Melee (2)

At this moment, the battle between Zhou Deze and Yuan Mingzhi had reached a fever pitch. Neither could gain the upper hand. Zhou Deze's injuries hampered his ability to unleash his full strength, while Yuan Mingzhi was relatively unscathed, resulting in a closely matched contest.

Zhou Deze, his face a mask of anger and frustration, exclaimed, "Yuan Mingzhi! If I weren't injured, you wouldn't stand a chance against me!"

Yuan Mingzhi sneered, "Losing is losing! No amount of trash talk will change that. Take another one of my moves!"

With that, Yuan Mingzhi launched an attack, his entire body surging with True Qi. He exerted himself to unleash the third stance of the [Shaolin Cotton Palm], "Relentless Force," as waves of thick, powerful True Qi gradually coalesced within his palms, erupting with bursts of imposing power.

Using twenty-five years of Inner Force, he unleashed a force of two thousand five hundred pounds, aiming for Zhou Deze's chest.

Seeing this, Zhou Deze gritted his teeth and retaliated, his entire body erupting with True Qi. He, too, executed the third stance of the [Shaolin Cotton Palm], "Relentless Force," as waves of thick, powerful True Qi gradually coalesced within his palms, erupting with bursts of imposing power.

With twenty-six years of Inner Force, but hindered by his injuries, he could only unleash a force of two thousand five hundred pounds, bracing himself to meet Yuan Mingzhi's relentless palms head-on.

"Bang!"

The two relentless palms collided fiercely, producing a low explosive sound. Their palms locked together, they frantically poured their Inner Force into the clash. Bursts of True Qi erupted around them, even distorting the air slightly, as each sought to overwhelm the other with their own Inner Force. The display of power was astonishing!

A quarter of an hour later.

Both realized that their Inner Force was dwindling. They unleashed their full True Qi, forcefully channeling a final surge of fierce energy.

"Pfft!"

Both coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered back seven or eight steps. This clash of Inner Force resulted in mutual damage. Zhou Deze's face was as white as paper, his head spinning, his Inner Force nearly depleted, and his injuries severe. If not for his astonishing willpower, he would have already collapsed in defeat.

Yuan Mingzhi's face was equally pale, his Inner Force also nearly exhausted, and he was heavily injured, though in better condition than Zhou Deze. He mustered the last bit of his True Qi and used the first stance of the [Shaolin Cotton Palm], "Continuous," striking Zhou Deze with a direct palm strike.

"Bang!"

Zhou Deze was utterly defenseless and was sent flying out of the arena by the palm strike. He coughed up a mouthful of black blood in mid-air, his injuries compounded and extremely severe. It would likely take a month or two of rest for him to fully recover.

After delivering this palm strike, Yuan Mingzhi's True Qi was completely depleted, and he nearly fainted. He barely managed to stay upright, then glanced at the ongoing battles in the arena, gave a wry smile, and slowly walked off the stage.

He simply lacked the strength to continue fighting, and he couldn't bring himself to shamelessly linger there, waiting to take advantage of others. Securing ninth place was already an unexpected boon, so he dared not ask for more.

Meanwhile, the other battlefield was also a scene of intense fighting. The three combatants exchanged blows, each targeting the other two, resulting in a stalemate.

Each of them attacked, Leng Tianlu unleashing the third stance of the [Shaolin Cotton Palm], "Relentless Force," as waves of thick, powerful True Qi gradually coalesced within his palms, erupting with bursts of imposing power. He directed a force of two thousand seven hundred pounds toward the other two.

Lei Tianyi and Huang Hongzhe simultaneously executed the third stance of the [Shaolin Heart-Piercing Leg], "Buddha's Wrath Heart Pierce," as a surge of wild True Qi gathered in their legs. They leaped into the air, and a faint image of a Buddha appeared in the sky.

They unleashed a violent kick, the Buddha image mirroring their move with an equally violent kick, using a force of two thousand seven hundred pounds to meet Leng Tianlu's relentless palm strike head-on!

"Rumble!"

A deafening explosion of air erupted as Leng Tianlu was knocked back by the combined kick of Lei Tianyi and Huang Hongzhe, staggering back ten feet. The True Qi within him churned, his face flushed, and he hurriedly used his Inner Force to suppress the turmoil.

"Hahaha! Brother Huang! Take this!"

Lei Tianyi continued to unleash the third stance of the [Shaolin Heart-Piercing Leg], "Buddha's Wrath Heart Pierce," violently kicking out three times with a force of two thousand seven hundred pounds, directly targeting Huang Hongzhe.

Huang Hongzhe, unwilling to be outdone, also executed the third stance of the [Shaolin Heart-Piercing Leg], "Buddha's Wrath Heart Pierce," similarly kicking out three times with a force of two thousand seven hundred pounds to meet Lei Tianyi's sudden assault!

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Three muffled explosive sounds rang out. Their strength was evenly matched, resulting in a stalemate. Each retreated three or four steps, barely managing to regain their footing.

Huang Hongzhe suddenly launched an attack, using the second stance of the [Shaolin Shadowless Kick], "Shadowing," as waves of True Qi gradually coalesced within his legs. He suddenly leaped into the air, and only a gust of wind could be heard as Huang Hongzhe's leg shadow reached Lei Tianyi's chest.

Lei Tianyi was shocked. He staggered, unable to react in time, especially against this speed-oriented leg technique.

He could only grit his teeth and circulate his True Qi, hastily using the second stance of the [Shaolin Heart-Piercing Leg], "Continuous Heart-Piercing Leg," to defend himself.

"Bang!"

Lei Tianyi, in his haste, couldn't unleash much of the [Shaolin Heart-Piercing Leg]'s power. He was sent flying by Huang Hongzhe's kick, coughing up a mouthful of blood, having sustained some injuries!

Suddenly, Huang Hongzhe felt a chilling sensation behind him, as Leng Tianlu struck with a palm from behind. The relentless force caused him to break out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly stomped the ground and leaped up, dodging the relentless palm strike.

He then preemptively launched a series of rapid kicks in the air, not giving Leng Tianlu a chance to continue his attack. Leng Tianlu responded by unleashing three swift palm strikes, meeting Huang Hongzhe's rapid kicks.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

After connecting with three palm strikes, Huang Hongzhe gracefully somersaulted backward. As soon as he landed, he felt his legs tremble from the relentless palm force, his steps faltering. He nearly lost his balance and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, having sustained heavy injuries.

Huang Hongzhe was injured by Leng Tianlu's relentless palm force, which triggered his original injuries that Abbot Hongchen had suppressed, explaining the severity of his current condition.

Leng Tianlu was about to press his advantage when he felt a heart-piercing chill heading straight for his chest. It was Lei Tianyi launching a sudden [Shaolin Heart-Piercing Leg].

Leng Tianlu was shocked. His footwork was poor, and he couldn't dodge in time. He could only brace himself for the kick, simultaneously unleashing his palms in a hasty [Shaolin Cotton Palm] strike toward Lei Tianyi, intending to trade injuries, sacrificing eight hundred to harm the enemy by a thousand.

"Pfft!"

Both endured the other's fierce attack, each being knocked back seven or eight steps, coughing up a mouthful of blood, and sustaining heavy injuries. They then circulated their True Qi to suppress their injuries.

A quarter of an hour later.

The three exchanged glances. Each of their True Qi was nearly exhausted, their faces slightly pale. They suddenly surged forward, engaging in a close-quarters brawl!

Huang Hongzhe attacked first, unleashing a flurry of rapid leg shadows. Leng Tianlu met them with his palms, desperately blocking each leg shadow. Huang Hongzhe's leg movements were too fast, and Leng Tianlu couldn't block them all, managing to block only seven or eight out of ten kicks, leaving him bruised all over.

Each time Leng Tianlu was struck by a kick, he gritted his teeth and struck Huang Hongzhe's thigh with a palm, the relentless force directly numbing Huang Hongzhe's leg and weakening his kicking power.

Lei Tianyi could barely use his leg techniques to defend against the rapid attacks, but he was still occasionally struck by a few kicks. Lei Tianyi narrowed his eyes, squatted down, and used the "Sweeping the Leaves with the Wind" technique, sweeping Huang Hongzhe off his feet. He then leaped into the air, his knees aiming for Huang Hongzhe's chest.

Huang Hongzhe was shocked and gritted his teeth, rolling on the ground to barely avoid the fatal blow. Seeing his attack dodged, Lei Tianyi landed steadily on the ground and leaped back ten feet, cautiously watching the other two.

Lei Tianyi and Leng Tianlu were a sight, both sporting black eyes and swollen faces. Leng Tianlu, in particular, was in bad shape, his head practically ballooned into a pig's head. Lei Tianyi fared slightly better, though his injuries were more severe. Huang Hongzhe wasn't much better, limping badly, his right leg crippled by Leng Tianlu's palm strike!

The three of them were clearly exhausted, covered in injuries. It looked like any disciple could come up and knock them over with a gentle puff of air.

"Heh... heh! Looks like we're all... all at our limit. I bet we'd fall if someone just barely touched us!"

"Y-yeah... seems we have to... have to decide this with one... one final blow!"

"I... I agree!"

With a final roar, the three of them charged at each other. Lei Tianyi kicked at Leng Tianlu, Leng Tianlu struck at Huang Hongzhe, and Huang Hongzhe kicked at Lei Tianyi.

"Puh!"

The three were sent flying by the force of the blows, spitting out mouthfuls of blood. All of them collapsed, unable to get up. Lei Tianyi, the most severely injured, had already lost consciousness, placing him eighth. Leng Tianlu, though still awake, was stuck on his back, unable to lift his head, ranking him seventh. Huang Hongzhe, using every last bit of strength, barely managed to crawl up, kneeling on the ground and gasping for air, earning him sixth place.

At this moment, the Martial Arts Elder slowly walked forward and said calmly, "In this match, Huang Hongzhe is sixth, Leng Tianlu is seventh, and Lei Tianyi is eighth!"

As soon as the Martial Arts Elder finished speaking, Huang Hongzhe could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. All three of them were lying unconscious on the ground and were immediately taken away to be treated.