"This is a move to advance from a perfect martial skill towards a profound stage." Zhao He's eyes flashed with surprise, he hadn't expected this Gu Yuan to have cultivated a common martial skill, the Tiger Fiend Saber Art, to such a profound level.
Martial skills are generally divided into four stages: beginner, minor accomplishment, great accomplishment, and finally, profound stage.
Once a martial skill is cultivated to the profound stage, it will unleash twice the power of the original skill.
However, cultivating a martial skill to the profound stage is not simple; very few people manage to cultivate even the most basic martial skills to this level.
Gu Yuan was unaware that one of his martial skills was reaching the profound stage, as high school had not taught this knowledge, nor had anyone ever told him.
As for the black tiger in his mind, it had been cultivated in a muddled fashion.
Buzz buzz buzz!
Cang Tianhua's ears rang. His tightly woven Mountain Sea Heavy Fist was forced to a halt. Gu Yuan seized this opening.
The saber was wrapped in black fiendish energy, and the blade flashed.
Squelch!
The sound of the blade cutting through flesh echoed. Gu Yuan's saber directly sliced into Cang Tianhua's chest, leaving a huge wound ten centimeters long.
Cang Tianhua's exquisite combat awareness allowed him to shift his body back a few centimeters, reducing the depth of the saber wound.
Cang Tianhua cried out in pain, his mind instantly clearing. His gauntlets, wrapped in a dense yellow light, slammed out. Gu Yuan drew his saber to defend.
Clang!
A punch struck the blade of Qiushui. Gu Yuan used the force to retreat.
Qiushui was flicked, and hot blood splashed onto the ground, emitting wisps of smoke.
This was the blood of a martial artist at the peak of body refinement. Its temperature was much higher than ordinary human blood and contained a vast amount of energy.
Hoo, inhale, hoo, inhale.
Cang Tianhua's breathing was heavy. He pressed several pressure points around the saber wound, controlling his muscles to contract. The wound, which had been bleeding profusely, began to slow, eventually only seeping a trickle of blood.
The qi and blood within Cang Tianhua began to churn madly. His skin rapidly turned red, and his muscles began to swell.
Overlord Body Technique!
His contorted face exhaled a gust of hot air. His fists, wrapped in a deep yellow spiritual light, slammed forward. He stomped heavily, unleashing terrifying speed and charging directly at Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan sheathed his long saber, Qiushui. The bones in his palms began to change, his skin was rapidly consumed by blackness, and his fingernails became extremely sharp.
The power of the Thunder Leopard in his legs was fully unleashed. His feet also changed, and his shoes were torn apart again, revealing beast-like paws. Tiny arcs of electricity danced, stimulating the activity of his leg muscles.
He exuded an aura of wild ferocity.
With a low roar, he met Cang Tianhua's charge.
This time, the recruitment teachers from the First Martial Arts University couldn't remain seated, their eyes filled with surprise.
Who would have thought they'd encounter a contestant cultivating the "Seven Fiends Slaughter Fist"! Gu Yuan was a must-have for the First Martial Arts University; they needed to contact the principal immediately.
Judging by Gu Yuan's cultivation, he likely had reached the third fiend level, and the first two fiends were applied with extreme proficiency.
Zhao He and Yuan Lei exchanged glances, looking at the agitated Tian Qing with utter bewilderment.
"What's gotten into him? Why is he so excited?" Zhao He whispered to Yuan Lei.
"How should I know?" Yuan Lei rolled his eyes.
He guessed it was the martial skill Gu Yuan was displaying that had caused such excitement. What was that martial skill called again? It seemed to be the "Seven Fiends Slaughter Fist." Did it have some special significance?
Yuan Lei pondered, but could not come up with an answer. He gave up and continued watching the match.
Gu Yuan's peculiar transformation caught Cang Tianhua's attention. He knew it was a peculiar but immensely powerful martial skill and had to treat it with caution.
The two collided like ferocious beasts, using every part of their bodies as a weapon, completely abandoning defense.
Gu Yuan was doing so because he had activated the Qian Aspect: Heaven's Movement is Strong. Cang Tianhua, on the other hand, seemed impervious to pain. The wound on his chest reopened, bleeding profusely. However, a blood-red aura enveloped his body, radiating intense heat. The blood evaporated before it could even hit the ground.
His fists, wrapped in deep yellow spiritual light, slammed heavily onto Gu Yuan's body. The formidable force could not be fully defended even by Heaven's Movement is Strong. A shockwave traveled directly into Gu Yuan's body.
Gu Yuan felt so uncomfortable he nearly vomited blood. He secretly activated the Kun Aspect: Kun's Spirit!
He channeled the powerful force into the ground, greatly reducing his combat pressure.
He secretly manipulated the ground beneath Cang Tianhua's feet, causing it to become extremely unstable, as if standing on a large ship sailing on a tumultuous sea.
What's going on! Cang Tianhua was greatly alarmed. The ground beneath his feet suddenly shifted, making him lose his footing and nearly fall onto Gu Yuan's claws.
Heh heh! Gu Yuan showed a sinister smile.
Li Aspect: Crimson Flame!
His claws were instantly engulfed in crimson flames, and with an incredibly scorching aura, he lunged towards Cang Tianhua's chest.
Damn it! I didn't expect Gu Yuan to be so troublesome, Cang Tianhua's expression turned extremely grim.
Mountain Sea Heavy Fist: Mountain Sea Tremor!
A dense yellow light erupted from beneath his feet. He stomped heavily, flattening the unstable ground with an aura as unmovable as a mountain.
Gu Yuan dared not be careless. He circulated his Swift Wind Movement Technique, creating distance, and his hand returned to its normal form.
Simultaneously, Chong Xuan Chi Lian appeared. He drew his bow, narrowed his eyes, and veins bulged on his arms.
Wind Chaser!
Bang!
The sound of the bowstring snapping echoed like thunder from a clear sky. The arrow shot forward like a meteor, slicing through the air and leaving a long white trail. Sonic booms erupted along its path.
Rumble!
Cang Tianhua's pupils shrank to pinpoints. The hairs on his body stood on end, and an extremely dangerous feeling welled up in his heart.
He wouldn't survive if he couldn't block this arrow!
Roar!
Cang Tianhua let out a low roar. The veins on his arms bulged, turning blood-red. The blood-red aura that enveloped his entire body surged several times. From afar, he looked like a god reborn in fire.
He unleashed a punch!
His fist tore through the air. The immense kinetic energy compressed the air in front of his fist, causing it to explode and create a ring of white shockwaves.
The arrowhead directly collided with his palm, which was wrapped in dense yellow spiritual light.
Screech!
The sound of metal grinding ensued. The arrow Gu Yuan shot began to rotate spirally, like a drill. Cang Tianhua's dense yellow spiritual light couldn't withstand it for even half a second before it was shattered. It struck his gauntlet, creating sparks.
After all, Cang Tianhua's gauntlets were woven from gold thread, providing excellent defense, while Gu Yuan's arrow was merely a common iron arrow, lacking sufficient penetration.
Clink!
The iron arrow fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Cang Tianhua panted heavily. He looked at Gu Yuan, who was a hundred meters away, and his lips twitched involuntarily.
Gu Yuan had already drawn another bow. This time, he had specifically switched to an armor-piercing arrow, whose sharpness made Cang Tianhua feel like he was being pricked by needles.
Gu Yuan smiled faintly, "Want to go again? How many punches like that can you throw? I can shoot many more!"
Cang Tianhua let out a heavy sigh. He couldn't get close to Gu Yuan, and he had no long-range attack methods.
With no other option, he raised his hand to signal his surrender.
"Gu Yuan wins!" The referee's voice echoed throughout the stadium.
Wow!!!!
Deafening cheers erupted from the venue. As expected, the battles of the top twenty were extraordinary, offering the audience a grand spectacle.
Cang Tianhua dispelled his Overlord Body. The blood-red aura around him slowly dissipated. Gu Yuan also put away Chong Xuan Chi Lian and, with a flash, appeared beside Cang Tianhua.
He patted Cang Tianhua on the shoulder. Cang Tianhua did not dodge.
Seeing this, Gu Yuan's face broke into a smile. "You are very strong. If I didn't have a long-range attack, I might have lost."
"Don't comfort me. Losing is losing. It was a pleasure meeting you, Gu Yuan!" Cang Tianhua shook his head and extended his right hand to Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan clasped his hand and said with a smile, "The pleasure was all mine."
"Let's go. We'll spar again next time." Cang Tianhua turned and left without any hesitation.
Gu Yuan chuckled and shook his head. He was indeed an interesting person.
He picked up the iron arrows and the broken shoes from the ground. With a series of blurs, he left the arena.
---
"I truly never imagined it could reach this point."
Lu Feng's voice echoed in the office of the Director of the Tian Yuan City Education Bureau...