230: Chapter 230 The Elders were stunned

The moment Xu Ying was defeated, the martial arts arena fell into a momentary, deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the figure on the ring, their mouths agape, unable to utter a single sound.

Those who had previously been certain that Lin Tian would lose now wore expressions as if they had just been slapped hard across the face.

The Disciples of Moxia Peak collectively lost their voices; the cheers they had prepared were stuck in their throats, and not a single word could be forced out.

After the deathly silence came an uproar like a tsunami.

"Perfection in movement technique? How is this possible!"

On the Zixia Peak side, an elderly Elder with white hair shook his head frantically, his hands trembling, his tone filled with disbelief.

He had cultivated for most of his life and had seen countless Geniuses, but for a Perfection movement technique to appear on a young man in his early twenties completely exceeded his understanding.

Beside him, another Elder gasped sharply and muttered, "Perfection... That is the Great Perfection Realm, not Major Achievement, but Perfection! I have practiced movement techniques for forty years, and even now, I am only at the Peak of Major Achievement, still a step away from Perfection. How old is this kid?"

These words left the young Disciples around them looking at each other. They were not lacking in talent, but the more talented a Disciple was, the more they understood the weight of the Elder's words.

Bringing a martial art to Perfection has little to do with talent. It requires day after day, year after year of grinding; it requires engraving every movement into one's bones through countless practices.

Under normal circumstances, only those old fellows who have cultivated for most of their lives can touch the threshold of Perfection because they have plenty of time. But young people, no matter how talented or high their Comprehension Ability is, lack that element of accumulated time.

Yet, Lin Tian had done it.

A young man of only twenty-something had cultivated Cloud Shadow Step to the Realm of Perfection. What did this mean? It meant that his attainments in movement technique could already stand on equal footing with some Elders who had been immersed in this Dao for decades.

Before the exclamations had died down, the situation on the ring had undergone a drastic change.

Lin Tian activated his Perfection movement technique, and his figure instantly escaped from Xu Ying's Shadow Peerless.

The overwhelming black palm shadows all struck empty air, not even touching the corner of his clothes. Xu Ying's pupils constricted sharply, and he wanted to retract his move to defend, but Lin Tian's figure had already appeared behind him like a ghost.

He struck out with a palm.

This palm was not tricky, nor did it have any earth-shattering momentum. But its speed was pushed to the extreme, so fast that even though Xu Ying had sensed the rushing wind behind him, his body could not react in time.

Bang!

The palm landed solidly on Xu Ying's back. Xu Ying groaned, his entire body flying out like a kite with a broken string, tumbling twice in mid-air before falling heavily outside the ring.

After landing, he slid another zhang away, spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, and his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

Xu Ying lay on the ground, his whole person looking as if his soul had been extracted. His hands supported the ground, his knuckles white from the effort, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

He had lost. He had lost in a battle of movement techniques. The speed he was most proud of was not worth mentioning in front of Lin Tian.

Xu Fei stood under the ring, watching his brother's despondent appearance, and he himself was stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to say some words of comfort, but it was as if something was blocking his throat; he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

The entire audience completely exploded.

"Xu Ying lost too! Even Shadow Peerless couldn't hit Lin Tian!"

"To what extent has his movement technique reached? That is Xu Ying! The Xu Ying who even defeated Xuan Fei!"

The Genius Disciples of various Peaks looked at Lin Tian, their eyes full of shock, as if looking at a monster that had suddenly intruded. They had originally thought the protagonists of this Seven Peaks Tournament were Cao Yun and Senior Brother Wang Yidao, and others could only fight for third place.

But now, a Zixia Peak Disciple whom they had never looked upon with favor had burst into everyone's field of vision in the most shocking way.

Cao Yun stood up from his seat.

His face was as gloomy as water, his arms crossed over his chest, his fingers tapping his arms unconsciously. The Aura of the 5th Grade Peak surged around him, and he stared fixedly at the figure on the ring, a strong Battle Intent burning in the depths of his eyes.

This Lin Tian's movement technique was too strange; even he felt a genuine threat.

Senior Brother Wang Yidao also stood up.

He didn't speak, just tightened his grip on the hilt of the blade at his waist. His knuckles turned white from the force, and the long blade in the scabbard emitted a faint hum. His gaze was like a blade, locked tightly onto Lin Tian, and the eternal indifference on his face showed a crack for the first time.

Perfection movement technique. With just these four words, Lin Tian had transformed from an insignificant small character into an opponent they both had to treat seriously.

The Referee Elder took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, stepped forward, and announced loudly: "Zixia Peak's Lin Tian, wins!"

Lin Tian withdrew his palm, his expression still indifferent. He did not look at those shocked faces under the stage, nor did he look at the despondent Xu Ying; he just turned and walked off the ring, his steps calm, as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

When he returned to the Zixia Peak rest area, the way everyone looked at him had changed. Several Disciples who had ignored him before subconsciously moved aside, making room for him.

The Elders looked at him with eyes that had turned from scrutiny to fervor, as if looking at a piece of unpolished jade that had suddenly begun to shine.

Qiao Yiyi stood in the crowd, watching Lin Tian walk past her, her lips moving, but in the end, she said nothing. She recalled the words she had said before, things like "It's just fast movement technique," and "Lin Tian couldn't possibly succeed," all of which now turned into slaps, hitting her face one after another. Lin Tian's movement technique was already so fast that she couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes; if they really faced each other, she probably wouldn't even have the chance to draw her sword.

Shen Haoran was also silent. He stood aside, his expression complex to the extreme. He remembered the sentence he had said, "If he loses, there is still me," and a feeling he couldn't describe welled up in his heart. Now Lin Tian had not lost, but instead had proven himself in the most powerful way.

And what about him? He didn't even dare to say he had a sure chance of winning against Xu Ying.

The subsequent matches continued, with Geniuses from various Peaks taking the stage in turns, and the clash of swords and blades on the ring never ceased. But no matter who went up or who won, they could not create the shock brought by Lin Tian's battle just now.

Everyone's thoughts were still immersed in that ghostly figure of Lin Tian, and they were somewhat distracted even while watching other matches.

Half an hour passed in this way, and the Referee Elder called out a name again.

"Jinxia Peak's Senior Brother Wang Yidao, against Zixia Peak's Shen Haoran."

Once the name was called, the somewhat dull martial arts arena boiled over again. Senior Brother Wang Yidao was on stage, and everyone's eyes were focused on the ring.

Although Lin Tian's performance was amazing, Senior Brother Wang Yidao was, after all, a 5th Grade Peak and one of the biggest favorites to win this Seven Peaks Tournament.

Shen Haoran heard his name and Senior Brother Wang Yidao's name linked together, and his expression changed slightly.

He didn't expect to run into Senior Brother Wang Yidao so soon.

According to Zixia Peak's previous plan, to preserve strength for competing for third place, one should voluntarily concede when encountering Cao Yun and Senior Brother Wang Yidao to avoid injury affecting later matches. But now the situation was different.

Lin Tian's sudden emergence gave Zixia Peak an absolute advantage in the battle for third place. With Lin Tian there, third place was basically secure.

Then what about him? Was he just going to concede so spinelessly?

Shen Haoran gritted his teeth, turned and walked to the Elders, cupping his hands and saying: "Elders, this Disciple wants to try."

His eyes were firm, and there was not a hint of hesitation in his tone: "How strong is Senior Brother Wang Yidao? This Disciple wants to weigh him personally. Even if I can't beat him, at least I can probe his reality for Junior Brother Lin."

Several Elders looked at each other and discussed in low voices. If it were before, they certainly wouldn't have agreed to let Shen Haoran take the risk. But now it was indeed different; with Lin Tian as a backup, it wouldn't affect the overall situation even if Shen Haoran got a little injured.

Moreover, letting Shen Haoran test the depth of Senior Brother Wang Yidao would also be beneficial for Lin Tian's later matches.

"Go ahead." Peak Master Su Hanyan nodded, her expression calm, "Do what you can, don't force it."

"Thank you, Peak Master, thank you, Elders." Shen Haoran bowed deeply, turned, and strode toward the ring.

On the ring, Senior Brother Wang Yidao stood with his hands behind his back, the black-sheathed long blade on his back gleaming with a cold light under the firelight.

He saw Shen Haoran walk onto the ring, his eyes unchanged, as if looking at an unimportant stone.

"You are not my opponent." Senior Brother Wang Yidao's voice was cold and certain, without sarcasm or arrogance, just stating a fact, "Just concede."

It was no wonder he said so. In several previous matches, as soon as the opponents saw Senior Brother Wang Yidao on stage, they conceded without a word.

The people of Moxia Peak conceded, and the people of Bixia Peak conceded; they all held the same idea—rather than being injured by him, it was better to save strength to compete for the remaining rankings. In Xu Fei's view, Shen Haoran would be no exception.

However, Shen Haoran shook his head.

"Concede?" His voice was not loud, but it carried a decisive firmness, "No, I will not concede. I want to see just how strong your sword technique is."

The audience was stunned.

Have the people of Zixia Peak gone crazy?

Didn't they say they wanted to protect the third place?

Why are they going head-to-head with Senior Brother Wang Yidao now?

Someone whispered: "It must be because of Lin Tian. With Lin Tian there, Zixia Peak's third place is secure, so Shen Haoran has no worries."

"It doesn't matter if he loses now, anyway, there is still Lin Tian later."

This remark immediately sparked agreement: "Yes, Lin Tian even beat Xu Ying, and his movement technique is strong; maybe he can even compete for first or second place. Shen Haoran has nothing to lose now, so it doesn't matter if he gives it a try."

On the ring, Senior Brother Wang Yidao heard the discussion off-stage, and a flash of realization crossed his eyes.

So that was it. That Zixia Peak Disciple named Lin Tian had given them confidence.

"Good." Senior Brother Wang Yidao slowly gripped the hilt behind him, his voice as cold as a blade, "If you want to fight, then I will accompany you. I want to see how many of my strikes you can block."