Chapter 213: Chapter 213 Wind Intent Realm
In a flash, the handsome Pan Yue appeared on the sixth competition platform, instantly provoking a wave of shrieks from the surrounding hills.
These shrieks emanated from the young maidens of the Martial World.
While the customs of the Flying Horse Dynasty were strict, it was not uncommon for women to appear in public. As for the daughters of the Martial World, they were even more audacious, they, along with the large crowd, couldn’t help but cheer.
With a slight touch of his toes, Shi Xiaole gracefully ascended the competition platform.
There were also many women among the competing elite; they quietly compared the two men and realized that Shi Xiaole was just as handsome as Pan Yue.
Even more so, compared to the slightly powdered Pan Yue, the refined and elegant Shi Xiaole was like a breath of fresh air, making him even more pleasing to the eye.
"Brother Shi, how about surrendering? It’ll be better for both of us."
Pan Yue’s voice condensed into a thin line and entered the ears of Shi Xiaole.
Similar to many others, in Pan Yue’s eyes, it wasn’t hard for him to defeat Shi Xiaole. The difficult part was how to hold back his real strength and secret techniques.
Because everyone present was a genius from various places, it was hard to guarantee that some of them might not get a sudden inspiration from observing his secret techniques, thereby finding a way to break them.
Therefore, revealing one’s hidden strengths before the regularization match was unwise.
Of course, he knew it was impossible for Shi Xiaole to surrender. He was just hoping that Shi Xiaole could make a decision that was best for both of them.
"Why don’t you surrender instead?"
Hearing Pan Yue’s words, Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but laugh. Had his opponent’s self-perception gone too far? Or had his own low profile caused some misunderstanding?
"Brother Shi, if I accidentally hurt you while we’re going all out, you better not regret it."
"Let’s see if you can."
Pan Yue’s expression gradually cooled down, he chuckled, "Very well, it seems there is no room for negotiation."
As his words fell, an invisible momentum suddenly rose from within Pan Yue. It wasn’t a shockwave, but rather a subtle condensation of the air around him, making him the center.
Within this range of momentum, Shi Xiaole keenly realized that his movements seemed to be shackled and it was hard to act freely.
This was the momentum of the Jade Divine Skill.
Swish!
Just as a sharp sound arose in the void, Pan Yue’s onslaught arrived. His palm carrying a tremendous internal power pressed towards the top of Shi Xiaole’s head and was incredibly fast.
Without showing any significant movement, Shi Xiaole dodged to his left. The palm force was blasted onto the surface of the platform; it rumbled, causing the extensive platform to sway slightly.
"What powerful attack force!"
Many nearby exclamations rang out, making such a splash for the first time since the start of the competition. There was no doubt that Pan Yue had been hiding most of his strength. With just this palm strike, it was clear that the situation was far more complicated than just a struggle between third-tier masters.
"Your agility is impressive, but can you outpace me?"
Seeing Shi Xiaole dodge, Pan Yue laughed loudly. He moved as fast as a darting rabbit, his body seemed to be a wisp of smoke as he wrapped around Shi Xiaole. With every palm strike of his, the vigorous palm force caused the platform to sway incessantly as if it was on the verge of disintegration.
Whoosh!
While airborne, Pan Yue extended both palms and in an instant, he produced eighteen palm strikes. These eighteen palm strikes combined in a peculiar way, forming a compass that targeted Shi Xiaole’s vital points, leaving him with no means to escape.
"This is Elder Jade’s All-encompassing One Palm. It seems this youngster has mastered this technique to the level of Transformation Phase; he’s remarkable," said the third referee, who was keenly watching the thrilling duel on the platform.
As far as the ranking list of masters was concerned, Elder Jade’s reputation was unquestionable. Reportedly, his Palm Skill technique had no flaws. Once an opponent could not break it with brute force, they would be trapped in a perpetual state of passivity till they could no longer turn the tide.
"Excellent."
Unbeknownst to all, at this moment, there was an inconspicuous old man on the hillside, smiling with great satisfaction.
He was Elder Jade.
The All-encompassing One Palm was a secret technique he had created when he was fifty. The so-called infallibility was of course an exaggeration. But at Pan Yue’s age bracket, except for a few top elites, Elder Jade didn’t believe anyone could easily break it.
After a round of entanglement, the opponent would surely have depleted more than half of their strength. At that time, Pan Yue could easily win without having to reveal any stronger techniques.
"Nice Palm Skill."
Amid the layers of palm shadows, Shi Xiaole still found a moment to express his admiration.
If he wanted to forcefully break the All-encompassing One Palm Skill, it would be easy for him. But Shi Xiaole didn’t want to do so. He preferred to suppress his strength to match the opponent’s level and then defeat the opponent with his skill and combat technique.
His mind raced, and Shi Xiaole made his move.
A dazzling white blade light cut across the void, suddenly striking at a certain spot, causing a wave of energy as explosive as a tsunami eruption.
"Your attack is too weak to break my palm stance."
The corners of Pan Yue’s mouth curled into a scoffing smirk. He launched a salvo of palm strikes at an even faster speed, intending to wear down Shi Xiaole outright.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Amid three consecutive loud bangs, a figure moved out from the palm wind.
"What?!"
Pan Yue’s pupils suddenly contracted. His All-encompassing One Palm was broken? How was this possible?
"Huh?"
The nine judges, including Elder Jade on the side hill, and all the masters that knew the intensity of the palm skill, were shocked beyond belief.
It was terrifying enough to break the palm skill with talent, but what was more frightening was that the opponent did it so effortlessly, as if it was as simple as eating and drinking. Didn’t this prove that his martial arts realm was much higher than Pan Yue’s?
"Mysterious Forest Steps!"
With a stern expression, Pan Yue moved quickly around Shi Xiaole, intending to exploit the advantage of his skills to seek an opportunity to attack.
Whoosh!
A white flash cut through the air, leaving a trail of snow-like blade glares in its path. Shi Xiaole’s strike intercepted all of Pan Yue’s subsequent maneuvers.
Amidst the hissing sound, a piece of Pan Yue’s sleeve fluttered in the wind as he retreated several steps, his face filled with disbelief.
He couldn’t fathom how Shi Xiaole had done it, even someone deeply familiar with the All-encompassing One Palm technique and Mysterious Forest Steps wouldn’t be able to break his moves so quickly.
What he didn’t know was that Shi Xiaole, after more than half a year of secluded training and the extraordinary encounter in Wind Valley, not only had his martial arts realm accelerated, but his mind had also become more refined due to the long-term influence of the inspirational wind.
Shi Xiaole easily found the flaws in Pan Yue’s palm techniques and the technique he used for evasion and broke them without issue.
Unwilling to admit defeat, Pan Yue again used the Mysterious Forest Steps in an attempt to sneak attack. However, each time he was repelled by Shi Xiaole, finally convincing him to give up.
"You forced me to this."
His abilities were limited, and an incredibly dense and sticky atmosphere surged from Pan Yue’s body. Vaguely, his skin was imbued with a jade-like glow, emanating a feeling of invincibility and terrifying power.
For some reason, those who were closer felt as if their hearts were being cut by numerous pieces of jade and hastened to retreat.
"Jade Divine Skill, and it has already reached the seventh level of integration between offense and defense. This child’s talent is truly not to be underestimated," the sixth judge spoke in a deep voice.
In the past, Elder Jade took the seventh place in the martial arts tournament with the seventh level of Jade Divine Skill. Considering Pan Yue’s age, his talent and strength surpass those of his master.
"The combination of Jade Divine Palm and Jade Divine Skill, along with the boost from the jade mindset, can increase his strength by more than 50%. These are Yu’er’s trump cards, and he’s using them now," said Elder Jade, looking at Shi Xiaole as if trying to see through him.
"Jade Opening the World!"
His eyes filled with shame and anger, Pan Yue yelled out. His body charged forward and he launched a heavenly jade-colored palm shadow that directly targeted Shi Xiaole.
The Jade Divine Lalm and Jade Divine Skill were both mid-level second rank martial arts. The combined power, even though it could not compare to the top-level second rank martial arts, would not be too far behind. And with the additional influence of the jade mindset, Pan Yue had unleashed all his strength at this moment.
Amidst the wild wind, Shi Xiaole’s dark eyes remained calm. Without any obvious movement, he glided across the stage like skating on ice, creating multiple illusions due to his speed.
By the time most of the illusions were destroyed by the palm skill, his real body had already appeared not far in front of Pan Yue.
This was an alternative application of Bird Crossing Skill, propelling oneself to move parallel using the ’counterforce’ – one of Shi Xiaole’s insights over the past half year.
"What a clever flying skill!"
The crowd’s eyes widened. Even ’Little Hawk King’ Bai Zhanmei and ’Flying Flower Chasing Moon’ Ye Liushuang, who were proficient in flying skills, took a quick glance at Shi Xiaole.
"Jade Earth Cleaver!"
Without a moment’s delay, Pan Yue launched his second palm. Amidst a deafening roar, energy waves rolled wildly as he retreated quickly using the Mysterious Forest Steps.
"You’re still a tad too slow."
Just then, a clear voice sounded by his ear. Shi Xiaole struck forward with his blade, as if he had been waiting for this very moment.
"You really think I’m scared of you?"
Pan Yue was both shocked and infuriated, his entire body glowing brilliantly like jade. Sparks flew when the blade struck him, yet he remained uninjured.
"To break the defense of the Jade Divine Skill, one needs strength at least twice that of Yue’er. If you can’t break it, we’ll see who lasts longer," Elder Jade said, his face a bit somber. He had already used his last trick, and if Pan Yue still lost, he would lose face.
However, he did not believe that Shi Xiaole possessed strength twice that of Pan Yue. At most, his combat technique and flying skill might be stronger, but even having these was troublesome enough.
"Hahaha, you can’t break my defense, so you’ll never be able to defeat me."
With the boost from the Jade Divine Skill and jade mindset, Pan Yue regained his confidence. He laughed and launched an unabashed attack.
"Is that so?"
Until now, Shi Xiaole hadn’t even utilized three-tenths of his strength, and he didn’t think it was necessary. The defense of the Jade Divine Skill was indeed strong, but he noticed that every time Pan Yue used his inner power, there was a moment of pause.
This pause was very brief, and he guessed it was a flaw caused by Pan Yue’s lack of mastery over his martial arts. But for anyone else to exploit this pause seemed impossible, as the moment was too brief.
With eyes sharp as a knife, Shi Xiaole changed his momentum, lightly swinging his Shattered Snow Blade. It felt as if he was no longer wielding a blade, but a gust of wind instead.
The speed of the wind-like blade glow surpassed Pan Yue’s expectations. Right when his inner power pause showed a flaw, the blade glow arrived as expected.
Thud!
Without the defense of the Jade Divine Skill and the jade mindset unable to offset the blade glow, Pan Yue’s chest fray split open. He flew back, gasping out, "Wind Intent Realm!"
