Chapter 52: Connecting Heaven and Earth

“I never expected that the treasure of Sanshan City, the Mountain-Shaking Hammer, would actually be passed down to this little girl,” Wei Quji muttered, narrowing his eyes from the spectator stands.

Lin Zhengren's combat system was primarily based on the Water and Wood dual paths of Daoist arts. Since Water nourishes Wood, the combination produced an effect far greater than the sum of its parts.

However, under Sun Xiaoman's two massive hammers, his defenses collapsed upon contact.

The Vine Serpent Wall crumbled, and the long whip known as the Azure Python was struck back into its original form as a magical tool, sent flying into the distance.

Waves surged beneath Lin Zhengren's feet, carrying him out of the way of Sun Xiaoman's hammer strike.

This was his second instant-cast spell: Lin Zhengren had inscribed the "Triple Surging Waves."

Seeing his trump cards exhausted and even his family heirloom knocked from his hands, Lin Zhengren remained unperturbed.

“Is this not the Three-City Dao Debate? Why does Miss Sun of the Sanshan City Academy act more like a martial artist?” He chuckled lightly. “Has Sanshan City lost its orthodox lineage since Chu Ping's death?”

With an air of casual indifference, he attacked Sun Xiaoman's eligibility to compete.

On the stands, Dong A said calmly, “The State of Zhuang respects the Dao, but we do not disparage other sects. On the battlefield, let skill decide.”

Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted, like a clap of thunder from a clear sky.

It was Zhang Linchuan, who had easily knocked down his Sanshan City opponent using lightning arts, serving as a living commentary to Dong A's words.

Nearby, another pair of fifth-year students from Wangjiang City and Fenglin City were locked in a fierce battle.

Once combat began, there was only victory or defeat.

Lin Zhengren, of course, did not believe that Sun Xiaoman could be defeated without a fight simply by virtue of her martial identity; otherwise, the battle wouldn't have even started.

He was merely testing whether this young girl's spirit was truly as resilient and unshakable as rumored.

Wasn't the death of the Senior Brother of the Sanshan City Academy a cause for grief?

Sun Xiaoman's massive hammer came swinging.

She wielded a hammer as large as herself, yet her movements were as light and agile as dancing sparks.

Chu Ping's death had, after all, affected her.

Her hammer strikes were too heavy.

This detail was minuscule, but it was impossible for Lin Zhengren to miss.

The surging waves provided enough momentum to launch him easily into the air.

With the Triple Surging Waves, one push after another, Lin Zhengren leaped onto the Mountain-Shaking Hammer.

He lightly tapped the surface of the hammer with his toe.

To Sun Xiaoman, a martial arts expert with the strength of a thousand catties in her hands, this tap would have been insignificant.

But in that instant, centered on Lin Zhengren, all the primordial qi erupted into chaos.

In the void behind him, a gateway seemed to coalesce—a reflection of the physical body.

Between heaven and earth, there is a door; man is the door of heaven and earth.

It felt as though a massive roar had occurred, yet it was also as if there had been total silence.

The gateway swung open!

Thus, the primordial qi surrendered; thus, heaven and earth were connected.

He could have chosen to open the Heaven-Earth Door much earlier, but he was confident enough to wait until this exact moment.

This proved he had complete control over the battle, and the Heaven-Earth Door was no longer an obstacle to him. He had likely just grown accustomed to playing the pig to eat the tiger.

He had connected heaven and earth, linking himself to the world. He no longer needed to seek power from without; he possessed great power within himself.

He had already reached the Sixth-Grade Dragon-Ascending Realm—a mid-tier third-grade powerhouse!

With a stomp, the Mountain-Shaking Hammer crashed irretrievably into the ground, shattering the floor tiles and sinking into the earth.

Sun Xiaoman did not let go. Even though the hammer sinking into the ground pulled her entire body downward, she used the momentum to flip herself over. She followed up with a reverse strike, her hammer whistling through the air as she attempted to force Lin Zhengren back.

However, the gap between a mid-tier powerhouse and an early-stage cultivator was immense.

With a slight shift of his fingers, Lin Zhengren abruptly repelled her.

From his palm, a small dragon condensed from water-element primordial qi roared forth.

*Roar!*

The water dragon grew larger as it absorbed primordial qi, slamming directly into the massive hammer. It then pressed the hammer forward, crashing into Sun Xiaoman and sending both her and the hammer flying.

Grade A, Low-Rank Daoist Art: Water Dragon Wave.

Of the two Mountain-Shaking Hammers, one was out of hand, buried in the ground. The other pressed down on Sun Xiaoman, leaving her state of life or death unknown.

In the next moment, the massive hammer on the barefoot girl's person wobbled. She took a deep breath, shoved the hammer aside, and stood up abruptly.

Jiang Wang could vaguely understand why Yang Xingyong and Zhao Tiehe were fighting so desperately.

Their third-year and fifth-year students were not strong; one could even say they were weak. That little chubby boy was nearly invincible in defense among his peers, but unfortunately, he was too young, and his accumulation was far from sufficient.

The first-year match was perhaps their only chance to claim victory—their only chance to demonstrate the future potential of Sanshan City. With the death of the Senior Brother Chu Ping and ten other experts from the Sanshan City Academy, their talent pool was severely depleted. Thus, a girl like Sun Xiaoman, who specialized in martial arts, had to step up to lead the team. And thus, a thirteen-year-old boy like Sun Xiaoyan was brought out through persistent persuasion, with his mother's tacit permission.

There was no other reason: Sanshan City desperately needed resources! The Three-City Dao Debate, which involved the distribution of the Zhuang Court's resources, was of vital importance to them.

By now, the other fifth-year student from Sanshan City had already been defeated by Zhang Linchuan. All the pressure rested on this barefoot girl.

And so, she stood up.

Even with her sternum clearly collapsed, and even with her opponent having demonstrated Sixth-Grade strength.

Her petite figure swayed, but it did not break.

Lin Zhengren reached out a hand, and the Azure Python whip, which had been knocked away at the start of the fight, flew back into his grasp.

This whip could amplify the power of his Wood-element Daoist arts.

He did not hesitate for a second, let alone waver.

Almost mechanically, and with extreme speed, he completed another hand seal.

A massive green python burst from the earth, coiling tightly around Sun Xiaoman.

With a single loop, the barefoot girl's figure vanished. Both person and hammer were enveloped within the coils of the green python.

Grade A, Low-Rank Daoist Art: Green Python Constriction.

He was this strong!

He was already this strong, yet he remained this steady. He was steady to an almost excessive degree.

A cultivator like Lin Zhengren was perhaps the most terrifying kind of opponent: one who would never give the enemy a single opening.

"Sister!"

Outside the arena, Sun Xiaoyan was on the verge of tears.

A hand gripped the neck of the green python. Compared to the size of the giant serpent, that hand looked very small.

But it was incredibly powerful.

It was Dong A's hand.

With a casual flick, the entire green python dissipated silently, revealing the coiled Sun Xiaoman.

She collapsed limply.

She had long since lost consciousness, but her hand still tightly gripped the one remaining Mountain-Shaking Hammer.

"You win," Dong A said to Lin Zhengren.

Lin Zhengren bowed, his etiquette impeccable. "Dean Dong has worked hard."

Only then did the referee approach to move Sun Xiaoman out of the arena. This referee, sent from the prefectural capital, was himself only barely able to open the Heaven-Earth Door; he had been unable to intervene in the previous combat.

Dong A waved his hand, signaling that the next round could begin.

Watching Dong A float back to his seat in the stands, Wei Quji did not speak openly, but his voice rose nonetheless: "The Mountain-Shaking Hammer has already recognized its master; this girl will be formidable in the future. Why not just let Lin Zhengren kill her?"

"Her husband died only a few years ago, and now her daughter. That person from Sanshan City will go mad."

"A tigress may be fierce, but the one being offended is Wangjiang City. What does it have to do with my Fenglin City? If this little girl survives, who among her peers will be her match? She will only block the path of Fenglin City's disciples in the future."

Dong A did not look at him, but his low, haunting voice drifted back to his ears: "The disciples of Sanshan City and the disciples of Fenglin City are all disciples of my State of Zhuang."

Wei Quji fell silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.