Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Third Move

Qin San’s fist was accompanied by a terrifying gust and a piercing sonic boom, crashing toward Su Yi’s chest like a massive stone wall! Feeling the oppressive force in his opponent’s attack, Su Yi’s expression sharpened. He planted his feet firmly, and in an instant, his motionless figure became a flash—a shadow striking like lightning, colliding head-on with his adversary!

A thunderous sound erupted.

The two figures shifted from extreme motion to utter stillness, pausing briefly. Then, one figure wavered in place, while the other staggered back several steps. When the retreating man finally steadied himself, everyone saw him clearly—and their faces froze in disbelief.

It was Qin San who had been pushed back!

A true battle cultivator, defeated by a man whose battle energy core had been destroyed? Such a thing was inconceivable! Yet this impossible scene unfolded indisputably before their eyes.

For a moment, the crowd felt as if they were trapped in a dream...

Qin San, the man forced back several steps, was even more astonished. Although he hadn’t used much battle energy in his punch, its power alone should have been more than a typical battle practitioner could bear. He thought he would end it in one blow. But the force that crashed against his fist was so fierce—if judged by sheer strength, it even surpassed his own!

Sensing the bewildered gazes around him, Qin San’s heart erupted in murderous intent. As a battle cultivator, losing face so inexplicably was intolerable!

He cast a cold glance at Su Yi and sneered darkly, “I don’t know where you got such brute strength, but if you think you can beat me with this, you’re dreaming!”

As he finished speaking, a violent surge of battle energy welled up from within, rushing to his right arm. Soon, wisps of faint red battle energy coiled around him, slowly engulfing his arm as if it were burning.

Seeing this, Su Yi’s expression grew even more solemn. Battle practitioners could push their battle energy to the limit, changing the color of their skin, but only battle cultivators could let their energy spill outside the body. Though this wasn’t the full external release seen in battle masters, its power was formidable—far greater in offense, defense, and recovery than an ordinary practitioner!

With a fierce shout, Qin San attacked again, his arm wrapped in red energy as he struck at Su Yi. “Second move!”

Feeling the overwhelming force, incomparable to the previous blow, Su Yi gritted his teeth and pressed forward rather than retreating. In the next instant, like a beast unleashed, his right fist swung out in a mighty strike!

The two forces collided again, creating a momentary deadlock; then Su Yi grunted, his body trembling subtly. Qin San let out a sinister laugh, and with a twist and surge of his arm, unleashed a surge of power that sent Su Yi flying.

Su Yi retreated a dozen steps, then stomped hard, cracking the ground and halting his backward momentum. He glanced at Qin San in surprise. He knew battle energy would amplify strength, but hadn’t expected to be rendered so powerless. Yet, curiously, he wasn’t seriously injured; the invading energy rampaged inside him, causing only a brief, intense pain—far less severe than when he’d fought Zhong Yuan.

Had he grown stronger, or was Qin San weaker than Zhong Yuan…?

“Is this real?” Old Zhang from the marketplace and Ken Mu, who had been hiding in the distance, were stunned, hardly able to believe their eyes.

Especially Ken Mu—he could understand the first move as Qin San holding back, but the second had clearly displayed battle energy. Once that happened, Ken Mu was convinced Su Yi would die, as even he couldn’t have survived such a blow: at best, he’d be gravely wounded, at worst, killed.

Yet not only did Su Yi withstand it, though thrown back a dozen steps, he seemed almost unharmed!

“How can this be?!” Even the Liu clan patriarch wore a shocked expression. He hadn’t struck himself, but with his keen eye knew that Qin San’s blow would have left any ordinary seventh- or eighth-level practitioner seriously injured and unconscious. Yet Su Yi stood there, looking ready for more.

But Su Yi clearly wasn’t a practitioner, nor could he be concealing his strength. The whole thing was baffling!

Among the crowd, the only one not visibly shaken was Lie Feifei. When she trailed Su Yi the other day, she’d seen him knocked into an alley, heard the sounds of battle, and then witnessed Zhong Yuan fleeing with a broken arm, then slain and split in two. Since she hadn’t seen Su Yi suppressed, she instinctively assumed he could contend with a thirteenth-level battle cultivator.

She didn’t know the true circumstances, but trusted Su Yi deeply...

Feeling the numbness fade, Su Yi flexed his arm, thinking that his recent injury-strengthening training had paid off. He then glanced at Qin San, whose face still bore traces of shock, and slowly exhaled, saying, “One move remains.”

Qin San gradually recovered from his astonishment, looked at Su Yi—who had not fallen—and gave a cold laugh. “You’re tougher than I expected, but this is where it ends!”

He reached out his right hand, and a battle energy aura several times stronger than before radiated from his body, thickening around his right arm. He seemed to be preparing a battle skill attack!

Seeing this, Su Yi’s heart sank. A battle energy attack and a battle skill attack were worlds apart. Having once practiced battle skills himself, Su Yi knew well their power. In fact, if he’d mastered a high-level profound-stage battle skill, even as a peak tenth-level practitioner, he might have contended with an eleventh-level cultivator!

Now Qin San was unleashing a battle skill, clearly not holding back any longer!

The others sensed this shift and their faces changed. With Qin San’s strength, ordinary practitioners could be handled with battle energy alone; using battle skills was reserved for fighting equals or superiors. Was Qin San recognizing Su Yi’s strength, or aiming to kill him?

Even the Liu patriarch was surprised at Qin San’s ruthlessness, but did not intervene. This duel was agreed to by Su Yi himself, with Miss Lie as witness; even if Su Yi were killed, it would be his own fault for accepting the challenge. That would be an excuse for dealing with the auction house later.

Meiya, who had faith in Su Yi, now showed a hint of concern. Ken Mu, standing beside her, was torn—he could never have imagined Su Yi would withstand Qin San’s blow. This meant Su Yi’s strength was above his own fifth-level practitioner rank!

Feelings of doubt, resentment, and anger welled up in Ken Mu’s heart, morphing into a cold murderous intent. Remembering his past disagreements with Su Yi, his eyes flashed cruelly. “Su Yi, you’d better die! There’s no way you can survive this blow!”

Feeling his power surging, Qin San glanced at Su Yi, whose face had grown grim, then sprang forward. He swung his right arm, unleashing a battle cry: “Third move!”

The oncoming pressure made Su Yi’s muscles tense, his eyes locked onto Qin San. The sensation reminded him of his fight with Zhong Yuan—though not as overwhelming, it brought an acute sense of danger.

But he could not retreat!

Just as Su Yi steeled himself, prepared to unleash his full strength and fight desperately, a streak of pale green battle energy shot through the air like an arrow. In an instant, it struck Qin San’s right fist like lightning!

The green energy collided with Qin San’s own, producing a muffled boom. The shockwave and residual energy shot outward from Qin San’s hand, forcing everyone back several steps before they could steady themselves.

The explosion’s force closest to Qin San cracked the ground beneath him. Qin San, battered by the blast, let out a grunt, coughed up blood, and rolled across the earth for more than ten meters, barely able to stand.

This sudden turn happened in a flash, stunning everyone into silence. The Liu patriarch was dumbfounded—Qin San defeated so easily, and that arrow of battle energy... His pupils contracted, his words tinged with awe:

“Battle energy unleashed externally?”

Martial Arts Peak, Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Third Move—Update Complete!