Chapter 155: Crushing Cao Li

"I said that there would surely come a day when I would trample you underfoot, and today is that very day!"

Zhang Xiaofan's deep voice echoed. Immediately afterward, his spiritual energy surged to its fullest extent. As the spiritual energy circulated with total intensity, a faint golden glow even began to emanate around his entire body.

A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and he abruptly took a step forward. The stone tiles beneath his feet trembled violently in response; it was a testament to the sturdiness of the masonry that it did not shatter instantly upon impact.

"Arrogant!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaofan take the initiative to attack, Cao Li's eyes flashed with disdain. He too began to circulate his spiritual energy frantically. Cao Li had entered the late stage of the Spirit Opening Realm for quite some time now, and compared to Zhang Xiaofan, his spiritual energy was far more dense and abundant.

However, in terms of purity of spiritual energy, he fell short of Zhang Xiaofan.

Neither of them used any fancy techniques; both simply threw a straightforward punch, apparently wishing to engage in a test of pure physical might and see whose fist was harder.

"Bang!"

In an instant, the two fists violently collided, and their bodies rapidly bounced apart.

Zhang Xiaofan retreated ten steps, while Cao Li only stepped back seven. It was evident that Cao Li had gained the upper hand in this initial clash.

Yet, this alone was enough to shock the onlookers. One had to consider the vast difference in their ages, and the fact that Cao Li had been established in the late Spirit Opening Realm for a considerable period.

As soon as both figures stabilized, Zhang Xiaofan did not hesitate in the slightest. He abruptly lunged forward again, unleashing another punch. A mere distance of three steps presented no hindrance to him whatsoever.

"Overestimating yourself!"

Cao Li let out a cold snort. He was no longer surprised that Zhang Xiaofan had managed to block his first blow, but watching this incoming punch, a sneer crept onto his face as the spiritual energy in his right arm began to circulate in a specific rhythm.

"Rising Sun!"

Cao Li shouted inwardly, throwing out a vicious punch!

"Bang!"

Another intense collision ensued. Zhang Xiaofan's body was sent staggering backward repeatedly, whereas Cao Li only took a single slight step back. Seeing the trace of blood lingering at the corner of Zhang Xiaofan's mouth, Cao Li smiled coldly.

Yet, upon stopping, Zhang Xiaofan showed no hesitation whatsoever and lunged forward once more. The previous exchange had sparked a sudden idea in his mind: to use Cao Li as a whetstone to temper his own strength.

To be frank, finding such an opponent was truly difficult. Every previous battle had yielded improvements in his strength, which was precisely why this notion had taken root.

If Cao Li knew what he was thinking, he might just die of anger...

The blood at the corner of Zhang Xiaofan's mouth was naturally visible to everyone in the grand hall. In their eyes, Zhang Xiaofan was clearly no match for Cao Li, though this outcome seemed to align with their expectations.

"Is that all the tricks you have?" Cao Li sneered, once again meeting the charge with a ferocious punch.

The Rising Sun Fist was an ancient martial arts technique Cao Li had obtained from the Dragon Soul, capable of amplifying the strength of his spiritual energy by a full layer.

"Bang!" Their fists intersected once more. Zhang Xiaofan's body was undeniably forced backward again, but this time, he retreated one step fewer than before. Moreover, he could feel his own spiritual energy gradually growing stronger.

Thus it continued in a repeating cycle: repeatedly being blasted backward, and repeatedly charging back in. To the spectators in the hall, Zhang Xiaofan looked utterly like a madman.

Throughout this process, the *Nine Heavens True Dragon Scripture* was constantly circulating within Zhang Xiaofan. After every single punch, he was able to recover swiftly. It was precisely because of this that the distance he was forced back grew shorter and shorter, while his internal spiritual energy continuously strengthened.

By the end, Zhang Xiaofan no longer took a single step back!

Cao Li's expression slowly transformed from initial contempt to heavy solemnity. He was the one who could feel most profoundly that Zhang Xiaofan's strength was steadily rising.

At this moment, he finally realized that his opponent was actually using him as a whetstone!

The people in the hall also grew deeply interested; this young man was truly full of surprises.

Being able to endure so many blows at least proved his extraordinary physical resilience, and the audacity to hone his strength amidst combat was undeniably a bold and daring notion.

Xiao Ruoli, seated in the side hall, smiled slightly as well. "The fight is coming to an end..."

It was precisely at this juncture that Zhang Xiaofan smiled and said, "I really must thank you for allowing me to break through to another level in such a short span of time. Now, I'm done playing with you..."

"Crushing Dragon!"

Zhang Xiaofan let out a low shout. His body immediately surged forward like a dragon breaking out of the sea. Upon his arm, majestic spiritual energy churned endlessly, resembling a roaring dragon.

Although Zhang Xiaofan could currently only practice the most foundational tier of the *Nine Heavens True Dragon Scripture*, this basic level encompassed more than just cultivation methods; it also housed a complete set of fist techniques—even if his current strength permitted him to execute only this very first form!

To completely crush Cao Li, invoking this specific martial art was the only way.

At this fleeting instant, the Void-Breaking realm experts in the main hall—even the Eight Tiger Kings in the side hall and the Dragon God Xiao Ruoli himself—all wore expressions of profound shock as they witnessed this punch!

Conversely, Cao Li remained unconcerned, scoffing, "Putting on a show!"

Despite his words, Cao Li raised his guard to the absolute maximum in his heart, for he too sensed a terrifyingly formidable power emanating from that single punch.

"Spiral Force!"

Cao Li shouted inwardly, throwing out a punch as his fist drove his arm into a spin. One could feel the spiritual energy dramatically increasing in might under the influence of this rotation.

This technique involved concentrating and spinning spiritual energy onto a single point before erupting with it—bearing certain similarities to explosive inch-power.

Tianyu Qin, seated in the front row, stared at the two violently converging fists with a flash of astonishment in his eyes. He knew Cao Li was doomed to lose; what shocked him, however, was that Zhang Xiaofan's strength had grown to such a terrifying degree.

When he had first arrived, his cultivation was merely at the mid Spirit Opening Realm. Such progression was simply too rapid...

A cold, sharp glint involuntarily surfaced in Tianyu Qin's heart. If Zhang Xiaofan were allowed to continue developing at this rate, the day he surpassed him would not be far off...

If the Dragon Soul took a fancy to his talent and granted him baptism, it was entirely possible he would become the second ultra-young Void-Breaking realm expert!

When that time came, even his own brilliance would be overshadowed!

Tianyu Qin was the universally acknowledged genius of the Dragon Soul; this honor was something he would never allow anyone to snatch away. More importantly, he knew that Zhang Xiaofan was determined to trample him underfoot and wash away his past humiliation.

If this brat grew to a level capable of rivaling him, that very humiliation would ultimately be inflicted upon his own head!

" brat, you've endured for three years, which is indeed impressive, but displaying your full strength at a time like this is utterly foolish..." Tianyu Qin thought coldly to himself, already plotting his next move in his mind.

"Boom!"

The two fists collided violently. The surging shockwaves of spiritual energy spread outward like a tsunami, and both men slammed their feet deep into the ground to maintain their balance.

In a split second, the stone tiles beneath the floor shattered outward from where they stood, spreading like the fissure lines of an earthquake.

Yet, this deadlock lasted for merely a single second. Immediately afterward, Cao Li's body was sent flying backward, his face painted with an expression of sheer horror!

He felt as though his arm was on the verge of shattering, and the blood and Qi within his body were in complete turmoil. A mouthful of blood spewed uncontrollably from his lips, and his complexion turned instantly ashen.

Moreover, as he flew backward, the momentum behind Zhang Xiaofan's punch had not yet dissipated. It felt as though successive heavy hammers were simultaneously striking the exact same spot, their forces compounding explosively in a fraction of a second.

It was precisely this compounding power that caused Cao Li's defenses to instantly crumble. From his arm all the way up to his upper torso, he could feel numerous meridians rupturing under the force of that punch!

This was the terrifying power unleashed by Zhang Xiaofan's Crushing Dragon Fist—akin to a luxury version of inch-power, yet possessing an even more ferocious explosive force built upon that foundation.

With this punch thrown, Zhang Xiaofan felt as though all the spiritual energy in his body had surged outward, bringing an indescribable sense of exhilaration and allowing him to experience the formidable might born of his true applied strength!

This was the true power of martial arts. On the path of martial cultivation, apart from spiritual energy cultivation, combat techniques were an indispensable part of one's strength.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Zhang Xiaofan's body did not pause in the slightest. He lunged forward swiftly, delivering a vicious kick while Cao Li was still suspended in mid-air.

The blow landed squarely on Cao Li's chest, causing him to cough up yet another mouthful of fresh blood.

Immediately following through, Zhang Xiaofan leveraged that momentum, his legs bending as he ruthlessly pinned and trampled Cao Li's body down onto the stone tiles.

The sequence of movements was completed in one fluid motion. Looking down at Cao Li from above, he said coldly, "Is this your strength? What qualification do you have to act arrogant in front of me? Who is the trash now?"