"drink!"
He let out a low growl, and his muscles suddenly began to tremble rapidly. It wasn't out of fear, but because every muscle fiber was frantically squeezing out its strength, and even the blood vessels under his skin were throbbing.
The sound of blood and qi flowing through the body grew louder and louder, faintly like a surging stream, reaching the audience and making the villagers hold their breath.
His heels sank sharply into the mud, sinking all the way up to his ankles, like two deeply rooted iron stakes, firmly supporting his entire body.
His lower back suddenly tensed, like a bow stretched to its limit, the muscles bulging and gleaming, transmitting the power from his lower limbs to his arms.
He was waiting, waiting for a fleeting opportunity.
Finally, Xiong Ligang threw a punch. In the instant when his old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, the stone moved!
He feinted with his left arm, then unleashed a powerful uppercut from below, the force of the punch tearing through the air and hurtling straight toward Xiong Li's jaw.
The punch was delivered at a tricky angle and was so fast that Xiong Li's pupils shrank. Despite his shock, he remained calm and jerked his head back sharply while simultaneously raising his right knee to try and block the attack.
But he didn't expect that the punch was a feint!
Just as Xiong Li raised his knee to block, Shi Tou's center of gravity suddenly shifted, and his entire weight pressed to the left.
His right elbow suddenly tightened, like a heavy hammer, carrying immense force, and slammed into Xiong Li's unguarded ribs!
"Thump!"
The dull thud of the impact exploded across the field, more jarring than any previous encounter.
Xiong Li groaned, his face turning pale instantly. The sharp pain in his ribs made him catch his breath, and even his movement of raising his knee slowed down by half a beat.
He wanted to step back and adjust, but the stone wouldn't give him the chance.
Stone stepped forward half a step with his left foot, clenched his right fist, and concentrated all the remaining strength in his body into it.
The veins on his arms were almost bursting, and his fists turned bluish-white from the force. With a whooshing sound, he slammed straight into Xiong Li's chest!
"Bang!"
This punch was devoid of any fancy moves, yet it was so powerful that Xiong Li simply couldn't withstand it.
He felt as if a huge rock had struck his chest, and he instantly lost his balance.
His body flew backward uncontrollably, clearing the wooden stakes at the edge of the field and crashing heavily onto the grass below, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Xiong Li struggled to get up, but as soon as he propped himself up, he vomited blood again. He could only clutch his chest, gasping for breath, unable to stand up any longer.
The room fell silent for a moment, then the villagers erupted in thunderous cheers.
Some people jumped up waving their straw hats, while others clapped their hands and shouted, "Well done, Stone Brothers!"
Some people even ran over to help Xiong Li, but no one complained because Xiong Li was from the village.
In their eyes, it was a thrilling competition; the winner deserved applause, and the loser was also quite brave.
Shi Tou stood on the stage, his chest heaving violently, blood still seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet he grinned, revealing a half-toothed smile that, while somewhat disheveled, was exceptionally dazzling.
He looked down at his slightly trembling fist, then looked at Xiong Li below the stage, and said loudly, "Brother Xiong Li, you're too kind!"
Xiong Yue walked onto the stage, looked at the stone on the stage, then at Xiong Li below the stage, stroked his beard, and slowly said: "The competition is over, the stone wins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the cheers from the audience grew even louder, and even the villagers who were supporting Xiong Li joined in the applause.
For these simple and honest villagers, there is no barrier between "outsiders" and "villagers," only respect for the "strong" and the "brave."
…………
Moze City in the Moze Starfield is one of the few prosperous cities in the region.
The streets were bustling with traffic and cultivators coming and going, while flying boats occasionally swept across the sky, leaving faint trails of spiritual light.
Inside the city's largest "Drunken Immortal Pavilion," the atmosphere was bustling with activity, the aroma of wine mingling with spiritual energy.
Many cultivators sat around the table, drinking and talking animatedly, their topics revolving around the latest happenings in the region.
"Have you heard? The Chen family has really struck gold this time!"
At a table by the window, a monk in blue robes held a wine cup, his voice not too low, but just loud enough for the people at the surrounding tables to hear.
"They captured a woman at the border a while ago. Her appearance is said to be so beautiful that it could make the stars pale in comparison. More importantly, that woman actually possesses the Innate Ice Soul Saint Body!"
"Innate Ice Soul Sacred Body?!"
The cultivator at the next table was instantly startled and stood up, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"That's the legendary top-tier physique!"
"Born with an affinity for ice-type spiritual power, their cultivation speed is advancing by leaps and bounds. If one can cultivate with it, one can even cleanse their marrow and meridians. What incredible luck has the Chen family had?"
"Fortune? I think it's more like misfortune!" The blue-robed cultivator sneered, took a sip of wine, and spoke with a hint of mockery.
"How could the Chen family possibly keep a woman with such a constitution? I heard they contacted Mo Zezong a long time ago."
"We must send him to the Moze Sect tomorrow and present him to the sect leader's precious son, Young Master Moze!"
"Offered to Young Master Moze?" Another cultivator sighed, his tone full of regret.
"What kind of person is that young master Mo Ze? He's notoriously licentious and has ruined countless good girls!"
"If this woman with the Innate Ice Soul Saint Body falls into his hands, she will probably be played with at will and end up with a miserable fate. It's such a pity that such a top-quality physique is being wasted!"
The murmurs reached the ears of a boy at the next table; it was Xiao Chen, who had just arrived in Moze City.
He had come to the restaurant to inquire about the Moze Star Region and find a way to leave it.
But the words "Innate Ice Soul Saint Body" struck him like a thunderbolt, instantly exploding in his mind.
His hand gripping the teacup tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white, and his eyes instantly sharpened.
Ling Xue, with her innate Ice Soul Saint Body!
He still remembered the scene when he first met Ling Xue at the Dao Asking Mountain in the Cangxuan Realm: the girl was wearing a plain white dress, standing in the snow, radiating a bone-chilling cold.
Others couldn't even get within three feet of him; his eyes were filled with loneliness and helplessness.
Later, he learned that Ling Xue was unable to get close to people because of the backlash caused by the awakening of her innate Ice Soul Saint Body.
He brought Ling Xue back to the Qingyun Sect. His master, Lin Zhou, spent a great deal of effort to stabilize Ling Xue's constitution and alleviate the pain of the backlash.
But not long after, Ling Xue suddenly disappeared.
He frantically searched everywhere, and finally Lin Zhou told him that Ling Xue's family had come looking for her.
They took her back to their family and told him to focus on his cultivation, saying that if fate allowed, they would meet again in the future.
From then on, he kept thinking about improving his cultivation, hoping that one day he could find Ling Xue and see if she was alright.
Now, in this unfamiliar Moze Starfield, upon hearing rumors about a "woman with the Innate Ice Soul Saint Body," Xiao Chen's heart instantly leaped into his throat.
The innate Ice Soul Saint Body is rare in this world. If it really is Ling Xue, how could she have been captured by the Chen family and offered to the young master of the Mo Ze Sect?
He could no longer sit still. He stood up and walked to the table of monks who were discussing the matter, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of urgency.
But there was not a trace of aggressiveness in her tone: "Fellow Daoists, I apologize for disturbing you. I just heard you mention that the woman with the Innate Ice Soul Saint Body is currently nowhere to be found."
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