Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Wei Zhen let out a cold snort and charged forward, throwing a punch!

The punch was incredibly fierce, a direct frontal assault that embodied his spirit—a commitment to shatter any and all schemes with a single, powerful blow.

Seeing the ferocious punch coming, Peng Jie gave a low shout as his Blood Qi surged. He met the attack with a palm of his own, choosing to clash head-on.

As fist met palm, a muffled THUD sent a shockwave of force reverberating through the vast training hall.

The spectators below were stunned. The two Fourth Training masters had skipped the preliminary feints and were already going all-out on the very first exchange!

After taking the blow, Peng Jie merely swayed, but Wei Zhen retreated half a step, a change flashing in his eyes.

’Peng Jie’s power has gotten this deep?’

He immediately snorted. Though he’d been at a slight disadvantage in that exchange, he remained fearless and charged forward with another punch.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Fists and palms connected in a blur as the two renowned masters of the Martial Dao clashed with their full strength. The resulting gusts of force even blew past the stage, making the hair and beards of the disciples in the front row stream backward!

From the very start, their battle had reached a fever pitch. The disciples on both sides held their breath, their hearts leaping into their throats.

But soon, the tide of the battle became clear.

Every time Peng Jie clashed with Wei Zhen, he would merely sway in place before steadying himself. His mastery of the Vajra Sect’s Rock Skill was clearly at its peak—he was as steady as a boulder, standing firm and unmovable.

Meanwhile, every time Wei Zhen charged, he was the one driven back—first by half a step, then a full step, until his latest attack sent him skidding back three whole steps.

Wei Zhen stared at the motionless Peng Jie, his eyes filled with shock and doubt.

’Even if there’s a gap in our power, it shouldn’t be this obvious so soon!’

’My energy is draining much faster than usual, and I can clearly feel my power fading...’

’What’s going on?’

As Wei Zhen was lost in doubt, he saw Peng Jie’s figure blur. For the first time since the duel began, Peng Jie moved his feet.

He took an impossibly fast step forward and thrust his palm viciously toward Wei Zhen’s chest.

Wei Zhen saw the palm coming. His eyes darkened, and he moved to block, but for some reason, his arms felt powerless. He was a beat too slow. The seemingly unremarkable palm strike broke through his guard and struck him squarely in the center of the chest!

"Puh!"

Wei Zhen was sent flying backward off the platform, spraying a mouthful of blood toward the heavens. The men from the Escort Agency cried out in alarm, scrambling to catch him, only to find he was already severely injured and unconscious.

Peng Jie stood steadily on the stage. A glint flashed in his eyes as he looked down at the crowd below and chuckled.

"Next!"

The members of the Escort Agency exchanged grim glances.

However, they hadn’t yet realized something was wrong. Old Leader Chu Sheng flicked his robes and leaped onto the fighting stage.

Unlike Wei Zhen, Chu Sheng adopted a different strategy. He was extremely cautious, prioritizing a stable defense as he waited for an opening to attack.

But it wasn’t long—even less time than the previous match—before Chu Sheng was forced back to the edge of the stage, clearly unable to hold on.

With a loud THUD, Chu Sheng was knocked off the stage. His face was deathly pale, and after a few coughs, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He had suffered internal injuries from the sheer force of the repeated blows.

But he could still speak. His face was a mask of shock as he said in a hoarse voice:

"Peng Jie, have you already touched the verge of Qi and Blood Transformation?"

A glint appeared in Peng Jie’s eyes as he sneered.

"While your Escort Agency rests on its laurels, I have been making constant progress. If that old bastard Shen Longteng hadn’t pushed things too far... Hmph.

"Next! Is this all you’ve got? Who’s left? Zhao Xingyang! Lu Zhenyu! How about you two come at me together?

"It seems the so-called Longteng Escort Agency, even with all of you combined, isn’t a match for me alone!"

The expressions on the Escort Agency members turned foul. If their Chief Leader weren’t being held hostage, how could they possibly allow Peng Jie to be so brazen?

But they had never imagined that their two great Fourth Training leaders, Wei Zhen and Chu Sheng, would both be defeated by Peng Jie so effortlessly.

’Has his skill really reached such a level?’

Zhao Xingyang let out a defiant snort, raising an eyebrow.

"Then let me be the one to witness Sect Leader Peng’s brilliant techniques."

Forcibly breaking through to a higher level had damaged his foundation, and the injury required months, perhaps even half a year, of careful recuperation. Though he hadn’t fully recovered, he refused to let Peng Jie humiliate the Escort Agency.

’At worst, I’ll just have to erupt with power one more time.’

But just as he was about to step forward, his legs gave out, and his face changed dramatically.

’Even with my lingering injuries, it shouldn’t be this bad.’

"Damn it, we’ve been had!"

Zhao Xingyang gasped. The other members of the Escort Agency were startled, and then one by one, they all began to notice the same changes in their own bodies.

They quickly pulled out the all-purpose antidote pills they always carried, developed by the Escort Agency’s own Pharmacist and known for their effectiveness.

However, after they took the pills, a long moment passed with no effect. In fact, they felt even weaker than before!

The faces of the Escort Agency members were grim. Lu Zhenyu roared:

"Peng Jie, what did you do?!"

Peng Jie watched them coldly. Seeing that they had finally figured it out, but far too late, a triumphant smile spread across his face.

"Hehehe, what did I do? You bunch of fools. Did you really think your Pharmacist was the only one with any skill? As of today, the Longteng Escort Agency is finished!

"I have waited for this day for a long, long time!"

Shouting, the Vajra Sect disciples in the hall began to surround them. From his position on the stage, Peng Jie looked down, his face alight with pure excitement.

"Formation! Break the wall! Prepare to fight your way out!"

The Escort Agency members backed against a wall and formed a semicircle. Those on the outer edge of the formation struggled to stay alert and guard against the Vajra Sect disciples, while those inside used weapons, fists, and feet in a desperate attempt to smash through the wall.

But the walls of the Vajra Sect’s training hall had been built to withstand such battles and were incredibly solid. Worse, the poison had taken deep root in the Escort Agency’s members, leaving them powerless. Not only could they not break the wall, but the more they struggled, the weaker they grew. In an instant, several of them could no longer even stand, collapsing to the floor in a dizzy heap.

The hearts of the Escort Agency men grew heavy. They saw the Vajra Sect disciples merely surrounding them, not attacking, and realized the plan: to wait until the poison completely incapacitated them, winning without a fight. But even if they wanted to fight for their lives, it was futile. By now, even Zhao Xingyang and Lu Zhenyu had lost half of their strength. Faced with the tightly packed rings of Vajra Sect disciples, there was no way out.

Seeing they were trapped in a hopeless situation, Zhao Xingyang took a deep breath and suddenly smiled.

"Leader Lu, how many do you think we need to kill to make this worth it?"

"At least ten."

Lu Zhenyu replied, his expression wooden.

Zhao Xingyang shook his head and pointed at Peng Jie, standing tall on the platform.

"Just killing him is enough. That old turtle, hiding in the back even now. No guts at all. We have to take that old bastard down."

Peng Jie saw Zhao Xingyang raise a long spear, aiming it right at him. His eyes narrowed.

"You don’t know your own strength. Very well. All of you, stand aside. Today, I will personally send you on your way.

"From this day forward, the Longteng Escort Agency shall be no more."

"BOOM!"

Just as Peng Jie was about to leap from the platform, he froze, turning to look back in astonishment.

Several disciples guarding the entrance flew backward into the hall. The massive, tightly sealed doors were smashed open by the impact of their bodies, crashing to the floor with a tremendous noise.

A tall figure stood in the doorway, backlit by the rising sun, their form reduced to a mere silhouette.

The figure gave the enormous axe in his hand a flick, then planted it on the ground with a heavy THUD. His voice rang out, clear and strong:

"Peng Jie, who was that you said you were going to ’send on their way’?"