"Indeed, a tree without bark will surely die, and a person without shame is invincible," Daniel mused with a smile, watching Zhang Chulan leisurely walk off the stage, humming a tune and sucking on a lollipop.
Zhang Chulan's actions infuriated one of the contestants from the earlier four-way battle. Unable to contain his anger, he rushed towards the arena to confront Zhang Chulan, but before he could get far, the Daoists of Longhu Mountain restrained him. Despite Zhang Chulan's dubious tactics, he hadn't broken any explicit rules.
As the competition continued, the audience's attention quickly shifted back to the matches. Each bout ended with cheers or gritted teeth—those who won their bets rejoiced, while those who lost cursed their luck. The betting for this Luo Tian Dajiao tournament was extensive, offering wagers on both the final champion and individual match outcomes, including predictions on the number of rounds or minutes before a victor emerged. The rapid online betting made it easy for participants to place their bets and keep track.
So far, the one who had earned the most was Zhi Jinghua, one of Lu Linglong's companions. Her keen analytical mind seemed almost like a living computer, accurately predicting most outcomes—except when it came to Zhang Chulan, whom she had completely removed from her predictions list. Zhang Chulan, it seemed, was her nemesis in more ways than one.
"Next match: Shen Fei versus Iron Monkey," announced one of the Daoists from Longhu Mountain, signaling that it was Daniel's turn to take the stage. Daniel was already familiar with his opponent thanks to the intel he had gathered from Zanglong.
In the original story, Iron Monkey was set to face Wang Ye of Wudang, but with Daniel's appearance and the resulting butterfly effect, Iron Monkey's opponent was now Daniel. Meanwhile, Wang Ye's opponent had changed to be the Wuhou Qimen heir, Zhuge Qing.
"Take this!"
As soon as the match began, Iron Monkey wasted no time charging at Daniel, delivering a fierce punch. His family's Tongbei Fist, known for its hard strikes and rigid force, was renowned in the yi ren community. Facing the incoming attack, Daniel calmly raised his green bamboo staff, pointing it at Iron Monkey's fist.
Bam!
With a muffled thud, Iron Monkey's face paled as he was forced back several steps, each footfall leaving deep imprints in the ground. The force of the blow stunned many of the onlookers, especially those familiar with Iron Monkey's reputation. Though Daniel, under the alias "Gai Nie," was an unknown figure, Iron Monkey was well-known, and his father, the Tongbei King Kong, was a respected expert. For Iron Monkey to lose ground in just one exchange shocked the spectators.
"So that's how you counter with precision..." Zhuge Qing, observing from the sidelines, muttered to himself.
In truth, many of the audience members had also caught on. Daniel's strike was like driving a nail into a wall, using precision to break through Iron Monkey's attack. Of course, this was not the only reason for Daniel's dominance. With his immense strength, facing Iron Monkey was akin to playing with a child—he didn't need any special techniques to defeat him.
Iron Monkey's expression turned serious. He had initially underestimated Daniel, thinking he was a nameless competitor. However, after their brief exchange, he quickly realized that his opponent was a formidable adversary. Shaking his hand to relieve the pain, Iron Monkey charged at Daniel once again, fists swinging.
Bam!
The green bamboo staff flashed once more, and Iron Monkey felt a sharp pain in his arm, forcing him to retreat. Just as he was about to regroup, Daniel's bamboo staff rained down a flurry of blows upon him.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Under the relentless assault, Iron Monkey could only raise his arms to defend himself while continuously retreating. By the time Daniel paused his attack, Iron Monkey was still reflexively swinging his arms and stepping back, unaware that the assault had ceased.
When Iron Monkey finally realized that Daniel had stopped and was standing calmly with a smile, his face contorted with frustration. He had entered this tournament not to win, but to earn recognition and avenge his father's defeat at Wudang. Years ago, his father had been soundly defeated by a Wudang Daoist's Taiji Fist.
"Argh!" Enraged, Iron Monkey let out a roar, his body suddenly turning golden as he activated his Golden Bell Shield. With newfound confidence, he charged at Daniel once more, fists swinging without a care for defense.
Boom!
Golden fists collided with the green bamboo staff, creating a thunderous shockwave.
"Not bad," Daniel remarked, feeling the explosive power in Iron Monkey's strike. This blow was several times stronger than before.
Iron Monkey had developed a technique where he released a burst of energy upon impact, generating tremendous force. While this might have caught other opponents off guard, Daniel remained unfazed.
"You're strong," Iron Monkey admitted, panting slightly. "This Tongbei Hand technique... I had intended to save it for the Wudang Taiji Fist, but now you'll get to experience it."
"You've combined the power of Tongbei Fist with the Golden Bell Shield?" Daniel immediately recognized Iron Monkey's strategy.
Iron Monkey's modified technique was designed to counter Taiji Fist, which relied on using an opponent's force against them. By exploding his energy in short, concentrated bursts, he hoped to prevent Taiji practitioners from borrowing his strength.
While many believed Taiji Fist was about yielding and redirecting, Iron Monkey had developed his own method to counter it, showcasing his considerable talent.
"Thank goodness I'm not facing him," Wang Ye murmured from the stands after hearing Iron Monkey's words.
"Wang Daozhang, you must be joking," Zhuge Qing replied. "As a disciple of Wudang, surely you understand the true essence of Taiji Fist."
"It seems the Wudang Daoist who fought his father didn't show their full hand," Zhuge Qing added with a smirk.
"Bah, Wuhou Qimen is no less troublesome," Wang Ye muttered to himself.
Back in the arena, Daniel remained calm as Iron Monkey unleashed his Tongbei Hand. With each strike, Daniel's bamboo staff met his fists.
Clang!
A metallic clang echoed as Daniel's staff struck Iron Monkey's arm. Despite the protection of the Golden Bell Shield, Iron Monkey's face twisted in pain, realizing that the shield wasn't as effective as he had hoped.
Clang, clang, clang!
A rapid succession of strikes followed, forcing Iron Monkey to retreat again, his body battered by Daniel's relentless assault. Onlookers like Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing began to reassess Daniel's abilities, recognizing that he was far more skilled than they had anticipated.
"Who knew there would be such a formidable young fighter?" murmured some of the older spectators, including the Ten Elders, who were also watching closely. Among them, the Old Heavenly Master sighed deeply, realizing that yet another unexpected participant had emerged in this chaotic Luo Tian Dajiao.
"I hope that kid can handle this trouble... otherwise, things could get really complicated."
"That's enough," Daniel said, ending the fight with a final tap of his bamboo staff on Iron Monkey's chest, sending him flying into the arena wall, where his body left a human-shaped imprint.
"Gai Nie wins!"
"No way... is that guy really this strong?" Zanglong, watching from the stands with bandages wrapped around his head and arms, hurriedly pulled out his tablet to record the latest information.
Despite his seemingly lackluster appearance, Zanglong had made it through the four-way elimination round and entered the individual matches. If he hadn't faced Zhang Lingyu in the first round, he might have advanced further. However, during their match, Zanglong had foolishly asked Zhang Lingyu who had taken his first kiss—a question that earned him a severe dose of Palm Lightning.
Though Zhang Lingyu had tried to hold back, even his restrained Yin Five Thunders was still a powerful lightning technique. It was a miracle that Zanglong had survived with only minor injuries. Stubbornly, he had refused to leave the tournament grounds, determined to stay and watch Lu Linglong's matches.
As the self-appointed president of Lu Linglong's fan club, Zanglong was unwilling to miss a single moment of her performance.
"Feng Xingtong versus Wang Bing."
"Two Spirit Commanders facing off!" Daniel muttered, watching the next match with interest.
Despite Daniel's interference altering some matchups, this particular battle remained unchanged.
The contest between Feng Xingtong and Wang Bing was intense, pitting their shared Spirit Commander abilities against each other. However, the use of Spirit Commanders had been weakened by modern society's changes, making this once formidable technique far less effective.
Feng Xingtong's spiritual partner, Wang Zizhong, was one of the Nine National Experts, a powerful soul that voluntarily allowed itself to be bound. But Wang Bing's more ruthless method of soul consumption—devouring spirits to grow stronger—had no such voluntary element.
In the end, Wang Bing's brutality prevailed, as he cornered Feng Xingtong and destroyed Wang Zizhong's spirit, leaving Feng Xingtong helpless. Although Feng Xingtong attempted to surrender, Wang Bing's anger drove him to continue the beating until Feng Xingtong lost
consciousness.
Despite protests from the audience and the referees, Wang Bing lashed out at anyone who interfered. Though his grandfather, Wang Ai, was present to defend him, the judges swiftly intervened to prevent further harm, restraining Wang Bing without injuring him. Even the Ten Elders had to tread carefully around someone like Wang Ai, who held considerable influence.
"Wang Ye versus Zhuge Qing."
As the next match was announced, Wang Ye wasted no time. Despite his usual laid-back demeanor, he quickly launched an attack, opening with the Benglan Fist technique of Taiji Fist.
Zhuge Qing responded with Bajiquan, but the force of Wang Ye's punch exceeded his expectations, forcing him to retreat several steps.
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