Fangshan martial arts arena.
On the display screen,
the final list of the top 25 competitors was revealed, nearly all starting from Seventh Rank.
There were even several individuals at Eighth Rank, far surpassing the rest.
Only Lu Chenzhou remained at Sixth Rank, seeming out of place on the list.
Below the stage, Lu Chenzhou was filled with anticipation:
"Up next, I’ll be fighting truly skilled opponents."
Up to this point, even when battling Xu Jiutian, he had not gone all out. He wanted to see if, in his limit state, he could possibly shake the power of the Seventh Rank.
"Even if I lose, I won’t feel ashamed!"
Lu Chenzhou closed his eyes to rest and recuperate, waiting for the ultimate battle.
In the spectator stands, Tiger Teeth Girl and the others were cheering:
"Chenzhou, go for it!"
Some also expressed their concern:
"Now that everyone’s at least Seventh Rank, it looks tough for Chenzhou."
"It’d be okay if he gets lucky with a bye."
"Even a bye wouldn’t help. Those who get a bye have to select one of the top 12 contestants for the elimination round; so, they still face stronger Seventh and Eighth Rank enemies."
"It’s too hard, if only Liu Huan were here."
"Chenzhou, don’t overthink it, Tiger Form is unbeatable. Whether you can defeat your opponent or not, you must have the momentum to push everything aside and suppress anyone who refuses to accept defeat!"
On the strange pine tree,
Master Wang, who was practicing Heavenly Pile while watching the battles, said:
"Sixth Rank battling Seventh Rank? Reminds me of my own prime."
The new matchup results came out.
Lu Chenzhou looked at his opponent.
"Emei Martial Arts University, Zhou Ziqing, senior class..."
Emei Martial Arts University, one of the five Buddhist schools, with President Li Xiuying.
After the match started, Lu Chenzhou made his way to the platform.
Opposite him stood a short-haired woman with an air of spirited elegance.
She seemed a bit uncomfortable.
After a moment of silence, she said:
"Swordsmanship is my forte. Unfortunately, weapons are not allowed at the Fangshan assembly, so I can only use my moderately practiced Swallow Form Fist Technique to fight you."
The use of weapons in matches carried a high risk. Without the ability of martial artists to restrain themselves to the point of contact, fatalities could easily occur. Machetes were therefore forbidden in formal competitions organized by martial artists. As for using harmless prop weapons, they might as well use punches and kicks.
Zhou Ziqing had been watching the battles and was most impressed not by the Eighth Rank powerhouses but by Lu Chenzhou, the Sixth Rank junior who cultivated Hard Qigong. Fearing that she might accidentally be overturned and become a disgrace to the Seventh Rank, she started off defensively.
Even if she lost this way, the shame wouldn’t be as severe... Of course, with her Seventh Rank Qi-Blood advantage, despite not having grasped the Hua Realm, the chance of losing was still small.
Lu Chenzhou smiled and said:
"I also have some understanding of the Swallow Form Fist, I’d be honored to learn from you, senior sister."
Zhou Ziqing politely replied:
"Then you can make the first move, junior brother."
"I shall respectfully comply."
Lu Chenzhou shouted loudly and then invoked "Inviting Tiger to Possess." The mysterious power flowed from his acupoints, momentarily granting him divine assistance. His momentum was on par with that of Seventh Rank Zhou Ziqing, as Tiger Spirit Divine Fist allowed for a short burst to stimulate his body’s potential.
Which meant an explosion of power!
Lu Chenzhou charged forward in the form of Flying Swallow Sea Sweeping.
Three zhang away, he arrived in an instant.
Zhou Ziqing’s expression changed slightly:
"He calls this a slight understanding of Swallow Form?!"
With a delicate shout, she used the Second Class martial arts "Golden Swallow Double Flying Palm" and attacked Lu Chenzhou, having trained this complementary fist technique to the level of Small Success.
Swallow Form Fist had various types, but the essence and secrets were interconnected, and changeless within change, Lu Chenzhou saw at a glance... that this senior sister’s fist technique really wasn’t strong.
Indeed, she only knew swordsmanship.
Lu Chenzhou’s heart settled, he quickly closed the distance with Zhou Ziqing, the Tiger Spirit came down the mountain, entangled in close combat, his left arm vibrated like a spring, repelling his opponent’s Slashing Palm, and his right hand like a Tiger Claw went straight for his opponent’s fair neck, like a fierce tiger pouncing on a small lamb.
Zhou Ziqing’s figure retreated, her right palm lightly parried to barely block the ferocious Tiger Claw, feeling her palm turn slightly red, she marveled at the immense force behind Lu Chenzhou’s move.
"It must be a quick battle, a quick decision."
A thought flashed in her mind, and she launched a series of sharp Golden Swallow Palms, Lu Chenzhou evaded her offensive in Swallow Form and reached the edge of the ring. Suddenly, he changed to Tiger Form, pushing off the railing to use the rebounding force for an incredibly rapid Tiger Tail Leg strike!
Zhou Ziqing’s arms blocked, and she was instantly sent flying, stabilizing herself only after several backward jumps. She looked at the footprint on her jade arm, already showing bloodshot bruises.
"Damn it, if I had attained the Hua Realm, what would this count for?"
Zhou Ziqing switched strategies, abandoning the idea of close combat with Lu Chenzhou, planning to rely on her cultivation advantage, fighting a war of attrition at a distance, and looking for a chance to deliver a killer blow.
Lu Chenzhou saw through her intentions and took the initiative to strike; he continuously pursued the enemy in Swallow Form and launched instantaneous attacks in Tiger Form. Within ten minutes, he had exchanged several hundred moves with Zhou Ziqing, which were extremely intense, stunning the audience.
"No way, a Sixth Rank chasing after a Seventh Rank?"
"It seems this beauty only knows swordsmanship, not much about fist techniques."
"I can see that, and my practice is even better."
"Lu Chenzhou is really lucky."
"No matter how poor she is, she’s still a Seventh Rank Qi-Blood, if we were to face her, we wouldn’t last long before being defeated, Lu Chenzhou being able to press her is quite impressive."
The two on the platform fell into a war of attrition.
Ji Xuantong watched unblinkingly:
Over at Dragon City’s second-year class, the atmosphere was lively, and they had already popped the champagne in advance.
"Damn, Chenzhou is really awesome, it’s a sure win now."
"Yeah, it seems this girl can’t hold on much longer."
Their boasting hadn’t lasted long.
Zhou Ziqing let out a delicate shout, suddenly using her hand as a blade and her arm as a sword, abandoning the "Golden Swallow Palm" and taking up her most skilled martial arts technique, the "Chasing Swallow Sword Skill."
She had nearly reached Perfection in this martial arts.
In an instant, Lu Chenzhou was pushed back repeatedly by her change of technique.
The hand sword struck his body, and finally... he felt some pain.
Instead of being shocked, he was delighted and had immersed himself in the battle.
The two fought faster and faster, whipping up dust around them with the force of their blows.
After ten minutes of evenly matched fierce battle, Lu Chenzhou felt Zhou Ziqing’s hand sword frequency slowing down. Seizing the opportunity, he used Tiger Claw to lock onto her fair wrist, only to see the edges of Zhou Ziqing’s palm were already dripping with blood, obviously worn raw and injured. How could her hands, accustomed to holding a sword for so long, compete with his iron-hard cross-trained flesh? A short duration might be fine, but prolonged collision was bound to result in injury.
Zhou Ziqing was stubborn too, unwilling to admit defeat. With her right hand locked, she endured the severe pain and tried to counterattack, using hands and feet together, but Lu Chenzhou neutralized them all. He also didn’t want to see his senior sister suffer any longer; seizing the chance, he landed a firm punch in her chest.
Zhou Ziqing reeled as if struck by lightning, her Qi-Blood churned, and she staggered, the next moment feeling her own neck and waist flesh hoisted up by a pair of rough large hands.
Lu Chenzhou threw his senior sister flying out of the ring, and during this time, Zhou Ziqing was wholly without technique, merely attacking her opponent in a frenzy.
On the stage, Lu Chenzhou stood tall and upright, savoring his victory. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel_fіre.net
The spectator section for Dragon City Martial Arts University was already boiling over.
"Holy crap, did Chenzhou really win?"