Zhao Wei staggered back, his face contorted in a mask of pain and disbelief. He clutched his side tightly where Bai Yu's kick had landed, feeling the sharp, agonizing throb of fractured bone beneath his fingers. He could feel his own Qi, which he had instinctively flared for defense at the last second, had lessened the impact, but the sheer force behind the kick was undeniable.
"You... You bastard!" Zhao Wei shouted, his voice hoarse with pain and fury, glaring at Bai Yu with venomous eyes. "You're in the Early Qi Refining Realm! And you didn't say anything?! You hid your strength!" The accusation was laced with wounded pride and the sting of being utterly blindsided by someone he had always considered beneath him.
Bai Yu watched him impassively, his eyes analytical despite the adrenaline coursing through him. He reacted fast, Bai Yu thought, assessing the situation. I put my full strength into that kick, catching him completely by surprise, leveraging the power of the Crescent Moon technique and my enhanced physique. But his ribs are only slightly broken, maybe fractured, not shattered. Is this the difference between the Early and Late stages of the Qi Refining Realm? Even with a surprise attack and a High-Tier technique, his superior Qi density and instinctive defense mitigated the worst of it. He realized Zhao Wei wasn't just arrogant; at the last moment before the kick landed, Zhao Wei had managed to protect the area with his Qi. A testament to his combat instincts, expected of a so-called 'genius' of the Zhao Family.
The realization sobered Bai Yu. The fight wasn't over; he had merely landed the first, surprising blow.
Humiliated, injured, and incandescent with rage, Zhao Wei completely lost control. "I will fucking kill you!" he roared, ignoring the pain radiating from his ribs. With his free hand, he reached behind him and unsheathed a sleek, dark-wood spear tipped with gleaming steel from a strap on his back. Qi flared around the spearhead, sharp and menacing. The air crackled with killing intent.
Bai Yu's gaze turned serious. The situation had escalated dangerously. A spear wielded by a Late Stage Qi Refiner was a significant threat. A weapon... he thought quickly. Because of my blocked meridians, I never tried to seriously learn any weapon techniques back then. My entire focus, every ounce of effort, was solely dedicated to trying to break through to the Qi Refining Realm. I have no weapon skills to match his. His Azure Cloud Steps offered evasion, and the Crescent Moon Kick was powerful but slow and risky against an armed, prepared opponent. He was at a distinct disadvantage now.
Just as Zhao Wei lunged forward, spear flashing, and Bai Yu braced himself, preparing to rely solely on his footwork to evade, a loud, authoritative shout cut through the tension.
"Halt! What's going on here?!"
Two figures landed heavily but silently in the middle of the street, appearing almost out of nowhere. Both radiated the powerful, stable aura of the Martial Master Realm, instantly dwarfing the Qi Refining cultivators present. They wore standardized, high-quality light armor engraved with the emblem of Water Court City – a stylized image of swirling water currents. From the armor and their cultivation level, one could immediately see that they were members of the City Lord's Guard, the official law enforcement forces of the City Lord.
Their arrival instantly froze the scene. Zhao Wei skidded to a halt, his enraged expression morphing into one of wary frustration. Bai Yu relaxed his stance slightly, relieved by the timely intervention but cautious about how the guards would handle the situation involving two Young Masters from prominent clans. The surrounding crowd murmured, sensing that the situation was now out of the hands of the feuding youths.