"What a lunatic! A violent lunatic!" the robed man complained bitterly, his earlier composure gone.
With every exchange, he couldn't harm his opponent, but felt as if his fists and feet were crashing against an iron wall, injuring himself in the process.
Brute force overcomes skill.
In all martial arts, speed is the only thing that can't be beaten.
No matter how exquisite this man's techniques were, in his fight with Feng Lin, he was at an absolute disadvantage in both speed and power.
Feng Lin fully exploited his strengths, circling around his opponent and launching an attack as relentless as quicksilver—dense, suffocating in rhythm, leaving no room to breathe.
His body left afterimages, splitting one into ten, surrounding the robed man in layers, trapping him with no escape.
The robed man groaned in misery, feeling as if he were fighting ten people at once, the situation perilous.
But he knew this was an illusion created by the opponent's overwhelming speed and ferocity.
The robed man's techniques shifted endlessly, flames coiling around his body like a human torch, untouchable.
Feng Lin, however, showed no fear, impervious to both water and fire—these flames couldn't even singe a hair on him.
Though the robed man's moves were exquisitely refined, they still couldn't overcome the crushing disparity in raw power, forcing him to retreat step by step.
What baffled him most was that his flame power had always been unstoppable, yet against this opponent, it was utterly useless—not even a strand of hair was burned.
This man could actually nullify flame power. What kind of gene had he awakened?
He couldn't understand it. Even body-reinforcement genes with supreme defense weren't known to be this formidable.
Unfortunately, he had no time to dwell on it.
Feng Lin, unafraid of the flame power, circled around his opponent, landing blows with every punch, meeting force with force.
The man felt stifled, his skills rendered useless. Fighting this opponent seemed to leave only one option...
Bash!
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.*
Amid the punches and kicks, air currents swirled in the air.
The two clashed head-on, trading techniques in a fierce melee.
With every exchange of fists, the robed man stumbled back, unable to withstand the immense force coming straight at him.
He was completely outmatched in both speed and power.
This was a gap in raw strength, one that no amount of exquisite technique could bridge.
The robed man had never faced such a troublesome opponent. It felt like fighting an iron man—though his moves had plenty of openings, his body was like an indestructible copper pea, rendering all techniques useless.
He changed his moves repeatedly, each containing countless variations, every one perfectly executed, constantly deflecting, countering, and striking back... barely managing to hold a stalemate, though he was clearly on the losing end.
Feng Lin was equally amazed. Despite holding the advantage, he couldn't secure a final victory.
He couldn't help but admire the man's martial arts, noting how each move had numerous variations, seemingly containing infinite changes, as if encompassing all the profound principles of martial arts.
No matter how he attacked, the opponent had a counter.
"Interesting!" Feng Lin grew intrigued. Instead of going for the kill, he began trading moves with the man.
He unleashed various martial arts techniques—Hong Fist's Fixed Inch, Tai Chi's Block and Sweep, Xingyi's Half-Step Crushing Fist—each with devastating power.
Though the robed man was thin and lacking in strength, his techniques were tightly defensive, ever-changing. Like a roly-poly toy, he wobbled and swayed but never truly fell.
The more Feng Lin sparred, the more fascinated he became, grasping the subtlety of the opponent's moves. He could tell the man was using a single martial art from start to finish, but its variations were nearly endless.
It seemed to be a profound genetic martial art.
Where else could he find such a perfect practice partner?
What a good guy!
Feng Lin's gaze toward the man shifted immediately.
Having just become an interstellar cultivator, Feng Lin himself didn't know his true combat strength.
This was his first fight with a cultivator, and crucially, this one wasn't too strong, allowing him to attack freely without fear of retaliation.
Feng Lin quickened his pace, unleashing move after move, testing out all his techniques.
Each time the opponent blocked, Feng Lin spotted flaws in his own moves, refined them, and gradually integrated everything.
The robed man realized Feng Lin was using him as a practice dummy and grew furious.
As an interstellar cultivator, he was always held in high regard wherever he went—when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
His face flushed red, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Feng Lin, nearly spitting fire.
And then his eyes actually did shoot fire!
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Two streams of flame shot straight at Feng Lin's eyes.
Feng Lin closed his eyelids, his face like jade. The flames hit his face, scattering into sparks and dissipating, but the distraction slowed his movements.
Seizing the brief respite, the robed man quickly distanced himself, eyes locked on Feng Lin, and let out a cold snort. "Young man, you don't know when to quit. You've forced my hand—don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Even a clay figurine has a temper!
Being so thoroughly suppressed by a youth, a junior in cultivation, infuriated the robed man.
He clenched one hand, gathering a whirlwind in his palm, forming a small tornado.
In his other hand, flames blazed, heat waves rolling.
He brought his hands together and shouted, "Wind-Fire Wheel!"
The tornado spun, the flames burned, and they merged. Fire fed by the wind blazed even fiercer, forming a wheel of wind and fire that rolled toward Feng Lin.
Feng Lin stood still.
The wind and fire grew more violent, heat waves surging as if to engulf him and burn him to ashes.
"Stop!" Feng Lin simply extended a hand, palm like jade, pushing forward slowly.
His hand plunged into the flames, and his arm suddenly vibrated.
Inch Force!
A massive burst of power erupted instantly, destroying the Wind-Fire Wheel from within, scattering sparks that fizzled out. Aside from his clothes being singed, nothing else changed.
"What?" The man was shocked that his surefire strike was so easily neutralized. He unleashed move after move.
Flames of all shapes came flying—fireballs, fire meteors, firebirds—each with considerable power.
Accompanied by fierce winds, sharp wind blades sliced through the air.
The man seemed to have awakened two primal genes: one fire-type, one wind-type.
Wind and fire combined, doubling their power.
But Feng Lin just stood there, his palm striking out repeatedly, sending powerful gusts.
No matter the flame, his palm force extinguished it.
Walking against the surging fire, Feng Lin closed in step by step, steady and unstoppable.
Tai Chi Cannon Fist!
With one cannon fist, Feng Lin shattered the massive fireball before him, the momentum unchanged, driving straight toward the man.
The robed man had no choice but to meet force with force, countering move for move.
They clashed.
Feng Lin's body trembled slightly, then he lunged forward again.
The robed man stumbled back ten steps before stopping, barely catching his breath before the attack came again. He had no choice but to brace himself and engage.
The robed man bitterly realized that his earlier resistance had been utterly futile, and he had once again become a living target for this brat's training.
Why did he say "once again"?
This was truly a sad story...