The instant Lin Feng finished speaking, Li He had already cut through the air like a gust of ill wind.
"Charge! Breakthrough! Trample!"
His massive body unleashed terrifying momentum, transforming into a black bolt of lightning that tore through the air and shot straight at Sun Jiaoyang. Before his fist even arrived, the gale it stirred had already whipped Sun Jiaoyang's lapels into a flapping frenzy.
However.
The instant his fist touched Sun Jiaoyang's lapel, Sun Jiaoyang's figure slid half a foot to the left, as strangely as a phantom.
Li He's fist whistled past the edge of his clothes and struck empty air.
No wonder Yuan Lingling had been unable to touch Sun Jiaoyang at all, even after giving it everything she had. His movement was so uncanny that speed and agility couldn't describe it. It was more like space itself had shifted.
Li He roared and forcibly twisted his body, sweeping out his massive arm.
But Sun Jiaoyang's figure rippled away like a reflection in water, and he appeared effortlessly behind Li He's right side.
His movements were so fluid, it was as if he had foreseen everything!
"You're no different from the one before you."
"Boring."
Shhk!
A finger strike darted toward the vital point at the back of Li He's neck, like a venomous snake flicking out its tongue.
Its angle was vicious, its timing precise!
The hairs on Li He's body stood on end. His muscles tensed like iron and glimmered with a dark, metallic sheen as he drove the minor mastery of the Ape Demon Iron God Technique to its limit.
At the same time, he pushed off with his feet and activated Mountain-Crushing Turn, sharply twisting his waist and hips in an attempt to avoid the vital point.
Thud!
The fingertip struck like an awl, stabbing beneath Li He's left shoulder blade.
Although he avoided the back of his neck, the vicious penetrating force still tore through his skin and sank into his muscle.
Pain coursed through his body like an electric current.
Li He grunted and swung a frenzied Void Breaker Fist behind him, forcing Sun Jiaoyang to drift backward!
He had lost the first exchange.
Blood quickly gushed from the wound behind his shoulder, blooming into a dazzling flower of red. And that was despite his mastery of hard-body techniques. An ordinary person's body would have been pierced clean through.
Gasps rose from around the arena.
"Senior Brother Li, admit defeat! There's still time!"
"Stop fighting, Senior Brother Li!"
Li He paid them no heed. He stared fixedly at Sun Jiaoyang, his eyes holding no fear, only a ferocity that had been thoroughly stoked.
Sun Jiaoyang shook his finger and looked down at him condescendingly.
"With fifth-grade roots, it's not easy to train a body like that."
"Too bad it's all for show. You're as clumsy as a turtle. I'll crack your shell first and see what tricks you have left."
As his voice fell,
Sun Jiaoyang's figure abruptly blurred, splitting into several indistinguishable afterimages!
He flitted around Li He like a ghost, appearing on his left one moment and jabbing at his ribs with a swordlike finger; circling around to his right the next and slicing at his neck with the edge of his palm; then flashing in front of him and driving a knee into his abdomen.
Phantom after phantom, his attacks surged like a tide!
Li He's eyes turned bloodshot.
He pushed the Ape Demon Steps and Wild Goose Eight Steps to their limits, darting and weaving across the arena as his palms flew. Cloud Hand Eighteen Forms spun like a wheel as he tried to counterattack.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sounds of tearing cloth and flesh being pierced rang without end.
His shoulders, arms, ribs, and back—his training clothes were ripped into ragged strips, and wounds of varying depths opened across his body.
Blood gushed like a spring, turning him into a man drenched in it.
Every block came half a beat too late. Every dodge came after the attack!
"Too slow."
"Too stupid."
"All you have is brute strength."
Sun Jiaoyang's indifferent voice kept needling at Li He, trying to break his fighting spirit.
The area around the arena fell deathly silent.
The disciples' faces turned pale as they watched Li He, a bloodied man being slowly carved apart, futilely swing his fists around the arena.
Despair, like an icy tide, drowned them all.
Humiliation!
An unprecedented sense of humiliation seared Li He's nerves!
For the first time, he realized how clumsy he was!
Once more, Sun Jiaoyang appeared at his side as if he had teleported. His fingertip flashed like a knife toward Li He's right eye.
Li He jerked his head aside!
Shhk!
The gust of his finger grazed Li He's cheekbone, leaving behind a trail of blood droplets and a small piece of torn flesh!
Pain cleaved into his mind.
Li He froze where he stood.
"What, are you trying to make me lose?" Sun Jiaoyang stood on a Plum Blossom Stake, looking down at him.
And yet,
Li He slowly straightened. His blood-smeared face showed no despair or anger. Instead, he bared his teeth in a savage, frenzied grin.
He raised his right arm and pointed at his heart.
"Come on."
"Put it right here!"
He abandoned all defense, dropped his stance, and left himself wide open.
"Looking to die!"
A trace of anger entered Sun Jiaoyang's indifferent voice, as if an ant had dared to provoke him.
He flashed forward like lightning, darting into the fatal opening Li He had exposed. His five fingers curled like hooks and shot toward Li He's chest. He meant to tear out Li He's heart with his bare hands.
"Just what I wanted!"
Li He laughed wildly. Instead of retreating, he charged straight into the deadly claws!
Squish!
Sun Jiaoyang's hand pierced Li He's chest like a knife through tofu, puncturing his lung.
Pain! Suffocation! The stench of blood!
Death's icy grip seized Li He in an instant, yet his bloodshot eyes shone with a terrifying light.
At the last moment, he twisted his body with all his might, making Sun Jiaoyang's hand pierce his right chest and miss his heart.
At the same time, he drove the Ape Demon Iron Body Technique to its limits, tightening his muscles to clamp down on Sun Jiaoyang's wrist. His blood vessels constricted as he forcibly slowed the loss of his life!
"Five minutes!"
Li He gave a savage grin. That was how long he estimated he could stay conscious and keep fighting.
"You're like a bug, hopping around." He stared at the handsome face so close to his own, a trace of bewilderment on it.
He grinned savagely and laughed wildly, like a demon from Hell.
"Come on!"
"Let me teach you how men fight!"
Li He's massive hands clamped onto either side of Sun Jiaoyang's head. His fingers dug deep into his hair, knuckles turning white.
With a wild laugh and the veins bulging on his forehead, he used every ounce of strength he had to yank that proud head toward himself.
Bang!
The sharp crack made everyone's scalp tingle. Li He's forehead slammed squarely into Sun Jiaoyang's nose!
Blood!
It burst between them like fireworks!
For the first time, Sun Jiaoyang's handsome face, which had always held an elegant, composed expression as if he were untouched by worldly concerns, twisted out of shape.
He let out a pained groan. His nose visibly caved in, and warm blood mingled with tears and snot, staining half his face.
Drip, drip—it fell to the ground in a wretched mess.
"Hahahahahaha! So you bleed too!"
Li He held fast to Sun Jiaoyang's head, ignoring his struggles and the heavy punches raining down on his own body. Again and again, he slammed him into that battered face.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Each impact came with the sharp crack of breaking bones and sprays of blood and flesh!
"Bastard!"
Power erupted from Sun Jiaoyang, knocking Li He's hands away as he pulled his hand from Li He's chest.
The pain made Li He's vision go black, but he clung to a sliver of consciousness and spread his arms, charging at Sun Jiaoyang with blood covering his body.
He wrapped his arms tightly around Sun Jiaoyang's waist.
The two of them rolled across the arena like tumbling gourds, over ground covered in crushed stone and blood.
"Bastard, let go of me!" Sun Jiaoyang roared, his fists pounding Li He's back like raindrops with a series of dull thuds.
But Li He seemed not to feel a thing.
He opened his bloodied mouth, bared his teeth, and bit down hard.
"Ah!" Sun Jiaoyang let out a piercing scream.
Rrrip!
Li He tore away a huge piece of flesh along with cloth, and warm blood sprayed across his face!
At that moment,
Everyone was completely stunned by the bloody, savage fighting style. They stared at Sun Jiaoyang's crushed nose, his blood-covered face, and his body torn and drenched in blood. Then they looked at Li He's caved-in chest, his blood-soaked body, and his ferocious grin.
An indescribable chill and shock swept through every heart.
How could this be a martial arts match?
It was clearly two ferocious beasts fighting to the death!
Li He... had gone mad!
With the most primitive and brutal methods, he had ripped away Sun Jiaoyang's haughty, elegant facade, dragging what should have been a contest of skill and strength into a mire of blood and violence!
Blood!
There was blood everywhere!
"Get away from me, you lunatic!"
Sun Jiaoyang's roar carried a fear unlike anything he had ever felt before.
His handsome face was now a bloody mess, blood continuously pouring from his crushed nose. A huge piece of flesh had been torn from his shoulder, exposing the bone beneath.
He had never been in such a wretched state! Never been so close to death!
He struggled desperately, trying to break free from Li He's arms, which held him like iron bands.
"So you can be afraid, too?" Li He not only refused to let go, but tightened his arms again. He leaped into the air, arched backward, and swung Sun Jiaoyang high overhead.
A brutal suplex!
Sun Jiaoyang's entire upper body was driven deep into the ground. Blood instantly stained the crushed stone as the impact left him seeing stars.
"That's enough!" Sun Jiaoyang roared. His blood and qi erupted, turning into an invisible bomb that exploded between them.
Li He was blasted away, flying backward before crashing heavily onto the ground strewn with crushed stone and pools of blood.
Sun Jiaoyang staggered to his feet, drenched in blood. His gaze toward Li He was filled with venom and murderous intent.
"You think some flash of inspiration in your madness can defeat my hard-earned mastery of the martial arts? Keep dreaming! Die!"
Sun Jiaoyang let out a bestial roar and flashed forward. With a single shift of position, he appeared before Li He, fingers pressed together like a blade, thrusting straight toward his heart.
At the instant the deadly hand strike was about to pierce Li He's chest, his unfocused eyes suddenly lit up, flaring with a ferocity like a dying man's final burst of life.
Li He raised both hands high and slammed them toward the ground.
Rumble!
The hard bluestone paving within several meters of his fists instantly turned to dust, cracks spreading wildly like a spiderweb.
Ape Demon Three Styles, Earth Shaker.
A violent shockwave burst upward from below!
Standing on the shockwave, Sun Jiaoyang was instantly launched into the air. His eyes filled with horror. How could this lunatic still have so much strength left?
In that instant,
The muscles, bones, and even shattered organs throughout Li He's body hummed in unison. He stepped forward in a horse stance and clenched his right fist, swinging upward with an overpowering force that surged against the current and shattered everything in its path, straight at Sun Jiaoyang.
It was none other than the Ape Demon Three Styles, Heaven Lifter.
Wherever the fist wind passed, the air compressed with a piercing boom and the blood mist instantly evaporated. Its might was enough to punch a hole through the sky.
"What?" Sun Jiaoyang's expression changed drastically. He abandoned his attack and immediately unleashed Cloud Rolling Cloud Relaxing, trying to disperse Li He's force.
But the blow was simply too powerful.
And with his shoulder injured, even the slightest exertion sent blood streaming from the wound. Cloud Rolling Cloud Relaxing was broken in an instant. He grunted and staggered backward through the air, unable to control his body!
Li He had already turned into a gust of ill wind, closing in at astonishing speed.
Ape Demon Three Styles, Void Breaker.
Time seemed to freeze.
Everyone saw only a bloodied afterimage, as if it had crossed through space and time to appear before Sun Jiaoyang.
After the punch,
Sun Jiaoyang lay on the ground, his life or death unknown.
Li He stood on the ground, still holding the pose of throwing a punch.
He didn't move. Blood kept pouring from his shattered chest, but he still hadn't fallen. His fist remained thrust forward.
The Martial Arts Arena fell completely silent.
"Five... minutes..." The thought flashed through Li He's mind. His vision had long since blurred; all that remained of the world was wavering light and a shrill ringing in his ears.
"Senior Brother Li!"
Someone's trembling voice rang out, choked with tears.
Like a stone tossed into a still lake, the voice instantly shattered the silence.
"Senior Brother Li won!"
"He won! Senior Brother Li won!"
"Sun Jiaoyang's down! Senior Brother Li is still standing!"
"Senior Brother Li!"
Deafening cheers swept through the entire Martial Arts Arena.
On the stone platform.
Yuan Shan sprang to his feet, his eyes blazing with a brilliance he'd never shown before. He took one step, moved like lightning, and appeared in the middle of the arena in an instant.
A gentle surge of energy enveloped Li He's swaying body.
"Quick, get them medical attention!"
Lin Feng had already rushed in with the medical team. They treated Li He and Sun Jiaoyang's wounds, applying clotting agents, splints, and injections of heart stimulants... Their movements were as quick as lightning.
Jin Wancai rushed down as well. He looked at Li He's battered state, his face full of complicated shock.
Sun Zhenhai's face was ashen. Without a word, he strode toward his son.
His consciousness sank into the depths of the sea.
Before he lost all sensation, Li He heard a voice ring out deep in his mind.
[Proficiency +5] [Proficiency +5] [Proficiency +5] [Skill: Ape Demon Iron Body Technique: Minor Mastery (2%) → (7%)] [Skill: Ape Demon Three Styles: Minor Mastery (5%) → (10%)] [Skill: Ape Demon Steps: Proficient (4%) → (9%)]
As his consciousness slowly rose from the seabed,
the first thing he noticed was the pungent smell of disinfectant, followed by pain everywhere. It felt as though a boulder was pressing down on his chest, and every breath dragged with it a tearing pain. His shoulders, arms, and back... It was as if every bone in his body had been shattered and pieced back together.
Li He raised his heavy eyelids.
His vision gradually came into focus.
Before him was a white ceiling, soft lighting, and an IV bag hanging overhead. Clear medicine dripped into his body, one drop at a time.
It was a clean, tidy private hospital room. Sunlight streamed through the slats of the blinds.
Sun Jiaoyang's twisted, horrified face—the one he'd sent flying with a punch—came back to him in vivid detail. The blood mist filling the air, the sharp crack of breaking bones, and the deafening cheers...
His memories came flooding back like a tide.
"I won."
Li He stared at the ceiling.
An indescribable emotion churned in his chest. Was it joy? Relief? Or the emptiness that came after defeating a powerful foe?
He parted his lips, trying to speak, but only managed to let out a violent cough. The pain tearing through his chest made him furrow his brow at once.
Beep, beep.
After he woke, a device beside him gave two soft beeps.
"He's awake! Senior Brother Li's awake!"
A delighted voice rang out from the doorway.
"Everyone, take it easy. Don't get too excited or scare him!"
The door opened, and Lin Feng hurried carefully to the bedside, his eyes full of excitement. "That's wonderful, junior brother. You're finally awake. Don't talk—you're badly injured. Eat this first!"
Lin Feng took out a small, translucent hexagonal crystal and fed it to Li He.
Li He swallowed it.
A surge of pure energy instantly coursed through his limbs. His whole body tingled, with a slight itch, and then he realized the pain inside him had vanished.
"This is the Wine Crystal formed from the century-old Monkey Wine I told you about. Pretty effective, huh? It's your reward for coming first in the entrance exam."
Lin Feng pulled over a chair and sat down beside the bed.
"You really are crazy, kid. You have no idea—when they carried you down, your chest was caved in, and who knows how many bones you'd broken. I thought you were going to die." Lin Feng sighed. "But you could say you turned misfortune into fortune this time."
Li He turned his head slightly, his eyes asking a question.
"You were badly injured and on the verge of death, then nourished by something as rare as the Wine Crystal. Your muscles and bones have been broken down and rebuilt. Once you've fully recovered, not only will your bones be tougher, your meridians will widen too. Your strength is bound to soar."
Li He was shaken.
He'd only wanted to win. He hadn't expected such a rich reward.
"Sun... Jiaoyang..." He forced a few words out of his throat. He needed to know what had happened to his opponent.
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