Chapter 48: Mountain Barbarians!

“The combatants: Lin Zhengli of Wangjiang City, and Zhao Tiehe of Sanshan City. Begin!”

At the referee's command, both sides began forming hand seals at a dizzying speed.

The only difference was that Lin Zhengli stood his ground with a calm expression, while Zhao Tiehe charged forward even as he performed his seals.

This was a collision of two entirely different styles; before the impact, no one knew the outcome.

Earth-element Qi gathered, and sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground.

Though both started with earth spikes, Yang Xingyong had used them for defense, whereas Zhao Tiehe used them for offense.

A wave seemed to manifest out of thin air, lifting Lin Zhengli into the air and precisely evading the attack of the spikes.

This was the Grade-D High-Rank Daoist technique, *Surging Waves*, a technique that utilized water-element Qi for movement.

Zhao Tiehe’s hand seals were complete. He raised both hands, and the stone spikes rose from the earth, raining down toward Lin Zhengli in mid-air!

Unlike Yang Xingyong, who had used physical force to drive the spikes for a second stage of attack, Zhao Tiehe was manipulating the Daoist technique itself to achieve a secondary transformation. He had truly innovated this technique!

Lin Zhengli was in mid-air, and having already used *Surging Waves*, he seemed to have run out of options. However, his fingers suddenly flicked upward; the wave carrying him surged violently, and another wave was born from within the first, carrying Lin Zhengli out of the path of the raining spikes at the very last possible second.

He, too, had demonstrated the secondary transformation of the *Surging Waves* technique!

It could be said that the battle between Zhao Tiehe and Lin Zhengli was only now truly showcasing a duel of Daoist power.

The advanced variations of these two techniques also reflected the heritage of the Sanshan City Academy and the Wangjiang City Academy. One must understand that it is the innovation of such fundamental Daoist techniques that can truly enhance the overall strength of an academy at its core.

Lin Zhengli evaded again and again, but Zhao Tiehe’s offensive remained unbroken. With a stomp of his toe, he launched himself into the air.

Attacking from below, he threw an uppercut. However, that fist was already covered in layer upon layer of stone—the *Stone-Clad Fist*!

He had almost perfectly replicated Yang Xingyong's technique, responding to Lin Zhengli's earlier remark about "weaklings pecking at each other."

Lin Zhengli was still in the air and had almost nowhere to hide, but his fingers flicked once more.

Within the waves, more waves were born, pushing him away from the attack once again.

*Triple Waves!*

A mere *Surging Waves*, a common movement technique, had demonstrated a three-stage transformation today.

If the secondary transformation of the earth spikes had pushed that technique to the limit of Grade-D High-Rank, then this *Triple Waves* had forcibly elevated a Grade-D technique into the ranks of Grade-C. It was a qualitative leap!

Zhao Tiehe's *Stone-Clad Fist* missed once more. He had no time to be shocked, for Lin Zhengli's counterattack had already arrived.

Relying on the trump card of *Triple Waves*, he evaded unexpectedly, and finally, at this moment, he completed his technique.

All the water-element Qi on the field suddenly went into a frenzy; currents surged in all directions, and waves became tumultuous. The raging waves surged from every corner. Zhao Tiehe could not escape in time and was struck head-on by a wave. He felt as if he had been hit by a heavy punch, sent flying out of control.

While he was still in mid-air, another wave struck him, causing him to cough up blood as he was sent flying again.

The waves collided back and forth, hitting Zhao Tiehe like a broken sandbag, producing dull, heavy thuds.

This was a blatant Grade-C technique: *Raging Tides*!

Lin Zhengli's expression remained indifferent, devoid of any of the flippancy seen before the battle; instead, he possessed a composure that suggested everything was under control. His hands moved rapidly through seals, and the moment the *Raging Tides* ended, he lashed out with an extremely long vine whip, whistling through the air.

Zhao Tiehe was almost powerless amidst the *Raging Tides*, but he simply curled into a ball, hugging his head to minimize the area of attack.

The moment the *Raging Tides* ceased, his body unfurled, and he suddenly reached out, grabbing the vine whip.

Blood was still leaking from the corners of his mouth, and his clothes were in tatters, revealing a body covered in bruises and swelling. Yet, he seemed unable to feel the pain. It seemed that cultivators from Sanshan City all possessed this kind of tenacity; he gripped the vine whip with force, intending to pull Lin Zhengli toward him!

But Lin Zhengli loosened his grip, and the vine whip suddenly swerved, winding around Zhao Tiehe's body like a spiritual serpent, binding him tightly.

It turned out that the technique Lin Zhengli had just used was not the Grade-D Mid-Rank *Green Vine Whip*, but the Grade-D High-Rank *Entwining Vine Technique*!

He had used the *Entwining Vine Technique* not to bind his enemy immediately, but to disguise it as the *Green Vine Whip*, baiting Zhao Tiehe into grabbing it so he could be perfectly ensnared.

It could be said that from the start of the battle until now, every move Zhao Tiehe made had fallen into a trap. One could even infer that the words Lin Zhengli spoke to him before the fight might have been a setup.

At this point, Lin Zhengli was ready to harvest the fruits of his victory.

He calmly finished his Daoist incantations, intending to draw out the true *Green Vine Whip* to strike his bound opponent.

However, the vines around Zhao Tiehe suddenly exploded. Zhao Tiehe rolled on the ground, dodging the strike that had been delivered without holding back.

Only then did people notice the blood streaming down Zhao Tiehe's body and the dense, bloody lacerations. On the ground, countless fragments of stone were mixed with the shredded vines.

It turned out that at the same moment the *Raging Tides* ended, Zhao Tiehe had covered himself in a layer of stone armor. Lin Zhengli might not have noticed, or perhaps he had noticed but did not care.

Because the *Stone Armor Technique* itself was merely a defensive technique and did nothing to help escape the *Entwining Vine Technique*.

But the stone armor had exploded.

It had instantly shredded Zhao Tiehe's skin and blown apart the vines wrapped around him.

The scene was so gruesome that many could not bear to watch; Ling He even reached out to cover Jiang An'an's eyes.

And yet, dragging his blood-stained body, Zhao Tiehe launched another charge at Lin Zhengli.

No one knew why he wouldn't give up, or why he continued to persist.

Wasn't this just a Daoist debate battle?

It wasn't the County Academy Grand Exam in November; it didn't involve their future!

This was a battle for those born in the same year; all other participating cultivators were watching from the sidelines.

Sun Xiaoman stared at the field without blinking.

Lin Zhengren turned to look at her: "At this stage, must he keep fighting, Miss Xiaoman? People die."

"Whether he chooses life or honor, I cannot decide for him." The small, barefoot girl did not even turn her head.

*Crack!*

This time, Zhao Tiehe failed to dodge the whip.

A deep lash mark appeared, tearing the flesh.

But he didn't seem to have any intention of dodging; instead, taking advantage of the moment the whip retracted, he grabbed the tip with one hand! With several twists, he wrapped the *Green Vine Whip* around his own body.

He pulled the whip, walking toward Lin Zhengli. On his fist, stone slowly coalesced; the speed was much slower than before, but it was still that same *Stone-Clad Fist*.

Lin Zhengli had no choice but to let go, abandoning the whip formed by the technique. He leaped backward, shouting as he retreated, "Surrender! If you keep this up, you really will die!"

"Surrender?" Zhao Tiehe looked at Lin Zhengli, his smile widening. "We people from Sanshan City cannot be looked down upon like that!"

He lunged forward several steps, and the *Stone-Clad Fist* came crashing down!

*Boom!*

Lin Zhengli leaped away from his position. The stone fist struck the ground, smashing a deep crater.

"You're seeking death!" While in mid-air, Lin Zhengli's hands were already rapidly forming seals. He did not want to admit that he had felt a flicker of fear during this battle, but he had resolved to use a more ferocious technique, even if he couldn't control it, even if... it killed his opponent.

Just as the technique began to take shape, he landed perfectly. His timing was so impeccable that he almost praised himself.

But, for some reason, a pit had appeared on the ground—it was unknown when it had been placed there.

It was a trap Zhao Tiehe had set long ago, guided by Earth-element Qi to make the ground sink. It was a low-level technique, Grade-D Low-Rank, named "Pitfall."

But it was so perfectly timed.

Lin Zhengli's foot twisted, his posture collapsed, and the prepared technique dissipated. Although he immediately twisted his body to avoid falling flat on his face...

Zhao Tiehe had already pounced like a wild beast, tackling him to the ground! He pinned him firmly to the earth.

With the two of them so close, any technique requiring a casting time became meaningless.

*Thud!*

It was the sound of a fist striking a face.

"I am not a mountain barbarian!"

*Thud! Thud!*

"I am... from Qinghe County, Zhuang State! Sanshan City cultivator! Zhao... Tie... He!"

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Zhao Tiehe delivered punch after punch.

Outside the ring, Lin Zhengren's eyelids twitched, as if those punches were striking his own face.

"Concede!" he shouted.