"You want a fight? Then let's fight!"
Bai Yunfei retracted the Fiery Point Spear in his hand. At the same time, he stomped hard with his foot, shooting towards Loong Tao Jia opposite him like an arrow released from its bow.
A cold smirk curled at the corner of Loong Tao Jia's mouth. The opponent actually put away his soul armament? Though he found it strange, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With a low shout, he too charged straight at Bai Yunfei.
The distance between them was already extremely short. In almost the blink of an eye, they closed in on each other. At the moment of contact, Loong Tao Jia abruptly lowered his stance, sweeping his right leg outwards—a direct attack aimed at Bai Yunfei's lower body!
Bai Yunfei, who had been charging forward fiercely, astonishingly halted his momentum instantly. Simultaneously, he leaned his upper body backward, his feet rapidly kicking backwards several times, directly retreating to evade the sweeping leg. Then, his body traced a slanting arc, shifting from leaning back to leaning forward! His right hand snapped upwards, revealing a perfectly square object clutched firmly in his grasp, which he brought crashing down towards Loong Tao Jia's head!
What he held was precisely the +13 Brick!!
Loong Tao Jia wasn't overly surprised that his attack had been dodged by his opponent's bizarre footwork. A flash of calculation crossed his eyes as he prepared to rise and counterattack. However, he hadn't anticipated Bai Yunfei launching a counteroffensive in the very next instant after dodging. Unable to clearly discern what the square object was, he hastily crossed both arms in front of his head to block.
Thud! The blow landed just as Loong Tao Jia raised his guard. A powerful force slammed into his arms, forcing him back several steps involuntarily. Pain shot through his forearms, though it didn't seem severe.
Bai Yunfei had intended to press his advantage, but movements from both his left and right sides demanded his attention—Loong Tao Yi and Loong Tao were attacking! With no choice, he executed a series of rapid evasive maneuvers, dodging the incoming fists and kicks. While retreating, he lashed out with a kick that collided squarely with Loong Tao's incoming foot, sending Loong Tao stumbling back several paces. But in that instant, Loong Tao Yi's fist struck his shoulder, causing him to stagger half a step. Bai Yunfei let out a cold snort and thrust the brick forward, seemingly tapping it lightly against Loong Tao Yi's shoulder.
This time, Loong Tao Yi wasn't as fortunate as his elder brother. Startled upon being hit, he was relieved to feel only minimal pain—no injury. Yet, just as a flicker of smugness rose within him, an utterly bizarre force erupted from his shoulder! It instantly spread throughout his entire body. Then, his whole frame was flung backward uncontrollably! He crashed into Loong Tao, who was behind him, and the two tumbled backward together, rolling until they collided with Loong Tao Jia's legs before finally stopping.
Brick +13 Additional Effect: Knockback!
Loong Tao Jia had been just about to rush forward to join the assault. But he'd barely taken a single step when he saw his younger brother and cousin inexplicably fly back towards him. Shocked, he halted abruptly. His gaze locked onto the weapon in Bai Yunfei's hand. Despite his composure as a mid-stage Soul Warrior, he couldn't suppress his eyes widening in disbelief, the exclamation bursting from his lips.
"No way! A brick?!"
Bai Yunfei had no interest in discussing his choice of weapon. Activating his Wave Treading Steps, he charged forward again without a word.
Although baffled and even stunned by the brick, Loong Tao Jia instantly dismissed his shock. With a cold snort, he sidestepped the two figures on the floor and rushed to meet Bai Yunfei head-on.
At the moment of their clash, faced with Loong Tao Jia's powerful punch, a faint smile touched Bai Yunfei's lips. His feet shifted subtly, refusing direct contact. With a sidestep and a pivot, he flowed past the astonished Loong Tao Jia, appearing directly behind him! His target shifted instantly to Loong Tao and Loong Tao Yi, who were just scrambling to their feet!
Capitalizing on his forward momentum, he lashed out a kick towards Loong Tao Yi while simultaneously swinging the brick downwards towards Loong Tao's head.
Loong Tao Yi, after all, was a Soul Warrior himself. His reactions were swift. A sideways roll effortlessly evaded the kick. Loong Tao, however, wasn't so lucky. He hadn't even fully processed the confusion of being inexplicably knocked flying earlier. And he certainly never imagined Bai Yunfei would abandon the fight with Loong Tao Jia to target him, the weakest link.
Consequently, Loong Tao took the brick blow cleanly. He grunted, flying sideways through the air. The attack hadn't triggered an effect; it was the raw force of the impact that sent him flying. Fortunately, at the last possible instant, he remembered to reinforce the defense in his head and neck muscles, so the injury wasn't severe.
A powerful force slammed into Bai Yunfei's left waist—Loong Tao Jia had spun around and landed a punch. Bai Yunfei staggered half a step to the right, only to be met by Loong Tao Yi's foot driving towards his chest! He hastily brought the brick up defensively. Loong Tao Yi's foot struck the brick squarely. Before he could even retract his right leg, he was sent flying backwards yet again—without any warning! Damn, talk about unlucky! Getting kicked counted as being attacked by the brick? And it actually triggered the Knockback effect again…
A flicker of delight crossed Bai Yunfei's eyes. Seizing this rare opportunity where all three opponents were momentarily separated, he planted his back foot firmly to stabilize himself. Just as he started to turn, he sensed another gust of fierce wind behind him—Loong Tao Jia's attack had already caught up! It seemed Loong Tao Jia had realized attacks to the torso weren't causing significant damage. This time, the strike was aimed at Bai Yunfei's head!
Unable to turn in time, Bai Yunfei arched his back and bent forward. Loong Tao Jia's sweeping leg kick grazed over his spine. Bai Yunfei used the momentum to whip his own leg backwards in a sweeping counterattack towards Loong Tao Jia's supporting leg. But Loong Tao Jia, alert to the danger, leaped backwards, evading the sweep.
Bai Yunfei used the force of his sweeping kick to pivot fully around. Without the slightest pause, he charged forward again. Loong Tao Jia, having just landed from his leap and steadied himself, saw Bai Yunfei charging once more. He snorted coldly, showing no trace of panic, and engaged Bai Yunfei directly.
Both were mid-stage Soul Warriors. Fists flew and kicks snapped in a dizzying exchange; within mere blinks of an eye, they had traded several blows. Loong Tao Jia's moves were solid and steady, leaving no obvious openings. Bai Yunfei, relying on his nimble footwork, held a slight upper hand, yet he couldn't decisively defeat his opponent within a short timeframe.
Moreover, Loong Tao Jia had already discerned the peculiarity of the brick in his opponent's hand. He was extremely cautious to avoid being struck by it.
Seeing the other two men closing in again, Bai Yunfei felt a flicker of anxiety. Facing another punch aimed squarely at his face, he sidestepped deftly, evading the blow. He raised his hand, preparing to counterattack—but at that very moment, a sudden change occurred!
The punch that had already sailed past him suddenly transformed! The fist snapped open into a palm. Then, Loong Tao Jia's arm bent at an utterly impossible, inhuman angle, the edge of his hand slicing like a blade towards Bai Yunfei's throat!
Soul Skill: Folding Hand!
A low Human-Tier soul skill, sharing similarities with the 'Long Arm Fist'. The difference lay not in extension, but in folding—bending the arm at an inconceivable angle to achieve a devastatingly unexpected sneak attack.
This change in attack was terrifyingly abrupt. Even the Wave Treading Steps couldn't evade it completely at this range. Bai Yunfei could only desperately leap backward at the last possible instant. Yet, the sweeping 'hand blade' still caught him squarely across the throat!
Bai Yunfei's feet stamped rapidly against the floor. His body pulled a trail of afterimages behind him as he pushed the Wave Treading Steps to their limit, retreating over ten meters in an instant. He felt his breath hitch violently from the blow, almost stopping entirely. The pain radiating from his throat was so intense it triggered a fit of violent coughing.
And just as Bai Yunfei managed to regain a sliver of composure, Loong Tao Jia's assault was already upon him once more!
A spark of fury ignited deep within Bai Yunfei's eyes. Instead of retreating, he surged forward, meeting the attack head-on with several afterimages trailing his form. Loong Tao Jia still threw a straightforward punch aimed at his head. At the final possible moment, Bai Yunfei tilted his head slightly to the right. Simultaneously, he swung the brick upwards, aiming it squarely at Loong Tao Jia's shoulder.
A flash of calculation crossed Loong Tao Jia's eyes. His fist, having missed its target, abruptly folded again—this time whipping sideways towards Bai Yunfei's temple! However, Bai Yunfei's right arm, which had been swinging the brick halfway through its arc, suddenly changed trajectory! It snapped downwards, smashing towards Loong Tao Jia's incoming forearm!
This wasn't the Folding Hand soul skill. This was Bai Yunfei, prepared for this exact tactic, forcibly manipulating the muscles and bones in his own arm! He violently altered the angle of his attack, accepting minor injury to his own arm, solely to shatter this soul skill!
Thud!
A solid, muffled impact echoed through the hall. The brick landed squarely on Loong Tao Jia's wrist!