225: Chapter 225 One Move to Solve

Xu Ying stood under the stage, watching his brother Xu Fei climb onto the ring, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

He knew his brother's movement technique better than anyone. He had truly mastered the Shadow Movement Technique; although his proficiency was still a few notches below his own, within the Middle Stage of the Realm, few could keep up with his speed.

There were no particularly formidable figures in the first group, so securing first place in the group should not be a problem.

His gaze fell on the Zixia Peak Disciple named Lin Tian opposite him, but he didn't pay much attention. He had glanced at this person's matches a few times before; his movement technique was considered agile, but that was about it.

On the ring, Lin Tian heard Xu Fei's words and also laughed.

"Wanting to defeat me, it's not that easy." His voice was very calm, as if he were stating something completely ordinary. "Save those words for after you win."

Xu Fei gave a cold snort, wasting no more words.

He instantly deployed the Shadow Movement Technique, his entire person transforming into a blurred black line, his speed astonishingly fast, reaching Lin Tian in the blink of an eye.

Too fast!

The crowd below only felt a blur before their eyes, and Xu Fei had already closed in within three feet of Lin Tian.

"Won!"

Xu Fei struck out with a palm, the wind of the palm fierce, aiming straight for Lin Tian's chest. A victorious smile had already curled at the corner of his mouth; he was extremely satisfied with the speed and angle of this palm strike, and his opponent simply had no time to react.

There was an uproar below the stage as well.

"So fast? A one-move kill?"

"Wasn't this Lin Tian from Zixia Peak quite formidable before? How come he didn't even react?"

"It seems that in the face of absolute speed, everything else is empty."

However, just when everyone thought the battle was over, Xu Ying, standing below the stage, saw his expression change abruptly.

Not right.

The feel of that palm strike was not right.

"Brother, be careful!" he shouted sharply.

On the ring, Xu Fei's palm passed through Lin Tian's body, but there was no sensation of hitting anything solid. That figure slowly dissipated within his palm wind, like a reflection in water shattered by a pebble.

An afterimage!

Xu Fei's pupils contracted suddenly, and a chill surged in his heart.

How is this possible? How could his movement technique be fast enough to leave an afterimage?

At this very moment, a low rumbling sound came from behind him. A fierce gust of wind attacked his back like a raging wave, its force so intense that it made the air whistle.

Oh no!

Xu Fei's expression changed drastically. He hadn't noticed at all when the opponent had circled behind him. But there was no time to think; he instinctively pushed the Shadow Movement Technique to its limit, his body swaying violently to the side, attempting to dodge the blow.

However, it was a step too late.

A hand landed lightly on his shoulder.

The force seemed light, but the moment it landed on his shoulder, Xu Fei felt an overwhelming power pour into his shoulder, and half his body instantly went numb. He felt as if he were being pressed down by a mountain; his body swayed violently, his legs went weak, and he collapsed directly onto the ring.

"You lost."

Lin Tian retracted his palm and said indifferently.

Xu Fei knelt halfway on the ring, struggling to turn his head, his face full of disbelief. He stared wide-eyed at Lin Tian, his lips trembling slightly, unable to say a word for a long time.

Lost?

Defeated by the opponent in one move?

He hadn't even seen clearly how the opponent circled behind him, let alone how that palm strike landed on his shoulder. From beginning to end, he only hit an afterimage, and then he fell.

How could this be?

He knelt there blankly, as if he had lost his soul.

The area below the stage was also dead silent. Everyone was stunned by this scene, and no one spoke for a time. Those who had previously thought Xu Fei would instantly kill Lin Tian with one move now all had their mouths wide open, unable to close them for a long time.

A figure swept onto the ring from below; it was Xu Ying.

He walked quickly to his brother's side, reached out to press on Xu Fei's shoulder, and carefully examined his injuries. A moment later, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It was just a minor injury.

The opponent's palm force was controlled with extreme precision, retracted at will, and he had pulled back most of his force the instant he hit Xu Fei's shoulder. If the opponent hadn't held back, with the power of that palm, his brother's shoulder would have long been shattered.

Xu Ying raised his head, his gaze falling on Lin Tian, his expression becoming solemn.

"I didn't expect Zixia Peak to have a movement technique expert like you."

There was no hostility in his tone, only a hint of surprise and a bit of seriousness. This person before him, the speed of his movement technique and the precision of his force, were both beyond his expectations. His brother did not lose unjustly.

"In the finals, I look forward to competing with you."

After speaking, he helped up the still-dazed Xu Fei and turned to walk off the ring.

The Referee Elder walked onto the ring, looked around, and loudly announced: "First place in the first group—Zixia Peak, Lin Tian!"

As the words fell, the whole arena was in an uproar.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Tian. Previously, few people paid attention to this Disciple from Zixia Peak; after all, the radiance of Shen Haoran and Qiao Yiyi was too bright, and Lin Tian rarely appeared in the Sect.

But at this moment, he had taken first place in the group with a perfect record, defeating several Middle Stage experts in a row, and in the final battle, he had even defeated the skilled Xu Fei with one palm strike. Who would dare to underestimate him anymore?

The Zixia Peak side was even more boisterous.

Those Disciples who had previously looked down on Lin Tian were now dumbfounded, looking at each other. A few young Disciples were so excited that their faces turned red, clapping their hands vigorously.

And those Elders, their expressions were even more fascinating.

A white-haired Elder opened his mouth wide, and only after a long while did he come to his senses, muttering: "This kid is this strong?"

Another Elder smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No wonder the Peak Master thinks so highly of him. We previously thought the Peak Master was favoring her own Disciple, but now it seems that's not the case at all."

"Indeed, we were old and muddled." The Elder beside him sighed, his tone carrying a hint of shame. "This kid's strength is far beyond our expectations."

Peak Master Su Hanyan stood to the side, a faint smile on her lips, saying nothing.

And the expressions of Shen Haoran and Qiao Yiyi were much more complicated.

They stood in the crowd, watching the figure on the ring who was the focus of everyone's attention; the shock on their faces had not yet completely faded. They had seen Lin Tian defeat Xu Fei with one palm, and even they might not have been able to do it more elegantly than that in terms of speed and force.

But shock was shock; for them to be convinced, that was impossible.

Qiao Yiyi pursed her lips and said in a low voice: "It's just fast movement technique, it's nothing. In a real competition, what matters in the end is head-on combat power."

Shen Haoran stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and condensed, and nodded: "Exactly. The qualifiers and the finals are two different things. The finals are full of experts; what's the use of just having fast movement technique?

When encountering a true powerhouse, a single punch will force his movement technique out."

The two looked at each other, both seeing the same meaning in each other's eyes.

Just wait and see, the final ranking will still depend on the two of them.