Impartial Arbitration, Four Limit Breaks, Tieniu's Breakthrough

The Central Hall in Azure Cloud City.

Xiao Liuzi looked every bit the country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time.

He stared, dumbstruck, at the Central Hall's thirty-meter-high walls and its many statues and stone carvings.

"Are you Xiao Liuzi?"

Mu Qingyue's gentle voice rang out, snapping Xiao Liuzi out of his gawking.

"Hello, Miss Mu!"

Seeing Mu Qingyue, Xiao Liuzi grew shy, his voice a little strained. He hurriedly handed her the challenge letter Zhang Teng had entrusted to him.

"This is for you."

"What is this?"

After taking the challenge letter, Mu Qingyue looked startled.

"A challenge letter?"

"Yes," Xiao Liuzi said hastily. "Senior Brother Zhang Teng issued this challenge to the Zhang Clan. He specifically asked the Central Hall to serve as an impartial arbiter."

The Central Hall as an impartial arbiter?

Mu Qingyue was somewhat taken aback. Usually, only battles to the death required the Central Hall's arbitration.

"Does Zhang Teng intend to fight until one side is dead?"

Xiao Liuzi nodded.

The martial artist beside Mu Qingyue asked, puzzled, "Why didn't he come himself?"

Xiao Liuzi immediately answered in earnest.

"Because the challenge is set for ten days from now. Senior Brother Zhang needs to cherish every moment he can spend cultivating, so I came in his place."

"Miss Mu, Senior Brother Zhang asked me to give you this to prove the letter is genuine."

As he spoke, Xiao Liuzi took out a hairpin shaped like a small sword.

Seeing the little sword-shaped hairpin, Miss Mu smiled.

It was her concealed weapon, so of course she recognized it at a glance. She remembered retrieving it, only to lose it again later.

"I remember you. Even without this proof, I would believe your challenge letter is genuine. Besides, if the Central Hall agrees to arbitrate, we'll send someone over. There would be no point in forging it."

With that, Mu Qingyue said to the martial artist beside her, "Junior Sister Li, take Xiao Liuzi into the martial hall for a cup of tea. I'll report to the hall master."

"All right!" Junior Sister Li smiled at Xiao Liuzi. "Come along, Xiao Liuzi."

As she spoke, Junior Sister Li took Xiao Liuzi's hand.

Xiao Liuzi trembled, his face visibly reddening...

"Hehe..." Junior Sister Li gave an amused laugh. "Let's go! I'll treat you to the best Pure Melody Tea in our Central Hall!"

Inside the Central Hall, at the hall master's training grounds.

A figure stood upside down in the training grounds, supporting himself on a single finger.

He was Mu Qingyun, the master of Azure Cloud City's Central Hall.

Dozens of martial arts experts sat cross-legged around him, watching his demonstration intently.

"Watch closely! Now I'll let you experience how to use force!"

The instant his words fell silent.

Mu Qingyun suddenly lifted the finger he had braced against the ground!

A wondrous sight appeared. He remained suspended in midair, his entire body seemingly held up by some unseen power.

"Once your force can fully extend outward and support your own body, you've crossed the threshold."

"In essence, force is the outward extension of martial intent condensed to its utmost limit... yet it has neither form nor trace... that is force!"

"The manifestation of martial intent and its external release... both leave traces to follow. Imagine this: once martial intent transforms into force, without form or trace, how could you defend against it?"

"This realm isn't merely profound. It represents a leap for a martial artist. Once you form your force, you can be called a Martial Arts Grandmaster!"

As his words fell, the Central Hall master rose through the air and settled into a steady, upright stance.

Deafening applause erupted from the martial artists around him.

Seeing that the Central Hall master's demonstration had ended, Mu Qingyue immediately stepped forward.

"Hall Master, please take a look at this challenge letter."

"A challenge letter?"

Utterly puzzled, the Central Hall master took the letter and read it carefully.

Before long, an intrigued expression appeared on his face.

"Interesting. This Zhang Teng really does defy expectations. To think he's challenging the entire Zhang Clan."

"Indeed." Mu Qingyue nodded. "At first, I thought the Martial Arts Grounds had changed their minds and wanted to move next to the Central Hall."

"What do you think?" the Central Hall master asked Mu Qingyue.

"Hall Master, if it were anyone else, I would call it courting death. But Zhang Teng... it's hard to say."

"Oh?" Slightly surprised, the Central Hall master asked, "I remember you saying he was only at the body refining realm, with an indestructible golden body?"

"Although he defeated you across realms, you were only using the strength of the early elixir sea stage, after all."

"The Zhang Household has quite a few experts in martial true intent. Zhang Conglong is even at its peak. I've heard he isn't far from condensing force."

"The gap is too great."

Mu Qingyue nodded, then seemed to sink into her memories.

"His master may be mysterious, but issuing a challenge means he has to fight in person... I also want to know what gives him such confidence."

The Central Hall master pondered for a moment.

"Whatever the case, the Martial Arts Grounds belong to our martial hall's forces. Since they've issued a challenge and requested arbitration, we can't simply stand by."

A gleam flashed through Mu Qingyue's eyes.

"Hall Master, please let me be the arbiter! In my eyes, Zhang Teng is certainly no reckless fool. I want to see what gives him such confidence."

"Very well!" The Central Hall master nodded. "Take the certificate confirming that the Martial Arts Grounds have joined our martial hall's forces with you this time."

Elsewhere.

At the Martial Arts Grounds.

Tieniu's Tai Chi seemed to contain no softness whatsoever.

Every move, every stance appeared soft, yet was actually hard to the utmost!

Tai Chi, which balanced hardness and softness, seemed to become hardness layered upon hardness in his hands...

Strangely, however, heaven-and-earth spiritual power danced around him.

His fists could already stir heaven-and-earth spiritual power.

Lin Bei watched Tieniu's fist technique with satisfaction.

"It looks like Tieniu isn't far from comprehending a cultivation method."

Sure enough!

In the very next second, Lin Bei suddenly noticed that the heaven-and-earth spiritual power around Tieniu had begun flowing into his body.

Had he done it?

Almost simultaneously.

A voice rang out in Lin Bei's mind.

[Your disciple Tieniu has comprehended the Zhou Tian Acupoints Breathing Method.]

[Your Tai Chi Breathing Method has been fully integrated. Congratulations, your Tai Chi Breathing Method has undergone four limit breaks.]

Four limit breaks for the Tai Chi Breath-Absorbing Art-what an unexpected delight!

The next second, insights into the zhou tian acupoints flooded his mind like a rising tide.

"What a wondrous feeling!"

All along, Lin Bei had needed to actively practice the Breath-Absorbing Art to temper his dao body.

But now.

Lin Bei did not even need to actively circulate the Tai Chi Breath-Absorbing Art. The aperture points throughout his body absorbed and released energy on their own...

Lin Bei's body seemed to absorb and release energy by instinct.

The Zhou Tian Acupoints Breath-Channeling Method Zhang Teng had comprehended still lay within the framework of the Tai Chi Breath-Channeling Method.

Although Tieniu's Zhou Tian Acupoints Breathing Method sounded similar, it was actually entirely different.

"Master!!"

At that moment, Tieniu came up to Lin Bei in delighted surprise.

"I've understood it! I think... I can cultivate now!"

Lin Bei nodded, gratified.

"Good! Keep practicing."

Tieniu was overjoyed. Then, with a hint of apprehension, he asked.

"Master, I have a bold idea, but I don't know whether it would work."

"What idea?" Lin Bei asked, somewhat puzzled.

Tieniu boldly declared, "I want to use Tai Chi as a foundation to create an entirely new fist technique!"

Lin Bei jolted...

What the hell?

Create a fist technique?

Could Tieniu's talent be even more monstrous than Zhang Teng's?