Chapter 0242: The Furious Dragon Claw

Chapter 0242: The Furious Dragon Claw

The moment Gao Hu raised the massive axe to strike Qin Yun, the referee hurriedly intervened.

However, Qin Yun was faster. His powerful Heavenly Lion arm, already crackling with Purple Gold electrical threads, transformed into a terrifying lion claw.

This was the Heavenly Lion Claw Strike!

As soon as Qin Yun's Heavenly Lion Claw Strike appeared, he immediately executed the Six Forms of Wind Slash. Suddenly, countless terrifying lion claw shadows flashed out, crazily enveloping Gao Hu.

With a series of swift strikes, Gao Hu, who held the massive axe high, was hit by the Six Forms of Wind Slash from the Heavenly Lion Claw Strike, sending a spray of blood into the air. Even the massive axe was reduced to numerous fragments.

Following that, Qin Yun threw out an angry punch. His fist burst with blinding light, unleashing an extremely hot flame that slammed into the pile of fragments on the ground!

Boom!

The arena trembled violently. The entire dueling arena shook from that punch, and the dull thunderous sound reverberated throughout the Star Profound Martial Academy!

The old referee arrived, but Gao Hu had been reduced to ashes, along with the fragments of the massive axe, all obliterated by Qin Yun's Flame Fist.

The old referee was stunned on the arena!

He was at the ninth level of the Martial Body stage and excelled in all aspects, but even at his fastest speed, he couldn't stop Qin Yun. Moreover, he felt the terrifying power of Qin Yun up close!

Qin Yun, with a calm expression, said lightly, "He suddenly used a weapon, breaking the rules, putting my life in danger, so I had to quickly eliminate him!"

Everyone had seen what kind of person Gao Hu was. He had been spewing vulgar insults, cursing the opponent's family, and his moves were all low-grade tricks. Frustrated by his inability to defeat Qin Yun and facing a fierce counterattack, Gao Hu, in his anger, resorted to using a weapon against him. This was only to be expected.

What no one realized was that Qin Yun had planted the axe in Gao Hu's hand.

At that moment, Gao Hu was still semi-conscious from Qin Yun's Jushensha attack, and Qin Yun used his mental energy to manipulate Gao Hu's movements, making him grip the massive axe and swing it at him!

Because of the Purple Gold Flame, no one could see what was happening inside. All the spectators saw was the Purple Gold Flame disappear, and then Gao Hu raising the massive axe to strike Qin Yun!

"I didn't break the rules, did I?" Qin Yun asked the old referee, frowning. "He violated the duel's rules first by using a weapon, so I shouldn't be punished for taking him down!"

Several elders rushed over and began discussing the situation urgently.

After a moment, the old referee shouted, "Gao Hu violated the rules by using a weapon during the duel. Qin Yun defended himself and launched a full-force counterattack. Due to the special circumstances, Qin Yun, as a student of the Star Profound Martial Academy, did not break any rules by incapacitating or killing his opponent in the dueling arena."

"Furthermore, Qin Yun wins this duel!"

The crowd was still in shock, and the scene of Qin Yun using the Heavenly Lion Claw Strike to take down Gao Hu kept replaying in their minds because it was just too terrifying.

Especially those who had mocked Qin Yun as a coward moments earlier were now trembling in fear, too afraid to even look at him.

Gao Hu, who had insulted Qin Yun's family, was now nothing but a pile of ashes, with even the last bit of his remains blown away...

The dueling arena would close for the day, but the final battle left a lasting impression on everyone present. On their way out, people couldn't stop talking about it.

Qin Yun returned to the Heavenly Prodigy Academy and waited at the door of the small riverside building for Lan Fengjin.

After a moment, he saw a tall blue figure in the distance. Lan Fengjin, dressed in a blue tight-fitting outfit, was walking quickly toward him.

"Two million Xuan points just like that, not bad!" Lan Fengjin said with a smile, then entered the small building, inviting Qin Yun to sit and rest.

After sitting down, Qin Yun drank the tea that Lan Fengjin had poured for him.

In a low voice, Lan Fengjin said, "At the end of the duel, it seemed a bit strange. Did you... influence his actions in any way?"

Qin Yun finished his tea and said with a smile, "Sister Lan, that axe was given to him by me!"

Lan Fengjin was startled upon hearing this, and after a moment of realization, she giggled and praised, "You’ve got some tricks up your sleeve!"

"I’ve got about three million Xuan points now. After challenging seven Intermediate Duelists, I can challenge Advanced Duelist Zhou Zhonghui. By then, this trick definitely won't work anymore! Zhou Zhonghui is from Blue Spirit Star Palace and is a genius who possesses formidable martial skills. He won’t be an easy opponent," Qin Yun said with a slightly serious expression.

Lan Fengjin nodded and said, "Indeed, Zhou Zhonghui’s strength is unfathomable. It is said that his Inner Element can almost transform into an Adamantine Inner Pearl! Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to utilize the Advanced martial skill, Art of Soul Severance, so proficiently!"

"Moreover, his mental energy is very strong! But he rarely uses mental energy in battle. There are rumors that he’s been hiding his mental energy prowess, intending to catch his opponents off guard."

Qin Yun took a deep breath, tightly gripped the teacup, and said softly, "If he uses mental energy, things could get complicated! I might be in real trouble by then."

"I have looked into the penalty rules of the arena. If you kill someone in a duel, you will be sentenced to fifty years, which is the highest punishment set by your Star Profound Martial Academy!"

Lan Fengjin said, "However, you can reduce the penalty with crystal coins. Ten million crystal coins can reduce the sentence by one year. To avoid serving the full sentence, you’ll need to pay five hundred million crystal coins! But even if you pay five hundred million, you’ll still have to serve a symbolic few months in prison!"

"Damn it!" Qin Yun cursed under his breath, "Taking down Zhou Zhonghui could cost me several hundred million crystal coins?"

Lan Fengjin sighed, "You don’t have to kill him. Just crippling him will suffice. As long as he’s alive, the maximum penalty you’ll face is twenty to thirty years of imprisonment, which would cost you only two to three hundred million."

"Sister Lan, what is Zhou Zhonghui’s Martial Soul?" Qin Yun asked.

"I’m not sure either. It’s said to be a Legendary Martial Soul!" Lan Fengjin thought for a moment and said, "The fact that it’s kept so secret likely means it’s a powerful Legendary Martial Soul."

Upon hearing about the Legendary Martial Soul, Qin Yun’s heart stirred. If he could defeat Zhou Zhonghui in the duel and extract the Legendary Martial Soul, it would be an enormous gain.

"What are your plans now?" Lan Fengjin asked.

"Sister Lan, how many crystal coins do you have left?" Qin Yun thought for a moment and decided to prepare in advance.

"I only have three hundred million left. If you intend to take down Zhou Zhonghui, I will lend you this money for now and help you raise another two hundred million!"

Lan Fengjin was never stingy with Qin Yun. Given that he was a young senior Runes Master who possessed various powerful high-grade runes, she knew the returns would far exceed a few hundred million crystal coins in the future.

Qin Yun scratched his head and said with a smile, "I’m really sorry to use up all your crystal coins again after borrowing three hundred million before!"

He was also secretly shocked that Lan Fengjin was so wealthy; she must be some sort of rich second-generation heiress!

"Since you call me Sister Lan, how could I not help you? Besides, Zhou Zhonghui knew that Huo Zhong, Mò Róng, and Ziye are my students, yet he still dealt such a heavy blow. This is a challenge to my authority. So, we must teach him a harsh lesson and make him understand the consequences of challenging me, Lan Fengjin." As Lan Fengjin spoke, her face turned angry.

She, Lan Fengjin, was a saintess in the Blue Spirit Star Palace, a young martial artist at the Martial Dao realm, and a senior Runes Master.

Zhou Zhonghui surely knew about this, yet he not only failed to give her face but also went as far as injuring her students. Wasn’t this a challenge?

Qin Yun said, "He’s one of the South Palace’s prized assets. If we take him down, will it provoke a pursuit by the South Palace?"

Lan Fengjin sneered, "Don’t worry about the South Palace. In the future, when you enter the Blue Spirit Star Palace, they still won’t dare to do anything to you. They’re nothing but cowards!"

"Qin Yun, if you really fight Zhou Zhonghui, you must win. I’ve put a lot on the line for this."

Qin Yun stretched and yawned, "That’s a given. I’m going to rest now and continue challenging tomorrow."

He also wanted to become an Advanced Duelist as soon as possible. Not only would he be able to challenge Zhou Zhonghui, but he could also earn Xuan points in the advanced arena. Xuan points were extremely useful to him, and this was currently the only way he could earn them quickly.

The next morning, Qin Yun changed into a black tight-fitting outfit. When he came out of his room, he didn’t see Lan Fengjin, but there was a table full of delicious food.

"I didn’t expect such a tough woman like Sister Lan to be so considerate!" Qin Yun rubbed his hands together, grinning as he approached the table and started eating the pastries.

Suddenly, he thought of Yang Shiyue. Back when he was at Hualing Martial Arts Academy, Yang Shiyue would always prepare breakfast for him if she was free.

"I wonder how Teacher Yang is doing inside the Blue Spirit Star Palace. Now that she has become a saintess, she should be living quite well!" Qin Yun thought to himself while eating. "Teacher, just wait for two more years. I will definitely defeat Xiao Yanglong. By then, you won’t have to worry about being forced to marry that scum."

Qin Yun suddenly saw a note under a plate and picked it up. He felt happy when he realized that Xue Ziye was nearly fully recovered!

"Ziye's Martial Soul is very mysterious. The last time I checked, I could only determine that it’s a Purple-Gold Martial Soul, but its exact nature remains unclear!" Qin Yun ate a pastry and recalled Xue Ziye's unique Purple-Gold Martial Soul.

Based on his estimates, Xue Ziye was expected to take a few more days to fully recover, but less than two days later, she was already ready to head to the dueling arena with Lan Fengjin.

"I’m relieved that she has recovered. I wonder how Huo Lao San and the others are doing!" Qin Yun only knew that after receiving treatment at the Star Profound Martial Academy, they were taken back to the Blue Spirit Star Palace by Hou Xingfeng.

Qin Yun quickly finished his breakfast and rushed to the dueling arena, paying 10,000 crystal coins to have the elder arrange an opponent.

By now, all the students at the Star Profound Martial Academy had learned that Qin Yun had signed up to become a duelist and had won two consecutive matches in the dueling arena, becoming an Intermediate Duelist. This sparked curiosity among many students, who had already bought tickets to the dueling arena in advance.

The dueling arena soon filled up, and the entrance fee was particularly high today.

Many attendees were concerned that Qin Yun might not show up, but they soon received the news that Qin Yun had arrived at the dueling arena and was waiting for an opponent to be arranged.