Chapter 455: Underestimated
Li Xi crossed his hands to shield his throat, taking the punch head-on.
"BAM!"
The formidable power of the exchange sent them both flying back. Lin Feng and Li Xi each stumbled three or four meters before managing to regain their footing.
"Haha, kid, your strength is pretty decent. It seems I underestimated you. To think you can still withstand my techniques."
Li Xi's eyes narrowed as he watched Lin Feng. The recent exchange had left him inwardly stunned; this young man named Lin Feng was incredibly strong.
But what shocked Li Xi most was Lin Feng's sheer physical toughness. He hadn't lost any ground under the barrage of fierce attacks. In fact, his stamina seemed even greater than Li Xi's own.
The corner of his mouth curled into a smirk. He rolled his slightly numb shoulder, his frame seemed to grow a few inches taller, and then he threw a vicious punch.
"BAM!"
Lin Feng dodged to the side, but it was as if Li Xi had predicted his move. Li Xi shifted slightly to the right, balled his left hand into a fist, and slammed it toward Lin Feng's waist.
Lin Feng stomped, launching himself into the air to evade the strike. But the moment he was clear of the attack's range, Li Xi struck again.
His left arm snaked out and instantly clamped down on Lin Feng's ankle.
'This is bad,' Lin Feng thought. He struggled frantically, but Li Xi's arm was like an iron band. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.
With no other option, he threw a whip kick at Li Xi. His speed was incredible; in a flash, his foot connected with Li Xi's chest.
But the kick had minimal effect. Bolstered by his formidable Inner Strength, Li Xi only sustained a minor injury.
Refusing to give up, he kicked out at Li Xi again and again, but his attacks remained ineffective.
Li Xi sneered. He raised his right fist and threw a heavy punch, intercepting Lin Feng's kick. The immense force sent Lin Feng flying.
Lin Feng flipped in mid-air, dissipating most of the impact, but a considerable amount of force still slammed into him.
Lin Feng spat, expelling the stifling pressure in his chest. He knew he was at a disadvantage now; after all, he was fighting a Grandmaster Realm Ancient Martial Artist.
"Little guy, I'll just play with you for now. We can have a proper spar another day!"
With a cold shout, Li Xi's figure blurred and vanished. He reappeared ghost-like before Lin Feng, driving a vicious elbow strike toward his chest.
"SWOOSH!"
Lin Feng scrambled into a roll, narrowly dodging the blow, but Li Xi's next attack was already on its way.
"BANG!"
His first strike having missed, Li Xi didn't let up. He immediately followed with a vicious straight punch aimed at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng gritted his teeth and took the brutal punch head-on. His face instantly flushed, and a wave of nausea rose from the tightness in his chest.
But Lin Feng forced himself to stay upright, using the momentum of the blow to retreat and create some distance between them.
Li Xi didn't let down his guard. He knew he had to press his advantage. Otherwise, the kid would recover quickly, and winning wouldn't be so easy.
At that thought, he launched another fierce assault on Lin Feng, unleashing a torrent of vicious punches that seemed to blot out the sky.
Li Xi's attacks grew more cunning and unpredictable. As a professional assassin, he had a unique understanding of the human body's most vulnerable points.
"WHOOSH!"
Sensing the danger, Lin Feng twisted his body to evade the strike. Following the motion, he swung his elbow toward Li Xi's chest.
A sharp glint flashed in Li Xi's eyes as he snapped his right fist back to block his chest.
"BAM!"
With a muffled thud, Li Xi's right arm trembled, and he stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance.
'Hm? Impressive!'
Li Xi's eyes filled with horror. He hadn't expected Lin Feng's physical strength to be so immense. It was utterly shocking.
Even though that had just been a tentative probe, his opponent's strength was in no way inferior to his own.
Li Xi's expression was grim and unsettled. His mind raced as he considered his strategy, searching for a way to eliminate Lin Feng.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Lin Feng's strength and skill were formidable, but his cultivation realm was his glaring weakness.
'If that's the case, I can just overpower him,' he thought. 'A war of attrition. Lin Feng's stamina has to run out eventually, right?'
At this thought, he grinned, baring his teeth in a savage smile.
"Kid, you're good. You should be proud for forcing my hand like this. But it's time to accept your fate. I'm going to tear you to shreds with my bare hands!"
With a roar, he charged at Lin Feng.
His muscles bulged, his body teeming with explosive power. If this blow were to land on an ordinary person, it would instantly shatter them!
Seeing how ferocious Li Xi's attack was, Lin Feng's eyebrow twitched. A powerful fighting spirit surged within him. Instead of retreating from Li Xi's frenzied assault, he advanced to meet it head-on.
The two meteor-like afterimages slammed into each other with the deafening clang of metal. Both were sent flying backward.
Li Xi stumbled back a full seven or eight steps before catching his balance, while Lin Feng was forced to a knee. Yet, his expression remained impassive, his eyes filled with scorn.
"Heh heh, kid, you're still too green."
Seeing Lin Feng on one knee, Li Xi let out a savage laugh, his face a mask of derision.
Lin Feng glanced up at him, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He knew there was a huge disparity in their power.
'If I keep fighting him head-on,' Lin Feng calculated, 'even if I don't make a single mistake, I'll completely exhaust my Inner Strength and stamina in five minutes, tops.'
With that in mind, Lin Feng didn't hesitate. He pulled a Healing Elixir from his clothes and swallowed it.
"Heh, kid, I'm surprised you have something so rare on you."
"But what good will that do? It's just a waste."
"You'd be better off just accepting your death and avoiding any unnecessary pain."
Li Xi scoffed when he saw Lin Feng take out the elixir. A sacred healing item like that wasn't something you saw every day; they were incredibly precious, even in the Ancient Martial Realm.
He never imagined Lin Feng would be carrying such a treasure. That being the case, he was now even more determined to kill him.
It wasn't just that Lin Feng might have more rare items like a Healing Elixir. The very fact that he could produce one so casually suggested that his background was anything but simple.
If the kid managed to escape, their next encounter would be far more difficult. After all, this boy was no pushover.