The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"A monster? That can't be right. Maybe he's stronger than an ordinary soul martial artist of the same realm," the young Eight-Armed Sea Tribe woman, Zhang Wenxuan, shook her head in disbelief. She clearly didn't think Lin Qian could defeat Zhang Li.

Zhang Qi, however, smiled and shook his head. "Zhang Wenxuan, you may be the most talented woman of our generation, without question, but your judgment might be a bit off here."

"Hmph, I won't be mistaken. There's no way Lin Qian can win. You're just too stubborn," Zhang Wenxuan snorted, pouting.

Seeing Zhang Wenxuan's disbelief, Zhang Qi came up with an idea. "Zhang Wenxuan, if you're so confident, how about a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Yes. If you lose, you'll write me a copy of your exclusive soul technique, the Eight-Armed Sticky Fist."

Zhang Wenxuan agreed without hesitation. "No problem! If you lose, you'll hand over your Water Tornado technique!"

"Our elders are all here as witnesses, so you can't back out later," Zhang Qi added quickly after seeing her agreement.

"Of course! I'm not the type to go back on my word," Zhang Wenxuan replied confidently, crossing her eight arms over her chest.

After confirming the bet, Zhang Qi wore a satisfied grin and turned his attention back to the arena.

Seeing Zhang Qi's confidence, Zhang Wenxuan felt even more defiant. She abandoned her plan to rest and prepared to watch the match closely. She was determined to see what gave Zhang Qi such confidence that Lin Qian could defeat Zhang Li.

The playful bet between the two younger generation members caught the attention of Zhang Nianxin, who exchanged a glance with the Western Branch's chief. They both smiled and shook their heads. The relationship between the Eastern and Western Branches had always been good, with many familial ties between them.

Zhang Qi and Zhang Wenxuan, for example, had grown up often seeing each other and making bets, so their antics were nothing new.

Inside the arena, Zhang Li continued to babble, which made Lin Qian frown in irritation. "Are you going to fight or not? Why so much chatter?"

Zhang Li's expression stiffened, but then he laughed mockingly. "I was just trying to let you soak in the atmosphere of the clan assembly a bit longer. You should be grateful, not complaining."

"Fine, since you're in such a hurry, I'll show you what a true powerhouse looks like."

As Zhang Li's words fell, his soul power surged, causing the surrounding water to swirl violently.

The spectators immediately understood Zhang Li's intention. He was preparing to unleash his strongest attack and defeat Lin Qian in a single move.

Indeed, it would be quite impressive to defeat Lin Qian with just one strike, earning him significant recognition.

"Hmph, someone is about to see how that human Lin Qian gets crushed in one blow," Zhang Wenxuan muttered from the Western Branch's observation platform, glancing sideways at Zhang Qi.

Zhang Qi ignored her words and kept his eyes on the arena, where Lin Qian had slowly drawn his right arm back to his waist. Memories of past battles flashed through his mind.

"It's that move..." Zhang Qi muttered with a shudder as he recalled how he had lost to Lin Qian with a single punch. "It was this punch that defeated me."

"Huh?" Zhang Qi's words caused Zhang Wenxuan and the other Eight-Armed Sea Tribe members on the Western Branch platform to widen their eyes in shock.

Had they heard correctly? Zhang Qi, the Eastern Branch's top genius and a Life and Death Realm powerhouse, had been defeated by this human in a single punch?

At that moment, a thunderous shout echoed from the center of the arena. The voice, imbued with soul power, resonated through the water, loud and clear for everyone to hear.

"You talk too much!"

As Lin Qian's words rang out, his eyes sharpened, and lightning-attribute soul power surged within him. His martial soul's enhancement activated, instantly multiplying his physical strength fivefold.

In a flash, Lin Qian's right fist shot out from his waist, like a massive hammer slamming into the water in front of him.

Boom!

The sound of the punch was deafening, and the water in front of Lin Qian was blasted away, creating a vacuum-like space devoid of water.

At the same time, the shockwave rippled through the water, sending a powerful blast toward Zhang Li.

With no water to channel his soul power, Zhang Li found himself exposed in the vacuum. He hurriedly crossed his four spears in front of him to block the attack.

Crack!

The shockwave shattered the four spears into pieces, and Zhang Li's soul power barrier was dispersed. His body was sent flying hundreds of meters, slamming into the formation barrier at the edge of the arena.

The punch had created a waterless zone, stretching from Lin Qian to the arena's barrier. Zhang Li, caught in this zone, crashed into the barrier, which now resembled a solid wall.

Blood spurted from Zhang Li's mouth as the force of the punch hit him head-on, and the violent impact from behind caused his internal organs to churn. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness, sliding down the barrier.

Only then did the surrounding water rush back into the empty space.

For a moment, there was dead silence. No one made a sound.

Even the female host on the arena had forgotten to control herself, slowly drifting down toward the arena in shock.

Was this Lin Qian even human?

A Void-Fragmentation sixth-stage cultivator, without even releasing his soul power, had used just his physical strength to punch through water, create a vacuum, and knock out a Void-Fragmentation floating stage opponent in one blow.

This had to be some kind of mistake, right? Wasn't Zhang Li supposed to be the one winning in a single strike?

"Grandfather, this..." On the main clan's observation platform, Zhang Zide trembled, turning to look at Zhang Tianxin with even greater shock on his face.

To his surprise, he found that his grandfather, Zhang Tianxin, was also deeply shaken.

"I never expected Lin Qian's physical body to be this strong," Zhang Tianxin finally said, letting out a long breath.

At that moment, the entire area around the arena erupted into chaos.

"Well, do you believe me now?" Zhang Qi asked with a laugh, looking at the stunned Zhang Wenxuan. "When His Majesty Lin punched me, he even used soul power. If he had used soul power this time, Zhang Li would be nothing but a pile of broken pieces by now."