Global Awakening: Awakening the Empress's Martial Soul at the Start

Chapter 17 Warrior

The air in the ring seemed to be wound up tight, ready to explode at any moment.

Du Fei made his move.

He didn't stand on ceremony, didn't make any gestures, and didn't even give Lin Fan much time to prepare.

With a powerful stomp of his foot on the ring mat, he shot out like an arrow, his right fist cutting through the air with a whooshing sound.

The Chasing Wind Fist is a low-grade Xuan-level martial art. It is named after the phrase "chasing the wind and lightning" and emphasizes speed. The punch is as fast as the wind and the body moves with the punch, giving the opponent no chance to breathe.

Last semester, he used this set of boxing techniques to win three consecutive matches in a practical combat class at the Martial Arts University. Even his classmates at the Qi Condensation Realm might not be able to withstand the first wave of attack, let alone a quasi-martial artist who had just graduated from high school.

Lin Fan did not take the blow head-on. He had already mastered the third level of the Returning Mountain Fist, and his nine layers of strength moved at will, allowing him to unleash astonishing defensive power without needing to build up his strength.

But facing the layer of true energy wrapped around Du Fei's fist—the visible air ripples exploding at the tip of the fist—he knew that the nine layers of power of the Returning Mountain Fist were not enough to directly resist the penetrating force of true energy.

If you can't block it, then run away.

Lin Fan stepped into the Wind Returning Step, lowered his body to the side to avoid the impact of the punch head-on, and then bent his right elbow to block horizontally, using the "Entangling" technique of the Returning Mountain Fist to deflect the remaining force of the Chasing Wind Fist to his side.

But the penetrating power of the true energy far exceeded his expectations—even though it was just the aftershock of the punch, even through the arm guard, the force was like a red-hot iron rod hitting his forearm, and his entire arm went numb from the elbow joint to the fingertips.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Du Fei's Wind Chasing Fist combo rained down like a storm, forcing Lin Fan to retreat step by step. The arena mat beneath his feet made a rapid screech, and his shoes left two dark marks on the surface.

He was almost hit several times—Du Fei's fist grazed the edge of his chest protector, less than two inches away from his ribs.

He forcefully dodged the attack by relying on the perfected level of the Returning Mountain Fist, and the range of his waist and hip twisting exceeded the flexibility limit of a normal person.

But his breathing had begun to become erratic, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. A few strands of hair were wet and stuck to his temples, swinging back and forth with his dodging movements.

Zhang Yang stood by the ring, his hands gripping the ropes tightly, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

His gaze followed Lin Fan's evasive movements back and forth, his heart pounding in his throat.

As expected—no matter how well Lin Fan's Returning Mountain Fist was performed, he was still only a quasi-martial artist. The gap between the Body Refinement Realm and the Qi Condensation Realm could not be bridged by fist techniques.

Every punch Du Fei threw was imbued with true qi, and that penetrating power could directly penetrate the protective gear and reach the bones. Lin Fan's punches, however, lacked the amplification of true qi, and when they struck Du Fei's protective gear, they only left a dull thud that was neither painful nor itchy.

On the other side of the arena, Du Fei's lips curled into a slight smile. Is that all the strength he has?

He was a Qi Condensation Realm martial artist, and every move he made was enhanced with true qi. Before Lin Fan could even finish a full combo of the Chasing Wind Fist, he was already forced to the edge of the arena and could only barely dodge with his agility.

This kid is indeed only considered strong among ordinary high school students; he would be no match for a real martial artist.

Within three moves.

Du Fei made a judgment in his mind.

The combo attack had just pushed Lin Fan to the brink. If he put in just a little more effort, maybe three more punches, this arrogant brat would fly off the stage like those he had taught a lesson before.

He took a deep breath, his true energy circulated rapidly through his meridians, and the strongest strike of the Chasing Wind Fist, "Chasing Wind Piercing the Sun," was ready to be unleashed.

This punch could send a Qi Condensation Realm student back three steps; if a quasi-martial artist were to take it, flying out would be the least of their worries.

"It's over." Du Fei sneered, stomped his right foot hard on the ground, the arena mat under his feet exploded with a muffled thud, and he charged out with an indomitable momentum, his right fist wrapped with a layer of visible true energy ripples, straight at Lin Fan's chest.

Before the punch arrives, the wind comes first.

The elastic ropes at the four corners of the ring swayed slightly in the wind from the punches, and Zhang Yang's hair was also blown back by the wind pressure.

His heart skipped a beat—that punch looked too fierce; whether his protective gear could withstand it was a question.

Lin Fan's back foot was already on the edge of the ring. One more step back and he would be out of bounds; one more step back and this sparring match would be over.

He had no way out. During that round of suppression, he had been observing—Du Fei's Chasing Wind Fist was fast, but speed has its weaknesses. If the spatial difference that a fast punch couldn't keep up with, was exploited...

The rhythm of a fast punch will be instantly disrupted.

More importantly, he had already tried the Returning Mountain Fist, but it couldn't defend against the penetrating power of true qi. Fortunately, he still had another fist technique he hadn't tried.

A sharp glint suddenly appeared in Lin Fan's eyes. He abandoned the defensive stance of the Returning Mountain Fist, his spine arching segment by segment from the tailbone to the cervical vertebrae, his five fingers changing from fists to claws, and the starting posture of the Dragon Fist was completed in an instant.

The twelve layers of energy within his body—the nine layers of energy from the Returning Mountain Fist and the twelve layers of energy from the Dragon Form Fist itself—intertwined together, like two coiled dragons raising their heads simultaneously within his meridians.

Then, he threw a punch.

Dragon-shaped Fist, Azure Dragon Emerging from Water.

The fist pierced the air, and the wind suddenly changed.

The sound of the Returning Mountain Fist breaking through the air is dull and deep, like a large wave crashing against a reef.

The sound of the Dragon Form Fist cutting through the air is sharp and high-pitched, with a faint, almost imperceptible whistling sound—like a dragon's roar, like some kind of howl coming from the depths of the clouds.

Boom!

The two fists collided head-on.

The ripples of true energy from the Chasing Wind Fist collided with the twelve layers of force from the Dragon Form Fist. The air exploded with a muffled roar the moment the two fists made contact, and the fine dust on the arena mat was stirred up by the shockwave.

Even standing on the edge of the ring, Zhang Yang could feel the shockwave rushing towards him, and he instinctively raised his hand to shield his face.

Then he saw a scene that left him speechless—Lin Fan did not retreat. Facing a full-force punch from a Qi Condensation Realm martial artist, Lin Fan's feet remained firmly planted on the arena mat, without budging an inch.

"Blocked? Blocked it?" Zhang Yang's mouth opened into an exaggerated "O" shape, and his fingers gripped the ropes even tighter.

He instinctively wanted to rub his eyes, but was afraid of missing any detail.

Lin Fan felt the reaction force from the fist, and an overwhelming joy welled up in his heart.

As expected, the Dragon Form Fist is far superior to the Returning Mountain Fist in dealing with true qi. The Nine Layers of Force in the Returning Mountain Fist are stacked in a straight line, allowing true qi to pass through easily.

The twelve-layered power of Dragon Form Fist is a spiral superposition, with the power rotating out like a drill bit, capable of crushing, tearing, and disintegrating the penetrating power of true qi.

He still hasn't fully figured out the grade of the Dragon Form Fist, but it's at least no lower than the mid-grade Xuan-level Chasing Wind Fist.

Du Fei's pupils contracted sharply. What was going on? Wasn't he only capable of using the Mountain Return Fist?

What kind of fist technique was that starting stance? And that piercing whistling sound—

Although he had never heard a real dragon's roar, he had seen his school teachers demonstrate a high-grade Xuan-level fist technique, and sometimes a similar whistling sound would be mixed in with the sound of air being torn apart.

That's a phenomenon that occurs when the intent of the fist is concentrated to a certain degree.

This is not the level a high school senior aspiring martial artist should have.

Du Fei was furious.

A dignified Qi Condensation Realm martial artist, who fought to a draw with a high school senior on the arena—if word got out, would he still be able to hold his head high at school?

He had confidently told Sun Hao that "teaching a senior high school student a lesson would be a piece of cake," so how could he explain himself to Sun Hao if he didn't beat Lin Fan down?

"Hmph!" He didn't speak, but let out a cold snort from his nostrils, but the emotion in that snort was more direct than any words.

His internal energy circulated at full speed, and the power of his Xuan-level low-grade martial soul, the Rock-Splitting Fist, was fully released, his fists enveloped in a layer of pale yellow internal energy light.

The Chasing Wind Fist is no longer simply about winning with speed. With the full amplification of true energy, even the wind from the punch becomes heavy, and each punch feels like it's carrying a rock that has collapsed from a cliff.

But Lin Fan did not back down.

Images flashed through his mind—the Dragon Form Fist combat instruction videos on the martial arts forum, the moves he had watched frame by frame, analyzed, and mentally rehearsed countless times.

At this moment, everything was mobilized.

The fighting style of Dragon Form Boxing is not a straight-line charge, but rather a spiraling, elusive, and entangled attack.

He demonstrated the twelve forms of Dragon Form Fist in actual combat, one by one, the turning and forceful strike of a dragon swinging its tail, the soaring suppression of a flying dragon in the sky, and the downward strike of a dragon diving into the abyss.

The two exchanged over fifty moves in the ring.

Standing by the ring, Zhang Yang could no longer tell whether he was watching a sparring match or a real martial arts duel.

The two fighters on the stage were moving so fast that his eyes could barely keep up. Du Fei's Chasing Wind Fist was like a storm, while Lin Fan's Dragon Form Fist was like a dragon soaring through the air. Every collision made the stage mat vibrate.

Boom!

It was another head-on collision. Lin Fan's Dragon-Shaped Fist and Du Fei's Chasing Wind Fist collided in mid-air, and the shockwave of true energy and fist force spread outwards like an invisible ripple, causing the elastic ropes at the four corners of the arena to shake violently.

The two retreated simultaneously—Lin Fan took five steps back, his back almost touching the elastic rope; Du Fei took three steps back, but he also visibly stumbled.

A brief silence fell over the arena.

Lin Fan leaned against the elastic rope, his face pale, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and dripping onto the ring mat, leaving small dark marks.

The collar and back of the white T-shirt were soaked through, clinging to the skin and outlining the contours of the spine.

His breathing was rapid and heavy, his chest heaving violently, and his arms hung at his sides as if filled with lead, his fingertips trembling slightly.

The Dragon Form Fist consumed far more of his physical energy than he had expected. Although the Microscopic Realm allowed him to precisely control every bit of force, the energy consumed by the high-intensity, continuous combat was something he couldn't conserve.

After fifty moves, fifty full-force activations of the twelve-layered energy, his physical reserves had reached their limit.

If we keep fighting, it's not that we can't win, it's that our bodies can't take it anymore.

Du Fei stood on the other side of the arena. His breathing was also a bit heavier, and there was sweat on his forehead, but his face was not as pale as Lin Fan's, and his breathing was not as disordered.

A Qi Condensation Realm martial artist's physical reserves and recovery speed are naturally higher than those of a Body Refinement Realm martial artist. This is a difference in realm, which cannot be compensated for by talent.

But Du Fei's face was extremely ugly. Not ugly because he hadn't won, but ugly because he couldn't win.

He unleashed fifty moves, going all out, using his true energy, martial spirit, and Wind Chasing Fist.

The person opposite him was only pale and breathing rapidly, but he stood there steadily, his legs not trembling, his back not bent, and his gaze—still calm and unyielding—was fixed on him.

Is this a student who just graduated from high school?

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two was becoming dangerous again, Zhang Yang quickly flipped onto the stage, rushed between them, and stretched out his hands to make a stop gesture: "Alright, alright, alright!"

Let's all take a break! This sparring session ends here! We'll stop here once we've reached our point!

Du Fei didn't continue his attack. He lowered his fist, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Fan, his lips pressed into a thin line. After several seconds of silence, he finally spoke, his voice several tones lower than before the fight began.

“Who…who are you?”

He didn't believe it. A senior high school student couldn't possibly have such strength, couldn't possibly withstand fifty moves from a Qi Condensation Realm martial artist's all-out attack and still be standing, couldn't possibly unleash such a bizarre fist technique that even he found strange.

Who exactly is this kid? Is he a top student from a prestigious martial arts university hiding his true identity? Or is he a descendant of a martial arts family?