Complete Victory (Third Update—Please Follow and Vote)

The dojo fell deathly silent. Hui-Li-Yang Wu's expression turned utterly grim, and he cursed Rei'an as an idiot inside. The fool was so used to crushing opponents with brute strength that his brain had turned into muscle.

Against an unfathomable master like Lu Li, how could he open with such a broad, forceful move as Mountain Breaker? It had far too many openings and could easily be countered with grappling techniques.

Rei'an being put at a disadvantage by Mountain Breaker was within his expectations, but what truly alarmed him was that Lu Li had not countered with grappling or evaded. Instead, he had seen through the flow of power in Rei'an's body and redirected it with a highly sophisticated method. That was why Rei'an had been left completely exposed after his move failed.

Two seconds later, Rei'an regained consciousness and found himself kneeling on the ground. He looked up to see Lu Li standing before him, looking down at him with an indifferent expression.

I actually got knocked unconscious?

His fury blazed amid his shock. When Lu Li raised a hand and crooked a finger at him, he felt as though every blood vessel in his body was about to explode.

Yet, to the surprise of every member of the Wu Clan, the normally hot-tempered Rei'an did not roar in rage. Instead, he was unnaturally quiet.

He rose to his feet, his pitch-black eyes fixed tightly on Lu Li. His fury transformed into icy killing intent. He was serious now.

Watching Rei'an like this, Lu Li's lips curled unconsciously. "It wasn't for nothing that I deliberately held back. Looks like you can still trade a few more moves with me. Come on, let me experience the mysteries of the Wu Clan's martial arts."

By now, more and more people had gathered around the dojo. The Wu Clan's current strongest fighter, Rei'an, had been beaten to the ground and left unable to rise. That was explosive news.

For thirteen hundred years, the Wu Clan had continuously improved and optimized its bloodline through marriage with powerful people. By now, they had become a race of "new humans" without a single weakling. In terms of physical ability, every person present could be called superhuman.

And Rei'an was the superhuman among superhumans of their clan. Combined with his ability to use one hundred percent Removal, no one had ever seen him suffer such a setback over the years.

But now, they had seen someone stronger than Rei'an. That young man stood in the dojo like an immovable mountain.

Steady.

That was the only word that came to the minds of the Wu Clan members present. Rei'an sensed it as well. He felt as if he were not facing a young man around his own age, perhaps even younger than himself, but an old grandmaster who had immersed himself in martial arts for seventy or eighty years—and one with physical abilities no weaker than his own.

Facing Lu Li, he felt as though he were confronting an abyss, never knowing how deep it truly went.

As they faced off, their invisible auras collided. For the first time in a long while, Rei'an felt pressure. Sweat slid down from his forehead.

The next moment, the silence was shattered. This time, it was not Rei'an who moved, but Lu Li!

Lu Li exerted force in an instant, and the wooden floor beneath him actually shattered. He moved so fast that many members of the Wu Clan could not see him clearly. In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance between himself and Rei'an.

A steel fist shot forth, carrying the overwhelming momentum of mountains and seas. Before the fist even arrived, its wind had already rushed toward Rei'an's face.

There was an important concept in martial arts known as Pre-Initiative. Rei'an had intended to read the signs before Lu Li made his move, allowing him to strike after yet arrive first and defeat his opponent. But Lu Li's attack was too fast—and showed no sign at all!

At the critical moment, Rei'an raised his left elbow from below and violently smashed it into Lu Li's fist. This move was called Buddha Killer, originally a technique for attacking an enemy's throat, yet he was using it to defend himself now.

Although Rei'an had lost the initiative, he believed he had made the perfect response. Elbow against fist—at this distance, it would be difficult for Lu Li to change moves. The collision would certainly favor him, and Lu Li's fist would be crippled!

Bang—

Just as Rei'an thought he could reclaim the initiative, agonizing pain shot through his elbow. His body was driven backward by the clash of force, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Li's fist.

The fist gleamed with a grayish-black, metallic sheen. It had not suffered the slightest damage from colliding with his elbow. Instead, Rei'an felt as though his bones were about to crack.

Before he could even think, a fierce gust struck again. Lu Li's foot had arrived. Rei'an could only take up a defensive posture once more, raising his arm to shield his side.

The immense force traveled through him upon impact. Rei'an had barely steadied himself when Lu Li's next attack arrived.

The spectators stared at the battle in stunned disbelief. Rei'an had clearly become serious, yet even in his full Removal state, he was being beaten by Lu Li without the slightest chance to fight back.

Having lost the initiative, Rei'an could no longer find an opportunity to retaliate. Lu Li's offensive was like a raging storm, and his attacks were ever-changing and impossible to guard against.

If Rei'an had not truly been a genius in combat, he probably would have had his defense broken and been knocked down within three moves.

Even so, after several dozen exchanges, Rei'an began to falter. A long defense was bound to fail—an unchanging truth since ancient times.

During one exchange, Rei'an exposed an opening. Lu Li closed in and stepped into his inner range, using one hand to deflect Rei'an's fist, which combined offense and defense, while his other hand delivered a short punch to Rei'an's heart.

Removal also depended heavily on the heart's blood supply. With his vital point struck, Rei'an's movements instantly stiffened, and his body uncontrollably lost balance as it fell backward.

Lu Li followed with three consecutive short punches, each striking Rei'an's heart. As Rei'an completely lost balance and fell backward, Lu Li stepped forward again and drove a spear hand downward, straight toward Rei'an's throat.

"Don't!"

Amid Wu Fengshui's cry from the sidelines, Lu Li's spear hand stopped before Rei'an's throat, while Wu Rei'an's body crashed to the floor with a dull thud.

Lu Li straightened and smiled toward Wu Fengshui. "I said I only came for a martial arts exchange. I have no intention of killing anyone."

As he spoke, he stomped down on Rei'an's heart. The floor beneath them shattered completely, while Rei'an, who had tried to counterattack, coughed up blood. The purple coloring on his body rapidly receded, and his Removal state was dispelled.

Lu Li glanced down at Rei'an beneath his foot. "Sneak attacks during a sparring match aren't a very good habit. Still, I'd like to see your assassination techniques."

"Lu Li..."

With his vital point heavily damaged, Rei'an no longer even had the strength to roar in anger. In his black eyes, Lu Li's figure gradually blurred.

Clap, clap, clap—

Applause rang out in the silent dojo. It came from the thin, gaunt old man.

"Truly a splendid match."

The Wu Clan's patriarch, Hui-Li-Yang Wu, stood up with a smile on his face. "The young truly are formidable. I should also thank Mr. Lu for teaching that arrogant brat Rei'an a lesson."

This battle had genuinely shocked Hui-Li-Yang Wu. He felt that even his younger self would have found it difficult to defeat Rei'an so cleanly and decisively.

Lu Li looked barely over twenty, yet he had already attained such profound mastery in martial arts. That was truly rare.

"Take this worthless fellow away and treat his injuries. After this battle, he should understand that there are always greater people beyond people and greater heavens beyond heavens. Secret techniques are not invincible. If he does not properly cultivate his martial arts, he will lose someday."

Hui-Li-Yang Wu instructed his clansmen to carry Rei'an away, speaking with considerable emotion.

He, too, had suffered defeat once in his youth. But without that defeat, he would never have gained true strength. It was precisely because he had lost that he returned to the clan and diligently honed all kinds of combat techniques and secret arts, eventually becoming a supreme master.

The current Rei'an greatly resembled him when he had first become the Fang of Metsudo. He only knew how to rely on one hundred percent Removal and crush opponents with physical ability, paying no attention to technique. When he encountered a truly top-tier expert, he would suffer.

That was why his words of thanks to Lu Li had been sincere. Lu Li's defeat of Rei'an would make Rei'an stronger.

"Then, would the legendary first-generation Fang of Metsudo like to exchange pointers with Lu?"

Lu Li looked toward Hui-Li-Yang Wu. In terms of technique alone, Hui-Li-Yang Wu was undoubtedly one of the greatest masters in this world.