Chapter 78 - Four Ultimate Moves

"Alright." The middle-aged referee nodded. "Just sit there and rest for a while. Your opponent hasn't arrived yet."

Two minutes later, a lean and muscular young man, about 1.85 meters tall, walked in. He also had a nameplate on his chest, denoting him as Group B, Number Four. After confirming their identities, the referee announced that the match could begin.

The young man leaped onto the stage. Cassius followed suit, vaulting over.

"Wind Elephant Sect, Li Wei," he introduced himself.

"Iron Bone Sect, Nino," the young man said slowly.

Cassius squinted at him under the sunlight. His short sleeve shirt and shorts revealed arms and ankles wrapped in alternating red and white bands. His muscles were visibly strong, and his skin had a bronze tint. Some parts of his skin, like his knees and elbows, had a darker hue. Those places had a thick layer of calluses and unusually large bones.

"The match will now begin," the referee announced as he jumped off the stage.

Immediately, two auras rose up. One was the majestic grandeur of the Wind Elephant, the other was like a silent underwater volcano poised to erupt. With one side tall and magnificient, and the other side lean and fierce, the two faced off.

Cassius looked at him, slightly surprised. This disciple from an unknown small sect had an impressive aura and seemed quite strong.

To test just how strong his opponent was, he took huge strides forward, breaking into a sprint once he got close enough. The muscles in his right shoulder bulged, channeling a formidable force into his arm. Cassius swung his right hand fiercely, a whistling sound tearing through the air.

Dong!

Nino took a step back.

Oh?

Cassius raised an eyebrow in surprise. The opponent had blocked him with his elbow rather than his fist. His elbow seemed to be made of very hard bone as it was solid and heavy as a rock.

Let's try again!

Cassius stepped forward, his tall body pushing forcefully ahead. At the same time, he threw a piercing punch.

Nino swiftly dodged to the side, using his elbow to deflect his fist. He then stomped his right foot before thrusting his hard knee forward!

Cassius's eyes gleamed as he shoved his large hand down and slammed into Nino's darkened knee.

Bang!

A loud sound exploded on the stage.

Nino winced as he hopped back on one foot. His right leg had gone numb after being forcibly pushed back by such a tremendous force.

At the same time, Nino grew increasingly vigilant. The Iron Bone Secret Technique he trained in was aimed at making bones and joints as hard as iron. Thanks to the sect’s ointments and a decade of relentless bone training, he could break a banana tree with a kick or a knee strike.

However, the man standing before him had barely flinched.

Nino looked over and saw the tall figure re-assuming the Wind Elephant combat stance, his hands slightly raised at his sides. That composed and majestic posture remained steady.

"You're pretty tough! I'll have no choice but to give it my all." He rotated his ankle slightly to ease the numbness in his foot. Without warning, he darted forward, his body swaying as he charged straight at Cassius's waist.

Perhaps Cassius had been taken aback by Nino's attack because he didn't react until Nino got very close.

Nino stomped his foot, channeling all his power into one of his iron legs. His darkened leg sliced fiercely through the air, aiming right for Cassius.

Perfect time to test the Gale stage's ultimate move.

Cassius took a deep breath, his muscles bulging, and the outline of his entire hand tinged black. "Severing Flow!!!"

In an instant, a black line tore through the air.

Crack!

The hand blade struck the iron leg. There was a sharp cracking sound. Nino screamed as he flew backward. He landed heavily, rolling several times along the stage. His brain was engulfed in a maelstrom of pain from his muscles tearing apart.

His leg was broken! What a strange yet familiar feeling. Nino had not broken his leg since mastering his Covert Martial Arts. But here he was, experiencing that intense pain once more.

"Number Thirteen wins," the referee announced.

Soon, a few medical team members in white coats came in and lifted Nino onto a stretcher. As Cassius stepped down from the stage, he glanced at his hand.

During the battle, he had kept his strength below that of a pugilist. Still, the Wind Elephant combat moves were well-rounded enough that he could suppress the Iron Bone Sect opponent. The finishing move was from the first stage of the Wind Elephant Fist, Gale, which emphasized speed.

To be so fast that the opponent couldn't even reactt! While the primary purpose was speed rather than dealing damage, it still managed break his opponent's leg.

The Wind Elephant Fist consisted of four ultimate moves. Gale Stage: Severing Flow (hand blade), Wind Owl (ultra-fast swinging punch), Elephant Herd Stage: Elephant's Roar (straight punch), and Wind Elephant Torrent (swinging punch).

These four represented the pinnacle of the four basic techniques of Wind Elephant combat. One had to be at the pugilist level in order to master and use them however they wanted.

Cassius had already mastered the two moves of the Gale stage and was now learning the Elephant Herd stage. As expected, the two ultimate moves did not disappoint. The speed and power of Severing Flow's explosive hand blade were astonishing. If he combined that with the Azure Wind Flow and the explosive power from accelerating his blood flow, one hand blade could potentially split a person in half!

Cassius’s next opponent came from a small sect again but this opponent was much weaker and lasted only one move. While he waited, Cassius realized he had fought a total of four battles in the arena. Only two opponents remained.

After sitting for less than three minutes, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance. Cold smile on his face, Cassius immediately stood up, a strong and domineering aura expanding outward.

Black Crane Sect’s fifth core disciple, Guro.

They truly lived in a small world...

"

Heh

..." At the entrance, the tall and thin Guro also sneered when he saw Cassius. He made a slicing motion across his throat, seemingly in response to the morning's gesture.

Cassius felt inexplicably excited. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, his palms sweaty. When was the last time he felt like this? When the Duststorm assassins ambushed him in the real world?

At that time, Cassius, who had believed that he had been acting under the Shadow Demon's influence, had killed all the enemies. What would be Guro's fate?

The referee announced that the match could begin.

"Group B, Number Thirteen and Number One. Wind Elephant Sect! Black Crane Sect!"

As soon as the sect names were mentioned, the surrounding spectators started to buzz with excitement. A fight between the core disciples of two major sects in Beiliu County obviously drew quite a lot of attention and interest. Three more people squeezed in from outside amidst the chatter.