Chapter 43: Easy Promotion

One move!

Two moves!

Three moves!

...

The martial arena played out like a cat playing with a mouse.

"How is this possible? Ling Xiao is suppressing Ling Ziran firmly using nothing but basic martial arts!"

"What kind of monster is this guy!"

Even the dimmest observer could see that Ling Xiao could have defeated Ling Ziran within a few moves.

He didn't do so because he was merely practicing!

Ling Ziran's face was deathly pale; his true qi was being depleted continuously, reaching a point where he could no longer sustain himself.

He couldn't believe it!

He couldn't believe that in this situation, the Ling Xiao opposite him was like a massive mountain, while he was more like a clumsy wild boar.

No matter how many times he charged, he couldn't move the mountain even an inch.

"Stop! The winner has been decided!"

A voice shouted from the referee's seats.

"No! I haven't lost! I haven't lost yet!"

Ling Ziran roared almost maniacally and continued his assault.

The referee sighed; they only had the power of suggestion, not the power of compulsion.

Unless Ling Ziran was knocked off the stage or voluntarily surrendered, the match would not be considered over.

"What do you all think of this fight? Personally, I'm a bit confused. A martial practitioner of the third level of the Martial Vein is using basic martial arts to suppress someone at the peak of the third level who is using advanced martial arts. This defies common sense!"

One referee frowned and asked those beside him.

"Ling Xiao is steady and restrained, possesses profound true qi, and has abundant combat experience. His basic martial arts have already reached the state of Perfection! While Ling Ziran is at the peak of the third level, his true qi is inferior to Ling Xiao's, he is impulsive, and lacks combat experience. Although he uses advanced martial arts, he can only exert fifty to sixty percent of their potential," an older referee said while stroking his beard.

This man was clearly the most respected among the referees, and his words carried great weight.

While he couldn't see through Ling Xiao's true strength, his fundamental judgment was not wrong.

"Basic martial arts reaching Perfection? Is there even such a thing as 'Perfection' for basic martial arts?"

The so-called "Perfection" meant reaching a level of sublime mastery.

In the study of martial arts, it was generally believed that only top-tier martial arts possessed the possibility of reaching Perfection.

It was considered impressive enough to cultivate basic martial arts to the Great Circle stage; how could they reach Perfection? There were simply no precedents or cultivation methods for such a thing.

"To be honest, I don't know how he did it either, but looking at how he executes his moves, they are almost flawless! That is precisely the characteristic of Perfection!"

He was right. For an ordinary person practicing martial arts, it was impossible to achieve ten-tenths perfection.

Even when reaching the Great Circle stage, one could usually only exert ninety percent of the power.

After all, this was heavily dependent on the human body and individual aptitude.

However, reaching Perfection allowed one to execute a martial art with ten-tenths perfection, without a single flaw!

Even with basic martial arts, it could leave an opponent struggling to find an opening, especially an opponent who wasn't particularly formidable.

"If that's the case, couldn't he just use basic martial arts to conquer the world?"

"Not quite. Basic martial arts are, after all, basic. Even if they are sublime and exert ten-tenths power, there is still a ceiling. He can handle a half-baked person like Ling Ziran, but he wouldn't stand a chance against Ling Feng, Ling Yixue, or Ling Yihang."

"I see. But what reason could he possibly have for wasting so much time elevating basic martial arts to Perfection?"

"There is a reason, of course. Compared to advanced or top-tier martial arts, if a method exists, it is easier to reach Perfection with basic martial arts. This allows one to accumulate experience to provide a foundation for advanced and top-tier martial arts."

The elder continued with a sigh, "This Ling Xiao has been obscure until now, but his sudden rise in the last half month makes him a rare genius of our Ling family. His future is limitless. What is most precious is that he is not yet fourteen, yet he already possesses the composure and seasoned temperament of a master. This is truly rare."

"Hm? It looks like it's finally ending!"

As he spoke, he suddenly looked toward the arena.

By now, Ling Ziran was gasping for breath; his continuous outbursts had left his true qi completely depleted.

Ling Xiao shook his head; a sparring partner like this was no longer qualified.

It was time to end the fight.

He suddenly extended his right hand, pinching his fingers together, and then delivered a kick to Ling Ziran's chest.

Ling Ziran had no capacity to defend; he could only watch helplessly as his body flew backward and landed heavily outside the ring.

"Ling Ziran, you have seriously injured so many disciples of the Ling family. You are no longer qualified to advance!"

Ling Xiao stood on the stage, full of spirit.

Meanwhile, Ling Ziran lay below the stage, groaning in pain.

His ribs were completely broken, and his internal injuries were severe.

It was impossible for him to continue the competition.

He would either have to forfeit or be eliminated by being defeated once more.

Those were the only two possibilities.

Regardless, Ling Xiao disliked this Ling Ziran very much. Being from the same clan, to strike so viciously—it was better for him to just get lost early.

"Great job, Senior Brother Ling Xiao!"

"Long live Senior Brother Ling Xiao!"

This action caused Ling Xiao's supporters to increase once again.

"Winner number 9588, ninety-seven consecutive wins!"

The people in the referee's seats all wore expressions of shock.

The result of this match had truly exceeded their expectations.

"Did you see that? Did you see? I wasn't wrong! Senior Brother Ling Xiao used basic martial arts to crush Ling Ziran! That was awesome!"

"It's truly unbelievable. He actually did it, and he actually won..."

The supporters of Ling Ziran felt as if they were in a dream; some had to pinch themselves hard to make sure they weren't dreaming.

He had originally been the focus of the Myriad People Competition, but now he had become the ultimate center of attention.

"Hehe, Senior Sister Yixue, your intuition is amazing. You actually guessed this result."

The female disciples beside Ling Yixue were also incredibly surprised.

"Hmph, it's nothing special. No matter how well basic martial arts are practiced, they are still just basic martial arts. That waste Ling Ziran, how can he compare to me!"

A cold snort suddenly came from the side; it was Ling Feng.

"Brother Feng, you must avenge me!"

At this moment, Ling Yu, who was leaning against Ling Feng, had lost her qualification to advance. She glared at the distant Ling Xiao with intense venom, wishing she could cut him into pieces.

"Don't worry, Sister Yu, just focus on recovering from your injuries!"

At this point, he suddenly looked toward Ling Xiao and shouted, "Ling Xiao, if you have the guts, advance with a hundred-match winning streak! When you meet me, I will show you that your 'Perfected Basic Martial Arts' is nothing but trash!"

His voice carried directly from the stands to the martial arena.

It seemed intentional.

Because he was brimming with confidence and had never once considered that he might lose.

"Don't worry. To deal with you, basic martial arts will be enough!"

Ling Xiao was also confident. As long as Ling Feng had not condensed Astral Qi, Ling Xiao could absolutely win using nothing but the Bull Strength.

However, he might need to use the "Cloud Soaring Steps."

After all, Ling Feng was not Ling Ziran; he was at least three times stronger. Using purely basic martial arts might be difficult, but paired with the "Cloud Soaring Steps"...

It would be more than enough!

(End of Chapter)