Chapter 13: Battle Against a Three-Stage Expert
Inside the martial arts hall, Qin Jue sat leisurely on a stone bench, waiting quietly.
Around him, the disciples of the Wu Wei Hall wore expressions filled with complex emotions.
When had their Wu Wei Hall ever suffered such humiliation before?
But how could they blame anyone when their skills were simply inferior?
“If only the young third uncle were here! Today, we must tear this guy to pieces!” a martial artist gritted his teeth, clutching his left shoulder.
Soon after, a young man dressed in a white training uniform emerged from the inner room.
The moment he appeared, all eyes in the hall were drawn to him.
The disciples seemed to see a savior, each looking at one another with hope shining in their faces.
This was none other than the young third uncle, a warrior who had perfected the second gate, possessing extraordinary strength and martial skills, having trained in the hall for years.
If it weren’t for the uproar and the hall's reputation being at stake, he wouldn’t have appeared.
The young man stepped steadily into the center of the hall, raising his gaze to meet Qin Jue’s with an indifferent expression.
“Unaware of your place, Wu Wei Hall is no place for your recklessness. Since you’re here, stay and face the consequences!”
His cold voice carried a heavy weight of pressure.
Qin Jue’s eyes narrowed as he rose slowly, sneering, “Such pointless chatter!”
“Hmph!” The young man snorted coldly and took the first move, stepping forward with incredible speed.
In moments, he closed the distance and delivered a precise, fierce kick.
Qin Jue raised his hand to block, momentarily stopping the strike, then leaned forward, delivering a punch with his right fist.
The young man sneered disdainfully, retracting his leg and raising his right arm. His blood surged violently, blue veins bulging as he met the attack head-on.
“Bang!”
Their fists collided, unleashing a tremendous force.
“Hm?” The young man hesitated, stepping back half a pace after retracting his fist.
Qin Jue did the same.
“Not bad strength,” the man said lightly, his voice dripping with scorn.
In his eyes, Qin Jue was merely a perfected second gate warrior; even if he possessed innate divine power, what did it matter?
He himself had perfected the second gate.
Between them lay an insurmountable chasm!
Across from him, Qin Jue flexed his right fist.
His opponent’s strength was indeed formidable, but not enough to completely overwhelm him.
This near parity stirred his fighting spirit.
Qin Jue advanced again, fists whistling as they struck…
Beneath his skin, his blood surged fiercely, a faint red glow flickering.
The young man remained calm, stepping to the left while swinging his right palm toward Qin Jue’s ribs.
Qin Jue reacted swiftly, drawing in his abdomen and chest to evade the strike.
Then his fists rained down.
The young man raised his hands to block, taking several solid punches without moving an inch.
The infusion of blood made his body extraordinarily tough!
Seeing punches were ineffective, Qin Jue’s eyes flashed as he swept his right leg in a horizontal arc.
The young man retreated half a step, narrowly avoiding the sweep, then swiftly threw a punch aimed at Qin Jue’s face during the opening…
Qin Jue hurried to block and withstood the blow.
“Interesting!”
Only then did the young man’s disdain fade from his face.
He launched another punch.
Qin Jue responded with a punch of his own, planning to clash head-on once more.
Unexpectedly, the young man suddenly turned, delivering a left kick aimed at Qin Jue’s abdomen.
Qin Jue’s eyes darkened, unable to react in time.
His abdomen took the kick squarely!
A searing pain surged through him, the force several times stronger than before.
He staggered backward repeatedly, barely maintaining his stance.
---
“Truly the young third uncle—so formidable!”
“Do you think no one in Wu Wei Hall can stand against you? Such a foolish attempt to shake a tree!”
“Young third uncle, finish him!”
...
Witnessing this, the long-suppressed martial artists around couldn’t help but cheer.
In the center, Qin Jue clutched his abdomen, his complexion pale.
His opponent was unlike any ordinary perfected second gate warrior—he might even be nearing the third gate.
However...
Qin Jue was not without trump cards.
Without hesitation, he immediately focused on his cultivation technique.
In the next moment...
A vast power surged from the void into Qin Jue’s body.
His blood began to grow rapidly, transforming from a mere trickle into a flowing stream.
Simultaneously, his physique and bones strengthened continuously.
Qin Jue felt an unprecedented power coursing through him—exhilarating beyond measure!
He had perfected the muscle forging stage!
“Breakthrough?” The young man’s eyes flickered in surprise as he noticed Qin Jue’s transformation.
But that was all.
He launched another assault, leaping up and delivering a barrage of flying kicks relentlessly.
Qin Jue crossed his fists before his chest, blocking attack after attack, retreating only half a step.
With his realm elevated, his physical condition improved again, and with the boost from his attributes, his strength was now on par.
The young man furrowed his brow and unleashed a continuous stream of powerful attacks.
Yet Qin Jue stood firm as a mountain, repelling each strike while launching his own counterattacks.
For a time, the two were locked in a fierce stalemate.
This unexpected turn left the onlookers stunned, their mouths agape.
The situation was beyond their expectations.
Seeing his prolonged failure to break through, the young man grew anxious.
He understood that if this continued, victory was not guaranteed.
If he truly lost, the reputation of Wu Wei Hall would be irreparably damaged.
Gritting his teeth, he decided to use his martial technique!
Martial techniques were the key to a warrior’s victory, allowing them to unleash attacks surpassing their basic strength and speed.
However, employing martial techniques demanded immense blood energy—something not every perfected second gate warrior could wield at will.
But to swiftly end the fight and save the hall’s honor, the young man disregarded all caution.
His eyes widened, blood surging wildly as he rapidly waved his hands, creating a series of afterimages, launching a fierce assault on Qin Jue.
“Cloud Dispersing Palm?” A martial artist gasped, recognizing the signature martial technique of Wu Wei Hall.
Others were equally shocked.
They had not expected the young third uncle to resort to such a move.
But with martial technique unleashed, defeat was inevitable for the opponent!
In the center, the young man’s palms struck continuously, the sharp sound of breaking wind ringing out as the attacks flew at Qin Jue with terrifying speed.
Qin Jue’s face changed slightly, refusing to slacken for even a moment. He gathered all his strength into his arms, shielding himself.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The young man’s relentless palm strikes forced Qin Jue to retreat, his arms bearing immense pressure.
It was his first time witnessing the true power of a martial technique.
He was on the verge of collapse.
Qin Jue quickly pulled back, drawing his blade and activating his blade technique to the fullest, meeting the assault head-on once more.
His perfected blade technique made his strikes swifter and more precise.
---
But the young man showed no fear.
“You have no idea how wide the gap between us really is!” he growled.
Then he struck again.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
The clash of sharp blade against palm echoed like metal striking metal.
The young man’s attacks were rapid, his martial technique blending reality and illusion seamlessly, relentless as a tide.
Although Qin Jue’s blade technique was perfected, he was stretched thin.
In just moments, he took several more strikes.
His whole body felt as if it were about to shatter, agony overwhelming him!
The power of martial technique far exceeded anything he had imagined.
With no other choice, Qin Jue allocated all remaining victory points to his attributes.
When he evenly distributed five points among them, his body underwent another profound transformation.
Especially his constitution’s enhancement accelerated his injuries’ recovery at an astonishing rate.
Qin Jue’s eyes flickered as he had no time to think further.
The young man charged again.
Qin Jue met the challenge, clashing once more...
This time, with his improved physique, he no longer appeared disadvantaged against the young man’s martial technique, even managing to counterattack.
Growing stronger with each fight!
The young man was shocked, staring at him as if he were some kind of monster.
Moreover, Qin Jue fought like a man with nothing to lose, relying on his enhanced body to endure the palm strikes and keep punching relentlessly.
After the exchange, though injured, the young man was also battered.
“Are you mad?”
Unable to deal with martial techniques, the young man finally lost his composure.
Qin Jue, however, paid no heed, attacking like a ravenous tiger, determined to win despite his wounds.
The onlookers were dumbfounded, a chill running down their spines.
Soon, the young man could no longer defend himself and was blasted away by a powerful punch, severely injured.
[Congratulations, host, for defeating an opponent. You have earned 3 victory points!]
Qin Jue dropped to one knee, gasping for breath.
Martial artists trained in martial techniques were indeed far tougher than ordinary warriors!
Seeing Qin Jue wounded, none of the hall’s disciples dared to step forward.
The scene they had just witnessed struck them so deeply they had yet to recover.
After a moment, Qin Jue glanced at the remaining eleven victory points and chose to further enhance his constitution.
He had already realized that improving constitution sped up injury recovery.
However...
This time, each constitution point cost three victory points.
Qin Jue could only upgrade three times.
Soon, after the enhancement, a warm current flowed through his entire body...
He felt as though immersed in a hot spring, enveloped in soothing warmth.
His previous injuries and fatigue began to fade steadily.
In just moments, he recovered more than half.
This constitution boost was truly effective!
Qin Jue thought to himself that perhaps he should save more victory points for constitution upgrades in the future.
It might prove remarkably useful in battle!
He rose, looked at the now defeated crowd with no fighting spirit left, and turned to leave...