99: Chapter 99 Live Sparring Match: Xingyi Quan vs. Bajiquan

Part 1: The Legacy Invitation from the Baji Sect

The morning mist in the Xingyi Sect branch had not yet dispersed when the Five Elements totem on the martial arts arena suddenly began to emit a pale black Qi Energy. Three upright figures walked over the bluestone slabs. The leader, an old man, wore a dark blue Baji Fist training uniform. Tied around his waist was a black iron plaque engraved with the characters "Baji," and in his right hand, he held a four-foot-long "Baji Spear." The cold glint of the spear tip intertwined with the morning mist, casting a sharp shadow on the ground—this was Elder Zhao Lie of the Baji Sect, a martial arts master once known alongside Chen Wus Great-grandfather as the "Northern and Southern Extremes."

"Kid Chen, I heard you've fused Xingyi Fist and Yijin Energy to create something new," Zhao Lie's voice carried a fierce ripple of Qi Energy. He tapped his Baji Spear lightly in the center of the arena, and a pale black Qi Energy drew the character "Extreme" next to the Five Elements totem. "I've practiced Baji Fist for sixty years, and I've never seen a junior capable of making Li Xuantong admit defeat. Today, we shall spar in front of a global audience—Xingyi versus Baji. Let's show everyone which style is harder!" His palm suddenly pressed against the bluestone at the edge of the arena, and the pale black Qi Energy spread from his palm, instantly splitting the bluestone into three fine lines—this was the mark of the Baji Fist "Mountain-Leaning Strike."

Lin Mo's tactical tablet instantly popped up a System notification: "Triggered Main Quest 'Double Extreme Sparring'—Spar with Elder Zhao Lie and demonstrate the possibility of fusing Baji Fist and Xingyi Fist. Quest Reward: 1.2 million Legacy points + complete 'Baji Collapse' diagram, unlocks the right to crack the underground palace 'Extreme Array'." The youth's fingertips flew across the virtual keyboard, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the touchpad. "The live stream viewer count just broke 26 billion! The Baji Sect fans are spamming 'Baji is hard, Xingyi is soft; soft cannot overcome hard,' and it's filling the screen. The Xingyi Sect fans aren't backing down either; the 'Five Elements change, Yijin turns, firm can transform soft' comments are catching up!" The tablet suddenly displayed Zhao Lie's profile: He once used "Fierce Tiger Hard Mountain Climbing" to break the Qijue Sect's "Snake Form Array," and he is adept at compressing the hard power of Baji Fist to the limit; one punch can shatter a half-meter-thick steel plate.

Grandpa Wang's long-stemmed pipe tapped out a dull thud on the edge of the arena. The old man pulled out the "Double Extreme Chronicles" left behind by his grandfather. Tucked into the yellowed pages was a black-and-white photo from 1958—Chen Wus Great-grandfather dueling Zhao Lie during a Tomb Guardian competition. The former used "Baji Collapse" to receive the latter's "Mountain-Leaning Strike," and the shockwave from their colliding Qi Energy shattered three old pine trees nearby. "Your great-grandfather sparred with Elder Zhao back then and lost because his 'hard power was too pure'," he said, pointing the pipe bowl at the moment of the clash in the photo. "Baji Fist avoids 'being too hard and prone to breaking,' while Xingyi Fist avoids 'being too soft and prone to entanglement.' You must use the 'firm-soft conversion' of the Five Elements Yijin Energy to break his 'hard hitting and hard advancing'." A bronze Baji Fist imprint suddenly flew out of the camphor wood chest and landed at Chen Wu's feet. Pale black Qi Energy spread along the imprint, drawing a trajectory of "hard power buffering" on the ground.

In the Flower Girl's basket, the leaves of the inheritance grass suddenly turned pale black. Dewdrops rolled across the leaf surface, reflecting the flow of the Qi Energy from Zhao Lie's Baji Spear—the third section of the spear shaft hid a "hard power compression groove," capable of compressing Baji Energy to 1/10th of its original size, increasing its power tenfold upon eruption. This was the Baji Sect's "Town-Sect Spear Technique." The young girl mixed the sap of the thorn flower with tiger bone grass, and when the pale black "hard-breaking dew" dripped onto the leaves, they suddenly bent in the direction of Zhao Lie. "Elder Zhou said this is a 'hard power softener'," she said, her fingertips lightly touching the dew. "It allows you to temporarily reduce its hardness when you come into contact with Baji Energy, just like wrapping steel in a layer of sponge."

The Section Chief of the Special Incident Response Department walked over holding a black wrist guard engraved with the "Crushing Power" patterns of Baji Fist. "This is a 'hard-unloading wrist guard' modified by the Technical Department according to the characteristics of Baji Fist," she said, handing the wrist guard to Chen Wu. "It can absorb 30% of the hard power impact and convert the absorbed energy into Yijin Energy." The tablet showed that Zhang Hao was already practicing "Iron Arm Fist" at the edge of the arena. Although his right arm lacked alloy reinforcement, under the nourishment of the Five Elements Energy, his hard power was purer than before. "Elder Zhao's 'Mountain-Leaning Strike' is extremely powerful. Zhang Hao says he can help you block one, but it's best if you break it yourself; after all, this is a battle of honor between schools."

When Chen Wu's palm pressed onto the bronze Baji Fist imprint, the pale black Baji Energy suddenly resonated with the Yijin Energy. Dark golden light flowed along his fingertips, intertwining with Zhao Lie's Qi Energy in the center of the arena to form a rotating bicolor ball—the slow-motion footage of the global live stream showed that the rotation speed of the bicolor ball was perfectly synchronized with the breathing rhythm of Baji Fist; this was the secret of "firm-soft resonance" that Grandpa Wang mentioned. "Good lad, you have some of your great-grandfather's hard power," Zhao Lie's Baji Spear suddenly pointed at Chen Wu's chest, and the pale black Qi Energy struck like an arrow. "First, receive one Move from me: 'Spear Cleaving Mountains and Rivers'!"

Part 2: The Firm-Soft Probing of Spear Energy Clashes

Zhao Lie's "Spear Cleaving Mountains and Rivers" extended along the Baji Spear, and the pale black Qi Energy condensed into a sharp arrowhead at the tip, thrusting straight toward Chen Wu's chest—the global live stream camera zoomed in, clearly showing the extremely high density of the Qi Energy at the spear tip; the surrounding air was compressed to the point of making a "hissing" sound. This was the effect of "hard power compression." Once struck, the Qi Energy would explode within the body, creating the secondary damage of "Baji Collapse."

"Don't take it head-on! Use the 'Entangling Spear Style' of Xingyi Fist to unload the force!" Li Xuantong's voice reached Chen Wu's ears through the Qi Energy. Chen Wu's "Five Elements Yijin Energy" suddenly transformed into a pale brown stream of light, forming a rotating circle of Qi Energy in front of him. When the spear tip attacked, he neither dodged nor blocked it head-on but instead used the circular Qi Energy to entangle the spear shaft, gently guiding it along the direction of the spear energy—the slow-motion footage showed the pale black hard power being led in an arc by the Qi Energy circle, finally drilling into the ground through a gap in the arena, leaving a fine spear mark on the bluestone. "This is… 'Xingyi Entangling Spear'?" Zhao Lie's pupils suddenly dilated, and he spun the Baji Spear in his hand. "How do you know the martial arts of the Xingyi Sect? Did that old guy Li Xuantong even teach you the 'Entangling Spear Style'?"

Lin Mo's tablet instantly popped up a Qi Energy analysis: "Chen Wu's Entangling Spear Style contains the trajectory of Baji Fist's 'Crushing Power'!" Exclamations exploded in the comments section. For the first time, the pale black comments from Baji Sect fans and the pale brown comments from Xingyi Sect fans overlapped. "So it can be fused like this!" and "Hard power entangles, soft power turns; this is the true Martial Dao!" comments flooded the screen, forming a river of two-colored light in the virtual space. Zhao Lie's Baji Spear suddenly changed Moves, the pale black Qi Energy shifting from the spear tip to the shaft, sweeping horizontally toward Chen Wu's waist—this Move was "Spear Sweeping a Thousand Armies," specifically targeting the flaw of the Entangling Spear Style. As long as Chen Wu continued to use the circular Qi Energy, he would be carried away by the hard power of the spear shaft.

Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly resonated with the bronze Baji Fist imprint. The dark golden Yijin Energy suddenly split into two streams: one continued to entangle the spear shaft, maintaining the force-unloading of the "Entangling Spear Style," while the other transformed into the hard power of "Baji Collapse," drilling in along the gaps of the spear shaft—the slow-motion footage showed that this hard power hit the web between Zhao Lie's thumb and index finger exactly, causing his fingers to tremble slightly, and the Qi Energy on the spear shaft stalled for 0.1 seconds. "This is… 'Crushing Power into Spear'?" Zhao Lie's voice carried surprise. He suddenly retracted the spear, the pale black Qi Energy at the web of his hand slowly dissipating. "Your great-grandfather used this Move to break my spear technique back then. I didn't expect you to know it too!"

The Flower Girl's inheritance grass suddenly emitted a dazzling black light. Dewdrops rolled across the leaf surface, reflecting the weak point of the Qi Energy at the web of Zhao Lie's hand—that was an old injury left from years of spear practice. As long as it was hit by hard power, the Baji Energy would experience a brief disorder. The young girl sprinkled the "hard-breaking dew" into the air, and the pale black light fused with Chen Wu's Yijin Energy, condensing into a miniature Baji Spear model in his palm. "Elder Zhou said this is a 'hard power weakness map'," she said, her fingertips lightly touching the web position on the model. "It allows you to accurately find his old injury, just like installing a weakness detector on the spear shaft!"

When Chen Wu's second stream of Crushing Power attacked the web of Zhao Lie's hand, Zhao Lie suddenly burst into laughter. "Good! Good! Good! I haven't had this much fun in decades!" He suddenly threw away the Baji Spear, clasped his fists together in front of his chest, and the pale black Qi Energy condensed into a spherical shape around his body. "Since you know Baji Fist, let's not use weapons; let's compete purely on fist techniques! Receive my Move: 'Mountain-Leaning Strike'!"

Part 3: Breaking the Situation Under the Mountain-Leaning Strike

Zhao Lie's "Mountain-Leaning Strike" crashed toward Chen Wu, the pale black hard power condensing into a massive character for "Mountain" on his back. Every step his feet took on the bluestone slabs caused the Five Elements totem on the arena to vibrate—the slow-motion footage of the global live stream showed that his hard power density reached a staggering 1,200 kg/cm², which was 20% higher than the fist force of Zhang Hao's alloy arm at his Peak. Even the "Field-Locking Array" at the edge of the arena began to show fine cracks.

"Use the 'Earth Energy Cushion' of the Five Elements Yijin Energy!" Grandpa Wang's voice reached Chen Wu's ears through the Qi Energy.

Chen Wu's "Five Elements Yijin Energy" suddenly sank, and the dark gold Qi Energy resonated with the earth-position yellow wax stone of the martial arts arena, forming a translucent earthy-yellow Qi Energy shield in front of him—when Zhao Lie's "Mountain-Leaning Strike" hit the Qi shield, there was no earth-shattering collision sound; instead, it was like a stone falling into cotton.

The pale black Crushing Power was buffered layer by layer by the Qi shield, and in the end, only 30% of its power remained, gently hitting Chen Wu's chest.

"Is this... 'Earth Energy Transforming Crushing Power'?" Zhao Lie's body suddenly froze, his face revealing an expression of disbelief. "How can the Earth Energy of the Xingyi Fist be this soft? What else did you add?"

Lin Mo's tablet suddenly popped up a System prompt: "Detected Fusion of Baji Energy and Five Elements Energy. Unlocked new ability 'Crushing-Soft Conversion', which can convert Crushing Power into Soft Energy and Soft Energy into Crushing Power."

The live stream donation area was suddenly flooded with golden gifts. Su Chen's "Xuanshui Pavilion Congratulations" and Liang Yue's "Wing Chun Sect Praise" took the top spots. The number of online viewers exceeded 28 billion, and the barrage refresh speed was so fast it created afterimages.

Zhao Lie suddenly stepped back three steps, his fists forming the starting stance of the "Baji Collapse" in front of his chest. Pale black Qi Energy condensed into a rotating vortex on his fists: "Receive this old man's 'Baji Chain Collapse'. This is a killing Move of the Baji Sect. If you can take it, this old man will acknowledge you as half a successor of the Baji Fist!"

Zhao Lie's "Baji Chain Collapse" struck like a rainstorm. The pale black Crushing Power transformed into five fist shadows in mid-air, targeting Chen Wu's head, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and legs respectively.

Each fist shadow carried the effect of "Crushing Power Compression," capable of smashing a bowl-sized hole in the bluestone slab upon impact—Lin Mo's tablet showed that the fist speed of this Move reached 5 punches per second. Ordinary Martial Artists couldn't react in time and could only take it head-on.

"Use the 'Reverse Mutual Generation' of the Five Elements Yijin Energy!" Li Xuantong's voice carried excitement. His Five Elements Energy suddenly resonated with Chen Wu's Qi Energy, forming a rotating Five Elements diagram in the center of the martial arts arena.

"Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth. Use the cycle of the Five Elements Energy to neutralize his chain Crushing Power!"

Chen Wu's "Five Elements Yijin Energy" suddenly erupted, and the dark gold Qi Energy merged with the Five Elements diagram, forming a rotating five-colored vortex in front of him—when the first fist shadow struck, he used Earth Energy to buffer; the second, he blocked with Metal Energy; the third, he guided with Water Energy; the fourth, he entangled with Wood Energy; the fifth, he countered with Fire Energy.

The five Crushing Powers were carried by the vortex in a circle and finally pushed back towards Zhao Lie's front along the trajectory of the Five Elements diagram.

"Is this... 'Crushing Power Rebound'?" Zhao Lie's pupils suddenly dilated. His body was forced back two steps by his own Crushing Power, and a trace of pale black Qi Energy spilled from the corner of his mouth. "You didn't just fuse Xingyi and Baji; you also added the Five Elements Energy! This Move is even more powerful than your Great-grandfather's 'Baji Enveloping Five Elements' from back then!"

The Flower Girl's inheritance grass suddenly bloomed with black and brown flowers. Dewdrops rolled on the leaf surface, reflecting the changes in Zhao Lie's Crushing Power—although his "Baji Chain Collapse" was fierce, there was a 0.2-second gap between each fist shadow, which was the recovery time after the Crushing Power was compressed.

The young girl mixed the "Crushing-Breaking Dew" with the "Energy-Responding Dew." When the black-brown "Crushing-Soft Dew" dripped onto the leaves, Chen Wu's Qi Energy vortex suddenly accelerated: "Elder Zhou said this is a 'Gap Capture Agent,'" she said, "It can let you precisely find the gaps between the fist shadows, just like installing a slow-motion lens on your eyes!"

The Dual-Polar Recognition After the Sparring

When Zhao Lie's last "Baji Collapse" struck, Chen Wu's "Five Elements Yijin Energy" suddenly fused completely with the Baji Energy.

The dark gold Qi Energy and the pale black Crushing Power collided in the center of the martial arts arena. There was no shockwave; instead, it formed a massive "Crushing-Soft Taiji Diagram." The black Crushing Power formed a protective shell on the outer layer, while the gold Soft Energy was responsible for buffering on the inner layer. The two types of Qi Energy nurtured each other, forming a perfect cycle—the global live stream camera zoomed in, and one could clearly see that every rotation of the Taiji diagram corresponded to the "Crushing Power" of the Baji Fist and the "Five Elements Energy" trajectory of the Xingyi Fist.

"This old man has lost." Zhao Lie suddenly retracted his fists and bowed deeply to Chen Wu. This action made the entire arena instantly quiet—the Disciples of the Baji Sect were stunned for three seconds, then collectively raised their fists. The pale black Qi Energy formed the character "Ji" above their heads, which merged with the "Xing" character totem of the Xingyi Sect Disciples, forming a complete "Xing-Ji" symbol.

"You not only broke my Baji Fist but also made me understand the true meaning of 'Combining Crushing and Softness,'" Zhao Lie took out a black brocade box from his robe, which contained a pair of Baji Fist mysterious iron gloves. "This is the 'Town-Sect Gloves' of the Baji Sect. It can help you compress Baji Energy and will be useful when breaking the 'Pole Formation' in the underground palace. It also has a name, called 'Dual-Polar,' which your Great-grandfather helped me name back then."

Lin Mo's tablet instantly popped up a System settlement interface: " 'Dual-Polar Sparring' mission completed. Rating: SSS. Obtained 1.2 million Legacy points, complete 'Baji Collapse' manual, unlocked right to break the underground palace 'Pole Formation.'"

The youth's fingertips danced on the virtual keyboard, integrating the deduction models of "Baji Collapse" and "Five Elements Combined Energy." The System prompted: "After Fusion, the Move's power is increased by 90%. It can break all traps in the underground palace 'Pole Formation' and maintain body stability when the Crushing Power erupts."

The number of online viewers for the live stream finally settled at 29 billion, creating the highest record for global martial arts live streaming. The barrage was filled with a uniform "Dual-Polar Union, Martial Arts Harmony," and fans of different schools reached a complete consensus for the first time.

Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe tapped out a brisk rhythm on the side of the martial arts arena. The old man turned to the last page of the "Dual-Polar Chronicles." On the yellowed page, twelve characters were written in cinnabar: "Baji is Crushing, Xingyi is Soft, Crushing and Soft Unite, Walk the World." Beside it, a bronze fist print of the Baji Fist was left—that was a keepsake left by both Chen Wu's Great-grandfather and Zhao Lie after they sparred back then.

"The 'Dual-Polar' gloves that your Great-grandfather didn't get back then, you have obtained today," the pipe bowl pointed at the gloves in the brocade box, "This pair of gloves can not only compress Crushing Power but also summon the Crushing Power support of the Baji Sect in times of crisis. They are a pair with the Five Elements Source Bead and are exactly what is needed to break the 'Xing-Ji Dual Formation' of the underground palace."

In the Flower Girl's basket, the black-brown petals of the inheritance grass suddenly all pointed towards the "Dual-Polar" gloves. Dewdrops rolled on the leaf surface, reflecting the real-time image of the underground palace "Pole Formation"—the Qi Energy in the core area was completely consistent with the light of the gloves. As long as one wore the gloves and combined them with the Five Elements Source Bead, one could instantly activate the Fusion switch of the "Xing-Ji Dual Formation" and open the secret chamber containing the middle volume of the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic."

The young girl sprinkled the last drop of "Crushing-Soft Dew" onto the gloves. The black-brown light merged with the halo of the gloves, condensing into a miniature "Pole Formation" model in Chen Wu's palm: "Elder Zhou said this is the 'Dual-Formation Key,'" she said, "It can let you control the Qi Energy of both Xingyi and Baji in the underground palace, just like installing a master switch for the dual formations!"

The Section Chief of the Special Incident Response Department walked over holding a holographic report. The tablet showed that the right to break the underground palace "Xing-Ji Dual Formation" had been fully activated. The Qi Energy fields of the eight major schools resonated with the "Dual-Polar" gloves and the Five Elements Source Bead. They would be able to set off for the underground palace early tomorrow morning to obtain the middle volume of the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic."

"All remaining forces of the Grey Shadow have been completely eradicated," the Section Chief's voice carried excitement, "We have prepared a 'Dual-Polar Supply Vehicle' at the entrance of the underground palace, containing Medicinal Pills that can enhance Crushing-Soft Energy and potions to repair Qi Energy, ensuring everyone is in the best condition in the underground palace!"

When Chen Wu walked out of the martial arts arena side-by-side with Zhao Lie and Li Xuantong, the Disciples of the eight major ancient martial arts schools suddenly collectively raised their weapons. The pale black Baji Energy, pale brown Xingyi Energy, pale blue Mystic Water Energy, pale green Wing Chun Energy, and other eight-colored Qi Energies intertwined in mid-air, forming a massive "Ancient Martial Arts Alliance" totem—the final scene of the global live stream froze at the moment Chen Wu put on the "Dual-Polar" gloves and held the Five Elements Source Bead. The dark gold Yijin Energy and the eight-colored Qi Energies swirled around him like a river of light guarding the Legacy.

When the System's final prompt popped up, Chen Wu suddenly understood that this "Xingyi vs. Baji" sparring was never about "comparing wins and losses," but about "seeking Fusion"—allowing the two major Crushing-Soft schools to find the possibility of symbiosis in confrontation, and letting global Martial Artists see the true meaning of "Martial Arts Without Boundaries."

When the moonlight flooded the martial arts arena, the Five Elements totem and the "Ji" totem slowly merged, forming a brand-new "He" character, as if predicting: the gate of the underground palace has opened for the successor of "Crushing-Soft Union."

In the global live stream barrage, a final line of neat text scrolled by: "Xing-Ji Dual Formation broken, Muscle Tendon Change Classic middle volume emerges." This message was lit up by 29 billion viewers simultaneously, like a river of light spanning mountains and seas, flowing forever above the Xingyi Sect branch, illuminating the final journey of the underground palace exploration.