Explosions continuously erupted in the bamboo grove, with waves of air and thick smoke engulfing Zheng Jia Ru's figure, yet unable to escape Pei Yan's eyes floating in the air.
Using the Mechanical Eye's thermal imaging to completely lock onto the opponent's form, Pei Yan watched the red figure shuttle back and forth between the trees to avoid, while continuously firing rockets and extending his hands to rapidly fire small electromagnetic cannonballs to block the opponent's escape route.
While pursuing swiftly in the air and launching attacks, Pei Yan loudly reminded, "Simply running away is useless! My rockets have been modified to have a tracking feature!"
Activating the protective shield! The intrinsic power merged into his body as the protection array carved into him by Yao Xuefang in the Magic Realm was fully activated. Shielding his body with his arms, massive streams of metal formed a shield in front of him. Just as these defensive measures were completed, a powerful impact came from below.
Increase the thrust! Feeling the push and hearing the shield's shattering sounds from below, Pei Yan showed no signs of retreat, instead increasing the engine's power to press down in the opposite direction.
On the ground, seeing Pei Yan confront his attack head-on, Zheng Jia Ru laughed heartily while a cold glint flashed across his eyes as he sped up the internal power mobilization. His internal power continued wrapping and compressing the air, bombarding upwards.
On the mountain top, observing the two locked in a standoff, Gu Shenghui turned his head to quietly comment to Leng Yang, "As expected from the army's ace, whether it's internal power storage or recovery speed, he's already far beyond other abilities of the same level. Just in terms of recovery speed, even Mei Simiao can't compare to him."
"Indeed, he's one of the few I misjudged back then. The squad rated his abilities low, thinking it was just a simple physical enhancement, but over time, his dominance began to show. After reaching the third stage, he was already able to train and strengthen his internal power, and with day-to-day training, perhaps only he and that Ye Ruozai who always spars with him really know his true strength now," Leng Yang replied with some pride and satisfaction.
"Watch out! The conclusion is imminent!"
At this moment, Elder Lin suddenly cautioned, as Gu and Leng spoke, the battle in the valley was nearing its end. With Pei Yan enduring the bombardment in the air, he shouted and fully powered the engine behind him, turning into a streak of red light, slicing through the internal power orb in front of him, and launched himself like a cannonball directly towards Zheng Jia Ru on the ground.
Boom!
The impact's immense force stirred up a wave of dust and debris, sweeping through the ground, scattering bamboo fragments and stones throughout the forest. Those observing from the mountain top had to adjust their positions, flying higher to evade.
A few minutes later, as the dust gradually settled, two silhouettes emerged indistinctly before everyone's eyes, and Zheng Jia Ru's hearty laughter resonated within the valley.
"That was exhilarating! I was somewhat unconvinced before coming, but I now admit I underestimated you! You're the second opponent after Ye Ruozai to stir my desire to fight!"
As the smoke dissipated, Zheng Jia Ru laughed heartily, clutching his bloodied right arm. After speaking, he directly tore off his right sleeve and tossed it aside, shaking his shoulder as the wound on his right arm rapidly healed.
"Oh! I'm starting to regret it!" Far away, Pei Yan, who was kneeling on the ground, coughed and climbed up from the dirt. His mechanical body was cracked in several places, but fortunately, the damage wasn't too severe, and the iron stream from within quickly repaired his body.
He hadn't expected that under such circumstances, the opponent could react so swiftly, instantly reversing the disadvantage and punching him hard in the chest. That punch was really ruthless; if he'd reacted even a little slower, he might have half a life left to tell. Thoughtfully smiling, Pei Yan replied, "I seem to have chosen an overly fierce sparring partner for myself."
"Pressure leads to progress, right? My previous sparring partner was Jiang Donghu, but he can no longer keep up with me! You must continue to grow stronger! Otherwise, having only Ye Ruozai is too dull!" Zheng Jia Ru laughed, assuming a combat stance again.
Before the screen, Jiang Donghu, observing the battle remotely, pursed his lips in frustration and mumbled, "That guy sure dares to talk!"
Inside the battlefield, Pei Yan couldn't hear Jiang Donghu's complaints. Instead, he looked at the still vigorous Zheng Jia Ru ahead and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, you haven't used your full strength yet, have you?"
"That's right, I'm a sparring partner! If I exhaust the primary target, how would that work! So, ready to wrap up today's combat? It seems like you've used all your moves," Zheng Jia Ru replied casually, hopping easily in place.
Pei Yan rubbed his wrists and grinned mischievously, "Howbeit, training has just begun. However, the next phase of fighting might actually hurt you, and it could even be a bit unscrupulous. Be prepared!"
"Oh! You still have an ace up your sleeve! Then bring it on! Let me see your full strength!"
Zheng Jia Ru shouted excitedly, once again assuming a combat stance, but after a long wait, he noticed Pei Yan was still standing in place, unmoving. Angered, he paused his movements and began to shout, "Hey, come on, continue…."
Before he could finish his sentence, a wave of dizziness hit him, organs twisting in excruciating pain, surroundings spinning, with Pei Yan at a distance seemingly speaking, though he couldn't hear a thing—deafening ringing in his ears added to his agitation, as he stumbled, finally succumbing to a mouthful of blood, his knees giving way to the ground.
"My attack began the moment I landed!" Pei Yan spoke softly, not without some guilt, looking at Zheng Jia Ru kneeling on the ground.