13 Desperate Counterattack!

A dull thud echoed as Huayue was sent flying again. Yet, just a few breaths after landing, she stood up once more.

"It's impossible, impossible." Hong Shanba's eyes widened, staring at Huayue as if he had seen a ghost, then he hurled another punch at her.

Huayue was knocked down again, but she quickly stood up once more.

...

Hong Shanba kept throwing punches, one after another. Huayue was sent flying, knocked down repeatedly, only to rise up each time. Her figure quivered more violently with every blow, evidently sustaining severe injuries; regardless, her eyes grew increasingly lucid, radiating Divine Light, and her speed at getting up increased with every fall.

This time, it wasn't just Hong Shanba; everyone had a ghost-seen look on their faces: What was this? Was this the legendary "indestructible cockroach"? How was she becoming more spirited the more she was beaten?

On the contrary, with each punch he threw, Hong Shanba became more winded, panting like a bull, and his steps grew increasingly unsteady.

Yue Fanling looked towards Mu Hanyan again and saw a serene, composed smile on her face, along with a strong confidence in her eyes.

Zhao Fanling suddenly realized that his daughter seemed different than before; something had changed.

Finally, Hong Shanba threw another punch.

"Now it's my turn!" This time, instead of falling, Huayue narrowly dodged the hammer-like fist and, twisting her body, threw a punch of her own.

Huayue, still the same Huayue as before; this punch, too, showed no sign of Cultivation, but as she threw it, a whooshing sound filled the air.

That frail figure seemed to radiate a fierce, compelling aura that almost suffocated the surrounding crowd.

Boom! Hong Shanba's head snapped back, flying out like a broken kite, accompanied by the sound of breaking ribs.

The heavy body hit the ground, raising a cloud of dust. Hong Shanba didn't even have time to scream before he passed out.

Huayue knelt on one knee, a mouthful of fresh blood spurting out, her fist covered in blood.

That punch had drained all her strength, displacing even her internal organs from the exertion.

It was literally a punch thrown with her life!

She won!

Finally, a comeback from the brink!

Huayue had won!

A dead silence fell over the crowd, everyone's mouths agape. This weakling, seemingly with no Cultivation foundation, barely a First-level Swordsman, had defeated Hong Shanba—who possessed Innate Divine Strength and the cultivation of a Second-order Swordsman comparable to a Third-tier Swordsman.

Mu Cheng's lips turned pale. Even though he was a Third-tier Swordsman, the thought of Huayue's recent punch sent a chill down his spine. If that punch had landed on him, perhaps his fate wouldn't have been much better than Hong Shanba's.

Mu Hanyan's smile spread across her face. This was the Huayue she knew.

Don't look at him now without much cultivation, but he was extraordinarily talented, his bones and meridians ten times sturdier than an average human's—calling him an 'indestructible cockroach' was not an exaggeration at all.

Yet previously, Huayue only began to tap into his potential after three years in the Mu Family, eventually becoming a formidable warrior. Now, she had simply sped up the process.

Outside the crowd, Mu Hanfeng turned to leave, a faint smile appearing on his face, unseen by anyone.

Mu Cheng's expression couldn't be worse, utterly ashen. He couldn't accept this outcome. How was it possible? That frail Huayue, clearly only with the strength of a First-level Swordsman, how could he beat up his Second-order Swordsman guard like this?!