Jiang Chen rose from the rubble in the distance with a grimace on his face.
He had somehow managed to evade the direct attack at the last moment. However, the impact of the fist still did a number on him. He felt that he had escaped being heavily injured by a hairsbreath.
Looking at Duncan in the distance, Jiang Chen saw him attacking the other two without any reserve immediately after sending him flying. The sudden increase in the power of the fists caused Jiang Chen to be unprepared. However, that was not the case with the other two.
Seeing Jiang Chen being sent flying all of a sudden, the other two managed to be cautious and avoided being sent flying as well. However, it didn't mean that they didn't have a hard time either.
Duncan's random switching of attacks had disrupted the established tempo. After erecting a hasty defense, the other two were able to weather Duncan's attack. But, they were also sent striding back a few paces trying to negate the impact of the attack.
The trio looked at Duncan seriously and found that they didn't have a clear gauge of Duncan's true power. While they had watched Duncan take out the group of cultivators earlier, they weren't able to notice the minute differences like the increase in speed and strength between the two different attacks.
Now that they had experienced it personally, their expressions have become very dignified. Unlike the previous attacks, this one was far faster and stronger as well. If they hadn't mounted a proper defense in the split second, they might have also died under a single punch just like the others.
Duncan watched the trio regroup calmly. After switching to the second act of the <Primal Bull Fist>, he had already gained an advantage in the fight. He wasn't passive any more and he now had the confidence to break out of the situation of the trio teaming up and bogging him down with continuous harassment.
If the trio wanted to take back the initiative, they needed to up their games as well. If not, one single stray punch can decide the outcome of the battle in a decisive manner. Right now, the progression of the fight rested on how the trio reacted to Duncan's escalation.
"Hmph!" Wu Dongmin snorted as he straightened his robes. "You have some skills. But, don't think this alone could save you. Take this!"
With a mighty shout, Wu Dongmin took the lead in attacking Duncan once more.
"<Splitting Heavens: First Heaven!>"
A large shadow of a saber emerged in front of Wu Dongmin and slashed toward Duncan at an incredible speed. It almost looked as if it was going to split Duncan from head to toe. The level of oppression brought forth by this attack could never be compared to the previous attacks executed by the saber-wielding cultivator.
Duncan's face took on a solemn expression. He mobilized all his energy and punched out with a small shout. An image of a primal bull goring towards the enemy emerged and clashed with the large saber in the distance.
The moment the two attacks met, a large bang sounded in the ears of everyone. The impact of the attack sent both of them reeling backward. Duncan took a couple of steps to steady himself and looked at the saber wielder before him with a look of seriousness.
Sure enough, he couldn't take any elite from a first-rate sect easily. Right now, when the two attacks clashed, Duncan felt that the opponent's attack had signs of martial dao concept integration. That could mean only one thing. The saber wielder in front of him had grasped a martial dao concept while still in the Spirit Sea realm.
While the level of integration wasn't high, achieving this alone was enough to prove Wu Dongmin's talent when it comes to wielding sabers. True to his personality of being domineering, the concept he had gained insight into was also related to suppression.
The moment the attacks met, Duncan felt that his fist was being suppressed by an unknown power. If he was someone with no knowledge of martial dao concepts, he would have been shocked to feel such a phenomenon.
Unfortunately for Wu Dongmin, Duncan already had insights into his own martial dao concepts. Furthermore, his understanding of the integration of a martial dao concept into an attack was far superior to Wu Dongmin.
Wu Dongmin had been expecting a little bit of surprise from Duncan. But, apart from the slight narrowing of eyes, Duncan didn't react much to the presence of the martial dao concept.
Rather, deep in his heart, Duncan was beginning to feel the desire to compete once again. The battle lust that had been hidden deep in his heart seemed to be burning once more. His eyes shined brightly and a broad smile overcame his face.
If there was a reaction that Wu Dongmin had been expecting, it definitely wasn't this. Duncan's sudden change in demeanor didn't go unnoticed by the trio. While the rest may not be aware, the trio could keenly feel the change in Duncan's demeanor.
"Again!"
Duncan whispered hoarsely and punched out without waiting for Wu Dongmin to react or reply. Seeing Duncan's actions, Wu Dongmin was forced to attack, lest he be killed by Duncan.
Duncan felt as if he was back to the time when he fought with the Wang Clan Patriarch and his defensive formation. With each attack he exchanged with the saber-wielding opponent, he felt as if his understanding of the <Primal Bull Fist> was growing at an unprecedented level.
Duncan's interest in <Primal Bull Fist> was purely because of its usage towards his body strength. He didn't have the time and patience to appreciate the intricate details and profoundity present in the martial art. He still preferred to use his sword when compared with his fists.
However, it didn't mean Duncan's ability to understand a martial art was lacking. After all, it only took him one week to obtain minimum proficiency in the fist art to use it to compete with elite disciples of the various sects.
When he clashed using the <Primal Bull Fist>, the feedback he got from each collision let him know where his attack was lacking. Duncan once again entered the state where he constantly adjusted the attack in order to fine-tune his martial arts.
So, as the number of collisions between the two increased, Duncan felt his understanding of the <Primal Bull Fist> increasing rapidly. He could feel that he had only scratched the basic surface of the <Primal Bull Fist> clearly. He also understood that it would take long hours of contemplation and constant practice for him to become proficient in this fist art.
But, what little he could grasp, he utilized in the upcoming attacks. His <Primal Bull Fist> became more and more refined as time passed. From initially being able to barely contend with the saber image, right now the bull image was butting heads with the saber image equally.
As he improved more and more, Duncan fell into a frenzied state. The rate at which he attacked Wu Dongmin was simply breathtaking. Wu Dongmin felt really suffocated and almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume of fist images rushing towards him. He too felt great pressure and a desire to overcome them.
It is often said that a great enemy could motivate and help you break through your own shackles. Wu Dongmin felt the shackles that had been restricting him from understanding his martial arts start to loosen as he struggled to stay afloat under the pressure exerted by a frenzied Duncan.
But, there was a limit to everything. No one could reach the top with a single step. If such a situation had happened in a friendly spar, it would have been of great benefit to Wu Dongmin. Unfortunately, this was a life-and-death fight and his opponent wasn't inclined to show mercy or stay his hand.
Pretty soon, Duncan's frenzy almost overwhelmed Wu Dongmin. He was struggling hard to stay on the same level of tempo exuded by Duncan. Unfortunately, his cultivation wasn't deep enough and he wasn't strong enough to contend at that rate for a long time. Even though he felt unwilling to concede defeat and wanted to break through the shackles restricting him, he ultimately came up short.
Just as it looked like Duncan would overwhelm Wu Dongmin, Lu Tianxin stepped in to aid him and relieve the pressure he faced.
"<Eternal Sword: First Chapter – Opening Heaven!>"
A large sword image broke through the blockade established by Duncan's fist images and aided Wu Dongmin just as he was about to be overwhelmed by Duncan.
Wu Dongmin was both glad and irritated with Lu Tianxin's help. He knew clearly he couldn't have lasted for a few more moments without Lu Tianxin's help. However, the pressure from his opponent was an incredibly rare opportunity for him to break through his shackles. Such an opportunity, once lost will never come by again easily.
Even though he was dissatisfied with the outcome, Wu Dongmin wasn't a fool to not take the overall situation into consideration. So, he buried the discontent in his heart and joined forces with Lu Tianxin to deal with Duncan.
Duncan snarled seeing the prey in his eyes escape with the help of someone else. He refused to believe that he wouldn't be able to beat the saber wielder with his fists. He went almost mad when he saw that the victory that was within his grasp was taken away by the inclusion of another party.
With two elites attacking him together with their favorite martial arts, the pressure turned around and came at Duncan now. Even though he was able to contend and overwhelm one opponent, adding another made him struggle to hold on.
Duncan felt incredibly aggrieved. His heart refused to be suppressed like this. The anger and passion in his heart ignited and he lost track of everything apart from exchanging blows with the two people in front of him.
"Aaargh!"
Duncan screamed venting out his frustrations and started punching at the duo madly.
