Victory Again

On the raised platform, Chen Feng, ranked second, and Su Yan, ranked third, looked at each other and muttered in unison, "Freak!"

At the same time, they secretly counted themselves lucky that they had not challenged Liang Bo earlier. Otherwise, perhaps they would be the ones lying on the ground now.

The representatives at the examiners' table were equally stunned.

A faint smile rested on Ma Wen's lips, but inwardly he muttered, "I originally thought that even if Liang Bo won, it would not be easy. Who would have thought it would end like this? Unbelievable! Recruiting him into the True Martial Sect this time was truly a steal!"

The representative from the Limitless Sword Sect murmured, "How is this possible? It would be one thing if Liang Bo's saber technique were so strong, but his palm technique has actually reached the perfected basic level as well? How is that possible? Could it be that cultivating martial techniques is as easy for this fellow as eating and drinking?"

The Purple Sun Temple representative's eyes gleamed. "No! It is not merely that his palm technique has reached the perfected basic level. More importantly, it is his eyesight! When he made his move just now, it was neither too early nor too late—he struck exactly when his opponent's old move had run its course, yet a new move could not be unleashed in time. His grasp of timing was exceptionally precise. Without extraordinary eyesight, this would have been absolutely impossible!

"Moreover, during his counterattack, he either did not strike at all, or when he did, he went straight for the opponent's vital point, leaving him no time to react before being defeated. This likewise proves that he possesses extraordinary eyesight! As for the gaps in his other fist techniques, movement techniques, and inner strength cultivation, those were not the key to his swift victory!"

These representatives were all top-tier experts, and their eyesight naturally far surpassed that of ordinary people. At a glance, they saw through the hidden details of the match.

Indeed, although Liang Bo had seemed to defeat his opponent with ease, if he had relied solely on the fully mastered Cloud Piercing Palm, he might still have been able to defeat Sima Kai, but it would certainly not have been easy. After all, Sima Kai cultivated a high-grade human-tier martial technique and had attained considerable proficiency with it. The strength he displayed was not much weaker than Liang Bo's.

However, after cultivating the Eye of Truthpiercing, Liang Bo could see his opponent's moves with perfect clarity. Every move and stance seemed to unfold in slow motion, giving Liang Bo ample time to find his opponent's flaws. Then, like striking a snake at seven inches, he counterattacked directly at those weaknesses. That was the true key to his swift victory.

Of course, his opponent had been somewhat overconfident in that last move, and that had also been an important factor in Liang Bo's quick victory. Otherwise, if the other party had fought steadily and cautiously, Liang Bo would not have won so easily.

"How is this possible? I actually lost to this guy?" Hearing everyone's discussion, Sima Kai wore a dazed expression.

He had lost the previous battle in utter confusion. Clearly, his fist had been about to hit Liang Bo. It had seemed as though he would win in the next instant and make Liang Bo kneel on the ground and beg for mercy.

Yet in the end, he had lost—and lost without the slightest suspense, defeated by Liang Bo with a casual backhand.

"This must have been an accident!" Sima Kai rose while clutching his shoulder, his face dark as he said, "Liang Bo, I have not lost yet! That was only an accident. Let's keep fighting!" He believed he had only lost to Liang Bo because he had been careless. If he was more cautious this time, he would definitely win.

The chief examiner's face darkened as he barked, "According to the rules, once you were knocked to the ground, you had already lost. Do you intend to go back on your word?"

Liang Bo smiled upon hearing this. "Chief Examiner, since Sima Kai refuses to accept it, let us fight once more. This battle concerns a wager of one million taels of silver, after all. If he is not made to concede wholeheartedly, I fear he will try to renege on the debt later."

"What? Liang Bo actually wants to fight him again?" Everyone present was deeply surprised, unable to understand why Liang Bo would do such a thing.

"He has clearly already won, yet he wants to fight again. Is he trying to win people over with virtue?" some people cried in dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, the martial artists who had originally supported Sima Kai all shouted, "Yes, fight again! Sima Kai must have been too careless just now. That was not his true strength at all!"

Ignoring the crowd's discussion, Liang Bo merely looked at the chief examiner and solemnly requested, "I ask that Chief Examiner grant permission!"

The chief examiner frowned. "Very well. Since you do not object, this old man naturally will not object either. However, your match must not affect the others. If no victor is decided within a quarter of an hour, the result of the previous match will stand. Do you two agree?"

"I have no objections," Liang Bo said calmly.

"I... I..." Sima Kai hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "I have no objections either!"

Getting another chance to fight was already good enough. Naturally, he did not dare object.

He chewed and swallowed the Spirit-Exploding Pill that he had long kept in his mouth. At once, a powerful medicinal force erupted, raising the intensity of his inner strength by a great deal, to the level of a third-grade martial artist. At the same time, under the effects of the medicine, the injuries to his right hand and left shoulder rapidly healed.

The chief examiner barked, "Since neither of you has any objections, continue!"

Sima Kai drew a deep breath and charged at Liang Bo again. "Die!" His right fist shot toward Liang Bo's waist, but the move was only a feint. Halfway through, it abruptly changed direction and struck toward Liang Bo's chest. His left hand was held across his chest in a defensive posture. Clearly, his previous loss had made him much more cautious.

Liang Bo glanced at him, shifted one step to the side, and immediately struck Sima Kai's fist with a backhand palm.

Bang! Fist and palm collided. Liang Bo retreated three steps, while Sima Kai merely swayed before regaining his footing.

"Hm!" Liang Bo was somewhat surprised. He had originally intended to meet the opponent head-on and win through absolute strength. After all, his opponent's inner strength cultivation was only at the fifth grade, while his own was fourth-grade inner strength. His strength should have greatly surpassed his opponent's.

Yet in their head-on clash, he had fallen into a disadvantage. This astonished him. Could Sima Kai's inner strength cultivation actually be stronger than his?

With doubts in his heart, Liang Bo became even more cautious.

What he did not know was that the shock this exchange gave Sima Kai was far greater.

"Fourth-grade inner strength! This Liang Bo has actually reached fourth-grade inner strength!" Sima Kai screamed inwardly, hardly daring to believe it.

The strength of one's inner strength could not be discerned from outward appearance alone. It could only be determined through actual combat.

He had only attained third-grade inner strength by relying on the medicinal power of the Spirit-Exploding Pill, yet Liang Bo's inner strength cultivation had actually reached fourth grade. This was completely beyond his expectations!

Thus, in the following battle, he became increasingly cautious. Every move and stance prioritized stability, making it difficult even for Liang Bo to catch any flaws in him. Of course, it became even more impossible for him to defeat Liang Bo.

For a time, the battle between the two reached a stalemate.

However, as time passed, Sima Kai grew more and more anxious. According to their earlier agreement, if he could not win within a quarter of an hour, this battle would be counted as his loss.

Therefore, Sima Kai had no choice but to change his moves and take the initiative to attack.

The moment he changed his style, however, he immediately exposed even more flaws.

"Good opportunity!" Liang Bo's eyes lit up. Seizing the moment, he used his left hand to block his opponent's arm while his right hand swiftly passed through the opponent's defenses and slammed a heavy palm into Sima Kai's chest.

Pfft! Sima Kai was sent flying. While still in midair, he spat out a great mouthful of blood. After hitting the ground, he vomited another mouthful, his entire body withering away as though he had suffered an extremely severe internal injury.

"Liang Bo wins this battle!" the chief examiner announced indifferently.