Mountain-Crushing Turn

"Get ready for the third match of the retest!" Lin Feng's voice broke the silence.

Two inner disciples entered the arena.

Their faces showed clear dejection, still haunted by Yuan Lingling's crushing defeat.

The fight began. Both moved stiffly, their techniques sloppy, utterly lacking the sharpness and fighting spirit expected of martial artists.

They attacked and blocked one another like puppets, without the slightest sense of order, leaving openings everywhere. A few impatient comments came from the sidelines.

"What kind of fight is this?"

"They don't have an ounce of spirit. Pathetic."

"Ah, you can't really blame them."

"Let's just get this over with and wait for Senior Brother Li He to enter."

The ugly fight ended hastily when one of them stumbled and fell.

It was less a contest than a mere formality.

"Fourth match, Li He and Yuan Ziheng, get ready!" Lin Feng's voice rang out again, a little more solemn than before.

This would be the final match of the quarterfinals, and the only one with the potential to bring a surprise.

"Senior Brother Li He is up?"

"Yeah, it's him."

"Good luck!"

A few quiet calls came from the sidelines.

Li He stepped into the arena.

His opponent, Yuan Ziheng, entered as well. He wore a smile, but wariness flickered deep in his eyes. His earlier attempt to probe Li He had come to nothing, only making him more cautious.

"Heh, big guy Li, we meet again!" Yuan Ziheng greeted him, trying to unsettle Li He with words. "Did you get some good rest? You really don't want that chocolate? Don't blame me when I run you ragged and leave you with no strength!"

Li He watched him calmly and took his stance, a fierce, domineering aura faintly emanating from him.

"Begin!" Lin Feng gave the order.

Yuan Ziheng's gaze sharpened, and he struck first.

"Watch out!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Yuan Ziheng stamped hard on the ground. His target wasn't Li He, but the Quicksand Pit!

Bang!

A burst of deft force erupted.

A vast spray of murky yellow sand mixed with water instantly obscured their vision, sharp fragments of stone scattered among the grains.

"Despicable!"

"Shameless!"

Several furious shouts rang out from the sidelines!

Yuan Ziheng chuckled. Using the veil of sand as cover, he employed the same trick he had used against Shi Lei earlier, aiming his attacks at Li He's vital points.

Though swallowed by the sandstorm, Li He didn't panic in the slightest. He used the Cloud Hand Eighteen Forms, a soft yet unyielding force circling around him like an invisible whirlpool!

Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!

Yuan Ziheng's lightning-fast finger strikes and palm shadows sank into the swirling currents like mud into the sea!

"How is this possible?" Yuan Ziheng was stunned. He hadn't expected someone with a body as muscular as an iron tower to have mastered such refined techniques.

The two exchanged dozens of moves in the blink of an eye, locked in a stalemate until the sandstorm cleared.

In that instant, Li He unleashed the Earth-Shaking Stomp.

"Hmph! You're still trying that move?" Yuan Ziheng sneered and darted backward, narrowly avoiding the shockwave.

That move won't work on me. Feeling smug, he prepared to regroup and look for another opening.

But—

Li He didn't stop moving.

The instant Yuan Ziheng pulled back and shifted his center of gravity, Li He's spine tensed like a drawn bow. Deep in his muscles and bones, a sound cracked like thunder.

Ape Demon Steps, Sky-Splitting Thrust.

His massive frame burst forward at a terrifying speed wholly at odds with his size, hurtling straight ahead!

"What?" Yuan Ziheng's pupils contracted.

He had never imagined that after using the Earth-Shaking Stomp, Li He could flow so seamlessly into such a ferocious charge.

In his haste, he pushed the Ape Trace Steps to their limit, making an incredibly strange turn toward the rear side!

Whoosh!

Li He's savage fist tore past Yuan Ziheng's clothes by a hair's breadth.

A flicker of relief rose in Yuan Ziheng's heart, but to his surprise, Li He still hadn't stopped. Just as the momentum of the Sky-Splitting Thrust was about to run out and inertia pitched him forward—

A tiger's roar and rolling thunder erupted from within Li He.

He twisted his waist and hips fiercely, pivoted on his left foot, and slammed his right foot into the ground.

Ape Demon Three Styles, Mountain-Crushing Turn.

Despite his high-speed charge in a straight line, his massive body abruptly defied inertia and forced itself into a near-perfect right-angle turn!

Whoosh!

Li He appeared in front of Yuan Ziheng, who had just dodged the attack and hadn't yet regained his footing.

They were only inches apart.

The relief on Yuan Ziheng's face turned to utter horror. His eyes widened as he stared at Li He, who had appeared before him like a demon god. His mind went blank.

This is impossible! That was the only thought left in his mind.

The explosive force of that forced turn and the control it demanded were practically inhuman.

Li He's gaze was icy. He didn't hesitate for an instant.

Ape Demon Three Styles, Void Breaker!

His fist shot out like a dragon, carrying a savage intent to shatter the void and destroy all things, and slammed into Yuan Ziheng's hastily raised arms.

Crack!

Yuan Ziheng didn't even have time to scream. His protective force shattered instantly, his breastbone caved in, and he was flung away like he'd been hit head-on by a charging rhino. Blood and fragments of his internal organs sprayed from his mouth.

The same fate as Zhao Dahai.

He rolled several times across Boulder Beach, smashing through several rocks before coming to a stop.

"Hiss!" A moment later, the spectators all drew in sharp breaths.

"That speed, that turn—so domineering!"

"What kind of footwork is that? It's not from our martial arts school, is it?"

"Yuan Ziheng, that slippery guy, actually..."

On the stone platform, Senior Brother Wang Meng's face was livid as he looked at his seriously injured disciple, disbelief in his eyes.

"Head Instructor Yuan, when this young man travels outside the school, why not have him visit my company?" Sun Zhenhai extended an invitation.

"That depends on what the disciple wants," said Head Instructor Yuan Shan.

Lin Feng brought the medical team over, preparing to treat Yuan Ziheng.

"Wait!" Yuan Ziheng said weakly. "Ape Standing Stake, a perfected technique: Old Monkey Returns to Origin."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Ziheng's injuries began healing before everyone's eyes. In only a moment, he was back on his feet.

Li He was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected his opponent to have an ability like that.

"Do you want to keep fighting?" he asked.

"No, no, I'm done. I can only use that move once. But you... those few moves of yours aren't perfected techniques, are they?" Yuan Ziheng said helplessly.

Li He didn't answer.

He instinctively felt that Yuan Ziheng hadn't used his full strength, but since the other man had conceded, he didn't feel like pressing the point.

He left the arena.

He could feel countless gazes fixed on him—respect, fear, confusion, fighting spirit, scrutiny—all mingling together.

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, slowly calming the surging blood and energy within him.

A brief rest period followed.

Everyone silently ate a simple lunch.

"Semifinal draw, begin!"

The results were revealed quickly: Sun Ao would face Sun Jiaoyang in the first match, and Li He would face an inner disciple in the second.

Sun Ao shot to his feet, clenching his fists.

His gaze was like a blade, stabbing into the cold figure in the rest area. Ever since they were children, Sun Jiaoyang had been an insurmountable mountain, one that left him struggling to breathe. The words "Your path in martial arts ends here" had gnawed at his pride like a maggot in his bones.

Today, in front of everyone, he had to wipe away this disgrace and prove to all that he, Sun Ao, was no good-for-nothing.

Perhaps he couldn't do it with the White Ape Martial Way, but Sun Ao's strongest techniques weren't from the White Ape Martial Way to begin with. They were the Sun family's ancestral secrets.