Peak-Crusher

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

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

Ren Yu still stood frozen where he was. Even after Duan Xuan had withdrawn his hand and slowly stepped down from the arena, he remained there in a daze.

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

"Am I seeing things? That guy looks completely ordinary—how are his fists so powerful and heavy?"

"And what was going on with those footwork just now?"

Listening to the Attendants below discuss the match, Zhou Wei shook his head in disappointment—not because Ren Yu had lost.

It was because this group of Attendants below did not even know where they had lost.

That feint Duan Xuan had made earlier was the true essence of his victory in this battle.

This had been a battle without the slightest suspense, because Zhou Wei had only just realized it.

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

He was like an emotionless puppet, meeting each move with a corresponding one, until he lured Ren Yu into the pattern he had prepared beforehand and settled the victory with a single strike.

Such a martial artist could only be forged through slaughter and battle.

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

Ren Yun had only just sat down, his seat not even warm beneath him, when this scene shocked him to his feet.

If it had been a life-and-death battle, probably not a single Attendant present would 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 Attendants' most admired Ren Yu had fallen. Naturally, no one else came forward to make a fool of themselves.

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

Having not visited the martial arts hall for a long time, Duan Xuan headed along the way to Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall after obtaining the Blood and Qi Pill.

The moment he entered, the disciples in the training ground were braving the blazing sun, stepping forward and back as they practiced their fist techniques.

However, everyone seemed rather dispirited. After throwing only a few punches, they would whisper among themselves, leaving Senior Sisters Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu quite helpless.

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

Before he had even finished counting to three, Senior Brother Zhang Chen's warm and hearty voice came from the shade.

"Did you take a fancy to some female temporary worker at the herb garden, kid? You haven't returned to the martial arts hall in so long. Do you know how lonely I've been 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 ago."

Duan Xuan looked utterly bewildered.

The siblings usually did not even speak to each other. The chances of them clashing with other disciples should have been extremely low.

"It seemed Liu Mingze got in the way of something they were doing, so both sides came to blows.

Liu Mingze only used his Ming Force cultivation, yet he still beat the siblings badly.

Zhao Hui's left arm was broken, and his face was beaten into a pig's head. Zhao Bastard, meanwhile, was beaten until he vomited blood for several days.

The two of them are still lying in bed."

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

"If he'd used his Dark Force strength, he definitely would have come out unscathed. Unfortunately, he underestimated Zhao Bastard.

That woman is utterly insane—far 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 would probably have breathed his last on the spot!" Zhang Chen wore the expression of an eager spectator; clearly, that private fight had left a deep impression on him.

"Where was Lin Hu? Isn't he closest to Liu Mingze? He just watched from the side?"

Zhang Chen gave a snort. "That's why they say they may both be senior brothers, but they don't share the same surname.

Lin Hu merely sneered from the side and did nothing.

Liu Xuan'er and Han Peng from Dragon-Elephant Academy did come by once. They looked like they wanted nothing more than to tear Zhao Bastard into pieces and chop her into minced meat.

But Master stopped them all and sent them back."

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not done yet! Junior Brother Duan, what are you heading into the inner courtyard for?

Master hasn't been in a good mood lately. There's only a month or two left before the martial examination.

With Liu Mingze causing this kind of trouble, his results will definitely be affected. 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 can I learn it without seeing Master?" Duan Xuan replied seriously.

"Why else would I say you kid have such good fortune?" Zhang Chen said resentfully. "We Dark Force disciples cannot privately teach you moves Master has not taught you.

But the old man gave instructions these past few days for the two senior sisters to teach you personally."

Warmth rose in Duan Xuan's heart. Master Chen Feng might have had the temperament of a hero and come from the greenwood, but there was not the slightest fault in the way he treated others.

After quite a while, Zhang Chen continued practicing in preparation for the martial examination, and only then did Duan Xuan finally see Senior Sisters Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu.

The pale yellow martial arts hall uniforms worn by the two fair-as-jade senior sisters added a touch of elegant, otherworldly grace to them.

"Junior Brother Duan, it has been a long time since we last met. The blood and qi in your body has grown ever more abundant.

When I first met you, you were only this tall, and you were so thin." Gentle and quiet, Chen Jingyun smiled sweetly, her hair tied into two buns.

She raised her slender fingers beside her own hair buns 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 wore a cold expression, and her faintly blue eyes added an extra touch of frostiness to her face.

"Father said you do not intend to participate in this year's martial examination?"

Duan Xuan cupped his hands toward the sisters. "That is correct.

I have only entered the martial path a little over three months ago. The prefectural examination would bring me little benefit. After weighing the matter, this junior brother has chosen to fight again next year!"

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

However, the two civil examinations were unrelated, whereas the martial examination offered two chances within three years.

Martial artists who failed the first time could continue participating in the same month of 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 use the first two freely. Demonstrate them once, and let Jingyun and me assess the progress of your cultivation."

At once, Duan Xuan assumed the stance of Broken Mountain Fist, his stance training moving in tandem with his fist technique.

Several breaths later, he pressed down with both palms, calming his blood and qi and storing it in his dantian as best he could. After taking a breath, he stood upright once more.

"Sister, Junior Brother Duan's form is truly excellent. It is so standard and practiced, and he has integrated the two moves so smoothly.

He has already surpassed quite a few old disciples in the courtyard." Chen Jingyun gave Duan Xuan a thumbs-up.

Chen Jingshu gave a soft acknowledgment. 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!

Taken alone, this move would be mocked by every martial arts hall, because it abandons all defensive postures and pursues 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 anew around the body, the fist momentum of the third move becomes like mountain floods crushing peaks, wild waves engulfing mountains.

The force is violent and untamed, capable of crushing an enemy head-on. Even if you are already at a disadvantage,

you still have a sliver of a chance to forcibly break the deadlock, counterattack against the tide, and launch a desperate offensive from the brink of death!"

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

In the next instant, Chen Jingshu's blood and qi surged explosively 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 fierce strides.

Her single fist was like a mountain-breaking hammer clearing the way ahead, its fist wind carrying the momentum of her entire charge.

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

Charge onward without hesitation, never retreat!

Chen Jingshu demonstrated it exactly so, her punches unconstrained by any fixed moves or forms.

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

"If Senior Brother Zhang Chen came over to be a sparring partner, would he cry as he was beaten to death, or laugh as he was hammered to death?"

Duan Xuan joked inwardly, while 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, and her stored power flowed in an unbroken stream.

When she threw a punch, there was not the slightest intention of drawing it back.

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

Then she threw three more punches in succession.

The force linked together in a chain, and the characteristic of this form immediately emerged.

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

The second form of the first move surfaced in Duan Xuan's mind. This form should be an advanced version of Split Stone!

Chen Jingshu did not stop, nor did she offer any explanation. Instead, her posture continued uninterrupted as 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 muscles and bones rang in unison, her blood and qi returning to their source.

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

Whoosh!

Her heavy fist shot out, and the surrounding airflow seemed to become tangible as it was forcibly driven aside, its might tyrannical beyond compare!

After Chen Jingshu finished the full set, the cute and quiet Chen Jingyun gave a small "hey" and assumed her fist stance.

She then demonstrated it once from beginning to end. Compared to Chen Jingyun's crisp efficiency, Chen Jingshu was supple yet powerful, and her explosive force was not the least bit weaker.

Moreover, she had performed everything from the first move through the third, letting the surrounding disciples feast their eyes to their hearts' content.

Their drool nearly paved the entire training ground.

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

"So these three forms are all techniques that strengthen one's own momentum. They can give martial artists like us, who favor fierce strength, the power to be reborn, guarding against ambushes or turning an unfavorable battle around," Duan Xuan said in realization.

Yet another question arose in his heart. "Is this Broken Mountain Fist truly just an ordinary external martial art?"