A deep shout emitted from Shang Huiyu’s mouth, and with that, even the young prodigies of the Shang Family beneath the arena realized the Meridian Technique he was deploying.
This was a powerful Meridian Technique passed down through generations of the Shang Family, rumored to reach Great Success and turn both arms into invincible Vajra, but Shang Huiyu who was just in the Late Stage of the Meridian Introduction Realm obviously hadn’t reached such a level.
Normally, a Mortal Rank Advanced Meridian Technique could only display its true might when used by a Cultivator at the Meridian Gathering Realm. However, compared to Yun Xiao’s Cultivation, he seemed to be at an even lower level, which appeared sufficient.
Shang Huiyu’s right arm, colored like refined iron, bore down with formidable force, leaving Yun Xiao somewhat gasping for breath. Honestly, if it was solely a contest of Meridian Qi, he was indeed a step behind Shang Huiyu.
However, Yun Xiao’s trump card was not his apparent Meridian Qi Cultivation level, but the memories of his past life belonging to the Long Xiao Battle God, with rich combat experience and cunning strategies that probably no one on the Hidden Dragon Continent could surpass.
For instance, at this moment, as Shang Huiyu’s arm came close, Yun Xiao repeated his old trick; with a sudden flick of his right index finger from bottom to top, a move that seemed quite familiar to Shang Ying and other members of the Shang Family’s authority.
Ten days earlier, in the Righteous Hall, it was exactly this kind of lightning-fast Cutting Vein Technique that caught Shang Huiyu by surprise and shattered the wrist of this young master of the Shang Family.
The Cutting Vein Technique was a maneuver that even a Cultivator of the Meridian Rushing Realm like Yin Huan wasn’t highly skilled in, and nobody knew why such a technique could be executed at the Meridian Introduction Realm, even breaking through the strong Vajra Arm.
But would Shang Huiyu, who had already suffered a loss, let Yun Xiao succeed again? The answer was definitely no. The young master of the Shang Family was no fool; he had anticipated Yun Xiao would use the same move again, and his right arm, which was swinging down, twisted in the air before it landed.
"Heh, you’ve learned your lesson!"
Yun Xiao’s right index finger shot into empty air, but this seemed to be within his expectations; he did not feel discouraged but let out a light laugh, speaking with a condescending tone as if he were the one in the superior position.
In fact, it was Shang Huiyu who was a step ahead in terms of Meridian Qi Cultivation, so the young master of the Shang Family’s mood turned even fouler, and his desire to kill Yun Xiao grew even stronger.
Who would have thought that in the moment of Shang Huiyu’s hesitation, Yun Xiao’s seemingly overextended right hand also twisted in the air like a Spiritual Snake, pressing in towards Shang Huiyu’s arm again.
This swift change left the numerous young geniuses of the Shang Family dazzled. They hadn’t anticipated Yun Xiao’s speed to be so fast and precise, immediately finding the spot Shang Huiyu had dodged to and attacking once again.
Seeing this, Shang Huiyu was also taken aback, but fortunately he had improved since then; though Yun Xiao was fast, his reactions were not slow either. His right arm continued to rotate and his left arm swung urgently over.
It was a clever move of "attacking Wei to save Zhao," as Shang Huiyu’s left arm was aiming at Yun Xiao’s right head. If Yun Xiao insisted on pursuing Shang Huiyu’s right arm, then inevitably his own head would be struck by the other’s swinging arm.
To save a beleaguered ally by attacking their aggressor’s home base — that was Shang Huiyu’s strategy, and his plan had a 90% chance of success since any normal Cultivator wouldn’t think an enemy’s arm was more important than their own head, right?
Moreover, even if Yun Xiao’s finger jabbed Shang Huiyu’s right arm, it would only numb it for a moment. If his left arm struck, then Yun Xiao’s life would definitely be in danger because that arm too was executing the strong Vajra Arm Meridian Technique.
As it turned out, Shang Huiyu’s plan was successful. Yun Xiao was no obstinate fool; numerous battles had taught him to make the best choice immediately.
At the sight of Yun Xiao dodging, all onlookers including Shang Yan, the Family Head, and Yan Cheng were stunned because they clearly noticed Yun Xiao’s entire head was ramming towards Shang Huiyu’s chest.
These low-level practitioners of the Hidden Dragon Continent had never seen such a method of combat. Using one’s head to attack an enemy, and should the enemy be prepared, a light punch or palm would split the attacker’s head open, wouldn’t it?
In reality, Yun Xiao was not being reckless; his action was the result of a meticulous plan. With his rich prior life battle experience, although a practitioner of that level wouldn’t use such clumsy moves, they were easily pulled off in lower-rank combat.
At this moment, Shang Huiyu’s right arm was restrained by Yun Xiao’s right index finger, unable to pause in the slightest, while his left arm, aiming to strike Yun Xiao’s head, couldn’t be pulled back in time.
Actually, Shang Huiyu was also extremely careful; he had prepared countless follow-up moves for any direction Yun Xiao’s head might dodge to, but he hadn’t expected Yun Xiao to use his head to attack his chest, catching him completely off guard.
In a completely unexpected turn of events, it was naturally impossible for Shang Huiyu to dodge the headbutt attack. Yun Xiao’s head fiercely slammed into Shang Huiyu’s chest with great force, directly sending the young Shang Family master flying several zhang away.
Had it not been for Shang Huiyu’s extremely quick reflexes, preemptively protecting his chest with Meridian Qi, it’s likely that Yun Xiao’s blow could have fractured his ribs.
But no matter what, the fight that had just begun saw Shang Huiyu take a slight disadvantage. This drastically defied all of the Shang Family members’ prior speculations. This seldom-seen lad, Yun Xiao, had moves that were simply too bizarre.
"Yun Xiao, this must also be something you learned from those treasures you found in the Snake Nest, right?"
While Shang Huiyu was steadying the dull pain in his chest, a burning fervor flashed in his eyes. As early as ten days ago, he was convinced that Yun Xiao had obtained some treasure within the Snake Nest, and at this very moment, his belief was only further solidified. In his view, it all belonged to him.
Shang Huiyu really couldn’t think of any other explanation for how a cripple, whose meridians had been completely destroyed, could resume cultivation in such a short period of time and even advance his Meridian Qi Cultivation to the middle stage of the Meridian Introduction Realm, along with having so many endlessly mysterious methods.
Thinking of this, Shang Huiyu’s desire for the treasure Yun Xiao obtained from the Snake Nest grew even more, and he believed that if he could kill him here in the arena, then the treasure would certainly become his. After joining the Jade Pot Sect, one could make a name for oneself in a very short time.
"It has to be said, sometimes these underhanded tactics can indeed give someone a fright, but that’s all they amount to!" Shang Huiyu forcefully suppressed the greed and eagerness in his heart, and his words finally sparked a trace of seriousness in Yun Xiao.
Had Shang Huiyu truly been a late-stage Meridian Introduction Realm cultivator, Yun Xiao would have been fully confident in defeating him swiftly and effortlessly.
After all, while there is an objective gap between the middle and late stages of the Meridian Introduction Realm, it was inconsequential in the face of the Long Xiao Battle God’s combat experience, because he owned techniques unknown to cultivators of the Hidden Dragon Continent.
Moreover, the enhancement to combat power provided by the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique had made Yun Xiao increasingly curious. The technique was even more miraculous than any Holy Rank Cultivation Technique he had seen before.
However, Shang Huiyu’s condition caused Yun Xiao to have some other thoughts. This guy didn’t seem like an incompetent buffoon. After witnessing his own tactics, even after the trial of a severed wrist ten days ago, this guy still had such confidence, indicating that the young Shang Family master hadn’t yet gone all out.
"Now, let this nobody who picked up who-knows-what from somewhere see the true strength of this young master!"
Shang Huiyu was blunt, and upon his words, Yun Xiao suddenly had an epiphany, as if he had realized what his previous guess was all about?
All the Shang Family members were fixedly watching the great young master of their family on the arena, and at this moment, Shang Yan, Shang Ying, and others in the northern seats had a glint of excitement in their eyes.
Even the consistently composed Mortal Rank Advanced Meridian Refining Master Yan Cheng raised his head to focus on the Shang Family genius on the nearby platform, for all of this was his achievement.
When a certain aura burst forth from Shang Huiyu’s body, some of the Heaven and Earth Energy above the main platform in the center of the Shang Family Arena Hall seemingly became chaotic and started to swarm toward Shang Huiyu.
"What... What is this..."
Aside from a few in-the-know individuals seated, many young members of the Shang Family were clueless as to what had happened. However, when they sensed the sudden increase in Shang Huiyu’s aura, they involuntarily gasped in shock.
In just a few breaths, Shang Huiyu’s Meridian Qi Cultivation leaped from late-stage Meridian Introduction Realm directly to the peak of the Meridian Introduction Realm. Such a breakthrough seemed to be something only certain Cultivation-augmenting Secret Techniques could achieve.
However, as far as these young members of the Shang Family knew, the Shang Family didn’t possess any Cultivation-augmenting Secret Techniques. Such techniques were typically found only within great families and sects. The Shang Family was but a small-sized clan in Moon Bow City, how could they possess such a thing?
"It’s not a Secret Technique!"
As Shang Huiyu’s direct adversary in the arena, Yun Xiao undoubtedly sensed it even more vividly and immediately. He slightly furrowed his brows, memories rushing to his mind, and he was convinced that Shang Huiyu’s enhancement in Meridian Qi at that moment was not due to any Cultivation-augmenting Secret Technique, but rather there was another reason.