Mastered Technique

After Li He, the remaining matches in the hall were lackluster, and the atmosphere remained dull until the eighth match, where Yuan Lingling drew a bye and advanced directly.

After a short break, the draw for the semifinals began, and Li He was matched against Yuan Ziheng.

Before the match even started, Yuan Ziheng walked over with a grin.

"Big Li!" Yuan Ziheng reached out with practiced familiarity, seemingly intending to pat Li He on the shoulder. "Your build, tsk tsk tsk, it's really something, you've trained well. We should have let Miao the Big fight you."

Before his hand could touch Li He, it was pinned in mid-air by a cold, icy gaze.

Li He's eyes carried an invisible sense of oppression.

Yuan Ziheng's hand froze awkwardly in mid-air; he gave two dry laughs and took the opportunity to smooth his hair. "Ahahaha, don't be so cold. Even though we have to compete in a moment, we're still fellow disciples, aren't we?"

He plopped down right next to Li He.

"Brother Li, I saw your match against Zhao Dahai earlier, tsk tsk, you were fierce. Especially that move with your feet, you even cracked the ground. What kind of technique is that? It doesn't look like our martial hall's Ape Trace Steps."

"But then again, a move with that much impact must consume a lot of energy, right? I have some chocolate here, want some?"

Li He acted as if he hadn't heard a word, his gaze fixed calmly on the arena.

On the arena.

The first match had already begun, a bout between Sun Ao and another fellow disciple. Within a few breaths, Sun Ao defeated his opponent and claimed victory.

The second match was more interesting: Yuan Lingling versus Sun Jiaoyang.

"Senior Sister Yuan is up."

"Senior Sister Yuan, avenge Senior Brother Jin!"

"Teach that arrogant guy a lesson."

The crowd's deadened expressions regained their vitality.

As the granddaughter of the hall master, Yuan Lingling taught martial arts alongside Lin Feng. While she was playful and lively in daily life, her strength was absolutely top-tier.

After Jin Yongsheng had been cruelly and severely injured by Sun Jiaoyang, every ordinary disciple harbored a sense of burning anger and humiliation, hoping Yuan Lingling would secure justice for them.

On the stone platform, Jin Wancai sat up straight, watching the match with rapt attention. Hall Master Yuan Shan and Sun Zhenhai both maintained neutral expressions, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Below the stage.

Yuan Lingling's small face was solemn as she cupped her hands toward Sun Jiaoyang. "Junior brother, please."

Sun Jiaoyang's eyelids lifted slightly as he glanced at Yuan Lingling, offering no response.

This rude gesture instantly ignited the anger of the disciples on the sidelines.

"Too arrogant."

"Senior Sister Yuan, teach him a lesson!"

"Show him what you're made of."

Anger surged within Yuan Lingling as well. After Lin Feng announced the start, she stood in a standoff with Sun Jiaoyang for a moment. Seeing that he had no intention of making the first move, she let out a cold snort in her heart. So arrogant, I'll see just how strong you really are!

She tapped her foot, her movement technique agile and swift, like a butterfly weaving through flowers. She leaped between the Plum Blossom Stakes, glided along the edge of the Quicksand Pit, and pushed off the slippery bluestone path, attempting to use the complex terrain to restrict Sun Jiaoyang and create an opening.

Facing this swift offensive, Sun Jiaoyang remained with his hands behind his back. With light taps of his toes, he moved without leaving a trace. No matter how Yuan Lingling utilized the environment, he easily neutralized her efforts, even forcing her into dangerous positions.

After a few exchanges, Yuan Lingling fell onto the defensive.

But she was not discouraged. She shifted her movement technique again, conjuring several afterimages that were difficult to distinguish from the real thing, pouncing on Sun Jiaoyang from different directions simultaneously.

When martial arts training reaches the realm of Great Mastery, the blood and qi within the body surge like a river, condensing into something tangible.

Wherever the martial artist's intent goes, the vigorous blood and qi can permeate through the body, weaving extraordinary power into the void outside.

This is the technique of Great Mastery; its form and power are ever-changing and unconstrained, forged entirely by the martial artist's past experiences.

And Thousand Shadow Illusion was the technique Yuan Lingling naturally acquired after mastering the Ape Trace Steps.

The afterimages she split off were not mere illusions; they were clones condensed from pure blood and qi, each containing a portion of her true power. They were agile and swift, confusing and harassing the enemy, making it impossible to tell the real from the fake.

The birth of this technique was closely linked to her childhood experiences.

Her parents passed away early, and her grandfather, Yuan Shan, was too preoccupied with his desire for revenge to keep her company. In her lonely childhood, only the spirit apes in the mountains were her companions.

She had been orphaned at a young age and lived with her grandfather, Yuan Shan, ever since. However, at that time, Yuan Shan was obsessed with revenge and never had time to look after her.

Her longing for companionship eventually transformed into this marvelous movement technique capable of splitting herself and creating companions.

On the stone platform.

Sun Zhenhai's eyes showed appreciation.

"This movement technique is interesting. The real and the illusory interweave, blood and qi taking form. This girl's attainment in the Ape Trace Steps has reached Great Mastery, to think she could derive such changes from it."

Jin Wancai clenched his fists, thinking to himself, Lingling's move is powerful; she'll definitely catch him off guard!

However.

Facing this overwhelming, indistinguishable attack, Sun Jiaoyang's expression remained unchanged. His eyes were indifferent, and his feet moved only slightly.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

All of Yuan Lingling's afterimage attacks, whether real or illusory, missed their mark entirely.

Sun Jiaoyang perceived every one of Yuan Lingling's intentions, his every movement landing precisely in the blind spots of her attacks; he did not even need to parry, relying solely on his footwork to evade.

"Hiss..."

A collective intake of cold breath echoed through the air.

Yuan Lingling was inwardly horrified. The Thousand Shadow Illusion consumed a massive amount of energy; in just a few moments, fine beads of sweat had already seeped from her forehead, while her opponent's breathing remained steady.

"Senior Sister Yuan, keep going!" a disciple cried out from the sidelines.

Yuan Lingling gritted her teeth, her blood and qi surging within her! She formed a peculiar seal with her hands in front of her chest, "Spirit Ape Secret Technique, Thousand Pound Break!"

She let out a sharp cry! This was an explosive technique she had comprehended after cultivating Old Ape Stretches Arms to the Great Perfection realm, capable of instantly condensing all her strength to unleash a terrifying force several times her own.

At this moment, both palms struck out, the wind of her fists whistling.

This move was infinitely close to the wall-shattering and house-demolishing power of a Martial Master; it was her strongest strike!

Facing this earth-shattering blow, a ripple finally flashed through Sun Jiaoyang's eyes, piquing his interest. He no longer dodged, raising his right hand as his arm stretched out like a whip. His movement appeared slow but was actually lightning-fast, carrying a seamless, flawless force as he lightly met Yuan Lingling's heavy, powerful palms.

"A perfected technique, Cloud Rolling Cloud Relaxing."

Bang!

A muffled thud rang out.

Yuan Lingling felt as if her palms had struck a mass of cotton.

A supple, lingering force not only easily neutralized her power but also coiled around her like a venomous snake, guiding her strength and causing her to lose her center of gravity.

"Oh no!" Yuan Lingling was shocked, but it was already too late.

Sun Jiaoyang's left hand, shaped like a blade, struck silently against the Shanzhong acupoint on Yuan Lingling's chest, which had been left exposed by her loss of balance!

A sinister yet highly penetrating force instantly surged into her body!

"Pfft!"

Yuan Lingling's face turned as pale as paper in an instant, and she spat out a large mouthful of blood. All the strength in her body was drained away, and she collapsed limply to the ground, no longer able to fight.

On the stone platform, the light in Jin Wancai's eyes completely extinguished. He slumped into his chair, his face ashen; he was a man who knew his stuff and recognized that as a perfected technique achieved only after cultivating a martial art to its absolute limit.

Master Yuan's hand, resting on the armrest, tightened abruptly, his knuckles turning white.

Sun Zhenhai wore a smile, remaining silent.

Below the stage.

Sun Jiaoyang retracted his stance and stood still.

"Interesting, but that is all."

His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

After speaking, he turned and walked back to the resting area under the fearful gazes of the crowd.

Lin Feng hurriedly rushed onto the stage with the medical staff to carry the unconscious Yuan Lingling away.

Li He stared at Sun Jiaoyang's retreating back, then looked at the unconscious Yuan Lingling being carried away. He could already tell that the vitality of both these individuals surpassed his own, infinitely approaching that of a Tier 2 martial artist.

Deep within his eyes, a fighting spirit quietly coalesced.