Chapter 244: Chapter 233: Terrifying Punching Power (Part 2)
"Weizi, Su Mu, fist power: four hundred twenty-seven!"
As the announcer’s voice faded, the stands for Weizi erupted in cheers.
It was the highest reading so far, and he was the first person to break the four hundred mark.
However, the arena soon fell silent.
The officiating disciple drew a wooden plaque from a box, raised it high over his head to show the five elders, and announced, "Wuzhu, Bolta!"
Everyone present knew that Bolta was renowned for his brute strength. His fist power had reached a staggering four hundred forty-five at the last tournament. Now that his Heavy Mountain Fist technique had advanced another level, his strength was sure to have grown in turn.
Everyone thought, ’This punch will probably break five hundred, won’t it?’
BANG... BANG!
Bolta lived up to everyone’s expectations, landing two consecutive punches that both registered a power of five hundred twenty.
"Wuzhu, Bolta, fist power: five hundred twenty!"
The Wuzhu stands erupted in thunderous applause.
The Wuzhu elder beside the Eight-legged Tripod revealed a smug smile, while the other disciples exchanged horrified glances, secretly praying they wouldn’t have to face this man when the groups were drawn.
Bolta pulled back his mortar-sized fist and threw a pointed glance back at Basang, his eyes filled with challenge.
’Just as the reports said, this Bolta’s strength is immense,’ Zhao Lin thought, clenching his fists.
After Bolta, the fist power test continued, and the other figures Zhao Lin had been keeping an eye on took their turns.
Mai Kun of Weizi registered a power of four hundred forty-eight.
Li Taiqing of Xiuzhao followed close behind with a power of four hundred forty-five.
He Liancheng, the chief disciple of the Great Yue Liyang Sect, scored four hundred thirty-three.
They were all a clear cut above the average disciple, but still, no one came close to Bolta.
When more than half the disciples had taken their turn, the officiating disciple drew a wooden plaque, glanced at it, and announced, "Great Yue, Zhao Lin."
"Give it your all!"
Xiang Shaofeng clapped Zhao Lin firmly on the shoulder.
Zhao Lin didn’t speak, merely nodding. He strode slowly to the Eight-legged Tripod, then took a sudden, firm step and slammed his fist into the target.
The mercury in the Crystal Pillar instantly shot up, flying past the four-hundred mark and continuing to climb.
Four hundred eighty, four hundred ninety, five hundred...
Finally, to the stunned disbelief of the crowd, it stopped at the five-hundred-twenty mark before dropping back down with a WHOOSH.
"Five hundred... twenty?"
The officiating disciple exclaimed in shock, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him.
The five elders also exchanged stunned glances; they hadn’t expected Zhao Lin to match Bolta’s score.
The crowd of disciples was even more incredulous. Someone shouted, "Is the target broken?"
"That’s right, there has to be a problem with the target! He’s only twenty years old, how could he possibly get a score that high? It must be broken."
"Elder, can I try hitting it again?"
"I want to try, too..."
A few of the disciples who had performed poorly earlier started to stir up the crowd.
Zhu Hong’s expression darkened. "What is all this racket?" he bellowed. "Everyone gets two attempts. You can’t just have a do-over whenever you feel like it!"
As he spoke, he shot a look at Zhao Lin, silently asking if the result was legitimate.
Zhao Lin remained perfectly composed and gave a slight nod.
In truth, even he was startled by such a high score, but he quickly understood why.
After Liu Feiyang’s pointers, his control over his Wind Attribute energy had become much more fluid. An increase of twenty points to his power was well within reason.
Elder Gao Yun of Wuzhu smiled faintly. "Elder Chu," he began, "I, on the other hand, think we should let them try. It won’t take much time, and it would also prove that there’s nothing wrong with the target, wouldn’t it?"
He refused to believe Zhao Lin’s power was the same as Bolta’s. What’s more, if he managed an even higher score on his next attempt? Wouldn’t that steal the top spot?
Even if there was nothing wrong with the target, this would at least break Zhao Lin’s rhythm and disrupt his composure. For their side, it was all benefit and no harm.
The other elders had the same thought, and chimed in, "Elder Gao Yun has a point. I agree."
"There’s nothing wrong with our Lotus Sect’s targets. By all means, let them test it..."
Having received Zhao Lin’s signal, Zhu Hong relaxed and sneered, "Very well. But Zhao Lin will have to perform his two strikes all over again later. This whole commotion is bound to affect his focus, which is extremely unfair to him!"
Elder Gao Yun and the others immediately agreed. They called over two of the disciples who had gone before Zhao Lin and had them come up to strike again.
Zhao Lin nonchalantly stepped aside to wait for the two men to take their strikes.
The Primordial Realm elders had exceptional hearing and could make out the gist of what was happening, but the disciples in the stands were completely bewildered.
"Sect Leader Lu, what’s happening?"
Shangguan Xi had been straining his ears for a while, but with his limited cultivation, he couldn’t hear a thing and finally had to ask.
Lu Chaohuan had overheard the exchange but didn’t know what score Zhao Lin had gotten to so astonish the elders. "Perhaps there’s a problem with the target," he said, uncertainly.
By this time, the two disciples re-striking the target had finished. They walked away, crestfallen—the results were no different than before, proving the target was working perfectly.
Now, the way everyone looked at Zhao Lin changed. Bolta’s face was dark, and he remained silent.
Zhu Hong roared with laughter. "So, you all believe it now?"
The four elders had no choice but to begrudgingly accept the fact. "Fine. You may continue."
"Congratulations, Elder Chu. Your nation has produced quite a talent."
Zhao Lin walked back before the Eight-legged Tripod, centered himself, and threw his punch.
BANG!
The mercury surged, once again reaching the five-hundred-twenty mark.
Without pausing, Zhao Lin leaped back, then surged forward to deliver another punch.
"Great Yue, Zhao Lin, fist power: five hundred twenty-two!" the announcer shouted.
The training ground fell dead silent for a long moment before an uproar erupted from all sides.
"H-how much? Did I hear that right?"
"Five hundred twenty-two. Is that what you heard, too?"
"Is the target broken? How is that possible!"
"My heavens, and he’s only twenty..."
The Great Yue stands exploded into celebration, with disciples leaping to their feet.
Lu Chaohuan looked thrilled, unable to stop himself from slapping the railing in front of him. Shangguan Xi opened his mouth to speak, but felt as if something was caught in his chest, leaving him speechless.
Only Yang Lin remained outwardly calm, but he secretly clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Over in the Weizi section, the faces of Elder Gu and Elder Mai were grim, their muscles twitching as Huo Shan’s dying words echoed in their minds.
"I only regret one thing. I shouldn’t have sent Tuzha and Enli. I should have gone myself. Even if it meant starting a war, I should have killed those two menaces, Basang and Zhao Lin..."
A menace indeed...
Amid the uproar, the testing continued.
When the testing was nearing its end, with only twenty or so disciples left, Basang finally took the stage.
Basang strode to the Eight-legged Tripod and sank into his stance, suddenly transforming into a coiled beast ready to strike. Then he threw a punch.
The moment his fist struck the center of the target, a flash of lightning flared.
He paused for a beat, then threw his second punch.
"Wuche, Basang, fist power: five hundred thirty."
Basang grinned, a mouthful of sharp white teeth glinting in the sun.
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