Great Dark Calamity Fist

The referee had no way to deal with the oddball contestant clinging to his leg, so he could only wave a hand. "The match begins!"

Liu Zhen charged at the referee with his fists raised, giving Xu Xiaoshou a fright.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately let go of the referee's thigh. Once the match began, if he still clung to the referee, that would count as a foul.

He collected himself. Facing someone at the tenth realm, he had no choice but to be more cautious.

Liu Zhen was no small fry from the group stage. The tenth realm was also known as Half-Step Innate—this was no time for play.

Thus, black fist shadows engulfed him. Xu Xiaoshou hurriedly struck back, but failed to catch the fists midway and once again became a human punching bag.

Bang bang...

The familiar sounds rang out again, and the audience could no longer remain seated.

"There it is, Xu the Sandbag!"

"Is this guy sick? Every time, he insists on fighting hand-to-hand, yet when it comes time to brawl, he catches every blow with his face."

"Xu Xiaoshou really doesn't look like he knows any fist techniques. Liu Zhen's clearly stronger!"

Xu Xiaoshou inwardly cried that things were bad. Liu Zhen had truly shed all pretense. Blow after blow landed, and he felt as though his body was about to give out.

What kind of fist technique was this? How could it make even an Innate body hurt this much?

Xu Xiaoshou could only cover his crotch as Liu Zhen blasted him backward step by step.

Attacked, Passive Value +2.

Attacked, Passive Value +2.

Attacked, Passive Value +2.

What was going on?

Two Passive Value for every punch? That made no sense!

The more Xu Xiaoshou fought, the more alarmed he became. The information bar could not be wrong. That meant Liu Zhen's fist technique was not only unceasing—it also carried a second layer of force?

He carefully examined his body and, sure enough, discovered that every one of Liu Zhen's punches had secretly left behind a strand of black energy within him, so faint it was almost impossible to detect.

What a sinister fist technique!

He did not know what this thing would do, but if it had been secretly left inside his body, it had to be hiding some mysterious scheme.

Seeing that he was about to be blasted out of the arena, Xu Xiaoshou grew anxious as well.

He really had been too arrogant this time! He should have drawn his sword from the start; perhaps he would still have had the strength to fight. But with the barrage of fists flowing without end, he could not even take a sword out of his ring.

"Liu Zhen, give me a chance!" Xu Xiaoshou said earnestly.

Yet Liu Zhen said nothing. His fists only grew fiercer. He knew Xu Xiaoshou had trick after trick up his sleeve, and he had watched the entire process of his group-stage victory. How could he possibly give him an opening?

"Don't force me!" Xu Xiaoshou said bitterly.

Just a few more steps, and he would be blasted off the arena! Liu Zhen turned a deaf ear. His fists tore through the wind with sharp hissing sounds.

Xu Xiaoshou could endure no more. With immense difficulty, he pulled one hand free from the sea of fist shadows, gathered spiritual energy into it, and abruptly held it upright.

Sharpness!

Let's see if I don't skewer you to death!

Even if I can't hit you, you can hit me. As long as you punch into this upright finger, you'll bleed.

"Ah!"

Sure enough, Liu Zhen cried out and pulled back in the very next instant.

Amid those countless fist shadows, one was bound to strike Xu Xiaoshou's finger blade. He had not been on guard, and the sudden pain nearly split his fist apart.

Fortunately, he had trained his body. Though it was not Innate, it was still several times stronger than an ordinary person's. Otherwise, that blow would have snapped even his fingers.

"How is that possible?"

Liu Zhen's eyes were filled with shock. He knew Xu Xiaoshou did not know fist techniques, so how could he have drawn a sharp blade from within such a barrage of punches and injured him?

The next moment, he saw blood dripping from Xu Xiaoshou's twisted right fingers.

His Great Dark Calamity Fist delivered a second layer of hidden force. Xu Xiaoshou should not have been bleeding, which meant that blood was his own.

So this guy had broken his Great Dark Calamity Fist with his fingers? How was that possible?!

"What cultivation technique was that?" Liu Zhen demanded, his thirst for knowledge overwhelming his urge to attack.

Xu Xiaoshou had been blasted to the edge of the arena, and his fingers had nearly broken. Still, he had finally cracked this situation.

He forcibly bent his fingers back into place, sucking in a breath as he answered, "Sharpness."

Doubted, Passive Value +1.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

What was the point of asking if you weren't going to believe my answer?

You might as well not have asked! The audience rose to their feet, equally unable to believe what they had seen.

"How did he break the deadlock? I can't make sense of it. Why did Liu Zhen suddenly stop?"

"Look at Xu Xiaoshou's hand—it's bleeding. That should be Liu Zhen's blood, right?"

"Are you kidding? Can't you tell what Liu Zhen's spiritual technique is? That's an Innate-grade Great Dark Calamity Fist! How could Xu Xiaoshou's fingers possibly break it?"

"What? An Innate spiritual technique?"

One sharp-eyed person saw through it, and everyone was instantly stunned.

Innate spiritual techniques were things one could only stumble upon by chance. How could an outer court disciple possibly have the opportunity to obtain one?

Even if he had acquired one, how had Liu Zhen managed to cultivate it successfully? Xu Xiaoshou had also more or less guessed that Liu Zhen's fist technique was of no low grade. Otherwise, it could never have inflicted such damage on him.

After this chain of blows, it hurt countless times more than it had during the group stage.

And that was not even counting the black energy inside his body.

Xu Xiaoshou was a little panicked. He could not force the thing out, and it would probably stab him in the back at a crucial moment. Good thing he had the information bar—otherwise, he would not even know how he died.

Seeing Liu Zhen about to charge again, he hurriedly changed positions. As he moved, he drew out his wooden sword and said, "A gentleman uses his words, not his fists. Let's not use our fists anymore. How about we spar with wooden swords?"

"Stop at the right point. Don't be impulsive."

This Passive Value was becoming a little too much to bear. Xu Xiaoshou decided to admit defeat.

Even the referee was stunned. What happened to that line you said near the end of your last match? Did you eat it? The audience burst into laughter, slapping their thighs.

"I can't take it anymore, Xu Xiaoshou is too hilarious!"

"Did he forget what he said last match—'A gentleman uses his hands, not his sword'? What, now that they're actually fighting hand-to-hand, he immediately chickens out?"

"Ahhh, Xu Xiaoshou is so adorable! I can't take it!"

With a boom, spiritual energy exploded from the ground and shoved Liu Zhen backward, his fist shadows instantly blanketing the air.

"Damn it, again?!"

Xu Xiaoshou immediately put away his wooden sword and drew Hidden Pain instead. He could not hide it anymore—if the opponent's attack landed, he would definitely be knocked out of the arena!

Good thing I have a trump card.

"Leisurely White Clouds!"

He swept out with his sword. Wind and sand stirred between heaven and earth, and a vast momentum was about to take shape. Even the people in the audience sat up straight, not daring to blink.

"Dark Calamity, activate!"

Liu Zhen did not need to think with anything more than his knees to know Xu Xiaoshou was about to unleash his ultimate move. While in midair, he forcibly formed a hand seal and directly detonated the hidden force left behind by his thousands of earlier punches.

Boom! A mist of blood burst from Xu Xiaoshou's body. His eyeballs nearly exploded, veins bulging all over his body. One could imagine the agony he was enduring.

He knew his opponent had held something in reserve, but he had never expected that backup plan to be this terrifying! Xu Xiaoshou clenched his teeth hard, his cheeks puffed up like a toad's, and somehow kept himself from spraying blood.

Everyone in the audience was stunned. They had not expected the situation to take such a sudden turn. This battle had become so brutal—it was too cruel!

"Xu Xiaoshou... hold on!"

Each of them silently cheered for Xu Xiaoshou. Though this fellow was absurd and made people grit their teeth in irritation, he had also been the one taking a beating from start to finish.

Someone at the tenth realm crushing someone at the sixth was enough to make anyone pity him! The referee bent his calves and shot forward. He could not let Xu Xiaoshou take Liu Zhen's next punch. Someone would die.

He knew exactly how powerful the Great Dark Calamity Fist was. The more punches that accumulated, the more terrifying the hidden force became. Xu Xiaoshou had taken over a thousand punches; the hidden force within him was enough to make even an Innate expert explode on the spot!

Fortunately, he had an Innate body, the referee thought with relief.

Just as he was about to reach Xu Xiaoshou, he suddenly caught sight of the fellow secretly making a hand gesture behind his back even as he struggled to keep himself from vomiting blood.

I'm not needed?

The referee's heart pounded wildly. By all reason, he should have intervened, but for some reason, at this moment he chose to trust Xu Xiaoshou and stopped.

Everyone held their breath, because Liu Zhen's fist had already reached its apex, driving straight toward Xu Xiaoshou's chin.

Pfft!

At the critical moment, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly sprayed blood, spitting out the large amount he had accumulated in one mouthful and instantly splattering it across Liu Zhen's face, blurring his vision.

But what could that change?

The audience could see everything clearly. Xu Xiaoshou no longer had the ability to dodge. The hidden force had exploded and robbed him of all mobility.

"Get out!" Liu Zhen roared.

With a bang, his fist struck Xu Xiaoshou's forehead and sent him flying.

The next moment, Liu Zhen felt himself rising into the air as well. What was going on?

He wiped the blood from his eyes and discovered that this guy had wrapped him up with his legs and carried him high into the air.

Blood ran down Xu Xiaoshou's forehead, but his legs clamped around Liu Zhen's waist like iron pincers as they flew out of the arena together!

The sight of the two tangled in midair was so bizarre that time seemed to freeze at that instant.

Perishing together?

Every person in the audience was stunned. They had seen it clearly: even as Xu Xiaoshou took that fist to the forehead, he had actively lunged toward Liu Zhen. Seizing the instant Liu Zhen could not see, he had tightly wrapped him in his legs.

First blur his vision with blood, then lock his waist with his legs—he had devised that tactic in the brief instant of taking a punch? Unbelievable!

"Let go of me!"

The two plummeted from the sky. Liu Zhen was finally about to throw another punch. If he did not act, falling headfirst from three meters up would definitely be the end of him!

He did not have Xu Xiaoshou's body.

Xu Xiaoshou burst into laughter. His body, wrapped around Liu Zhen, instantly turned into a wind-fire wheel, making it impossible for Liu Zhen to hit him.

As they spun at high speed, he braced his head against Liu Zhen's feet and grabbed Liu Zhen's ankles behind his back with both hands. His legs released Liu Zhen's waist, borrowing the momentum to hoist him upside down through the air before smashing him viciously into the ground.

Bang! Dust flew everywhere as Liu Zhen hit the ground first, tumbling until the world spun around him.

Boom! Dust flew everywhere as Xu Xiaoshou landed with extreme elegance right on top of Liu Zhen.

He spat out a mouthful of blood. While waving at the speechless, stunned crowd, he lowered his voice and said:

"Liu Zhen, you're very strong!"

"Liu Zhen, what kind of fist technique was that?!"

"Liu Zhen, you taught me not to be careless. I'll remember that!"

The three consecutive Liu Zhens finally brought Liu Zhen himself back to his senses. Sweeping away his usual silence-is-golden attitude, he snapped furiously:

"Get the fuck off me!"