Chapter 432: Dragon Soaring Heart Technique

With his spiritual sense, Zhang Xiaohua noticed something unusual about Young Master Long’s left sleeve, and he couldn’t help but frown. He looked at Young Master Long’s left hand and said: “Young Master Long, we just agreed to three moves against three moves, but now let’s change it to three punches against three punches. Earlier, I was a bit reckless; although I used ‘four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds’, I did so with bare hands. If I use any weapons from now on, I’ll admit defeat directly.”

Hearing this, Young Master Long was startled in his heart: “How did this guy know I have a dagger in my left hand? I was originally planning to set aside my pride and use the dagger to wound him. After all, earlier we only agreed not to use the long sword, but we didn’t say anything about a dagger. Besides, he broke the rules first. Even if I injure him, the second punch will only be considered a draw. But if he’s injured, I’m certain to win the third punch. This… what should I do? I can only fight him head-on.”

Having thought it through, Young Master Long said with righteous indignation: “Little brother, are you warning me? Although I, Long, may not be highly skilled in martial arts, I do not have such despicable thoughts as you do. You just make sure you don’t make any more mistakes like you did just now.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled faintly, knowing he wouldn’t pull out the dagger, and threw a punch straight toward Young Master Long’s chest!

Before practicing the [Guiding the Spirit], although Zhang Xiaohua had the energy of immortal cultivation flowing through his meridians, this energy was used for forming hand seals and casting spells; it could not be channeled through his meridians like martial arts internal energy, changing with the moves of his fists and directly confronting the enemy.

 Therefore, Zhang Xiaohua’s previous methods of victory had only been to use a heavy sword, exert brute force, and rely on his tens of thousands of pounds of strength to forcefully clash with his opponent’s internal energy. The [Guiding the Spirit] recorded methods for simulating immortal cultivation energy with martial arts internal energy, but Zhang Xiaohua took it one step further and easily learned to simulate martial arts internal energy with immortal cultivation energy. Wasn’t it true that Zhang Xiaohua already had a rough idea in his mind, but just hadn’t had a chance to put it into practice? This matchmaking stage was the perfect opportunity for him to try it out.

As Zhang Xiaohua swung his fist, the true qi within his body was also mobilized, a strand of it directly following the meridians of his arm and surging toward his fist. However, since this was his first attempt, Zhang Xiaohua did not dare to use his full strength, only exerting about thirty percent. To ensure he wouldn’t lose, Zhang Xiaohua also used thirty percent of his physical strength.

Seeing that Zhang Xiaohua was indeed throwing a punch, Young Master Long quickly put away the dagger in his left hand and channeled his internal energy into his right arm. He swung his right fist to meet the attack. However, having learned from his previous mistake, this time Young Master Long was careful not to use all of his internal energy. He kept a backup in mind, only channeling ninety percent of his internal energy and leaving one-tenth in reserve.

The two were close to each other, and in an instant, their fists collided. With a muffled “bang”, both figures were jolted a little, their clothes billowing backward without wind, as if brushed by a gust. The second punch was also a draw!

“Ah!” The crowd below the stage was somewhat astonished. Young Master Long of Dragon Soaring Sword Manor was renowned in the southern martial world as an outstanding figure, while Zhang Xiaohua, who had just stepped onto the stage, was virtually unknown. In this head-on punch, Zhang Xiaohua actually held his ground without any disadvantage, which was truly unexpected.

However, today was destined to be a day full of surprises for them.

On the stage, seeing that Zhang Xiaohua was evenly matched with him, Young Master Long couldn’t help but laugh loudly and say: “Good, good, good! Little brother, ambition has nothing to do with age. At such a young age, you already possess such astonishing internal energy. In that case, I, Long, will no longer hold back. Come, come, come, little brother, prepare yourself—I am about to go all out.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.” The others suddenly realized: “Young Master Long was just testing with that punch.”

Sure enough, Young Master Long began to circulate his energy again. His momentum was already different from before. At first glance, his figure seemed to have grown larger, and a hint of brilliance flickered in his eyes. In contrast, Zhang Xiaohua was even less impressive than before—he didn’t even make any visible effort to circulate his energy. Judging from these preparatory movements alone, his appearance was much less imposing.

Young Master Long glared at Zhang Xiaohua, sneering: “Little brother, I’m about to strike.” 

Zhang Xiaohua shrugged. “Young Master Long, proceed as you wish.” 

“Hmph!” Young Master Long snorted coldly through his nose. This fool probably hasn’t even heard of the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique. 

He then extended his right palm from within his sleeve—now tinged with a golden hue—and swiped downward toward Zhang Xiaohua’s face. 

Zhang Xiaohua remained unflustered. Only when the palm neared did he raise his left hand in the Heaven-Torching Fire stance to meet it. 

As the crowd below the stage had guessed, Young Master Long’s second punch had indeed been a test. He hadn’t initially used the true Dragon Soaring Heart Technique, relying instead on his raw internal energy to gauge his opponent’s strength. The so-called Dragon Soaring Heart Technique was a method of internal energy circulation, named for its domineering force, likened to a dragon soaring through the heavens. 

When guided by this technique, internal energy surged like a true dragon, delivering strikes of unmatched ferocity and unstoppable momentum. While ordinary internal techniques might boast three layers of force at most, the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique contained nine layers. Each layer compounded the previous one, not merely adding force but doubling it, resulting in a power so immense by the ninth layer that it defied resistance.

Naturally, such a formidable technique was exceedingly difficult to master. Despite Young Master Long’s prodigious talent and intelligence, he had only reached the fourth layer of the technique, allowing him to unleash four successive waves of force in a single strike. A single palm strike from him could equal eight strikes from an ordinary martial artist. For this reason, few—unless ignorant of his capabilities—would dare confront him head-on as Zhang Xiaohua was doing.

This was precisely why Valley Master Nie had been so anxious earlier: Zhang Xiaohua’s proposal to duel with fists alone played perfectly into Young Master Long’s strengths.

Thus, seeing Zhang Xiaohua meet the attack so casually, those who knew Young Master Long’s true prowess smirked, eagerly awaiting the young man’s downfall.

Unfortunately, when the two palms met, there was none of the previous commotion; they merely came together silently, as if shaking hands.

Under everyone’s gaze, Young Master Long’s face flushed repeatedly as the internal energy in his right palm surged one wave after another, fiercely striking Zhang Xiaohua. Zhang Xiaohua’s body and face showed no change, but his eyes glittered with peculiar lights, and he muttered under his breath, “Strange, weird, interesting.”

As Young Master Long’s right palm continued to stack its force, Zhang Xiaohua also quietly channeled his own true qi into his left palm, matching the force coming from Young Master Long’s right palm. When Young Master Long had only just begun to stack the second wave of force, Zhang Xiaohua, out of curiosity, had already sent a wisp of true qi into Young Master Long’s meridians, hoping to glimpse the secrets of the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique.

How marvelous the true qi of immortal cultivation was! Before Young Master Long could even unleash the fourth wave of force, Zhang Xiaohua had already gained a preliminary understanding of the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique and grasped the method of force stacking. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but inwardly praise: “There is learning to be found everywhere if only one pays attention. The power of martial arts techniques is limited, but within these constraints, the variety of auxiliary techniques is endless, pushing the use of force to its limits. In contrast, the true qi of immortal cultivation only emphasizes raw power, falling far behind in the realm of technique.”

“If I were to apply the force-stacking techniques of martial arts to immortal cultivation’s true qi, what would happen?”

Zhang Xiaohua naturally began to consider this.

By this time, Young Master Long had already finished unleashing the fourth wave of force from the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique. While pondering how to apply the force-stacking method to his true qi, Zhang Xiaohua also adjusted the power of the true qi in his left hand to match the fifth wave of force from the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique. He still wanted to wait and see what other mysteries the technique might hold.

However, as soon as Zhang Xiaohua increased the force in his left hand, trouble immediately became apparent. The fifth wave of force from the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique should be twice that of the fourth wave, meaning the internal energy in Zhang Xiaohua’s hand was now twice that of Young Master Long’s, far exceeding what Young Master Long could withstand.

Young Master Long only felt an unbelievable surge of internal energy from Zhang Xiaohua’s left hand, crashing into his right palm like a flood, with absolutely no possibility of resistance. Young Master Long’s body was sent flying off the stage like an injured bird… As Zhang Xiaohua’s true qi was released, it did not encounter the same level of force as before.

In a flash of thought, he immediately understood that Young Master Long had only mastered four layers of the technique. Since Young Master Long had already been blasted away by the internal energy, Zhang Xiaohua did not pursue any further. With a thought, he withdrew his true qi, letting it flow lively through his meridians.

The entire arena fell silent. It was unexpected—truly unexpected. Many people rubbed their eyes in disbelief, wondering if they were seeing things. Young Master Long, who possessed the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique, had actually been sent flying off the stage by an unknown youngster with a single palm. Was this… real?

Young Master Long landed off the stage, executed a graceful flip, and steadied himself. His true qi circulated throughout his body, completing a full cycle. Only then did he feel relieved—he had not suffered any internal injuries. Of course, the fact that he remained unharmed after facing such formidable internal energy could only mean that the youth on the stage had shown mercy. Not only was his internal energy profound, but the way he wielded it was so skillful that not only was Young Master Long far from his match, even his father, who had cultivated the Dragon Soaring Heart Technique to the sixth layer, would find it difficult to rival him.

Moreover, he had already been forced off the stage twice. Even if… could he still have the face to return to the stage?

Thinking clearly, Young Master Long cupped his hands toward Zhang Xiaohua on the stage and said: “Young Hero Ren’s martial arts are truly outstanding. I am impressed. I am no match for you and have been forced off the stage twice. I am utterly ashamed. I wish you all the best in claiming the top spot. Everyone, I shall take my leave first. Farewell.”

With that, he gave a slight bow to the crowd, drew his sword from where it was planted in the ground, and dashed into the crowd. Before long, from beside the stage, more than a dozen fine horses galloped out, speeding away along the valley’s main road.

Young Master Long, the most popular contender for the martial arts matchmaking, had actually become the first to leave!