Chapter 83: Chapter 83: 8 Layers of Hidden Qi (Please Collect, Please Recommend!)
Yue Xunxian was contemplating whether or not to personally deal with Shi Xiaole when a voice sounded next to his ear: "Brother Yue, it’s our turn to go on stage."
Liu Mengse stepped out, standing in the center of the open space.
"Hmph, I hope you won’t disappoint me."
Yue Xunxian stood up and settled himself across from Liu Mengse.
After thinking for a moment, he decided not to take action against Shi Xiaole.
The young man had immense talent, and he didn’t want to be the one to publicly suppress him. Instead, he thought to himself, he would find a private opportunity to take revenge on Shi Xiaole for Xu Nianxue’s sake.
The two outstanding figures quickly engaged in battle, once again igniting the excitement of the audience who had just calmed down.
Boom Boom!
A heavy wave of invisible Qi, like a wild wind, erupted, causing the air to tremble.
Only then did Shi Xiaole witness the true strength of the Four Outstanding Youths.
Both Yue Xunxian and Liu Mengse were at the second level of the Qi Absorption Realm, but their casual strikes almost equaled Shi Xiaole’s full power Taiyue Three Green Peaks attack.
He could imagine that if he were to face them, he would not be able to last even ten moves.
"Both Yue Xunxian and Liu Mengse are eighteen years old. You may not be unable to reach their level when you’re their age."
Seeing the worried look on Shi Xiaole’s face, Yu Fangge quietly comforted him.
On a normal day, he would never dare to make such a bold statement. But after witnessing Shi Xiaole’s performance today, he was completely convinced.
Moreover, he was only speaking of a possibility.
Improving one’s internal power becomes increasingly difficult in the later stages. Despite Shi Xiaole now being at the Hidden Qi seventh tier and only being five tiers away from the Qi Absorption second tier, reaching that in three years would still be very challenging.
However, considering that Shi Xiaole had increased his level from Hidden Qi second tier to seventh tier within less than half a year, who could say he couldn’t catch up to the Four Outstanding Youths?
"Liu Mengse, be careful."
After dozens of moves, Yue Xunxian gave a loud shout. His hands suddenly started moving quickly, causing a series of palm shadows to appear in front of him.
His third-rate top-tier Palm Skill, Thousand Illusions Palm.
When he used this unparalleled skill, Yue Xunxian’s attack power instantly increased, causing Zuo Feiyang to change his expression. He realized that even if he used his Divine Wind Sword, his attack power would, at best, equal Yue Xunxian’s current level.
"Wandering Fist!"
Liu Mengse didn’t dare to underestimate him and also used his unique skill. As he threw out a punch, the power it released was like the flowing waves, encompassing all the palm shadows within its attack range.
The battle between the two became more and more fierce.
Eventually, the entire center of the open space turned into an ocean of Qi, with endless fist shadows and palm images. Every exchange was so breathtaking that everyone in the audience dared not even blink, afraid of missing any extraordinary moments.
Unknowingly, the number of exchanges between the two had surpassed five hundred.
Bang!
All of a sudden, Liu Mengse’s fist changed its movement. The layers of condensed Qi waves were instantly retracted by him, and then transformed into an even more formidable invisible wave rushing forward.
This was Liu Mengse’s famed killer move, Wave Killing Fist!
Any true high-grade martial world master would have their own killer moves. Killer moves were the essence of one’s martial arts, a step above an unparalleled skill.
This punch’s power was so formidable that it was as if the air had been sucked dry by a vacuum cleaner, emitting an unusually piercing sound.
Even Zuo Feiyang, standing on the corridor, had completely loosened his grip on his sword.
He realized how ridiculous he was, thinking that with just one killer move he could threaten Liu Mengse. In the end, he may not even be able to secure a win against that lad named Shi Xiaole.
"Bring it on."
Yue Xunxian laughed heartily, his fingers spread out like a fan, stretching forward. Instantly, a faint three-feet dragon shadow roared out, clashing its mouth onto the invisible wave.
This was the Astonishing Dragon Claw, Yue Xunxian’s famed killer move.
Boom!
The wild wind from the release of Qi spread in all directions, even blowing over some cups on the nearby tables, causing many in the crowd to gasp in surprise.
The maximum range for low-level Qi Realm experts to project their Internal Power was usually around two and a half feet. However, judging from Yue Xunxian and Liu Mengse’s display, their range was at least nine to twelve feet, far surpassing that of ordinary people.
"Liu Mengse, after our last battle, I happened upon a half-finished move, and I want you to help me test it."
After another hundred moves, Yue Xunxian began to lose patience and decided to use his hidden killer move.
"Hehe, Brother Yue, please go ahead."
Liu Mengse also prepared himself.
This sudden change stunned everyone. They wondered, could it be possible that both had developed new techniques?
Yue Xunxian circulated his Internal Power all over his body, and a layer of earth-yellow halo instantly emerged on his right palm. This halo was so thick and heavy that it gave people the illusion of mud.
In contrast to Yue Xunxian, Liu Mengse extended both hands level with each other, his feet staggered. His whole body was poised as if ready to take flight into the sky.
"Quicksand Hand!"
"Sky Soaring Skill!"
It seemed as if the two outstanding youths had agreed upon this, as they both attacked each other simultaneously.
Upon releasing the Quicksand Hand, Yue Xunxian caused a feeling of collapse and destruction everywhere he went. The magnificent power he exhibited made everyone shudder, even without experiencing it firsthand.
As for Liu Mengse, he was even more astonishing. His body seemed to have been pulled by an invisible thread, and in the blink of an eye, he flew straight across a distance of twenty-one feet.
This was different from Shi Xiaole’s Golden Goose Skill.
When the Golden Goose Skill was fully deployed, it could cover a distance of nearly fifteen meters. However, it was slow and required replenishing Qi in the middle of the move. If one were to use it to attack opponents, they would most likely dodge it halfway through.
Yet, under the functioning of the Sky Soaring Skill, Liu Mengse was like a soaring eagle, plunging towards Yue Xunxian with lightning speed, not giving him a chance to dodge.
Crash!
With the collision of their all-out strikes, a terrifying force spread out, echoing like a gigantic bell in everyone’s hearts. Some of the weaker individuals even covered their ears.
Thud, thud, thud.
Liu Mengse stepped backward seven steps, a pallor crossing his handsome face.
"Did Dream Color Young Master lose?"
Everyone was shocked.
"No, look."
Someone suddenly pointed at Yue Xunxian.
It turned out that the front of Yue Xunxian’s robe had been torn somehow, revealing a shallow scratch on his chest. If it were half an inch deeper, he would have been seriously injured.
Yue Xunxian’s face turned from pale to a ghastly white, then he laughed heartily: "Brother Liu, I can’t beat you."
Even though he had repelled Liu Mengse, the latter almost injured him as well, especially at the last moment, Yue Xunxian felt that Liu Mengse still had some strength in reserve.
"You’re too modest, Brother Yue. I also couldn’t beat you," Liu Mengse responded with a slight smile.
"Hahaha, you two are indeed rare talents of our Cloud Triangle. As an old man, I suggest we call this round a draw, what do you think?" Grand Elder of Cloud Sword Pavilion got up at the right moment and laughed loudly after casting a glance at Yue Changzheng.
Yue Changzheng kept silent, considering Yue Xunxian was his son, it was not appropriate to speak up hastily.
Everyone present were seasoned characters in the martial world, having just witnessed the astonishing strength of the two outstanding youths, they agreed to a draw in order to avoid mutual harm.
Therefore, with the consent of Yue and Liu, this match that attracted more than half of the martial world in the Cloud Triangle, once again ended in a draw.
This marked a successful conclusion to the gathering in the Cloud Sky.
For most people, they did not regret attending this conference.
Not only because of the fascinating final match between the two outstanding youths, but also because there were many talented young people who emerged from this convention.
Among these, the impression left by ’Master of Sword and Blade’, Shi Xiaole, was the deepest.
’Master of Sword and Blade’ was a nickname given to Shi Xiaole by some people at the gathering.
After enjoying a lively dinner in the hall, the tired faction leaders and disciples returned to their rooms to rest.
Having bade farewell to his senior brothers, Shi Xiaole closed the door, sat on the bed, and eagerly entered his training state.
It’s not that Shi Xiaole was killing himself with training, but after his match with Ba Renxiong today, he accidentally touched the boundary barrier and sensed that he was close to a breakthrough.
With his mind centered and Qi in his abdomen, Shi Xiaole swiftly abandoned all distracting thoughts and began to run the Fuyang Qi Skill in routine cycles.
One cycle.
Ten cycles.
Fifty cycles.
When he reached one hundred cycles, Shi Xiaole began to break through the barrier.
Barriers seemed to crumble at the slightest touch, but most of the time that is a illusion. If you are not focused enough during the breakthrough, or your internal power is not concentrated enough, you might lose all your previous accomplishments.
Fortunately, although Shi Xiaole had lost some of his energy, he was still more focused than most people, his Fuyang Internal Power was plenty and endless, he wasn’t afraid of a protracted battle.
After repeated unsuccessful attempts to break the barrier, sweat began to bead on Shi Xiaole’s brow, and his clothes were soaked through.
Unknowingly, it was late at night.
Boom!
Suddenly, a light sound came from Shi Xiaole’s body, then a gentle breeze burst from him as the center, pressing the ink painting on the wall tightly against it.
After a while, the breeze dissipated.
Shi Xiaole slowly opened his eyes with a flash of joy.
After tireless efforts, he had successfully broken through to the eighth level of the Hidden Qi realm tonight.
Stretching out his hand and clenching his fist, he felt the power within his body. With a punch, there was a rumble, the air seemed to be compressed, pushing a table two feet away in front of him.
"Just the power alone has increased by about thirty percent."
Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but laugh.
The growth of internal power can be described as an all-round growth. An increase of thirty percent in strength means that his endurance has also increased by about thirty percent. His strength may not have skyrocketed, but he certainly became much stronger.
During the day, Shi Xiaole might not have 100% certainty of defeating Zuo Feiyang. But now, he has absolute confidence that he could defeat him.
"Tomorrow is the middle of the month."
Thinking of the mid-month lottery, Shi Xiaole was overjoyed. He was so excited that he only went to sleep almost at dawn, which was about one 2-hour period later.
The Gathering in the Cloud Sky, openly only lasts for two days, but actually leaves seven days for the various factions to interact freely. Otherwise, if everyone came thousands of miles and went home after just one round, it would be hard to bond.
Shi Xiaole slept comfortably until noon the next day, freshened up, then went to the dining hall of Astonishing Dragon Castle for lunch.
Along the way, some disciples of various factions saw him and couldn’t help but steal glances at him; some of the more daring ones even took the initiative to greet him.
Shi Xiaole responded to each one.
