Chapter 163: Chapter 163: The Might of 1 Punch

"Brother Shen, you have a duel scheduled? With who?" Zi Mo caught up to Shen Haoran and asked with great interest. He was eager to know which blind fool would dare challenge this freak!

Yes, a freak! After spending the last few days with Shen Haoran, Zi Mo had come up with a term to define him: freak! His combat strength completely defied his apparent power level, his Cultivation speed was heaven-defying, and he possessed both courage and cunning. If this guy couldn’t be called a freak, then no one else deserved the title!

Hearing Zi Mo’s words, Shen Haoran smiled and said, "He’s from your Thick Earth Hall. You probably know him—Su Xing!"

Upon hearing this, the playful smile on Zi Mo’s face slowly faded. The usually talkative man fell silent.

"Did he offend you?" Zi Mo asked in a low voice.

Seeing Zi Mo’s change in demeanor, Shen Haoran was also a bit surprised. ’Why would Su Xing cause such a reaction in Zi Mo?’

"Not really. I’m just going to teach him a small lesson," Shen Haoran said lightly, seemingly very confident about this match.

"Brother Shen, Su Xing isn’t the type to cause trouble. Tell me straight, is this because of that bastard Chai Hui?" A flash of anger crossed Zi Mo’s eyes.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran looked at Zi Mo with some surprise. ’He even figured that out?’

"That’s right. Su Xing is indeed sticking up for Chai Hui!"

"Damn it! That idiot!" Zi Mo cursed angrily.

"Fatty, you seem to have a good relationship with Su Xing," Shen Haoran asked, seeing Zi Mo’s look of bitter disappointment.

Hearing Shen Haoran’s question, Zi Mo was silent for a moment before saying gravely, "That’s right. When I first joined the Thick Earth Hall, my Talent hadn’t been discovered yet, and I was bullied. Su Xing always protected me. He’s a man who values loyalty and friendship, but because he values them too much, he’s constantly being used by that bastard Chai Hui. No matter how I try to persuade him, he won’t listen!"

"Brother Shen, Su Xing isn’t an arrogant guy. I hope you can show him some mercy!" Zi Mo paused for a moment, then pleaded.

Seeing the serious look on Zi Mo’s face, Shen Haoran found it a little amusing. He replied, "We’ll see!" With that, he picked up his pace again, turning into an afterimage as he rushed toward the Five Elements Sect. Seeing this, Zi Mo could only give a wry smile and hurry after him. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

「Meanwhile, at the Martial Arts Arena of the Five Elements Sect’s Thick Earth Hall...」

Many disciples had gathered around the Martial Arts Arena. They were eager to see if the new disciple could continue his legendary rise and knock Su Xing off the Dragon and Tiger List, or if he would be stopped by Su Xing.

However, they had waited from early morning until noon, and now the sun was about to set, but Shen Haoran’s figure had yet to appear.

"What’s going on? Did Shen Haoran stand him up?"

"Looks like it. The time for the duel passed several hours ago, and we still haven’t seen Shen Haoran. He probably didn’t dare to show up!"

"Tch, and here I thought he had some guts, daring to challenge a disciple ranked in the three-hundreds on the Dragon and Tiger List. Turns out he’s just a coward!"

"This is boring. I wasted a whole day of Cultivation. Let’s go, let’s go, it’s over!"

Many disciples began to complain, branding Shen Haoran as a coward in their minds.

On the stage, Su Xing still stood ramrod straight with his eyes closed, unmoving like a great boulder, seemingly unconcerned whether Shen Haoran arrived or not.

"Brother Su, let’s go. That kid is definitely scared of you. Hmph, what a coward, a piece of trash. How is someone so despicable worthy of being on the Dragon and Tiger List!" Chai Hui yelled abusively from the side.

Hearing this, Su Xing’s brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t like Chai Hui’s harsh and cutting words. He knew Shen Haoran wasn’t that kind of person; he could feel it from Shen Haoran’s aura. There had to be a reason why he couldn’t show up today.

However, Su Xing merely furrowed his brow. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything to Chai Hui, to save face.

Hearing Chai Hui’s words, the crowd nodded noncommittally and began to leave. But just as they were about to exit, a voice came from the distance!

"Then what right does someone like you have to be on the Dragon and Tiger List?"

Following the voice, two figures appeared in everyone’s line of sight, casting long shadows under the setting sun.

"He’s here!"

After seeing Shen Haoran, the crowd stopped in their tracks and looked toward the entrance of the arena. There, Shen Haoran and Zi Mo were walking toward the Martial Arts Arena.

When they got a clear look at the person behind Shen Haoran, everyone cried out in surprise. "Isn’t that Zi Mo? Why is he with Shen Haoran?"

"No idea!"

As someone in the top five of the Dragon and Tiger List, Zi Mo was quite a celebrity within the Five Elements Sect. His appearance now caused a considerable stir.

Su Xing looked at Zi Mo behind Shen Haoran, his brow furrowing as he was lost in thought.

"Shen Haoran, I thought you were hiding in fear and didn’t dare to come!" Chai Hui said contemptuously as he watched Shen Haoran approach. But Shen Haoran paid him no mind.

’Hmph, in a little while, I’ll make you kneel and beg me for mercy!’ A venomous look flashed in Chai Hui’s eyes as Shen Haoran ignored him.

At this moment, Shen Haoran and Zi Mo were already on the Martial Arts Arena. Zi Mo looked at Su Xing and gave a wry smile. "Brother Su, does this match really have to happen?"

Hearing this, Su Xing glanced at Chai Hui beside him and said, "I have no choice!"

Seeing Su Xing’s decision, Zi Mo could only withdraw helplessly. As he passed Shen Haoran, he couldn’t help but say, "Show some mercy!"

However, Shen Haoran just smiled. ’Show mercy? I came here today to beat some sense into Su Xing. And to beat sense into him, I have to be simple and brutal, to land a heavy blow. As for mercy... what’s that?’

Zi Mo left the stage. Shen Haoran looked at Su Xing and said lightly, "Sorry for the wait. Shall we begin?"

"We can!" Su Xing said. With that, he drew a silver long spear from his Storage Ring and pointed its tip at Shen Haoran. The aura of a Tier Five Spirit General erupted from him, the powerful Qi making Shen Haoran’s robes whip and flutter.

Facing the imposing aura of Su Xing, a wicked smile played on Shen Haoran’s lips. He loosened his wrists and ankles, and then, the aura within his own body burst forth!

"A Tier Two Spirit General! He broke through so quickly?" The crowd cried out in alarm as they felt Shen Haoran’s aura. Just a few days ago, he had only just broken through to Tier One Spirit General, and now he had broken through again. This Cultivation speed was truly heaven-defying!

Feeling the aura coming from Shen Haoran, Chai Hui’s pupils constricted, his eyes filled with jealousy!

"Hmph, so what if he broke through? He’s just a Tier Two Spirit General. How can he compare to Brother Su!" Chai Hui snorted coldly.

’A Tier Two Spirit General?’ The corner of Shen Haoran’s mouth lifted in a slight smirk. Then, the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian within his body suddenly erupted, circulating through a bizarre network of meridians!

"Heaven-Dominating Tribulation!" Shen Haoran roared. A ball of black flame shot into the sky as a terrifying aura exploded from his body. The stone slabs beneath his feet instantly shattered, and the powerful gale kicked up a cloud of dust!

And as the black flames rose, Shen Haoran’s aura continued to climb!

"Tier Three... Tier Four... Tier Five... A Tier Six Spirit General!" Feeling that terrifying aura, Zi Mo’s pupils constricted as he cried out in shock.

Su Xing was also stunned, staring at Shen Haoran’s skyrocketing aura, his heart filled with utter shock!

At that moment, Shen Haoran was wreathed in black flames, his pupils having turned completely pitch-black. He looked at Su Xing and smiled lightly. "Let’s begin."

BOOM!

With a massive bang, Shen Haoran transformed into a streak of black light and charged at Su Xing. Even from ten meters away, Su Xing could already feel the scorching gale from Shen Haoran’s advance.

The next moment, Shen Haoran’s figure bizarrely appeared in front of Su Xing. He raised his fist, which was shrouded in black smoke, and viciously smashed it down!

Locked down by Shen Haoran’s aura, Su Xing could only raise the Silver Spear in his hands to block the attack. But when Shen Haoran’s fist landed on the Silver Spear, Su Xing’s pupils constricted.

CRACK! A crisp sound rang out as a fissure appeared on the Silver Spear. The next moment, the Silver Spear, which was comparable to a Middle Level Spiritual Artifact, shattered completely under Shen Haoran’s punch!

BANG! The momentum of Shen Haoran’s fist didn’t weaken in the slightest as it brutally slammed into Su Xing’s chest. With a dull thud, Su Xing was sent flying, spitting a mist of blood into the air.

SCRAPE... After Su Xing landed, the terrifying force carried him, scraping him across the ground for several dozen meters before he finally came to a stop. In an instant, he had completely lost the ability to fight!

WHOA... An uproar swept through the crowd. They all stared, dumbfounded, at Su Xing lying on the ground, their minds buzzing, seemingly unable to accept the reality before them!