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Eighteen to nine, nine to five, draw lots, one person gets a bye.
Five to two, draw lots, one person gets a bye.
The top three winners...
Lin Yuan was among them.
Even Lin Yuan himself had not expected that he could improve so fast.
When he had sparred with that student who had practiced for two and a half years, he could only flail with the Tortoise Fist and still came up slightly short, defeated.
But now, in three battles, each opponent was stronger than the last, yet he was already able to clearly judge their offensive moves and make the corresponding counteractions.
He won with ease.
Though he had practiced only the Dragon Subduing Fist Manual, it seemed his understanding had been greatly elevated.
However, this made Zheng Yaolie's face look even more unpleasant.
Only a few days had passed?
And he had already mastered the Sprinting Step of the Descending Dragon Martial Hall to such proficiency that, with the addition of simple kicks and punches, he defeated his enemies with ease; initially wanting to gauge the extent of this individual's skills, apart from the martial techniques of the Descending Dragon Martial Hall, he saw nothing else.
Keeping his skills well hidden.
Zheng Yaolie said indifferently, "No need to continue fighting, just the three of you, come on at once."
As his words fell.
The other two showed excited expressions.
Without waiting for Lin Yuan to react, they had already quickly moved towards Zheng Yaolie.
Their coordination was tacit; one leaped high, snapping both legs together for a direct kick, while the other swept from below. Attacking from above and below, they complemented each other, even covering each other's weaknesses.
"Well done."
Zheng Yaolie remarked, then delivered a push kick... directed at the opponent who was relying on momentum from above, intending to strengthen his kick even more.
Strength against strength.
The opponent let out a scream, sent flying back even faster than he came with a fierce kick.
The attacker below saw his chance brighten.
His side kick aimed to hook the standing leg of Zheng Yaolie.
Lifting his leg, all he had to do was trip the other leg, and even an elite martial artist would undoubtedly fall to the ground.
Then, he would win.
But as legs collided...
He felt as if he had kicked an iron rod.
Feeling as if his bones were about to shatter on impact...
"Not bad performance, knowing to work together, but too bad you misjudged my strength!"
Zheng Yaolie said blandly, "And your mentor should have also taught you that when facing an opponent with unknown strength, hold back three parts and attack with seven, always leaving room for maneuver, and to avoid giving it your all. Knowing I'm stronger than both of you, you should have engaged in a drawn-out battle, looking for opportunities, not attempting to end it all in one go..."
Both men were in such pain that they couldn't get up, but as they listened to the elite martial artist's instruction, specifically aimed at them, they were captivated and momentarily forgot their pain.
Zheng Yaolie lived up to his reputation as an elite martial artist, his guidance penetrating to the core, addressing everyone's issues one by one.
In just a few minutes, everyone felt enlightened.
Afterward, he finally turned to Lin Yuan, who had remained still all this time; after such a roundabout way, he finally had the chance to legitimately discipline this youngster.
Zheng Yaolie asked nonchalantly, "Aren't you coming over? Don't worry, you may get hurt, but if I really find a flaw in you, I will certainly not be stingy with my advice."
Lin Yuan didn't answer.
He clenched his fist.
Sprinting Step charging forward.
Immediately, a student yelled out, "It's a basic step maneuver!"
"How can a basic step maneuver be so fast!"
Lin Yuan raised his hand, a punch aimed straight for Zheng Yaolie's face.
This move belonged to the beginning style of the Dragon Subduing Fist Manual—Single Dragon Seizing the Pearl!
Still hiding your origins at a time like this?
Zheng Yaolie's face suddenly turned extremely savage; facing the incoming fist, he didn't dodge or evade, instead moving forward to meet it.
Swinging his arm, throwing a punch.
Heading straight for Lin Yuan's left cheek!
It seemed he wanted to go for mutual destruction... no, his punch was faster...
It appeared to be mutual destruction.
But once hit, I'd likely be off-balance, and it would be difficult to strike him!
Lin Yuan decisively retracted his punch and stepped back!
Zheng Yaolie, seizing the advantage, did not relent, his steps as fast as thunder, bearing down on Lin Yuan.
No, he's seized the initiative!
Only then did Lin Yuan realize the importance of combat experience; with the opponent's momentum at its peak, he should have tried to cut him off rather than dodge aside; otherwise, once the momentum got going, it would be hard for him to counterattack.
The reality was indeed so.
Zheng Yaolie's punches came one after another, whirling like a tornado, stirring the wind and clouds; Lin Yuan, a bit slow to evade, even if not struck directly, merely the force of the wind was sufficient to leave a shallow cut on his face.
Lin Yuan wanted to regain the momentum, but as soon as he moved, his intent was seen through by his opponent.
Several attempts not only failed to regain the upper hand but also placed him in peril.
Had it not been for the chaotic Spiritual Energy in the air caused by the forceful blows, allowing him to barely anticipate in advance...
He might have been struck repeatedly by now.
Does this guy really want to severely injure me?
Lin Yuan was inwardly annoyed.
Little did Zheng Yaolie know that at this moment he, too, was furious.
Seeing that Lin Yuan was already in grave danger, yet still not utilizing any techniques beyond those of the Descending Dragon Martial Hall.
Clearly showing abilities not inferior to a martial artist's, yet still holding back, what was the meaning of this?
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Especially when he saw that the opponent was able to keep up with his pace entirely by relying on the most basic Sprinting Step within such a small space for maneuvering.
This guy is definitely not just a simple Martial Artist, I'm afraid he's not far from being an elite Martial Artist either.
Meanwhile, observing the fierce exchange between the two.
Lin Yuan was indeed in a difficult position, but he actually managed to hold on under Zheng Yaolie's onslaught, which was like a violent storm.
All the students were stunned.
They knew that just moments ago, Zheng Yaolie had effortlessly knocked down the two strongest among them, so they had a very intuitive understanding of his strength.
But now, he seemed evenly matched with a student.
"So awesome!"
"No... is this guy really a student? Even a Martial Artist isn't this impressive, right?"
"Is our Descending Dragon Martial Arts Hall going to produce another Martial Artist who hasn't gone through the Dragon Gate evaluation?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, he just joined Descending Dragon Martial Arts Hall and only took a few lessons..."
"Infiltrator with previous skills? A spy?"
"Could it be that Instructor Zheng has discovered something? Otherwise, he wouldn't be so ruthless..."
"Very likely, Instructor Zheng hasn't been able to defeat him for such a long time. If he really learned his Martial Techniques at our Descending Dragon Martial Arts Hall, then Instructor Zheng would lose a lot of face."
The students discussed animatedly among themselves.
And during the exchange, Zheng Yaolie became more and more astonished.
He could clearly feel the opponent's rapid growth. At the beginning, his opponent's Dragon-subduing Fist was somewhat unpolished, completely not his match...
But as the fight progressed, as his opponent, he could clearly sense his improvement.
It was as if a dried-up sponge was frantically absorbing nutrients and growing robustly.
And he... had become something akin to a source of nourishment.
Previously, he still held an absolute advantage, but after a while of fighting... he suddenly felt that, in terms of pure Martial Techniques, he seemed to have a hard time putting real pressure on him.
He, who had studied and practiced hard for many years, was now watching the opponent absorb most of his expertise in just a few minutes.
A fury ignited instantly in his heart.
"Still hiding? Still hiding? I'll make you hide!"
Out of the blue, Zheng Yaolie became extremely furious, and with a roar filled with anger, he no longer held any reservations.
He stomped his feet on the ground, and his whole body shot towards Lin Yuan like a cannonball.
What he used was also the Dragon Subduing Fist Manual's killer move—Gathering Dragon Strike!
Intense jealousy drove him to not hold back... His Qi Force surged, striking directly at Lin Yuan's chest.
Lin Yuan was not at all flustered, his feet moved intricately and firmly anchored to the earth.
He defended with a guarding stance.
Spiritual Power then began to circulate throughout his body.
The combatants were in close quarters...
Even the Spiritual Energy inside Lin Yuan had become vigorous and strong, demanding to be released.
Zheng Yaolie's strike suddenly exploded prematurely, hitting nothing but air, and emitted a violent roar.
His complexion turned a shade paler, and as he forcibly withdrew his move, he had already sustained a serious internal injury.
But he also gained an opportunity at the same time, his body sharply taking advantage of the momentum to drop, quickly shifting away from Lin Yuan's position.
Not good... I've been tricked...
Only then did Lin Yuan realize that his opponent's impressive move was a feint.
His torrent of Spiritual Power had been ready to emerge for defense, but unexpectedly the opponent retreated without engaging... His strike, therefore, fell on empty space.
Meanwhile, Zheng Yaolie executed a perfect timing difference with full force.
Taking advantage of Lin Yuan's inability to recover in time...
He struck intensely, hitting him right in the chest again.
Disaster!
With his Spiritual Power completely exhausted, Lin Yuan took the full brunt of the strike within his body.
Amidst the boundless shock in his heart, he had already braced himself for severe injuries with blood spewing forth.
Yet, as the Qi Force entered his body, the previously scattered Spiritual Energy instinctively cycled back and directly integrated the incoming Qi Force into the Spiritual Energy.
Though the Qi Force was strong, it ultimately couldn't break through the envelopment of Spiritual Energy and didn't harm Lin Yuan in the slightest!
"How... how is this possible?"
Zheng Yaolie's full-force strike found that Lin Yuan had managed to endure it with his body alone, leaving him stunned in place.
Within Lin Yuan, the Spiritual Power surged like a reversing torrent.
An extraordinary transformation occurred.
Lin Yuan had an indescribable feeling; he felt that he could completely absorb this Qi Force into his body and convert it into his own nourishment!
Or...
"Give it back to you!"
Lin Yuan let out a low roar, harnessing the Qi Force with his Spiritual Power.
The Qi Force that Zheng Yaolie had hammered into his body, now mixed with Lin Yuan's own Spiritual Energy, was entirely rebounded back at him.
1+1＞2.
A series of sounds indicating broken ribs came from Zheng Yaolie's chest, and with a scream, his body was flung away like a kite with its string cut!
With a loud bang...
His upper body smashed squarely through the wooden wall, embedding firmly within it.
Only his legs were left helplessly dangling on this side, slowly swaying with the momentum.
After Lin Yuan's strike, his body was nearly emptied of energy, and he immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Just now... he had released his Spiritual Energy...
Outside of his body?!
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