The dust slowly settled, but the spot was empty.
The clamor below the stage vanished instantly, only to be replaced by an even louder uproar.
"Where is he?"
"Where did Ian go?"
"It's impossible that he was scattered by Xiao Xiao's Snot-Gas, right?"
The power of that blow was clear to everyone; even from a distance, they could feel the soul-shaking force of the impact.
Xiao Xiao and Huang Ming stood their ground, scanning the empty arena with solemn expressions. Qi circulated across the surface of their bodies, their alertness pushed to the absolute limit.
Just then, a lazy voice rang out from behind them.
"Are you looking for me?"
Xiao Xiao and Huang Ming froze simultaneously before spinning around violently.
Ian had appeared behind them at some unknown point, not far away. He still had his hands in his pockets, looking at them with a playful smile.
Xiao Xiao's face instantly locked up, a mix of terror and rage washing over him. Almost instinctively, he surged his Qi once more. The invisible force condensed in his nose and mouth again, and he fired it without hesitation at the Ian who stood within arm's reach!
This time, the distance was shorter and the power greater. He didn't believe Ian could dodge again.
Ian indeed made no move to dodge. He casually extended his right hand forward and made a grasping motion in the void.
Weng—
The air vibrated as a massive, golden-glowing tennis racket appeared out of thin air in his hand. The racket's design was exaggerated, its surface shimmering with rune-like lusters, looking completely out of place in the ancient, rustic Taoist environment.
Facing the Snot-Gas fired by Xiao Xiao, Ian lightly swung his arm as if hitting a high fly ball. The massive golden racket met the Snot-Gas projectile with pinpoint precision.
"Xingyi: Tennis Racket!"
Ian called out the move's name, his voice carrying clearly across the entire grounds.
Bang!
A crisp, muffled sound echoed, much like a ball being struck.
Xiao Xiao's Snot-Gas was actually smacked back by that golden racket! Furthermore, the speed at which it rebounded was faster and more ferocious than when it arrived!
The audience below was completely dumbfounded.
How did he manifest that racket? And using a racket to hit back Snot-Gas? What kind of play is this?
Upon the high platform, Old Taoist Master Zhang Zhiwei, who had been resting with his eyes closed, had an eyelid twitch ever so slightly. Even the corner of his mouth seemed to spasm.
'This... this is called Xingyi Quan? Why does it look so much like the way I used the Golden Light Curse in my younger years?'
In the arena, Xiao Xiao's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He wanted to dodge, but the rebounded attack was too fast—far exceeding his reaction limits. He didn't even have time to make a move. He could only watch helplessly as his own attack rushed back at him with even greater velocity.
In his haste, he could only muster his remaining Qi to lay down a layer of defense in front of him.
Boom!!!
The rebounded Snot-Gas slammed hard into Xiao Xiao. At the moment of contact, the force actually triggered a violent explosion! Waves of air tumbled and shockwaves scattered.
Xiao Xiao was directly blown off his feet by the explosive force, flying out of the arena boundaries with a scream. He crashed heavily onto the stone slabs outside, kicking up a cloud of dust as he fell unconscious on the spot.
"Xingyi: Hand Grenade!"
Ian once again announced the move name in a slow, casual tone.
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was stunned by this bizarre fighting style and its outcome. One move. With just one move, Xiao Xiao—famous among the younger generation for his soul attacks—had been defeated in an extremely humiliating fashion.
Just what kind of monster was this Ian? Was what he used really Xingyi Quan?
Only Ian and Huang Ming remained on the field. Ian put away the golden racket and turned his gaze toward Huang Ming, his face still wearing that calm, breezy expression.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Huang Ming's forehead. His expression was solemn to the extreme. He looked at Ian and finally couldn't help but ask.
"Mr. Ian... please forgive my presumption. Is this... truly Xingyi Quan? Why is it so vastly different from the Xingyi Quan I know?"
His voice carried a hint of a tremor, a mix of awe for Ian's strength and the total subversion of his own martial arts knowledge.
Hearing this, Ian let out a light chuckle.
"Heh. Is Kung Fu really such an inconvenient thing? If everyone followed the old ways and everyone ended up looking the same, where would the innovation be? All paths lead to the same destination, that's all."
His words were flat, yet they seemed to contain a profound truth that left Huang Ming speechless for a moment.
Huang Ming took a deep breath and bowed to Ian with his hands joined.
"Mr. Ian, your cultivation is deep and your insights are unique. I am impressed. My meager skills are likely just 'teaching fish to swim' in front of you, a mere invitation for humiliation."
He paused, his eyes turning resolute.
"It seems I have no choice but to bring out my hidden trump card. Otherwise, if I'm eliminated just like this, my master will surely scold me when I return."
As soon as he finished speaking, the aura on Huang Ming's body shifted abruptly. Then, a slightly translucent but exceptionally solid figure slowly rose from the Baihui point on the crown of his head. This figure looked identical to Huang Ming, wearing the same blue-white Taoist robe, but its entire body emitted a faint, clear light. It was his Yang Spirit.
The Yang Spirit floated into the air. As its eyes opened and closed, a divine light shone brilliantly, looking down at Ian from above.
"Mr. Ian, please be careful. This technique of mine does not harm the physical body; it focuses solely on the soul."
The Yang Spirit's voice seemed to ring directly in Ian's heart, possessing a non-physical piercing quality.
Below the stage, Feng Baobao tilted her head at the sight and curiously asked Xu San.
"San-er, why did that guy's soul pop out?"
Xu San pushed up his glasses and explained with a serious face.
"Baobao, that is a high-level Neidan technique of the Quanzhen sect—Yang Spirit Projection. Once practiced to a high realm, the soul can temporarily leave the body to act independently, even possessing powerful offensive capabilities. The cultivators of the Quanzhen sect don't just have physical bodies tempered to near-perfection through pills and techniques; their souls are tempered a thousand times over, possessing unimaginable toughness and power. Huang Ming's Yang Spirit attack is no small matter. It's extremely dangerous!"
Just as the crowd was marveling at Huang Ming's Yang Spirit Projection, Ian made a new move. He looked up at Huang Ming's Yang Spirit floating in mid-air, a look of interest appearing on his face.
"Oh? A soul attack? Interesting. Then witness my Xingyi Heroic Spirit Punch!"
As his words fell, an anomaly began to manifest behind him as well. Golden points of light began to converge, and the air rippled. A golden screen of light appeared behind him.
Then, a stubbornly upright golden cowlick appeared from within it. Following that, a soft-lined yet resolute and cute face was revealed. Then came a set of blue-and-white power armor covering the whole body, radiating a high-tech feel! Finally, a chainsword glowing with golden light and featuring high-speed rotating teeth appeared in the figure's hand!
A Heroic Spirit figure that perfectly fused classical knightly style, cowlick moe attributes, and cold, cruel future tech armor appeared abruptly before everyone.
It was the Ultramarines Legion Commander—the Saber Queen, Artoria Pendragon!