The two stood together, as if peerless martial arts masters were about to duel. The surrounding crowd held their breath and watched the center of the scene without blinking.
Song Yun stood beside Lin Mo, her hand holding the latest Chanel bag, and whispered with a curl of her lips, "Lin Mo, do you believe that there are still such things as invincible martial arts masters in the world? Aren't those just things made up in TV shows and novels?"
"Why don't you take a look and see?" Lin Mo replied indifferently.
"Please enlighten me," Wu Longshen said as he assumed a stance, kicking the ground to create a two-inch deep footprint, his waist straightened, and his fingers taut as straight as a steel knife.
As soon as the old man took his stance, his aura completely transformed, as if he had gone from an unknown elder to a sharp treasure sword. Even the snowflakes falling from the sky began to subtly change, melting immediately upon touching his clothes.
"Good, Mr. Wu's martial arts seem to have improved quite a bit."
Guo Yi clenched his fist firmly, stepping forward with his left foot, and digging his right foot's toes into the ground, like a jaguar that had spotted prey in the forest, filled with immense danger.
"This one's strength is a bit stronger." Lin Mo murmured in comment.
"Ha, what do you know?" Song Yun pouted, but her beautiful eyes were fixated on the two men in the center, filled with awe and bewilderment.
Wu Longshen's eyes were electric, his fists moving like fluid, his waist twisting like a snake, and with a fierce stomp of his foot, he rushed towards Guo Yi like an arrow released from tension, a ten-yard trail of snowflakes drawn behind him.
Guo Yi didn't dodge; instead, he charged forward. When the two clashed, the air cracked with sounds like snapping and popping beans, their exchange blurring to the eye as countless techniques were unleashed.
As they fought, the world seemed to change with the wind and the clouds, countless rifts appeared in space, and for a moment, no victor emerged.
"Mr. Wu, your Baji Fist has improved more over the years, significantly more than it was thirty years ago. This is indeed a delight."
Wu Longshen, however, remained silent, his various techniques coming naturally to him.
"Is Mr. Wu going to win?" Song Yun didn't understand and felt that Guo Yi was being dominated by Wu Longshen, seemingly at a disadvantage.
Qin Man's pretty face showed conflict. She hoped Wu Longshen would win, but also wished he wouldn't; her feelings were decidedly mixed. Shaking her head, she said, "It's hard to say."
The two girls usually knew more about cosmetics, TV dramas, stars, and gossip magazines, but when it came to duels between martial arts masters, they felt out of their depth, utterly clueless.
"Wu Longshen is at a disadvantage," Lin Mo stated plainly.
During such high-level exchanges, Guo Yi could still speak, while Wu Longshen had to concentrate without a word, a clear sign of their difference, Wu Longshen's defeat was only a matter of time.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a sound like a cannonball blast echoed out, and a wave-like Qi Ring spread through the air. Guo Yi threw his fist, channeling all his powerful energy into it, as if shooting out a cannonball.
In the urgency, Wu Longshen could only block with his arms, his feet dug into the snowy ground, sliding back seven or eight meters, plowing two deep furrows behind him.
"Brother Guo, it seems your strength has increased quite a bit," Wu Longshen said, his arms trembling slightly, with a hint of wariness in his eyes.
Guo Yi retracted his punch and looked coldly at Wu Longshen, as if looking down on an ant, his voice as resonant as a bell, "Sixteen years, a full sixteen years of hard cultivation. Thirty years ago, I lost to you by one move. I thought once I came out, I could have a satisfying fight with you, but... you have greatly disappointed me."
Hearing Master Guo's words, Wu Longshen's pupils dilated, and he was suddenly shocked.
Wu Chengyun and Wu Han clenched their fists. Even after winning a spar, a Martial Arts Master wouldn't dare to speak so boldly—this was a complete contempt for Wu Longshen.
"Master Guo, even though you are stronger than me, I'm willing to put my old bones on the line and fight you to the death. How dare you insult me like this?" Wu Longshen shouted in anger.
After all, this man was the pillar of the Wu family and had a prominent reputation in Han City. He had never been so belittled.
"Wu Longshen, you're too full of yourself." Suddenly, Master Guo's eyes flashed with a cold light, and with a flick of his finger, a transparent Finger Strength shot through the air, striking directly at Wu Longshen's abdomen.
Seeing this, Wu Longshen's expression drastically changed. Though both were Intermediate Martial Emperors, in reality, during their recent exchange, they had deliberately reduced the Martial Arts power in the surrounding area. Otherwise, their sparring would have likely caused the nearby trees to break and the walls to explode.
Boom!!
It was like a colossal hammer had struck. Wu Longshen made a fist with one hand, summoning the power within him like a tidal wave, and in an instant, he reached an extreme level of Defense.
But the next second, Wu Longshen's face changed dramatically, feeling all the powerful energy in his body dissipate, unable to muster his True Qi, with a trickle of fresh blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He took two steps back, a look of terror spreading across his face.
Wu Chengyun and Wu Han were equally stunned.
"You... you've stepped into the High-level Martial Emperor Realm?" Wu Longshen stared at Master Guo with wide eyes.
Master Guo said, "I stepped into the High-level Martial Emperor Realm three years ago, yet you're still at the same place, not worthy to be my opponent. Out of old acquaintance, I'm letting you leave now."
Wu Longshen's face went through a play of expressions before he bowed and said, "Master Guo, indeed my Martial Power is inferior to yours."
Qin Ye's and Qin Man's faces, including Song Yun and others, stiffened, while Wang Bao and his peers lit up with joy as if they had hit the jackpot.
Wang Bao said, "Teacher, your Martial Arts Divine Power..."
"Mr. Qin..." Qin Ye's face was pale, his mouth opening but no words coming out.
"Mr. Qin, I'm sorry, but Master Guo has entered the High-level Martial Emperor Realm, and I can no longer assist you," Wu Longshen shook his head and said in a defeated tone.
Most likely, after today, even the Wu family would sever ties with the Qin Family, as they had now angered a High-level Martial Emperor.
Qin Man clenched her pale fist, her gaze fixed intensely on Wang Bao. She hadn't expected that even Mr. Wu of the Wu family, intervening personally, was no match for Master Guo. This time, their Qin Family had truly lost.
"Now that you've finished your business, is it my turn?"
In the midst of the courtyard's silence, an abrupt voice shattered the stillness.
"Hey, are you courting death?" Song Yun widened her eyes in disbelief, seeing Lin Mo boldly step forward as she desperately yelled in a suppressed voice.
Song Yun hadn't believed in the likes of Martial Arts experts, but after witnessing the fight between Master Guo and Wu Longshen, she was also shaken, especially with Master Guo's last display of injuring someone with just a flick of a finger from afar. If that wasn't the work of a Martial Arts expert, what was?
Both Qin Man and Qin Ye were briefly stunned, unsure of what Lin Mo intended to do.
Wu Longshen, Wu Chengyun, and Wu Han had already turned to leave the place, but upon hearing Lin Mo's words, they stopped and turned back, looking at him curiously.