Xie Fuyao gently raised a finger and pointed at Fang Jie. This seemingly simple gesture instantly changed Fang Jie's expression. Because the moment Xie Fuyao's finger extended, the image of another person suddenly flashed into Fang Jie's mind. Someone terrifying enough to be someone others dreamed of, with the same refined and elegant demeanor.
That Buddhist sect member.
Although Fang Jie had never directly fought Chen Ya, he could imagine how terrifying Chen Ya was from Mu Xiaoyao and the others' descriptions. One finger pierced Chen Qingshan's fine steel longsword and nearly sent Da Quan to his death. He could easily escape from Luo Weiran, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and evade the encirclement of numerous experts from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice.
That person, too, used only one finger.
Therefore, when Xie Fuyao extended her finger, his vigilance instantly reached its peak. After shouting "Retreat!", he swiftly retreated, but... even with his heightened vigilance, he hadn't expected Xie Fuyao's cultivation to have reached such a shocking level.
With a single finger, Fang Jie retreated hastily.
But his comrades beside him didn't have time to react. Almost instantly, two border soldiers beside Fang Jie simultaneously groaned and collapsed limply to the ground. No visible injuries were visible, but their eyes were closed, and their bodies twitched slightly; they appeared to be enduring unimaginable pain.
Xie Fuyao's left index finger slowly moved, pointing at Fang Jie again. Fang Jie's eyes sharpened, and he abruptly lowered himself, a burst of energy flying past the back of his head. A painful groan came from behind Fang Jie; clearly, someone else had been struck by Xie Fuyao's finger technique and rendered incapacitated.
"Move together! Split up!"
Zhang Kuang shouted behind Fang Jie, then crouched low and charged forward. The remaining eight or nine soldiers hesitated slightly before following him forward, spreading out as much as possible and avoiding a straight line while running. Constantly changing positions and directions, the eight or nine men formed a fan shape, encircling Xie Fuyao.
Xie Fuyao's lips curled slightly as he extended the middle finger of his left hand.
"I have four finger techniques, named after the four seasons," Xie Fuyao said calmly, extending his left middle finger. "Extend two fingers, use the Spring Technique, like a gentle spring breeze, subduing the enemy without harming them. Be careful."
His two fingers were outstretched, showing no visible movement. But as Xie Fuyao said, his Spring Finger Technique was like a spring breeze; who could escape it?
A series of muffled groans rang out. Three soldiers who were charging forward suddenly stiffened, losing their balance and falling heavily to the ground. Their bodies seemed to have suddenly become rigid, like wooden sticks, falling straight down without even having time to make a defensive move. Some men's faces slammed directly onto the hard surface of the official road, blood immediately gushing from their mouths and noses.
Xie Fuyao's gaze remained calm, his eyes fixed on the young border soldier who had astonished everyone the previous day. His gaze never left the young man's body. He didn't even glance at the soldiers he had knocked down.
His attack was breathtaking.
The four martial arts academy professors standing on the city wall almost simultaneously changed their expressions slightly. The oldest among them was Yan Qing, who had greeted guests at the academy's entrance the previous day. Standing to his left was a tall, thin professor who appeared to be around forty years old. When he saw Xie Fuyao's move, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but sigh softly, "This is the Four Symbols Finger of Wudang Mountain."
Yan Qing nodded and said, "One of the three ultimate techniques of the Sanqing Temple of Wudang Mountain: Tai Chi Fist, Yin-Yang Sword, and Four Symbols Finger. This Xie Fuyao is Zhang Zhenren's disciple, so it's not particularly remarkable that he can master the Four Symbols Finger. But... at his age, to be able to unleash such power with the Four Symbols Finger is truly extraordinary. Mo Wuwan, how does this Four Symbols Finger compare to your Moxi Garden's Awakening Finger?"
The tall, slender professor came from the prestigious Moxi Garden, and his signature technique was the Moxi Garden's secret Awakening Finger.
"When I was young, I was arrogant and ignorant. Knowing that Wudang Mountain had a finger technique hailed as unparalleled in the world, I was filled with resentment."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "After leaving Moxi Garden, relying on my limited skill in the Awakening Finger, I became extremely arrogant, believing that no martial art in the world could compare to it, let alone the unparalleled praise of the Four Symbols Finger. So I went to Wudang alone, shamelessly challenging Master Zhang. The result… Master Zhang didn't ignore me because I was a junior in the martial world; he sent his sixteen-year-old third disciple to fight in my place. I challenged with the Awakening Finger, and he countered with the Four Symbols Finger."
Mo Wanwu's lips twitched, clearly still shaken by that battle. "I was defeated in just three moves, realizing the truth of the saying 'there are always people stronger than you, and heavens beyond heavens.'"
"But!"
He looked at Xie Fuyao and said, "I don't believe that the Four Symbols Finger of Wudang Mountain is truly stronger than my Moxi Garden's Awakening Finger. It's just that my cultivation level was too low. The difference in cultivation level has little to do with the technique itself; it was my own ignorance back then, not that the technique was inferior to Wudang Mountain's. This Xie Fuyao already possesses three-tenths of the cultivation level of the person who defeated me back then. None of these people are his match. Even if those dozen or so soldiers attacked together, they might not be able to win."
"Not necessarily."
Yan Qing smiled and said, "They definitely can't win."
Just then, another change occurred on the official road below! Mo Wanwu's expression changed, and he couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "How can he be so arrogant? Even if his cultivation is not bad, he shouldn't be so disdainful of everyone!"
...
...
Seeing that Fang Jie and his dozen or so border soldiers were taken down by Xie Fuyao in just a minute or two, with four or five of them knocked to the ground, Cui Pingzhou couldn't help but be startled, but quickly smiled, "Let's go. Those military-trained examinees are being entangled with troublesome guys, which saves us the trouble. We can easily deal with a few of them once we get to the training ground; that'll count as having fought."
Pei Chuxing, who was standing beside him, looking at Xie Fuyao somewhat absentmindedly, shook his head and said, "You go first, I want to watch a little longer."
Cui Pingzhou smiled helplessly and called himself a martial arts fanatic. He then stepped forward, first clasping his hands in a fist salute to Xie Fuyao, who was standing in the center of the gate, saying "Excuse me," and then about to walk around her. But Xie Fuyao shook his head slightly and then extended his left ring finger.
In an instant, a sharp burst of energy rushed towards them.
Startled, Cui Pingzhou dodged the powerful internal force that swept towards him like a spring breeze. Before he could even ask Xie Fuyao why she had attacked him, the internal force he had previously dodged seemed to come alive, circling behind him and attacking again.
"Arrogance!"
Cui Pingzhou cursed, pushing forward with his palm. Internal force from his dantian surged into his left arm, erupting forth and colliding fiercely with the finger force. He had initially thought Xie Fuyao's distracted attack was sudden and weak, but the moment their internal forces made contact, he knew he was wrong. The finger force possessed a spinning quality, like a shooting arrow, frantically drilling into his internal force defenses.
His own palm strike was finding it increasingly difficult to block.
"What a strange finger technique!"
Cui Pingzhou exclaimed softly, withdrawing his force and dodging again. The finger strike, however, was incredibly agile, circling before attacking him again. Cui Pingzhou frowned, shifting his feet and falling sideways, only to swing back just before hitting the ground, dodging the strike like a roly-poly toy.
Just as he dodged, Lu Fan from Chenzhou, seizing the opportunity, sneered. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he thrust forward with a powerful leap. Just as he was about to pass Xie Fuyao, a sharp finger strike slammed into his lower abdomen.
Lu Fan, still in his forward momentum, crashed to the ground, blood spurting from his nose upon impact.
But this wasn't what terrified him. What horrified him was that the finger strike swiftly penetrated his dantian, sealing it completely. Almost simultaneously, all his acupoints were also sealed, leaving him utterly powerless.
That finger force was like a lock, firmly trapping his Qi Sea!
As he fell, the six or seven people who had been scattered by Fang Jie and his group exchanged glances, then simultaneously exerted their strength. The six or seven of them ran forward, weaving in and out of position, like six or seven fish chasing each other, swiftly swimming towards the gate.
Xie Fuyao temporarily shifted her gaze from the constantly dodging Fang Jie, looked at the six or seven people rushing towards her, and slowly extended her left pinky finger. As soon as it extended, the two people at the front immediately groaned and collapsed. Like Lu Fan, their Qi Sea and acupoints were sealed, leaving them unable to muster any strength.
Moreover, this finger force was extremely agile, quickly moving on to the next person after sealing one. It was like a series of swift and invisible snakes, coiling and attacking in mid-air.
"This person's cultivation level."
Yan Qing sighed, watching the fierce battle below. "Among the candidates of this Martial Arts Academy, I'm afraid no one can rival him. At such a young age, he has already advanced to the seventh rank. If he were to go all out, even you and I would likely have a headache. Such strange finger techniques are impossible to defend against."
Mo Wanwu smiled and said, "Brother Yan is too kind in his praise. Although this young man's cultivation is not bad, he's far from being someone you and I would find troublesome. However, speaking of which, when I was his age, with my Awakening Finger technique at that time, I don't think I would necessarily be his match."
Yan Qing hummed in agreement, remaining silent.
Because he noticed that Xie Fuyao showed no sign of stopping. He had already extended four fingers of his left hand, blocking at least twenty candidates from entering. But he seemed unsatisfied with this achievement, slowly extending his left thumb to entangle the remaining dozen or so in the first group.
"One against thirty."
Mo Wanwu sighed, "Looking at his gentle appearance and refined speech, I never imagined he was a madman."
Just as he finished speaking, Xie Fuyao suddenly turned her head slowly towards the city wall: "Just now, you said that the Four Symbols Finger doesn't deserve the title of 'Unrivaled Under Heaven,' and I agree. Martial arts are vast and profound; how can one dominate the martial world with just one finger technique? Therefore, I've always wanted to know where the Four Symbols Finger's weakness lies. And to find the weakness of one's own martial arts, one must fight. May I ask, sir, is it permissible to challenge anyone during today's assessment?"
"Yes."
Mo Wanwu answered subconsciously. "Very well, please enlighten me, sir."
Xie Fuyao finished speaking calmly, then raised her right hand, pointing her index finger at Mo Wanwu: "Xia Fa, Finger Like Thunder."
With a soft thud, like a tiny bolt of lightning suddenly appearing in mid-air, it arrived before Mo Wanwu in a flash. The finger force was truly as swift and sharp as lightning. The force was almost tangible, faintly shimmering with an electric glow.
"Arrogant!"
Mo Wanwu coldly snorted, raising his hand and flicking it, meeting the attack with a wisp of finger force. The two finger forces clashed, and the surrounding air rippled! Mo Wanwu's expression changed, and his finger technique shifted rapidly: "I never imagined the Four Symbols Finger could have such variations. It seems the one who defeated me back then held back!"
"The one who taught me this finger technique on behalf of my master was none other than my third senior brother who defeated you back then."
Xie Fuyao said calmly, then looked at Pei Chuxing, whose eyes were growing increasingly bright, and said, "Since you're itching to fight, why not make a move?"
Right hand, middle finger.
Pointing directly at Pei Chuxing!
"Since we're going to fight, let's see how much of my senior brother's cultivation I've learned. Let the world see if the Wudang Mountain's unique skills are truly as they claim."
The young master of the Xie family, with his arms outstretched, resembled a Kunpeng soaring ninety thousand miles into the sky, his eyes calm yet carrying an air of arrogant disdain for the world.