Chapter 12: Reversing the Order
The thick smoke slowly dissipated, revealing Zhang Qiang's wretched figure.
The hair on his body had been cut into uneven lengths by the Tempest Kick air blades.
His originally sleek, spotted fur was now dull and lusterless; blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his entire body trembled slightly.
"Iron... Iron Body... was actually broken?" Zhang Qiang's voice trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He broke my Iron Body after I transformed into a beast?!
The surrounding students completely exploded into an uproar.
"My god! Zhang Qiang's Iron Body was actually beaten like that?"
"That was an Iron Body boosted by a Zoan Fruit!"
"What was that move Chen Yu just used?
Tempest Kick: Lotus? That's too terrifying!"
"Who was the one saying Chen Yu was just pretending earlier?"
Everyone's eyes looking at Chen Yu changed—awe, shock, disbelief... various emotions interwoven together.
Lin Mo froze in place.
"He..." His Adam's apple bobbed. His mechanical prosthetic clenched tight, making a creaking sound.
He stared fixedly at Chen Yu's figure, his pupils slightly dilated. The previous dismissal had long since vanished, leaving only overwhelming disbelief.
"This... this is impossible..." He murmured subconsciously, his voice carrying a tremor he didn't even notice himself.
Integration of the Six Styles?
He had studied them for decades but was still missing that final step. He had almost believed it was just a theoretical realm, yet this student actually...
Suddenly, Lin Mo seemed to be jolted awake by something and walked forward quickly.
The look in his eyes as he regarded Chen Yu had changed completely. The scrutiny and contempt from before disappeared without a trace, replaced only by deep reverence and a trace of urgent desire.
In his excitement, he even forgot to control his strength while walking, his mechanical prosthetic stomping on the ground with dull thuds.
"Student Chen Yu... no, Teacher Chen!"
Lin Mo took a deep breath and actually bowed slightly, lowering his posture extremely low. "Just now, I had no eyes; I judged you wrongly!"
His voice, carrying uncontrollable excitement, echoed through the silent venue: "Your understanding of the Six Styles is more than just far exceeding expectations... it is simply a realm that I can only look up to but never reach!"
As soon as these words came out, the entire venue fell dead silent.
All the students looked as if someone had pressed the pause button on them. Their mouths hung slightly open, staring sluggishly at Lin Mo.
Is this the strict Lin Mo who always carried the dignity of a teacher?
The Lin Mo who just moments ago felt Chen Yu was too arrogant and needed to be taken down a peg?
Not only did he change the address from "Student" to "Teacher," but he also actively admitted his mistake and lowered his posture so much?
This transformation was so fast it felt like a hallucination, leaving everyone's minds blank. Some even subconsciously rubbed their eyes, suspecting they were seeing things.
"I am ashamed to say..." Lin Mo didn't care about the gazes around him. He maintained his forward-leaning posture, his tone sincere to the point of humility.
"I have studied the Six Styles for decades, stuck at a bottleneck for many years, always one step away from that realm of integration."
"But you... you have already walked ahead of me."
He raised his head, his eyes full of earnestness: "I implore you to have a sparring match with me. Even if it is just to point out a thing or two, to point out where I am lacking... I would be endlessly grateful!"
His attitude was so earnest, his tone so sincere, that someone who didn't know better would think Chen Yu was the teacher.
These words were like thunder on flat ground, shocking everyone back to their senses.
"Did I hear that right? Teacher Lin is begging Chen Yu for guidance?"
"This... this is too subversive! Just now Teacher Lin thought Chen Yu couldn't beat Zhang Qiang!"
"Heavens, Teacher Lin actually used the word 'implore' with Chen Yu..."
"What is happening? Teacher Lin, why are you so unfamiliar?"
Whispers started up again, but gone were the mockery and doubt from before, leaving only pure shock and confusion.
In their eyes, Lin Mo represented the authority of a teacher. For him to be so humble toward a student was even more unbelievable to them than Chen Yu defeating Zhang Qiang.
Lin Mo seemed to remember something just then and hurriedly added, "Apologies, I was too impatient and forgot the remuneration..."
He paused, his tone becoming even more solemn. "As long as you are willing to act, I am willing to gift a bottle of Mid-tier Spirit Elixir!"
"Although this isn't extremely expensive, it is the best thing I can take out."
Before he finished speaking, there was another sharp intake of breath from the surroundings.
Mid-tier Spirit Elixir!
Awakened Ones could take medicine in addition to training their abilities to improve their cultivation realm. And the Mid-tier Spirit Elixir was a common type of this medicine.
Even so, the market price had been hyped up to nearly a million yuan per bottle.
That was a resource even many Mid-tier Awakened Ones couldn't bear to use lightly.
Lin Mo actually brought it out just for a sparring match?
The way everyone looked at Chen Yu changed completely. There was awe, curiosity, and a trace of inexplicable complexity.
Chen Yu raised his eyebrows, his heart stirring.
Lin Mo's strength was definitely much greater than Zhang Qiang's.
Fighting him would be perfect for grinding proficiency in the Six Styles.
If he could level up to max, obtaining Life Return would be even better.
"Alright," Chen Yu agreed readily. "Then, Teacher Lin, please enlighten me."
"Is he crazy? Chen Yu actually agreed?"
"That's a teacher! It's said he trained the Six Styles to great success long ago. That mechanical prosthetic can pierce through steel plates using Finger Pistol!"
"It's one thing for Chen Yu to beat Zhang Qiang, but fighting Teacher Lin? He definitely can't win!"
"I think it would be good if Chen Yu can last ten moves under Teacher Lin."
The classmates discussed spiritedly; almost no one favored Chen Yu. In their view, defeating Zhang Qiang was Chen Yu's limit; compared to Lin Mo, he was still far behind.
The corner of Lin Mo's mouth curled into a smile. "Thank you! Let's move to a more spacious place."
Saying so, he took the lead and walked toward the clearing in the center of the training ground. The space there was larger, and the protective barriers were sturdier.
Chen Yu followed closely behind.
Lin Mo loosened his neck. The metallic sheen on his mechanical prosthetic flickered with dangerous light under the lamps.
"Please do not hold back," Lin Mo said in a low voice.
"Come," Chen Yu looked calm, but in reality, he had already spread his Observation Haki out.
Facing Lin Mo, Chen Yu dared not be careless.
"Then I won't be polite!"
Before Lin Mo's voice had faded, his figure suddenly vanished—it was Shave!
His speed was more than a tier faster than Zhang Qiang's, leaving almost only an afterimage.
Instantly appearing in front of Chen Yu, the mechanical prosthetic turned into a black shadow, carrying a fierce gust of wind straight for Chen Yu's face.
"Finger Pistol: Steel!"
Lin Mo's Finger Pistol was not only faster but shockingly powerful, accompanied by the unique wind-breaking sound of the mechanical limb.
Chen Yu's gaze narrowed. Tapping his foot lightly, his body drifted backward like a willow catkin. Simultaneously twisting his waist, he avoided this tricky finger strike.
"Paper Art: Flow!"
Chen Yu's Paper Art was even more exquisite than before. It was as if he had merged with the surrounding air, always able to dodge Lin Mo's attacks by a hair's breadth.
"Oh?! Impressive!" A trace of surprise flashed in Lin Mo's eyes, but his offensive became even more violent.
He used the Six Styles with consummate perfection. Shave, Finger Pistol, Tempest Kick, Iron Body, Paper Art, and Moonwalk were displayed in rotation.
Combined with the advantage of his mechanical prosthetic, he completely enveloped Chen Yu within his attack range.
"Such fast speed!"
"Teacher Lin's Six Styles are indeed powerful!"
"Chen Yu seems like he can only dodge!"
The students watched with trembling hearts.
However, just when everyone thought Chen Yu was about to be defeated, he moved.
Chen Yu exerted force suddenly under his feet. His figure accelerated instantly, weaving freely through the gaps in Lin Mo's attacks.
"Shave: Chain!"
Continuous Shaves were executed. Chen Yu's figure became blurred, leaving behind trails of afterimages.
Immediately after, Chen Yu's fingers condensed a sharp qi force. It wasn't a straight stab, but bent at a bizarre angle, bypassing Lin Mo's defense to stab toward his ribs.
"Finger Pistol: Curve!"
Lin Mo's pupils shrank. He hurriedly activated Iron Body while blocking with his mechanical prosthetic.
Ding!
With a crisp sound, Chen Yu's Finger Pistol stabbed onto the mechanical prosthetic, actually leaving a shallow indentation.
"What move is this? Finger Pistol can be used like this?"
"That's incredible!"
The students were shocked once again.
Lin Mo was also full of surprise. "You can actually improve Finger Pistol to this degree?"
He stopped testing. Several sharp blades suddenly popped out of his mechanical prosthetic.
Combining Tempest Kick with the blades of the mechanical limb, he swung out even fiercer slashing attacks.
"Tempest Kick: Rending Blade!"
Chen Yu was unhurried. "Moonwalk: Empty Cicada." executing Moonwalk under his feet, his figure leaped lightly in the air. While dodging the slashes, his hands moved rapidly.
"Flying Finger Pistol: Rain!"
Several Finger Pistol qi blasts shot toward Lin Mo like raindrops, sealing off all his escape routes.
Lin Mo was forced to activate Iron Body to take the hit hard.
Although he blocked the Finger Pistols, he was shaken back a few steps.
"It's not over yet!" Chen Yu gave a low shout. His figure began to rotate in the air, his legs swinging like a windmill.
"Tempest Kick: Whirlwind!"
Countless Tempest Kick air blades formed a massive whirlwind, enveloping Lin Mo within it.
"Hah!" Lin Mo's eyes sharpened. He protected his chest with the mechanical prosthetic while tightening every muscle in his body.
"Iron Body: Steel!"
Lin Mo's Iron Body was far stronger than Zhang Qiang's; he forcibly held on inside the whirlwind.
But just then, Chen Yu's figure suddenly appeared directly above Lin Mo. Clasping his hands together, a terrifying qi force condensed in his palms.
"Watch closely!"
"This is..." Lin Mo's face changed drastically, sensing an unprecedented pressure.
(To be Continued )