Chapter 1216

"This fly swatter is made of bamboo, right? It's soft and powerless. He's going to use this against the Rushing Thunder Palm?"

"Is this guy crazy?"

"Jiao Qin is the number one super genius in the Martial Skills Hall, with an extreme mastery of martial arts... Under normal circumstances, even if he couldn't surpass Ling Xuan on stage, he should at least be able to put up a fight. But he took a fly swatter up there... Is he insane?"

Everyone was dumbfounded seeing Jiao Qin. Even Hall Master Liao and the others twitched their mouths, wanting to pull their hair out.

They had placed immense hope in Jiao Qin. But after training with Master Zhang for a few days, how did this guy also turn into a lunatic?

Taking a low-grade saint artifact, or even a semi-saint artifact... that would be acceptable. But a fly swatter made from a bamboo pole, with no real force... and he dares to go on stage like that? He must be out of his mind!

"You... are you sure you want to spar with me using that?"

Ling Xuan's face also flushed red, nearly exploding with anger.

A combat master exchange is supposed to be solemn and dignified, but this guy just shows up with a fly swatter. He's clearly not taking it seriously and is deliberately trying to humiliate me.

"Mhm! If you feel it's unfair, you can use a weapon!" Jiao Qin nodded.

"You..."

Gritting his teeth, Ling Xuan waved his hand. "No need. Today, I'll teach you a lesson with my bare hands, and let your Qingyuan Combat Master Hall know... weak is weak, no matter how much you struggle, it's useless!"

Whoosh!

As he spoke, he struck out with a palm, thunder roaring and true qi like lightning. In the blink of an eye, the entire combat stage was filled with his aura. It seemed that one wrong step would lead to an attack, putting his opponent on the defensive.

"Try me!"

With a response, Jiao Qin said no more. The fly swatter in his palm floated up lightly and swatted towards the thunderous attack in front of him.

"You're asking for death..."

Seeing his opponent actually dare to use that thing to withstand his Rushing Thunder Hand, Ling Xuan gritted his teeth, flipped his palm, and slammed it down fiercely.

He intended to use his strongest power to defeat his opponent in one move, letting him know... what a true expert was.

"No need to watch, the outcome is already decided!" Hall Master Zhao Yi shook his head.

"Indeed, the Rushing Thunder is like lightning, and his combat power is like a rainbow. Although he's only at Saint 2-dan mid-stage, even a Saint 3-dan expert might not be able to defeat him. Even a semi-saint weapon could be shattered on the spot... A fly swatter made from a bamboo stick... it definitely won't hold up!"

Hall Master Liu Qinshan also nodded.

"It seems like Qingyuan Empire probably won't get a single spot this year..." Hall Master Wei Qianshu smiled faintly. Before he could finish speaking, a crisp "Smack!" echoed throughout the entire hall.

"What happened?"

Everyone was stunned and quickly looked up, only to see that Ling Xuan's Rushing Thunder Hand hadn't even reached Jiao Qin before the latter swatted him across the face with the fly swatter.

His entire face was covered in red dots, as if he had masked it with a colander and been splashed with hot oil.

"Ah... I'll kill you!"

Apparently not expecting the opponent's fly swatter to be so fast, and being slapped in the face publicly, Ling Xuan was so furious he was about to explode. He leaped forward fiercely and struck out with another palm.

Before his palm even reached his opponent, there was another crisp sound, and the fly swatter landed on his face again.

"I..."

Ling Xuan was truly about to explode. His body flickered, and five afterimages instantly appeared on stage, making it impossible to tell which one was real.

As a combat master, having experienced countless battles, even though he had been slapped twice and felt utterly humiliated, he knew that despite his opponent's strange attire, his true combat power should not be underestimated. He immediately unleashed his most powerful movement martial skill.

Seven-Aperture Illusory Steps!

A Saint 2-dan martial skill, when perfectly executed, can create seven illusions, making it impossible to distinguish between real and fake.

Its offensive power was inferior to the Rushing Thunder Hand, but its reputation far exceeded it. Since mastering it, he had never been defeated.

"Five illusions! He has cultivated it to an astonishing level; even I can't distinguish them..." Hall Master Zhao Yi stroked his beard, just about to say a few words to save face, when another "Smack!" sounded from the front.

The fly swatter landed squarely on his opponent's face again, precisely.

"Ah..."

Ling Xuan went mad, accelerating his steps, making the illusions even more confusing and harder to distinguish.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Three consecutive smacks, each precisely landing on his face. It seemed the illusions had no effect whatsoever on his opponent.

"Ling Xuan, he's using a weapon, you use your sword..."

Seeing their person continuously being slapped without even a single hair on the opponent being harmed, the combat masters of Chongyuan Empire could no longer stand it. Someone in the crowd shouted.

"Alright..."

Knowing his opponent was not easy to deal with, Ling Xuan flipped his wrist, and a low-grade saint artifact longsword appeared. Before he could even wield it, sword qi shot out like a rainbow. In the blink of an eye, the entire combat stage was filled with rolling energy waves.

"Cold Rain Sword Intent... Ling Xuan comprehended it when he was twenty-three, inspired by winter rain. Once unleashed, his sword attack moistens all directions, and no one can evade it..."

Hall Master Zhao Yi continued, still not finished, when he saw Jiao Qin, standing amidst the sword qi, make no significant movement. The fly swatter in his hand rose again.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Another three consecutive smacks, and Ling Xuan's entire face was swollen.

Whoosh!

In grief and indignation, Ling Xuan thrust out his longsword, unleashing a barrage of various sword techniques.

Jiao Qin, holding the fly swatter, was like a butterfly flitting through a flower garden. No matter how dense the flowers, he easily dodged them without touching a single one. More importantly, his hand never stopped.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

The sound was steady and rhythmic, surprisingly sounding like a musical performance.

"This..."

The other three Combat Master Halls stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Hall Master Xing and Hall Master Liao, among others, exchanged glances, struggling to comprehend what was happening.

They had all seen Zhang Xuan's training methods, which seemed no different from tricking people. How... in the blink of an eye, had Jiao Qin changed so much?

"How powerful! I never expected fly swatting to have such strength. I personally saw Jiao Qin in the latrine, looking for flies. With one swat, he said he could break the fly's front leg, and he absolutely wouldn't hit its back leg!"

"Flies are so small, and flying, too? He can do that?"

"Yes, his control can be said to be as fine as a hair..."

A few combat masters from Qingyuan Empire on the spectator stand whispered.

"Ah, I understand now..."

Hearing their conversation, Hall Master Liao slapped his thigh, suddenly enlightened.

"Understand what?" Hall Master Wei looked over.

"Jiao Qin is a genius of the Martial Skills Hall, and he cultivates various types of martial skills. When fighting, his concentration easily disperses, so his combat power naturally cannot reach its full potential... Master Zhang making him swat flies seemed useless, but in reality, it involved the principle of 'the greatest truth is the simplest.' Every fly's different flight path represents different martial skills and movement techniques. To hit them, one needs to observe their routes and predict in advance... Most importantly, it helps him shed his impetuousness and fully integrate all the martial skills he has learned..."

Hall Master Liao explained.

"This..."

Hall Master Wei pondered.

Thinking it over carefully, it was indeed true.

As a genius of the Martial Skills Hall, Jiao Qin was inherently proud. Making him swat flies must have involved a very difficult psychological journey to overcome and fully adapt. His understanding of martial arts would naturally reach a new level.

Precisely because of this, no matter how his opponent changed his moves or moved, he couldn't escape a swat... If he could swat off a fly's leg without causing fundamental harm, then with an opponent's face being so large, there was naturally no way to dodge it.

Smack, smack, smack, smack!

The sound grew louder and louder.

"Stop... I surrender!"

After an unknown amount of time, Ling Xuan had used almost all his martial skills, yet he hadn't even harmed a single hair on his opponent. He had no choice but to stop, full of frustration.

By now, his face was unrecognizable, swollen like a pancake.

"Qingyuan Empire, Jiao Qin wins!"

With a surrender, the match immediately concluded.

"I, Bai Xun of Qianyun Empire, Saint 2-dan early-stage, also wish to challenge a master from Qingyuan Empire's Combat Master Hall!"

Whoosh!

A sturdy young man leaped onto the high platform.

"I am at Saint 2-dan early-stage, I will fight you!"

Shi Hao walked up.

"Bai Xun is a genius of the Fist Arts Hall in Qianyun Empire. His iron fists are practically invincible. It will be very difficult for this cleaner to win!"

"Cough, cough, he's not a cleaner. He's Shi Hao, a genius from our Inner Breath Hall!"

Seeing the two ascend the stage, the combat masters from both sides clenched their fists.

"Hall Master Xing, do you think your person can win?"

Hall Master Liu Qinshan looked over.

While everyone had previously thought the Qingyuan Combat Master Hall was completely in decline, Jiao Qin's strength had made them look at it with new respect.

"I... I don't know either!"

Hall Master Xing shook his head.

To be honest, Master Zhang's training methods were simply too bizarre. Even he didn't fully understand them.

Shi Hao, a dignified genius of the Inner Breath Hall, had been scrubbing toilets for several days... Who knew if his strength had increased or regressed?

"It's absolutely impossible to defeat Bai Xun!" Hall Master Wei Qianshu of Qianyun Empire said with confidence. "I have absolute faith in him. He is my direct disciple, and his fist techniques are invincible; no one can defeat him..."

Whoosh, whoosh!

Before he finished speaking, the battle on stage had already begun.

Bai Xun knew this was a combat master duel and showed no mercy, unleashing a punch.

He used his strongest combat power.

Just as the fist was about to land on Shi Hao, Shi Hao's palm suddenly elongated, pressing directly onto his opponent's face and vigorously scrubbing it, as if cleaning a toilet.

"You..."

Bai Xun's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

With a roar, his fist attacked again, the air seeming to crackle under the pressure. However, it still didn't reach his opponent. The opponent's palm reappeared on his face, continuing to scrub and rub off a large amount of dirt.

"Your face... you haven't washed it for days, have you!"

Shi Hao wiped his hand on his clothes.

...Bai Xun.

"I'll kill you..."

With a flick of his hand, Bai Xun's face turned ashen. Clumps of dirt fell to the floor, and he donned a pair of gauntlets on his fists, attacking again.

For combat masters of the Fist Arts Hall, gauntlets could unleash greater combat power, equivalent to using a weapon.

Seeing him use a weapon, Shi Hao didn't hesitate. With a grab, the feather duster he had tossed not far away appeared in his palm.

"Ice-Breaking Fist!"

With an angry roar, the gauntlets shone brightly. Bai Xun's punch came down, seemingly intending to crush the figure before him into powder.

Just as his fist was thrust forward, still some distance from his opponent's body, he suddenly felt his face tighten... A feather duster was already stuffed into his mouth, carrying a foul odor, and swirled around a few times inside.

...Bai Xun.