Fan Xiaofeng felt as if he was dreaming.
Fan Xiaoxu had always been stronger than him, but it was only by a small degree. Yet, within just a few moments, not only did he witness the other party defeating Yan Yixiao and his team with ease, he even saw the other party tossing the enforcement squad members, who had approached them to investigate the matter, out of the mountain one after another. This was way too extreme!
“Snap out of it, Xiaofeng. Someone is blocking our way!” Fan Xiaoxu’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
Raising his gaze, he saw two young men standing in their way.
“I won’t be making another move. Try doing what I told you earlier,” Zhang Xuan instructed.
“Yes!” Knowing that this was a good opportunity for him to temper himself, Fan Xiaofeng gritted his teeth and dashed forward.
When he was fighting with the head of the three youths earlier, Fan Xiaoxu had given him quite a few pointers regarding his battle style. Putting them into practice now, he found that his movements felt much more natural than before, and he was in a far better position to deal with whatever was thrown his way.
It did not take long before he eliminated those two youths standing in his path.
“The pointers that you gave me have really enhanced my fighting prowess…” Watching as the two youths were teleported away, Fan Xiaofeng could not stop trembling in agitation.
Had it been in the past, he would have struggled to eliminate even one of them. Yet, he found that he was able to deflect every single one of their blows with ease and launch a decisive counterattack to take down the two of them swiftly.
When he turned to look at Fan Xiaoxu once more, what was in his eyes was no longer awe but reverence.
Seeing that the young man from the Fan Clan had acquired some knowledge from the earlier battle, Zhang Xuan added, “Practical battle is the best way for one to improve. It’s true that the rules of this free-for-all elimination examination are filled with flaws, but it’s able to trigger one’s desperation and stimulate the growth of the examinees, making them more confident than before. When faced with a problem, the first reaction you should have isn’t how you can get away but how you can deal with it!”
There was no denying that luck played a heavy part in such a free-for-all elimination examination. If one encountered the strongest contender at the start of the examination, one could very well be eliminated there and then. Furthermore, the examinees were allowed to form alliances, which meant that the remaining hundred like would not be the strongest of the hundred.
But so what?
Those who persevered through the examination would surely enjoy a huge boost in confidence, and their cultivation should advance faster and faster from then on.
If two individuals were similar in terms of talent, what would make the difference between them were their state of mind and encounters in life.
After defeating quite a few opponents, Fan Xiaofeng had become much more confident from before, too. “Un!”
Just as the other party had said, his first reaction in the face of meeting an opponent was how he could get away and ensure his survival. However, the thought that was dominating his mind at the moment was instead how he could best eliminate his opponent.
This change in attitude would make all the differences in Fan Xiaofeng’s future progress as a cultivator.
Seeing that Fan Xiaofeng received his message, Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile. “Offense is often the best defense!”
As expected of a genius of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, the other party’s intelligence was indeed far above that of the master teachers whom he had taught before.
Of course, the other party was still a long way off from matching his direct disciples.
While making their way over to Fan Xiaoxing, Zhang Xuan continued offering pointers to Fan Xiaofeng. He knew that Fan Xiaoxing was not in any danger from the scan of his Spiritual Perception, so he was in no rush at all.
Along the way, the examinees whom they met would be eliminated without fail, and those battles further tempered Fan Xiaofeng’s fighting skills. He became more and more confident.
An hour later, they finally arrived in the forest beside the mountain stream, where Fan Xiaoxing had chosen to hide himself.
The current Fan Xiaoxing seemed to have run out of luck. He had been discovered by a group of examinees.
Individually, those examinees were weaker than him, but with their strength combined, they formed a force exceeding what Fan Xiaoxing could deal with.
Cold sweat dripped down his face as he anxiously assessed the group before him.
Just when he was reaching his limits, he caught sight of Fan Xiaoxu and Fan Xiaofeng in his peripheral vision, and his eyes lit up in relief.
“Hey, over here!”
He had thought that the two of them would rush over to help him deal with the lot surrounding him, but contrary to what he thought, the two of them stopped at the edge of the forest.
He saw Fan Xiaoxu pointing at him and saying, “Did you see that? A single move is all it takes for the tide of battle to turn against one.”
“You’re right. Xiaoxing really should have thought it through before making that move earlier!” Fan Xiaofeng nodded in agreement.
Just a moment ago, he had been equals with Fan Xiaoxing. Who could have known that in a short hour, the other party would end up becoming so weak?
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“If you were in his place, what would you have done?” Zhang Xuan asked.
As much as this was an examination, this was also a trial to test Fan Xiaofeng.
“I would use the Third Move of the Shallow Water Fist accompanied with the Spirit Leaf Movement Technique!” Fan Xiaofeng replied without much hesitation.
“Shallow Water Fist emulates the essence of catching a fish in shallow waters. It requires you to have a deep understanding of your opponent in order to ensure its success… However, just as you are able to see your opponent’s move, your opponent is able to see your move as well. Furthermore, the complex movements of the Spirit Leaf Movement Technique would just make it harder for you to control your Shallow Water Fist!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
“Ah, you’re right. I was so focused on dealing with the opponent’s attack that I forgot about the flaws of Shallow Water Fist. It would indeed be a poor choice to pair it with the Spirit Leaf Movement Technique. Hmm… Coordinating it with the Emerald Ripple Palm should work out much better. If that’s the case, I should be able to deal with two of them within seven blows, and the remaining two in five more!” Fan Xiaofeng analyzed contemplatively.
“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded in response.
Through his pointers and a series of practical battles, Fan Xiaofeng had indeed made major improvements in his fighting technique. He was already able to reflect and correct his own mistakes.
While the two of them were engaged in an intense discussion, Fan Xiaoxing was on the verge of wailing.
What Shallow Water Palm and Spirit Leaf Movement Technique… Shallow your head! Can’t you two talk later? Don’t you see that I’m on the verge of being pummeled to death?
Peng peng!
While moving in a fluster, Fan Xiaoxing sustained two more hits to his eyes, causing them to swell up.
He had thought that this should be enough to convince the two of them to rush right in to help him, but their discussion simply droned on.
“While that strike to the face will induce temporary blindness and vertigo in the opponent, such attacks are rarely able to land squarely, especially given that the head is one of the vitals that a cultivator will protect at all costs. If you were in his place, where would you strike?”
“I think that I would strike the ankles. That fellow harnesses great strength in his body, so if I strike his ankles, I should be able to affect his balance and throw him off guard. Even if my attack failed to land, I would be able to divert his attention away, thus creating an opportunity for me to strike his jade token!
“Indeed. This isn’t a life-and-death battle but an elimination round. The jade token should always be the main focus of one’s attacks.”
Peng peng!
Fan Xiaoxing sustained two more punches on his face, causing fresh blood to trickle down his lips.
“What about this punch?”
“This punch was executed a little awkwardly, but it struck an ideal position. It successfully induced a momentary daze in the opponent. If I were in his place, I would have struck the mouth and sent out a sweeping kick right after. This way, I would be able to overwhelm my enemy, and the jade token would be exposed for an instant!”
“It’s not a bad idea on your part to perform a sweeping kick, but you neglected the limitations of your own body. Due to the cultivation technique you practice, your zhenqi wouldn’t be able to flow fast enough to your lower body to conduct a powerful lower kick. If you executed a weak or delayed sweeping kick, it would instead leave you open for a moment!”
“Ah… You’re right. What should I do then?”
“Think about it!”
“Should I try to attack the jade token with my left hand instead?”
“Of course not! There’d only be a thirty percent chance of success if you struck the jade token with your left hand, and there’s a good chance that you might even be counterattacked!” Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.
It was just a moment that he had thought that the other party was a quick learner, but all of his expectations fell through the next moment.
What the heck is this?
Isn’t the answer very clear?
Having two of the countermeasures that he had proposed refuted, Fan Xiaofeng fell into a state of confusion. “What should I do then?”
“What else can you do?” Zhang Xuan spat lividly. “Of course, it’s to continue hitting his face! Since you have claimed the upper hand, as long as you continue your offense, you’ll be able to dominate the flow of the battle, thus putting your enemy in a passive position!”
Peng peng peng!
As soon as those words were spoken, Fan Xiaoxing sustained several more punches to his face.
“Look! Even he’s got it!” Zhang Xuan exclaimed in exasperation.
“…” Fan Xiaoxing cried.