Chapter 6

"Million foundations laid, the gate of the Southern Cross opens!"

Tang Tian stood in the vastness of the universe, the starry river before him shining brilliantly, the stars countless like grains of sand. Suddenly, a light point flew out from the starry river, heading towards him, rapidly growing larger in his field of vision.

Only then did he realize that the light point was actually four stars.

The four stars flew to him, suddenly connecting in pairs, forming an irregular cross. A circle of light appeared around the cross, quickly transforming into a door, with the cross imprint floating on it.

"Trivial body, lofty aspirations, Southern Cross, the gate of arduous cultivation."

Below the cross, sixteen characters, emitting a faint glow, appeared on the door.

"Is this the secret of the bronze medal?" Tang Tian muttered to himself, staring blankly at the cross emitting a hazy light, lost in thought.

After five years, he had finally unraveled the secret of the bronze medal!

But, what exactly is this thing?

Staring blankly at the glowing cross for a long time, Tang Tian still couldn't figure out what it was for.

Suddenly, a faint gray figure slowly appeared on the door.

The gray figure somewhat resembled Tang Tian.

"Hey, who are you?" Tang Tian tried to shout.

The gray figure seemed to hear nothing, suddenly beginning to practice basic martial arts: basic fist techniques, basic palm techniques, basic lightness skills, basic hidden weapons, and basic sword techniques. Tang Tian felt an incredibly strange sensation, as if he were practicing in front of a mirror.

The basic martial arts had few moves, and the practice was quick. When the last move ended, just as Tang Tian thought it was over, the gray figure suddenly slapped with its left palm, "Deflect," followed by three quick "Shuffle Steps," leaping into the air, twisting its waist in mid-air, and delivering a "Punch"!

He hadn't felt it during the confrontation yesterday, but now, seeing it firsthand, he could feel a wave of killing intent coming straight at him!

What a powerful move!

Tang Tian was somewhat dazed. Such a powerful move, and it was actually performed by himself?

He had comprehended a basic killing move: "Reverse Punch Kill"!

A line of blood-red words floated above the gray figure's head.

Tang Tian shivered, blurting out, "Killing move..."

Killing move!

The move he had inadvertently created was actually a killing move!

Tang Tian was somewhat bewildered.

Having spent five years at Ande Academy, Tang Tian knew what a killing move was.

A killing move is a transcendent technique that arises from a deep understanding of martial arts. Its power far exceeds the general techniques of the same level. Typically, the power of a killing move is equivalent to a higher-level martial art, but its consumption is less than that of a third-level martial art.

Therefore, the pursuit of killing moves has always been one of the goals of people.

Theoretically, any martial art can evolve into a killing move, but in reality, many martial arts do not have killing moves. The requirements for comprehending a killing move are extremely strict, requiring a complete understanding of the essence of the martial art, as well as a stroke of luck.

Although killing moves sound powerful, Tang Tian was quite calm after his initial surprise. Few people waste time on low-level martial arts, let alone basic martial arts.

Soul General Cards allow people to quickly learn new martial arts, and those with better economic conditions spend most of their time cultivating heart techniques.

Having enough true energy is necessary to use higher-level Soul General Cards, which also means learning higher-level martial arts.

After the gray figure finished practicing, it stood still like a wooden dummy.

Tang Tian pursed his lips, unimpressed, thinking it was about the same level as him.

The gray figure seemed to hear Tang Tian's thoughts and trembled. A gray foot stepped out from the cross door.

This is...

Tang Tian was stunned by this surreal scene. In a moment, the gray figure had already stepped down from the door.

The gray figure suddenly raised its head, its gaze sharp and fierce.

Huh?

Tang Tian, like a wild beast, suddenly sensed the hostility, his back hair standing on end. His waist quickly lowered, his feet staggered, his body leaned forward, and his hands were slightly spread.

The gray figure in front of him made the exact same movements.

Tang Tian had been in countless fights and immediately understood that this one couldn't be avoided!

He narrowed his eyes, feeling no fear, but rather excitement. His thoughts were simple: the gray figure was clearly the secret of the bronze medal, and he had to beat the gray figure to truly unravel the secret.

Come on, little guy!

I've been waiting for this day for five years!

Tang Tian licked his lips, suddenly exerting force with his feet, and he charged at the gray figure like a cheetah.

The gray figure also charged.

The distance between them was not far.

"Punch" against "Punch"

The powerful impact from the punch made Tang Tian's forward momentum pause. He opened his eyes wide, surprised by the strength of the punch.

He had fought Amory many times, and Amory's punch was also powerful, but this punch felt different. The gray figure's punch was full of explosive power.

The frequency of their punches and kicks was astonishing, fast against fast, the sounds of their strikes dense like a heavy rain.

"Basic Fist Technique," "Basic Sword Technique," "Basic Hidden Weapon," "Basic Lightness Skill," "Basic Palm Technique"

The five basic martial arts were constantly breaking down, colliding, and opposing, at an astonishing speed.

After dozens of rounds, Tang Tian had not gained any advantage. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. He had been in tough fights before, but no one could surpass him in these five basic martial arts.

This was a true even match.

The gray figure gave him a very strange feeling. It was as if he were fighting himself. Every time he made a move, the gray figure was very familiar with it, even when he used unconventional attack methods, the gray figure always easily dodged.

The more he fought, the more uncomfortable Tang Tian felt.

He was good at fighting for several reasons. One was his excellent physical condition. Long-term practice of basic martial arts made his body very balanced, tall and well-proportioned, with superior explosive power, reaction, and physical strength compared to the average person. Even Amory, with his terrifying physique, was only slightly stronger in terms of strength, but Tang Tian was superior in flexibility, reaction, and speed.

Basic martial arts almost do not consume true energy, so the competition was mainly about physical condition.

Another reason was his well-honed basic martial arts. Although basic martial arts are only first-level and have low power, their movements are simple and fast. Near-perfect basic martial arts further compress the time of each move. In the hands of someone with Tang Tian's exceptional physical condition, the power was still quite good.

Moreover, although Tang Tian's mind was simple, he was very fierce and brave in a fight. Trading injuries for injuries was a common occurrence, and most students would be intimidated before the fight even began.

These were the reasons he could dominate Ande Academy, but in front of the gray figure, all his advantages were lost. The gray figure was no less powerful or reactive than him, and its familiarity with basic martial arts was also perfect. As for ferocity, the gray figure was tireless and painless, even stronger than Tang Tian.

The two figures constantly touched and separated, then re-engaged. Their speed was extremely fast, sometimes engaging in close combat in a small space, and other times delivering powerful punches. Their footwork was astonishingly quick, and they moved like shadows.

Tang Tian's roars and the dense sounds of their strikes filled the air.

Pant... Pant... Pant...

Tang Tian panted heavily, staring fiercely at the gray figure, suppressing the urge to rub his fists, which had gone from pain to numbness. More importantly, the battle was too intense, and he could feel his stamina rapidly depleting. The gray figure showed no signs of fatigue.

Taking advantage of another punch collision, he pulled away from the gray figure, gaining a precious moment to catch his breath.

How to fight?

Tang Tian had long forgotten what the gray figure was and was now focused on one question: how to defeat this damn guy.

The gray figure did not advance, only staring coldly at Tang Tian with a fierce gaze. The gray figure showed no signs of fatigue, with no weaknesses, making it invincible.

Defeat him

Just defeat him, and he would know the secret of the bronze medal...

A voice in his heart kept shouting, and Tang Tian's fists clenched involuntarily. He suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp like a knife.

Five years, five whole years of hard training, wasn't it all for the secret of the bronze medal?

The secret was right in front of him... just defeat him...

The gray figure seemed to sense Tang Tian's change and adopted a defensive stance.

Defeat him

The clenched fist loosened slightly, then clenched again, and without any warning, he exerted force with his feet, his body moving like lightning, charging at the gray figure again.

The gray figure was undaunted, advancing to meet him.

"Punch" against "Punch"...

The two began a new round of intense combat, with no fancy techniques. Both their moves were straightforward and fast, fast against fast. Tang Tian, contrary to his usual style, took the initiative to attack, as if his body was full of energy.

Fast against fast, heavy punch against heavy punch, the young man's eyes were filled with flames.

Suddenly, the flames flickered.

Killing move, "Reverse Punch Kill."

In mid-air, Tang Tian's body twisted into a strange angle, and he roared, delivering a punch, the accumulated strength bursting out instantly.

Almost simultaneously, the gray figure also leaped, performing the same "Reverse Punch Kill."

The two powerful fists, like two roaring meteors, were about to collide head-on.

Indeed... just as I thought...

A sly smile appeared on the corner of Tang Tian's mouth.

Indeed, it's just like this...

Just before the collision of the two fists, Tang Tian suddenly deflected his punch, instantly turning it into a palm, and grabbed the gray figure's fist. His right arm became soft, like an old vine, wrapping around the gray figure's fist.

Both were moving at high speed, and the forward momentum was strong. Tang Tian's wrap and pull caused both to lose balance in mid-air.

Tang Tian also lost balance, but he was prepared. He exhaled with a "Hey," not letting go of the gray figure's hand, and his powerful core strength suddenly burst out.

Using his body as an axis, the gray figure was forcefully swung by Tang Tian like a sandbag.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

Tang Tian's face was fierce, and he roared like a wild beast, using all his strength to slam the gray figure onto the ground.

Boom!

The ground trembled, and dust flew.

Tang Tian, still in mid-air, used the force from his hand to regain balance. Now in a higher position, he fell downward. Without hesitation, he released his hand, using the downward momentum to bend his elbow into a hammer, striking the gray figure's stomach firmly.

The gray figure's body arched, like a shrimp.

He had comprehended a killing move: "Elbow Wrap Kill"!

Tang Tian, with his eyes filled with flames, did not notice the line of words that flashed on the door. He had no intention of letting it go and was about to attack again.

Slap!

The gray figure on the ground turned into a cloud of gray mist and disappeared.

Huh?

The enraged Tang Tian looked around, as if ready to dig the ground up. After searching for a long time, the gray figure did not reappear. The flames in Tang Tian's eyes began to fade, and he quickly found the gray figure in the light door of the cross, standing still like a statue.

"Trying to fight me? I'll beat you into a pancake!" Tang Tian spat out viciously.

At that moment, the cross in mid-air, like a door, slowly opened.

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