Chapter 037: Now It's My Turn to Strike

To be struck by fists imbued with formidable power is an agonizing ordeal; no one would stand still to be hit, let alone willingly offer themselves for a beating.

Yet Mu Tianhen was different. After being battered by Mu Tianfeng, who employed the martial techniques of the Celestial Pavilion, though the pain grew harsher and recovery more elusive, he did not attempt to dodge. On the contrary, he met the blows head-on, as though thrusting himself against Mu Tianfeng’s fists.

Many spectators believed Mu Tianhen had reached the brink of collapse, unable even to avoid the attacks. They thought the battle would soon be over. Mu Tianfeng shared this belief and thus increased both the speed and force of his assaults.

The fists whistled through the air, each strike so swift it was difficult to see, raining upon Mu Tianhen’s body without regard for where they landed. Every hit inflicted new wounds.

The dense, dull sounds of blows echoed ceaselessly, making hearts tremble with each impact. Mu Tianxue, in particular, was wracked with anguish, tears streaming from her eyes. She bit her lip so hard it bled, yet she did not notice, her gaze fixed upon her brother as he was forced back by blow after blow.

Were it not for Mu Tianxiang pulling her back with all her strength, Mu Tianxue would have already rushed forward to shield her brother from Mu Tianfeng’s fists.

No one knew that, at this very moment, Mu Tianhen’s heart was filled with exhilaration, for he realized he was not only improving his combat ability through this battle, but also gaining an unexpected reward.

That reward was the awakening of another cultivation path within him—he had become a body cultivator.

In this world, though all who set foot on the path of martial arts are collectively called martial cultivators, there exist many distinctions, forming different branches. Much like craftsmen who specialize as tailors, farmers, cooks, or embroiderers, martial cultivators are divided according to their chosen disciplines: sword cultivators, blade cultivators, spear cultivators, whip cultivators, hammer cultivators, body cultivators, and many others.

Some warriors even awaken special elemental abilities, becoming gifted with extraordinary powers.

Among all these branches, the most formidable and difficult to master are the body cultivators and sword cultivators.

Sword cultivators possess unparalleled offensive power and peerless agility; within the same rank, no other discipline can rival their attack. Body cultivators, on the other hand, possess extraordinary defense—needing no weapons or armor, their bodies are their strongest blades. Within their rank, their defense is unbreakable, even sword cultivators struggle to pierce it.

In other words, body cultivation is the most powerful branch, boasting maddening defense, often able to exhaust opponents in battle.

But the more extraordinary the path, the harder it is to cultivate. Without exceptional talent and an outstanding bloodline, it is nearly impossible to become either a sword cultivator or a body cultivator.

Previously, Mu Tianhen had inherited the legacy of the Azure Lotus Emperor, acquiring the Azure Lotus Sword Technique, thus becoming a sword cultivator and embarking on a path of unrivaled offense.

But his gain was not limited to the sword technique; upon his rebirth, he received a transformation of his bloodline, becoming an innate sacred body, possessing the potential to cultivate any path.

Until now, Mu Tianhen had never considered becoming a body cultivator and had not discovered the vast potential within himself. Now, this fierce battle with Mu Tianfeng had awakened his latent abilities, opening the gate to body cultivation.

In this moment, Mu Tianhen was filled with excitement and newfound confidence for the future. If he advanced evenly on both paths, he could become a cultivator of both sword and body. Thus, when attacking, his offense would be unrivaled; when defending, he would be as unyielding as a fortress.

Though his body cultivation had only just begun, Mu Tianhen could already sense its immense power.

According to the realm divisions, Mu Tianhen’s body cultivation was now at the sixth level of the Burning Blood Realm, one major step and seven minor levels behind his sword cultivation—a gap not to be underestimated.

Yet even so, he felt a peculiar strength coursing through his body, filling him with energy and making him fearless in the face of his opponent’s attacks.

Nevertheless, compared to Mu Tianfeng, who had reached the sixth level of the Sky-Peering Mirror, he was still too weak.

Each punch struck his vitals, causing his organs to shift and crack, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His expression was contorted with pain, sweat pouring from his forehead, leaving him in a wretched state.

Despite this, Mu Tianhen persisted in standing within the arena, staggering but never falling, enduring with remarkable tenacity.

Mu Tianfeng watched, puzzled and bewildered. He was attacking with full force, landing every blow, yet Mu Tianhen refused to collapse. Was his willpower truly so strong?

His confusion grew alongside his anxiety. After all, with such relentless attacks, his pulse energy was rapidly depleting. If he could not bring Mu Tianhen down soon, in the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he himself would fall.

With this realization, Mu Tianfeng’s expression darkened, murderous intent rising. He shouted, “Useless! Let’s see how many more punches you can take. Lie down!”

No sooner had his words fallen, Mu Tianfeng charged again, fists brimming with killing intent.

As before, Mu Tianhen did not dodge, but instead advanced, meeting Mu Tianfeng’s fists with his own body.

Again, the sound of blows rained down, incredible to behold.

Mu Tianhen retreated step by step, yet remained standing, refusing to fall.

Seeing this, Mu Tianxue’s anguish reached the point where she could barely breathe, her tears streaming uncontrollably. She wished that all the blows causing her brother to cough blood would instead land upon her own body.

Even the other spectators felt waves of pain. These were real, flesh-shaking strikes—how could they not hurt? Was Mu Tianhen made of iron? Why did he still stand?

In the entire arena, only Xiaobai saw things differently.

Not only was it unconcerned, it was exhilarated. Xiaobai could clearly sense its master’s tremendous transformation, and was certain that soon, the moment of counterattack would arrive.

On the battlefield, the two still circled one another, occasionally exchanging punches, with no end in sight. This made Mu Tianfeng even more anxious, even beginning to panic.

He too sensed Mu Tianhen’s change—the growing strength in combat, the faint threat blossoming in his heart.

If things continued this way, Mu Tianhen would not fall before Mu Tianfeng exhausted himself.

Mu Tianfeng could not allow this to happen, so his attacks grew even more frenzied, abandoning technique for wild strikes, caring only that they landed.

Yet as time passed, Mu Tianfeng increasingly felt Mu Tianhen’s power, the threat intensifying to a fever pitch.

“Impossible! How can this be? He’s clearly a useless weakling, not as strong as I am—how could he make me feel this sense of danger? It must be an illusion!”

So thinking, Mu Tianfeng resorted to an incomplete fist technique, gathering the last of his pulse energy for his strongest assault against Mu Tianhen.

Mu Tianhen had believed the battle was about to end, preparing to counterattack. After all, Mu Tianfeng had already reached his limit, and further attacks would do nothing more for Mu Tianhen’s improvement; it was time to finish it.

But unexpectedly, Mu Tianfeng unleashed a final, desperate move.

“In that case... let me push it further!”

With this thought, Mu Tianhen faced his opponent head-on, using Mu Tianfeng’s attacks to raise his body cultivation level.

After another interval, Mu Tianfeng borrowed the force of Mu Tianhen’s counterpunch to leap three yards away, standing with confusion clouding his eyes.

He, too, was now drenched in sweat, panting heavily, clearly exhausted.

But Mu Tianfeng’s pause did not mean Mu Tianhen would stop.

“Is that all?”

Mu Tianhen wiped the blood from his lips, his icy gaze fixed upon Mu Tianfeng. His voice, cold as winter, carried to every ear:

“Now, it’s my turn to throw a punch.”

With those words, Mu Tianhen stepped forward, each stride bringing an inexplicable pressure to Mu Tianfeng, forcing him to retreat instinctively.

Once again, heartfelt thanks to all those who have supported with rewards: Yi Mo, Baobao, Mianyi, Pingzi, Blade God, Wuxin, Little Carrot, Chiku, Xi Feng, Nine Provinces, and many others; thanks to Daomeng, Fangze, Xiaobao, and others for their recommendation votes; and thanks to every reader who has come. I will strive to craft every scene well, living up to your support, encouragement, and expectations. My deepest gratitude!