Crushing

"Wind-Galloping Seven Slashes"

Shi Mu's body suddenly spun like a top, wildly rotating as the long knife in his hand danced. Each slash transformed into seven blade shadows, layers of sword light instantly blurring into an indistinct mass, solidifying on the spot into a miniature mountain of blades with peaks stacked upon peaks.

This blade mountain gleamed dazzlingly bright, from which faint, piercing shrieks could be heard.

At that moment, six flames shot like meteors into the blade mountain one after another, followed by six explosive booms!

Countless sparks erupted in all directions, the temperature instantly soaring several times over, nearly engulfing the entire upper half of the arena.

Meanwhile, on the arena floor, sharp whistling sounds rose sharply. Centered on the blade mountain's explosion point, countless blade marks appeared out of nowhere, each cutting over three inches deep and three feet long, forming a massive circle as if carved by a ruler.

With a "bang"!

Wang Tianhao flipped backward in midair as if struck by a tremendous recoil force. After landing firmly on both feet, his body trembled, and he involuntarily stumbled back seven steps, leaving seven half-inch-deep footprints on the arena floor.

At this moment, his face was pale and bloodless, his hands gripping the spear shaft trembling nonstop. The originally gleaming spearhead at the front had melted away by nearly half.

Below the arena, the various martial hall instructors stared unblinkingly at the dissipating blade mountain.

Feng Jun and the other apprentices hardly dared to breathe.

When the last blade shadow vanished from the arena, Shi Mu's upright figure, holding the knife in one hand, stood imposingly in place.

But now, his face was unusually flushed, his shoulders and hair slightly singed and blackened. The blade of his long knife was covered in countless large and small nicks, as if it had repeatedly clashed violently with a heavy weapon.

However, Shi Mu knew very well that his weapon had ended up like this partly due to consecutive collisions with the six flames, but mostly because the long knife had lost control under the pressure of the flame explosions and slashed directly into the arena floor.

That was why so many astonishing blade marks surrounded him.

"You actually managed to withstand the Six-Flame Chain Strike!" Wang Tianhao scrutinized Shi Mu carefully. Seeing that he indeed hadn't suffered serious injury, he couldn't help but show an incredulous expression.

"If I hadn't recently made some progress in my blade technique, I really wouldn't have been able to take that blow just now," Shi Mu replied, tossing the damaged long knife to the ground. After letting out a long breath, he spoke with a hint of admiration.

"Seven Slashes in One Breath! To have cultivated the Wind-Galloping Blade Technique to this level, I don't lose unfairly. But if my ordinary iron spear hadn't been unable to withstand the power of the Blazing Fire Flame, even if you could take that move, you wouldn't have come out unscathed. Still, I, Wang, keep my word. Since you've already taken the Six-Flame Chain Strike, I'll naturally withdraw from this competition." Wang Tianhao sighed first, then spoke a few words of reluctance before jumping off the arena and heading straight for the martial hall's entrance.

"Tianhao, wait for me. Everyone, I'll take my leave as well." Uncle Xu grew anxious at this, hastily bid farewell, and chased after him, ignoring the others from Jingang Martial Hall.

The remaining crowd in the training ground looked at each other in bewilderment.

That Shi Mu had cultivated his blade technique to Seven Slashes in One Breath was already shocking, but the outcome of this battle was even more unexpected to everyone.

"Ahem... Flowing Wind Martial Hall, Shi Mu wins! Truly, heroes come from youth! However, due to what Brother Xu said earlier, Shi Xianzhi now has two choices. One is to treat the previous battle as a successful challenge to Jingang Martial Hall, step down, and continue participating in the next round of competition. Two, following Young Master Wang's earlier words, stay here and accept challenges from other martial hall disciples. If no one can defeat him in the end, Flowing Wind Martial Hall will automatically take first place in this competition." At this point, the official who had stepped down earlier climbed back onto the arena. After giving Shi Mu a curious once-over, he cleared his throat and announced.

This result caused another stir among the other martial hall members below the arena.

Although many martial hall disciples were greatly alarmed by Shi Mu's earlier performance, his physical state after that fierce battle was far from what it had been at the start. Even if Shi Mu wasn't seriously injured, his stamina couldn't sustain another intense fight, and he had even destroyed his weapon.

According to competition convention, if Shi Mu intended to accept consecutive challenges, he naturally couldn't go down to swap for another long knife.

Feng Lengchan and the other martial hall instructors, upon hearing this, wore uncertain expressions.

"Brother Li, should we call Shi Mu down? If he rests a bit and changes his weapon, Flowing Wind Martial Hall will already be in an unbeatable position in this competition," the burly man surnamed Min finally snapped out of it and hurriedly asked Li Canghai.

"No need. I know this kid's temper a little. At a time like this, even if we call him down, he probably won't listen," Li Canghai replied with a bitter smile after taking a deep breath.

Sure enough, at that moment, Shi Mu on the arena answered without hesitation:

"Since I'm already standing here, I won't stop halfway. I'll fight to the end."

"Good. Then I declare the challenge continues." The official nodded, gave an approving look, and jumped off the arena again.

The other martial hall members below whispered among themselves, and for a time, no one stepped up to challenge.

Challenging now would certainly give a high chance of defeating Shi Mu, but it would also earn a reputation for taking advantage of someone's weakness, which didn't sound good. This made many martial hall disciples hesitate greatly.

Li Yunfeng and Sun Jun stared at each other with wide eyes, still unable to believe what had happened, as if in a daydream.

"Heh, let me test Shi Shidi's fist technique."

At that moment, Feng Jun suddenly sneered, pushed through the crowd, leaped onto the arena, and placed his hands in front of him. He was wearing a pair of black iron gauntlets, with steel reinforcements at the knuckles allowing free movement.

"A fist technique match? Very good, just what I wanted," Shi Mu said, narrowing his eyes.

"What a coincidence. This Humble One also practices the Crushing Stone Fist. I..."

"Hmph, enough nonsense. Take a punch first, then we'll talk." Shi Mu snorted coldly, moved his body, swung his arms, and thrust both fists out like two blurry shadows.

Feng Jun was enraged. Without another word, he swung his hands, and his black-iron-gauntleted fists met Shi Mu's bare fists head-on.

Two crisp "cracks" sounded.

Feng Jun screamed, staggering backward. After his black iron gauntlets collided violently with Shi Mu's fists, a wave of air surged around them, and then the gauntlets burst apart like bamboo, revealing bloody hands beneath.

"Crushing Stone Fist at Grand Completion! You've actually cultivated the Crushing Stone Fist to Grand Completion!" Feng Jun shrieked after his cry, as if he had seen some ferocious beast.

But at this moment, Shi Mu took a bow stance, closed in, and threw another punch with a gust of wind.

"Iron Garment Body!"

Feng Jun, his hands already severely injured and unable to parry, could only roar. He sank his stance, and the skin exposed on his body, starting from his neck, instantly turned a gray-black color, as if he had donned a black iron armor.

"Boom!"

Shi Mu's punch landed heavily on Feng Jun's abdomen, causing the gray-black color on his skin to instantly dissipate. Feng Jun flew backward like a sack, landing heavily over four or five zhang away on the ground below the arena, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.

The crowd below the arena fell into dead silence.

(Today, Wang Yu has finally gotten most things done. Tomorrow evening, he should be able to take a plane home. Having been out on business for so long this time, he really misses his big bed at home!)