Chapter 49: Nothing More Than This

"What a pity. That movement technique and swordsmanship must have been left to him by that old fellow. If I could obtain them and put them to my use, the strength of our Lin Estate might become even greater in the future."

Lin Chengyun's eyes were filled with greed.

Such movement techniques and swordsmanship were exactly what he had dreamed of.

"Rest assured, Young Master. When this kid is about to be beaten to death by the Law Enforcement Elder, if you speak up, the Elder will definitely give you some face," Lin Ye hurriedly flattered from the side.

"That is true. Very well, let us first watch how the Elder toys with this boy," Lin Chengyun sneered, watching the battle on the Life-and-Death Stage.

Under the heavy offensive of the Law Enforcement Elder, Chu Fengmian's figure flickered incessantly, but the Elder's movements were not slow either. Every time Chu Fengmian dodged, the Elder was fast enough to catch up immediately.

"It seems that relying on movement techniques to deal with this Lin Chengyun will no longer work," Chu Fengmian thought to himself.

"In that case, let's settle this with raw strength!"

"War Dragon!"

With a roar in his heart, the bloodline within Chu Fengmian's body began to surge. That single drop of golden blood instantly merged into his lineage, causing his physique to expand several times over.

"Fight!"

With a furious roar, Chu Fengmian threw a punch directly at the Law Enforcement Elder.

This time, it was a head-on collision of two forces. The Elder's punch met Chu Fengmian's head-on, and surprisingly, he failed to gain even the slightest advantage. The two forces were actually comparable.

"What!"

"How is this possible!"

"How could Chu Fengmian's strength suddenly become so immense!"

Just moments ago, Chu Fengmian could only flee continuously under the wind pressure of the Elder's punches; now, he was actually capable of resisting the Elder's strike head-on.

"Lin Shi, aren't you known as the Iron Fist? Today, I, Chu, shall see whose fist is harder—yours or mine!"

Chu Fengmian laughed loudly and threw another violent punch.

"Arrogant junior!"

The Law Enforcement Elder snorted coldly and struck out with a punch of his own.

The two men stood in the center of the Life-and-Death Stage, trading blows one after another. This battle no longer contained any technique; it was a pure contest of their physical strength and the depth of their spiritual energy. Every punch thrown consumed their respective spiritual energy, a test to see who would succumb to exhaustion first.

"It looks like Lin Shi will win," the Lord of the Lin Estate whispered to himself.

In a contest of strength, for Chu Fengmian to be able to clash with Lin Shi, who was at the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm, while being only at the first level, was a world-shaking feat. Based on this alone, Chu Fengmian was already sufficient to be the number one of the Lin Estate's younger generation, unsurpassed by anyone.

However, even if their physical strength was evenly matched, their spiritual energy reserves were not on the same level. Lin Shi, at the eighth level of Body Tempering, possessed spiritual energy countless times more abundant than Chu Fengmian at the first level. In a battle of spiritual endurance, Chu Fengmian was bound to lose.

Not only the Lord of the Lin Estate, but the Third Elder also understood this. His eyes flickered with hesitation, looking as if he might intervene at any moment. However, the Lord of the Lin Estate had already noticed him and moved to his side, making it impossible for him to act.

"This kid, Chu Fengmian, is too arrogant! Today, we must blunt his edge and make him understand that the Lin Estate is not a place where he can act so presumptuously," the Lord of the Lin Estate said coldly.

"This boy has too much foundation. It seems that old fellow left him quite a lot. If we don't teach him a lesson, I fear the Lin Estate won't be able to control him in the future."

"Lin Yan, rest assured. As long as he is willing to hand over those sword techniques and movement methods and pledge loyalty to our Lin Estate, I will not kill him."

The Lord's words sounded more like a command than a conversation. In the Lin Estate, his word was supreme; whatever he said was truth.

"Hmph."

Although the Lord was speaking to the Third Elder, Chu Fengmian still heard him. Having opened his Divine Veins, Chu Fengmian possessed not only inexhaustible spiritual energy but also senses that far surpassed ordinary people due to his connection to the earth's veins. Naturally, the Lord's words reached him clearly.

"Do they all think this Lin Shi can defeat me? Then let them see clearly!"

Chu Fengmian's gaze shifted, and the spiritual energy surrounding him suddenly became even more ferocious. He threw another punch at the Law Enforcement Elder. The power of this punch was even greater than the previous one.

"What is wrong with this kid? It has been nearly ten minutes, and more than half of my spiritual energy has been consumed, yet he still seems to have plenty left?"

Watching Chu Fengmian's punches grow stronger with every strike, the Law Enforcement Elder's heart began to race. Logically, with Chu Fengmian's level, his spiritual energy should have been depleted long ago. Where was he getting such massive reserves?

"He's just a kid at the first level of Body Tempering. Let's see how much more he can hold!"

The Law Enforcement Elder gritted his teeth and unleashed his full spiritual energy, meeting every punch with maximum force. He did not believe Chu Fengmian could last much longer. As long as he could hold out until Chu Fengmian's energy ran dry, victory would be his.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes passed.

Another ten minutes went by, and now the Law Enforcement Elder's spiritual energy was nearing its limit. Yet, opposite him, Chu Fengmian's expression remained calm; in fact, each punch seemed even stronger than the last.

The War Dragon Art was a technique created based on the Ancient War Dragon—a true race of combatants born for battle. Now that Chu Fengmian had condensed the War Dragon's essence blood, his body possessed the War Dragon bloodline; his very essence was like that of a humanoid War Dragon. Every punch would grow stronger; he was a true combat genius.

"Are you about to break?"

At the moment of his final punch, Chu Fengmian actually smiled. In such an intense battle, an ordinary martial artist could barely catch their breath, yet Chu Fengmian could even find the strength to smile. That smile was incredibly mocking, as if he were ridiculing the Law Enforcement Elder for running out of energy.

"The eighth level of Body Tempering... is nothing more than this."

Chu Fengmian spoke with a calm face, nearly causing the Law Enforcement Elder to vomit blood. He had not held back at all, fighting with his absolute maximum strength, yet his energy was spent while Chu Fengmian still appeared so effortless.

"Is this guy a monster?! Yes, he must be a monster, a demon! Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to possess such terrifying strength!"

This thought exploded in the Law Enforcement Elder's mind. He could not bear to believe he would lose to a junior at the first level of Body Tempering; only this thought provided him some small measure of solace.

(End of Chapter)