Chapter 1121: You All Still Need People for the Association? (Part 2)

"Fight with my hands tied? Fair..."

Xiao Qin staggered, almost fainting. How could fighting with hands tied be fair? That was just too insulting! "I'm a peak Saint 1-dan expert, lowering my cultivation to fight you, and you want me to tie my hands..." A sharp pain surged in Xiao Qin's chest, and he felt he might vomit blood again at any moment.

"If you think you can withstand my attacks, go ahead..." Xiao Qin gritted his teeth so hard they felt like they might shatter. He knew getting angry was useless, so he took a deep breath to calm himself. With a grab in mid-air, he lunged forward. He hadn't been able to defeat the girl earlier, who was a Saint 1-dan expert with exceptional talent, which was understandable. But he refused to believe he couldn't even defeat some random person picked from the crowd.

*Whoosh!*

His five fingers curved like hooks, his palm generating a whistling wind. It was the martial art: Thunder Piercing Heart Claw! Though not a Saint-tier technique, this martial art was extremely renowned among Spirit-tier ones. When cultivated to mastery, it resembled a thunderclap, intimidating opponents with its sheer force, making them hesitant to resist. Of course, mere intimidation wouldn't grant it such fame; its true power lay in its ferocity! Once an opponent was touched by its fingers, they would instantly feel a tearing sensation like blades, capable of even extracting a heart! Because of its brutality, renowned masters typically avoided learning it, but battle masters specialized in lethal techniques. The more ruthless the move, the more unexpected its effect in combat. Thus, this move had long been perfected, and when unleashed now, it roared like thunder and struck like an arrow.

*Whoosh!*

Just as the Thunder Piercing Heart Claw was about to land on the fair-skinned young man, he shifted his feet and dodged to the side. His movements weren't fast, even a few points slower than Xiao Qin's, yet somehow, it was as if he knew the exact spot Xiao Qin intended to attack. He casually evaded the strike, simultaneously raising his foot and kicking towards Xiao Qin's calf.

Xiao Qin's pupils constricted. He had previously assumed that any randomly chosen person would have at most average cultivation. Only now did he realize this opponent was far more formidable than he had imagined. The Thunder Piercing Heart Claw possessed powerful hand attacks, but it left the lower body somewhat unstable. The opponent's kick landed precisely on a spot that Xiao Qin had to defend but found difficult to evade.

"Thousand Silk Piercing Leaf Hand!" Knowing that a direct kick would certainly injure him, Xiao Qin transformed his claw into an open hand and swept it across. This move, resembling playing a zither, appeared to be without any power, yet it was fraught with hidden dangers. The Thousand Silk Piercing Leaf Hand was a martial art created by a Demonic Sound Master. While it seemed like a harmless musical gesture, each of the five fingers concealed sword qi. Upon contact, this qi would penetrate the opponent's body, making it impossible to defend against and utterly insidious. The Thunder Piercing Heart Claw transformed into the Thousand Silk Piercing Leaf Hand in an instant, without any hesitation or pause, even lacking a transitional movement. It looked as if a single technique was being continuously executed. This alone demonstrated why Xiao Qin deserved his reputation as a genius of the Martial Arts Hall. Indeed, his mastery of martial arts had reached a pinnacle.

However, despite the finesse of his move, his opponent was even more brilliant. As if knowing in advance that he would switch techniques, the young man suddenly swayed, leaped into the air, and his toes met Xiao Qin's fingers precisely. *Crack! Crack!* A violent, ferocious force from the toe clashed against Xiao Qin's fingers. In an instant, Xiao Qin felt the sound of his finger bones snapping. Then, his vision blurred as another foot came down.

Before he could dodge, a powerful force surged through him, sending Xiao Qin flying backward to crash onto the ground, spitting out a torrent of blood. He struggled to his feet, disbelief written all over his face. From beginning to end, his opponent hadn't used his hands, only his feet, yet he had effortlessly defeated Xiao Qin! Not being able to beat the girl was one thing—she might have been the Suspended Heaven Guild's most renowned genius. But this person was someone he had randomly chosen... clean-cut and seemingly harmless... yet the result was the same: he hadn't lasted more than two moves! Could there truly be such a fundamental problem with the martial arts he practiced?

"Don't be discouraged; your cultivation is actually quite good. You just happened to meet me! And luckily you met me, because I'm actually ranked quite low in the Suspended Heaven Guild!" Seeing Xiao Qin's self-doubt, the fair-skinned young man offered comfort: "Your moves are flashy, your transitions are quick, and your mastery of martial arts and timing are all decent. The reason you couldn't win is that you relied too much on martial arts and neglected yourself."

"Relied too much on martial arts?" Not understanding his meaning, Xiao Qin's face was filled with confusion.

"It's simple. Martial arts were created for combat, to exert stronger fighting power... To put it plainly, martial arts are merely a means to assist in combat, not a guaranteed path to victory!" The fair-skinned young man smiled: "Whether you attacked Senior Sister Qiqi or me just now, your moves were incredibly fierce and full of power. A common person would indeed be hit and injured! But to us, because you wanted to win too much, you exposed weaknesses everywhere!" "Just like that claw technique you used on me: it's certainly incredibly fierce and powerful if it connects, but what if it doesn't?"

At this point, the fair-skinned young man paused, then continued: "If it doesn't connect, even the most powerful attack is useless! I deliberately waited until the last moment to dodge your attack because, at that point, your move had reached its limit, and its weakness was at its greatest! All your power was concentrated in your upper body, making your lower body your biggest vulnerability!" "I immediately attacked your calf. From your palm to your calf, these are two extremities of the human body. Even if your True Qi circulates quickly, it's difficult to cover both ends simultaneously. This weakness, though inherent to you, became most exposed under my provocation. However, your reaction was quite good; at that moment, you changed your move, switching to a zither-like attack."

"This attack, seemingly light and airy, actually concealed sword qi that could be unleashed upon contact, making it impossible to guard against. I suppose it's also a martial art! It's a good move, but it can only attack with the back of the fingers. I leaped into the air, dodging its sharpest point, making your move miss. Then, with a stomp... A sword is sharp, but if you attack its back instead of its edge or tip, it loses its effectiveness. On the contrary, it was easy to break your finger bones!" The fair-skinned young man shook his head again, his face full of regret. Overall, this fellow in front of him wasn't bad; it was just a pity his techniques were too outdated.

"You, you..." Xiao Qin's body trembled as if struck by lightning. The opponent's explanation was logical and well-founded; every point highlighted a flaw in his martial arts... No wonder he couldn't resist! "You... you all saw that?" His throat dry, he looked around.

"Of course we saw it, with your strength being so poor!" "It's easy to spot, nothing special..." "Actually, he only told you half of it. Fierce attacks certainly cause great harm if they hit, but if they don't... what good is even the best martial art?" Seeing his inquiry, those around him spoke up, one after another.

"Can't hit people?" Standing rooted to the spot, Xiao Qin was dumbfounded. Indeed. Martial arts were developed to injure opponents, but if they couldn't injure anyone... what was the point? No matter how many techniques he displayed, they were nothing more than empty show.

"I've learned a valuable lesson..." Understanding this, Xiao Qin had an epiphany, feeling as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun. He couldn't help but bow deeply. For years, he had prided himself on mastering more and stronger martial arts, believing that knowing powerful techniques equated to possessing greater combat ability... While this approach worked against ordinary people, facing true experts meant exposing nothing but weaknesses! Greed leads to indigestion! No matter how smooth the transitions, each move was still distinct, with its own flaws and vulnerabilities, making it easy for opponents to exploit.

"You're welcome. Actually, we learned all this from the Dean. It's only because he taught us that we have this insight and discernment now. Otherwise, we'd just be ordinary masters and certainly no match for you!" The fair-skinned young man quickly waved his hand.

"The Dean?"

"Indeed. The Dean is a true prodigy. He's younger than us, yet his understanding of combat far surpasses anyone's imagination. Take that last fight, for example: if your first attack had veered three points to the upper left, and you had stepped forward with your left foot... I wouldn't have been able to attack, let alone dodge!" The fair-skinned young man explained.

"This..." Xiao Qin frowned. He recalled his own moves, adjusting them in his mind according to what the young man had described, and his eyelids suddenly twitched. Sure enough! If he had done that earlier, his opponent probably wouldn't have even had time to dodge, let alone notice his unstable lower body and launch an attack.

"For your second move, your gentle five-finger sweep was well-executed, but the technique is too outdated, and your fingers were too rigid. If you had combined it with a soft palm technique, you could have covered all directions—up, down, left, and right. Even if I leaped into the air, I would have been forced into a direct clash with you! At that point, it would be hard to say who would win or lose..." The fair-skinned young man continued his analysis.

Xiao Qin froze again. His finger joints had been broken by his opponent not only because his weakness was discovered, but more importantly, because the contained sword qi, unable to strike the opponent, had backfired on him. If he had combined it with a soft palm technique, he could have mitigated that hidden danger, covering all sides, and his opponent's move would have been naturally countered...

"Our Dean once said, 'Believing too much in techniques is worse than having no techniques at all!' That's how combat is. You rely too heavily on martial arts, which ultimately holds you back..." The fair-skinned young man sighed.

Clenching his fists, Xiao Qin took a long time to process everything before finally recovering. He exhaled a long breath, his eyes filled with admiration: "Your Dean, to be able to teach such combat methods, is truly a peerless genius..." These combat techniques were far more sophisticated than anything from the Combat Master Hall, undoubtedly the result of countless years of research. Regardless of the Dean's personal strength, this legacy alone was astonishing.

"The Dean is indeed a peerless genius. More importantly, his mind is as vast as the ocean; he teaches without discrimination, giving his all to anyone willing to learn!" The fair-skinned young man smiled.

"Teaches without discrimination? Anyone can learn?"

"Yes, any member of our Suspended Heaven Guild is qualified. That's precisely why countless people want to join!" Young Master Ruohuan interjected.

"This... this..." Clenching his fists, Xiao Qin's face turned pale, then flushed, then pale again. After a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me... is your Suspended Heaven Guild still accepting new members?"