As the middle-aged man was deep in thought, pondering something about Liang Yi, a mysterious young man suddenly appeared before his eyes seemingly out of nowhere and with no apparent origin or destination.
The young man didn't appear to be heading toward the middle-aged man, but instead moved directly toward Liang Yi. The situation unfolded so suddenly and unexpectedly that Liang Yi barely had time to react.
She had been too focused on her recent hand-to-hand battle to notice her surroundings for a moment. The instant she sensed the unusual movement, Liang Yi quickly regained her composure, her eyes narrowing slightly as she locked her gaze on the approaching figure, her expression as calm and indifferent as ever, ready to respond.
The mysterious young man had deep blue hair like the ocean under sunlight, and his light brown eyes glimmered with a slight chill. His high-bridged nose complemented a charmingly alluring face. The bright blue robes he wore fluttered with the wind as his body surged toward his target.
He appeared behind Liang Yi without a sound and seized the moment to launch a sudden attack. His foot swung swiftly, aiming for her slender waist. Yet Liang Yi neither panicked nor hesitated in the slightest.
With a single hand, she caught the young man's ankle firmly swift and precise, as if she had anticipated the movement in advance. Before he could react, his body was hurled into the air without resistance, spinning twice before being slammed violently onto the sandy ground. However, that alone wasn't enough to shake the young man.
Just a split second before hitting the ground, he used the rebound from his palms and nimble legs to twist mid-air and regain his balance in a dazzling display of agility. His feet landed firmly on the ground, showing no signs of injury or pain.
Before the dust had even fully settled, the young man charged at Liang Yi again without hesitation. This time, his palm struck out fiercely, aiming for her neck and face. Yet Liang Yi merely gazed at him with emotionless eyes neither alarmed nor afraid, as if anything coming her way was no more than a passing breeze.
She abruptly stopped his palm with her own, as if she had foreseen his every move. Her gaze remained calm and unfazed, even amidst the intense exchange. In the blink of an eye, she pivoted gracefully, extended her leg, and stomped hard onto the young man's chest with pinpoint precision.
Bang!
The force of the impact sent his body flying through the air before crashing violently onto the ground. But instead of lying still, he quickly flipped back onto his feet as though completely uninjured.
Liang Yi didn't waste the opening. She darted toward the young man, her palm glowing with a radiant red light like flames ready to consume everything. But the young man reacted in time, twisting his body to narrowly evade her strike. He countered with a swift kick, but it was easily blocked by Liang Yi's pale, slender hand effortlessly, as if the force was no more than a breeze. The young man locked eyes with her briefly before leaping back and assuming a ready stance for another round.
Liang Yi moved forward unhurriedly, each step radiating immense pressure. She stomped down toward the young man again, the sheer force of the motion as if trying to crush him into the earth. But he refused to be a stationary target. With a sudden motion, he dodged smoothly, raising both palms to intercept Liang Yi's follow-up strike that came swiftly from above.
The clash of palms echoed through the air as their sharp palm techniques collided. Their movements spun and twisted in a fierce exchange, creating shockwaves that sent sand flying in all directions.
The young man tried to resist, but Liang Yi showed no sign of yielding. Her movements remained steady and composed, without hesitation or urgency. Seizing a moment when he had not yet regained his footing, she suddenly thrust a single palm forward, targeting his torso.
The impact forced him back several steps. His eyes trembled briefly, shaken by the heavy force that had struck him head-on.
"Who are you?" Liang Yi asked, still standing her ground with an expression devoid of satisfaction or pleasure from the blow she had landed. She simply stared at the young man in silence.
"I'm just a handsome guy from a faraway land. And you? You don't seem like an ordinary delicate woman with skills like that," the young man replied with a smile, quickly regaining his composure. His wit was remarkable.
He probably didn't come with hostile intent, Liang Yi thought to herself. But that thought didn't stop her from continuing her attack. She swiftly advanced again, slamming her palm toward his face with full force. Yet the young man evaded sideways just in time, spinning his body to narrowly dodge the attack by a fraction of a second. Liang Yi refused to let him slip away easily. She followed up, stomping her foot toward his chest with relentless speed and force.
But the young man nimbly flipped out of harm's way. His body moved swiftly, yet Liang Yi wasn't about to let him go so easily. She pursued again, launching a flurry of palm and foot strikes at him from all directions left, right, front, back. Each angle she struck from was met with the young man's agile dodges. His body spun and shifted rapidly, and most of her attacks barely grazed him.
The two clashed once more in a fierce exchange. This time, Liang Yi aimed a precise and forceful palm at his wrist. But the young man immediately countered, extending his arm to absorb the impact. Liang Yi remained unfazed. Without pausing, she lifted her leg to strike again but her foot was intercepted by his, forcing her step back to its original position.
The young man tried to spin away, but Liang Yi still stood her ground with unshaken calmness. She displayed no signs of panic or retreat, as if every motion was a test of her own ability and every strike, a means of honing her skills. She felt no fear, no rush, and viewed the young man as little more than a tool for her training.