The Comatose Dragon kicking away a Rank Holder like Hai Tuo? If that was just a simple gossip that circulated in the Outer Court, everyone would dismiss it as hearsay. In their world of cultivation, jumping ranks to defeat an opponent might not be unheard of but it's rare. Even more unbelievable would be if it was the Comatose Dragon who was deemed as trash who did it.
Nonetheless, the duel had just begun. Kicking Hai Tuo rolling away was just the opening act.
Shi Long might have gotten the first hit but he was still far from defeating his opponent. Besides, most disciples wouldn't wish for him to win. They all betted their spirit stones to Hai Tuo's victory!
That's why when they recognized what was happening, a loud furor echoed in the Dueling Stage. Some shouted for Hai Tuo to stand up and fight. Some were cursing at Shi Long for hitting back. And lastly, some who straight up wanted him to kneel, surrender and apologize.
But all of those fell on deaf ears.
Shi Long didn't relax at all. He, himself, was aware that the kick wasn't enough to take the twerp down. It's a simple kick unaided by a spiritual qi enhancement.
If Hai Tuo got knocked down by it, he'd be too disappointed even if it would be his win.
'After all his obnoxious air of arrogance, he couldn't be weaker than that Berserk Swine, right? I even pushed myself to understand that lost manual…'
Shi Long inwardly shook his head.
Because he had just received an enhancement through Body Cultivation, he failed to notice that the previous pressure that was pressing him down when standing in front of Hai Tuo had already disappeared.
The harmonious connection of his Spirit and Body Cultivation put him up the ranks of a normal cultivator.
A few seconds later, Hai Tuo stood back up, part of his robes noticeably had skid marks and were about to be cut open. Even so, what's more emphasized was his face showing a mix of shock, confusion, and horror.
'What has just happened? How did he dodge it?'
Those questions baffled him as he overbearingly pulled himself up and corrected his stance.
No matter how he spun his head around it, Hai Tuo couldn't believe that Shi Long dodged and even managed to land a counterattack.
Hai Tuo, despite being an idiot, checked earlier. Apart from Shi Long's unusual confidence, he looked as ordinary as he could be.
"A trash's luck."
Once again, the upstart came up with his own reason for what his opponent showed. Brushing away the other possibilities that could've happened to Shi Long over the past few days.
The same as most disciples, his cultivation technique is the Heart of Mighty Dragon. Despite it being a method for his spirit cultivation, it allowed one to have the gallant air of a mighty dragon, albeit in increasing intensity.
With his spiritual qi imploding from his body his bones crackled as a liberating feeling washed over him. Then taking a clear stance on the martial arts he picked up, he once again charged toward Shi Long.
BANG!
Their fists met and Hai Tuo found himself unable to gain superiority. He retracted his hand and spun backward before charging again,
Punch, kick, dodge, block, counterattack.
The two combatants progressively became more engaged but one detail prevailed.
Shi Long wasn't in any way disadvantaged!
He's truly fighting Hai Tuo head-on!
At the moment, they looked like experts bringing out their all at this duel.
Little by little, those cursing Shi Long stopped and were replaced by cheers at the grand display of the battle.
"How?! How are you able to keep up?!" Amidst their exchanges of fists, Hai Tuo's mental stability started to crumble. He was called many flattering titles but 'genius' was what he adorned on his head.
He reached the 4th Stage Spirit Gathering Realm in a year whereas most disciples would need two or three years for it! Hence, his arrogance.
However, having Shi Long match his strength and speed, that title was slowly being stripped away from him and in his mind, he found it settling on top of Shi Long's head.
"Why will I tell you?" Shi Long coolly responded. He received another fist from Hai Tuo and delivered his counterattack that was blocked by the twerp.
'If this is his full strength, discounting the fact that he's not using any martial technique, then… he's definitely nothing special. A poor and talentless boy who got boosted by his father.'
Spiritual qi was something inherent in the world. Cultivators absorb it to nourish themselves, transforming it into their own.
But obviously, those at the lower stage had limited spiritual qi stored in their dantians. If it got depleted, they'd experience Qi Exhaustion, putting them in a weakened state for at least a week up to a whole month.
At the moment, Shi Long, who mostly relied on his body's resilience to partly offset the pain from Hai Tuo's spiritual qi-enhanced attacks, still had an abundance of his spiritual qi on reserve.
He's being frugal at using them even though he could deliver the same 12 Lions of strength if he did so. But there's a reason for him doing that.
He's saving it up for something else.
The lost manual of Zhan Jun that he managed to comprehend. Initially, it was truly incomprehensible because of how damaged it was. However, after getting the assistance of the system, it was restored partially using Leech Points, letting him read the first part of it.
That was where the latter half of his time went down.
If Hai Tuo's Rock Shattering Fist originated from the martial arts that he was practicing, the lost manual was actually a scroll of a Heaven-grade Mystical Ability – as stated and identified by the system – called Supreme Formless Art.
Mystical Ability is different from a Martial Technique. While the former is an ability derived from the endless nature of spiritual qi, the latter is a culmination of a Martial Art, like Hai Tuo's Rock Shattering Fist.
A few minutes later, Hai Tuo who still couldn't gain any advantage against Shi Long finally started becoming desperate.
He jumped back to put a bit of a distance before quickly doing the sequence to unleash his martial technique.
"Let's see if you can dodge this!" Hai Tuo shouted as his spiritual qi exploded in his fist.
Shi Long thought of shouting how he had already dodged it before but refrained from doing so.
Because what Hai Tuo showed was surprisingly different from what he remembered.
Shi Long gasped in a bit of wonder as he concluded in his mind, 'So, that's not the true form of his Rock Shattering Fist.'
In a moment, Shi Long found himself sucked in an invisible vortex and straight into the range of Hai Tuo's fist.
The glow of the spiritual qi was a bit blinding to the eye but he could definitely feel the tremendous strength exuding from Hai Tuo's fist.
"I have to reestablish my image, right? Then… Isn't this the best moment for it?" Shi Long muttered to himself as he planted his feet on the hard stage.
His spiritual qi reserve furiously roared as it rapidly flowed and circulated along his energy channels, heightening his presence. Following that, as though night suddenly fell, a patch of a dark, eerie curtain of spiritual qi rose from behind him.
Before Hai Tuo's fist could reach him, Shi Long's cold gaze focused on his opponent as he silently whispered, "Supreme Formless Art, First Iteration: Nightfall!"
A moment later, the curtain of darkness expanded and engulfed Hai Tuo, expunging the flickering light of his domineering fist.