Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Unprecedented Genius (Additional content for the 9123’s Mega Reward)
Scraping his feet against the ground, Fang Shenwu barely managed to halt. And yet, he was met with another exceedingly fast sword strike. This time, the sword targeted his right arm.
"Divine Fist Auspicious Opening!"
Adjusting his position, Fang Shenwu imbued his punch with thirty percent of the God Martial Intent Realm.
However, the sword unexpectedly retreated halfway through its strike, only to slash down at Fang Shenwu like a phantom from above, forcing him to withdraw his power and defend while retreating simultaneously.
"Back off."
The voice of Shi Xiaole rang out from behind, followed by an even more formidable spiralling Sword Qi, brutally drilling into Fang Shenwu’s back.
Amidst a series of crushing sounds, Fang Shenwu was overwhelmed with pain, stumbling forward, almost collapsing onto the ground.
"What?"
"Is this for real?"
The crowd was stunned, unable to believe that Fang Shenwu, renowned as the ’Iron-hearted God Fist’, one of the Four Heaven Kings and the runner-up in the previous ranking, could not even muster a counterattack against Shi Xiaole.
How could this be possible?
Never giving Fang Shenwu a chance to rest, Shi Xiaole moved like a cheetah, his sword continuously striking with fierce Sword Qi. He seemed to have an uncanny foresight, always hitting at the most accurate spots. And what awaited Fang Shenwu was a series of forceful hits that sent him flying.
If not for Fang Shenwu’s already well-honed Horizontal Martial Arts Training, making his body as tough as metal, he would have been injured by now.
A gasp arose from the crowd.
It wasn’t just the one-sided situation that amazed them. For the first time, they were seeing the true face of Shi Xiaole.
His attack was sharp, decisive, and once he made a move, he did not leave any room for resistance. This was a stark contrast to his previous defensive strategy.
Who was he, really?
"Have you reserved your real fangs for now because the previous opponents were not worthy?"
With a shaky voice and a complex expression never seen before, Su Zhi’er struggled to raise her opinion of Shi Xiaole any higher. She could never have imagined the events unfolding right now.
"You think I have no countermeasures against you?"
Humiliated and infuriated by his constant defensive state, Fang Shenwu had never before experienced a situation where he could not even launch an attack. Not even the last Yuan Zong had managed to pose such a threat.
"Go ahead and show me all your tricks."
His sword continuously in action, Shi Xiaole’s voice was as frosty as his blade.
Once he has fully let off the restraints, he felt an exhilaration he had never experienced before. His only worry now was that Fang Shenwu was not strong enough to allow him to fully enjoy the fight.
"God Martial Fluctuation Skill!"
Firmly planted on the ground, a surge of orange-yellow internal power washed over Fang Shenwu. From afar, it looked like a suit of armour enveloping him completely, sparing not even his eyes.
The God Martial Fluctuation Skill, an excellent middle-tier horizontal martial arts skill valued the same as a high-tier inner power martial arts skill, is the number one skill of the Divine Fist Clan.
It is said that this skill can enable the extermination of all impurities and facilitate the complete transformation of the body. When mastered, the practitioner will not only be immune to fire and water, immune to internal power, but will also possess immense strength, able to easily split rocks and break gold.
Years ago, the Divine Fist Clan had a master who reached this level and temporarily dominated the Martial World.
Aged seventeen, Fang Shenwu started practising this skill. Now after a few years, he honed this skill to the basic level three months ago, thus making a breakthrough in his skill level.
If he had known that Shi Xiaole would be such a formidable enemy, he would probably have initiated this skill right at the start, so as to avoid embarrassment and humiliation.
Ding ding ding....
As the spiralling Sword Qi hit the orange-yellow internal power, ripples formed on its surface. Instead of breaking through the defense, it was deflected back, making Shi Xiaole’s arm slightly numb.
"You forced me to play my trump card. I will make sure you taste the bitterness of defeat."
Fang Shenwu’s expression hardened, and he leapt forward with light steps. His speed was more than double compared to before. Even the wind stirred by his movement suffocated the crowd.
Clang!
The sword and the fist collided directly, causing Shi Xiaole’s Green Peak sword to bend. Fang Shenwu, however, did not stop. His fist, like a furious storm, kept launching crazy attacks at Shi Xiaole from all directions.
For a moment, their figures filled every corner within a radius of five yards, even creating illusory shadows, which looked incredibly shocking.
"No wonder they are known as the Four Heaven Kings, and indeed hard to compete with. The situation took a drastic turn in no time."
"The reputation of the God Martial Fluctuation Skill is well known in the Qingxue State. Even the ultimate Sword Qi can’t break its defense. I wonder if Shi Xiaole has any countermeasures."
"I am afraid it will be difficult! Even perfecting a high-tier skill to the basic level will not give you an advantage over the God Martial Fluctuation Skill, let alone that Shi Xiaole’s realm is two levels lower than Fang Shenwu’s."
The crowd was deep in thought, with all eyes riveted on the stage.
"Both speed and power have increased by more than a double compared to before."
While fighting vigorously, Shi Xiaole carefully observed Fang Shenwu’s changes. If Fang Shenwu realized this, he would feel utterly dismayed. Because it would mean that even after activating the God Martial Fluctuation Skill, he still could not push Shi Xiaole to his limits.
And indeed, that was the case. Although Fang Shenwu’s bodily strength did improve momentarily, his reflexes, controlled by his heart and mind, could not change.
On the other hand, Shi Xiaole, with his powerful mental strength, could always predict Fang Shenwu’s moves ahead of time. What appeared to be dangerous, was in fact, completely under his control.
"God Martial Third Stance, Devil King carries the Cauldron!"
Being gridlocked in a long battle, Fang Shenwu unleashed a furious roar, vigorously lifting both hands and finally used the other unique skill of the Divine Fist Clan.
With his movement, a surge of internal power, like a casting of copper and iron, wrapped around Shi Xiaole, pushing him towards Fang Shenwu. The latter’s shoulders were raised high, ready to lift and slam down.
A misty blue light burst forth. At the critical moment, Shi Xiaole exploded with forty percent of the Enchanted Moon Intent Realm, unleashing the Moon Concealing Sword Technique.
The copper and iron internal power instantly halted, Shi Xiaole seized the opportunity, broke the encirclement and leaped out.
"God Martial Third Stance, God Fist Suppressing Mountains and Rivers, be vanquished!"
In high spirits, Fang Shenwu’s blond hair fluttered, his entire body’s internal power concentrated into one, transforming into torrential fist radiance shooting straight out, causing splintering shockwaves along the way, sending out bone-rattling chain explosions.
Shi Xiaole realized he was firmly locked on by the fist radiance, unable to escape. At the same time, screams from the crowd around echoed.
Funcuning his mind like a calm well, faced with the terrifying fist radiance, Shi Xiaole raised his Brahma-I Unity internal power to eighty percent, before striking down with a spiral Sword Qi.
The collision of two forces caused wave upon wave of Qi tides to stack-up, concealing each other, finally dispersing in all directions, causing the entire ring to shake, iron plates used to resist the aftershock let slip winds, blowing the long hairs of the nearby warriors.
"I will not lose, God Martial Third Stance, Invincible with Myself!"
Spirits in a half-crazed state, right as the last move ended, Fang Shenwu leaped up, drained all his strength to pounce at Shi Xiaole.
He hadn’t fully mastered this final move Invincible with Myself, it’s an empowered power but it represents a loss of control. But for victory, he cared less about that.
"Shenwu, stop!"
The leader of the Divine Fist Clan yelled to stop, his face slightly panicked.
The lethal power of Invincible with Myself was beyond the two previous stances, it was absolute to the point of being uncontrollable, not to mention whether Fang Shenwu himself could withstand it, if Shi Xiaole was killed or mutilated, there would be no explanation.
"Such a strong move, I didn’t know you had reached this point if it weren’t for this kid testing it out."
Yuan Zong looked at the unmatched momentum of Fang Shenwu, his face serious for the first time.
"Is this your limit of power?"
The terrifying orange-yellow internal power pressed like a heavenly river, reflecting Shi Xiaole’s handsome and calm face, two extreme sharp edges flashed in his eyes at this moment.
Relaxing his body, Shi Xiaole held up the Qingfeng Sword, a dangerous aura like a towering mountain collapsing or a raging river rushing, concentrated at the tip of his sword, condensed but yet to be unleashed.
This is the sense of danger.
Compared to the come-from-behind Enchanted Moon Intent Realm, the sense of danger was what Shi Xiaole had understood the deepest. Although this sense was terrible for enhancing attack power,
it had always remained around thirty percent due to the difficulty of comprehension.
However, an unexpected encounter outside of Wind Valley had Shi Xiaole comprehending more, smoothly pushing this sense to a full forty-five percent.
Facing the advancing Fang Shenwu, Shi Xiaole forcefully swung both arms, the Qingfeng Sword drew a line like a perpetual sword mark.
This is an evolved version of the killing move Landslide and Water Split, Death Without Life. It implies that under this sword, anyone would find no escape, the only thing to do was take the death sentence.
Shi...
Under this sword, the orange-yellow internal power only persisted for a moment, immediately divided into two like a cut ribbon, the remaining force hit Fang Shenwu, knocking him back.
Maintaining the same power, Shi Xiaole swung two more Death Without Life.
Boom, boom.
The orange-yellow internal power shattered, a terrified scream echoed, Fang Shenwu staggered and fell down the stage, dazed for a moment, before realizing he wasn’t injured at all.
This discovery brought joy to Fang Shenwu. At the same time, his heart felt like falling into an icy abyss.
Their measured attack, and impeccable control, could only prove one thing, the opponent still had reserves.
Raising his head, Fang Shenwu happened to see Shi Xiaole sheathing his sword, he looked on, unable to see him clearly, as though separated by a vast distance.
Horror!
The two words emerged in his mind, all of Fang Shenwu’s unwillingness and anger turned into deep awe. He turned to look at Yuan Zong.
The latter was silent, making it impossible to fathom his thoughts.
"Did...Did Shi Xiaole win?"
"Beaten one of the four Heaven Kings, despite the two realm differences?"
All were dumbstruck beneath the arena.
No matter if they were competing elites, sect masters, or the countless audiences of the martial world, perhaps no one foresaw this outcome.
Before the competition, they merely focused on how much of Fang Shenwu’s true power could be forced out by Shi Xiaole.
Unparalleled genius!
At this moment, all were in awe, trembling eyes turned to the stage. A timely ray of sunlight from the sky illuminated Shi Xiaole, making him appear more worldly detached, standing aloof from the crowd.
Countless men and women were enchanted.
