Martial Arts Master

“What just happened?” Liu Chang remained stunned until Lin Que left the arena with Geezer Shi. He turned to Chen Sansheng with a blank look.

The series of changes in the last stage of the first round had been so abnormal that he still couldn’t understand it. At first, Peng Leyun, who was about to win the game, suddenly slowed down, acting like a puppet, giving Lin Que a miraculous opportunity to turn the tide. Then Lin Que, who was originally much weaker than Peng Leyun, had begun to launch fierce attacks at his opponent as if he had advanced to an immortal overnight. However, the exploding sound and blaze didn’t last long. Lin Que had given up and the referee hurried to stop the match, announcing that Peng Leyun was the winner.

The whole process was just like an amazing dream!

The world is just marvelous! It’s not because I’m too stupid to understand what has happened!

Liu Chang’s words startled Sansheng, who checked his mood and then replied,

“Lin Que awakened his supernatural ability…”

“Supernatural ability?” Liu Chang gave him a blank look.

He had never seen a disciple of a great sect awaken his or her supernatural ability in such a horrible way without controlling it.

“Yes. You see,” Chen Sansheng pointed to the slow-motion replay the broadcasting director was playing, “Lin Que was not standing still. He was actually moving slowly as if being trapped in a swamp. Chang, does it remind you of anything?”

“The power of earth, one of the features of the Fighting Sect!” Liu Chang suddenly realized what had happened. “Lin Que awakened his supernatural ability and thus restricted Peng Leyun for a short time while saving himself. After that, he tried to defeat Peng Leyun with force gathered from the explosion made by his awakened supernatural ability, but Peng Leyun was still tough enough to block his attack and finally defeated him since he’d begun to suffer from the backfire of his supernatural ability.”

All Liu Chang’s problems were solved.

“But, but he is a disciple of the Shushan Sect. Haven’t his masters and parents taught him how to awaken his supernatural ability in a slow, safe way?” Liu Chang raised a new question.

Only those without the support of a great sect would encounter such a situation when awakening their supernatural abilities.

Chen Sansheng was a warrior many years ago and had collected much relevant information. He knew that Lin Que’s father was once a coach at Songcheng University. He sighed with emotion. “Lin Que knows the risks involved in doing this. And he knows he might suffer a lot but gain little. But he must do it at any costs without hesitation as a responsible warrior!”

Liu Chang was about to continue when Lou Cheng appeared on the broadcasting screen.

Liu Chang saw Peng Leyun’s burnt clothing and pale face. He was still trembling. He couldn’t help saying in surprise,

“Peng Leyun is injured!”

“Things are becoming more and more interesting…” Chan Sansheng raised his eyebrows and sighed. His emotions were complicated.

Lin Que’s “blaze” had really lit the fire of hope for everyone of Songcheng University. They would wait to see if Lou Cheng could seize the opportunity and defeat the Big Devil!

…

“Ah…” Yan Xiaoling opened her eyes after hearing the host and special guest’s conversation. She wanted to cry in joy.

Turning unconsciously to look at Mu Jinnian, she found her roommate sobbing and wiping her face with a tissue.

Posts filled with acclamation and emotion began to pour into Lou Cheng’s forum.

“Lin Que was really a tough fighter. He even dared to risk his life,” wrote Unparalleled Dragon King.

…

“I can’t believe it…” He Xiaowei touched his small, thick beard and murmured to himself, “Have I really acquired a supernatural ability like Poisonous Milk?”

Checking his Weibo, he found several new comments.

“I kneel down to you sincerely. I shouldn’t have doubted your ability.”

“Immortal one, can I be your disciple?”

“How could he turn the tide in such circumstances? I can’t believe it (covering ears with hands emoji).”

“In the beginning, I believed only in destiny. But it was you, Poisonous Milk, that I could never see clearly.”

In another room somewhere in the city, an All-knowing Man in Ganghood took a deep breath and told himself that even an injured Peng Leyun was still able to defeat Lou Cheng or force Lou Cheng to use up his energy. Thus, he could easily be defeated by Fang Zhirong in the third round.

…

In the stands, Ji Mingyu sat clenching and unclenching her fist.

“That brat, that brat…”

She didn’t know how to scold Lin Que.

He must have inherited the ancestral traits of the Ji clan, headstrong and stubborn.

“It was indeed his style…” Yan Kai sighed. He had experienced a lot and thus knew how much it had cost Lin Que to do something like that.

Taking a glance at his wife, he put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

“Don’t worry. Coach Shi and our parents are all taking care of him. They won’t let him suffer much. We have all done things in our youth without considering the outcome, right?””

His wife, Ji Mingyu, sighed and then replied,

“Now he only has a fifty percent chance of reaching the physical invulnerability stage.”

If Lin Que had been learning and practicing in a normal way, it would have been easy for him to reach the upper inhuman stage and prepare for the physical-invulnerability stage. He would have enough time and potential. Now, however, it would take him at least a year to recover from the injury. Though he might have a better physical condition because of his awakened supernatural ability and reach Sixth-Pin in a short time, it would be difficult for him to reach the inhuman state, and there would be more challenges and obstacles on his martial arts road.

Yan Kai opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he immediately gave up. The guy who had stolen away his princess was now standing in front of Peng Leyun.

The atmosphere in the gymnasium again became tense, choking all the audience.

…

In the substitutes’ seats of Songcheng University, Geezer Shi stopped the backfire within Lou Cheng’s body and then asked Li Mao and Cai Zongming to carry him to the emergency room for further treatment. Yan Zheke almost burst out sobbing when she saw her pale-skinned brother covered with a layer of frost. Clenching her fists tightly to hold back the tears, she was determined to shoulder the burden with her brother.

Turning her gaze to the arena, she could see nothing but Lou Cheng’s figure.

There is not enough time for me to cheer you up this time, but I’m always with you!

In the seats of Shanbei University, Fang Zhirong, Xu Wannian, and the others had serious looks as they were stressed.

For the first time, they were not sure if they could win the championship!

The next round would determine the final result!

…

Lou Cheng’s voice was still echoing in the arena, as if it had turned into a pillar piercing into the sky and giving out an acoustic wave that shocked the audience’s minds.

Fueled by the desire to fight, Lou Cheng turned into a gust of wind, bolted into the arena and stopped in front of Peng Leyun.

With the increasing adrenaline, his blood was pulsing through his body. Lou Cheng felt like his qi and blood were even more exuberant now, enabling him to be quicker and more powerful than usual, as if he had taken stimulants.

Normally speaking, with the help of such momentum, it was time for him to launch a direct attack and thus suppress his opponent and defeat him within seconds. However, Lou Cheng knew clearly that Peng Leyun was a real tough warrior. He deserved the title favored fighter of the age and the nickname “Big Devil.” Even though Peng Leyun was injured, he was still not a normal fighter whom Lou Cheng could defeat without hesitation. If Lou Cheng underestimated his opponent, Peng Leyun might win this round quickly!

Of course, his present condition fueled by his inner blaze and excitement would help him a lot. He couldn’t abandon this advantage. He should fight using the style Geezer Shi had once taught him.

Fighting fiercely while keeping your mind cool!

As aggressive as fire, as calm as ice!

Peng Leyun couldn’t resist more than three Internal Explosions under such circumstances!

Thoughts flashing across his mind, then he saw the referee raise his right hand. In front of him, Peng Leyun’s eyes were glittering like two bolts of lightning that lit up the surroundings. Lou Cheng felt his soul trembling.

The referee waved down his palm and announced,

“Start! ”

Crack! Lou Cheng and Peng Leyun took action at the same time. Lou Cheng made an explosion in his Dantian, tightening the muscles in his legs and then pouncing toward his opponent. Peng Letun withdrew and then released his qi and blood, lowering and lifting the center of his gravity in a short time. After which, he flashed towards Lou Cheng with a Flash Attack.

They both chose to attack their opponents directly from the start!

This round was already at a climax, and it had just begun!

They were flying towards each other at high speeds and had no time to adjust themselves in mid-air. They had to change directions slightly and tighten their muscles in preparation for a collision.

BANG!

It was like a two-car collision in the arena with a loud cracking sound and rolling air billowing.

Lou Cheng and Peng Leyun seemed to be pinned in mid-air, and the audience could see their trembling muscles and springing tendons clearly. In an instant, they separated and began to take steps back, cracking the stones under their feet.

As soon as he balanced himself, Lou Cheng arched his back with both arms hanging naturally and then shook his wrist to throw a sphere of icy light and a fireball at Peng Leyun.

The attack of ice and fire!

Lou Cheng made the series of attacks within a short distance. Peng Leyun was unable to take his Big Dipper stance in time. Now he could do nothing but block Lou Cheng’s attack with his flesh.

The light in Peng Leyun’s eyes became even brighter. Strips of lightning appeared in his palms. He clapped both hands in front of his chest.

Bang!

Unlike the sharp snap everyone had just heard, this time there was a clap of thunder bursting overhead. The sound waves and air surge immediately swept Lou Cheng’s balls of light and blaze, which hadn’t formed completely yet. Lou Cheng was shocked.

Sizzle!

Peng Leyun separated his hands, showing the blade-like lightning in between.

Crack!

He lashed out at Lou Cheng with a horrible lightning blade!

If he hadn’t been affected by the thunder, Lou Cheng would have noticed the moment Peng Leyun was about to separate his hands and would’ve taken action in time. However, now the die was cast!

With a sizzle, Lou Cheng’s hair stood on end. His clothes were burned, exposing the scorched skin underneath.

“Thunder from a Clear Sky. Cloudless Thunder Blade…” Chen Sansheng said in astonishment. He had never expected Peng Leyun, who was injured, to still gain an advantageous position and make an opportunity for himself within such a short time!

It was a physical invulnerability killer move of the Thunder Sect. Peng Leyun hadn’t actually mastered it yet, even its simplified version. He was just imitating its key moves to create a similar movement!

Peng Leyun bounced back smoothly and shot to Lou Cheng’s side. Then he visualized lightning attacking the ground and catching everything on fire.

As if stimulated at the hub of qi and blood, his Dantian, and coccyx by the lightning, a horrible force burst out of Peng Leyun’s body. Tightening the muscles in his arms, Peng Leyun covered his fist with red blaze and charged toward Lou Cheng at the speed of spreading fire.

The fifteenth item of Thunder Sect, a simplified trick of physical invulnerability: Thunder Seal!

This move helped him enhance his strength quickly with the blaze covering him. It wasn’t until he’d begun morphing and acquired advanced supernatural ability that Peng Leyun mastered its core!

At this moment, Lou Cheng recovered from his numbness

Though he knew that Peng Leyun was a tough guy and that he had the ability to defeat him even after suffering such a great injury, he had never expected that Peng Leyun should be so powerful and horrible as to endanger him at the beginning of the round!

Turning his mind into an Ice Mirror to reflect every detail of the battle, Lou Cheng stopped completing his unfinished Force Concentration as a thought flashed across his mind. Instead, he drove the cold wave to flow within his body and finally gather in his right arm.

Crack! He made an explosion in his shoulder and raised his arm to block Peng Leyun’s Thunderbolt Fire in a hurry!

Bang!

As soon as Peng Leyun’s arm hit Lou Cheng’s upper arm, he felt a burst of ice wave. Lou Cheng had lowered his center of gravity and then gathered all his qi, blood, Force and spirit in his Dantian, giving Peng Leyun a feeling as if he had punched into the air.

The blaze that should have been spreading outside was restricted in its original position and put down by the icy mist.

Lou Cheng was actually applying a strategy Ann Chaoyang had once used in a previous competition. He predicted Peng Leyun’s movement with his Ice Mirror and then blocked the Thunderbolt Fire with Force Concentration!

Of course, things were different now. The attack Lou Cheng was facing this time was different from Ann Chaoyang, and thus he must arrange the actions he should take in a different order. With Ann Chaoyang, he had to prevent his mind from freezing from the Severe Warning, which had forced him to withdraw his spirit. This time Lou Cheng was worrying about the burn entering into his body and causing internal injuries. As a result, Lou Cheng had to spout out the frost mist in advance to counteract the influence of the blaze.

At this moment, since Lou Cheng had gathered all his feelings in his Dantian, the balance within his body was broken and the wave of Force began flowing towards his left arm.

Taking the opportunity to visualize the Thunder Cloud in his mind, Lou Cheng shook his shoulders, tightened his muscles, and stretched out his left fist to punch downward.

The first blow of Thunder Roar Zen!

Peng Leyun sensed the danger when his Thunderbolt Fire hadn’t been completed. He had already withdrawn his qi and blood to make the same explosion as Lou Cheng. He flung his right arm to draw an arc in the air.

BANG!

The moment Peng Leyun’s fist collided with Lou Cheng’s, he felt a power much greater than his and a spreading wave of impact, shocking his muscles, tendons, and vessels immediately and sharpening his inner injuries from Lin Que’s Meteor Blast.

CRACK!

Peng Leyun was forced to step heavily into the ground under such a horrible force. It stopped him from taking steps backward and defusing the influence.

With the help of the Force he’d borrowed from Peng Leyun’s previous attack, Lou Cheng forced Peng Leyun to stop with just one joint attack. Now he had the opportunity to adjust his muscles and visualize a Great Sun in his mind.

The torrent of blaze gathered together and began to shrink to a core in a pre-exploding state. Then a divinity with a human head and beast body appeared, suppressing all the force in the arena.

The simplified physical invulnerability, Internal Explosion!

Just as Lou Cheng was about to raise his arm and make a key attack, the part of his body that had been hit by Peng Leyun’s Thunderbolt Fire suddenly began to ache.

It was dangerous to defuse a simplified version of a physical-invulnerability movement with Force Concentration, not to mention that Thunderbolt Fire was well-known for its explosive power. Though Lou Cheng had weakened the power of Peng Leyun’s attack by defusing and borrowing, the remaining power had still injured his shoulder, fascia, and bone, adding difficulty to his gathering force… Lou Cheng began analyzing the present situation quickly.

Maybe the bone in his right arm was broken!

Damn it! Just seize this opportunity at any costs!

Lots of scenes began flashing through Lou Cheng’s mind, like Lin Que’s child-like smile, Ke’s expectations and sadness. Lou Cheng clenched his teeth, swung his right arm, and punched at Peng Leyun’s abdomen.

The moment Peng Leyun felt the shock and was forced to step into the ground, he immediately understood what would happen next. He rushed to withdraw his qi and force to alleviate his inner injury while maintaining his Double Explosion.

BANG!

He stretched the fingers of his left hand and pressed down at high speed to make room for Lou Cheng’s punch while pushing it out at the same time!

BAM!

As if a time bomb had finally exploded within his body, Peng Leyun felt his five viscera and six bowels shaking. His qi and blood began to roll.

His internal injury had gotten worse!

Peng Leyun hurried to take a breath and made the third Force Concentration.

On the other side, Lou Cheng had lost his balance from the explosive force and was now tottering backward.

When Lou Cheng finally balanced himself, he immediately withdrew his qi and blood and jumped up to pounce at Peng Leyun.

Crack! He punched Peng Leyun’s temple.

Peng Leyun remained calm in the face of Lou Cheng’s attack. Taking advantage of the force bursting out from his Dantian, he shrugged to block Lou Cheng’s fist with one arm.

Bang! With a dull thud, Lou Cheng’s joints and fascia snapped and stretched to drive his fingers at Peng Leyun’s head like five awls.

There was a beam of cool light glimmering atop each finger like arrows and needles!

Ice Sect, 21st move, Aurora!

In an instant, Peng Leyun felt his blood freeze. His temple was aching. He was forced to turn sideways to dodge using Turtle Shell. Then he felt Lou Cheng’s Aurora.

Of course, Lou Cheng wouldn’t let go of this opportunity. He immediately visualized another great sun and was about to make another Internal Explosion with his left fist.

Whirlpools appeared within Peng Leyun’s body. They began spinning at high speed, covering Peng Leyun with a layer of vague electric spark.

Lou Cheng felt a sudden repulsion force and was immediately pushed back one meter.

Peng Leyun charged towards Lou Cheng. The visualization in his mind kept changing. A piece of jasper appeared in the air, formed by lightning. It had complicated characters on it.

SIZZLE! A dazzling light surged out as the two great forces representing Yin and Yang collided with each other,

Crack! Peng Leyun raised one arm, tightened all his muscles, and punched downward with the power of a deity.

An item of the Thunder Sect, a simplified trick of physical invulnerability: Thunder Seal!

Lou Cheng immediately withdrew all his force and gathered it together in his Dantian. He punched upward to block Peng Leyun’s attack.

Bang!

Lou Cheng’s hair stood on end once more and his head seemed to be fuming. He was now suffering numbness all over his body and couldn’t keep balance. On the other side, Peng Leyun was forced to take a few steps back from the explosive force of Lou Cheng’s Dantian.

Peng Leyun’s retreat gave Lou Cheng several seconds to take a breath and get rid of the numbness with Force Concentration. Without hesitation, Peng Leyun began making the same crazy serial explosions, throwing as many bolts of lightning at Lou Cheng as he could.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Peng Leyun’s attack was much like the Divine Punch that had once appeared in the arena, but it was slower and more powerful than that. It came in hard on the heel of Dan stage explosion.

With no time to gather strength, Lou Cheng had to make continuous explosions with the help of Ice Mirror’s prediction to block Peng Leyun as fast as he could.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The two began running and chasing, shattering all the tiles they stepped on into flying pieces.

“What a match…” Chen Sansheng finally got a chance to make his comment, “a little fierce.”

Yes, he used the word “fierce” instead of “great” or “wonderful”!

Both Lou Cheng and Peng Leyun were able to create opportunities for themselves in the split second when their opponent was preparing for another movement. As a result, the collision of simplified versions of physical invulnerability hadn’t appeared on the arena as expected yet, for the two fighters had been blocking each other’s attacks with the explosion of Dantian, which seemed to be so fierce.

It proved that they had both met their match in the arena. Neither of them had taken the upper hand yet!

“Maybe Lou Cheng must endure this to defeat Peng Leyun, the Big Devil,” Liu Chang echoed with emotion.

Crack Crack Crack! Bang Bang Bang! When the two had both finished their ninth explosions, Peng Leyun came to an abrupt stop and took a deep breath.

BUZZ! The whirlpools within his body began to spin crazily, creating an odd suction under the cover of lightning. Lou Cheng, who was punching at his opponent with Tremor Punch, was caught off guard and suddenly skidded forward!

As an experienced fighter, Peng Leyun obviously knew more fighting skills than Lou Cheng!

A chance appeared!

Instead of gathering his Force in his Dantian or preparing to use the simplified version of physical invulnerability, Peng Leyun tightened the muscles in his right arm and threw it at Lou Cheng’s neck as a Single Kick!

Facing the approaching fist, Lou Cheng had only two choices. One was to give up his stance and roll sideways to dodge this attack. The other was to stand still and create an opportunity at the cost of getting himself injured. However, Peng Leyun’s punch was followed by a series of attacks, and Lou Cheng couldn’t resist them each time.

Keeping calm, Lou Cheng lowered the center of his gravity and moved an inch to the right, “welcoming” Peng Leyun with his shoulder.

He’s finished…” Chen Sansheng murmured.

Crack!

Peng Leyun hit Lou Cheng with his Single Kick. However, it was not Lou Cheng’s bone that had broken but a layer of ice covering his shoulder. No one knew when or where the ice had appeared.

Ice Sect, 15th move, Ice Armor!

It was an application of supernatural ability that had only taken Lou Cheng three days to master back in March. Though Lou Cheng still couldn’t block the simplified version of physical invulnerability and the Dan stage explosion, it was enough for him to resist other normal attacks!

In a competition between the mighty, any mistake would lead to a crazy counterattack from the other side. Without hesitation, Peng Leyun drove his qi and blood back to prevent Lou Cheng’s killer move.

Of course, Lou Cheng couldn’t miss this chance. He had already begun visualizing a great sun and the god of fire in his mind when he turned his body sideways!

Stretching his body, Lou Cheng drove the condensed fireball into his fist, despite the ache in his right arm, and gave Peng Leyun a quick punch.

The simplified physical invulnerability, Internal Explosion!

The second bout!

BAM!

Though Peng Leyun punched downward in time to repulse Lou Cheng’s attack with the explosive Force of his Dantian, the horrible Force in Lou Cheng’s fist still bit into his body and worsened his inner injury. He was aching all over, as if on fire, and almost spat blood.

As a fighter with the same firmness of will as Lou Cheng, Peng Leyun immediately withdrew some Force to release the pain and launched a flash attack at Lou Cheng!

Lou Cheng kept his stance with the Dan stage explosion and was about to evoke Peng Leyun’s inner injury thoroughly with Thunder Roar Zen as he had done in the competition with Ren Li!

However, Peng Leyun had noticed Lou Cheng’s injured right arm. He adjusted his footwork and began attacking the right half of Lou Cheng’s body, forcing him to block with his right fist. With the rising pain in his bone and fascia, Lou Cheng had to slow down.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thunder Roar Zen echoed. Peng Leyun struggled to keep withdrawing and releasing the Force in his Dantian with ten explosions. As for Lou Cheng, his forehead was now covered with cold sweat as it became harder and harder to raise his right arm.

Clenching his teeth, Lou Cheng tried to stimulate himself with the pain. In the next round of attacks from his opponent, he suddenly stretched out his right hand to grasp Peng Leyun without defending himself.

It was the time to take action!

Crack! Lou Cheng felt his broken bone get even worse as he grasped Peng Leyun’s fist. Blue veins stood out on his hands and fingers like Chinese dragons.

He poured the frost and cold current within his body into Peng Leyun’s directly instead of continuing to punch him.

Peng Leyun became stiff for a moment but soon recovered. He immediately withdrew qi and blood instead of attacking back with his thunder and lightning supernatural ability.

With the explosion of Force in his Dantian, Peng Leyun jumped backward to dodge Lou Cheng’s attacks.

He was unable to resist another Internal Explosion!

However, Lou Cheng didn’t use a simplified version of physical invulnerability as expected. Instead, he used a Force Concentration to release the pain in his arm.

Tightening the muscles in his legs, Lou Cheng stepped heavily onto the ground, shattering tiles, and then jumped up to dash towards Peng Leyun.

He raised both hands to make a gesture while visualizing ancient characters in his mind. He spoke with a low voice,

“Bing!”

Peng Leyun, who was about to attack back, became stiff again. He was now at the limit of his strength, and every move Lou Cheng made was like a blade aimed at his neck.

However calm he was under normal circumstances, he was now unable to visualize the god of thunder in his mind to make a counter attack as he usually did. His inner injury had begun to stir up trouble and affect his spirit!

Now was the time!

Fueled with excitement, Lou Cheng again visualized a great sun with horrible blaze in his mind.

The god of fire stepped out from somewhere in the air with his fire dragon to suppress the explosion in time.

Bang!

Staring steadily at Peng Leyun, Lou Cheng tightened all his muscles and threw his left fist somewhere between Peng Leyun’s chest and abdomen.

The third blow of Internal Explosion!

Peng Leyun struggled to raise his arms and block Lou Cheng’s attack.

Bam!

Peng Leyun’s capillary vessels broke and painted everything he saw in red. A feeling of dizziness blocked all his senses.

Despite his aching arm, Lou Cheng stepped up to make his last punch and stopped his fist near Peng Leyun’s neck.

The referee raised his right hand and loudly declared,

“Round two, Lou Cheng!”

Round two, Lou Cheng had won… Lou Cheng finally relaxed his muscles and took a deep breath. This might have been his most difficult battle ever.

Peng Leyun had calmed down and was about to say something. Then suddenly he spat a mouthful of blood and fell onto the ground.

The Big Devil had finally fallen.