Peak-Crusher

Once the force dissipated, Ren Yu's hair and lapels slowly fell back into place.

Yet the beads of sweat on his forehead continued to drip, pattering down. Though Duan Xuan had not used that final blow against him,

Ren Yu remained rooted to the spot. Even after Duan Xuan had withdrawn his hands and slowly stepped down from the arena, he was still standing there in a daze.

"How is that possible? They exchanged fewer than ten moves, and Ren Yu lost?"

"Am I seeing things? That guy looks completely unremarkable—how are his fists so heavy and powerful? And what was with those footwork just now?"

Listening to the offerings discussing the match below, Zhou Wei shook his head in disappointment. It was not because Ren Yu had lost.

It was because not one of those offerings below even knew where they had lost.

Duan Xuan's feint just now had been the true essence of his victory in this battle.

This had been a fight without a shred of suspense, because Zhou Wei had only just realized it.

From the moment he stepped onto the arena, Duan Xuan had already anticipated exactly what moves he would use against Ren Yu.

He was like an emotionless puppet, answering every move with a move of his own until he had led Ren Yu into the trap he had prepared beforehand, deciding victory with a single strike.

A martial artist like this could only have been forged through slaughter.

And his mind had to be nimble enough—not merely confident, but thoroughly prepared as well.

Ren Yun had only just sat down, and before his backside had even warmed the seat, he was so shocked by this scene that he shot back to his feet.

If it had been a life-and-death fight, probably not a single offering present could have survived beyond three moves.

"This sponsorship was a profit for my Ren Family!"

"Ren Yu, get down already! Duan Xuan wins. Are there any more challengers?"

The Ren Family offerings' most admired Ren Yu had fallen. Naturally, no one else came forward to make a fool of themselves.

In the end, the sole Blood Qi Pill fell into Duan Xuan's hands.

Having not visited the martial arts hall for quite some time, Duan Xuan headed to Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall after obtaining the Blood Qi Pill.

The moment he entered, the disciples on the training grounds were practicing their fist techniques beneath the blazing sun, stepping back and forth.

Yet everyone seemed to be in low spirits. After throwing only a few punches, they would whisper among themselves, leaving Senior Sisters Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu rather helpless.

"Junior Brother Duan, over here! Junior Brother Duan, I missed you to death!" Duan Xuan silently began counting down in his heart.

Before he could even finish counting to three, Senior Brother Zhang Chen's warm, hearty voice rang out from the shade.

"Did you fall for some female attendant at the herb garden? You haven't come back to the martial arts hall in so long. Do you know how lonely I've been here by myself?" Zhang Chen immediately began chattering away. "You didn't know that Zhao Bastard and Zhao Hui got into a fight with Liu Mingze a while back, did you?"

Duan Xuan was completely baffled.

The siblings usually did not even speak to each other. The chances of them getting into a conflict with other disciples should have been exceedingly small.

"Apparently, Liu Mingze got in the way of something they were doing, and the two sides came to blows. Liu Mingze used only his Bright Force cultivation, yet he still beat the siblings up badly. Zhao Hui's left arm was broken, and her face was beaten into a pig's head. Zhao Bastard was beaten until she coughed up blood for several days. The siblings are still lying in bed now."

"Liu Mingze won a complete victory?" Duan Xuan asked casually.

"If he had used his Dark Force strength, he definitely would have come out unscathed. Unfortunately, he underestimated Zhao Bastard. That woman is utterly insane—way too fierce. She used her younger brother as a shield, then grabbed a knife and stabbed it straight into Liu Mingze's ribs. If Master hadn't arrived in time, Liu Mingze might have breathed his last right there!" Zhang Chen wore the expression of a gleeful spectator. Clearly, that private fight had left a deep impression on him.

"Where was Lin Hu? Wasn't he closest to Liu Mingze? He just stood by and watched?"

Zhang Chen gave a snort. "That's why, even though they're both senior brothers, they don't share the same surname. Lin Hu just sneered from the side and did nothing. Liu Xuan'er and Han Peng from Dragon-Elephant Academy did come by, though. They looked like they wanted to tear Zhao Bastard into pieces and chop her into mincemeat. But Master stopped them all."

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not done yet! Junior Brother Duan, what are you going into the inner courtyard for? Master has been in a bad mood these days. There's only a month or two left before the martial examination. What happened to Liu Mingze will definitely affect his results. Aren't you walking straight into the mouth of a volcano by going now?"

"I came to learn the third move of Broken Mountain Fist. How am I supposed to learn it without seeing Master?" Duan Xuan said seriously.

"That's why I say you kid have such good fortune." Zhang Chen said resentfully, "We Dark Force disciples aren't allowed to privately teach you moves Master hasn't taught you. But he gave instructions these past few days for the two senior sisters to teach you personally."

Warmth stirred in Duan Xuan's heart. Though Master Chen Feng had the temperament of a hero and came from the greenwood, there was not the slightest fault in how he treated others.

After quite some time, Zhang Chen resumed his training to prepare for the martial examination, and only then did Duan Xuan finally meet Senior Sisters Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu.

The pale-yellow martial arts hall uniforms worn by the two fair-as-jade senior sisters lent them an added air of elegant detachment.

"Junior Brother Duan, it has been a long time. The blood qi around you has grown increasingly rich. When I first met you, you were only this tall, and you were so thin too." Gentle and quiet, Chen Jingyun smiled sweetly as she held her slender fingers beside her hair bun to indicate the height.

The two sisters were only two or three centimeters shorter than Duan Xin.

Yet the three women possessed entirely different temperaments.

Chen Jingshu's expression was cold and aloof, while her faintly blue eyes added several shades of chilliness to her face.

"Father said you do not intend to take the martial examination this year?"

Duan Xuan cupped his hands to the sisters. "That is correct. I have entered the martial path for only a little over three months. The prefectural examination would offer me little benefit. After weighing the matter, this junior brother has chosen to fight next year instead!"

Like the civil examination, the prefectural martial examination was held twice every three years.

However, the two civil examinations were unrelated, whereas martial artists had two chances within those three years.

Martial artists who failed the first time could participate again in the same month the following year.

Those who lacked confidence could also choose to compete in the second examination.

Chen Jingshu merely shook her head lightly and did not ask further.

"Since you wish to learn the third move of Broken Mountain Fist, that means you can already wield the first two moves with ease. Perform them once, then. Let Jingyun and me consider the progress of your cultivation."

At once, Duan Xuan assumed the stance of Broken Mountain Fist, combining stance work with his fist technique.

Several breaths later, he pressed down with both palms and calmed his blood qi, storing it in his dantian as best he could. After one measured breath, he stood upright again.

"Sister, Junior Brother Duan's form is truly excellent. It is so standard and practiced, and he has integrated the two moves so seamlessly. He has already surpassed quite a few old disciples in the courtyard." Chen Jingyun gave Duan Xuan a thumbs-up.

Chen Jingshu gave a quiet hum. At the same time, her tall, slender body assumed the stance of Broken Mountain Fist. "The third move of Broken Mountain Fist is called Peak-Crusher!

"On its own, this move would be ridiculed by every martial arts hall, because it abandons all defensive postures in pursuit of ultimate offense, using attack in place of defense.

"But when combined with the first two moves of our Broken Mountain Fist, after gathering all the force of one's body outside oneself once more, the fist's momentum in the third move becomes like mountain torrents crushing peaks and raging waves swallowing mountains.

"The force is wild and unrestrained, able to crush an enemy head-on. Even if you have already fallen into a disadvantage, you still have a sliver of a chance to forcefully break the deadlock, counterattack against the tide, and launch a fierce assault from desperate straits!"

"This move likewise has only three forms: Rage Charge, Overlapping Waves, and Sole Supremacy."

The next moment, Chen Jingshu's blood qi surged throughout her body.

Her qi sank into her dantian. Her feet kicked against the ground in rapid succession, and her entire body shot forward in a straight line for several swift steps.

Her single fist was like a mountain-breaking hammer clearing the way, the wind from her punch carrying the full momentum of her charge.

Duan Xuan immediately understood. This form was not about movements, but about momentum.

Charge forward without hesitation, never retreat!

Chen Jingshu demonstrated it as such. Her punches were unfettered by fixed forms or techniques.

Yet she brought the three words—fast, ruthless, fierce—to their fullest expression.

If Senior Brother Zhang Chen came over to be a sparring partner, would he be beaten to death crying, or hammered to death laughing?

Duan Xuan joked inwardly, but Chen Jingshu had already begun the second form—Overlapping Waves.

The force Chen Jingshu had accumulated in the first form suddenly erupted.

Her feet did not leave the ground, while her stored power flowed on without end.

There was not the slightest hint of withdrawing her fist after throwing a punch.

One punch followed another, and soon the force stacked layer upon layer.

Then she threw another three punches.

The forces linked together in an unbroken chain, and the defining trait of this form immediately emerged.

The later force overlaid the earlier force, forming a stacked, violent power.

Duan Xuan could not help recalling the second form of the first move. This form ought to be an advanced version of Split Stone!

Chen Jingshu did not stop or explain anything. Instead, without changing her posture, she assumed the third form of this move—Sole Supremacy!

What Duan Xuan sensed first was not a change in movement, but a change in sound.

The graceful senior sister's sinews and bones rang in unison, her blood qi returning to its source.

Her breath, momentum, and force all gathered in her fist and palm.

Whoosh!

A heavy punch shot forth. The surrounding air seemed to solidify as it was forcibly driven aside, its might incomparably tyrannical!

After Chen Jingshu finished the set, the adorable, quiet Chen Jingyun gave a little hey and assumed her fist stance.

She demonstrated the entire sequence again from beginning to end. Compared with Chen Jingyun's crisp efficiency, Chen Jingshu's movements were supple yet powerful, her explosive force not the least bit weaker.

Moreover, she had performed it from the first move all the way through the third, allowing the surrounding disciples to feast their eyes to their hearts' content.

Their drool was nearly enough to cover the entire training ground.

"Junior Brother, what do you think?" the two sisters asked in unison.

"So these three forms are all techniques for strengthening one's own momentum. They can give us hard-hitting martial artists the power to rise anew, guarding against sneak attacks or turning around an unfavorable battle," Duan Xuan said in realization.

Yet a question also surfaced. "Is this Broken Mountain Fist truly just an ordinary external martial art?"