The crowd below had fallen silent.
To them, Chen Jinzhao's defeat seemed a foregone conclusion, and they had prepared themselves mentally.
Chen Jinzhao furrowed his brow, staring at the aggressively advancing Xuanwu, lost in thought.
There were several times his fist had landed on Xuanwu, but it hadn't inflicted significant damage, costing him as much as it harmed the enemy. If this continued, he was bound to lose.
Xuanwu sighed inwardly.
The man before him was not the peak of Candle Dragon, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.
If it were Candle Dragon at his zenith, he certainly wouldn't have won so easily. Xuanwu shook his head, looking at Chen Jinzhao with complex emotions, "How about we fight another day? When you've recovered to your peak state, we'll battle again. A match like this, even if I win, holds no meaning."
He knew that Chen Jinzhao's return to his peak was only a matter of time, and Xuanwu did not wish to win unjustly.
The crowd below also agreed with this proposal.
This was clearly a one-sided annihilation; Chen Jinzhao had no power to fight back, so how could it continue?
All eyes fell on Chen Jinzhao, but he simply smiled, "You offer me a chance, but will the enemy? Victory is victory, defeat is defeat. Since we've started, there's no turning back."
"Again!"
Xuanwu immediately felt a surge of respect for Chen Jinzhao.
"I apologize for what I just said. I now understand that the greatest respect I can show you is to defeat you honorably."
"Are you ready?"
Chen Jinzhao nodded.
The two clashed again. After a brief respite, Chen Jinzhao's stamina had recovered somewhat.
During the third exchange, Chen Jinzhao was like an unyielding wild grass, no matter how much damage Xuanwu inflicted, he would stubbornly remain standing.
Then he would say, "Not enough, again!"
Xuanwu pursed his lips, paying his respects to Chen Jinzhao with his strongest fighting stance, always giving his all.
Boom!
Chen Jinzhao was hit in the chest again!
He spat blood, but Chen Jinzhao's eyes grew brighter and brighter, his fighting will intensifying!
No one knew what was happening.
It was at this moment that Chen Jinzhao managed a lucky hit, his fist striking Xuanwu's chin, causing Xuanwu to stagger and feel dizzy. Xuanwu was surprised and confused, astonished that Chen Jinzhao could achieve this.
In his eyes, Chen Jinzhao should have been on the verge of defeat.
Not long after.
Xuanwu realized he had underestimated his opponent.
There was a reason Chen Jinzhao was known as the strongest single soldier; he could not be measured by ordinary standards.
Xuanwu, having regrouped, exuded even greater power!
He blocked Chen Jinzhao's attacks in succession and repelled him several times.
As time passed, horrifying wounds appeared on Chen Jinzhao's body, bleeding profusely. From afar, Chen Jinzhao looked like a bloodied figure, causing Shangguan Yu'an's heart to clench again.
A hero in his twilight years, a sight that stirred the soul.
Xu Hanchen's brow furrowed, his expression grim. He felt that this match was somehow strange.
Boom!
Xuanwu unleashed a sweeping kick that landed squarely on Chen Jinzhao's temple.
A normal person would have died on the spot from such a blow. Even Chen Jinzhao, tough as he was, couldn't withstand it and nearly fell to the ground. Chen Jinzhao's vision blurred, and Xuanwu appeared as a double image before his eyes. He shook his head, gritted his teeth, and said, "Not enough, again!"
Xuanwu frowned; Chen Jinzhao was more resilient than he had imagined.
They said Xuanwu's defense was invincible, but Xuanwu believed that Chen Jinzhao at his peak must have been even stronger!
In every aspect!
How could such a man not earn Xuanwu's admiration?
While Xuanwu was lost in thought, Chen Jinzhao had already closed the distance, startling Xuanwu. Chen Jinzhao's faint voice echoed in his ear, "Being lost in thought on the battlefield is the most fatal mistake!"
Chen Jinzhao was no easy opponent either.
Xuanwu ultimately failed to block this punch and was hit in the face, causing his nose to bleed profusely.
After staggering back several steps, Xuanwu found his vision obscured by blood. He gritted his teeth and immediately counter-attacked Chen Jinzhao. The clash between the two gradually escalated into a white-hot stage, with Xuanwu still maintaining the overall advantage.
"In terms of willpower, there is no one in the entire army his equal," Wu Dingfeng sighed.
This was Chen Jinzhao's charisma.
Shangguan Yu'an gradually let go of his obsession with victory or defeat. To judge a hero solely by wins and losses would be a blasphemy against Chen Jinzhao.
Despite the one-sided nature of the fight, his persistence until this point was a miracle.
As time wore on.
Chen Jinzhao could no longer keep up with Xuanwu's rhythm. From an initial three-seven split, it gradually became a two-eight split, and finally, even a one-nine split.
Anyone could see that Chen Jinzhao had reached his limit, his body swaying precariously.
Just one more punch, and he would fall.
Defeat was now unavoidable, and everyone lamented Chen Jinzhao's plight.
A flicker of light appeared in Shangguan Yu'an's eyes as he murmured to himself, "He lost, but he didn't truly fall. What doesn't kill him only makes him stronger. The next time he fights Xuanwu, I believe it will be him who emerges victorious."
Yang Qinhu, however, clenched his fists, standing there in silence.
Xuanwu breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Chen Jinzhao with a solemn expression. He knew he was about to reap the fruits of victory.
"Then—"
"Forgive me!"
Xuanwu gathered his strength and threw a punch, aiming for Chen Jinzhao's chest!
As expected, this punch would send Chen Jinzhao flying off the stage, securing his victory.
Boom!
The punch landed squarely on Chen Jinzhao's chest.
Chen Jinzhao had been waiting for this punch!
Everyone watched clearly as the blow caused Chen Jinzhao's chest to cave in, seemingly breaking several ribs. Even more shocking was that Chen Jinzhao appeared to have intentionally met the punch, adjusting his angle to allow Xuanwu to strike his heart!
Xu Hanchen shot to his feet.
Shangguan Yu'an's expression changed drastically as well. No one understood what was happening!
Why would Chen Jinzhao do this?
As Xuanwu struck Chen Jinzhao's heart, his mind went blank. Given Chen Jinzhao's current weakened state, he might not withstand this blow.
At best, he would fall unconscious; at worst, he would die on the spot.
He hurriedly withdrew his hand and looked at Chen Jinzhao anxiously.
Chen Jinzhao staggered backward, his vision darkening, and he nearly collapsed.
That punch had caused his heart to stop, forcing him to gasp for air to adjust his condition. Seeing Xuanwu step forward to help him, Chen Jinzhao propped himself up with one hand on his knee, breathing heavily, and waved the other at Xuanwu.
"I'm... fine..."
Chen Jinzhao took deep breaths of fresh air.
Yet, his heart still wasn't beating, as if it had completely died.
Due to insufficient blood supply, Chen Jinzhao's head felt groggy, and his vision became extremely blurry. He knew he couldn't fall, so he bit his tongue forcefully, forcing himself to pull himself together.
"Hoo..."
"Is it still not working?"
Chen Jinzhao could feel his heart beginning to beat again, but the rhythm was weak and infrequent.
Just as he was feeling dejected, the frequency of his heartbeat in his chest quickened, providing him with a steady flow of energy! Chen Jinzhao's entire body felt like parched land receiving long-awaited rain, nourished by power.
Xuanwu, standing closest to him, his expression changed subtly. He could clearly feel a beast awakening within Chen Jinzhao!
The strong heartbeat in Chen Jinzhao's chest sounded like war drums.
He could sense that Chen Jinzhao was clearly different now, that the Candle Dragon that shook the world was opening its eyes!
Xuanwu's scalp tingled, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.