Chapter 4

In the outer hall of the martial arts training ground, more and more students gathered to watch the confrontation.

The outer hall of the Academy of Secluded Paths consists of six dormitories, each with about fifty students, making a total of three hundred.

Today is the last day of the academic year. Already, about a third of the students have left with regret, so the number of outer hall students is now around two hundred.

However, nearly three hundred students had squeezed into the training ground, as many inner hall and upper hall students had also come to observe the confrontation, and even some of the academy's instructors and tutors were present in the crowd.

"Men from the Academy Guard?"

Many of the instructors and tutors frowned when they saw Yuan Zilu.

"Apparently, it's at the suggestion of Instructor Zhang!" an informed person added.

Upon hearing this, some of the onlookers were enlightened, while others were deep in thought. Even those who did not understand the deeper meaning remained silent and did not question further.

After Shang Xia and Zhu Ying both abandoned their weapons and decided to fight hand-to-hand, the crowd in the training ground began to move to the sides, clearing the central area.

Yuan Zilu, as the referee, remained in the center of the field. Seeing the situation, he nodded and said, "Begin!"

After that, he stepped back a few paces, allowing the two to face each other.

"Heh, Chief Shang, after today, you won't be the chief of the outer hall anymore!"

Zhu Ying's internal energy began to circulate, and his face turned a deep red, a sign that he was about to use the extraordinary martial technique, the Crimson Blood Palm.

Shang Xia smiled indifferently and said, "If you still had your weapon, that would have sounded more impressive!"

The sarcastic tone in Shang Xia's voice made the onlookers recall Zhu Ying's awkwardness when he abandoned his weapon, and they responded with a low, mocking laugh.

Zhu Ying's already red face turned even redder, as if it were about to bleed. He roared and stepped forward, pushing a palm towards Shang Xia from a distance.

A red glow flashed in his palm, like a tidal wave of blood surging towards his opponent.

The first move of the Crimson Blood Palm: Tidal Wave of Blood!

Shang Xia moved with his heart, and in an instant, he dodged the direct attack. He then struck back with a palm, accompanied by a rumbling sound like a muffled thunder, causing a part of the blood wave to collapse.

The third move of the Thunderclap Palm, also known as "Rushing Thunder"!

Shang Xia instantly used an extraordinary martial technique to counter his opponent.

The hallmark of a martial practitioner advancing from the Blood Qi Realm to the Extraordinary Martial Realm is the first thread of internal energy generated after successfully igniting their blood qi.

This thread of internal energy signifies a fundamental leap in martial cultivation, marking the first level of the Extraordinary Martial Realm, the Martial Essence Realm.

Only at this stage can extraordinary martial techniques unleash their powerful effects in the hands of a martial artist.

It was not surprising that Zhu Ying's blood wave was broken by a single palm, and he did not expect to gain the upper hand with just one move.

Seeing Shang Xia charging towards him with the sound of wind and thunder, Zhu Ying remained calm. As Shang Xia approached, he suddenly changed his palm to a fist and struck out with dozens of fist shadows, blocking all possible attack routes.

"Is that all you've got?"

Shang Xia countered with dozens of palm shadows, colliding with the fist shadows in mid-air. Each collision triggered a gust of air, spreading outwards.

The Crimson Blood Palm is a sophisticated technique, while the Thunderclap Palm is known for its rapid strikes.

With both of them exerting their full strength, visible shockwaves spread out like waves, one after another.

Yuan Zilu, who had been observing the fight, remained unmoved, while Liu Zhifei and Sun Haiwei, guarding the perimeter, used their skills to calm the aftermath, to prevent it from affecting the onlookers.

Even so, the intensity of the fight still made the faces of the onlookers, who had not yet reached the Extraordinary Realm, turn pale. Many were inspired to swear to themselves that they would quickly cross the threshold of the Extraordinary Martial Realm.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged over a dozen moves, each trying to outpace the other. Their figures moved so quickly that ordinary students could hardly keep up with the pace of their confrontation.

Even the faces of the inner hall and upper hall students in the crowd were not pleasant, as the strength displayed by these two could place them in the upper-middle ranks of the inner hall.

Many of the observing instructors and tutors nodded in approval.

"Looks like the progress of the internal energy refinement in these two children is quite remarkable!" a pale-faced, beardless man in a green robe said to Zhang Haogu with a smile.

Zhang Haogu, whose eyes remained fixed on the two fighters, replied, "Don't jump to conclusions yet. The potential of these two may exceed your expectations."

The green-robed man's interest was piqued. "It seems these two still have hidden skills, which makes me even more excited."

From their conversation, it was clear that this green-robed man, surnamed Jia, was also a tutor of high status in the academy.

At this moment, another cry of surprise echoed through the training ground, accompanied by a commotion.

It turned out that after exchanging over a dozen rapid moves, both realized they could not gain the upper hand and immediately changed their tactics.

Zhu Ying, who had already changed his Crimson Blood Palm to a fist, suddenly changed it to a finger.

With a single finger, a red glow shot through the gaps in Shang Xia's palm shadows, heading straight for his face.

In the air, a faint red flame could be seen flickering.

"Blood Ignition Finger!"

This time, it was the inner hall and upper hall students who cried out in surprise. Most of the outer hall students looked puzzled, as they had never heard of the Blood Ignition Finger before.

Not only the inner hall and upper hall students, but even some of the instructors and tutors showed signs of concern.

"Has he even mastered such a difficult technique as the Blood Ignition Finger? This batch of outer hall students truly surprises us at every turn!"

"To have mastered two techniques at the Mixed Essence Realm, this student's internal energy refinement must be nearly complete, qualifying him to challenge the Martial Apex Realm."

"If I'm not mistaken, these two techniques are closely related!"

"Remarkable..."

Before the onlookers could finish their exclamations, the atmosphere in the training ground suddenly became tense. Many students who had not yet crossed the Extraordinary barrier felt a tightness in their chests and could not speak.

Facing the Blood Ignition Finger, Shang Xia remained calm. His previously rapid palm movements suddenly slowed down. He took a deep breath and slowly pushed out a palm from his chest, exuding immense power, as if placing a heavy stone on everyone's heart.

The Blood Ignition Finger, which seemed capable of piercing through metal and stone, was instantly dispelled by the power of this palm.

"Mixed Essence Palm!"

After the pressure from Shang Xia's palm dissipated, many inner hall students finally called out the name of this technique, but their tone sounded more like a sigh.

Under Zhu Ying's relentless attacks, the chief of the outer hall finally used his second martial technique.

Unlike the rapid and swift Thunderclap Palm, the Mixed Essence Palm was characterized by its powerful and heavy strikes. Once unleashed, it left no room for evasion, forcing the opponent to face it head-on.

"The Mixed Essence Palm consumes a great deal of internal energy. Only those with extremely deep internal energy can master it!"

"So, the chief of the outer hall must have reached a very high level of internal energy refinement!"

"To become the chief of the outer hall, it's not just about family background; he must have real skills to command respect!"

"I heard he previously went into seclusion to challenge the Martial Apex Realm but failed?"

The inner hall and upper hall students discussed the two fighters, inevitably making comparisons. However, many of them had a hint of envy in their voices.

"I'm actually more curious about Zhu Ying. His performance in his first year in the outer hall was mediocre. How did he transform so completely after repeating a year?"

"I heard he is a descendant of the Zhu family from the Five Surnames of Youzhou. Could he have inherited the Zhu family's legacy?"

"Heh, one is a descendant of the former Five Surnames of Youzhou, and the other is a direct descendant of one of the new four major families of Tongyoucheng. This old and new rivalry adds a deeper meaning to this confrontation!"

"Shh, be quiet! Look, something is about to change in the field!"

Although the Crimson Blood Palm and the Blood Ignition Finger were related and complemented each other, making the combination of fist, palm, and finger strikes unpredictable, Zhu Ying still could not gain the upper hand against Shang Xia.

Shang Xia's techniques, though not as dazzling as Zhu Ying's, combined the power of the Mixed Essence Palm and the speed of the Thunderclap Palm, making it difficult for Zhu Ying to find a weakness.

As a result, the confrontation inevitably fell into a stalemate.

However, this situation was clearly unfavorable for Zhu Ying!

Compared to Zhu Ying's rapid progress in cultivation over the past six months, Shang Xia, as the chief of the outer hall, had been in the Martial Essence Realm for a longer time and had a deeper foundation.

This was evident from his mastery of the powerful Mixed Essence Palm.

Therefore, the longer the fight dragged on, the more Zhu Ying would be at a disadvantage.

This made Zhu Ying increasingly anxious, and he began to act more recklessly!

"Unexpectedly, two outer hall students can fight like this. The inner hall and upper hall students should be ashamed!" Zhang Haogu sighed.

"The Crimson Blood Palm is one thing, but the Blood Ignition Finger is a direct inheritance of the Zhu family. Seeing this child use these two techniques so skillfully, could he really have inherited the Zhu family's legacy?"

Jia Yuntian showed interest in the origin of Zhu Ying's martial techniques.

Just as Jia Yuntian spoke, Zhang Haogu suddenly widened his eyes, clearly sensing a significant change in the confrontation, one that even a seasoned tutor like him found shocking!

Jia Yuntian, surprised, quickly looked at the field and heard a sudden roar.

"Shang Xia, this is your fault!"

Zhu Ying suddenly crushed a jade talisman on his waist, and his already formidable Mixed Essence Realm aura surged even more.

"Today, I will knock you off your pedestal of genius!"

"Today, I will return the humiliation you inflicted on me, doubled!"

The blood flames that only appeared when Zhu Ying used the Blood Ignition Finger now rose from his entire body, making him look like a blood-red fire figure from a distance!

"Two-Pole Realm! No, it's the Martial Apex Realm..."

An inner hall student immediately screamed in shock.

——

Please continue to support by clicking the follow and favorite buttons. Thank you!