C5 Even Though He Was Defeated He Was Still Proud of Himself!
When Ouyang Tian heard those words, he couldn't shake the eerie feeling that Zhang Bufan wasn't just boasting—he truly intended to kill him!
Impossible!
Ouyang Tian dismissed the notion.
"Your life is mine!"
In that instant, Ouyang Tian dropped all pretense. His spiritual energy, at the Foundation Stage, surged wildly, emanating a palpable pressure.
No one there could rival Ouyang Tian's level of cultivation.
He became a blur as he charged at Zhang Bufan, the oppressive force of the Foundation Stage bearing down on him.
"Hmm? I don't feel a thing!"
Zhang Bufan remained unfazed, his expression serene. He was at the peak of the Foundation Stage Layer Nine, just a hair's breadth from the Golden Core Stage, and he wasn't intimidated by someone like Ouyang Tian, who had only just reached the Foundation Stage.
The others mistook Zhang Bufan's calm for paralysis with fear!
In their eyes, not even Zhang Bufan, a mere Transcendence Stage Layer Three practitioner, nor someone at the Qi Refining Stage, would have any chance but to await their doom!
"Activate the Stage Disguise Card!"
"Congratulations, host! The Stage Disguise Card has been successfully activated. Your cultivation level will be concealed from others for one day."
Zhang Bufan chose to keep his true cultivation level under wraps for the time being.
With the Stage Disguise Card in effect, outsiders still saw him as a practitioner at the Transcendence Stage Layer Three. But in reality, Zhang Bufan was now fully harnessing the power of the Foundation Stage Layer Nine!
His body was a vessel for an infinite surge of spiritual energy, as vast and inexhaustible as the ocean itself!
To Zhang Bufan, Ouyang Tian was riddled with vulnerabilities!
"Die!"
Ouyang Tian launched a punch aimed at Zhang Bufan's face.
With a smile, Zhang Bufan countered with a leisurely punch of his own. Even if you disregarded his superior cultivation at the Foundation Stage Layer Nine, his formidable physical strength alone was something Ouyang Tian couldn't hope to counter!
Zhang Bufan suspected that his technique, the Heavenly Dragon Nine Transformations, might well be of saintly caliber!
Upon seeing Zhang Bufan's retaliatory punch, Ouyang Tian's face twisted into a sneer of contempt.
"You're in over your head!"
With those words, Ouyang Tian's spiritual force surged once more. His intent wasn't merely to disable Zhang Bufan; he was out for blood!
"Bang!"
Their fists met with a thunderous clash. To the onlookers, it seemed certain that Zhang Bufan would drop dead from such a blow!
"Ah! My arm!"
A scream of agony pierced the air.
Yet, as the crowd beheld the unfolding scene, they were struck dumb.
They had been convinced of Zhang Bufan's imminent demise, but there he stood, completely unscathed. Meanwhile, Ouyang Tian was the picture of defeat, his arm shattered, flesh torn, and white bone grotesquely exposed.
It was as if they were trapped in a dream. Zhang Bufan, a mere third-tier Transcendence Stage weakling, had just bested Ouyang Tian, a formidable Foundation Stage adversary, in a single move?
"What have you done to me?!" Ouyang Tian's eyes were wide with a mix of terror and rage as he stared at Zhang Bufan.
How could he, a mere Transcendence Stage Layer Three, not defeat him? Did Zhang Bufan have some secret ace up his sleeve?
With feigned innocence, Zhang Bufan replied, "Young Master Ouyang, what are you implying? Everyone saw what happened. How can you be so duplicitous? You agreed to offer guidance, yet this is the outcome?"
Approaching Ouyang Tian, Zhang Bufan's expression turned grave as he said, "Young Master Ouyang, I ask that you honor me with the full measure of your Foundation Stage prowess!"
The crowd suddenly had an epiphany.
"Young Master Ouyang is truly noble! I judged him unfairly, suspecting he sought Zhang Bufan's life!"
"Indeed, I owe Young Master Ouyang an apology for misjudging his intentions!"
"Young Master Ouyang feigned a murderous intent to push Zhang Bufan into a corner and unlock his latent potential. His methods were indeed profound!"
Amidst a chorus of commendations for Ouyang Tian, he seethed with frustration, nearly spitting blood. He was no saint; he had intended to end Zhang Bufan's life!
But why... Why did this happen?
Ouyang Tian was utterly baffled!
"Young Master Ouyang, rise and fight again! Unleash all your power!" Zhang Bufan declared with a sense of honor.
"Ah! I'm going to kill you!"
Ouyang Tian was furious!
He felt deeply humiliated.
Channeling the spiritual force within, Ouyang Tian's stance fused with his horse stance, and with both arms driving power into his fists, he bellowed, "Mountain Collapsing Fist!"
This punch, once hurled, even gave Zhang Bufan a moment of peril. Despite being stronger than Ouyang Tian, he lacked martial skills and real combat experience!
Luckily, his higher realm and robust physique meant he had little to worry about.
"Good! Young Master Ouyang, I trust you won't hold back this time!"
With that, Zhang Bufan launched another punch!
Left with no alternative, Zhang Bufan, devoid of martial skills and combat experience, resorted to the most basic brawl—fist against fist.
"Sky Dragon Transformation!"
As his fist flew, Zhang Bufan roared inwardly. A horned dragon burst forth from his dantian, fiercely coiling around his legs, grounding Zhang Bufan as if his legs had sprouted roots.
Power coursed through his limbs and body, and Zhang Bufan felt as though he had become a mighty demon ox, possessing boundless strength.
"Boom! Boom!"
With the clash of fists, Ouyang Tian's arms snapped instantly!
He was sent flying like a kite severed from its string, crashing down hard.
This...
The crowd was speechless.
"Young Master Ouyang, you've concealed your strength time and again, even claiming you'd guide me—that's going too far!"
Zhang Bufan spoke with indignation.
"Farewell!"
With those words, he turned and strode away.
The satisfaction of making a grand exit was unparalleled!
Once Zhang Bufan had departed, everyone was still reeling from the shock.
Had Ouyang Tian really hidden his strength? But surely, he couldn't have been so thoroughly defeated by a nobody, could he?
Nobody believed it, yet Zhang Bufan consistently radiated the aura of the Transcendence Stage Layer Three, without any variation from start to finish!
Their doubts dissipated; after all, the notion of a Transcendence Stage Layer Three cultivator defeating someone at the Foundation Stage was simply inconceivable.
There could be only one explanation: just as Zhang Bufan claimed, Ouyang Tian had been hiding his true power!
"Alas, Young Master Ouyang is just too good-hearted!"
"Isn't that the truth? He let himself be beaten to a pulp just so that waste Zhang Bufan could practice cultivation, and still, the other party fails to appreciate his noble intentions."
"It's disheartening! Utterly disheartening! To find a person as virtuous as Young Master Ouyang Tian is exceedingly rare in this world!"
The crowd was abuzz with comments, completely overlooking the fact that Ouyang Tian was still prostrate on the ground, unable to stir.
Listening to the murmurs around him, Ouyang Tian himself started to question his actions. Had he truly held back?
"No! That's absolutely impossible!" Ouyang Tian bellowed.
Upon hearing this outburst, someone finally took notice of Ouyang Tian and, with a moved expression, said, "Young Master Ouyang, rest assured. You may have been defeated, but your honor remains intact. At this point, there's no need to defend that good-for-nothing Zhang Bufan any longer. We've all seen the truth."
"I owe you an apology; I misjudged you earlier."
With that, the person bowed deeply.
"We all owe Young Master Ouyang an apology."
One by one, the others followed suit, bowing in respect.
"No, that's not it at all! I didn't hold back, not at all!"
Ouyang Tian was at a loss for words.
As the praises for his kindness continued, frustration overwhelmed Ouyang Tian, and he coughed up blood in distress.
"Zhang Bufan, I, I..."
Before Ouyang Tian could finish, darkness enveloped his vision, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
