Chapter 20: Breaking Through in Battle
"This guy! He actually gave up his attack to dodge mine and is now attacking me from behind!" Xiao Chen's expression changed as he realized Zhao Yun's intention, but it was already too late to evade.
"Bang!"
"Ugh!"
Using his formidable speed, Zhao Yun struck Xiao Chen from behind with a heavy blow. Xiao Chen couldn't dodge in time, and with a loud thud, the powerful force made him spit blood and sent him flying several meters forward.
Zhao Yun's punch was delivered with full force. Even without using any special techniques, as a cultivator at the late Heartbeat Stage, his full power was something Xiao Chen couldn't withstand. This punch left Xiao Chen seriously injured.
"This kid managed to hold on until now, which is quite impressive. He took my full-strength punch and is only seriously injured, not out of the fight. I wonder how he trained to be this tough," Zhao Yun thought to himself.
"Xiao Chen! You're seriously injured! Give up! It's hard to break through in this condition. If you continue like this, you'll be killed before you can break through!" The Ancient White Tiger, in the storage ring, anxiously transmitted his thoughts.
From the previous battles, Xiao Chen was already injured by Zhao Yun. The strength gap between them was too wide. Now, after taking Zhao Yun's full-strength punch, Xiao Chen's injuries were even more severe, his face extremely pale.
"Cough, cough!" Xiao Chen coughed heavily, spitting blood continuously. He struggled to stand up, barely managing to stay upright, his breathing rapid, his eyes fixed on Zhao Yun.
Although he could barely stand, Xiao Chen's gaze remained resolute, his aura unwavering, his will incredibly strong.
"Hehe, kid, how does it feel? Do you see the power of our boss now?" The leading thug laughed sinisterly.
"Boss, I think this kid is done for. How about I chop him up with one slash? The price of offending us is death!" another thug said coldly, ready to strike with his knife.
Seeing the determination in Xiao Chen's eyes, Zhao Yun frowned slightly, thinking, "This kid is so tenacious. Even though he's seriously injured, his eyes show no sign of giving up, but rather a never-say-die spirit. What drives him to be so determined?"
"No need. Just teaching him a lesson is enough. He didn't kill you, did he?" Zhao Yun said coldly, taking one last look at the heavily injured Xiao Chen before turning to leave.
"Wait!" Xiao Chen called out as he saw Zhao Yun leaving.
"What? You still want to fight?" Zhao Yun turned back, laughing coldly.
"The battle isn't over yet! The real fight starts now!" Xiao Chen said coldly. At that moment, a powerful force began to surge from within him.
"He's breaking through! Xiao Chen, you're breaking through! This is great!" The Ancient White Tiger in the storage ring exclaimed in surprise.
Sensing Xiao Chen's aura, Zhao Yun was also shocked, unable to believe it, "Mid Heartbeat Stage! He's actually breaking through! Such violent power!"
Indeed, Xiao Chen had broken through! The powerful aura emanating from him was that of the Mid Heartbeat Stage, several times stronger than before.
"That's right! I've broken through, thanks to you. If it weren't for your punch that seriously injured me, I might not have been able to break through." Xiao Chen said with a cold smile, his icy gaze locking onto Zhao Yun.
"Bang!"
Xiao Chen quickly mobilized his True Essence, stomping heavily on the ground and rushing towards Zhao Yun with blinding speed. He unleashed the sword techniques of the Chaos Sword Art, each move fierce and ruthless.
"What sword technique is this? A Profound-level sword technique? His speed and power have clearly increased several times! He's already caught up to me. This guy actually broke through during the battle!" Zhao Yun thought, shocked by Xiao Chen's fierce counterattack, which was completely different from before.
Faced with Xiao Chen's frenzied counterattack, Zhao Yun had to become serious. After breaking through, Xiao Chen's strength and speed had increased several times, making him a match for Zhao Yun!
"What's going on? He just broke through to the Mid Heartbeat Stage, yet this kid has the strength to contend with me!" Zhao Yun thought, once again shocked.
"What are you looking at?" Xiao Chen, who was rapidly counterattacking, suddenly vanished, reappearing behind Zhao Yun. He realized Zhao Yun hadn't reacted yet and asked.
"What?" Zhao Yun was startled and quickly turned around, but by then, Xiao Chen had already thrown a punch.
"Bang!"
"Ugh!"
Xiao Chen suddenly exhibited astonishing speed, catching Zhao Yun off guard. Despite being at the late Heartbeat Stage, Zhao Yun didn't notice in time. With a loud bang, Zhao Yun was hit hard by Xiao Chen's punch, causing him to spit blood and fly forward.
"This is payback for earlier!" Xiao Chen said coldly. He hadn't used the Divine Sword in this attack; otherwise, Zhao Yun might have been finished.
"How is this possible? What on earth is happening? How can this kid have such overwhelming power? He only advanced by one stage, yet a single punch can injure me!" Zhao Yun was incredibly shocked, unable to believe that Xiao Chen, at the Mid Heartbeat Stage, could deal him such a blow.
Seeing the shock on Zhao Yun's face, Xiao Chen sneered, "Your body is too weak. The power of the late Heartbeat Stage is nothing! Take this! I'll finish you with one last move!"
As he spoke, Xiao Chen once again mobilized his True Essence, channeling it into the Divine Sword, which began to emit a terrifying aura, chilling to the bone!
"Damn kid! You're courting death!" Enraged by Xiao Chen's arrogant words, Zhao Yun exuded a fierce killing intent.
Zhao Yun mobilized all his strength and rushed at Xiao Chen, shouting, "Blazing Flame Palm!" His palm radiated powerful fiery energy.
"Hmph!" Xiao Chen snorted coldly, gripping the Divine Sword tightly and slashing forward.
"Whoosh!"
As Xiao Chen swung the Divine Sword, a sudden sound of something cutting through the air was heard, and a powerful white sword beam shot out from the sword's tip.
"What? This... this is Sword Qi! How is this possible? He's at the Mid Heartbeat Stage and can already condense Sword Qi?" Seeing the white Sword Qi, Zhao Yun's face changed dramatically!
"Boom!"
"Ugh!"
The powerful white Sword Qi collided fiercely with Zhao Yun's palm force, causing an explosion. The impact made Zhao Yun spit blood and sent him flying over ten meters away!
"Boss!" Seeing Zhao Yun being blown away, the thugs ran to him in panic.
Xiao Chen was also shocked. He had no idea what had just happened. After a long moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "What was that just now? How did I unleash such powerful force? Could it be the first move of the Chaos Sword Art? I actually executed it?"
Zhao Yun, severely injured by a single strike, was in utter shock. "No... no way. How can you possibly... condense Sword Qi?"