot and kicked him away. "If this is the extent of your skill, then just get off the stage. You’re not worthy of being my opponent!"

BANG! Utterly defenseless, Li Ge was sent flying by Shen Haoran’s kick. He landed at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, his body throwing up a cloud of dust.

’You’re not worthy of being my opponent!’ The words echoed in Li Ge’s mind like a devil’s curse. Gradually, his eyes turned bloodshot.

’I’m an expert on the Dragon and Tiger List! You’re nothing but a clown! What right do you have to say that to me?’

’Those are my words to say to you! You’re the one who deserves to be groveling at my feet!’

’I’m going to kill you!’

The crazed look in Li Ge’s eyes intensified. Pale cyan Spiritual Power surged from his body, quickly enveloping him completely.

Then, Li Ge staggered to his feet. He stared at Shen Haoran with a venomous gaze, as if he wanted to tear him to pieces.

"Li Ge’s getting serious now!"

"Heh, what did I tell you? Shen Haoran is just a Tier One Spirit General. There’s no way he could have defeated Li Ge. Turns out Li Ge was just going easy on him!"

"Now that Li Ge is serious, Shen Haoran doesn’t stand a chance!"

The crowd below erupted once more, apparently having already forgotten the stinging slap to the face Shen Haoran had just delivered.

Shen Haoran’s expression remained indifferent, but his body began to tremble slightly—not from fear, but from excitement. A Li Ge in this state actually put a little pressure on him.

’So he’s finally getting serious. Let’s fight, then!’ Shen Haoran no longer held back. The full aura of a Tier One Spirit General erupted from him. As he felt the power surge through his body, an indescribable feeling of exhilaration washed over him. His eyes burning with fighting spirit, he flashed toward Li Ge and charged.

Watching Shen Haoran charge at him, Li Ge gave a cruel smile. He stomped his right foot hard on the ground, shattering dozens of bluestone slabs and sending them flying. With a wave of his hand, Li Ge turned the countless shards into a volley of darts aimed straight at Shen Haoran.

WHOOSH! Facing the incoming shards, Shen Haoran didn’t even bother to dodge. A black Fire Curtain rose up and instantly melted them all.

In that brief opening, Li Ge closed in on Shen Haoran. Both threw a punch at the same time, their fists colliding violently.

BAM! The powerful shockwave from the impact shattered the surrounding bluestone slabs, but the two combatants only shuddered for a moment before steadying themselves.

They were evenly matched!

Seeing this, they both struck out with their palms. Another blast of force erupted, and again, they were dead even.

They remained locked in a stalemate as more and more cracks spread across the bluestone beneath them. Suddenly, a cold smirk touched Li Ge’s lips.

’Not good!’ Seeing Li Ge’s smirk, Shen Haoran felt a pang of danger.

Just as he expected, a third cyan arm suddenly shot out from Li Ge’s chest, smashing into Shen Haoran’s chest with a whistling force.

The sudden attack was impossible to dodge. Shen Haoran was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, landing hard on the Martial Arts Arena.

"Haha, that’s Li Ge’s signature move, Shadow Strike! You never know how many extra limbs will pop out of his body, or where they’ll come from. It’s impossible to defend against! He once used that very move to defeat a Tier Four Spirit General! Shen Haoran is finished!"

"Haha, awesome!"

"Li Ge is invincible!" The crowd erupted in cheers, clapping as they saw Shen Haoran get knocked away.

Hearing the cheers from the crowd, Li Ge’s mouth split into a grin. He watched Shen Haoran slowly pick himself up and laughed menacingly. "Listen. The sound of their cheers... isn’t it beautiful? So melodic!

"Too bad it only belongs to one person—me. There’s only one star on this stage, and that’s me, too. So... die!"

Li Ge roared and shot forward.

Facing the frenzied Li Ge, a black Flame Armor instantly enveloped Shen Haoran.

The next moment, Li Ge was upon him, unleashing a frenzied barrage of attacks. Just as the disciple in the crowd had said, Li Ge’s Shadow Strike truly was impossible to defend against. Countless limbs shot out from his body in a relentless series of surprise attacks. Within just a few minutes, Shen Haoran’s Flame Armor was covered in cracks, having sustained an untold number of blows.

Yet even under Li Ge’s relentless assault, Shen Haoran’s rhythm remained unbroken. His gaze was steady, constantly searching for an opening in Li Ge’s defense.

"Haha, what’s wrong?" Li Ge taunted as he continued his frenzied attack. "Weren’t you so disappointed in me? Wasn’t I unworthy of being your opponent? How is it that you can’t even fight back now?"

BAM! BAM! Shen Haoran blocked two more of Li Ge’s attacks. But Li Ge only sneered as another arm materialized at his waist.

"Can you block this one?" Li Ge said coldly. But in the next instant, his expression changed dramatically. From Shen Haoran’s waist, an identical arm shot out and intercepted his attack!

"Shadow Strike!" Li Ge cried out in shock.

"How is this possible? How do you know Shadow Strike?!"

"You don’t need to know," Shen Haoran said coldly.

"But I do agree with one thing you said. This stage only has one star. However, that star isn’t you. It’s me!"

The next instant, several arms sprouted from Shen Haoran’s body, and he began his own furious counterattack.