Chapter 105
Si Ming hadn't expected Ke Chajing to be so agile even while wearing heavy armor. Even with his lightness skill, unless he abandoned his double hammers, he really couldn't keep up. In addition, the mist surrounding her body interfered with his vision, making her even harder to spot.
What if you can't lock onto the target?
Then it's an indiscriminate attack.
Si Ming twisted his arms, surging his muscles, and every hair on his body stood on end. The Jing Essence he had stored up by absorbing nuclear radiation over the past few months was completely ignited, and endless power was released from every part of his body.
At this moment, he felt like he had transformed into the Hulk. The two sixty-pound gourd hammers seemed as light as firewood, and they danced wildly around his body. The force they generated roared and howled like a storm, creating hammer shadows around his body, like a mighty steel tyrant flower in full bloom.
Nine Earth-Shattering Hammers — Ground-Sweeping Wild Flowers!
This was the first time Si Ming had fully unleashed the power within his body since he began cultivating the unknown mental technique. He felt a continuous flow of vital energy coursing through his limbs and bones, as if an energy furnace had been stuffed into his body. Describing it as a nuclear reactor might be an exaggeration, but it was at least at the level of an internal combustion engine.
Ke Chajing's momentum was forced to halt, forcing her to change course. Her intuition told her that if she dared to charge into those layers of hammer shadows and wild flowers, she would be absolutely smashed to pieces—not an exaggeration, but literally smashed to pieces.
"This move is obviously very physically demanding. How long can he last? The moment his breath weakens will be the deciding factor in the outcome."
Ke Chajing was no fool; she acted decisively, circling around Si Ming without rushing to attack. Like a cheetah watching over a herd of cattle, she waited for the moment the opponent revealed a weakness before launching a thunderous offensive.
Three minutes passed, and Si Ming's hammer-wielding speed showed no signs of slowing down.
Five minutes passed, and Si Ming's breathing remained steady and long.
Eight minutes passed, and Si Ming's hammering force only grew stronger!
"Doesn't this person get tired? Even if he has Internal Cultivation to help him burn off the fatigue, his stamina is terrifying. He doesn't look like an endurance-type martial artist at all. Could it be that, as he just said, he looks thinner when he's dressed? Or is he actually a Demon Beast in human skin?"
Ke Chajing was filled with doubt and apprehension. If things continued like this, she might exhaust her True Qi first. After all, she wasn't just moving around normally; she had activated a secret technique from the "Blazing Sun Divine Art," rapidly burning her True Qi and entering a burst state. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to maintain such high-speed movement while carrying a heavy load.
Just then, Si Ming's aura suddenly weakened, and a crack appeared in the previously impenetrable Hammer Shadow protective circle. His feet made a slight backward movement.
"An opportunity! It turns out that the increased energy just now was merely a last gasp, a prelude to buy time to escape!"
With her attention highly focused, Ke Chajing was like a taut string; the slightest stimulation would trigger a violent reaction. The moment she saw an opening in her opponent's defenses, she immediately concentrated her power, condensing crimson True Qi into a hammer shape in her right hand, and thrusting it into the crack.
However, at the moment she made her move, a strange feeling suddenly flashed through her mind. Many details that she had seen but had not paid attention to flashed through her mind and turned into alarm bells.
"No, we've fallen for their trap!"
Just as Ke Chajing launched her attack, Si Ming suddenly released his grip on the hammer, and the gourd-shaped hammer, the size of a spittoon, flew out like a cannonball, carrying the kinetic energy accumulated during the chaotic swing.
Ke Chajing's expression changed, and she quickly shrank back, barely avoiding the heavy blow. However, the force of the air grazed her scalp, causing a slight stinging sensation.
Seeing this, the teacher acting as referee leaped and lunged at the door, drawing circles with both hands and unleashing several strands of winding force to deflect the blow and catch the gourd hammer, preventing it from hitting anyone else.
On the stage, before Ke Chajing could catch her breath after dodging the "bombardment," Si Ming's other hammer came crashing down with a "Sweep Away a Thousand Soldiers." Her stance was thrown into disarray, and she had no room to dodge or move, so she could only take the blow head-on.
A loud "bang!"
The crimson True Qi that Ke Chajing had gathered in her hands shattered instantly. She herself was struck as if by lightning, and was sent flying into the air, her Qi and Blood and qi churning, her arms numb and without feeling.
However, while suspended in mid-air, she twisted her body, which actually alleviated the backward trend and prolonged the time she was airborne. She then kicked out with both legs in succession, hitting Si Ming squarely in the chest with a spiraling, drilling force.
Even when she was at a disadvantage, Ke Chajing did not miss any opportunity to turn the tide of the battle. She displayed rich combat experience. Her aerial combo kicks did not aim to cause serious injury to her opponent. As long as they could stop the pursuit and buy her time to recover, the outcome of the battle would remain uncertain.
Upon landing, Ke Chajing breathed heavily, simultaneously circulating her True Qi throughout her limbs to accelerate the recovery of her senses. However, she had only managed two breaths when a heavy, dark shadow slammed down upon her with overwhelming force, the whistling wind proving the immense power contained in the blow.
"So fast!"
Ke Chajing wanted to use her "rolling" technique, but the weighted clothing she was wearing became the last straw. At her lowest point, she couldn't dodge in time and could only watch helplessly as a hammer the size of her head smashed down from the side.
At a distance of less than two centimeters from the tip of her nose, the gourd hammer came to a stop in time, and the resulting airflow, due to inertia, rushed towards Ke Chajing's face, causing her hair to stand straight back.
Even though Ke Chajing was exceptionally brave and a woman who was no less capable than any man, she was still so frightened that her pupils contracted and cold sweat poured down her back.
"Candidate Si Ming has passed the first round of testing."
As the referee announced the verdict, he withdrew his hand from the sledgehammer. Had Si Ming not stopped in time, he would have forcibly stopped him, even though he himself was not confident that he could catch such a powerful blow at such close range.
"You're too kind."
Si Ming put the hammer back and exhaled a breath of stale air. Fortunately, the opponent had kicked his chest. If it had been his shoulder, without the protection of his Phase Transfer Body-Protecting Divine Art, he might not have been able to take him down in one fell swoop.
Thinking about it carefully, it's actually because the opponent was wearing a weighted suit, which reduced their levitation height. Otherwise, the normal place to push off would be the neck, which would be extremely dangerous. If someone were to step on it, they might be seriously injured and lose immediately.
The battle went so smoothly mainly because of the advantage of intelligence. Si Ming knew Ke Chajing's martial arts skills and adopted a restraining approach. Ke Chajing, however, knew nothing about him and was not on guard against the Phase Transfer Body-Protecting Divine Art. Otherwise, the final series of kicks combined with True Qi might have had a different outcome, since Phase Shift only absorbs physical impact.
"In a way, I owe Tao Chengsi a favor, but I also used up a lot of Ke's True Qi. It's a win-win situation. Whether he wins in the end depends on him."
Ke Chajing stood up, took off her weighted vest, quickly adjusted her breathing, and looked at Si Ming, asking, "Immense strength, thick skin, are you a body-refining martial artist?"
She guessed that Si Ming had considerable skill in external martial arts, which was why he was able to withstand her series of kicks without being affected.
However, while Si Ming possessed immense strength, he was far from being thick-skinned. He had only Lian Buqi the Phase Transfer Body-Protecting Divine Art, which protected only his chest and head. Once other parts of his body were attacked, he would be helpless. But there was no need to explain this to the other party at the moment.
"I guess so," he chose a vague answer.
Ke Chajing didn't press further, nodded, and said, "I hope you can be recruited through the special admission program in the end. Our school team happens to be lacking a body-refining martial artist like you... Also, don't think you've beaten me just like that. I didn't use my full strength. Once you're on the school team, I'll challenge you to a fair fight."
Clearly, she was still upset about losing to Si Ming and wanted to get revenge.
Most martial artists are proud and ambitious, with a strong desire to win. Even Daoist School disciples are no exception. Those who claim to be inactive and self-cultivating are actually Daoists who have practiced martial arts, not martial artists who have studied Daoist methods. Zhang Dixian is the best example. Although he was skilled in martial arts, he was not a martial artist.
"Thank you for your kind words, senior. I hope that day will truly come."
Si Ming smiled and gently changed the subject.
Indeed, Ke Chajing was subject to many disadvantages in this match and suffered from a lack of intelligence. If they were to fight head-on without these restrictions, Si Ming would be no match for her. However, this kind of battle might not be fair, since Si Ming is two years younger than his opponent, which means he has missed two years of growth.