Chapter 30: Masterful Integration

The very instant the grayish-white palm print was about to strike, Xu Wuyi, whose body had been as steady as a mountain, moved!

His movements were no longer the defensive counters of the Basic Body Refining Technique, but instead possessed an unprecedented ferocity and... a piercing quality!

He shot his left foot forward half a step, his center of gravity instantly shifting forward with it.

His whole posture bore a faint, surprising resemblance to his stance when practicing the Wind-Settling Spear, only he held no spear.

At the same time, his right fist, which had been coiled with power, didn’t block or clash head-on. Instead, like a long spear, it shot forward along an incredibly tricky, straight line. It was a late-comer that arrived first, stabbing straight out!

This fist lacked the heavy, brute force of the Mountain-Shattering Fist, but it carried the essence of the Cloud-Breaking Stab from the Wind-Settling Spear.

It concentrated his entire body’s strength into a single point, pursuing the ultimate in speed and penetration!

As the point of his fist cut through the air, it seemed to pierce it, creating a faint but sharp ripping sound.

He was attempting to integrate the power-generation techniques and Mental Realm of the Wind-Settling Spear into his Fist Technique!

"What?!"

Hu Haobo’s pupils constricted. He never expected Xu Wuyi to throw such a bizarre and ferocious punch.

The angle and speed of that punch completely surpassed his understanding of the Basic Fist Technique!

In his haste, he could only manage to slightly angle his striking palm in an attempt to intercept it.

But it was too late!

Xu Wuyi’s "fist-stab," like a spear tip tearing through silk, was faster by a hair’s breadth. It pierced through the edge of his palm’s momentum and struck the joint on the inside of his wrist with unerring precision!

"PUFF!"

A dull, strange sound echoed.

Hu Haobo felt a searing pain shoot through his wrist. The Palm Force he had gathered instantly dissipated. His sure-hit Stone Splitting Collapse had been interrupted by that seemingly casual "stab"!

His technique broken, his center was left wide open!

Disbelief was written all over Hu Haobo’s face. His body stiffened for a moment, his attack interrupted.

But Xu Wuyi didn’t pause for a second.

Having landed the blow, he felt as if everything had just clicked into place.

His waist and hips twisted with the flow of the movement. After shattering his opponent’s palm momentum, the fist, imbued with the essence of the Cloud-Breaking Stab, continued onward without losing any of its power.

Like a spear being retracted only to shoot out again, it became an even faster blur, striking relentlessly toward Hu Haobo’s chest!

This was no longer mere imitation, but true integration!

The fist was the spear, and the spear was the fist!

Hu Haobo had no time to mount any effective defense.

"BOOM!"

The punch, concentrating all his strength and containing the quintessence of the Cloud-Breaking Stab, landed squarely on his chest.

A violent force instantly surged through him.

Hu Haobo’s body jolted as if struck by a high-speed train, and his eyes instantly lost focus.

His virtual body flew backward uncontrollably, tracing a parabola through the air before crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena seven or eight meters away, sending out ripples of Energy.

He struggled for a moment, trying to push himself up, but ultimately collapsed, his virtual form rapidly blurring.

[Victor: Xu Wuyi!]

The cold system notification echoed clearly in the silent arena.

The area around the arena was dead silent.

Everyone was stunned by that sudden punch.

They might have guessed Xu Wuyi would win, but they never imagined that even against the formidable Hu Haobo, he would still win in a single exchange!

’And what was that technique? It didn’t look like a Fist Technique at all!’

Zeng Bonan sucked in a sharp breath. He suddenly realized that Xu Wuyi was nothing like him.

Even though they were both skilled in the Basic Body Refining Technique, Xu Wuyi possessed terrifying destructive power; he just rarely chose to show it.

But whenever he did strike, it was always a fatal blow to his enemy’s weak point!

Beside them, Liu Jing’s face turned pale. She also realized the gap between her and Xu Wuyi was far greater than she had ever imagined.

’At least when I trade blows with Hu Haobo, I usually lose more than I win. Against Xu Wuyi, I wouldn’t stand a chance.’

Meanwhile, Wang Wenhai and Zhou Yun exchanged a look, both seeing the astonishment in each other’s eyes.

"Was that the Wind-Settling Spear?" Zhou Yun recognized the technique Xu Wuyi had used and looked at Wang Wenhai curiously.

"Indeed." Wang Wenhai’s face showed his gratification. "It’s only been a few days, yet he can already integrate the Spear Technique into his Fist Momentum."

"He’s already reached the Entry Level with his Wind-Settling Spear... This kid’s comprehension is truly astonishing!"

Zhou Yun smiled. "Some Geniuses are just like that. Once they have a breakthrough, their Martial Arts advance by leaps and bounds!"

「In the real world, Training Hall One.」

Hu Haobo shot up in his access pod, his face deathly pale. A phantom pain lingered in his chest, as if he had truly been pierced by that "punch."

He gasped for air, a look of bewilderment in his eyes.

He had lost.

’At the same Level, my proudest offense not only failed to break his defense, but I was instead taken out in a single blow.’

He also realized that, fundamentally, Xu Wuyi was not an opponent like Zeng Bonan.

’They both excel at defense, but Zeng Bonan is just a turtle in its shell, only occasionally poking his head out to take a bite.’

’But Xu Wuyi is a mountain. Immovable, unshakable. And when that mountain crashes into you, it can smash you to pieces in an instant!’

Xu Wuyi also sat up slowly, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples.

That final punch had seemed simple, but in truth, adapting the technique had drained a great deal of his Heart and Spirit. It was no small tax on his Spirit.

But his eyes shone with a brilliant light.

’I did it!’

’Successfully integrating the essence of the Wind-Settling Spear into my Fist Technique... The results from actual combat are far more profound than practicing alone.’

’Martial Arts truly do improve fastest in real fights.’

Hu Haobo silently stepped out of his access pod and walked over to Xu Wuyi.

"I lost," Hu Haobo’s voice was a bit hoarse, but his words were crisp. "Completely and utterly."

He paused, then continued, "That last punch... that wasn’t the Mountain-Shattering Fist."

"Mm," Xu Wuyi didn’t hide it. "It’s the power generation method from the Wind-Settling Spear."

Hu Haobo’s expression cleared with understanding, followed by a wry smile. "I see... So after Level 11, you’ve already started learning weapon-based Martial Arts."

"Integrating weapon-based Martial Arts into a Fist Technique... Xu Wuyi, you’re even bolder than I am!"

Hu Haobo’s eyes grew brighter. "I’ll rush to Level 11 as fast as I can and learn a weapon-based Martial Art too. When I get the chance, let’s fight again!"

"Alright," Xu Wuyi said with a smile. "Like I said, you’re all welcome to spar with me anytime."

The dust settled on the intensive training class’s second resource allocation. Xu Wuyi’s rank was solidified in second place, with no one left to object.

Taking his newly allocated resource quota, Xu Wuyi wasted no time and immediately threw himself into a new round of cultivation.

Having just finished an actual battle, he felt his comprehension of the Wind-Settling Spear had deepened once more, and he couldn’t wait to begin his practice.