Number One Under Heaven (Continued)

Peng Qianzhong saw that Si Ming's dodge direction was exactly the direction from which he would attack after changing his move. He was overjoyed and thought that this person was indeed just a name without substance, and could not even see this kind of change in the next move. He immediately stomped his foot and spun around, grabbing wildly in the air with his hands, his ten fingers tearing through the air with a sound.

Si Ming used the Dunjia Heavenly Movement to move around his opponent, barely avoiding each attack with every step. He also landed precisely at the point where the Profound Yin Divine Claw would change its position, as if feeding Peng Qianzhong a move, prompting him to unleash his ultimate technique from beginning to end. Moreover, he consciously kept his distance from the others.

Peng Qianzhong's moves were fluid and graceful, becoming more and more exhilarating with each attack. It was as if he was being pushed forward, tumbling, grabbing, and leaping like the wind, his momentum growing stronger and stronger. "Rock-Perching Form," "Sky-Soaring Form," "Forest-Piercing Form," "Moon-Catching Form," "Heaven-Stealing Form"... He had never fought anyone so comfortably before, and even had a faint feeling of breaking through in the heat of battle.

As he pushed himself to the final move, Peng Qianzhong channeled his inner energy to its peak in one breath, letting out a loud shout. Behind him, a huge, lifelike phantom of an eagle appeared, its eyes sinister.

"Escape the shadows, conceal your presence, and capture the lightning!"

Just as the ultimate move was about to be unleashed, Si Ming snapped his fingers. Peng Qianzhong felt his internal energy surge and reverse through his meridians. Normally, he might have been able to forcefully suppress it with his internal energy, but he had fought too fiercely just now and had not held back at all. His twelve-tenths of his internal energy was already beyond his limit. His face turned purple, and he spat out blood and collapsed to the ground.

"You stinky Eagle King, what's wrong with you?"

"They must have been poisoned! That scoundrel is cunning; everyone be careful!"

These people hadn't heard Si Ming's snap, and even if they had, they couldn't connect it to Peng Qianzhong's collapse. In their eyes, Si Ming hadn't done anything; he had simply been retreating, while Peng Qianzhong suddenly lost his footing, Qi Deviation a qi deviation, and collapsed to the ground. This was clearly a case of Si Ming poisoning him and then delaying the onset of the poison. Immediately, the crowd became agitated.

This time, a monk and a nun were at the forefront, wielding their swords and launching a combined attack on Si Ming.

"The Dragon Monk Tiger Nun were originally disciples of the Glazed Temple. However, they were expelled from the Glazed Temple for sacrificing innocent civilians to lure and kill Monster Race. They are skilled in the Dragon-Subduing Sword Technique and the Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique and always act together," Shang Yu explained in a timely manner.

Si Ming was more familiar with these two martial arts than his opponent. Even though he had never tried combining the two martial arts into a combined attack, he saw the opponent's weakness at a glance. He did not dodge or counterattack, but simply turned the convenient shovel in his hand and aimed the crescent blade at the weak point. If the opponent insisted on attacking, it would be equivalent to actively bringing his arms to the crescent blade.

Left with no other choice, the Dragon Monk Tiger Nun had to change their tactics, and Si Ming also spun his crescent shovel. No matter how the two changed their moves, the crescent shovel was always aimed at their weaknesses, making it difficult for them to advance.

This battle was the complete opposite of what had happened before. Peng Qianzhong was fighting too smoothly, being led by the nose, like a flood pouring down, unable to stop, while Dragon Monk Tiger Nun were frustrated with every move, having to change their moves halfway through each attack, just like squeezing out a tube of toothpaste that was almost empty.

After thirty rounds, the two felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, blood rushing to their cheeks, their movements slowed, and their moves were full of flaws. Not to mention Si Ming, even an ordinary second-rate martial artist could see the loopholes in their moves.

"Damn it! Discard your weapon!"

Seeing that the situation was deteriorating, the Dragon Monk knew that if he continued to fight, he would be defeated without being defeated. So he made a decisive move, abandoning his sword and using his claws, and the Tiger Nun followed suit, abandoning his knife and using his fists.

The Dragon Monk unleashed a Dragon Claw Hand attack on Si Ming, his five fingers crackling with electricity. It was a fusion of the Lightning Tribulation Finger, not just a simple Dragon Claw Hand. If the opponent used a method to counter the Dragon Claw Hand, he could immediately change his tactics and turn the tables.

However, this time Si Ming not only did not dodge, but also did not retaliate, allowing the Dragon Monk to strike his arm.

Dragon Monk was suspicious, but he had no reason to give up such a good opportunity. He could only attack and not retreat. He immediately changed from the Wind-Catching Form to the Void-Striking Form, and used his backhand to lock the opponent's pulse point. His Dragon Claw Hand had been perfected. He could dismember people's limbs as easily as cutting wheat stalks.

Unexpectedly, Si Ming's wrist seemed to be coated with a layer of oil, making it completely unyielding and incredibly slippery. Like an eel, it slipped away from Dragon Monk's fingertips in a flash. Then, his five fingers changed, and he reached back to slap Dragon Monk's chest.

At the same time, Tiger Nun's right fist pierced through the air, and even from three zhang away, a strong wind rushed towards her, making it hard to breathe. This move of hers combined the internal energy of the Tiger-Subduing Fist and the Skanda Palm, and it was flexible and could be switched at will. It was also to prevent Si Ming from easily breaking her moves like before.

Si Ming also neither dodged nor defended, letting the opponent strike him. Tiger Nun Dragon Monk became alert and was secretly pleased, but then she felt something soft and yielding under her feet, as if she had sunk into a ball of cotton. Before she could understand what was happening, the opponent's skin suddenly bounced up. The sinking and bouncing was incredibly fast. With a crack, a sharp pain shot through her fingers like lightning, and her arm involuntarily swung backward. Her right arm had been dislocated by the shock.

At this moment, Dragon Monk had just been countered and immediately used his lightness skill to retreat like a roc. Si Ming, having repelled Tiger Nun, immediately pursued his advantage. His pursuit was also subtle, his feet seemingly motionless, his body moving as if in a horizontal motion, his speed like the wind, his five fingers slowly and steadily closing in.

When Dragon Monk retreated to the ninth step, Si Ming's five fingers had already covered his chest. Dragon Monk shouted loudly, his chest suddenly sank, and at the same time he flicked his fingers, trying to turn the tide with the Lightning Tribulation Finger. However, he was halfway through the move when he suddenly felt a chill in his chest, his whole body was cold, and his body felt as if it were in an ice cellar. His internal True Qi was blocked, and he could no longer release the finger energy.

The feeling was incredibly familiar, and the Dragon Monk instinctively blurted out, "This is... the Profound Yin Divine Claw!"

He turned to look at Peng Qianli, seeking an answer, but to his surprise, the other man also looked bewildered, clearly unaware of the situation.

There was also a young swordsman present. When he saw Si Ming effortlessly break the combined attack of the Dragon Monk Tiger Nun, he lost his will to fight and stood aside without making a move.

Seeing Si Ming's questioning gaze, the young swordsman quickly cupped his hands and said, "Alliance Leader's martial arts are extraordinary. We were blind and overestimated ourselves, offending your dignity. Please forgive us."

"Martial arts? Oh no, I instinctively used martial arts to fight back. I clearly wanted to be a mage." Si Ming sighed, then said in an unfriendly tone, "You come here looking for trouble, get defeated, and think you can just say 'I forgive you' and let the conflict slide? When did the martial arts world of Eastern Martial World become so friendly?"

"There were five members of the Blood Abyss Sect in the City God, all of whom we killed. We did not see Li Ban along the way. Those five heads are our offering to apologize to the Alliance Leader."

It was Tiger Nun who spoke up. As a woman, she didn't care much about saving face. Besides, having already witnessed Si Ming's amazing martial arts skills, she naturally wanted to admit defeat quickly to avoid further suffering.

Standing still and letting her attack without making a single move, defeating her was something Tiger Nun had never encountered before, and had never even imagined. She and Dragon Monk were together, and their strength was no less than that of Grandmaster, yet they were easily toyed with like a three-year-old child, making her even consider retiring from the martial world.

Si Ming, "You're just talking to yourself. What do you take me for? Quickly explain why you've suddenly come to cause me trouble?"

Shang Yu sneered, "Is there any need to say more? It's definitely because your reputation has been growing lately, and some busybodies have even dubbed you the number one expert in the world. This has attracted a group of jealous and envious people. They're either being instigated by others to deliberately cause you trouble, or they're chasing after empty fame and want to use their fight with you to expand their reputation and improve their status in the martial arts world."

"Why haven't we encountered this before? All the martial arts sects we've met along the way have treated us with courtesy; not a single one has asked to spar with me?"

"Because you have the Evil-Slaying Sword School behind you, the Daoist Gate have to give you some face. Moreover, you are currently hunting down the Blood Abyss Sect, which is a righteous act in the Eastern Martial World. Naturally, they will not disturb you at this time, lest they be accused of disregarding the overall situation. As for the Evil Dao, they are being hunted down by you and have killed enough people along the way. They are well aware of your strength and naturally dare not provoke you. Only those who wander outside the mainstream and are somewhere between good and evil would be so inappropriate as to invite humiliation upon themselves."

Mockingly accused of bringing shame upon themselves, Peng Qianli and his two companions looked displeased and seemed about to speak up in their defense. However, after being glanced at by Si Ming, they all shut their mouths. They were no match for him and had nothing to say. Moreover, recalling the exchange just now, the only way to describe it was that they had "brought shame upon themselves."

Si Ming shook his head and said, "A bunch of fools blinded by empty fame. The title of 'Number One Martial Arts Master in the World' is utterly worthless. If you possess the strength of the number one martial arts master in the world, even without this title, others will still respect you as the number one. If you don't have the strength of the number one martial arts master in the world, then bearing this title is just inviting trouble... So, those guys who claim I am the number one martial arts master in the world are actually trying to hinder my actions?"

Shang Yu said, "Nine times out of ten, it's those Evil Dao people stirring things up in the dark. They don't dare to confront you directly, so they can only use this method to make things difficult for you and delay your pursuit of Li Ban."

Si Ming suddenly realized. "No wonder! With this era's extremely backward information dissemination methods, how could my name have spread throughout the entire Eastern Martial World in less than half a month, and how could I become a mysterious person whose name can't even be spoken? It turns out the entire evil Evil Dao was behind it all..."

He then shook his head and sighed, "Alas, it's truly helpless. I never wanted to be the best in the world, yet others offered me the throne willingly. Why bother? Fame is but an external thing. Being carefree is also a kind of elegance. A dashing man like me, no matter how low-key I try to be, is like a firefly in the night, so bright, so outstanding. My talent cannot be concealed."

Shang Yu glanced at her and said, "Although I admit that you do have the strength to become the number one expert in the world, this tone is really unpleasant. Can't you use a tone and manner befitting the number one expert in the world?"

"How could you make the mistake of judging people by their appearance? Whether you can become the number one master in the world depends on whether you have the strength, not on whether you know how to behave. Only when you possess invincible power will everyone, even if they dislike you, be forced to swallow their anger and watch you show off—I love seeing people dislike me but helpless against me."

"A perverse sense of humor."

"Say what you will, this is the confidence and composure of the strong."

Then Si Ming turned to the four of them and said, "What are you still doing here? Get out of here! Do you want me to treat you to a midnight snack?"

Feeling humiliated by being treated like lackeys, the three men's faces flashed with anger, but they didn't utter any harsh words. Just as Si Ming had said, the three men couldn't stand it but were helpless, so they could only suppress their resentment and leave.

"Man-Made Calamity Form, the Merciless Ravages of War!"

Suddenly, Shang Yu raised her hand and pointed, and two red lights flashed by, striking the back of the Dragon Monk Tiger Nun. Blood splattered, and the two collapsed to the ground, turning their heads to look at her with a mixture of shock, anger, and fear.