Chapter 48: Mountain Barbarians

"The combatants are Lin Zhengli from Wangjiang City and Zhao Tiehe from Sanshan City. Begin!"

As the referee gave the order, both sides began casting spells at a dazzling speed.

The only difference was that Lin Zhengli stood still, looking calm, while Zhao Tiehe cast spells as he charged forward.

This was a collision of two distinct styles, and no one knew the outcome before the impact.

Earth elemental energy gathered, and sharp stone spikes burst from the ground.

Like Yang Xingyong, Zhao Tiehe also started with earth spikes, but while Yang Xingyong used them for defense, Zhao Tiehe used them for offense.

A wave seemed to materialize from thin air, lifting Lin Zhengli up and away, precisely avoiding the attack of the earth spikes.

This was the Superior Tier D Daoist Art, Wave Ride, a spell that used water elemental energy for movement.

Zhao Tiehe completed his incantation, raised both hands, and the earth spikes rose from the ground, showering towards Lin Zhengli in the air!

Unlike Yang Xingyong, who used brute force to propel the earth spikes for a second attack, Zhao Tiehe completely manipulated the Daoist Art itself for a second transformation, truly innovating the spell!

Lin Zhengli was in the air, and Wave Ride had already been used, seemingly leaving him with no options. But his fingers, which had been constantly moving, suddenly flicked, and the wave carrying him surged violently, with another wave generating from within, carrying Lin Zhengli away from the barrage of earth spikes at the last possible moment.

He too, demonstrated a second transformation of the Wave Ride Daoist Art!

It could be said that the fight between Zhao Tiehe and Lin Zhengli truly showcased a clash of Daoist Art powers.

And these advanced transformations of the two Daoist Arts also reflected the foundations of the Sanshan City Daoist Academy and the Wangjiang City Daoist Academy. It should be known that the innovation of these basic Daoist Arts could truly enhance the overall strength of the Daoist Academy at its core.

Lin Zhengli dodged again and again, but Zhao Tiehe's offensive did not cease. He stepped on his toes and soared into the air.

He delivered an uppercut from below. Only, his fist was already covered with layers of stone, the Stone-Covered Fist!

He almost replicated Yang Xingyong's Daoist Art, as a response to Lin Zhengli's previous words of "chickens pecking at each other."

Lin Zhengli had not yet landed, and seemed to have nowhere to dodge, but his fingers flicked again.

Within the wave, another wave was generated, pushing him away from the attack once more.

Triple Wave!

The simple Wave Ride, a common movement Daoist Art, displayed three transformations today.

If the second transformation of the earth spikes earlier had raised the earth spike Daoist Art to the limit of Superior Tier D, then the current Triple Wave had raised the Tier D Daoist Art to the ranks of a Tier C Daoist Art. This was a qualitative improvement!

Zhao Tiehe's Stone-Covered Fist failed again. He had no time to be shocked, because Lin Zhengli's counterattack had arrived.

Relying on the trump card of Triple Wave, he unexpectedly dodged again and again, finally completing his Daoist Art at this moment.

All the water elemental energy in the arena suddenly surged. Water flowed everywhere, and waves surged. Surging waves came from all directions, and Zhao Tiehe could not dodge in time. He was hit by a wave on the spot. He was sent flying out of control as if struck by a heavy punch.

While he was in the air, another wave struck, causing him to cough up blood as he flew away.

The waves collided back and forth, and Zhao Tiehe was like a broken sandbag being struck repeatedly, making dull thuds.

This was a naked Tier C Daoist Art, Raging Waves!

Lin Zhengli's expression remained calm, with none of the previous flippancy before the battle, but rather a calmness as if everything was under control. His hands quickly formed incantations, and the moment the Raging Waves ended, he drew out an extremely long vine whip and lashed it out with a whoosh.

Zhao Tiehe had almost no power to retaliate in the Raging Waves, but he just hugged his head and curled up, minimizing the attack area as much as possible.

The moment the Raging Waves ended, his body straightened out, and he reached out and grabbed the vine whip.

Blood still oozed from the corners of his mouth, and his clothes were tattered, revealing a body covered in bruises. But he didn't seem to feel the pain. It seemed that cultivators from Sanshan City all had this kind of ruthlessness. He grabbed the vine whip and used force, trying to pull Lin Zhengli in front of him!

But Lin Zhengli loosened his hand, and the vine whip suddenly turned back, snaking over Zhao Tiehe's entire body, binding him tightly.

It turned out that the Daoist Art Lin Zhengli had just used was not the Middle Tier D Green Vine Whip, but the Superior Tier D Entangling Vine!

He used Entangling Vine but didn't use it to bind the enemy first. Instead, he disguised it as a Green Vine Whip, luring Zhao Tiehe to grab the whip, thereby perfectly entangling him.

It could be said that from the start of the battle until now, Zhao Tiehe's every step had fallen into Lin Zhengli's calculations. Even what he said to Zhao Tiehe before the battle might not have been a foreshadowing.

At this moment, Lin Zhengli could harvest his victory.

He calmly finished his incantation. This would be the true extraction of the Green Vine Whip, lashing fiercely at the bound opponent.

But the Entangling Vine on Zhao Tiehe suddenly exploded. Zhao Tiehe rolled on the spot, dodging this merciless lash.

Only then did people notice the blood trickling down Zhao Tiehe's body, as well as the dense, bloody wounds. On the ground, dense, crushed stones were mixed with the remnant vines.

It turned out that Zhao Tiehe had covered himself with a layer of stone armor at the same time that the Raging Waves ended. Lin Zhengli might not have noticed, or he might have noticed but didn't care.

Because the Stone Armor Art itself was just a Daoist Art that increased defense, and did not help to get rid of the Entangling Vine.

But the Stone Armor exploded.

Instantly blasting Zhao Tiehe into a bloody mess, and also blasting open the vines entangled on him.

This scene was extremely tragic, and many people couldn't bear to watch. Ling He even reached out to cover Jiang Anan's eyes.

And Zhao Tiehe dragged his blood-stained body and launched another charge at Lin Zhengli.

No one knew why he wouldn't give up, no one knew why he insisted.

Wasn't it just a Daoist battle?

It wasn't even the county academy exam in November, which didn't involve his future at all!

This was a battle of first-year students, and the rest of the participating cultivators were watching from the sidelines.

Sun Xiaoman stared at the arena, her eyes unblinking.

Lin Zhengren turned to look at her: "At this point, do you still want to continue fighting, Miss Xiaoman? People will die."

"Whether to have life or honor, I can't decide for him." This barefoot girl, who looked small, didn't even turn her head.

"Slap!"

This time, Zhao Tiehe couldn't avoid the whip.

A deep whip mark appeared, torn skin and flesh.

But it seemed that he didn't mean to avoid it, but took advantage of the moment the whip retracted, grabbed the tip of the whip with one hand! He turned several times in a row, wrapping the Green Vine Whip around his body.

He walked towards Lin Zhengli, pulling the whip. The stone was slowly gathering on his fist, much slower than before, but it was still that punch, the Stone-Covered Fist.

Lin Zhengli had no choice but to let go, giving up the whip formed by Daoist Art. He jumped back, retreating while saying, "Surrender! If you continue like this, you will really die!"

"Surrender?" Zhao Tiehe looked at Lin Zhengli, and the smile on the corner of his mouth grew wider and wider, "We people from Sanshan City can't be looked down upon by you like this!"

He suddenly charged forward a few steps, and the Stone-Covered Fist fell!

Boom!

Lin Zhengli leaped away from the spot, and the stone fist smashed to the ground, smashing out a deep pit.

"Courting death!" Lin Zhengli was in the air, his hands already forming incantations at lightning speed. He didn't want to admit that he had been frightened in this battle, but he had decided to use a more vicious Daoist Art, even if he couldn't control it, even if... it would kill his opponent.

Just as the Daoist Art was faintly taking shape, he landed. He had mastered the timing so perfectly, that he almost wanted to applaud himself.

But, there was a pit on the ground for some reason, and it was unknown when it appeared.

It was a trap that Zhao Tiehe had set up long ago, guiding earth elemental force, causing the land to sink, a basic Daoist Art, Low Tier D, and the name was "Pitfall."

But it was so apt.

Lin Zhengli twisted his foot, and his whole posture collapsed, and the prepared Daoist Art also dissipated. Although he had turned his body in the first moment, so he did not fall to the ground.

But Zhao Tiehe had pounced over like a beast, and pressed him to the ground!

The two people were so close, that Daoist Arts outside of instant cast were meaningless.

Bang!

That was the sound of a fist hitting a face.

"I'm not a mountain savage!"

Bang! Bang!

"I am... from Qinghe County, Zhuang State! A Sanshan City cultivator! Zhao, Tie, He!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Zhao Tiehe punched again and again.

Lin Zhengren's eyelids twitched non-stop, as if those punches were hitting his own face.

"Concede!" he shouted.