“I’m an old man after all. You should go first,” Fang Hong replied with a smile.

That was not him being boastful or condescending. It was just a basic etiquette for him as an elder.

“Then you should be careful!” Li Chong knew that it was not time to be courteous. His face turned serious as he lowered his posture and assumed his fighting stance.

The entire hall went silent. Everyone focused their gaze on the two, eagerly waiting to watch the epic battle.

“Ha!”

Li Chong bellowed and shot forward, striking like a venomous snake. When he was three meters away from Fang Hong, his body leaned forward and swung his hand from top to bottom, chopping at Fang Hong’s neck!

His posture was calculated.

Under normal circumstances, it would be a bad choice to attack while being airborne as that would leave one open to attacks due to the difficulty to adjust his body in the air.

However, Li Chong was different. Although his body was airborne, he kept his center of gravity at the front and did not commit everything to the attack. While scouting ahead, his attack power was by no means compromised!

Moreover, at a distance of three meters, the opponent would find it difficult to dodge or find his weak point.

“As expected of Brother Chong!”

Below the stage, the martial artists were cheering him on. Their eyes bright as they learned a new trick.

Li Chong’s attack was not merely a technique, but also a crystallization of his experience. It was something that most people could achieve. Such an attack was very adaptable. It was an attack that was borne out of his countless battles.

Fang Hong had an approving look on his face. However, his combat experience and martial arts foundation was not something that Li Chong could hope to match up with. Fang Hong’s eyes narrowed, then pushed outward with his hands, executing the Apparent Seal [1]technique and easily nullified Li Chong’s attack!

However, right after the failed attack, Li Chong had landed on his feet. He once again arced his body and shot out explosively like a spring, sending forth another fist!

Following that, his body maintained the momentum from the previous attack and added onto it, sending out a rain of knee and elbow strikes.

Fang Hong was kept on the defensive. His eyes maintained focus as he raised his hands to nullify each of the attacks.

He never expected Li Chong’s attack to be so ferocious. It poured out on him like a thunderstorm. The moment one missed, another followed, attacking continuously, not giving the opponent any chance to catch a breath.

However, Li Chong’s mind was in a state of shock.

It seemed as though he was the one attacking, but he had already expended 80 percent of his strength. At first, he planned to maintain the upper hand and suppress the opponent. While his strategy was often successful, it was unfortunately nullified by Fang Hong. The strength coming from Fang Hong’s limbs seemed to carry an extreme weight behind it, causing Li Chong’s arms to feel numb. It was far beyond an average martial artist.

Li Chong’s heart faltered. ‘As expected of Instructor Fang. His techniques are truly refined. This is a real martial arts expert.’

Those below the stage were watching in awe, never expecting Li Chong to be that ferocious to suppress Instructor Fang.

“Brother Chong is really something. His attacks are as domineering as always.”

“Instructor Fang is really awesome, being able to hold out under such attacks. If it were me, I would’ve caved a long time ago.”

As for the elders on the stage, they were nodding along as they watched the battle on the stage, chatting among themselves, most likely assessing the fight.

“Amazing!” Lin Ao’s heart was racing while watching from below the stage. “Brother Ye, what do you think? Who do you think will win?”

“It’s just the opening. Instructor Fang is only testing Li Chong’s techniques,” Ye Lingchen explained calmly. “This is not their full strength.”

A battle would naturally need intensity. If they start with their best technique right off the bat, then the audience would have nothing to watch. Only by having an interesting battle would the audience think highly of them.

“This is not their true strength?” Lin Ao was surprised, unable to believe the statement.

The next moment, Fang Hong, who was on the defensive all the while, switched over to attack. His attacks were not as quick as Li Chong, but each strike was filled with immense power!

Their roles were constantly changing.

However, this time round, Li Chong did not manage to hold out as long. He quickly backed off to put some distance between them.

He swung his hands about, looking deadly serious.

The strength competition between them left his arms feeling numb, slowing down his attacks. That was what allowed Fang Hong the chance to retaliate. However, that also proved that he was far beneath Fang Hong when it came to power.

“Thank you Instructor Fang for your guidance.” Li Chong thanked Fang Hong. He paused for a moment, then announced, “However, for the next attack, I implore Instructor Fang to be careful!”

Having said that, he spread his arms apart, forming them into the forms of a blade. On top of it was a thin layer of mist moving around.

“That’s…inner force?!”

Lin Ao’s eyes popped wide open in admiration. “So it was just a warm-up for them earlier.”

The other martial artists below the stage were also in an uproar, with astonished reactions filled with jealousy.

Nevertheless, without waiting for them to calm down, Fang Hong’s fists were shrouded in the same type of mist. It looked even more solid compared to Li Chong’s.

“They’re serious. The end is near!” Ye Lingchen stated calmly.

True to his words, the victor was soon decided!

From that moment on, it was Fang Hong that suppressed Li Chong. Although Li Chong was able to barely hold his defenses, he was unable to do so in a carefree manner as Fang Hong did. At first, he tried to look for a chance to counterattack, but Fang Hong did not give him the opportunity. The steady and calculated attacks suddenly increased in ferocity!

In just three breaths, a total of 11 punches, four kicks, three elbows, and three knee strikes were executed!

Being caught off guard, Li Chong’s defenses crumbled immediately, followed by Fang Hong’s palm on his chest!

Bang!

Li Chong’s body shook as he backed off 10 steps, finally stopping at the very edge of the stage. He looked at Fang Hong with shock.

That palm’s strength was under impeccable control. It seems strong, but it did not harm Li Chong in the slightest. If not for that, even if Li Chong survived it, his ribs would have been crushed!

“It’s my loss.” Li Chong gave Fang Hong a bow. It was a sincere admission of defeat.

At the same time, his ego that was inflated from the promotion to Upper-Class Guardian was tempered. Although Fang Hong was also an Upper-Class Guardian, his strength was much stronger.

“Your strength is decent. When you’re at my age, you’ll naturally surpass me,” Fang Hong said with a smile. “I acknowledge your promotion to an Upper-Class Guardian!”

The decision was made!

The next moment, the entire hall erupted in cheers.

“Hot damn, Instructor Fang is too amazing. How did it end so quickly?”

“Our journey as a martial artist has a long way to go. That’s the realm of a true expert.”

“Brother Chong is already sufficiently amazing. From now on, he’ll be an Upper-Class Guardian!”

“I must practice my martial arts properly. Only by achieving inner force will I be considered truly powerful!”

…

That battle had also greatly motivated the other martial artists, igniting their passion within and helped them grow more dedicated to their life as a martial artist.

However, just as they were busy chatting, quite a number of eyes looked in Ye Lingchen’s way. They quietly shook their heads. ‘If this guy falls short of his claims, he will surely be embarrassed on stage…’

[1] 如封似闭 (Ru Feng Shi Bi) – This is a Tai Chi technique that uses both hands to move in and seal off an opponent’s movement. The execution is similar to a shove using both hands (Yes, we have looked at various video footage on how to execute that technique). The name Apparent Seal is just a made up name that we thought fit the description and sounds better compared to the direct translation which goes “Like seal as if closed”.