Chapter Fifty-Seven: Battle with the Great White Shark

"Master, I think I've gotten a little too strong," Liu Tian said with a smile, gazing at Tiandao, who now seemed to have fully regained the demeanor of a great white shark. When he opened his mouth, forty razor-sharp teeth gleamed coldly, reflecting the sunlight in an ominous shimmer.

Clearly, Liu Tian was provoking on purpose. If he wanted to test his newfound strength, he needed an opponent. And who better than Tiandao, whose murderous intent and domineering will could no longer be contained? He was the perfect touchstone.

Moreover, having reached the threshold of comprehending the Heavenly Way, Liu Tian sensed that Tiandao, too, needed an adversary to unleash his suddenly awakened bloodlust.

"Ahahaha! My precious disciple, are you challenging your master?" Tiandao's expression twisted with a savage grin, baring his fangs. With his martial acumen, he naturally understood Liu Tian's intent.

If it were the old Tiandao, perhaps he would have been delighted. But now fury burned in him—a deep, violent anger. It was the wrath of a deep-sea sovereign, provoked by a challenger in a bid to usurp his throne.

With that wrath, the body Tiandao had kept restrained within human limits now unfurled. He grew half again as tall, towering over two meters. Beneath the sunlight, muscles rippled as though alive.

The monarch of the deep, the ferocious great white shark, was enraged!

"That's right!" Liu Tian replied, not retreating a step. He didn't mimic his master's shark-patterned battle marks; instead, black markings like unfurled wings appeared across his forehead. "Master, let me see what you're made of!"

A roar seemed to echo in Liu Tian's mind—one so thunderous it would shatter the ocean's calm and proclaim dominion over the seas.

Tiandao stepped forward, the earth beneath him tearing like fragile paper as cracks radiated outward. Grass and dirt scattered in the wake of his murderous, unstoppable will.

The great white shark strikes!

In a single instant, he closed the dozen meters between them. The air before his iron fist compressed into a thin, trembling barrier, then exploded in a shockwave that encircled his savage fist, as if cheering him on.

The sound barrier, unattainable to ordinary men, was torn apart with ease.

Excellent!

Having just broken through and doubled his strength, Liu Tian needed no warm-up. He, too, stepped forward. The ground collapsed in a circle around his feet before he launched his own punch. Shockwaves burst forth, splitting into two streams like parted waters.

Facing the great white shark’s onslaught, Liu Tian chose to meet it head-on!

Heavenly Martial Killing Path: Heart-Severing Fist versus Heavenly Martial Killing Path: Heart-Severing Fist!

This was the fastest, most devastating punch Liu Tian and Tiandao had mastered.

In every past exchange, even when Liu Tian matched Tiandao in power, he had never once prevailed—not even managed a draw. He had always been effortlessly defeated.

But now, things had changed.

Two fists—one black, one white, equal in size—collided.

A thunderous crash erupted as a terrifying shockwave spread outward.

The ground beneath their feet shattered in an instant, dissolving into a cloud of dust that obscured the world.

Within the swirling haze, both Liu Tian and Tiandao staggered back more than ten meters before regaining their footing.

Again!

Neither had any intention of retreating. They clashed anew, this time with even greater ferocity—surpassing the limits of any normal understanding of secret martial arts.

If ordinary martial artists were like cold weapons, then these two were goddamn machine guns!

With his transformation, Liu Tian’s strength had reached a new plateau, but Tiandao had attained this realm a full decade earlier.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each time their blows met, the ground tore and churned as if shelled by artillery. Even holding back, the battle between Liu Tian and the great white shark carved their legacy deep into the land.

"Ha! Splendid! Master, you’re amazing!" Liu Tian shouted in exhilaration, landing a fierce punch to the shark’s cheek, twisting Tiandao’s face with the impact.

But Tiandao, his murderous intent and dominance fully unleashed, was hardly so easy to deal with. He caught Liu Tian’s arm and hurled him to the ground, leaving a deep crater where he landed.

"Hahaha!" Tiandao laughed madly, his eyes bloodshot, ignoring the tremors in his own arm.

Since Tiandao abandoned his ambition and dominance, becoming a mere goldfish, he hadn’t fought so freely in years.

Now, thanks to his own foolishness—splitting his consciousness and failing to reign himself in—he could once again savor combat with a worthy foe!

Yes, a clash to the death!

Even if his opponent was his own disciple—even if it was the martial heir he cherished as a son!

On the path of the strong, there can be no obstacles!

Anyone who dares stand in his way will be utterly annihilated!

He would do as he pleased—rule the world!

Once Liu Tian was dead, next would be that bastard Baicinan!

"Magnificent!"

Yet Liu Tian stood up again, the great white shark’s heavy blow seeming to have no effect.

Through this exchange, Liu Tian finally understood the true value of the hardened body technique.

In every previous bout, Tiandao’s blows had their damage reduced by nearly ten percent upon striking Liu Tian, and nearly thirty percent would rebound onto Tiandao himself.

In other words, for every punch, Liu Tian only took sixty percent of the harm, while his opponent absorbed thirty percent. When Liu Tian struck, Tiandao had to take the full force of the blow.

If he hit a weak point, he could even trigger something like a critical hit.

Though his strength still couldn’t match Tiandao’s years of martial cultivation, in such a trade-off, as long as Liu Tian was ruthless enough, he could exchange wounds for life—and kill Tiandao outright.

A gust of wind struck just as Liu Tian failed to react—Tiandao’s fist smashed brutally into his chest.

Blood spurted from his lips, but Liu Tian didn’t hesitate; his own punch landed squarely in Tiandao’s abdomen. Though his power was slightly less, it was not by much.

The agony twisted his features, but Tiandao’s assault did not stop.

Once the great white shark entered a true battle state, his mind knew no pause. Fight, fight madly—kill or be killed. That was his only thought!

They moved at such impossible speed they seemed like two blurs trading blows.

As the battle wore on and their duel raged, countless small wounds appeared on both.

Liu Tian’s fist smashed into Tiandao’s shoulder; Tiandao’s elbow crashed into Liu Tian’s chest.

A punch to Liu Tian’s head was answered by a knee to Tiandao’s gut.

For the first time, Liu Tian reveled in the benefits of a high defense and a long lifebar.

Though he was struck more often, it was Tiandao who began to show signs of faltering first.

The two fought with wild abandon, colliding again and again. Each punch contained terrifying power—just the aftershocks would have instantly slain an ordinary fighter.

Even when their realms were essentially the same, the gap between martial artists could be as vast as that between man and dog.

"Ha!" Liu Tian roared, sweeping a leg like lightning.

Bang!

The impact shattered the ground beneath them. Using the momentum, Liu Tian leapt upward, chopping down with his leg. Tiandao raised his left arm to block, right fist poised to deliver a savage counter.

This was the surprise he’d reserved for Liu Tian—a technique only cultivatable beyond the realm of martial artists, the third path of the Heavenly Martial Killing Way: Life-Severing Fist.

But a sudden thought stopped him.

Enough!

His own voice echoed from deep within—the aloof consciousness that had merely watched until now suddenly fought for control of his body. His repressed injuries flared, his strength waned by thirty percent, and the great white shark—who could have blocked the blow—was instead sent flying more than three meters, crashing into the ground.

“…Phew!” Liu Tian did not press the attack. He stood where he was, panting, regaining his stamina, and laughed. "Ha, I’m satisfied!"

Seconds ticked by; the earth trembled as if something battled beneath it.

At last, Tiandao leapt from the depths, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Though grievously wounded, he seemed even stronger than before their duel.

"Tian, well done. I’ve finally touched the next realm," Tiandao said, tilting his head as a life-like image of a great white shark bellowed skyward, its tailfin swaying, ripples blurring the line between illusion and reality.

"Master, you’re finally back. Congratulations on your breakthrough!" Liu Tian called, smiling. "But—Master, this martial art of yours is truly sinister. Are you sure it’s safe?"