Lu Yuan released his misty Spiritual Power, immediately feeling the thick viscosity and stagnation around him disappear.

Lv. 4 [Special Burst]!

Ultimate Outburst!

Lv. 4 Ten Thousand Refining Crane Bone Strength!

The yellow Light of Vigor danced like fire, carrying with it a terrifying Fist Strength of over twenty tons.

Tearing through the air, breaking the sound barrier, it headed straight for the White Dragon approaching on the clouds.

TEAR—

Before the White Dragon's True Intention, Lu Yuan's misty Spiritual Power was easily ripped apart like a thin curtain.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The two muffled sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

Lu Yuan's body was sent flying.

His feet touched the ground, toes digging in, accompanied by a series of "BANG! BANG! BANG!" sounds.

He plowed two deep trenches into the earth.

Only after skidding back more than ten meters did Lu Yuan halt.

Lu Yuan looked down and saw a deep depression in his right chest, the clear outline of a fist mark.

Fortunately, in his Second Transformation state, his muscles were as taut as steel bars, and his physical defensive power had, in turn, also significantly increased.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his chest swelling slightly like a balloon being inflated.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!—

Accompanied by the rather unsettling sound of bones resetting, the depression in his right chest flattened out.

Thanks to his incredibly strong constitution—rated as high as 20 points, having Broken the Limit once, and deeply developed by Ultimate Outburst—the redness and swelling on the surface of the injured area were rapidly subsiding at a speed visible to the naked eye.

If I could use Death Qi and activate Netherworld Clothing, he wouldn't even be able to scratch my skin.

However, my physical defensive power is still lacking. Against a True Intention-level attack, Vigor is as flimsy as paper.

Defensive Martial Arts need to be prioritized...

Lu Yuan sighed inwardly.

Lifting his head, he looked in Swimming Dragon's direction.

He saw Swimming Dragon looking at him expressionlessly, one hand clasped behind his back.

With the comprehensive perception of his Spiritual Power, Lu Yuan could clearly see the scene behind Swimming Dragon.

—It was a hand with grotesquely twisted fingers, its wrist swollen like a ball and trembling incessantly.

"Ha—"

Lu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.

He couldn't dodge Swimming Dragon's Sure-kill, True Intention-level attack.

However, his punch—with over twenty tons of Fist Strength from Ultimate Outburst—was clearly not so easy to take either.

"What are you laughing at?" Swimming Dragon asked indifferently.

"Nothing," Lu Yuan shook his head. "I just suddenly thought of something amusing."

"Hmph..."

With a light snort, Swimming Dragon flickered, suddenly appearing before Lu Yuan as if he had traced an arc.

His speed was so great that it left a faint white trace in his wake.

Lu Yuan's Spiritual Power enveloped the entire field. From an overhead perspective, he could clearly see the white qi trace a beautiful, dragon-shaped trajectory in the air behind Swimming Dragon.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

Although [Dragon Hide Body] wasn't purely a movement technique...

...Swimming Dragon's skill in using it as such was undoubtedly master-class.

Body like a roaming dragon.

That was probably how Swimming Dragon got his moniker.

"True Skill: Dragon Spreads Rain."

Swimming Dragon's left hand pressed down, and the invisible, dragon-shaped True Intention abruptly scattered.

Instantly, it seemed to transform into countless falling water droplets.

Although Swimming Dragon struck with only a single palm, it gave Lu Yuan an overwhelming sense of density and inescapable power, as if he were facing a torrential downpour.

Compared to the Dragon Sect's Sure-kill Martial Arts... the Crane Sect's legacy truly is a bit lacking.

Lu Yuan complained inwardly, a fierce look flashing across his face.

Even though there's a disparity in True Intention and Martial Arts compared to Swimming Dragon...

...his strength is great enough, and his physique is super-strong!

If his defense is insufficient, he'll make up for it with recovery!

As long as he can land one hit on Swimming Dragon for every one he takes... just one exchange is enough!

No loss... a guaranteed profit!

Lu Yuan's black hair whipped about wildly. On his Second Transformation physique, red vascular networks rapidly extended, and his steel-like muscles seemed to twist into strange patterns.

His misty Spiritual Power was instantly riddled like a sieve by Swimming Dragon's palm strike.

Before Swimming Dragon's palm even landed, Lu Yuan, assailed by countless "raindrops," already felt a faint, high-frequency stinging pain on a spiritual level.

He narrowed his eyes and punched towards the center of Swimming Dragon's palm.

BOOM!

With a muffled bang, a visible, formless shockwave spread out in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust.

Lu Yuan retreated, stumbling several steps before barely steadying himself.

A dull throbbing and a tearing sensation echoed in his mind, and his right fist felt as if it were about to crack open.

But these sensations were rapidly fading.

He looked up at Swimming Dragon.

Swimming Dragon's hands were both clasped behind his back.

Lu Yuan "saw" that Swimming Dragon's left hand, the one that had just clashed with his fist, was now also swollen; its bones seemed to have been shattered into many pieces.

"I misjudged you..."

Swimming Dragon stood tall, hands clasped behind his back, his expression indifferent, his aura as profound as an abyss and steadfast as a mountain.

"You haven't truly grasped True Intention; you haven't even achieved its embryonic form..."

It's merely that your Brain Divine Power talent allowed you a premature glimpse into the realm of True Intention.

Swimming Dragon sighed softly, then looked at Lu Yuan and said calmly, "There's one last move. If you can withstand it, you pass."

With that, Swimming Dragon suddenly leaped into the air.

His entire body pounced at Lu Yuan like a striking jiaolong.

The dragon-shaped True Intention around him surged, an illusory dragon tail materializing and augmenting his right leg as he kicked ferociously at Lu Yuan.

"True Skill: Dragon Tail Flick!"

WHOOSH—

This single kick from Swimming Dragon instantly whipped up a gale in the expansive Martial Arts field.

Loose stones and gravel on the ground were sent flying, Lu Yuan's long hair was whipped upwards, and his eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly.

He watched his misty Spiritual Power get directly cleaved apart by Swimming Dragon's Dragon Tail Flick, offering almost no resistance.

Swimming Dragon was right.

His True Intention had not yet solidified.

Apart from preventing his mind and will from being affected by True Intention, it served no other purpose.

And true True Intention, when augmenting Martial Arts techniques, produces an almost qualitative leap in power.

HSSS—

Lu Yuan took a deep breath; the meridians and muscles on his martial physique continued to swell.

He still didn't want to use [Unconquerable Instinct].

He wanted to see if he could comprehend and break through to True Intention naturally.

He possessed unparalleled talent, his aptitude was peerless throughout the ages!

If he could avoid using a crutch, he naturally would...

[Spirit Crane Skill: Crane Shadow Floating in the Air]!

In an instant, his nearly dispersed Spiritual Power reconverged into his fist.

His eyes burned like fire, focused solely on the terrifying "Dragon Tail" tearing through the air towards him.

Ultimate Outburst!

Lu Yuan threw his punch fiercely.

In the instant he punched, his entire right arm seemed to vanish for a split second.

Then, with a loud CRACK! it was as if something had exploded.

Lu Yuan's fist slammed viciously onto the "Dragon Tail"!

BANG!

A dull, heavy thud resounded.

Lu Yuan's body shook violently.

This time, he didn't retreat.

The formidable aftershocks dispersed, and Swimming Dragon returned to his original position.

Only, his posture was a little strange.

His right foot was tucked slightly behind his left, only its toes touching the ground, holding him steady in a stance resembling a golden rooster standing on one leg.

"You have passed," Swimming Dragon spoke indifferently.

Then he turned his head away, not looking at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan kept his eyes closed for a few seconds before slowly opening them.

A faint expression of disappointment emerged on his face.

So close...

He sighed softly, then turned to Swimming Dragon and pleaded earnestly, "Senior, could you give me one more chance?"

Silence.

The corner of Swimming Dragon's eye twitched slightly.

He shook his head.

"The three moves are over. Our duel has ended."

"But I was really just a tiny bit away."

Lu Yuan pleaded, holding up a hand and pinching two fingers closely together to illustrate.

"I'm just short of piercing that last layer of paper."

"The True Intention level... is not so easily broken through."

Swimming Dragon shook his head and said in a low voice, "You haven't even circulated Vigor throughout your entire body yet. Thinking of comprehending True Intention now is a bit too ambitious of you..."

"Senior Swimming Dragon, please give me one more chance... Just one more move, that's all I ask."

Lu Yuan wore an expression that practically screamed, "Please, Senior, I'm begging you!"

The sincerity in his eyes, burning with a passion for Martial Arts, was almost impossible to refuse.

Swimming Dragon's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.

After a brief silence…

At last, he nodded.

"Alright. But only one more move."

"Thank you, Senior."

Overjoyed, Lu Yuan smiled slightly and said, "Then this time, allow me to make the move."

"Fine. You..."

Swimming Dragon hadn't finished speaking.

An unprecedented and terrifying sense of crisis welled up in his heart.

The hairs on his skin stood on end, and goosebumps erupted across his back.

His Martial Arts Instinct made his Vigor surge instantly, and a dense white light immediately enveloped his entire body.

Then, his pupils contracted sharply as he watched, wide-eyed, while the dragon-shaped True Intention surrounding him was pierced and burst like a soap bubble.

A vast, dense shadow swept over him...

WHOOSH—

BANG!

At the far end of the Martial Arts Hall, the ceiling suffered a heavy impact, dust raining down.

Swimming Dragon was slammed against the wall, a large expanse of cracks spreading out behind him.

His feet dangled off the ground, his throat tightly gripped by a large, blue-veined hand.

Hovering above this large hand was a vivid, lifelike crane's claw.

A colossal white crane True Intention regarded him quietly, its wings beating silently.

He really... succeeded in comprehending it?!

Is this... the monstrous comprehension of Brain Divine Power?

Swimming Dragon's gaze went vacant for a moment. Staring at the white, crane-shaped True Intention, he was rendered speechless.

After a long moment, his gaze shifted slowly downwards, meeting a pair of clear, profound eyes that held a hint of primal wildness.

"This move..." Swimming Dragon hesitated and asked, "What is it called?"

Lu Yuan paused, pondering for a moment.

Then he looked up at Swimming Dragon, grinned, and answered:

"Let's call it—Crane Captures Dragon."

「.....」

In the spacious room, Song Cong, facing the virtual screen, fell into a prolonged silence.

Su Zhaohui, seated beside him, smacked his lips and reached for a full glass of beer.

"What did I say?" He took a big gulp of beer and then spoke with great satisfaction.

Song Cong's expression was incredibly complex.

Even Swimming Dragon is no match for him.

I even think...

Pointing at the screen, Su Zhaohui proclaimed grandly, "Let this kid continue down the path of Pure Martial. He might even break through the S-level barrier relying solely on Pure Martial!"

"How many people in Gold Bear have broken through the S-level barrier?"

Song Cong frowned. He was about to retort but then shook his head, changing the subject. "Breaking through to S-level via Pure Martial isn't that useful; it's pretty much a dead end. His greatest potential still lies in Breaking the Limit both physically and spiritually. If we tailor-made an exoskeleton for him, his combat effectiveness would far surpass what Pure Martial could achieve..."

"You're absolutely right!" Su Zhaohui agreed emphatically, smiling. "So, shouldn't you raise your expectations a bit?"

Song Cong remained expressionless; of course, he knew what Su Zhaohui was referring to.

He said directly, "Have him come out first. I'll talk to you again after I've met him in person."

"Don't be so hasty." Su Zhaohui's eyes twinkled. He glanced meaningfully at Song Cong's chest and said, "I'm just suggesting you raise your baseline for what you're willing to offer. I never said that was the ceiling..."

"What do you mean?" Song Cong frowned.

He quickly turned back to the screen.

As if recalling something, he said quickly, "Send me the files for this New Blood assessment mission."

"Haha!" Su Zhaohui couldn't help but laugh heartily. He casually tapped his wrist device and said, "Old Song, you're a sharp one. It really saves a lot of trouble talking to intelligent people like you..."

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