Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

He thought Chen Zhan would use the roaming footwork of Baguazhang to dodge the punch. The conventional way of fighting in Baguazhang is to move around and fight, not to confront head-on, but to win by using body techniques to dodge and weave through the opponent's attacks and find openings to counterattack.

That's how Cheng Tinghua fought him: circling around him, using the flexibility and variety of his palm techniques to wear down the straight-line attacks of his Bengquan (a type of fist), and only striking at close range when he found an opportunity.

Chen Zhan didn't beat around the bush.

He stepped forward, his right palm flipped out from his waist, and thrust forward with the base of his palm to meet Guo Yunshen's powerful punch.

The "palm strike" in Baguazhang.

The heel of the palm meets the fist, a head-on collision.

"Bang—!"

The sound of the collision was extremely muffled, not like a fist and palm striking each other, but like two anvils hitting each other, making my eardrums ache.

Guo Yunshen slid back half a step, his feet hissing as they scraped against the blue bricks.

Chen Zhan also took a half step back.

A draw.

But Guo Yunshen's face showed no frustration at not being able to gain an advantage. Instead, his eyes were wide open, his mouth was slightly agape, and he looked incredulous.

Baguazhang, directly withstood his half-step Bengquan.

It's not that we can't catch it, it's that no one has ever done it before.

Baguazhang emphasizes using softness to overcome hardness and skill to break through force. Who would use Baguazhang to clash head-on with Bengquan? It's like trying to use a needle to strike a hammer; no matter how sharp the needle is, it shouldn't be used that way.

But the force of Chen Zhan's palm strike was anything but gentle.
Powerful, condensed, short, and explosive, the force explodes the instant the palm heel touches the fist, like a gunpowder barrel after the fuse has burned out, exploding with a loud bang.

The words "shock and shock" popped into Guo Yunshen's mind.

Surprise, suddenness, unexpectedness.

The springiness and elasticity of the palm strike, which explodes from the base of the palm and then quickly retracts without dissipating or overflowing, is like a fully drawn bowstring that bounces out and back, with no energy wasted.

Shaking, a vibrational force, reaching the extremities, bursting forth at the moment of impact.

Guo Yunshen could feel the opponent's palm strike carrying a high-frequency vibration. This vibration traveled along the fist to his arm, all the way to his shoulder, and even made his teeth ache.

"Explosion" refers to a sudden burst of power, where all the force is concentrated and explodes at the point of contact, leaving no room for retreat.

This is the highest level of Baguazhang's power generation technique, and it is also the most difficult to master. Guo Yunshen and Cheng Tinghua have been sparring for so many years, and Cheng Tinghua can only fully demonstrate the "shocking and explosive" power in certain specific moves.

Chen Zhan used the force of those four words to block the Half-Step Crushing Fist, and he successfully blocked it.

"happy!"

Guo Yunshen shouted loudly, took another half step, and unleashed another powerful punch.

This punch was faster and more powerful than the first one, with 20% more force, accompanied by a whistling wind.

Chen Zhan stepped forward and struck again with his right palm. With a muffled "thud," both men took half a step back.

The third punch.

The fourth punch.

The fifth punch.

Guo Yunshen's half-step Bengquan (a type of fist strike) was delivered in a rapid-fire rhythm. With the front foot stepping and the back foot pushing off, he delivered a punch with each half-step, each punch striking straight out, with the force layering up, becoming heavier and faster with each strike.

Chen Zhan took all the blows head-on, alternating between the Baguazhang techniques of striking, pushing, pressing, and chopping palms, each palm infused with explosive power, colliding head-on with the Bengquan (a type of fist).

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!"

Five consecutive heavy blows, with increasingly shorter intervals, eventually almost stuck together, turning into a dense, drum-like roar.

With each collision, the aftershocks of the force spread outwards, forcing the disciples closest to the sidelines to retreat repeatedly. Some covered their ears and grimaced, their eardrums throbbing with pain.

The knives and spears on the weapons rack rattled and clattered as they vibrated, and several short knives slipped off the rack and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Zhang Dianhua sat on a grand chair by the side of the field, his hands gripping the armrests, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. His eyes were fixed on the movements of the two people in the field, and his lips were tightly pursed.

Song Caichen stood behind him, his face turning pale and then red. As a master of internal energy, he knew better than most people present just how terrifying the two people in the arena were.

The aftershocks of each collision were more powerful than his full-force punch.

The two exchanged more than thirty punches, all head-on collisions, without dodging, maneuvering, or using any clever techniques. Fists met palms, palms moved and fists chased, fierce against fierce, explosive against explosive.

This fighting style seemed utterly incomprehensible to outsiders. Instead of comparing techniques, movements, and variations, these two masters of the Dan realm chose the most foolish and brute force of head-on collision, like a street brawl.

But the two players were fighting fiercely, their eyes burning with passion.

Guo Yunshen is a martial arts fanatic. His Half-Step Bengquan is the most powerful punch in the world. His lifelong pursuit is to be "more powerful, fiercer, and harder." He would be eager for anyone to challenge him in the same way.

Chen Zhan hadn't had such a satisfying fight in a long time. None of the people he killed in Tianjin were worthy of such a free-for-all. They either crushed him or chased him down. There was never a chance for a punch-to-punch, palm-to-palm, or a thirty-move head-on clash.

After exchanging over thirty punches, the two men simultaneously took two steps back, creating distance between them.

Guo Yunshen's forehead was covered in sweat, which trickled down his cheeks. His chest heaved violently, but his mouth was wide open in a bright smile.

Chen Zhan was also panting, his palms were slightly red and hot, and the skin on his palms was swollen from the more than thirty collisions, but he still had a smile on his face.

A few scattered cheers rose from the crowd, then quickly subsided.

Everyone could see that the two of them weren't finished fighting yet.

Chen Zhan cracked his wrists twice, then said, "Uncle-Master Guo, I have another, most powerful move in Bagua Palm. I wonder if I should use it?"

Guo Yunshen wiped the sweat from his face and laughed heartily, "Go ahead and use it! If you really kill me, I'll thank you in the afterlife. To kill me with one punch, I'll die a worthy death!"

These words caused the expressions of those around them to change.

Zhang Dianhua suddenly stood up from the armchair, opened his mouth as if to call out to Guo Yunshen, but swallowed the words back.

He knew his old friend well; once he got into a tantrum, no one could sway him.

Cheng Shaojiu's heart leaped into his throat, and he involuntarily took a step forward, only to be pulled back by the fourth brother behind him.

Lu Jun and Qin Ming exchanged a glance, and both saw tension in each other's eyes.

Chen Zhan looked into Guo Yunshen's eyes.

The old man's gaze at that moment was as pure as a child's, devoid of calculation or apprehension, filled only with a yearning for the ultimate martial arts. He wanted to see if there was anything in the world more powerful than his Bengquan (Crushing Fist), even if it meant sacrificing his life.

A true martial arts fanatic.

Chen Zhan nodded, no longer hiding his abilities.

The footwork is based on the fundamental footwork of Baguazhang. The feet slide along the ground, with the soles of the feet never leaving the ground. Walking is like wading through mud and water. Every step is heavy, slow and solid.

His mud-walking steps are different from ordinary Baguazhang. Instead of walking in circles and turning his palms, he stomps in place, grinding with his left foot and right foot, making a dull friction sound on the blue brick ground.

"Snap—Snap—Snap—"

One stroke at a time, at an extremely slow pace.

With each step, the ground sank slightly, and the surface of the blue bricks was pressed with shallow marks by the force of the foot.

This is the lower body accumulating power.

He had honed the power of his stomping steps to an extreme level; with each step, he absorbed the earth's reaction force into his body, accumulating it step by step, layer upon layer. Guo Yun Shen watched his footsteps, his smile gradually fading.

His intuition told him that this next move was on a completely different level from the previous thirty-odd punches.

Chen Zhan's waist and hips began to rotate.

The waist is like a millstone, rotating horizontally, driving the entire midsection. The fascia of the lower back is stretched to its limit during the rotation, and the spine, from the coccyx to the cervical vertebrae, is twisted and tightened segment by segment, like a great dragon about to awaken, churning and surging under the skin and flesh.

The force accumulated in the lower body is further compressed and accelerated through the rotation of the waist and hips.

The power of the wrapping and explosive force in the middle section is full, and it is transmitted from the waist and spine to the shoulders and back. The shoulders relax and the elbows sink, the shoulder blades expand to the sides, and the power of the spine is transmitted to the forearms.

Three plates combined into one.

The downward force of his lower body, the wrapping and explosive force of his middle body, and the spiraling whip force of his upper body—three forces converged on his right palm at the same moment.

Chen Zhan raised his right arm, his forearm swung out like a steel whip, his wrist twisted down sharply, and his palm faced forward.

The Great Monument Smashing Hand.

Back then, Dong Haichuan shattered a three-layered millstone with a single palm strike, earning him the title of "Great Millstone-Smashing Hand."

Chen Zhan had used it once before, but he wasn't very skilled at it and could only barely muster three-tenths of his strength.

Now, after years of cultivating inner strength, his inner power is extremely profound. With the power of the three plates gathered in one palm, he is quite confident.

The moment the palm strike was unleashed, the air in the arena was suddenly torn apart.

It wasn't the "whooshing" sound of a palm pushing through the air, but a sharp, piercing hiss as the air itself was torn apart by force, so ear-piercing it made one's scalp tingle.

Within a three-foot radius in front of Chen Zhan, all the dust, gravel, and fallen leaves on the ground were swept forward by the force of his palm, rolling along the ground and rushing towards Guo Yunshen.

The disciples on the sidelines were swept away by the aftershocks of this shockwave. Those who were close by were blown back several steps. Some had their hats blown off, and some had their clothes lifted up and covered their faces.

Zhang Dianhua's armchair slid half a foot off the ground, its legs scraping against the blue bricks with a screeching sound. He gripped the armrests tightly with both hands, his body tense, just to avoid being pushed off the chair along with him.

Guo Yunshen stood directly in front of this palm strike.

His eyes widened to their limit, his pupils reflecting the outstretched hand. The palm thrust forward, the forearm spiraled, and the wrist slashed downward, the power of the three plates concentrating on an area the size of a palm, slapping towards him head-on.

Twenty years ago, he fought Dong Haichuan in Xiling for three days and three nights. Dong Haichuan also used the Great Stele-Smashing Hand technique.

He remembered that palm strike for twenty years, remembering it clearly.

But this palm strike is even more powerful than the one Dong Haichuan delivered twenty years ago.

Dong Haichuan was already over seventy years old at the time, and his energy and blood could no longer maintain their peak. Although his Great Stele-Smashing Hand was exquisite, the strength of his technique was not comparable to that of his younger days.

Chen Zhan was in his prime, his internal energy at its peak. He unleashed the power of his three plates without reservation. The power of this palm strike was probably no more than that of Dong Haichuan at his peak.

Guo Yunshen refused to back down.

If you withdraw, it's pointless.

What did he pursue in his life? It was "the most powerful punch in the world".

There was someone even stronger than him. He didn't want to dodge; he wanted to face them head-on, to know just how strong his opponent was, and to know how much his own Beng Quan (a powerful punch) was lacking.

Even if he couldn't catch it, even if his bones were shattered and his internal organs were torn apart, he still wanted to feel the force on his fist, so that he could die knowing why.

The front foot touches the ground, and the back foot pushes off.

Half a step.

Guo Yunshen's entire skill lay in this half-step technique.

This time, he mobilized all his internal energy, pouring the essence locked in his dantian into this punch. From the Mingmen point to the waist and hips, from the waist and hips to the shoulders and back, from the shoulders and back to the fist, a single line ran through it without weakening or leaking.

Half-step Crushing Fist, going all out.

The fist rotated, and the spiral force twisted into a single point on the fist. All the force gathered at this point and rushed towards Chen Zhan's Great Slamming Hand.

The world's number one punch versus the world's number one palm strike.

The two met in the center of the field.

There was no sound at the moment of impact.

A moment of silence.

It was as if all the sounds of heaven and earth were being sucked in.

Then--

"boom----!"

The explosion spread outwards from the point where the two met, and cracks appeared on the blue bricks of the ground from the point of impact, spreading outwards like a spider web until they reached the edge of the field.

The blue bricks within a ten-foot radius beneath their feet shattered, and the shattered bricks and stone dust were thrown more than three feet high by the shockwave, filling the entire area.

The crowd scattered with a whoosh, and the people in the front row were pushed back by the blast wave. Some fell on their butts, and some bumped into their companions behind them. It was a chaotic mess.

This time, Zhang Dianhua's armchair couldn't hold up, and he slid back more than ten feet with the chair. He managed to catch himself by bracing himself on the ground, his face filled with shock.

Cheng Shaojiu's brothers all retreated to the base of the wall, their faces pale. The fourth brother was gripping the fifth brother's arm so tightly that he didn't even notice his fingers digging into his flesh.

Lu Jun shielded Qin Ming behind him, protecting his head with his left hand and supporting himself against the wall with his right. His face was covered in dust, but his eyes were wide open, staring intently at the dust-filled scene.

"hiss--"

The sound of air conditioning being drawn out all around was deafening.

The dust slowly dispersed.

The figures of the two people in the field gradually became clearer.

The two faced each other, but Chen Zhan took two steps back and Guo Yunshen took half a step back, making it seem as if Chen Zhan had lost.

Guo Yunshen's face turned bright red, the veins on his forehead bulged, his arms trembled slightly, and the broken bricks under his feet sank two inches.

Those were the marks left by his full-force stomping.

Chen Zhan's expression was also not relaxed. The force coming from the heel of his palm was thicker than he had expected. Guo Yunshen's half-step collapsing fist was powerful enough when it was unleashed at full strength.

But at the last moment, he secretly reduced his strength and took two steps back.

If he hadn't deflected that blow, and the palm had landed solidly, he might have won, but it would have been a Pyrrhic victory.

He didn't want to hurt this person.

Guo Yunshen deserves his utmost effort.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for a moment before simultaneously withdrawing their hands.

Guo Yunshen's arm was trembling violently when he lowered it. He put his hand behind his back, took a deep breath, and his breathing gradually calmed down.

Chen Zhan also withdrew his right palm, which was red and the skin at the base of his palm was swollen from the shock. He clenched his fist, and his fingers were slightly numb.

The two stared at each other for a few moments. (End of Chapter)