The three, including Fourth Brother, still didn't know that they were just being used as cannon fodder, merely to test Ye Qing's strength for Grand Master Naikun.

The three of them walked downstairs and blocked Ye Qing at the entrance of the pavilion. Thinking that they had their eldest brother backing them up, they showed no fear and faced Ye Qing directly.

"Stop!" Fourth Brother glared angrily at Ye Qing and said coldly, "Ye Qing, I'll give you a piece of advice. If you don't want to die, get out of here quickly, or else..."

Before he could finish his words, Ye Qing had already thrown a punch at him, not bothering to waste words with them.

Fourth Brother was slightly stronger than Fifth Brother. Seeing Ye Qing's punch coming, he let out a powerful shout, shockingly taking Ye Qing's punch directly.

Ye Qing had not expected Fourth Brother to be this formidable. Despite seeing Fifth Brother get injured by him, Fourth Brother still dared to take his punch head-on. As he was amazed, his fist landed on Fourth Brother's chest. However, what he anticipated—knocking Fourth Brother flying—did not happen. Instead, his fist felt as if it struck a steel plate, causing a numbing sensation in his arm.

"Oh?" Ye Qing was greatly surprised. Looking closely at Fourth Brother, he merely showed a fleeting flush on his face without the slightest sign of pain.

All around, the sorcerers were equally astonished to see Fourth Brother taking a full punch without flinching. However, soon, everyone was cheering with excitement, gathering jubilantly around Fourth Brother.

Grand Master Naikun, watching from upstairs, had a gleam in his eyes and said, "Fourth Brother's Fossil Sorcery has improved significantly over the past few years!"

Tama replied, "Of course! Didn't you give all those miraculous medicines left by the Master to Fourth Brother over the past two years? His Fossil Sorcery has progressed rapidly. However, Fourth Brother is becoming more and more sluggish. If he continues like this, he's bound to turn into a stone like those seniors before him!"

Grand Master Naikun didn't mind Tama's words at all, and a cold smile grew wider on his lips. Just now, when Ye Qing's punch couldn't harm Fourth Brother, he had already gauged Ye Qing's strength to be below his own. So, he wasn't worried and was contemplating the best time to go downstairs.

"Fourth Brother, well done indeed!" Lao Qi shouted excitedly.

"Fourth Brother, kill him!" Old Eight chimed in joyfully.

Only Fourth Brother was fully aware of his condition. He had trained his Fossil Sorcery to harden his body like stone, requiring him to use potions to modify his body. While the sorcery was powerful, it also inflicted significant damage on the body, potentially turning him into a stone in the end. However, having a body as hard as stone also provided strong resilience, which was why he dared to take Ye Qing's punch.

Yet, how powerful was Ye Qing's punch? Even if he turned his flesh and blood to feel like stone, or if he were actual stone, it would still be difficult to withstand Ye Qing's strike. Though he appeared unscathed on the surface, his internal energy and blood were in turmoil, almost making him spit blood. If not for forcefully suppressing his inner turmoil, he would have already embarrassed himself.

No one knew the real condition inside Fourth Brother, not even Ye Qing, who was equally surprised, genuinely believing he had encountered a tough opponent. Thus, for a moment, he dared not act rashly, only keeping a watchful eye on Fourth Brother and furrowing his brow tightly. If he couldn't even get past Fourth Brother, how was he supposed to face Grand Master Naikun?

As they stood in a standoff for a while, neither side made a move. Meanwhile, the sorcerers watching the scene seemed eager for a good show, urging Fourth Brother to attack Ye Qing. Although Fourth Brother was still standing strong, inside he was suffering greatly, lacking the ability to strike Ye Qing.

Seeing Fourth Brother in such a state, Ye Qing gradually began to figure him out. Faced with such a large group, if Fourth Brother dared not attack him, it was obvious that either his defenses were merely strong, or he was already injured and pushing through. This thought put Ye Qing at ease; as long as Fourth Brother's strength wasn't too great, he still had a chance to force Grand Master Naikun.

"That was just the first punch!" Ye Qing took two steps forward slowly and said, "Do you dare take another punch from me?"

Fourth Brother had just calmed his internal turmoil, but upon hearing Ye Qing's words, his heart chilled. However, before he could respond, Lao Qi behind him shouted, "What do you mean dare or not? One punch is nothing, we can take one hundred punches from you without a problem!"

Fourth Brother almost had his internal energy in turmoil again, wishing he could just turn and leave. Just one punch had nearly made him vomit blood, and with a second punch, he definitely couldn't withstand it. Lao Qi's reckless words about taking one hundred punches were driving him to the edge!

Ye Qing was observing Fourth Brother closely and noticed a flash of panic in his eyes, making him realize that Fourth Brother couldn't hold out any longer, which put his mind at ease.

"One hundred punches!" Ye Qing sneered and said, "Aren't you being too arrogant? If you can take three punches from me, I'll consider it your victory!"

Given Fourth Brother's current condition, he couldn't take even one punch from Ye Qing. Three punches might actually kill him.

When he heard those words, Fourth Brother felt a panic in his heart and wanted to refuse. However, the surrounding junior brothers roared righteously, as if Ye Qing's words insulted Fourth Brother, and clamored for Ye Qing to be utterly defeated!

The clamor of these junior brothers left Fourth Brother with no chance to speak. In fact, under the current circumstances, he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to. If he were to refuse, he might escape this ordeal with Ye Qing, but he would lose face completely in front of these senior and junior brothers!

"How about it?" Ye Qing looked at Fourth Brother with a faint smile, saying, "Do you dare take my three punches!?"

Fourth Brother gritted his teeth and hardened his scalp as he stepped forward, saying angrily, "Bring it on!"

"Good!" Ye Qing laughed heartily, slowly extended his right fist, and aimed distantly at Fourth Brother.

Seeing Ye Qing's posture, Fourth Brother's legs trembled involuntarily. If he were to take another punch like the last one, he might as well give away his life. But now, retreat was not an option. With no alternative, he steeled himself, bit his tongue hard to create a wound, and silently invoked the Blood Curse to secretly enhance his strength.

Ye Qing was unaware that Fourth Brother had quietly invoked the Blood Curse. He gathered his strength and delivered a heavy punch toward Fourth Brother. Just like last time, Fourth Brother did not dodge or counterattack; he took Ye Qing's punch head-on.

Ye Qing initially thought that this punch could injure Fourth Brother. But unexpectedly, Fourth Brother remained standing where he was, his face becoming somewhat ferocious. Yet his body did not waver in the slightest, as if Ye Qing's punch hadn't hurt him at all.

"Alright!"

"Fourth Senior Brother, what a skill!"

"Fourth Senior Brother, kill this Ye-named guy!"

"What nonsense Huaxia Martial Artist, just a blowhard. Let them see the power of us sorcerers!"

These sorcerers cheered instantly, their admiration for Fourth Brother reaching an extreme.

Ye Qing was greatly astonished, doubting whether he'd underestimated Fourth Brother's strength. How could this punch not knock him down? If he had truly misjudged, then perhaps these three punches really wouldn't defeat Fourth Brother. And if things continued like this, how was he supposed to draw out Grand Master Nai Kun?

Fourth Brother stood firmly in place. Although the crowd around him continued cheering, he didn't dare show any expression. Though he secretly invoked the Blood Curse to enhance his strength, Ye Qing's punch still exceeded his expectations, enough to make his blood well up in his mouth. Fortunately, he prepared and clenched his mouth shut, so he didn't spit any blood. But he knew well his own situation. Ye Qing's punch had significantly worsened his injuries. If there were a second punch, he'd have to desperately resist. He truly didn't wish to take the next two punches!

Yet what was agreed upon before wouldn't change because of his thoughts. Before he could speak, the sorcerers nearby already started clamoring: "Second punch! Second punch! Second punch!"

Fourth Brother almost collapsed. Ye Qing wasn't in a hurry, so why were these junior brothers on edge? Did he look like he was good at taking hits? Damn it, were they trying to set him up?

Ye Qing was still in doubt, hesitating whether to change tactics. But with the sorcerers urging him, he had no choice but to throw this second punch; otherwise, he'd be considered the loser.

"Fine, second punch!" Ye Qing looked coldly at Fourth Brother, saying sternly, "Watch closely now!"

Seeing Ye Qing act this way, Fourth Brother had the bitter experience of being unable to voice his suffering. Facing Ye Qing's intimidating presence, he had no choice but to come out and fight. However, to withstand Ye Qing's punch, he would have to invoke the Blood Curse again to increase his strength. But invoking the Blood Curse couldn't be seen by his junior brothers, or he'd be embarrassed. So, he could only bite off a piece of his tongue. But how could he talk after biting off his tongue?

Could it be that he would become mute because of this incident?

Fourth Brother's mind was collapsing, but facing Ye Qing's momentum, he had no choice. He had to grit his teeth and bite off a part of his tongue. The agony on his tongue drove him almost insane, but he didn't dare show any signs of pain on his face and had to maintain a facade of composure.

Ye Qing didn't know what state Fourth Brother was in. With the second punch, he added more force, delivering a heavy blow straight to Fourth Brother's chest.