Complete Victory

"In that case, I won't hold back!"

Having failed to land a hit on Li Chuan, Kukai's composure was nearly shattered. Hearing Chiriku release his restrictions, he immediately flooded his body with Chakra and launched another attack using his best Body Technique.

"Now this is a bit more interesting!"

Watching Kukai's speed surge dramatically, Li Chuan's lips curled slightly. He stopped dodging and shifted his stance, transforming from the Swallow Form to the Tiger Form, charging straight ahead.

In his past life, Li Chuan had primarily practiced Xingyi, excelling in the Xing Yi Five Elements Fist—Splitting Fist, Drilling Fist, Crushing Fist, Cannon Fist, and Crossing Fist.

Next came the Xingyi Twelve Forms: Dragon, Tiger, Monkey, Horse, Crocodile, Rooster, Swallow, Sparrowhawk, Snake, Bird Platform, Eagle, and Bear.

Later, during his years fighting life-and-death matches, he encountered many experts and studied various styles like Bagua, Taiji, Wing Chun, Shaolin, and Mantis Fist.

The footwork he used to evade Kukai's attacks earlier came from the Swallow Form, while the fist technique he now used to clash head-on with Kukai's Body Technique was the Tiger Form Fist.

"He's suppressing Kukai without even using Chakra!"

The watching Monk Ninjas had shifted from their earlier gleeful anticipation of seeing the prince humiliated to a collective stunned silence.

They could clearly sense that Li Chuan wasn't using any Chakra in his fight with Kukai. He was relying solely on his immense physical strength and masterful combat skills to overpower Kukai, who had been enhanced by Chakra.

"Fierce Tiger Unleashed!"

Ducking low to avoid a straight punch aimed at his face, Li Chuan formed his hands into tiger claws and thrust them fiercely toward Kukai's abdomen.

"It's over."

In truth, after being enhanced by Chakra, Kukai's speed and strength had surpassed Li Chuan's.

But Li Chuan's combat skills were far superior to Kukai's—a Genin who only sparred with fellow monks in the temple and had never experienced a real life-or-death battle.

That was why things had turned out this way.

"Huh!"

Just as Li Chuan's tiger claws were about to strike Kukai's abdomen, Kukai suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.

"It's the Substitution Jutsu."

Pausing for a moment, Li Chuan looked at the small stone on the ground and understood.

Though he'd studied ninjutsu for a month, he still hadn't fully adapted to it, instinctively ignoring its existence in combat.

"Fire Release—Fireball Jutsu!"

At that moment, a surge of heat from behind made Li Chuan's expression shift.

It turned out that when Kukai sensed the danger, he had immediately formed hand seals and used the Substitution Jutsu, appearing six meters behind Li Chuan. Panting heavily, he unleashed a Fire Release ninjutsu.

The Substitution Jutsu was one of the basic Three Body Techniques and the most practical among them.

Unlike the Clone Jutsu, whose clones had no attack power and could only slightly confuse an opponent, or the Transformation Jutsu, which worked on inexperienced ninjas but could be seen through at a glance by seasoned Jonin, the Substitution Jutsu was frequently used even in battles between Jonin. Used well, it could not only save one's life but also turn the tide of battle.

However, it had its drawbacks.

First, it couldn't cover a long distance. In an open area, using it against a wide-range lethal ninjutsu was suicide.

Second, it depended on available substitution items. One could swap with nearby objects, but if the area was too barren, one had to rely on pre-prepared items.

Third, there was a brief pause after using the Substitution Jutsu. Without nearby buildings or trees to serve as cover, an expert could easily exploit that opening for a one-shot kill.

Thus, the Substitution Jutsu could be used in battles between strong fighters, but one had to mind the environment and timing.

Li Chuan had only recently started learning ninjutsu and wasn't yet familiar with a ninja's combat style. Otherwise, the moment he saw the opponent use the Substitution Jutsu, he would have scanned the surroundings to locate their new position.

"Junior, I concede."

As the fireball was about to hit Li Chuan's back, a smug smile crept onto Kukai's face.

His opponent's martial skills were indeed superb, but what made ninjas the dominant military force in this world, replacing samurai, was ninjutsu.

"It's not over yet."

Li Chuan's lips twitched upward. The Sage Art Chakra he had cultivated activated instantly, vastly enhancing his physical abilities. He pushed off the ground with explosive force, executing a White Crane Spreads Wings, leaping into the air at the critical moment to evade the fireball.

"What!"

Kukai had, by this point, forgotten that Li Chuan hadn't used any Chakra.

"Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain!"

Li Chuan landed on both feet, then pushed off again, transforming into a tiger charging down a mountain. With overwhelming momentum, he closed the distance to Kukai in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the fist rapidly enlarging before him, Kukai, intimidated by Li Chuan's aura, completely gave up resistance and tightly shut his eyes.

A moment later, the expected pain didn't come. Instead, a gentle voice sounded in his ear.

"Thank you for the lesson, senior. I've learned a great deal."

A martial artist's control over their body was no joke. When Li Chuan sensed that Kukai had fully surrendered, he stopped his fist precisely two centimeters from Kukai's face.

Kukai looked at the smiling Li Chuan and a hint of shame appeared on his face.

"You flatter me, junior."

"Kukai, not bad—you've improved. Continue training. Chuan, come with me."

Chiriku was now looking at Li Chuan as if he were a priceless treasure, the joy in his heart so palpable that even the surrounding Monk Ninjas could clearly sense it.

How could he not be happy?

The combat level Li Chuan had just displayed, especially after using Chakra, had already surpassed that of a Genin and reached the level of a typical Chunin specializing in Body Technique.

With a bit of guidance later on how to coordinate Ninjutsu in battle, he would be a solid Chunin as well.

Once his Chakra level improved enough to meet the requirements for learning the Secret Ninjutsu Raijin - Thousand-Armed Killing and Wrathful Vajra, it wouldn't be long before the Fire Temple gained an extra Elite Jonin.

An Elite Jonin might not mean much in the major ninja villages, but in the Fire Temple, he was currently the only one alive.

He never imagined that a disciple taken on for the sake of status and money would turn out to be so talented—this must be the Buddha's blessing.

In truth, Chiriku didn't know that the combat skills he'd seen from Li Chuan today were only the tip of the iceberg.

A martial artist's methods were far more than this. Today was a spar, not a life-or-death fight, so many lethal finishing moves Li Chuan hadn't used.

"No, I need to stay calm, calm, and not let him get too proud."

Taking a deep breath, Chiriku tried to steady his excitement, then turned and walked toward the training room.

"Yes, Master!"

Li Chuan gave a Buddhist salute to the assembled Monk Ninjas and quickly followed.