A Lifetime of Caution

Almost simultaneously, Si Ming and Nie Wanzhi stepped onto the arena. The four of them looked at each other and observed one another.

Xiang Donglai spoke first, tauntingly saying, "Oh, you clearly have players in good condition, yet you choose to send an injured one to fight. It seems you're very confident in your abilities, huh? Looks like you're planning to take on two opponents at once."

Si Ming scoffed, "You're truly ignorant. You don't know there's a martial art called the 'True Scripture of Sinful Punishment,' where the more severe the injuries a practitioner suffers, the stronger their Cultivation Body becomes."

"Such shameless martial arts exist in the world!" Xiang Donglai turned to look at Nie Wanzhi, "Little girl, I didn't realize it; you've hidden it quite well."

Although they are not much different in age, Nie Wanzhi Xiang Donglai looks older than his age, while Nie Wanzhi has a youthful appearance. It seems quite natural for the former to call the latter a little girl.

Nie Wanzhi wasn't sure if Si Ming was feigning an attack, so she didn't answer. Instead, Si Ming frankly said, "She hasn't practiced this martial art, so you don't need to worry."

"What are you talking about if you haven't cultivated?" Xiang Donglai said irritably.

"I'm merely pointing out one possibility, proving that there's a logical fallacy in what you're saying."

"... What bad luck, running into someone even more prone to rambling than me."

Realizing he might not have the upper hand in a verbal battle, Xiang Donglai wisely chose to keep quiet.

Si Ming didn't retaliate. Since he could win by strength, there was no need to waste words. Just like you can knock a trainer unconscious with one punch, what's the point of playing Pokémon duels? Compared to those Pokémon with all sorts of strange abilities, a trainer who is forever ten years old is obviously easier to deal with.

Seeing this, the referee promptly announced the start of the battle.

However, none of the four rushed to make a move, standing still and not understanding. The scene immediately fell silent. The audience thought that this was a confrontation between martial arts masters and guessed that it might have entered into a battle of wits. They all held their breath, afraid of affecting the arena dozens of meters away.

After a while, Nie Wanzhi spoke first to Chen Zhengying, saying, "Since you and I are both injured, why don't we go to the other side to compete and leave the battlefield to the two of them?"

Although Si Ming she didn't need help, she couldn't really just sit idly by and be a spectator in the ring. She was confident she could win against another injured opponent, and besides, this would also relieve some of the pressure on Si Ming.

However, Chen Zhengying shook his head and did not agree.

Suddenly, Xiang Donglai spoke up, "Since you're not going to make a move, then I'll go first."

Si Ming, "I'm standing here without moving, just waiting for you to make the first move. Do you think I'm some kind of leaf falling or someone's sweat dripping down my face?"

Before he could speak, Xiang Donglai had already sprinted out. His strides were enormous, each step often covering a full zhang (approximately 3.3 meters). As his feet landed, a hidden force seeped into the ground and reverberated outwards. Nie Wanzhi, who was affected by the force, felt as if she were standing on a trampoline, as if she might be bounced into the air at any moment. She hurriedly used the Thousand-Jin Drop technique to stabilize herself.

However, Si Ming remained as steady as a rock, completely unmoved. The hidden force that struck him was like waves crashing against rocks, shattering him into pieces.

Xiang Donglai let out a long roar, which, combined with the wind generated by his charge, formed a deafening lion's roar. Then, he exhaled and his right hand attacked Si Ming's throat, his five fingers slightly clenched, ready to turn his palm into a claw and forcibly tear off chunks of flesh. He had used this move on rhinoceros-like Demon Beast before, tearing off flesh and internal organs together.

But Si Ming remained unmoved, showing no reaction whatsoever, allowing the other person to grab his throat.

Xiang Donglai was overjoyed and immediately exerted his strength to pull inward. His right hand extended its five fingers, revealing jet-black nails as hard as diamonds. However, as soon as he touched them, he felt a tremendous force surging out from Si Ming's throat. It felt as if he was not choking a person's neck, but rather a volcano about to erupt, with powerful energy rumbling out from below, impossible to stop.

Xiang Donglai's right hand was forcefully deflected, but he wasn't shocked. Having witnessed Si Ming's fight with Lian Buqi, he had anticipated this. As his right hand was deflected, he simultaneously extended two fingers of his left hand, aiming directly at Si Ming's eyes—a move known as "Twin Dragons Snatch the Pearl."

No matter how well someone trains their external martial arts, they can't train their eyes to the same level as their fists and feet. Xiang Donglai thought that Si Ming might be able to train his eyes to be impervious to swords and spears, or even close his eyelids to catch a sword thrusting at him, but such tricks could only bully ordinary people and could not stop him from thrusting with all his might when he infused his True Qi.

Si Ming did not try to withstand the attack head-on. If Murong Qing hadn't reminded him, he might have tried to block the eye-gouging attack from a top expert. But now that he had abandoned any thoughts of underestimating the enemy, he dared not take any risks he wasn't sure of. Even if he was still reckless, he would be reckless in a steady manner.

Suddenly, Si Ming's eyes lit up, and he shot out two beams of light, which hit the two fingers Xiang Donglai, burning them so badly that Si Ming quickly withdrew his hand.

"Your eyes can shoot lasers? Are you even human?"

Xiang Donglai remained calm despite his surprise. After withdrawing his hands, he switched his attack to the lower body. He raised his leg no higher than his knee and launched a flying kick. It wasn't a kicking technique; although such a high-kick flying kick looks flashy, it leaves the opponent wide open and vulnerable. Unless one is going to unleash a powerful move, they would never do this in a regular match.

His leg techniques mainly consist of striking, thrusting, and stomping, aiming to disrupt the opponent's balance. Among them, the most lethal move is stomping on the instep; once it lands, even a block of iron can be crushed to pieces.

However, Si Ming also started moving his legs, competing with Xiang Donglai in leg techniques. The two wrestled with each other's lower bodies, bumping and colliding, moving with lightning speed, turning the hard stone of the arena into a muddy mess.

"How do you know the Sea-Subduing Leg Technique?!"

At first, Xiang Donglai felt that it was somewhat familiar, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Compared to the flexibility and variety of fist, palm and claw techniques, the leg techniques did not have many variations, so it was not surprising that there were some overlaps. However, he soon realized that Si Ming's leg movements were exactly the same as his, and even the techniques for generating force were the same. This was enough to prove that Si Ming was using the same martial arts as him.

"I saw you use it during the semi-finals and thought it was good, so I learned it on the spot."

"How could something like this happen..."

Xiang Donglai quickly accepted reality. Whether his opponent had learned it recently or just happened to have learned it before, it was irrelevant to the current battle. He focused his energy on the competition with Si Ming. In addition to leg techniques, the two began to spar with their hands as well, not allowing any distraction.

However, Xiang Donglai soon felt frustrated because he, nicknamed "Drunken Steps Across the Nine Provinces," actually suffered a loss in leg techniques. Although Si Ming's Sea-Subduing Steps was not as skillful as his, his leg strength was too great, harder than steel. Every collision made his calves hurt. If the competition continued, he would only break his leg bones.

Left with no other choice, Xiang Donglai gripped the ground with his toes, forming a claw-like shape, and straightened up, his spine rising like a dragon, instantly increasing his height. At the same time, he stretched his neck, like a rooster crowing, and suddenly bent his neck, his head falling from the air, striking Si Ming's face with his forehead like a golden rooster pecking at rice.

If this "Iron Head Skill" move lands squarely, it's guaranteed to smash a fried sauce shop. The nose is also a very vulnerable part of the body.

However, Si Ming shrank his neck, tilted his head back, and pressed his forehead against his.

With a loud "bang," Xiang Donglai staggered back several steps, feeling dizzy and seeing stars, and his forehead throbbed.

Chapter 797 A Life of Caution

Using leg techniques to counter leg techniques, and iron head to break Iron Head Skill, Si Ming's actions seemed somewhat impulsive, as if he were toying with his opponent. This arrogant attitude made people feel that there was an opportunity to take advantage of him, but only Xiang Donglai was in the middle of the situation, could feel the omnipresent pressure. Si Ming's not imposing body was like a tall city wall in his eyes, and the shadow he cast shrouded his whole body in darkness.

No matter what moves you use, your opponent uses them better than you. They are stronger than you in your weaknesses and stronger than you in your strengths. It feels like a drowning person sinking to the bottom of the sea, with enormous pressure coming from all directions, forcing you to open your mouth to breathe—if you actually open your mouth, seawater will rush into your throat and drown you.

In other words, Xiang Donglai naturally optimistic and has a strong will. As a key member of the Heavenly Black Martial Arts Team, he is used to bearing pressure and can still maintain his fighting spirit. If it were another martial artist with a weaker will, he would probably have been beaten into despair.

However, when Xiang Donglai regrouped and went forward to fight again, he was shocked to find that not only had Si Ming learned his Sea-Subduing Leg Technique, but also his other unique skill, the Mad Lion Palm Technique. This was undoubtedly another heavy blow to him.

Moreover, Si Ming's Mad Lion Palm Technique became more and more proficient. After about a hundred moves, he even turned the Xiang Donglai. Each palm strike emitted the sound of a lion's roar, covering up Xiang Donglai's roar. Each palm strike had the Fist Intent of a mad lion's roar. If one were to sense it with spiritual sense, one could even see that the lion phantom behind Si Ming was taller than the lion phantom of Xiang Donglai.

Of course, this does not mean that Si Ming's understanding of the Mad Lion Palm Technique surpasses that of Xiang Donglai. Although he mastered the palm technique instantly through sudden enlightenment, he could only perfectly imitate it and could not make it his own. He was still using someone else's Mad Lion Palm Technique, not his own.

Si Ming was able to overpower Xiang Donglai simply because he was stronger, had more vigorous Qi and Blood, had more precise control over his strength, and was at a higher Dao Realm. Even if his palm techniques were not as refined as Xiang Donglai's, he could still surpass him with his superior basic qualities.

However, to unsuspecting bystanders, this scene appeared as Si Ming having learned the Mad Lion Palm Technique in just a few minutes and using it even more skillfully than its original owner, Xiang Donglai. The entire audience was shocked and forgot to even marvel.