Zi Lingling gave a cold laugh and said, "Then let's try!"
As soon as the words fell, she disappeared from her original spot.
At the same time, Cao Shaochen felt a dangerous aura surge towards him.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he instinctively struck out with a palm towards the front.
"Bang!"
A dull thud of flesh colliding echoed, and Zi Lingling reappeared.
Her body swayed slightly, while Cao Shaochen retreated three steps.
Zi Lingling sneered, "You react quite fast! But old is old, your ability to gather power isn't what it used to be."
Cao Shaochen's expression turned grim.
He had just boasted that he could defeat Zi Lingling without her being able to retaliate, yet in the blink of an eye, Zi Lingling had forced him back three steps. This face-slap was too swift!
"Hmph! It was just a surprise attack, and you have the nerve to judge this old man! Take this!"
As Cao Shaochen spoke, he struck out with both palms towards Zi Lingling. This time, he had gathered fifty percent of his strength.
In his opinion, Zi Lingling was merely a peak Great God realm spirit user relying on formation power. Fifty percent of his strength should be more than enough to deal with her.
However, he had underestimated Zi Lingling, and he had no idea that Zi Lingling possessed an extra minor realm for every major realm she reached.
It was this minor realm difference that allowed Zi Lingling to challenge opponents two major realms above her and remain undefeated.
Although Zi Lingling appeared to be only at the peak of the Great God realm, she was actually at a realm beyond the peak Great God realm.
Therefore, Cao Shaochen's move was destined to be a miscalculation.
Zi Lingling scoffed, "Insufficient power, slow movements, flaws everywhere!"
As the word "flaws" fell, her jade-like palms met his.
This time, she still stood steadily in place, while Cao Shaochen retreated another three steps.
"Impossible!"
Cao Shaochen exclaimed in shock.
If the first move was due to a hasty defense and loss of initiative, making his retreat of three steps understandable, then this second move was his主动 attack, where he had the initiative. Yet he was still forced back three steps. What did this signify?
It meant that Zi Lingling's physical strength was far greater than he had imagined, perhaps even on par with his own half-step Divine Lord realm physique.
Cao Shaoqing, who was watching from the side, also showed an expression of disbelief.
Zi Lingling was at most twenty years old, yet her physical strength far surpassed the peerless geniuses of the Tianci Continent.
It seemed they had underestimated this brat.
Even without the Four Seas and Eight Desolations God-Slaying Formation, this brat possessed strength comparable to a half-step Divine Lord realm expert.
Therefore, Cao Shaoqing said sternly, "Shaochen, stop probing. Finish it quickly!"
"En!"
Cao Shaochen nodded and said to Zi Lingling, "As expected of a chosen one, you are indeed extraordinary! But that's all! That was merely fifty percent of my strength. Next, try my full strength!"
With that, he channeled his entire strength, using his waist as an axis, amplified by his middle and upper dan tiens, to break through his shoulder and elbow joints, directly transferring it to his palms.
Simultaneously, he leaped into the air, performed a somersault, adjusted his balance in mid-air, and with his head down and feet up, in a standard "Buddha's Palm" pose, he used gravity to strike down at Zi Lingling's head.
Zi Lingling gave a cold laugh but did not dodge.
Her legs slowly parted, shoulder-width apart, her center of gravity lowered, forming a solid horse stance.
Then, she exerted force from her legs, channeled it to her waist, amplified it through her dan tien, and circulated it through her extraordinary meridians to her palms.
Her posture clearly indicated her intention to directly block Cao Shaochen's attack.
At this point, both Cao Shaoqing, who was watching, and Cao Shaochen, who was falling vertically, were greatly astonished.
After all, Cao Shaochen's attack contained his full physical strength.
Although he had not specifically trained his body, the power of a half-step Divine Lord realm expert was already immensely powerful, capable of severely injuring a mid-stage Divine King realm expert with pure strength alone.
Yet Zi Lingling was now intending to clash head-on with Cao Shaochen, a half-step Divine Lord, in a contest of strength, and under the advantage of gravity for Cao Shaochen. This was either suicidal or indicated absolute confidence in her own strength.
Clearly, Zi Lingling was not of the former category; her calm and composed expression revealed her absolute confidence.
Under the shocked gazes of Cao Shaoqing and Cao Shaochen, their palms collided fiercely.
The immense surge of energy directly lifted a layer of the paving stones outside the Cao family's gate, shattering them into pieces that clattered to the ground.
However, the paving stones within a three-foot radius around Zi Lingling's feet remained undisturbed, let alone herself.
Zi Lingling, after receiving Cao Shaochen's palm strike, only swayed slightly.
Although her blood and Qi churned within her, she was fortunately unharmed.
In contrast, Cao Shaochen was sent flying back.
Unable to withstand the recoil, he had to perform three consecutive backflips in mid-air to dissipate most of the backlash before landing on the ground.
However, he still underestimated the immense power of the recoil.
He did not manage to stabilize himself upon landing and continued to retreat six more steps. A sweet sensation filled his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood before regaining his footing.
The performance of the two after their palm clash clearly indicated the superiority in their strength.
"Brat, I underestimated you!"
Cao Shaochen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said coldly.
Zi Lingling was about to retort when she felt a trace of bitterness in her throat.
She subtly took a couple of steps to allow her blood and Qi to completely settle before saying indifferently, "Your full strength is also nothing more than this!"
"You!"
Cao Shaochen was enraged but could not refute.
After all, Zi Lingling had proven it with her strength when she was at a disadvantage.
Cao Shaoqing, watching from the side, saw his brother being silenced and interjected, "In a contest of strength, Shaochen indeed lost, but you're only relying on your body-refining techniques! After all, Shaochen has never deliberately trained his physique!"
"Heh heh!"
Zi Lingling said with a sarcastic laugh, "The body-refining techniques of your Cao family are truly unparalleled. While I have practiced body-refining, my cultivation is still a major realm or more above his. Why don't you mention that?"
"You lost, so you lost. Is there any point in making so many excuses? According to you, his cultivation is reflected in the improvement of his spiritual power and the power of laws. So if he loses in these two aspects as well, what excuse will you find then?"
Cao Shaoqing sneered, "Judging by your words, are you planning to have another contest with Shaochen in spiritual power and the power of laws?"