Facing the palm strike aimed at his heart, Bai Yunfei violently stamped half a step backward. His right fist clenched, muscles coiling along his arm like taut cables, and he unleashed his counterstrike!
Wave Folding Art, Ninefold Fist Force!!!
Yet, in the very instant Bai Yunfei unleashed this meticulously calculated punch, a flicker of mockery danced in Zhang Zhenshan's eyes!
A fraction of a heartbeat before fist met palm, the attack mere inches away split! One palm became two, then four distinct images, targeting Bai Yunfei's left shoulder, right shoulder, heart, and face simultaneously!
Under Bai Yunfei's horrified gaze, the palm aimed at his heart collided with his fist—only for his knuckles to punch straight through it. An afterimage! The palm targeting his face forced him to jerk his head sideways in panic. Half a hand brushed past his cheek—another afterimage!
He had no time for further reaction. An unimaginable force slammed into his left shoulder—this was the true strike! What horrified him even more was what came with the blow: alongside the colossal impact, a surge of intense, soul-numbing icy energy flooded his body! The instant this cold invaded, Bai Yunfei felt as if his very soul froze solid for a split second!
Though complex in description, it all transpired in the blink of an eye. Bai Yunfei's right fist was still extended in its futile punch, while his entire body was hurled backward like a broken kite, leaving a fading trail as he soared through the air!!
"Hmph! Impudent brat! Thinking a scrap of cleverness allows you to scheme against me? How utterly presumptuous!" Zhang Zhenshan's scorn deepened. He started to step forward, ready to pursue, but froze mid-stride. His expression stiffened, morphing into sheer disbelief.
Bai Yunfei, sailing through the air, twisted his body just before impact. He landed firmly, knees bending deeply into a half-crouch. His hands slapped down onto the ground, skidding backward for a full three or four meters before finally coming to a halt.
He looked up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He suppressed a mouthful threatening to erupt, his gaze locked onto the stunned Zhang Zhenshan across from him.
"Miscalculated… Was I truly that naive? Soul Spirit strength, Head of the Zhang Family… his combat experience is vast. How could I have schemed against him so easily? Instead, I fell into his trap… If his strike hadn't landed slightly inward, right within the Golden Silk Soul Armor's protective range, my shoulder might be shattered…"
"Even with the +10 enhanced Golden Silk Soul Armor defending me, I'm still this badly injured. And that terrifying icy energy… Without the Soul Armor buying me a split second to mobilize my Soul Force against it, I'd be frozen stiff—if not immobilized completely, my movements drastically slowed!"
"Is this the power of the Soul Spirit realm? Manipulating elemental energies…"
Zhang Zhenshan stared at Bai Yunfei, who had now wiped the blood from his lips, summoned the Flame Spear once more, and was glaring at him with fierce intensity. Shock and confusion lingered on his face.
"Impossible! After taking that blow, he only seems lightly wounded?! Even if I'm not at my peak, a Soul Spirit realm's palm strike shouldn't be shrugged off so easily by a mere Soul Master!"
"Right! He wears Han Xiao's Golden Silk Soul Armor! But… that armor is only a Low Grade Human Tier Soul Tool. How can its defense be so high? Unless… the strength I can currently muster is even lower than I realized?"
Both minds churned, strategizing furiously. For a tense moment, the battle hung in an unexpected stalemate.
Bai Yunfei desperately channeled his Soul Force, forcing the lingering sliver of icy energy from his body. His eyes flickered almost imperceptibly towards the Flame Spear in his hand.
"The searing energy within the Flame Spear… I can channel it into myself! Just now, instinctively trying to expel that cold faster, I attempted it… and it worked!! I never discovered this before… This could be crucial for this fight!"
"I can't wait any longer. We're both recovering, but he's undoubtedly faster! I absolutely cannot let him regain his peak state. If he does… the danger multiplies!"
Gritting his teeth, Bai Yunfei gave the Flame Spear a sharp shake. His feet moved in the intricate pattern of Rippling Steps. His body blurred, leaving a trail of afterimages as he charged Zhang Zhenshan once more!
"Has he seen through me again? Despite being weaker, he initiates the attack three times consecutively. This boy's mind is extraordinary!" A hint of something akin to reluctant admiration flashed in Zhang Zhenshan's eyes as he watched Bai Yunfei charge. With a cold snort, he met the assault head-on.
Knowing his opponent excelled in close-quarters palm strikes, Bai Yunfei remained hyper-vigilant against letting Zhang Zhenshan close the gap. Relying on the speed and agility granted by Rippling Steps, he whirled the Flame Spear in a dazzling display. For a time, he actually managed to keep Zhang Zhenshan at bay, preventing him from getting within striking distance.
The Flame Spear possessed immense attack power and the potential for explosive effects, but its true lethality resided in the spear tip, and the explosion only triggered upon a solid hit. Zhang Zhenshan had recognized the spear's extraordinary nature from the start. Unlike his earlier block against the Frost Thorn, he refused to directly intercept the Flame Spear's thrusts. While Bai Yunfei fought fiercely and skillfully, he couldn't land a telling blow.
They exchanged dozens of passes. Zhang Zhenshan, wary of the spear's edge, couldn't immediately counterattack but defended with infuriating ease. Bai Yunfei, however, grew increasingly frantic inside. He could see it clearly: Zhang Zhenshan was deliberately dragging the fight out! Prolonging it only meant Bai Yunfei's stamina would deplete faster than his opponent's, tilting the situation further against him.
Anxiety sharpened Bai Yunfei's attacks. As Zhang Zhenshan sidestepped another thrust, Bai Yunfei abruptly crossed his feet, retreating half a step while simultaneously yanking the Flame Spear back. Muscles bulged along his right arm, power gathering in an instant. Then, the spear shot forward—its speed multiplied several times over!
Triple Thrust!!
Faced with the blindingly fast spear lancing towards his abdomen, surprise flickered in Zhang Zhenshan's eyes, but no panic. The moment the tip was about to pierce cloth, his entire body slid sideways without warning, effortlessly evading the attack! Then, leaning slightly forward, still with no visible preparation, he closed the distance to Bai Yunfei in the blink of an eye!
His body showed no dip or rise. No discernible movement betrayed his actions. Just… an abrupt lateral shift, followed instantly by a forward glide!
Movement Soul Skill: Ice Glide Step!
A footwork technique akin to sliding across ice. Unlike the weaving, swaying complexity of Rippling Steps, and lacking its sheer speed, its power lay in its utter unpredictability and lack of telegraphing. Executed flawlessly, the body remained unnaturally level. Unless an observer stared fixedly at the feet—who would do that mid-combat?—the movement seemed to happen by magic.
Bai Yunfei's powerful thrust found only air once more. He hadn't even registered the miss before his opponent had glided within arm's reach!
A flash of killing intent ignited in Zhang Zhenshan's eyes. His right hand rose, palm striking out once more—this time aimed squarely at Bai Yunfei's forehead!
A chilling mist seemed to swirl around his palm. The gust preceding the strike carried an icy aura that made Bai Yunfei's hair stand on end—this blow was several times more terrifying than the last!
Bai Yunfei's pupils contracted. Bringing the spear back to block was impossible. With gritted teeth, he drove his foot hard into the ground, launching himself backward in a desperate leap. Even if it meant facing a follow-up attack in an awkward position, he had to avoid this strike! His backward jump altered the trajectory; the blow meant for his forehead now targeted his chest.
The desperate leap gained him a precious inch of clearance. It seemed he had narrowly dodged the deadly palm!
Yet, just as the strike seemed to reach its limit and lose momentum, Zhang Zhenshan's eyes narrowed. A soft grunt escaped him. His right shoulder gave an almost imperceptible twitch, a subtle ripple running down his arm. In the next instant, his fully extended right arm suddenly lengthened by over two inches!
Under Bai Yunfei's wide-eyed gaze of pure horror, the palm slammed solidly into his chest!
(Regarding the 'Ice Glide Step'... if any readers want to imagine it as the Soul Skill equivalent of a Michael Jackson-esque 'glide'... well, that's not entirely inaccurate...)