Chapter 170: The Duel with Zhang Meng

Although Ji Xiaorui’s fist did not make direct contact with Zhang Meng’s, the power behind Zhang’s punch was immense. As their internal energies clashed, a massive sphere of energy formed between them.

Then, with a muffled “boom,” Ji Xiaorui was violently slammed sideways by this tremendous force.

Fortunately, Ji Xiaorui reacted quickly enough to barely maintain her footing, though her entire arm throbbed painfully from the energy shockwave.

Inwardly, Ji Xiaorui was astonished. Zhang Meng had appeared to be a simpleton before, yet now he unleashed such overwhelming power. Had she seriously misjudged him?

But there was no time for further reflection.

After missing with that punch, Zhang Meng wasted no time—like a ferocious tiger pouncing on prey, he lunged at Ji Xiaorui again.

Drawing his arm back like a bent bow, his entire form seemed to pull and twist the very air around him, his fist surrounded by turbulent energy stirred by his formidable internal qi.

“Die!” Zhang Meng’s face hardened, and with a sharp motion, he retracted his arm and unleashed a devastating punch toward Ji Xiaorui.

At that moment, Ji Xiaorui truly witnessed Zhang Meng’s real strength and dared not show any trace of contempt. She quickly crouched down, narrowly dodging his blow.

With a thunderous crash, Zhang’s fully charged punch smashed into the side of a nearby Humvee. The vehicle’s side was dented inward, forming a shallow crater nearly a hundred meters wide, and the Humvee was hurled more than a meter away.

“Wow!” The onlookers gasped in shock. As ordinary people, none had ever witnessed such formidable punching power. Today, their eyes were truly opened.

Especially the foreign guests, who had come to China with admiration for Chinese martial arts. Regardless of who was right or wrong in this conflict, they could only acknowledge that authentic Chinese kung fu was genuinely awe-inspiring.

Dodging Zhang Meng’s punch, Ji Xiaorui cursed silently. Damn it, does he really think I’m easy to bully? It’s time to teach him a lesson!

Seizing the moment of Zhang’s punch, Ji Xiaorui let out a fierce shout and launched a rising dragon punch from below, aiming directly for Zhang’s chin.

Since Ji Xiaorui was somewhat shorter than Zhang Meng, this upward strike was perfectly angled.

Her fist was enveloped in a formidable dragon-shaped aura, and she was confident that the force and angle of her punch would be enough to flip Zhang Meng over.

“Bang!” Her dragon-imbued punch struck Zhang’s chin heavily. Yet, to her surprise, Zhang’s head only jolted slightly; he did not topple as she had expected.

“What?!” Ji Xiaorui was stunned, hardly believing her eyes.

She hadn’t anticipated Zhang Meng’s resilience to be so extraordinary—far beyond her imagination.

It was clear she had underestimated him from the very start.

At that moment, Zhang Meng lowered his head to look at Ji Xiaorui with a smirk tinged with pride and mockery.

Suddenly, his expression hardened. He raised his hand and grabbed Ji Xiaorui by the neck. With a slight effort, the slender Ji Xiaorui was hoisted into the air.

Her face turned bright red as she struggled for breath, kicking wildly against Zhang Meng’s body. But Zhang’s toughness rendered her attacks mere tickles, completely ineffective.

A smug grin spread across Zhang Meng’s face as he snorted coldly. “So, now you understand the might of our Divine Elixir Sect!”

With that, Zhang Meng grimly prepared to slam Ji Xiaorui to the ground.

“Kick his funny bone!” Lin Le shouted urgently from the sidelines.

The funny bone, located just below the elbow where the ulnar nerve lies close to the surface, causes numbness and paralysis when struck.

Ji Xiaorui reacted instantly. As soon as Lin Le’s warning left his mouth, she responded without hesitation.

She kicked with all her might, striking the nerve just below Zhang Meng’s elbow.

“Ah!” Zhang Meng cried out as his arm nearly went numb in an instant, losing all strength.

Taking advantage of this opening, Ji Xiaorui swiftly employed a grappling technique. Grabbing Zhang Meng’s index and thumb fingers, she forcefully twisted outward. Zhang’s body was immediately restrained, and pain forced him to collapse onto his knees.

Seizing the moment, Ji Xiaorui locked her legs around his neck and squeezed tightly. Then, with a sudden surge of strength, she flipped Zhang Meng’s towering frame to the side.

“Thud!” Zhang Meng crashed heavily onto the ground.

Ji Xiaorui executed the entire sequence fluidly, like flowing water, eliciting applause and cheers from the surrounding crowd.

Yet, her heart still raced with lingering fear.

Zhang Meng’s strength was terrifyingly formidable. Had it not been for Master Lin Le’s timely advice, she might have been thrown down and unable to rise.

“Brat!” Zhang Meng, knocked down but undeterred, shook his head a few times and then rose again, glaring angrily at Ji Xiaorui.

Ji Xiaorui’s heart sank. Zhang Meng’s physical resilience was truly monstrous—after such a heavy fall, he still stood as if nothing had happened.

The onlookers were equally amazed, unable to believe their eyes.

“Could his strength possibly even surpass Guo Zhao?” Liang Qiuyang, watching nearby, exclaimed in astonishment.

Lin Le said nothing, merely furrowing his brows deeply, appearing thoughtful.

At that moment, Zhang Meng’s massive figure loomed over Ji Xiaorui like a mountain, advancing steadily.

“You little brat, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!”

With a roar, Zhang Meng struck like a fierce tiger. His fist smashed toward Ji Xiaorui’s face with terrifying force.

The power behind this punch was truly astonishing; Ji Xiaorui felt the very air around her tremble with the blow’s impact.

The strike came so swiftly that even Ji Xiaorui’s agile reflexes failed to evade it.

As Zhang Meng’s fist neared her, the crowd held their breath. The foreign guests dropped their cameras in shock, exclaiming “Oh my God!”

Everyone felt the devastating power behind Zhang’s punch, convinced that if it landed on Ji Xiaorui, she would either die or be grievously injured.

They braced themselves to witness her being sent flying.

Then, with a thunderous crash, Zhang Meng’s powerful punch was stopped dead by a single palm.

It was Lin Le who finally intervened.

Standing beside Ji Xiaorui, Lin Le raised his arm horizontally, his palm casually blocking the punch. At a glance, it seemed as if he were gently touching Ji Xiaorui’s forehead.

Who would have thought that this seemingly effortless gesture could halt Zhang Meng’s tremendous blow?

Even more astonishing, moments ago Lin Le had been standing several meters away, watching with the crowd. No one noticed when he had moved beside Ji Xiaorui.

Not even the Divine Elixir Sect members fully grasped what had just transpired.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Lin Le in disbelief. The previously chaotic scene fell completely silent.

“Ho... how is this possible...” Zhang Meng’s eyes widened, his mouth twitching as he stammered.

The impossible had happened.