"High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique: Xuanming Palm"
Xiao Wu's gaze turned vicious as he immediately unleashed his ultimate trump card.
This was a High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique personally taught to him by Big Brother Xiao Ling. Not only was it powerful, it also carried a trace of Xuanming Qi. Anyone struck by the palm would be tormented by the qi every night at midnight, suffering so terribly they wished they were dead, until they were ultimately tortured to death.
At that moment, over by Jia Nan Academy, Instructor Ruo Lin glanced at Xiao Wu in surprise. With her keen eye, she could naturally tell that he had used some kind of High-grade Profound Tier palm technique.
She didn't even know a Dou Technique of that rank herself. Once again, she glanced discreetly at the young boy in white, a suspicion forming in her heart, though she didn't let it show.
In the middle of the square, Wu Ming watched Xiao Wu charge toward him, a flicker of anger in his eyes. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Then he looked at Xiao Wu again, a murderous intent flashing through his eyes. He stepped forward and struck out with his palm.
"High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique: Shadowless Hand"
As his palm shot forward, a string of afterimages appeared, blurring the real and the illusory until no one could tell where the true attack was.
The onlookers held their breath at the sight. They all wanted to see who would emerge as the biggest dark horse in Jia Nan Academy's recruitment: Xiao Wu or Wu Ming.
Amid everyone's anticipation, the two attacks collided.
"Bang!"
A muffled impact rang out, and the two figures shot in opposite directions. After landing, they each staggered back more than a dozen steps before barely managing to steady themselves.
However, Wu Ming retreated five steps fewer than Xiao Wu. From their first exchange, it was clear that Xiao Wu had suffered a slight disadvantage in cultivation.
"Big Sister Ruo Lin, should we stop them? They've already decided the winner," Bai Zhi asked anxiously.
"This... Let's not interfere yet. Let's watch a little longer."
Instructor Ruo Lin hesitated for two seconds and glanced at someone before answering softly.
Xiao Ling, of course, had no idea what was going through the woman's mind. Seeing that she hadn't stepped in to stop them, he felt relieved.
It wasn't that he feared her. If the two of them fought, the situation would be entirely different. It would no longer be a clash between juniors, and it would cause a lot of trouble for the Xiao Clan afterward. It would also disrupt the plans he had in store.
After landing, Wu Ming and Xiao Wu charged at each other again. Every move was vicious, aimed straight at the other's vital points.
The Jia Nan Academy students watching turned pale. Even some mercenaries who had lived by the blade couldn't help but brighten at the sight of their attacks.
Now that was a man's fight—every punch landing solidly.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the square, Wu Ming was seething with frustration as he fought Xiao Wu.
In this brief exchange, he had used at least three or four High Yellow-Tier Dou Techniques, as well as one Low-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique.
What he hadn't expected was that none of them had done the slightest bit of good against this guy. It left him burning with anger.
"Phew..."
Wu Ming took a deep breath and exchanged another forceful punch with his opponent. Only then did he use the rebound to pull away. Looking at Xiao Wu, who had been knocked back three steps, he spoke in a chilling tone.
"Kid, this is all about to end. Now I'll show you what a true powerhouse is."
With that, Wu Ming swallowed a pill he had been hiding in his mouth. His aura suddenly began to surge.
In just two or three breaths, he had reached the level of a One-Star Great Dou Master, and only then did his aura finally stop rising.
Xiao Wu's expression turned grave, but he wasn't surprised. He had already seen the other man's strength suddenly surge in that strange way.
That was why he hadn't used the Jade Talisman earlier. He hadn't forgotten that his opponent had some kind of strange defense that even Big Brother Xiao Ling couldn't break. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let the man leave last time.
So he planned to wait until the instant his opponent was completely distracted, then use the Jade Talisman Big Brother Xiao Ling had given him to kill him. And when was someone most likely to let their guard down? Of course, just before they achieved their goal...
Though Xiao Wu wasn't surprised, everyone around the square was stunned. Even Instructor Ruo Lin froze for a moment.
Then she stole a discreet glance at the young boy in white. When she saw that he wasn't surprised at all, she felt inexplicably relieved.
"Holy crap..."
"Damn... Could Wu Ming have been hiding his strength? A Great Dou Master at twelve or thirteen?"
"Probably not... I think it must be some kind of trick. Even if a twelve- or thirteen-year-old had been cultivating since the womb, there's no way he could be a Great Dou Master..."
The sight left everyone stunned, and speculation and discussion erupted all around them.
Wu Ming paid them no attention. He had only one thing on his mind: completely destroying the oversized burr in front of him.
"Xiao Wu, I'll give you a chance. Get down on your knees and kowtow to me a few times, and maybe I'll spare your life. Otherwise, I'll just have to send you off to be reborn."
Xiao Wu only sneered. He couldn't be bothered to respond to this idiot.
Who did he think he was, telling Xiao Wu to kneel? He only knelt to his parents and Big Brother Xiao Ling... A Great Dou Master was powerful, sure, but not powerful enough to make him submit.
"If that's how it is, then you can die!"
"High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique: Shadowless Hand"
Wu Ming saw the loathsome look in Xiao Wu's eyes, stepped forward, raised his palm, and brought it down on him.
As the palm struck, dozens of afterimages swirled around it, making it impossible to distinguish reality from illusion.
"Little bastard, next time you're reborn, remember to keep your eyes open.
"Don't choose the wrong master, or you'll end up dead...
"No, you won't even get the chance to be reborn. After you die, I'll drag your soul out.
"Then you can watch me toy with your master's woman in the future... Hahaha..."
Watching this, the people around them shook their heads and sighed. They had all guessed how things would turn out by now. The Xiao Clan was taking a heavy loss this time...
At that moment, no one except Instructor Ruo Lin noticed the gloom in Xiao Ling's eyes. On the surface, he looked kindly at the worried Xiao Yu beside him and ruffled her hair.
No one knew what he was thinking...
"You! Are! Dead!"
Hearing Wu Ming's words, Xiao Wu's eyes flashed with anger and murderous intent.
He swore he would completely destroy this foul-mouthed bastard.
Wu Ming laughed at Xiao Wu's helpless rage, then landed a solid blow with his palm.
At the critical moment, however, Xiao Wu relied on his astonishing reflexes to dodge the vital spot.
At the same time, he used Dou Qi to activate the Jade Talisman he had prepared. A dazzling white light flashed, and Wu Ming vanished completely, as if the blow had reduced him to ashes.
[ Ding, the Spirit-Binding Talisman has been activated. One hour of lifespan will be consumed each day. Please ensure the host has sufficient lifespan to avoid any unforeseen circumstances. ]
"Phew..."
Hearing the voice in his mind, Xiao Ling finally relaxed. He had traded thirty years of his lifespan to the system for this Spirit-Binding Talisman.
Furthermore, after its activation, it would continue consuming lifespan as long as the person trapped by it remained alive.
The price he had paid was steep, leaving him with only ten years of lifespan and bringing him right back to square one.
But the result was good. At the very least, the spatial barrier at the Dou Zun level hadn't been triggered. That was enough for him.
This was also the only way he could think of to break the unknown Dou Zun's technique.
The people around the square were completely stunned. Then they burst into even louder discussion, and even the imperial troops and the Jia Nan Academy students joined in.
"Big Sister Ruo Lin, did you see what happened just now?"
Over by Jia Nan Academy, Bai Zhi's chubby cheeks showed her shock. She turned to look at Instructor Ruo Lin beside her.
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