By ordinary logic, the weakness of One Yang Finger should lie around Lin Yueru's hands, just as the weakness of Qi Sword Finger lay at the wrist. Yet Gao Xu had used his precious chance to throw a hidden weapon to strike Lin Yueru's calf. Was he trying to restrict her movement?
Of course not. Gao Xu knew that One Yang Finger drew power through the Hand Shaoyang Triple Burner Meridian. A strike to the Guanchong Acupoint would naturally have the best effect; in fact, that was where Insight had indicated.
But skills were rigid, while people were not. Gao Xu was far too clever to blindly follow a skill's prompt.
He hadn't targeted the Guanchong Acupoint for two reasons. First, with Lin Yueru's martial arts skill, even while distracted by the sight of blood, she might still have dodged an attack on her wrist. His earlier use of Qi Sword Finger had surely put her on guard. Second, even if he succeeded, the backlash would be severe. At best, the sword energy would injure her fingers; at worst, the meridians throughout her entire arm would suffer serious damage.
Lin Yueru had gone easy on him, yet Gao Xu would take the chance to strike hard? Such a despicable tactic would make any victory dishonorable—the sort of thing martial artists despised most. The greatest benefit of this match was the chance to improve their relationship, and Gao Xu wasn't about to put the cart before the horse.
So he had chosen the Yangjiao Acupoint on the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, which was closely connected to the Hand Shaoyang Triple Burner Meridian. His unexpected strike hit its mark.
Lin Yueru had been puzzled at first, but when she tried to use One Yang Finger again, she found her meridians aching faintly. She couldn't use the technique for a while!
Lin Yueru reacted quickly and immediately understood Gao Xu's intention. A look of admiration and gratitude slipped into her eyes.
By now, Lin Yueru had begun to see Gao Xu in a new light, but there was no way she would simply admit defeat. After a moment's thought, she lifted her chin and said, "Counting One Yang Finger, you've broken two of my finger techniques. You really do have some skill! Let's not make it three. If you can take one more move, I'll concede. How about it?"
Gao Xu nodded, but there was no joy on his face. Instead, his expression grew even more grave.
Sure enough, Lin Yueru furrowed her brows, seeming hesitant. Then she said solemnly, "I'm warning you in advance: you have to give this everything you've got, because I can't fully control it either. If you still hold back, you'll be seriously injured. Be ready!"
"Yueru, don't be reckless!" Lin Tiannan finally snapped from the sidelines. "A match is supposed to stop before anyone gets hurt. Give up this idea at once!"
"Father, I'll do my best to control it. You don't want me to lose, do you?" Lin Yueru pouted and huffed, but only grew more determined. She was at just the age to rebel and wouldn't listen to a parent's earnest advice.
What technique could make even Lin Tiannan so serious? Sevenfold Sword Qi, Dragon Slaying Art, or... Gao Xu's thoughts raced, and he instantly formed a guess. Before Lin Yueru could make her move, he flung a handful of powder at her.
This would decide the match, so Gao Xu had no choice but to seize the initiative. By then, Lin Yueru had already sheathed her sword. She crossed her palms, and a dark shadow appeared in her hands. As her fingers swept through the air, she pressed both hands toward the ground.
In an instant, a gale whipped through the room. It rose suddenly and strangely, seeming to carry grains of yellow sand. Dust and debris swirled faster and faster around them. The transparent wind gradually thickened into a dense haze, until they could no longer make out a face even a few yards away.
Where Lin Yueru had stood, it was as though a yellow dragon were dancing in the wind, churning and twisting. The shifting sands swept up a towering cloud of dust, and in the blink of an eye, the entire stone chamber was lost in a swirling veil of sand.
Su Mei widened her eyes and strained to find Gao Xu. Sand stung her eyes until they were red, but she stubbornly kept staring.
"Ten Thousand Miles of Wild Sand! This girl's competitiveness isn't a good sign. One day, it's going to get her into trouble. Sigh..." Lin Tiannan stroked his long beard, proud of his daughter's talent for martial arts yet anxious about her temperament. The conflict in his heart was impossible to put into words.
The move Ten Thousand Miles of Wild Sand was the final technique of the Lin Family Seven Secrets, Howling Gale. It sent sand and stones flying beneath a sky full of swirling grit. Its spectacle already resembled a technique from the cultivation world, creating a unique domain of yellow sand. It not only engulfed the enemy and obstructed their sight; when mastered, every grain of sand carried immense power and could tear an enemy's body to shreds in an instant.
Lin Yueru's cultivation wasn't deep enough for that, and she hadn't fully mastered the technique. Even so, Gao Xu was caught inside it, and his health was already dropping rapidly. With the howling wind and sand filling his ears, he couldn't even pinpoint Lin Yueru's position. He seemed to have fallen into a hopeless position.
Hidden in the sandstorm, Lin Yueru relaxed slightly. She had truly feared that Gao Xu might break this move too. Would she really have to admit defeat if he did?
Over the years, Lin Yueru had been unbeatable in Suzhou City. In the previous martial arts marriage contests, she had even defeated several renowned martial artists. Her pride and confidence had made her arrogant, which was why Lin Tiannan's plan to find her a husband had gone so poorly.
But before Lin Yueru could wear her usual victorious smile, Gao Xu's nose twitched. Though his eyes were tightly shut, he turned his head toward where Lin Yueru was and smiled.
Oh no, that packet of powder! Lin Yueru jolted in alarm, finally realizing what Gao Xu had been doing. She had no time to wonder how he'd known she would use Ten Thousand Miles of Wild Sand. She swept the dark shadow in her hands through the air like a flying black dragon, a serpent flicking its tongue—whipping, circling, wrapping, binding—as it coiled toward Gao Xu.
The dark shadow was actually the soft Nine-Section Whip coiled around Lin Yueru's waist. She had used it against Tang Mei'er earlier. Compared with the Yuenü Sword, the flexible whip was undoubtedly better suited to the shifting chaos of Ten Thousand Miles of Wild Sand.
Gao Xu's health had already fallen to half. He didn't dare take another few lashes, so he immediately pulled out a scroll glowing with pale blue light and selected Use!
The scroll abruptly transformed into a dazzling pearl, shining with a blinding light. A howl rang out as a furious gale surged through the layers of wind and sand.
The wind swept like a wolf; the gale roared!
The moment the Howling Gale scroll appeared, the situation changed dramatically. It couldn't immediately dispel Ten Thousand Miles of Wild Sand, but it was like adding fuel to the fire, driving the yellow sand to swirl much faster. The force was so fierce that even Lin Yueru couldn't control it. She staggered, nearly crashing into the sharp points hanging from the ceiling of the stone chamber.
To steady herself, Lin Yueru had no choice but to lash out with the Nine-Section Whip and coil it around a jutting rock behind her. In that brief moment, Gao Xu endured the discomfort of his spirit dropping to a single point. Propelled by the Howling Gale, he closed in on her in an instant and swung his sword at her neck.
"Look out!" Gao Xu had only meant to make Lin Yueru concede, but Lin Tiannan, desperate to protect his daughter, turned deathly pale. Driven by the gale, the sharp blade could easily slice through Lin Yueru's delicate neck, with irreversible consequences. Forgetting all about his status, he pointed two fingers and sent a Qi Sword Finger at the Flying Rainbow Sword.
With Lin Tiannan's mastery of martial arts, he could control his strength precisely. He wouldn't hurt Gao Xu; he would merely knock the sword from his hand and bring the match to an end.
But accidents often happened when no one expected them. Lin Tiannan wasn't the only one watching. The Snake Demon's family, who were deeply hostile toward him, were watching too!
"Despicable!" the Snake Demon and Fox Demon shouted at the same time. They clearly thought Lin Tiannan was resorting to underhanded tactics to help his daughter win. But Ten Thousand Miles of Wild Sand covered too large an area, and the two demons had only recently recovered from serious injuries. They couldn't intervene in time.
Just then, a small figure rushed forward and resolutely threw herself in front of Gao Xu!
"No!!!!"
As Gao Xu let out a furious, wide-eyed roar, the little fox Su Mei crumpled to the ground...
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