A Clash!

Ye Huan put away the items, looked back, and asked in surprise, "Why haven't you left yet?" Zhang Beisheng was sitting on the ground, panting heavily, and said resentfully, "You're not going to rob just me, are you?" "There will probably be others," Ye Huan said. "How... thoroughly insidious. But do you really think the rest of us aren't qualified to be Taiyin Sect disciples?" Zhang Beisheng sneered maliciously. He said "the rest of us"? Ye Huan grew alert. Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Beisheng suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs: "No need to play by the rules with this scheming villain! Everyone, attack him together!" From behind a nearby sand mound walked five fellow disciples from their cohort. *So that's how it is.* "You're in league with him?" Ye Huan asked. "Who would team up with that arrogant prick? He went around challenging people and seizing their spoils, but the five of us joined forces and took him down. Now we're here to collect his things," the leader said. Ye Huan glanced at Zhang Beisheng. *—When you yelled "attack him together" just now, were you trying to drag me into a fight?* "Brothers, everything I found during my exploration is in this brat's hands! If you want it, go take it!" Zhang Beisheng laughed with malicious glee. The five disciples exchanged glances, but sharing a tacit understanding, none of them stepped forward to fight. "We've collected just about enough. We might as well rest here until the competition ends," the leader said. They quietly walked to the side and sat down on the ground to rest. Ye Huan was somewhat surprised. *Not bad.* These disciples had just spent an entire day exploring and fighting without any chance to replenish their spent energy. Having chased him out here, they didn't rush to attack, but instead seized the time to rest. Zhang Beisheng wanted to see both sides suffer mutual destruction, but he was treating others like fools. "Damn it! If you don't take him down, he'll rob you next! He wants to take first place!" Zhang Beisheng instigated relentlessly. "Hey, your intentions are way too obvious. No one's falling for that," Ye Huan said, amused. Just then, two more figures emerged from the passage. A boy and a girl. "You two, watch out! Ye Huan is camping here specifically to rob people!" Zhang Beisheng shouted as a warning. Sure enough, the two grew wary and looked together toward Ye Huan. The five sitting to the side looked over at him as well. Ye Huan smiled breezily and said, "Leave your things behind, and you may go." "You didn't go inside at all, but have been waiting out here the entire time? A clever plan indeed, but do you really think you can defeat both of us by yourself?" the girl asked. "Enlighten me, please," Ye Huan said, raising his hands into a fighting stance. —These kids were still simple. Whenever someone challenged them, they just had to trade blows. What? Run away without fighting? Youths were thin-skinned; they couldn't bear the shame. The boy and girl exchanged a look and shouted in unison, "Go!" One on the left and one on the right, one lunged forward a step to strike at his throat, while the other lagged slightly behind, ready to follow up depending on Ye Huan's reaction. Ye Huan's Iron Cloth Shirt had reached the mastery realm after countless battles and several years of seclusion within the simulated world. He also had the strength enhancement granted by the Hunyuan Stance. Faced with their pincer attack, he didn't yield an inch. Lunging forward, he directly used his head to block the oncoming punch while striking out with a hand toward the other opponent. —Iron Hand Force! The girl who punched was knocked flying back by his headbutt, while the boy clashed palms with him and was forced back seven or eight steps, his arm completely numb and unable to even lift. "You have far too little combat experience; you are no match for me at all. If you're unconvinced, come at me again," Ye Huan said calmly, settling into his stance. Standing shoulder to shoulder, the two exchanged glances, then looked toward the five resting nearby. With tacit understanding, the five got to their feet and lined up beside them. The leader said softly, "If we can defeat Ye Huan, the top scorer of the entrance test, all of our rankings will move up a notch." "Exactly," the girl agreed. "Attack!" The seven spread out to the left and right, surrounding him before attacking in unison. Standing in the center, Ye Huan assumed a stance as his entire aura suddenly rippled. The field generated by the Hunyuan Stance instantly expanded. Within ten meters, everyone's position, movements, expressions, and even the techniques they unleashed were clearly "seen" by Ye Huan. There were also the wild grasses swayed by the wind, butterflies spreading their wings on blossoms, ants marching in columns on the ground, dust particles slowly descending through the air... Countless pieces of information manifested simultaneously, to the point that Ye Huan even had an illusion. Time had slowed down. —Time hadn't truly slowed, but with so much information manifesting all at once, his brain had entered an arcane, detached state of observation. Ye Huan lowered his gaze, opened his stance, shifted fists to palms, and struck nine times in rapid succession. *Clang, clang, bang, bang, clang, clang—* The seven attacks landed on his body, but through subtle adjustments of his position, they all struck his chest, shoulders, elbows, knees, and other areas where his defense was strongest. Yet every single one of his palm strikes landed on an opponent's vital point. To Zhang Beisheng watching on the sidelines, Ye Huan's hands moved like afterimages. Paying no heed to the seven-man siege, he struck continuously, sending them all flying. "Ouch!" "Wah!" "Ah!" "Pah—" Cries of pain rose one after another. In a single move, everyone was knocked to the ground, unable to get up. "Iron Hand Bars the River..." Zhang Beisheng's expression was conflicted, his hands clenching into tight fists. *This bastard!* *A crude, rudimentary martial art like Iron Hand could actually be brought to such heights in his hands?* *Weren't martial arts categorized by rank?* *We all come from prestigious martial lineages, steeped in elite training from childhood, and joined the Taiyin Sect to scale even greater heights—* *Why were we defeated by something like this?!* "Everyone," Ye Huan said, cupping his fists. "It's merely a competition; no need to get genuinely worked up. Hand over your things, and you can rest." The fallen girl shook her head and said, "We're no match for you, but don't get smug. Big Sis will teach you a lesson!" "Big Sis?" Ye Huan asked, puzzled. The girl placed two fingers to her lips and blew hard, letting out a long, piercing whistle. Immediately, a girl's voice rang out from within the ruins: "Who dares bully my people? Tired of living, are you?!" Xia Luoning! She leapt out from a window, her figure soaring gracefully back and forth through the air. Grasping one window ledge after another as if walking on flat ground, she vaulted down and landed right before Ye Huan. "Big Sis, it's him!" Everyone pointed at Ye Huan. Xia Luoning's eyes shone brightly as she stared at Ye Huan. A blush suddenly rose on her face, and she snapped: "You again! Just because you took first place in the entrance test, do you really think I can't handle you?" "Words are pointless; let's see what you can do," Ye Huan said. Xia Luoning's expression grew unnatural. Subconsciously glancing toward a certain part of his body, she mumbled: "This lady was just afraid of breaking you. If you ended up unable to have children, that would be going too far." *This girl is actually quite kindhearted.* *Wait—* *Why is that your focus?!* Veins bulged on Ye Huan's forehead. He couldn't help but say, "I've already trained away my vital points! You don't need to worry about that at all!" "Really?" Xia Luoning breathed a sigh of relief. "Come, let me see how much your skills have improved," Ye Huan said, assuming a stance. "I've been itching to have a good fight with you anyway!" Her fighting spirit ignited, Xia Luoning shouted in a crisp voice. Both lunged forward at the same time. Fists and feet collided, stances shifting rapidly; in just a few breaths, they exchanged seventy or eighty moves. Dense metallic clangs rang out without pause, swift as a torrential downpour. The seven fallen youths, Zhang Beisheng sitting to the side, and even other disciples who emerged from the skyscraper or surrounding open ground all watched their match. Spotting an opening, Ye Huan suddenly struck with Iron Hand Force. Not to be outdone, Xia Luoning's hands blurred like afterimages. One hand hooked into a claw while the other straightened like a blade. Alternating seamlessly, she executed seven or eight moves in an instant, completely neutralizing the force in Ye Huan's arm, and even landed a palm strike squarely on his chest. Ye Huan stumbled back several paces. With a slight circulation of his blood and qi, he dispersed the force. *Not bad.* To force him to circulate his energy to dissipate the impact meant her palm strike packed tremendous power! "What fist style is that?" Ye Huan asked in surprise. Beside them, Zhang Beisheng couldn't resist shouting, "Hmph! An ignorant country bumpkin who doesn't even recognize this martial art! Go back to farming the fields!" He pumped his fist violently, as if finally venting his frustration. Xia Luoning had intended to press her attack, but hearing Zhang Beisheng's coarse words, she paused and said seriously: "Left hand a tiger's claw, right hand a crane's beak; dividing intent into two, one false and one true, wielding two forms as one. It is called the Tiger-Crane Double Form. "Junior Brother Ye, prepare yourself." "Good." Ye Huan looked at her with an admiring gaze, slowly assuming his stance. "Brother Ye still intends to meet this with your self-created martial art? I'm afraid you won't be able to handle what's coming," Xia Luoning said. "I have a technique derived from Iron Hand called Iron Hand Bars the River. Originally, it unleashed nine palm strikes in a single breath, but through my study, it can now strike eighteen times simultaneously. Junior Sister Xia, please be careful," Ye Huan said. "Oh? Impressive. But remember, you have to call me Senior Sister," Xia Luoning said. "I'm older than you," Ye Huan said. "Still, I will definitely be chosen as the Eldest Disciple of this generation. By sect seniority, you must address me as Senior Sister," Xia Luoning said seriously. Ye Huan couldn't help rolling his eyes. *—You just love having people call you 'Sister,' don't you?* "Enough idle chatter. Junior Sister, prepare yourself." "Humph, if Junior Brother wants to fight, Senior Sister will gladly oblige!"