7: Chapter 7 Second Life, First Glimpse into Martial Arts (Part 6)

If not for the referees on the stage intervening, there would likely have been fatalities long ago.

Instructor Wang Zhong said coldly from the side, "Did you see that? This is the martial arts of a chaotic world."

There is no such thing as stopping at a touch; there is only life and death, victory and defeat.

It is like this even on the arena stage; once you enter the mountains and the Heisong Hunting Ground, if you do not kill him, he will kill you, steal your prey, and occupy your territory."

Lin Shi's heart sank slightly, and he nodded heavily.

He finally understood that the fist he had been training day and night was a technique for killing.

It was a survival skill in a chaotic world, never just some flashy routine for strengthening the body.

This joint martial arts competition between the three halls was established to delineate the territory for the Heisong Hunting Ground for the coming year.

The Heisong Hunting Ground is located deep in the mountains outside the town and contains relatively abundant low-level exotic beasts and body-tempering herbs; it is an important resource site for the town's martial arts halls to obtain cultivation resources.

The three parties had long since agreed: the winner of the martial arts competition would exclusively occupy fifty percent of the hunting ground's area, the second place would take thirty percent, and the last place would only get twenty percent.

Soon, it was time for the crucial match between the Houshan Martial Arts Hall and the Liegu Martial Arts Hall.

In this match, as long as the Houshan Martial Arts Hall won, they could securely take first place and secure fifty percent of the hunting ground's territory.

If they lost, they would have to settle for second place and only have thirty percent of the territory; this was a difference of nearly double.

The Houshan Martial Arts Hall sent out its strongest main disciple, Zhang Lan, who was at the peak of the Tree Bark Realm.

But just moments before he was to take the stage, a muffled sound and a cry of pain suddenly came from backstage.

An instructor's expression changed drastically as he rushed over, only to see Zhang Lan collapsed at the bottom of the steps, his right ankle and left knee swollen like steamed buns, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Let alone taking the stage to compete, he couldn't even stand up.

There was a pool of slippery waste oil left on the steps; anyone with a discerning eye could see that someone had deliberately played a dirty trick.

The people from the Liegu Martial Arts Hall had long been blocking the backstage entrance, and at this moment, they burst into loud laughter, jeering repeatedly, "What? Are the people from the Houshan Martial Arts Hall so fragile that they can't even take a fall?"

"Or did you know you couldn't win and deliberately found an excuse to fake an injury?"

"I think you should just kneel and admit defeat; save yourselves from having another one crippled later, so you won't even be able to catch a rabbit when you go into the mountains!"

Hall Master Zhou Yue, who was in the main seat, had his expression darken instantly.

The audience below the stage also erupted into an uproar, with discussions rising and falling.

Several of the Houshan Martial Arts Hall's main disciples had either already finished three matches and were so exhausted of energy and blood that they couldn't even stand steadily.

Or they had been severely injured in the previous matches, and there was simply no one who could take their place.

The team-leading instructor was anxious and covered in sweat, having no choice but to turn back and look at the two reserves.

The other one was already pale with fear, backing away repeatedly and shaking his head like a rattle-drum.

He knew the ruthlessness of the Liegu Martial Arts Hall; going up there wasn't competing, it was courting death.

In an instant, everyone's gaze fell upon Lin Shi, who was at the very end of the line.

Wang Zhong looked at him, his eyes filled with both worry and expectation, and said in a deep voice, "Lin Shi, can you go up?"

Lin Shi's heart skipped a beat, and he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

He knew the gap; his own aptitude was mediocre, and it had taken him two full years to break through to the Tree Bark Realm, and he had only been practicing martial arts for two and a half years.

And the one from the Liegu Martial Arts Hall who was about to take the stage was the main disciple Liu Meng.

With strength at the peak of the Tree Bark Realm and ruthless attacks, he had already won two consecutive matches, and his opponents were all severely injured.

And in this last crucial match, going up would, at the very least, result in a severe injury, and it was even possible to lose one's life on the arena stage.

However, it was not without a chance.

The experience from his two lifetimes allowed him to still think calmly now.

Liu Meng had already fought two consecutive matches, and his opponents were both main disciples of the same realm; no matter how strong his ability was, his state at this moment had declined significantly.

This was also the reason why they had to play dirty and take down Senior Brother Zhang Lan; Liu Meng was no longer confident in fighting another person of the same realm.

This was the opportunity.

At worst, losing meant death; at most, he would just restart in the next life.

If he won, perhaps there would be a chance to break through the limitations of his aptitude and see a broader world.

As the saying goes, the bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish!

Lin Shi took a deep breath, suddenly stepped forward, and bowed to Wang Zhong and Hall Master Zhou Yue, who was in the main seat.

His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, "Disciple Lin Shi, I request to fight."

Hall Master Zhou Yue looked at him, a flash of surprise in his eyes, and then nodded heavily, "Good. Remember, if you can't win, immediately call out to admit defeat; saving your life is what matters most."

Lin Shi nodded, turned around, and walked onto the arena stage step by step.

The originally noisy Martial Arts Arena instantly quieted down, and everyone's eyes were pinned on this thin youth, their faces full of disbelief.

Everyone knew that Lin Shi was just a reserve who had only just broken through to the Tree Bark Realm half a year ago.

"It seems the Houshan Martial Arts Hall really has no one left, sending such a wet-behind-the-ears kid up to die."

Liu Meng stood on the opposite side of the arena stage, scanned Lin Shi up and down, his face full of disdain and mockery.

"I advise you to kneel and admit defeat right now, lest I can't hold back my hand later and beat you to death on this arena stage, so you won't even have the chance to go into the mountains to pick up firewood later."

Lin Shi did not speak, but steadily set his Houshan Stance and assumed the starting posture of the Houshan Fist.

His back was straight, his eyes calm as water, and his whole person was like a stone rooted in the earth, unmoved by the wind and rain.

With the referee's command, the match officially began.

Liu Meng sneered, exerted force with his feet, and like a vicious wolf pouncing on its prey, instantly rushed in front of Lin Shi.

His palm formed a claw, carrying a powerful wind that tore through the air, heading straight for Lin Shi's vital heart area.

The moment he attacked, it was a killing move of the Liegu Palm, leaving absolutely no room for mercy.

Zhao Hu below the stage instantly turned red-eyed and roared, "Senior Brother Lin! Be careful!"

Lin Shi, however, did not panic; he knew the gap between himself and Liu Meng, whether it was the thickness of his energy and blood or the strength of his muscles and bones, they were far apart.

Fighting head-on would only lead to death.

To win, he could only drag it out, drag it until his stamina was exhausted, and drag it until he revealed a flaw.

Under his feet, he stepped with the stance and footwork that he had practiced for two and a half years and had long since been carved into his bones, his body slightly sideways, narrowly avoiding this fatal claw.

At the same time, he held his arm horizontally, using the "Horizontal Block" style of the Houshan Fist to precisely dissipate the remaining force of the opponent's sweep.

Liu Meng's claw missed, and he was stunned for a moment, then his expression became even more ferocious.

He did not expect that he would actually have his killing move dodged by a kid who had just entered the Tree Bark Realm, so his offensive became even fiercer, with one Liegu Palm move after another.

The palm wind whistled, each move never leaving Lin Shi's vital points, and he was like a crazed beast, wanting to tear the ant in front of him to shreds.

But Lin Shi was like an old tree in a storm, watching its branches and leaves sway, yet its roots remained unmoved.

He only defended and did not attack, relying on his extremely solid stance and precise control of every move of the Houshan Fist to forcefully withstand Liu Meng's round after round of fierce attacks.

But the gap in realm was, after all, solid and real.

No matter how tight the defense was, there were always moments when it couldn't keep up with the offensive.

Soon, Lin Shi was covered in wounds, his arms were swollen and red, and blood dripped down his forearms.

It hurt so much that he grimaced, and he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

There were several times when he couldn't dissipate the force in time and had to take the opponent's killing move head-on, which shook his chest and caused blood to spill from the corners of his mouth.

But his footsteps had never been disrupted by even a fraction.

Even though he was trembling with pain, his center of gravity remained as steady as Mount Tai.

The audience below the stage, from the initial jeers, gradually turned into dead silence.

No one expected that this reserve, who everyone thought was going to his death, could hold out under Liu Meng for so long.

Soon, the battle ushered in a turning point.

Liu Meng had been attacking for a long time without success; not only was his own energy and blood consumption huge, but his mentality also had problems.

His breathing was becoming more and more chaotic, and his face was full of ferocity and anxiety.