Chapter Thirty-Seven: Thunder Vein Versus Thunder Vein

Roar!

Su Ye clenched his fists, the qilin’s blood he had absorbed now boiling within him.

This time, it wasn’t just the power of his acupoints, but the qilin’s strength fused into his very blood. Even with only twenty-three open acupoints, he no longer feared Yu Zhisha’s sixty-seven.

“Thief! You stole the qilin treasure from the Southern Sands North Bridge!” Yu Zhisha, recognizing the power, immediately recalled the qilin statue she’d discovered beneath the bridge. It was clear Su Ye was wielding the treasure he’d obtained there.

A thousand flames of fury surged in Su Ye’s chest—he had no patience for her accusations. With a thunderous step, he lunged forward, his massive fist crashing down.

“You overestimate yourself!” Yu Zhisha, enraged, her eyes wide with fury, let the light blaze from her major acupoints.

Boom!

Their fists collided head-on, both thrown backward by the impact.

Since both were still in the “Acupoint Opening” stage, yet to reach the “Qi Gathering Realm” (the foundation-building phase), it was rare for martial artists at this level to cultivate elaborate techniques. Only after their foundation was set would they move on to more advanced martial forms.

Yet, even without ornate techniques, the sheer force of their blows left the audience in awe.

Su Ye was astonished. He hadn’t expected Yu Zhisha’s “Hundred Illuminated Acupoints” to be so powerful—her strength nearly shattered the qilin apparition above his head.

It might have looked like simple strikes, but each one was infused with the might of dozens of acupoints.

Yu Zhisha seized the initiative with her first blow and pressed in, unleashing a flurry of punches, so quick they blurred into afterimages.

As she attacked, her voice rang out, furious and desperate: “You should never have survived! You should never appear before me!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Su Ye’s body shuddered, a dull ache spreading from his acupoints. Yu Zhisha’s fists struck precisely at his key points, causing his strength to stall and his response to falter.

If not for his body, tempered by heavenly lightning, steeped in qilin blood, and multiple medicinal baths, he’d have been overwhelmed. Any other martial artist—even one who’d opened fifty acupoints—could never have withstood such a fearsome assault.

The watching students and teachers were stunned. Even many of the instructors felt a chill—none could claim to withstand Yu Zhisha’s onslaught.

Yu Wenhuan, watching with wild excitement, laughed uproariously. “Su Ye, you useless fool! You dare challenge my sister? That so-called qilin power—now look at you, cowering like a turtle!”

At that moment, Su Ye let out a furious roar. A faint mist of blood erupted around him.

A metallic taste rose in his throat, nearly choking him with blood.

Roar—

He forced the blood mist out, and the qilin apparition above him transformed, becoming a qilin wreathed in blood-red vapor. The distant onlookers gasped as flames seemed to ignite across its body.

Boom!

Veins bulged on Su Ye’s neck, his strength suddenly surging severalfold. Entering a state of berserk power, he clashed with Yu Zhisha once more.

With each punch, Yu Zhisha’s “Hundred Illuminated Acupoints” faltered—one acupoint was blasted apart by Su Ye’s might.

“Is that all your Hundred Illuminated Acupoints amount to?” Su Ye, relying on his indomitable physique, didn’t bother defending, raining blows upon her. In an instant, her advantage was overturned; her acupoints were extinguished one after another.

For the first time, Yu Zhisha found herself driven back, her body racked by explosions of pain as her acupoints seemed to shatter within.

Finally, with a wild, savage charge, Su Ye sent Yu Zhisha flying off the platform.

The onlookers scrambled aside, staring at Su Ye in disbelief.

By the rules of the challenge match, Yu Zhisha had lost. But everyone present knew—this was no mere tournament. Not even Su Ye cared about victory or defeat anymore.

He leapt from the platform, landing heavily, and stomped toward Yu Zhisha with merciless intent.

Bang—

Yu Zhisha rolled aside, narrowly evading his foot, which crashed into the ground, splitting it with a web of cracks.

“Su Ye, you’ve forced my hand!” she spat, blood staining her teeth. Forming a seal with one hand, she pressed it to her body. With a crackling sound, a bolt of lightning arced across her frame.

The electric arc danced up her body, crawling and leaping, her hair rising as if caught in a storm.

Thunderous power spread out in waves.

“It’s the Thunder Vein—”

“Yu Zhisha is unleashing her Thunder Vein power!”

“My god! Is this the fearsome might of the Thunder Vein? At such a young age, wielding lightning itself—she truly deserves her reputation as the greatest prodigy in Yang City!”

Yu Zhisha’s slender fingers flexed, electric arcs flickering between them. Her eyes changed, becoming sharp and electrified.

Swish—

Yu Zhisha’s form blurred with lightning as she dashed forward, her kick landing squarely on Su Ye.

Boom—

Su Ye was hurled back, smashing into the edge of the platform, the impact collapsing part of the massive structure and splitting it with a crack that tore toward the center.

Everyone watched in shock—except for Cai Weisong, who wailed in agony. He had poured his fortune into building this grand arena, only to see it shattered before his eyes.

“Yu Zhisha, you stole my Thunder Vein, and now you use it to kill me!” Su Ye spat blood, seeing Yu Zhisha charging again. He flipped back onto the platform.

Standing high above, he glared down at Yu Zhisha, whose body was wreathed in arcs of lightning. He seemed to have waited his whole life for this moment.

“Yu Zhisha! Now I look down on you! Even if you stole my Thunder Vein, you will never defeat me! A counterfeit will always be a counterfeit—it can never become the real thing!”

Yu Zhisha’s face was ashen. Pointing at him, she shouted, “You were never worthy of the Thunder Vein! You don’t even understand its power! You want to beat me? Impossible! Even if you defeat me one day, so what? The Yu family can crush you with ease!”

“Today, I will show you what a true Thunder Vein is! What you took from me—you will return!”

Su Ye didn’t hesitate. Slamming his palm against his chest, he unleashed the vast power within.

Boom—

A muffled thunder sounded from deep inside him.

Crack!

Bolts of lightning erupted around Su Ye, the dazzling, searing radiance exuding an awe-inspiring might that none could bear to face.

His eyes snapped open, tiny arcs of electricity flickering in his gaze.

There, above and below, two wielders of the Thunder Vein stared each other down.

Thunder Vein against Thunder Vein!

Though many knew Su Ye had recovered, reclaiming his past genius, this was their first time witnessing him display the power of the Thunder Vein. Once called the Azure Sky Sparrow, he now faced a battle of life and death.

No heart in the audience churned with greater waves than Yu Zhisha’s. Shaking her head in disbelief, she thought of all the years she’d fought to barely fuse the Thunder Vein.

How could Su Ye recover in only three months!

What’s more, his lightning arcs shone with a majesty and power greater than hers.

“We both have the Thunder Vein—why should you win?” Yu Zhisha would never yield so easily.

Lightning flared around her, and with a leap, she struck down at Su Ye, her fist blazing with energy—a blow thrown with all her might.

Yet Su Ye did not move, only watching her coldly. Blood still streaked his teeth as he spoke, each word thundering:

“All Thunder Veins—before me—are worthless!”

Boom!!

In that instant, Su Ye seemed to see through the very path of Yu Zhisha’s lightning. With a slight shift, he evaded her punch entirely. In the next heartbeat, his right hand flashed out, grasping for Yu Zhisha’s head.

With a crack, he seized half her face.

Roar!!

Thunder Vein power surged around Su Ye as he drove her down, slamming the once-mighty Yu Zhisha’s face into the very platform.

The entire arena split apart with a rending sound, Su Ye and Yu Zhisha at its center.

The greatest prodigy of Yang City—the Azure Sky Sparrow—was now pressed, face-first, into the ground by Su Ye.

“A blood debt must be repaid in blood—”