Zhang Lie smiled. "Best of three, then?"

Although he would be able to escape on his own, he had ended up embroiling the Yun and Chu clans in his affairs. Furthermore, it would be somewhat more difficult with Fang Yi, Sun Mengmeng, and the rest of Team Zenith in tow.

Settling the dispute with a match would be the cleanest resolution, and one that was overwhelmingly in his favor.

"As you will," the Zhou elder replied, having glanced all around him to see if there were any objections.

"Count me in!" Chu Feng patted Zhang Lie's shoulder. At this key juncture, he was the first one to step up and support Zhang Lie.

"I, as well." Yun Bing did the same.

The Yun and Chu elders stared even more curiously at Zhang Lie; meanwhile, Zhang Lie cast a grateful glance at Yun Bing and Chu Feng. Except for him, none of the members of Team Zenith were qualified to take part: he would be facing off against the other clans' equivalents of Yun Bing and Chu Feng, the best hunters of the younger generation.

If the two of them hadn't volunteered, Zhang Lie would have had to fight all three matches by himself.

"Thank you for your assistance," Zhang Lie murmured. "I'll owe you both a favor for today's events."

A favor was a precious thing indeed, especially from someone like Zhang Lie.

"I'll take your word for it, Zhang Lie! In that case, leave the first match to me!" Chu Feng stepped forward, wind-attuned genetic energy surging all around him.

His competitor followed: Zhou Hong, from the Zhou clan.

The younger generation of the major clans of the capital all knew each other, but few of them had ever exchanged blows. The reason Zhou Hong stepped forward was because of his elemental attunement. Everyone knew that the Chu clan favored wind-attuned techniques, whereas the Zhou clan favored fire-attuned techniques.

While the two elements weren't in direct opposition, fire would have an advantage over wind.

"Chu Feng, we're both members of the five major clans of the capital. Shouldn't we stand united? Who would have thought that you would oppose everyone here on behalf of some hunter with nothing to his name? Are you really that righteous, or are you just a fool?" Zhou Hong mocked Chu Feng confidently. 

From his perspective, he had already won the match.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Chu Feng activated his footwork technique and dashed toward Zhou Hong. A gale of wind blew by, caressing the strands of his hair. For a brief moment, he seemed untethered to the mortal world.

His opponent, Zhou Hong, surged with genetic energy, as though he were smothering himself in a dense layer of smoke. Zhou Hong was a careful hunter, and the first thing he did was to protect himself against attack.

In contrast, Chu Feng's offense seemed far more impactful. The onlookers were left with the sensation that Chu Feng was a strong hunter indeed.

The moment he vanished from sight, Zhou Hong felt a devastating gale blowing right toward him so strongly that he couldn't even keep his eyes open. However, his defense wasn't for naught.

Chu Feng was certainly a strong opponent, but Zhou Hong wasn't weak, either. He punched forward with a flaming fist, shooting jets of flame into the air and forcing Chu Feng back.

Zhou Hong's dull-looking defense actually empowered his flames significantly, fortifying him and protecting him as though he were encased within a live volcano.

Fortunately, Chu Feng's reflexes were quick enough to dodge the blow; if he had been hit by the roiling waves of fire and downed by Zhou Hong's very first attack, his reputation would have been ruined.

The two competitors had each gained a measure of the other's strength.

Green gusts of wind and fiery bursts of flame filled the field. Neither party used a weapon; this fight would solely be determined by framework and technique, strength and constitution, and their reserves of genetic energy.

"[Wind Palm]!"

"[Fists of Flame]!"

With an explosion of genetic energy, palm and fist met each other, shaking the entire castle. Amidst the dense smoke that resulted, both combatants stumbled a few steps back, neither having gained the advantage from the clash.

Zhou Hong, successor to the Zhou clan and the strongest among the Zhou hunters of his generation, was at the top of the Maple settlement's gene leaderboard, and it was only natural that he would have true skill.

Chu Feng's gaze filled with excitement. Ever since he had advanced to the second position on the Blacksteel settlement's gene leaderboard, he hadn't had such an enjoyable fight.

Flames surged all around the battlefield, as did gusts of wind so sharp they felt like blades.

The two hunters within tangled together. With another huge explosion, they stumbled apart, a few superficial injuries marring their skin. Neither combatant had yet displayed their true strength; they were simply warming up and testing the other party.

After yet another clash, they grew tired of dancing around each other, and each began to gather genetic energy around them. Around Chu Feng swirled a whirlwind; around Zhou Hong, a storm of fire. Both were rapidly growing larger by the second, and as they glanced at each other, their masses of genetic energy reaching a peak, they shouted almost simultaneously,

"[Hallowed Winds]!"

"[Primeval Fire]!"

A blinding green light and a frightening blast of fire impacted against each other, causing a massive quake. The gathered hunters lost their footing, and the clocktower and nearby buildings crumbled into oblivion.

Clouds of dust and grit scoured the battlefield, swirling without end. The hunters nearby were all astounded by the strength of the combatants.

Because this was only a match, and not a fight to the death, neither of them used their weapons or soulshards—but even with bare hands and fists, with technique alone, they had wrought such devastation! 

So these were the successors to the major clans of the capital!

The flames and whirling wind dissipated in a matter of moments, but silence filled the battlefield. Everyone craned their necks, trying to discern what lay at its heart, at the intersection of green and red.

"They... couldn't have both perished, could they?"

"I doubt it, it's only a match! Would the successors of the great clans die so easily?"

The smoke finally cleared, revealing a lone figure.

"It's Chu Feng!" someone shouted, and everyone focused their attention on what lay ahead of them.

Much of Chu Feng's garments had been swallowed up by the flame, and he looked quite the worse for wear, but, most importantly, the tip of his pointer finger was touching Zhou Hong's throat.

A small jab would be all it took to kill Zhou Hong.

"Not bad, Zhou Hong. It's a pity that your opponent was me—you've lost!"

The Yun and Chu delegations erupted in cheers.