"I'm certain there's someone on the second floor of that inn to the left of the tavern!" Old Man Liu Jianfeng said through the team voice channel. "But be careful. I haven't found Tricky Double Blades Dong Xu yet. He could attack at any moment."

"That inn it is!"

Mighty God Gao Chong sprinted forward, each step making the stone slabs tremble. If he was just hurrying before, now he was charging! Bloodaxe Wang Qiao and War Goddess Sun Yuting also charged with their shields, heading straight for the inn.

"Gao Chong, let me see what you're made of." A burly man named Wu Sai, also wearing heavy armor, appeared on the street, wielding two large shields.

Xu Jingming also appeared to Wu Sai's left, also holding a shield in one hand. However, his shields were noticeably smaller than Wu Sai's, only sixty centimeters in diameter, and he was wearing light protective armor. As for the long spear, it was split into two sections and carried on his back.

Once Gao Chong began fighting, he became fierce and berserk! In the World Martial Arts Tournament, he charged all the way from the first match to the last, becoming the world champion! That was in real-life combat. Now, in the virtual world, he was even more uninhibited.

"What kind of riffraff!" Gao Chong charged to the front, swinging his spear directly at Wu Sai! The strike seemed like a river of stars turning upside down, its momentum extremely violent.

Wu Sai raised his two shields. Years of boxing had made him accustomed to guarding, and he believed that with his shields, he could withstand any opponent's attack.

"Boom!"

This spear strike, like a river of stars turning upside down, or an ax splitting the heavens and earth, landed squarely on the shield.

Wu Sai only felt the force of the impact crushing through the shield, and his body flew backward uncontrollably. He couldn't believe it. "What the hell?"

"His real combat bonus for martial arts weapon fighting is 0%, right?" Xu Jingming thought, dumbfounded.

This legendary boxing champion undoubtedly had excellent control over his body. Boxing and shield techniques had similarities, and his basic combat strength should be at least 1200 on paper.

But his weapon combat experience was too poor.

"He thought he could withstand that charged spear strike with the momentum of hundreds of kilograms of heavy armor?" Panda Zhang Qian, who had been hiding in a house, preparing to ambush, had to rush out immediately. His three-pointed, double-edged saber transformed into a swimming dragon, blocking Gao Chong, who was about to follow up with another spear thrust.

"Clang!"

The long spear and the three-pointed, double-edged saber collided. Zhang Qian bent his saber slightly and took two steps back, managing to withstand the attack.

"Thanks, Panda." Wu Sai also took the opportunity to stand up, feeling a little ashamed. "I don't have much experience. Please forgive me."

"Hurry up and help." Zhang Qian was already struggling after just a few moves.

On the other side…

"Let's kill Xu Jingming first." Bloodaxe Wang Qiao and War Goddess Sun Yuting seized the opportunity to form a two-on-one attack.

Holding his two shields, Xu Jingming took a slight step back as the two approached, tilting and swaying his shields, making Wang Qiao's and Sun Yuting's attacks awkward.

"His shield technique was taught by Liu Hai. It's like tai chi, like sticky candy." Although Sun Yuting's shield strike missed, she still thrust her sword like a venomous snake. Bloodaxe Wang Qiao also swung his ax.

"Bang." "Clang."

Xu Jingming defended perfectly against the two.

It wouldn't be easy to defend with just a spear, but shields had a great advantage in defense. The shield technique taught by his master, Liu Hai, mainly focused on borrowing and redirecting force, although it also had explosive moves.

Meanwhile, in a house across from the inn, Archer Wang Yi watched the battle in the street.

Gao Chong charged wildly, his moves violent. He suppressed both Panda Zhang Qian and Boxing Champion Wu Sai in a two-on-one fight.

Xu Jingming blocked the attacks of Sun Yuting and Wang Qiao, defending perfectly.

"Gao Chong." Wang Yi drew her bow, an arrow nocked.

Gao Chong's moves were so violent that his head was less protected than War Goddess Sun Yuting's and Bloodaxe Wang Qiao's.

Wang Yi's eyes flashed coldly.

"Whoosh."

Her finger released.

An arrow instantly shot out of the window, tearing through the air and heading straight for Gao Chong at terrifying speed.

Gao Chong, a world champion, wasn't truly reckless. The one he was most wary of was the hidden archer.

"So fast!" Even though he was vigilant, the blurred arrow still shocked Gao Chong. He barely managed to raise his spear shaft and tilt his head.

*Pfft!*

The arrow grazed his face, tearing off a piece of flesh, and his right ear disappeared.

"There!" Instead of being alarmed, Gao Chong was delighted. He looked at the house in front of him and charged wildly.

"The archer is there." War Goddess Sun Yuting and Bloodaxe Wang Qiao also stared at the house. They stopped fighting Xu Jingming and charged toward it.

"Hold them back." Wu Sai held up his shields to block them.

Panda Zhang Qian also rushed forward, joining forces to stop Gao Chong. But with a skillful upward thrust from Gao Chong, Wu Sai's shields were sent flying, and Zhang Qian was knocked back several steps by a spear strike.

Zhang Qian gritted his teeth. "The pain is only one percent in this Life Evolution world! Otherwise, the pain from that arrow alone would have made Gao Chong reveal an opening."

The pain was reduced to one percent because many injuries in life-and-death combat were very serious. Without reducing the pain, many people would collapse.

Wu Sai and Panda Zhang Qian couldn't stop the rampaging Gao Chong.

On the other side, Xu Jingming also couldn't stop the two of them by himself. But as Sun Yuting and Wang Qiao charged toward the house, Xu Jingming suddenly charged forward and said through the team voice channel, "Archer, coordinate with me!"

Boom! Boom!

In just two steps, Xu Jingming's legs exploded with power, reaching a terrifying speed.

"What?" Sun Yuting immediately sensed something was wrong. She felt that the current Xu Jingming, who had suddenly exploded with power, exuded a terrifyingly fierce aura, as if an ancient beast was pouncing on her. Xu Jingming, who had been deflecting and resisting, revealed his fangs, making Sun Yuting feel even more frightened than Mighty God Gao Chong.

"Bang."

Although she had raised her left shield and prepared to deflect the force,

in the instant he closed in, Xu Jingming slammed out his shields with full force. The force of the charge and his entire body was almost perfectly transferred to the shields, and transmitted entirely to Sun Yuting through the impact with her shield.

Sun Yuting felt her shield twisting her arm, and it slammed into her chest. She couldn't control herself as she was sent flying, and her mouth tasted sweet from the impact, and she couldn't help but spit out blood.

"Whoosh."

At that moment, she also saw an arrow, still shot from that house.

However, Sun Yuting, who was sent flying, couldn't dodge at all. The arrow pierced her neck, and her body turned ethereal, disappearing from the town.

War Goddess Sun Yuting was dead! After being struck by Xu Jingming's double shields and sent flying in serious condition, she could only die in front of the archer.

"What?" Bloodaxe Wang Qiao couldn't believe it. In one exchange, his teammate was seriously injured and sent flying. "This isn't the shield technique Liu Hai taught."

Xu Jingming held his twin shields.

Shield technique?

When one first learns shield techniques, one must follow the teacher's instructions completely. But once one had reached a very high level, one would naturally take the path that suited them best. What he had learned since childhood was… Bajiquan Chop Step!

His father's most prized move was the Baji Tiger Pounce! His father had spent forty years mainly practicing this move. As his most treasured move, he had taught Xu Jingming hand-in-hand since he was a child.

"This shield technique is my father's ultimate move!" Xu Jingming said silently. "Baji Tiger Pounce!"

…

In the Xia Country official broadcast room.

Xu Hong, who saw this scene, couldn't help but have his eyes moistened. He murmured, "Baji Tiger Pounce!"

When he was young, he was a martial arts blogger. He learned many martial arts styles, learning a bit of everything, but he wasn't particularly proficient in anything. But he just liked it! Later, when he came into contact with the 'Baji Tiger Pounce,' he liked it from the bottom of his heart.

He spent a lot of effort, apprenticed to a master, and learned the true teachings of the Baji lineage. He even built a Baji School in Mingyue City.

He practiced many moves every day, but he spent most of his time on one move—the Baji Tiger Pounce!

"Son, the Baji Tiger Pounce lies in the word 'pounce.' It's not just about the strength of your entire body, but also the momentum of the pounce." Xu Hong demonstrated the Baji Tiger Pounce in front of his young son.

"No matter what moves the enemy uses, my Baji Tiger Pounce seizes the center line and can knock the enemy's arms away, slamming into their chest."

"Everyone says that the Fierce Tiger Climbing the Mountain is powerful, but the Baji Tiger Pounce is purer."

"If you master one move, you can use it against any enemy with one pounce."

Xu Hong had absolute faith in this move.

The young Xu Jingming didn't quite understand, but he just knew to trust his father and practiced the moves one by one.

In the three years after his retirement, Xu Jingming felt that his shield technique wasn't fierce enough, and he felt that Baji could be completely integrated. So, he slowly integrated it, forming his own shield technique. It was different from his master Liu Hai's shield technique.

In the Xia Country official broadcast room, countless viewers were cheering.

The battle had originally been very close, and Mighty God Gao Chong was even very strong, having the advantage in a two-on-one fight. Xu Jingming could only defend against Wang Qiao and Sun Yuting on the surface.

But the situation changed instantly! The moment Xu Jingming revealed his fangs, he instantly sent Sun Yuting flying with serious injuries.

"Look, in just two steps, Xu Jingming's body exploded with a speed of 30.8 meters per second." Watching the slow-motion replay, Head Coach Huang Yong was extremely excited. He pointed and said, "If he practiced the Shadow Leopard Evolution Method, I wouldn't be surprised if his speed increased to this extent. But Xu Jingming's physique and strength are clearly not from the Shadow Leopard Evolution Method, yet he instantly exploded with such power! He obviously has an amazing degree of control over his body."

"In two steps, his speed reached a terrifying level. His double shields were like the two big paws of a tiger, striking War Goddess Sun Yuting's shield. Even with the shield blocking, she was still struck so hard that she vomited blood and flew away," Huang Yong shook his head in admiration. "Too amazing."

"Xu Jingming's shield technique wasn't this fierce in the World Martial Arts Tournament," Qin Yiwen exclaimed.

"In the past, it had the connotation of Tai Chi, but now it has the flavor of Baji," Huang Yong said. "What a fierce move. Xu Jingming is stronger than he was three years ago!"

In the live broadcast room's comment section, countless comments rolled.

"Awesome!"

"The same godly expert was directly struck with serious injuries, vomiting blood, and sent flying?"

"His shields are simply not shields. Head Coach Huang Yong said it well. Those two shields… are like the two big paws of a tiger."

"Not even an ordinary tiger, but a tiger demon! The two big paws of a huge tiger demon."

"Xu Jingming, don't call yourself the Spear Demon anymore. Call yourself the Shield Demon!"

The viewers were watching with excitement. When the battle was at a stalemate, what was needed was a decisive move!