Chapter 181

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The Group Leader looked at Zhang Xiaohua as if he were a complete oddball, muttering under his breath: “What a 250.”

[TL_Note: 250 is a metaphor for fool/stupid]

Then he shouted angrily: “Are you getting up there or not?”

At that moment, a voice came from behind: “Of course he’s getting up.”

Zhang Xiaohua turned around and, to his delight, saw Zhang Xiaohu rushing over with a ladder strapped to his back.

The Group Leader stared dumbfounded as Zhang Xiaohu ran up to the arena, placed the ladder against the side, and Zhang Xiaohua, grinning, nodded at the Group Leader before calmly walking to the ladder and climbing up to the stage.

It wasn’t until Zhang Xiaohua had reached the platform that the Group Leader snapped out of his shock. Pointing at the ladder leaning against the stage, he stammered in disbelief: “This… this…”

In his fluster, he couldn’t even form a proper sentence.

No wonder he was so stunned. Ever since joining the Piaomiao Sect, participating in martial arts competitions, and eventually becoming a Group Leader judging matches, he had never seen a Piaomiao disciple climb onto the stage using a ladder. The word “ladder” wasn’t even a concept in the minds of Piaomiao Sect disciples when it came to entering the arena.

The disciple on the stage was equally baffled, watching everything unfold with wide eyes. When Zhang Xiaohua finally stood in front of him, he realized what had just happened and pointed at Zhang Xiaohua, exclaiming: “You… you don’t know Qinggong?”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded solemnly, saying in all seriousness: “That’s right, I haven’t learned Qinggong yet.”

The other disciple’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

After they exchanged formal salutes, before Zhang Xiaohua could even fully prepare himself, the disciple leaped forward, launching his fists toward Zhang Xiaohua like a storm. Taken aback, Zhang Xiaohua was so startled that he forgot to use his Piaomiao Steps technique and instinctively raised his fists to defend himself.

In the past nine matches of the first round of the Martial Arts Tournament, Zhang Xiaohua typically relied on the Big Dipper Divine Fist for offense and the Piaomiao Steps for dodging. As a result, all his matches ended in draws. However, today, right at the start, he was caught off guard by his opponent’s aggressive attack. Reacting instinctively, he used the technique he had practiced the most—his Big Dipper Divine Fist. This fist technique had only thirty-six defensive moves, which Zhang Xiaohua had always found limited. After learning the Piaomiao Steps, he mostly used them to evade attacks during defense, but now he was forced to rely solely on the Big Dipper Divine Fist. It wasn’t until nearly half an incense stick’s time had passed that Zhang Xiaohua snapped out of the continuous onslaught. Just as he was about to shift into the Piaomiao Steps, a sudden thought came to his mind: How long could I hold out using only the Big Dipper Divine Fist?

Zhang Xiaohua became curious to see how his Big Dipper Divine Fist compared to other people’s martial techniques, so he abandoned the thought of using the Piaomiao Steps and focused entirely on the Big Dipper Divine Fist.

As the ancients said: A person’s potential is often forced out under pressure.

At the beginning, Zhang Xiaohua was on the defensive, awkwardly blocking left and right, reacting passively. Within ten moves, he could only counterattack once, and several times he was hit in his thicker-skinned areas, nearly knocked off balance. Once, he almost fell off the stage entirely.

Seeing that his attacks were effective, the opposing disciple redoubled his efforts, attacking even more fiercely and sparing no inner strength.

After another half incense stick’s time, Zhang Xiaohua gradually adapted to his opponent’s offensive rhythm and began to counterattack. The Bid Dipper Divine Fist already had many offensive techniques, but in previous days, his opponents had avoided direct confrontation, never allowing its full power to be displayed. This incense stick’s worth of his opponent’s continuous offense was like a baptism for his fist technique, allowing Zhang Xiaohua to grow. The coordination between his strength and techniques became more fluid, and the subtleties of the movements were fully revealed.

Previously, Zhang Xiaohua hadn’t fully understood the difference between sparring and practice. He had simply applied what he had learned in practice to his matches, without knowing how to control his strength. Most of his attacks ended up striking empty air. Though his punches were powerful, they had little effect on his opponents. Today, however, the sound of wind from Zhang Xiaohua’s punches grew smaller and smaller, and his strength became more restrained. Simultaneously, as Zhang Xiaohua’s control over his strength improved, the nature of his clashes with the opponent changed. Before he relied solely on brute strength, often missing his target, and his opponent’s inner energy could easily penetrate through his fists, forcing him to retreat. But now, his strength was controlled within, and he could resist the opponent’s inner strength, as if he had built a dam within his fists and meridians, firmly blocking any internal energy from entering.

This was only one aspect of the situation. Additionally, during the match, Zhang Xiaohua’s limited number of stances within the Big Dipper Fist made his transitions between moves somewhat clumsy at first. After all, Zhang Xiaohua had only practiced the entire set of the Big Dipper Divine Fist from beginning to end, with very little actual combat experience. However, today’s baptism of combat served as a real breakthrough for Zhang Xiaohua. His transitions between moves of the Big Dipper Divine Fist gradually became smoother, and he began to execute various moves naturally and effortlessly. Even though some of the moves were repeated, each repetition had a different effect, and the power behind them was far greater than in his previous matches.

The Group Leader watching from below was slightly surprised. Zhang Xiaohua had the weakest score going into the second round, while his opponent was of moderate strength. The Group Leader had expected that it would be impressive if Zhang Xiaohua could last for just one incense stick’s time. Yet, here they were, with the second incense stick already halfway burned, and Xiaohua was growing stronger, slowly turning the tide of the match.

The most astonished person, however, had to be Zhang Xiaohu. After all, he knew Zhang Xiaohua the best, and he had been watching all of his matches over the past few days. At first, seeing Zhang Xiaohua get overwhelmed by his opponent, even forgetting to use his signature move—the Piaomiao Steps—Zhang Xiaohu had been quietly worried, fearing that Zhang Xiaohua might get kicked off the stage at any moment. He prayed silently: Use the Piaomiao Steps! Use them quickly! However, Zhang Xiaohua’s performance far exceeded his expectations. Not only did he not use the Piaomiao Steps, but he also relied solely on the Big Dipper Divine Fist. He was like a bamboo tree in a torrential downpour—no matter how heavy the rain, it only bent slightly under the weight, ready to spring back up the moment the rain lightened.

Although Zhang Xiaohu wasn’t an expert in internal energy, his understanding of fist techniques was far greater than Zhang Xiaohua’s. Gradually, he began to sense the increasingly precise control Zhang Xiaohua had over the Big Dipper Divine Fist. The way Zhang Xiaohua used it grew more adept and confident, leaving Zhang Xiaohu shaking his head in admiration. The old saying proved true: Battle is the best means of growth.

On the stage, Zhang Xiaohua’s opponent was growing more and more alarmed. The fight was slipping out of his control, and his internal energy was nearly depleted. After all, he was just a disciple of the Young Eagle Hall in the Piaomiao Sect, having only recently reached the first level of the Cloth-Robed rank. His internal energy wasn’t that profound. He stole a glance at the second incense stick burning below the stage—it was already more than halfway through. The thought of having spent so much time fighting the weakest opponent filled him with dread. How would he fare against stronger opponents later on?

Moreover, the opponent noticed that Zhang Xiaohua’s punches were slowing down, and sweat was forming on his forehead. He realized that Zhang Xiaohua had also reached his limit and was gradually running out of strength. In fact, when it comes to a comparison between internal energy and physical strength, internal energy clearly has the upper hand. Internal energy can be used with various techniques to attack flexibly, whereas physical strength is limited to basic control. Internal energy can be refined through meridian cultivation, becoming deeper and more powerful with practice, while physical strength is much harder to increase. Most importantly, internal energy can be quickly restored through breathing techniques, while physical strength takes much longer to recover.

At that moment, the opponent regretted not putting more effort into cultivating his internal energy during his usual practice. If he had trained harder, wouldn’t he have easily outlasted Zhang Xiaohua, who was running out of strength? While thinking this, he managed to corner Zhang Xiaohua, who was now gasping for breath and looked as though he was about to collapse. A surge of joy filled his heart. He took a deep breath, gathered the last bit of internal energy in his meridians, and swung both palms towards Zhang Xiaohua, trapping him in his strike. In such a small corner of the stage, he believed that no matter whether Zhang Xiaohua attacked or defended, he would inevitably collide with his palm strikes. Judging by Zhang Xiaohua’s exhausted state, this last bit of internal energy should be the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

The opponent eagerly anticipated the collision of fists and palms, already seeing the dawn of victory in his mind.

Moreover, just as his palm was about to strike Zhang Xiaohua, he suddenly felt a blur in front of his eyes, and Zhang Xiaohua’s figure disappeared. His inner strength was already spent, and his attack struck only empty air. He lost control of his body. A moment ago, he had forced Zhang Xiaohua into the corner of the stage, to the edge of the platform. But with Zhang Xiaohua’s sudden dodge, he found himself at the edge. The momentum of his forward charge carried him off the platform. Alarmed, he quickly tried to gather his qi to use his Qinggong and return to the platform, but his meridians were completely depleted, like an empty house after a robbery, with not a trace of inner strength left. All he could do was watch helplessly as he tumbled off the stage!

Two thudding sounds of ‘thud’ ‘thud’ were heard as Zhang Xiaohua’s opponent fell off the platform, while Zhang Xiaohua, completely exhausted, collapsed onto the stage, sitting down.

That was indeed a close call. Zhang Xiaohua had no strength left to defend against his opponent’s desperate final strike. However, though Zhang Xiaohua lacked the physical power to block that palm imbued with internal energy, he still managed to use the Piaomiao Steps. In a last-ditch effort, Zhang Xiaohua used his remaining strength to dodge behind his opponent with the Piaomiao Steps!

At that very moment, the second incense stick below the stage extinguished.

The Group Leader glanced at both Zhang Xiaohua, who was sitting on the stage, and his opponent, who had fallen off the stage, and announced: “Number 250 wins.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaohu rushed excitedly to the edge of the stage. Zhang Xiaohua was equally thrilled, though he could only weakly wave his hand, unable to stand up from exhaustion.

Zhang Xiaohu, feeling concerned, climbed the ladder and carefully helped Zhang Xiaohua down to rest on the side.

Fortunately, there was still some time before the second round of matches continued, allowing the disciples to rest. Otherwise, in Zhang Xiaohua’s current state, he would have had no choice but to forfeit.

As mentioned earlier, internal energy can be restored through breathing techniques, and many contestants were already sitting cross-legged, seizing the opportunity to recover as much internal energy as possible.

And Zhang Xiaohua?

Watching others engage in breathing exercises, Zhang Xiaohu looked at Zhang Xiaohua, who was slumped on the ground, and said: “Xiaohua, you’re out of strength. How will you manage the next match? Why not rest here while I check where your next match is? If needed, we can just forfeit. You’ve already exceeded expectations by winning one match. Honestly, I thought you’d be knocked off the stage halfway through the first incense stick.”

Zhang Xiaohua moved his legs slightly and said: “Let’s wait and see how much strength I can recover.”

Zhang Xiaohua could feel his strength slowly returning, but it was far from enough. By the time the other contestants had finished their breathing exercises and were ready for the next match, he estimated he would still be less than halfway recovered. What could he do?

In his anxiety, an idea suddenly flashed in his mind. Struggling, Zhang Xiaohua leaned on Zhang Xiaohu for support and stood up. Slowly, he adopted a horse stance and began practicing the Big Dipper Dipper Fist at a measured pace. Zhang Xiaohu was stunned and immediately tried to stop him, saying: “What are you doing, Xiaohua? You’re already this exhausted. You should rest and recover as much strength as you can. Why are you practicing your fist techniques now?”

Zhang Xiaohua weakly replied: “Second Brother, don’t worry about me. I feel that this might help me recover my strength.”

It turns out Zhang Xiaohua was attempting to use the same method of practicing the Big Dipper Dipper Fist he used every day to regain his strength. However, there were two concerns: first, he had never tried to use this method to restore his strength before, so he didn’t know if it would work; second, his current mastery of the Big Dipper Divine Fist was only at the third level, which required seven consecutive cycles of the form to initiate the energy flow. With such a short break between matches, it was uncertain whether he could complete all seven cycles.

Still, if he simply sat there waiting, he was guaranteed to lose. Practicing the Big Dipper Fist, on the other hand, might offer a sliver of hope. And for that sliver of hope, Zhang Xiaohua was willing to gamble.

As the other disciples finished their breathing exercises and began walking toward the stage, Zhang Xiaohua had only managed to finish the second cycle of the form. Just as he reached the final move of the second cycle, a voice from the stage rang out: “Number 250, Number 250!”

Zhang Xiaohua was on the verge of giving up when Zhang Xiaohu shouted beside him: “Xiaohua, they’re calling for you!”

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Xiaohua said: “Second Brother, go stall them for a bit.”

Zhang Xiaohu glanced at him, then at the stage, and hurried over to buy some time.

However, Zhang Xiaohua felt a sense of despair. He was far from completing the seventh cycle, and how could his brother possibly stall for that long?

But Zhang Xiaohua refused to give up. Clenching his teeth, he began the third cycle of the Big Dipper Divine Fist.

Just as he executed the first move, that familiar, long-awaited, life-saving flow of energy began to stir, starting from his left toe.

A surge of joy filled Zhang Xiaohua’s heart. He immediately felt an internal drive and poured his full effort into the Big Dipper Divine Fist, circulating the flow of energy through his bones. The flow felt like a nourishing elixir, revitalizing every bone it passed through, reenergizing the blood, flesh, and muscles connected to them. By the time he completed all 108 movements, Zhang Xiaohua had fully regained his strength. Even more astonishingly, he sensed that his entire body was brimming with vitality, and his strength seemed to have increased by several degrees.

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but wonder, is this the legendary: breaking through after reaching the limit?

But there was no time to dwell on that now. He quickly dashed toward the arena. His nimble movements showed no trace of the exhausted, slumped figure from moments earlier.

When Zhang Xiaohua reached the arena where a heated argument was taking place, he saw Zhang Xiaohu pleading with a well-built Group Leader. The Group Leader was unmoved and said: “I don’t care if you’re the direct disciple of the Sect Master. The rules of the Martial Arts Competition must be followed, and even the Sect Master must abide by them. I’ve already waited for half an incense stick’s time. The time is up. Please step aside; I am about to announce that Disciple Number 250 has forfeited.”

Zhang Xiaohu was still clutching the Group Leader’s sleeve, trying to say something when Zhang Xiaohua shouted: “Second Brother, I’m here!”

Zhang Xiaohu quickly turned to the Group Leader and said: “See, my brother is here now. No need to announce the forfeit, right?”

The Group Leader looked at Zhang Xiaohua, who had rushed over, and asked: “Where did you go? The time’s already up. You’re disregarding the rules of the Martial Arts Competition.”

Zhang Xiaohua quickly made a series of exaggerated expressions and said: “Group Leader, I ate too much last night and had an emergency. Please forgive me for that.”

The Group Leader chuckled: “Earlier, your brother said you were out of strength and needed to rest, and now you’re saying you had an emergency. Which one should I believe?”

Zhang Xiaohua rubbed his hands together and said: “Believe both, please!”

The Group Leader smiled, waved his hand, and said: “Lucky for you, you’re just in time. If you’d been late, even if I believed both stories, you’d still be disqualified. Now get up there, or I’ll have to declare your loss.”

Hearing this, the first one to move wasn’t Zhang Xiaohua.

Zhang Xiaohu rushed to the stage, quickly placed the ladder by the side, and Zhang Xiaohua promptly followed, climbing up to the arena.

Both the Group Leader and Zhang Xiaohua’s opponent couldn’t help but groan inwardly, wondering, what kind of contestants are these?

The competitors in the second round were supposed to be the best of the Piaomiao Sect’s Young Eagle Hall. They excelled in internal energy, Qinggong, fist techniques, palm techniques, and even had extensive experience in sparring.

Zhang Xiaohua’s opponent in this round quickly adapted his tactics. In less than half an incense stick’s time, he shifted from aggressive attacks to defensive moves, and then to evasive strategies, cycling through several different approaches. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaohua, encouraged by his earlier success, continued his relentless offense, pressing forward with every move, each punch hitting solidly.

Although Zhang Xiaohua continued to attack in this match, it was different from the previous one. While fighting, he experimented with controlling different levels of force, combining real strikes with feints. The difficult match from last time had truly benefited him greatly, allowing him to grasp the essence of a real fight. Now, as he kept experimenting, he improved continuously, and as he progressed, he moved with increasing ease. It was still the same 108 moves, but now they had been transformed from ordinary to extraordinary. Even the repeated techniques appeared innovative and skillful. In no time, he was evenly matched with his mid-level opponent, and there was even a hint that he had the upper hand.

Zhang Xiaohua’s opponent, however, was feeling the heat. When he first saw Zhang Xiaohua’s number, he knew that Zhang Xiaohua was ranked the lowest among the second-round participants. Moreover, Zhang Xiaohua even used the stairs to enter the stage, clearly unable to perform Qinggong, yet somehow, he had made it to the second round—an anomaly in itself. But once the fight began, he found Zhang Xiaohua’s defense effortlessly solid, and when he eased up, Zhang Xiaohua launched a barrage of attacks as relentless as a downpour, leaving him scrambling to defend himself. Zhang Xiaohua’s punches were also extremely heavy, clearly showing he was someone with great strength. Naturally, he wasn’t about to engage in a direct clash, so he started to move around, trying to exploit Zhang Xiaohua’s lack of Qinggong to wear him out, hoping to make a decisive strike when Zhang Xiaohua was completely exhausted!