Yang Bin crashed into Li Jing embrace. "I won! I won!" Tears were about to leak out from how happy he was.
Li Jing smiled, as she embraced him. Even though Yang Bin was still sweaty and had his armor on, she didn't mind at all.
By the side, Yang Gang nodded at him. It was his way of applauding him. "Well done. I didn't expect your mastery over Extreme Piercing Finger to be so great that you are able to control the length of the qi that coats your finger. You did not slack off during your practices. Also, aiming for the heart is a little vicious, but I'm more surprised that you are able to find it despite not being taught. Overall, it was passable."
Hearing Yang Gang's praises for him, Yang Bin laughed awkwardly. "Dad, you overpraise me. I didn't know how I was able to lengthen the qi on my technique; I was only trying to attack faster. And I didn't intentionally aim for the heart. It somehow just happened."
The slight smile on Yang Gang's face vanished. "It seems like I have greatly overestimated you. A bit disappointing."
The last comment nearly caused Yang Bin to fall. If not for Li Jing, he would have collapsed. He regretted saying anything.
"Son, why don't you sit down and watch the next fight?" Noticing that, Li Jing offered her seat.
Yang Bin tiredly agreed and took off his fractured armor. Now that the excitement had died down, he felt exhausted. He glanced at the stage, where the battle had started. Blinking, he rubbed his eyes, as if he saw something astonishing.
The battle was between two males. The one on the left was bald and wearing a long orange monk robe. Even though he didn't look very strong- in fact, he looked rather weak- the monk was able to block every single punch his opponent was throwing at him with ease. Using his palms, he blocked the attacks over and over, without fighting back.
His opponent was similar to Yang Qiang, large and bulky. He was at least a head taller than the monk. When this goliath noticed that the monk wasn't fighting back, he increased the strength and speed of his attacks.
The monk was like a human sandbag, but that wasn't what surprised Yang Bin. It was the fact that the "sandbag" wasn't wearing the wooden armor that surprised him.
Yang Gang pulled a seat next to Yang Bin. "That monk is an eighth rank body tempering cultivator. He intentionally battles without the armor."
Puzzled, Yang Bin asked Yang Gang, "Why would he do that?"
"After watching all of his battles, I speculate it is because of his technique. I don't know the specifics, but it seems like he needs to take damage in order for it to activate." Yang Gang answered.
"There's a technique like that?" Astonished, Yang Bin inquired.
Yang Gang nodded at the stage. "Watch closely."
Squinting his eyes, Yang Bin scrutinized the battle.
Crack, crack, crack! Loud cracking sounds were heard as the giant pummeled the monk. Each time the fist connected, Yang Bin could almost feel a shockwave being released. He could only imagine the strength behind each attack.
Despite that, the monk seemed at peace, completely undisturbed. There was a small smile on his face, as he effortlessly maneuvered his palms, which neither looked large nor sturdy.
Under Yang Bin's sharp eyes, both of the monk's palms gradually became brighter. At first, it was just a faint golden trace, but as the battle progressed, it glowed radiantly.
The bulky man noticed this and became vigilant. Wary of the shining palm, he slowed down the speed of his attacks. He braced himself for whatever was to come, but no matter how he prepared, he wasn't ready for what happened next.
The monk extended one of his golden palms. It appeared slow to Yang Bin's eyes; an attack that was easily avoidable.
The monk's opponent thought the same. He tried dodging, but suddenly he felt as if his feet were rooted in place. His eyes widened. He couldn't understand why. At the last moment, he brought his arms up to block the attack.
Bang!
A deafening boom resounded, shocking the audience and fighters. At the center of it, the giant was blasted away, pushed back to the edge of the platform. Trembling, he balanced himself. A sharp pain was felt from his arms, signaling broken bones. He looked at the monk in horror. That one palm was several magnitudes stronger than his punch. It felt like it had the force of all his punches combined.
Unfortunately, the monk wasn't done. He had only used one of his glowing palms, and there was a second one. Raising his other arm, he leaped forward.
Seeing the second golden palm, a chill ran down the giant back. There was no way he could block this. Without hesitation, he cried out. "I surrender!"
"The winner is Yang Tao!" A judge immediately declared.
The monk stopped in his tracks, and his glowing palm returned to normal. He cupped his fists and bowed. "Victory is in the spirit, not in the outcome. Thank you for the exchange of skills."
Yang Bin gulped as he watched this. For the majority of the fight, it looked like the monk, Yang Tao, was getting beaten up. Out of the blue, he unleashed his palm, and instantly ended the match. This turn of events was beyond Yang Bin's comprehension. He glanced at Yang Gang, asking for help.
Yang Gang ignored him. "As you can see, he is able to reflect the damage he takes back to the attacker. Judging from the expressions of this opponent and his previous one, I don't think that palm is avoidable either. The last one simply froze, when the palm came at him."
Yang Bin continued staring at him.
"What is it?" Yang Gang asked.
"Oh esteemed and omniscient father, could you show me the way?" Yang Bin asked earnestly.
Yang Gang's face twitched slightly. "Use your head. Since he can reflect damage, then don't fight him."
Yang Bin nodded. "Yes. Of course. If I don't attack, there will be nothing to reflect back. With this method, I won't be defeated by the monk." There was a moment of silence.
"Instead, I'll be crushed by the judge's pressure!" Yang Bin screamed. "I will still lose in the end! This method doesn't work!"
Yang Gang rubbed his ear. "Calm down. He'll lose first."
Yang Bin looked at him as if he was crazy. "That monk was strong enough to withstand all those punches. If it was me, I would be sent flying instantly. How am I supposed to believe that he'll lose first?"
"Seems like you didn't look close enough. What did the monk use to block those attacks?" Yang Gang replied.
"His palms? But what does that -" Yang Bin paused, as it finally clicked in his mind. "Are you saying that only his palms are that strong and not his body?"
"Correct. During this fight and the previous fight, he had blocked every attack with his palms. No one has managed to land a hit on his body yet. Even with your speed, I doubt you'll be able to overcome his impenetrable defense." Yang Gang explained.
Yang Bin was doubtful. "But if your assumption was correct, why would he battle without the armor?"
Yang Gang hesitated slightly. "I'm not sure. Could be a requirement of the technique." Yang Gang admitted. "Though, I am very certain of my assumption. He appears scrawnier than you, and there isn't a single body cultivating technique of your level that can produce this kind of effect."
Yang Bin was still uncertain, but considering what happened in the previous fight, he decided to trust Yang Gang's hunch.
"Since this is your plan, you should prepare for it." Yang Gang suddenly said.
Yang Bin turned to Yang Gang. "Prepare? How do I prepare for such a thing?"
Yang Gang stared directly into Yang Bin's eyes.
Unsettled, Yang Bin started to rise from his seat. He was preparing to bolt away. "Dad, I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't like it."
"Sit back down." Yang Gang said. A formless pressure flared from him, directed at Yang Bin.
"Wait. Wait!" Yang Bin cried out, but it was too late. The qi around him constricted and suppressed him, forcing him back to his seat.
While Yang Bin was struggling under Yang Gang's pressure, the battles on the stage had come to an end. There were only ten participants left, and unsurprisingly, they were all eighth rank body tempering cultivators. None of the seventh rank cultivators has been able to defeat their stronger opponent, as Yang Lan did.
"That concludes the second stage of the exam. The third stage will begin after an hour." Yang Yugang declared.
"Good, that's plenty of time. I'll keep up this pressure for 30 more minutes, and then you can use the remaining 30 minutes to recover." Yang Gang said.
Red faced and sweating profusely, Yang Bin opened his mouth and tried to protest, but heavier pressure descended on him. He was forced to spend all his effort and concentration in order to resist the pressure.
An hour later, Yang Bin dragged his weary body up the stairs with a new set of wooden armor.