Chapter 205: Chapter 195: 7-Breath Battle (Part 2)
Liu Shengnian took out a transparent hourglass filled with fine gray sand. He held it up for everyone to see, then flipped it over. The sand in the upper chamber quickly began to flow into the lower one.
"This marks a duration of seven breaths. Keep that in mind, you two."
Zhao Lin watched the hourglass, silently counting in his head. When all the sand had run out, he estimated that about twenty seconds had passed.
The disciples all turned their gazes to Zhao Lin, wanting to see just how strong this youngest inner-court disciple was.
"Listen up. We’ll start on the count of three."
Liu Shengnian cleared his throat and shouted, "One, two, THREE!"
Zhao Lin moved the instant he heard the call, throwing a straightforward, no-frills punch.
The seven-breath duel rules were disadvantageous to the lower-ranked challenger. If Zhao Lin couldn’t defeat Zhou Ding within seven breaths, it would be a draw in name only. His rank would remain unchanged, which was no different from a loss. That was why he immediately went on the offensive.
Zhou Ding had anticipated this. Seeing the ferocious punch coming, he pushed off the balls of his feet to retreat while simultaneously striking out with a palm.
Although Yang Lin had just suggested he go all out from the start, he acted out of habit, wanting to first test Zhao Lin’s strength.
Besides, a draw was as good as a victory for him, giving him a psychological advantage. He was in no hurry to press the attack.
Fist met palm. Zhou Ding felt a massive force travel up his arm. He spun his body, dissipating the momentum of the impact.
Zhao Lin seized the center line, immediately taking a step forward. His right hand formed a claw as he swiped down at the top of Zhou Ding’s head.
The strike, from wrist to fingertips, was perfectly straight, its power incredibly sharp and fierce.
The disciples were all taken aback. The Cultivation Techniques they practiced focused mostly on fist and palm techniques, followed by finger and leg techniques.
Very few people trained in claw arts. They hadn’t expected Zhao Lin to use such an unorthodox technique right from the start.
Zhou Ding was also startled. He pushed off his toes again, his body twisting swiftly to the side.
He intended to circle around Zhao Lin and attack from the flank.
In the past, Zhao Lin would have used his superior speed to chase and intercept his opponent, but now that he had practiced the Feisu Step, a different idea came to mind.
His feet slid, and he planted himself in the "Trap" position of the Kan Palace trigram, then threw a hook.
Zhou Ding suddenly saw a fist appear before his eyes, as if he had deliberately run into it. Startled, he had no choice but to retreat another step.
He saw out of the corner of his eye that he wasn’t far from the edge of the circle and felt a pang of regret. ’I never should have given up the center line.’
’My cultivation is at the First Layer of the Blood Realm. I clearly could have suppressed him with my energy, but now I’ve ended up in a disadvantageous position.’
Zhao Lin seized the initiative and, with a few more fierce attacks, forced Zhou Ding into a corner of the arena.
His legs shifted slightly, hinting at infinite follow-up moves and sealing off his opponent’s escape routes.
Then, with a shake of his arms, he channeled his energy into his fists. The fierce power of his punches created a series of sonic booms in the air as he struck out with one fist after the other.
Zhou Ding had no more room to maneuver. Gritting his teeth, he crossed his arms in an X-shape in front of his chest to block.
With a loud BANG, Zhou Ding staggered back several steps.
His face paled. He didn’t need to look down to know he was already out of bounds.
All eyes turned to the hourglass in Liu Shengnian’s hand...
Less than half the sand had fallen.
"Impressive! That was clean and decisive!"
"Zhou Ding underestimated him. Otherwise, no matter how bad it got, he wouldn’t have lost in just three breaths."
"It wasn’t underestimation. His rhythm was too slow, and he lost his momentum..."
The disciples whispered among themselves.
Xiang Shaofeng gave a relaxed laugh, turned his head with a smile, and held out his hand.
Fei Bin fished a porcelain vial from his robes and reluctantly handed it over.
"See that? This is what happens when you’re too afraid of losing to truly fight to win!"
Yang Lin’s expression was blank, his tone severe. "As martial artists, we must have an indomitable will, a belief that we are second to none. Always trying to maneuver around your opponent, waiting for an opening—that’s not a viable path."
Zhou Ding’s face was filled with shame, his complexion shifting between pale and ashen.
Zhao Lin bowed slightly. "You let me win." After speaking, he turned to return to the lines.
"Senior Brother Zhao, please wait."
Zhou Ding said suddenly.
Zhao Lin stopped in his tracks. He paused for a moment before remembering that since he had defeated Zhou Ding, their ranks had swapped. He was now number thirty-three.
According to the inner court’s rules, Zhou Ding now had to address him as senior brother.
"Brother Zhou, what is it?" Zhao Lin didn’t get a big head and call the other man ’junior brother’, instead asking politely.
Zhou Ding turned to Liu Shengnian. "Instructor, now that I’m in last place, it should be my turn to pick an opponent, right?"
Liu Shengnian nodded. "That’s right. Who do you challenge?"
Zhou Ding answered without hesitation. "Zhao Lin!"
Zhao Lin said nothing more and walked back into the circle.
From the sidelines, a grinning Xiang Shaofeng said to Fei Bin, "How about another wager?"
Fei Bin shot him a sidelong glance. "Fine. This time, I’m betting on Zhao Lin."
He could already see that Zhao Lin’s strength was astounding and gave him a huge advantage on such a small field. Plus, things were different now. Zhou Ding was the challenger, and it would be very difficult for him to win.
Xiang Shaofeng chuckled. "Heh heh. In that case, let’s not."
"One... two..."
Liu Shengnian called out, flipping his wrist to turn the hourglass over. "THREE!"
Without a word, Zhou Ding leaped and threw a kick, a fierce gale of energy trailing behind it, aimed straight for Zhao Lin’s left hip.
When facing a stronger opponent, the best method is to attack their vital points or their lower body.
It was an exquisite kick, its angle and distance perfectly judged. Zhao Lin didn’t dare be careless. He planted one foot firmly on the ground, raised his other leg, and channeled his energy to block.
Zhou Ding circulated his Qi and Blood at full power as palm energy surged forth. Seizing the moment while Zhao Lin was still off-balance, he unleashed a flurry of attacks, his palms a blur as they chopped left and swung right.
In terms of strength, he was no match for Zhao Lin, but his Qi and Blood were a notch stronger.
Zhao Lin pushed forward with his arms in a circle, executing the Moon Embrace Style. He defended and simultaneously struck toward his opponent’s chest.
’In front of the Dean and the Instructor, it’s not convenient to use my Cold Ice True Qi. I’ll just fight with my normal Cultivation Techniques.’
’Besides, I want to use this exchange to gain more real combat experience. I can’t always rely on my Cold Ice True Qi.’
’Otherwise, if I ever run into a Cultivation Technique that counters it, I’ll be completely helpless.’
Dust flew as the two figures flickered, exchanging more than a dozen blows in the blink of an eye.
Although a draw would be enough to secure his rank, Zhao Lin had no intention of settling for one. He switched between fist and claw, his attacks like a relentless tide that sent Zhou Ding scrambling.
Finally, on the sixth breath, Zhao Lin’s claw locked onto Zhou Ding’s collarbone.
"Senior Brother Zhao’s skills are superior. I humbly admit defeat!"
Zhou Ding said with a red face, cupping his hands in a salute.
After his previous loss, he hadn’t been entirely convinced, but now he understood that his skills were truly inferior.
"Although Zhou Ding lost this time, his performance was much better than in the last match."
Yang Lin’s expression softened slightly as he commented, "That’s the kind of ferocity you need! Even if you’re a little weaker, you have to fight with everything you’ve got!"
After this battle, Zhao Lin walked back to the line and took the spot Zhou Ding had just occupied, while Zhou Ding went to the end of the line.
The disciple ranked thirty-ninth was Zhong Yewu. He walked into the center of the arena, first cupping his hands in a salute to the Instructor and the Dean, then said, "I challenge... Zhao Lin."
Yang Lin laughed. "A gauntlet match isn’t very nice. You should ask him if he agrees to it."
