Mountain Barbarian!

"Opponents: Lin Zhengli of Wangjiang City, Zhao Tiehe of Three Mountains City. Begin!"

At the referee's command, both parties began forming hand seals at a dizzying speed.

The only difference was that Lin Zhengli stood still, his expression calm, while Zhao Tiehe advanced as he sealed.

This was a clash of two completely different styles; before the collision, no one knew the outcome.

Earth-element qi gathered, and sharp stone spikes burst from the ground.

Using the same earth spike opening, Yang Xingyong had employed it for defense, but Zhao Tiehe used it for offense.

A wave seemed to form out of thin air, carrying Lin Zhengli aloft, precisely evading the earth spike attack.

This was the D-grade upper-rank Dao technique, Surging Waves, a movement technique that used water-element qi.

Zhao Tiehe had completed his hand seals. With both hands raised, the earth spikes tore themselves from the ground and shot toward Lin Zhengli in the air!

Unlike Yang Xingyong's earlier use of physical force to drive the earth spikes into a second-stage attack, Zhao Tiehe's was a pure manipulation of the Dao technique itself for a second-stage variation—a true innovation of this technique!

Lin Zhengli was in midair, having already used Surging Waves, seemingly out of options. But his fingers, which had never stopped moving, suddenly flicked upward. The wave carrying him surged violently, and another wave was born from within it, carrying Lin Zhengli out of the earth spike volley at the last possible moment.

He, too, had demonstrated a second-stage variation of the Surging Waves technique!

It could be said that the battle between Zhao Tiehe and Lin Zhengli at this moment truly showcased a contest of Dao technique power.

And these advanced variations of two basic techniques also revealed the foundations of the Three Mountains City Dao Academy and the Wangjiang City Dao Academy. One must understand that such innovations in basic Dao techniques could fundamentally elevate the overall strength of an academy.

Lin Zhengli dodged again and again, but Zhao Tiehe's offensive never ceased. With a stamp of his foot, he launched himself into the air.

From below, he threw an uppercut. But his fist was already covered layer upon layer with stone—Stone-Covered Fist!

He had nearly replicated Yang Xingyong's technique, responding to Lin Zhengli's earlier remark about "weaklings pecking at each other."

Lin Zhengli was still airborne, with almost no room to evade, but his fingers flicked once more.

From within the wave, another wave was born, again propelling him out of harm's way.

Triple Wave Layers!

A mere Surging Waves, an ordinary movement technique, had revealed three stages of variation in today's battle.

If the earth spike's two-stage variation had elevated that technique to the limit of D-grade upper-rank, then this Triple Wave Layers had forcibly raised a D-grade technique to the ranks of C-grade. This was a qualitative leap!

Zhao Tiehe's Stone-Covered Fist missed again. He had no time to be shocked, because Lin Zhengli's counterattack had already arrived.

Relying on his trump card of Triple Wave Layers, Lin Zhengli had evaded unexpectedly again and again, finally completing his technique at this moment.

All the water-element qi on the field suddenly erupted. Water surged from all directions, waves raging. The surging waves converged from every side, and Zhao Tiehe, unable to dodge, was struck head-on by one wave. He was sent flying uncontrollably, as if hit by a heavy punch.

While still in the air, another wave slammed into him, sending him spitting blood as he flew.

The waves crashed back and forth, and Zhao Tiehe was battered like a torn sandbag, producing dull thuds.

This was an unmistakable C-grade Dao technique—Raging Waves!

Lin Zhengli's expression remained calm, no trace of his earlier flippancy before the battle. Instead, there was a composed confidence, as if everything was under his control. He quickly formed hand seals, and at the moment Raging Waves ended, he pulled out an extremely long vine whip, cracking it through the air.

Zhao Tiehe had almost no ability to fight back within the Raging Waves, but he simply curled up, tucking his head and shrinking his body to minimize the attack surface.

The moment Raging Waves ended, he straightened his body and suddenly reached out, grabbing the vine whip.

Blood still seeped from the corner of his mouth. His clothes were tattered, revealing a body covered in bruises and swelling. But he seemed to feel no pain, as if all cultivators from Three Mountains City possessed this tenacity. He gripped the whip and pulled, trying to drag Lin Zhengli closer!

But Lin Zhengli released his grip. The vine whip suddenly coiled back, slithering like a spirit snake around Zhao Tiehe's entire body, binding him tightly.

It turned out that the Dao technique Lin Zhengli had just used was not the D-grade mid-rank Green Vine Whip, but the D-grade upper-rank Vine Binding Technique!

He had used Vine Binding but didn't bind his enemy with it first; instead, he disguised it as Green Vine Whip, luring Zhao Tiehe into grabbing the whip, thus perfectly entangling him.

It could be said that from the start of the battle to this moment, every step Zhao Tiehe took had fallen into Lin Zhengli's calculations. And extending this reasoning, even the words he had spoken to Zhao Tiehe before the battle might not have been without foreshadowing.

At this point, Lin Zhengli could reap the fruits of his victory.

He calmly completed his hand seals. This time, he truly drew out a Green Vine Whip and lashed it fiercely at his bound opponent.

But the vines on Zhao Tiehe suddenly exploded. Zhao Tiehe rolled on the ground, dodging the merciless strike.

Only then did people notice the blood winding down Zhao Tiehe's body and the dense, bloody gashes. On the ground, countless fragments of stone were mixed with the broken vines.

It turned out that Zhao Tiehe had cast a layer of Stone Armor on himself right as Raging Waves ended. Lin Zhengli might not have noticed, or perhaps he did but didn't care.

Because Stone Armor was merely a defensive technique, useless for breaking free from Vine Binding.

But the Stone Armor exploded.

In an instant, it tore Zhao Tiehe's skin open, and also blasted apart the vines binding him.

The scene was gruesome. Many couldn't bear to watch, and Ling He even reached out to cover Jiang An'an's eyes.

And Zhao Tiehe, dragging his blood-soaked body, charged at Lin Zhengli once more.

No one knew why he still wouldn't give up, why he insisted on continuing.

Wasn't this just a debate battle?

It wasn't the Prefecture Academy exam in November; it didn't affect his future at all!

This was a first-year battle, and the other participating cultivators were all watching from outside the arena.

Sun Xiaoman stared at the arena without blinking.

Lin Zhengren turned to look at her. "At this point, do you still want to keep fighting, Miss Xiaoman? People will die."

"Whether to choose life or honor, I cannot decide for him." The barefoot girl, looking so small and slight, didn't even turn her head.

"Slap!"

This time, Zhao Tiehe couldn't dodge the whip.

A deep whip mark appeared, skin split open.

But it seemed he had no intention of dodging. Instead, as the whip withdrew, he grabbed its tip with one hand! Spinning several times, he wrapped the Green Vine Whip around his body.

Holding onto the whip, he walked toward Lin Zhengli. Stone slowly gathered on his fist, much slower than before, but it was still that same move—the Stone-Covered Fist.

Lin Zhengli had no choice but to let go, abandoning this whip formed by Dao techniques. He leaped backward, retreating as he said, "Surrender! If you keep this up, you'll really die!"

"Surrender?" Zhao Tiehe looked at Lin Zhengli, the grin on his lips growing wider. "We people of Three Mountains City can't be looked down on so easily by you!"

He suddenly charged forward a few steps, his Stone-Covered Fist smashing down!

Boom!

Lin Zhengli leaped away from his spot. The stone fist slammed into the ground, leaving a deep crater.

"Looking for death!" Lin Zhengli, still in midair, rapidly formed hand seals with both hands. He didn't want to admit that fear had crept into his heart during this battle, but he had already decided to use a more vicious Dao technique—even if he couldn't control it, even if... it killed his opponent.

As the Dao technique began to take shape, he landed perfectly. The timing was so flawless that he almost wanted to applaud himself.

But on the ground, for some reason, and at some unknown moment, a pitfall had appeared.

It was a trap Zhao Tiehe had set long ago, guided by Earth Elemental power—a depression in the ground, the most basic of Dao techniques, Grade Ding, Lower Rank, its name simply "Pitfall."

But it was perfectly placed.

Lin Zhengli's foot twisted, his entire stance collapsed, and the Dao technique he had been preparing dissipated. Even though he twisted his body in time to keep from falling flat...

Zhao Tiehe had already lunged at him like a wild beast, tackling him to the ground! Pinning him firmly beneath him.

The two were so close now that any Dao technique beyond instant-cast was meaningless.

Thud!

That was the sound of a fist hitting a face.

"I'm not a Mountain Barbarian!"

Thud! Thud!

"I am... a cultivator of Three Mountains City, Qinghe Prefecture, Zhuang Kingdom! Zhao, Tie, He!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Zhao Tiehe punched, one after another.

Outside the arena, Lin Zhengren's eyelids twitched repeatedly, as if every punch was landing on his own face.

"We surrender!" he shouted.

Thanks to book friends Eggplant One Meter Nine and Snow Mountain Beside for the tip!