Chapter 79: Dao Heart Shattered

Yu Peiling deliberately created an opening, leaving her left shoulder slightly exposed.

Without a word, Xu Wuyi launched a straight punch at her left shoulder.

’Now!’

Yu Peiling’s eyes sharpened. She neither dodged nor evaded, tilting her body slightly to take the punch squarely on her left shoulder blade. Simultaneously, she gathered all the Qi and Blood in her body into her right fist and thrust it toward Xu Wuyi’s chest!

A brilliant white light erupted from her palm, and an incomparably sharp aura surged forth. This was the killing move she had learned in the provincial capital, an attack that condensed all her Qi and Blood—Breaking Gang!

This was a mutually destructive gambit. She was willing to injure her left shoulder for a chance to heavily wound her opponent!

However, facing this all-or-nothing blow, Xu Wuyi showed no hint of panic. Instead, a knowing look flashed in his eyes.

He didn’t block or dodge. He simply pulled his chest back slightly, intending to tank the hit head-on!

THUD!

A muffled impact.

Yu Peiling felt as if she had punched a massive boulder. Intense pain shot through her knuckles. The Qi and Blood she had condensed was shattered and dispersed by his body, which was harder than stone!

As for Xu Wuyi, his chest merely heaved slightly as he let out a low grunt. His body didn’t even sway.

"How is that possible?!"

Yu Peiling’s pupils contracted, her mind going almost completely blank.

’Someone at the Same Ability Level taking my Breaking Gang head-on, barehanded? This completely shatters my understanding of physical durability!’

In the instant she faltered from shock, Xu Wuyi counterattacked.

His right fist, which he had just retracted, was now pulled back to his waist. Qi and Blood condensed within it in a peculiar manner, so much so that the skin of his fist took on a faint, almost imperceptible dark-red hue.

Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace, Fifth Form—Furnace Flame!

After learning the tenth form, Melting Furnace Boiling Blood, Xu Wuyi’s understanding of the entire Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace had deepened, and with it, the power of Furnace Flame had also increased.

He threw the punch. It was silent, but as fast as lightning.

Yu Peiling had no time to mount any effective defense. She only felt a searing, explosive Power strike her lower abdomen, right on her Dantian.

"Argh—!"

Intense pain instantly engulfed her body. The Qi and Blood in her virtual form were completely scattered by the punch. The violent Power pierced through her, threatening to ignite her from within.

Her entire body was thrown backward, slamming hard into the Energy Shield. Before she could even slide to the ground, she dissolved into motes of white light and vanished from the arena.

[Battle Over: Xu Wuyi, Winner!]

The system’s cold prompt echoed throughout the empty arena.

...

In her personal preparation area, Yu Peiling’s form re-materialized. Her face was pale, a trace of bewilderment lingering in her eyes.

’I lost... just like that?’

Two minutes.

From start to finish, it was only two minutes.

At the Same Ability Level, she was completely suppressed by an opponent using the most common Basic Body Refining Technique. Her final, all-in blow was casually tanked, and she was eliminated in the counterattack.

’That kind of power, that defense... How am I supposed to fight an opponent like that?’

An intense feeling of defeat washed over her, making it hard for her to accept.

She even began to feel that her special training in the provincial capital, which she had traveled so far for, had been completely worthless.

Just then, a match invitation popped up. The sender—Xu Wuyi.

Message: "Again?"

Yu Peiling stared at the invitation, biting her lower lip as a defiant flame flickered in her eyes.

"Again!"

’I refuse to believe I don’t stand a single chance!’

...

The following matches were a one-sided slaughter.

In the second match, Yu Peiling changed her strategy, trying to use her Body Technique to maneuver and find opportunities to attack weak points like his joints.

But after letting her press the attack for a few rounds, Xu Wuyi suddenly activated Instant Shadow Step, easily closed the distance, and once again used his raw strength to shatter her defense and end the match with a single punch.

In the third match, Yu Peiling risked injury to finally land the killing move from her Flowing Cloud Palm, "Cloud Surge and Wave Deceit," on Xu Wuyi’s ribs. However, it only made him sway slightly, his movements faltering for a moment.

Immediately after, Xu Wuyi landed a heavy elbow strike near her temple, and she dispersed on the spot.

The fourth match, the fifth match...

Match after match, Yu Peiling used every trick in the book, unleashing everything she had learned from her special training in the provincial capital, but she still couldn’t budge the mountain that was Xu Wuyi.

Xu Wuyi let her throw everything she had at him, standing as immovable as a mountain, before defeating her in the simplest, most direct way.

They fought ten matches in a row, and Yu Peiling’s best performance was in the eighth match.

By sacrificing her left arm to a fracture, she created an opportunity and kicked Xu Wuyi’s right elbow joint. The kick genuinely injured him, disabling one of his arms.

But Xu Wuyi actually managed to stabilize his center of gravity with his powerful core strength and delivered the final blow with his left hand.

Other than that, the damage she managed to inflict on Xu Wuyi was mostly minor superficial wounds that weren’t even enough to affect the course of the battle.

At the end of the tenth match, Yu Peiling’s form materialized once again in the preparation area. She didn’t immediately click ’ready,’ but stood there, somewhat dazed.

Xu Wuyi’s figure also appeared opposite her. Seeing that Yu Peiling was clearly not in a good state, he remained silent for a moment, unsure of how to comfort her.

’Normally, the thought of comforting someone would never have crossed my mind. I’ve always believed that being able to adjust one’s own mentality is a necessary quality for a Martial Artist.’

’But with the college entrance exams right around the corner, if I broke her fighting spirit and caused her to underperform, it could affect her entire life. I’d feel at least a little guilty about that.’

Xu Wuyi looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, "I hear there are many experts in the provincial capital. Would you mind sharing some intel with me?"

"Hm?"

Yu Peiling, who had been feeling so miserable she wanted to cry but couldn’t, suddenly felt much better after hearing his words.

’That’s right!’

’The college entrance exams are almost here. I’ll let that bunch from the provincial capital get a taste of this monster’s strength, too!’

Yu Peiling was no fool. After realizing Xu Wuyi had learned a High-Tier Body Refining Method, she immediately understood why he wasn’t publicizing his own Energy Level.

’His Energy Level must have far surpassed any estimates. He’s planning to hide it until the college entrance exams so opponents can’t gather intel on him beforehand.’

’And he’s clearly not afraid of me figuring it out, because this is just speculation without any proof. I don’t even know the specific number. Even if I went around proclaiming it, few people would take it seriously.’

"No problem!"

Yu Peiling suddenly broke into a brilliant smile. The gloom in her heart was swept away, replaced by a new eagerness to fight.

"I’ll tell you the intel on the provincial capital if you train with me for a few more days."

"Alright." Xu Wuyi had no objections. Yu Peiling was very strong, and sparring with her was a form of training in itself—certainly no worse than grinding Rank Battles on his own.

’Compared to the mixed bag of opponents in the queue, a fellow college entrance exam candidate like Yu Peiling is a much better simulation of an actual exam opponent.’

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"You... set your Life Energy Level to 12 before we fight again!"