Chapter 28

"Today’s martial arts competition is to allow disciples to showcase their skills and test their cultivation progress. It is an opportunity to exchange martial arts and understand the essentials of combat. When sparring with fellow disciples, prioritize camaraderie over victory. You two must remember this!"

The instructor overseeing the C venue was a saber instructor at the academy. After reciting the standard speech, he threw a brocade handkerchief.

The moment the handkerchief hit the ground, the two were to begin. However, Ma Yuan had already raised his hands high, ready to surrender as soon as the handkerchief fell.

"Such a spineless thing!"

Zhuang Wudao snorted coldly, but inwardly he was smiling. Ma Yuan was just as he had expected.

But then, Zhuang Tong suddenly sneered and, without waiting for the handkerchief to touch the ground, made his move. His figure lunged forward, like a compressed spring, and his right foot, with great force, swept toward Ma Yuan’s head and chest.

Zong Shou was taken aback; the handkerchief had clearly not yet touched the ground! The saber instructor, however, seemed oblivious, still smiling as he watched from the side, seemingly unaware of the situation.

Ma Yuan, who had not yet had the chance to declare his surrender, was forced back by the whistling leg wind and had to dodge to the side. He repeatedly sought help from the saber instructor with his eyes, but to no avail.

Zhuang Tong’s leg strikes came faster and faster, like a heavy axe, one after another, almost creating afterimages. The air around them vibrated, and the whistling sound was deafening. Although Ma Yuan’s movements were excellent, nearly the best among his peers, he found it difficult to cope with Zhuang Tong’s relentless leg attacks and could only barely avoid them with all his might.

In less than two breaths, Ma Yuan was almost at a loss for what to do.

Zhuang Wudao, watching from the steps, grew increasingly grim. The saber instructor, Wei Que, was the weakest among the ten instructors at the academy. He had long known that this person had been bought off by Zhuang Tong. However, to ignore the rules so blatantly during the academy’s competition was unprecedented!

What was Zhuang Tong trying to do? This was not just a sparring match; it was an attempt to kill!

"Is it that Zhuang Tong has mastered the 'Fierce Wind Flame' leg technique?"

Wei Que’s expression grew increasingly cold, but his eyes were filled with helplessness.

"Unfortunately, his strikes are too ruthless, and his aura is too fierce. Why such intensity in a sparring match among fellow disciples?"

Li Xiangnan smiled. "Zhuang Tong is always very serious when sparring. His leg technique is already quite advanced, and he knows his limits. There’s no need to worry, Supervisor."

Zhuang Wudao, listening to a few sentences, felt his heart grow cold. The supervisor seemed fair and was willing to intervene, but his position made it inconvenient for him to act.

Although the handkerchief had not yet landed, Wei Que could claim he had simply misjudged and could not punish Zhuang Tong. Li Xiangnan’s words, meanwhile, clearly showed his support for Zhuang Tong, and he seemed oblivious to the supervisor’s hints.

Zhuang Wudao found it even more strange. The head of the academy, though biased, had always maintained fairness in major matters. Today’s clear favoritism toward Zhuang Tong was unimaginable, even to the point of offending the supervisor from the Wu Jing Dao Hall. Could it be that the head of the academy no longer wanted his position?

However, at this moment, Zhuang Wudao was more concerned about his brother’s safety. Seeing Ma Yuan, though in a dire situation, strategically retreating to the corner, Zhuang Wudao felt a slight relief. In the face of Zhuang Tong’s relentless attacks, Ma Yuan could not declare his surrender, but if he could safely exit the red line, he would still be considered the loser. It seemed he was trying to escape to a corner.

"No!"

Just as Ma Yuan was about to resolve the crisis, Zhuang Wudao’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, sensing something amiss.

Zhuang Tong’s legs were like heavy axes, powerful and forceful, but Zhuang Wudao noticed that his "junior" was not just attacking recklessly. Each heavy leg strike carried a subtle, almost imperceptible soft force, creating layers of qi that entangled Ma Yuan, hidden and unmanifested, while Ma Yuan remained unaware.

If not for the recent nights of guidance from the sword spirit Yun’er, which had greatly improved his martial arts cultivation, he might have been deceived as well.

"His technique has already reached a balance of hardness and softness!"

Zhuang Wudao drew a sharp breath. He had guessed that Zhuang Tong had made significant progress in the past few months, but he had not expected his Fierce Wind Flame leg technique to have advanced to such a level!

Ma Yuan was in mortal danger! Even if he survived, he would likely suffer serious injuries—

Zhuang Wudao was both anxious and angry, wishing he could rush over in a few steps. But he knew the distance was too great, and by the time he arrived, the outcome would already be decided.

The supervisor was no help, so Zhuang Wudao, gathering his strength, roared like a lion: "Zhuang Tong, do you dare?"

The roar echoed like thunder through the training ground. Zhuang Tong was clearly surprised, his figure trembling slightly as he glanced toward the steps in front of the main hall. Upon seeing Zhuang Wudao, a cold sneer spread across his face.

Zhuang Wudao’s ability to see through his plan was indeed surprising, but what did Zhuang Tong have to fear?

Ma Yuan also realized something was wrong. He did not understand why Zhuang Wudao had shouted, but he knew something was amiss. In a hurry, he placed his steel sword horizontally in front of his chest and retreated forcefully backward. Only then did he realize that his entire body was entangled by qi, and a subtle force was bursting from his limbs, having entered his body at some point and lying dormant until now.

Balanced hardness and softness, internal and external cultivation!

Ma Yuan’s face turned as white as paper. Zhuang Tong’s efforts were not just to defeat him!

The leg shadows had already dissipated, but a foot clad in a tiger-skin boot was already stamping down with a thousand pounds of force, the wind from the kick forcing him back, and the speed was so fast that he could not react!

Fierce Wind Flame, shadow piercing the heart!

Ma Yuan’s pupils contracted sharply, recognizing this as the most powerful strike in the Fierce Wind Flame technique. It could directly kick a small elephant to death if practiced to the first level!

With a sharp crack, Ma Yuan’s sword shattered. The force of the blow not only split his tiger mouth but also sent his entire body flying backward.

But Zhuang Tong’s leg was even faster. Before Ma Yuan could fly out of bounds, it had already kicked him in the chest, sending him flying like a broken sack. He landed ten zhang away and slid another five zhang before coming to a stop.

Zhuang Wudao’s face was as dark as water. He ignored Li Xiangnan and apologized to the supervisor, Wei Que, before hurriedly descending the steps to rush to where Ma Yuan had fallen.

Upon arrival, he found Ma Yuan already being supported by Lin Han. Ma Yuan was rubbing his chest, his face twisted in pain.

Zhuang Wudao was stunned. Given the force of Zhuang Tong’s strike, even with the steel sword blocking, Ma Yuan should have been seriously injured. At best, he would be bedridden for a month or two, and at worst, his ribs would be shattered, his foundation damaged, and he would never be able to enter the Bone Marrow stage.

But Ma Yuan, though his face was pale, was clearly only slightly injured.

Could it be that Zhuang Tong had a change of heart and held back at the last moment?

Lin Han, understanding Zhuang Wudao’s confusion, explained while helping Ma Yuan to promote blood circulation: "Ma Yuan is afraid of death. He recently used several years of savings to buy a near-spiritual sharkskin inner armor. But he was afraid of being ridiculed by his brothers, so he always kept it hidden. It’s a good thing he had the foresight; otherwise, he would have been destroyed by Zhuang Tong."

Zhuang Wudao felt relieved, his heart finally settling. No matter what, it was good that Ma Yuan was unharmed, or he would have been hard-pressed to take the blame.

Ma Yuan was clearly a victim of collateral damage, suffering an unwarranted disaster. Zhuang Tong’s ruthless attack was definitely because of him. It could have been purely to make him suffer, or to disrupt Zhuang Wudao’s mental state before the battle.

After catching his breath, Ma Yuan tore open his shirt. The black sharkskin inner armor was already dented and torn. Seeing this, Ma Yuan laughed, but his tone was cold and filled with hatred: "That guy held back a bit at the end, not intending to kick me to death. Fortunately, otherwise, I would have had seven or eight broken ribs today!"

His words seemed grateful, but his tone was icy, his hatred piercing to the bone.

Zhu