Chapter 989: Fighting Dugu Qiubai
With the Primal Chaos Physique and the Yin Yang Physique appearing in the True Martial Academy, it was no wonder that the academy had remained the number one academy for so many years.
The Nine Palace Academy might have a reincarnator, and the Dragon Phoenix Academy might have insanely talented freaks, but the two academies still couldn't compare with the True Martial Academy.
Xiang Shaoyun's rise out of nowhere had smashed apart the four academies' pride, teaching them just how wide the world was. The Dragon Phoenix Academy overseers and disciples were filled with regret. They wished so hard that they had never forced Xiang Shaoyun out of the academy.
If they hadn't expelled him, the academy could very well emerge as the competition's champion. However, it was too late for regret. They could only make their displeasure known after they returned to the academy.
Both Shadowflash and Feng Huosuo had unsightly expressions. They were just hit with the realization that they had acted incredibly idiotic. They would definitely suffer upon returning to the academy. The only thing they could do now was to pray that Dugu Qiubai could reduce Xiang Shaoyun's momentum.
Dugu Qiubai stepped onto the stage, looked at Xiang Shaoyun, and said, "You are very strong, strong enough to be my opponent. I will give you an hour to heal yourself. Otherwise, I won't feel happy even if I win the fight."
His arrogance surprised everyone. He had to have absolute confidence in himself in order to give his opponent a chance to recuperate on the battlefield.
Xiang Shaoyun also looked at Dugu Qiubai in astonishment. He then looked at his battered body before nodding. "Sure."
Although Xiang Shaoyun did not fear fighting Dugu Qiubai in his current condition, his opponent was allowing him to recuperate out of respect for the battle they were about to have. He couldn't reject the offer, as that would only mean disrespect to his opponent.
Xiang Shaoyun was able to heal quickly, and he used the Secret Reversal Technique right before everyone's eyes. A rich amount of wood energy converged on him. The energy transformed into life force and nourished his injuries. At the same time, he dissolved some spirit crystals in his body and started refilling his stars. His combat strength was recovering rapidly.
In a fight against Dugu Qiubai, Xiang Shaoyun naturally needed to utilize the primal inception energy. Otherwise, his chances of victory would be extremely low.
While healing, his soul continued analyzing the intense battle that had just ended. What he cared most about was the fact that the Light of Wisdom seemed more than what he knew. It seemed capable of triggering the awakening of some secret techniques. Additionally, Devil Concubine's yin and yang powers had also greatly inspired him. Since he had successfully fused lightning, wind, and flame, could he also fuse the powers of light and darkness to create the effect of yin and yang?
At that thought, he started recalling Devil Concubine's every single move from their earlier fight. Unfortunately, he hadn't paid her much attention at the time, so he did not have a complete picture of what she did. He failed to steal a glimpse into the inner workings of the powers of yin and yang.
An hour passed quickly, and Xiang Shaoyun was almost fully healed. He had also gained a lot from meditating on the previous battle. Who would have guessed that he was actually capable of fully splitting his attention into two?
"I'm ready. Let's start," said Xiang Shaoyun calmly.
He needed to emerge as the champion; it was a promise he had made to his master. Thus, he would fight at his full strength. Not even Dugu Qiubai, with the strongest physique, would be able to stop him.
Dugu Qiubai's battle intent surged as he said, "Let's fight with bare hands first, weapons next, and then finally fight to decide victory. What do you think?"
Dugu Qiubai was known as the Martial Fanatic, Martial Demon, and Martial Addict. He could easily learn any battle technique he managed to get his hands on, reaching a level where he could unleash the technique's full might. Thus, he was confident he could use a wide variety of techniques as required, and it was understandable why he would make such a request.
Xiang Shaoyun agreed, "Sure."
"Excellent. Finally, there is an opponent I'm excited to fight," said Dugu Qiubai as he roared with laughter. He then started approaching Xiang Shaoyun with an incredibly ingenious footwork technique.
Cloudstep Steps!
That was an ancient footwork technique. When one used it, it was as though one was stepping on clouds and could reach anywhere. He instantly arrived before Xiang Shaoyun and threw a casual punch out.
It was as though he was an ordinary cultivator throwing a normal punch. There were no flashy effects, and there were no energy undulations. Yet for some reason, the fist suddenly struck Xiang Shaoyun.
Bang!
Xiang Shaoyun couldn't even react. He only felt a pain in his chest before he was sent flying away. Instead of giving chase, Dugu Qiubai threw out another punch. There was a big distance between Xiang Shaoyun and the fist. No energy undulations were visible, yet he was still able to continue landing hits on Xiang Shaoyun from far away. The sight filled many people with disbelief.
Dugu Qiubai was using one of the True Martial Academy's high-tier battle techniques, the Void Fist. The fist could reach its target from anywhere, and it was something one couldn't guard against. Dugu Qiubai had the Primal Chaos Physique, and he was the strongest disciple to have appeared in the True Martial Academy in the last 10,000 years. Thus, they had opened up their whole book collection to him. Naturally, he would pick some rare techniques to cultivate.
Xiang Shaoyun had merely been caught by a complete surprise, as he had never seen such an odd fist technique. He definitely wouldn't be defeated so easily. Dugu Qiubai's fists might be powerful enough to easily defeat some Sovereigns, but Xiang Shaoyun had a powerful body that granted him incredible endurance.
The Goldplates appeared around his body as he blocked the incoming fists. Even so, it still wasn't enough for him to snatch the initiative. Dugu Qiubai continued punching, sending fist after fist from afar.
Xiang Shaoyun was fully forced onto the defensive. While defending, he was also continuously studying the Void Fist. With his gift of instincts activated, he started noticing the faint undulations of space. Those undulations were where the fists kept coming from.
He shifted his position continuously while trying to approach Dugu Qiubai. He had to do so while avoiding the constant punches, which was not easy. After a series of dodges, Xiang Shaoyun finally shortened the distance to about 10 meters. He then lashed out with the Seven Scorching Sun Claws.
One should not underestimate the Seven Scorching Sun Claws just because it was only an emperor-grade technique. Powered by Yun Flame, it became incredibly destructive. Although Yun Flame wasn't as powerful as the purpleflame wind and the divine purple cloud lightning, it wasn't too much weaker than the two. After all, Yun Flame was now a fusion of three different flames and had incredible burning power.
Xiang Shaoyun clawed out seven times in a row, enveloping Dugu Qiubai in a curtain of flame as he attempted to tear him apart.
A calm smile remained on Dugu Qiubai's face as Dugu Qiubai abruptly changed his technique. Numerous blue palms flew out with a rushing wave of water, extinguishing the flame around him.
The flame would have probably been extinguished if it wasn't powerful enough. Even so, the water did enough, and Dugu Qiubai was able to charge through the weaker part of the flame before tackling Xiang Shaoyun.
Barbaric Bull's Rush!