Chapter 21

"Indeed, it's Senior Sister!"

Lin Xi saw this scene and was overjoyed. The one who came was none other than the eldest sister of the Five Thunder Sect, the disciple with the highest martial arts skills, Su Zixuan.

Lin Xi had always been on very good terms with her. However, Senior Sister spent most of her time outside the mountain. If he calculated carefully, it had been over a year since they last met.

"Senior Sister, take this move!"

Lin Xi's eyes lit up, and he suddenly roared, immediately charging towards Senior Sister Su Zixuan with the speed of a bolt of lightning.

"Huh?"

Su Zixuan was in the middle of disciplining a few core disciples of the Five Thunder Sect. Hearing this sudden roar, she couldn't help but look up.

"Junior Brother?!"

A look of surprise flashed across Su Zixuan's beautiful eyes. However, she quickly recovered, placing one hand behind her back, standing still, and waving at Lin Xi, indicating that she would only use one hand to deal with him.

"Senior Sister, I'm going to attack!"

Lin Xi showed no fear. In the blink of an eye, he rushed to Su Zixuan's side. He swung his right fist, immediately unleashing a move called "Divide the River and Cut the Stream."

Su Zixuan's body remained still. She raised her right palm, extending only five fingers, which easily blocked this mountain-crushing punch.

Boom!

The fist and fingers met, and Lin Xi felt his powerful force as if it had hit a solid cliff. Not only did it fail to move her, but a strong force also rebounded.

"Senior Sister is indeed Senior Sister, truly formidable!"

Lin Xi was secretly amazed. This punch of his could have shattered even a copper wall, yet it couldn't even move Su Zixuan's five fingers. It was as if those fingers were pillars supporting the sky.

"Come again!"

Lin Xi's eyes flashed with determination. He was not discouraged and immediately launched another series of punches.

"White Ape Offering a Peach!"

"Great Yu Opening the Mountain!"

"Drill Step Collapse Punch!"

"Python Wrapping the Waist!"

...

Lin Xi's steps followed the pattern of the Great Yu, his movements unpredictable, each punch earth-shattering, with an unparalleled momentum. However, Su Zixuan was too powerful. She was like a mountain, standing firm, using her five fingers to counter and neutralize Lin Xi's attacks effortlessly.

"Junior Brother, the gap between your realm and mine is too great. Even with one arm, you find it difficult to deal with me. If you can force me to retreat or use my other hand, you win!"

Su Zixuan called out. She never held back, even in sparring, always using her full strength.

"Alright! Senior Sister, be careful. I might not be able to defeat you, but to say I can't make you take a step back is impossible."

Lin Xi's heart was stirred by a sense of determination upon hearing these words. Senior Sister rarely stayed in the sect for long, and such opportunities for sparring were rare.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lin Xi roared, transforming into a storm, engaging in a fierce battle with Su Zixuan again. Each punch and kick was direct and powerful, with no pretense. The intense energy forced the surrounding core disciples of the Five Thunder Sect to step back, and even raised dust from the ground.

Lin Xi was increasingly surprised as he fought. He possessed rich combat skills, experience, and awareness from another world, which far exceeded those of the sect's disciples in this world. He could repeatedly challenge higher levels, thanks to these superior combat skills and experience. However, when facing Su Zixuan, these advantages were greatly diminished.

The combat awareness, experience, and reaction speed Su Zixuan displayed were not much inferior to his. Lin Xi often tried to create artificial weaknesses, but they were always seen through by Su Zixuan, rendering his efforts futile.

However, Lin Xi didn't know that Su Zixuan was even more surprised.

"Unbelievable, how has this junior brother become so strong!"

Su Zixuan was astonished. She originally thought she could resolve the situation in a few moves, but unexpectedly, Lin Xi not only held his ground but also continuously reacted.

Although his strength was still inferior to hers, the awareness and reaction speed he displayed in combat were truly astonishing, unlike a typical sect disciple, more like a general on the battlefield.

Su Zixuan even felt as if she were facing a top-tier expert with extensive combat experience. After all, Su Zixuan's skills were honed through countless battles in the Beast Mountain Range.

She always believed that true strength could only be forged in life-and-death situations, so her combat experience was incredibly rich.

Although the core disciples of the Five Thunder Sect had good cultivation, they were full of weaknesses in Su Zixuan's eyes and could be easily defeated.

Lin Xi's strength, though not as high as the sixth or seventh-level true disciples, felt more challenging and difficult to deal with to Su Zixuan.

"I've only been away for a short time, how has this junior brother become so strong!"

Su Zixuan was secretly shocked. Apart from his strength, he was almost on par with her in other aspects.

After a long battle, a thought suddenly came to Lin Xi:

"Senior Sister's martial arts are formidable. Why don't I use her punches to temper my skin and flesh? This is much better than hitting the walls in the hall!"

With this idea in mind, Lin Xi's tactics changed. He originally defended himself perfectly, but when they engaged again, he intentionally and unintentionally exposed many weaknesses.

Su Zixuan, being an expert, immediately noticed these weaknesses and struck with her fingers, releasing a burst of energy. Although she only used her five fingers, her cultivation was so powerful that each strike felt like a steel hammer hitting Lin Xi.

"Ouch! Senior Sister's finger strikes are even more powerful than punches!"

Lin Xi's entire body ached, feeling that Su Zixuan's fingers hit a small area but caused pain throughout a large part of his body. Fortunately, after the first wave, the pain became more bearable.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two exchanged punches and kicks, the battle intense. Initially, Lin Xi just wanted to show Senior Sister his strength, but now he had a different goal.

Under Su Zixuan's attacks, the skin and flesh layer of Lin Xi's body became more dense. It was like forging iron; each strike from Su Zixuan's fingers made Lin Xi's body more refined.

The only cost was the pain!

"Sparring with a master to temper the skin and flesh is indeed much better than hitting walls!"

Lin Xi keenly felt that his skin and flesh had become tougher after sparring with Su Zixuan. Although the improvement wasn't significant, achieving this in such a short time was impressive.

Lin Xi was now facing the fifth level, the "Tough Skin Stage," and needed to temper his body by hitting walls. However, sparring with a master was far more effective.

After all, walls were inanimate objects that could only be passively hit, without the ability to counterattack. A master had no such limitations, and their strength far exceeded that of a wall.

Initially, Su Zixuan noticed Lin Xi's numerous weaknesses and thought he was running out of stamina. As the battle continued, she realized this wasn't the case.

"Good, you little junior brother, you have some nerve! You actually dare to use Senior Sister to temper your skin and flesh!"

Su Zixuan's eyebrows furrowed, and she bluntly exposed Lin Xi's intentions.

"Haha, who can blame me? After all, Senior Sister is so formidable. In the entire Five Thunder Mountain, few can match her. Since I've met her, I naturally won't let this opportunity pass. Senior Sister won't mind, right?"

Lin Xi knew his Senior Sister had a strong personality and quickly flattered her.

On Five Thunder Mountain, anyone who questioned her would be beaten to a pulp, regardless of their relationship.

Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Xi's praise, Su Zixuan's face lit up, and her frown eased.

"Good boy, you know your place!"

However, the next moment, Su Zixuan's eyebrows shot up, and a killing intent flashed in her eyes.

"But, daring to use Senior Sister to train, you must be prepared to be disciplined!"

Su Zixuan's aura changed, and the strength in her five fingers increased significantly. She let out a delicate shout:

"Fall down!"

This move was vastly different from her previous ones. As her fingers moved, there was a faint sound of wind and thunder, and the air currents around her fingertips condensed into dark clouds.

"This is the Wind and Thunder Palm!"

Lin Xi's face changed. Su Zixuan was using the Five Thunder Sect's signature technique, the Wind and Thunder Palm. The palm strike produced the sound of wind and thunder, being extremely powerful and fierce, created by Lin Xi's grandfather.

Su Zixuan had mastered the essence of this palm technique, transforming the virtual into the real, and the wind and thunder images clearly showed her mastery.

"Senior Sister, be careful too!"

Lin Xi focused his mind and did not retreat this time. Senior Sister using the Wind and Thunder Palm against him was a clear acknowledgment of his strength. Lin Xi's determination was also stirred, and he immediately used the "Three Consecutive Strikes" technique, which involved building up and releasing force.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Lin Xi's joints crackled, and his entire spine seemed to awaken like a dragon, suddenly raising its head. The force then transferred to his hands and was unleashed.

Boom!

The collision of fist and fingers produced a deafening sound. Lin Xi felt as if he had hit a solid wall. The punch sent a massive force back, causing him to stagger.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Lin Xi's blood and qi fluctuated, and he took several steps back before stabilizing himself.

"Senior Sister is indeed formidable. I can't defeat her even like this!"

Lin Xi thought to himself.

While Lin Xi was still admiring Senior Sister's strength, the surrounding core disciples were already in an uproar.

"I've heard this kid is strong, but I didn't expect him to be so strong, actually holding out against Senior Sister for so long!"

"Look quickly, Senior Sister was actually forced to take a step back! This is unprecedented. Lin Xi is truly remarkable!"

"What's the big deal? Senior Sister has always been friendly with Lin Xi and held back. Taking a few steps back is nothing."

"You idiot, when has Senior Sister ever held back in a fight?..."

...

The core disciples looked at Lin Xi as if he were a monster. No one had dared to challenge Senior Sister for many years, and no one had ever forced her to take a step back.

"Junior Brother, it's been a year, and you've become so strong."

Su Zixuan looked at Lin Xi, her beautiful eyes shining as if she were seeing him for the first time. In front of her, a clear set of footprints was visible, clearly showing where she had been forced back by Lin Xi's strength.