Staggering back several ters to protect herself from Han Xuhan's follow-up strikes, she stood in silence for a few uncomfortable seconds, not quite able to believe it.
Han Xuhan, a martial artist whose martial cultivation had certainly not yet reached the peak of the second phase of the Physique Transformation Realm, had actually managed to put her at a disadvantage!
She had cultivated her body to the peak of the third phase long before becoming a disciple of the Crimson Snow Sect. As it was sowhat inconvenient to practice her family's private martial arts after coming here, she hadn't had the opportunity to break through to the fourth phase.
Still, there was a gap of one entire phase between the two of them. She could still rationalize it if this were a duel of Mystic Arts, where cultivation levels didn't necessarily determine victory.
But this was a re exchange of brute strength and rudintary martial techniques. How could he overpower her in this domain?
Am I getting slower and weaker? Or is he getting faster and stronger?
While her mind was overrun with confusion, she saw Han Xuhan put on a wooden mask over his face.
Noticing her questioning gaze, he shrugged and said, "Thanks for going easy on during the warm-up session, Sister i. Co, let's fight seriously this ti!"
"....?!"
She no longer had profanities to throw at this wretch. The only emotion that remained in her heart was self-doubt, mixed with a silver of cold apprehension.
The duel took a turn for the worse from that point onwards.
Han Xuhan read her moves easily, took advantage of the situation every ti she resorted to complicated techniques, and continued to slip past her defenses in an eerie manner.
She felt like she wasn't fighting a stranger. Rather, her opponent was one of her closest martial siblings, soone who practiced martial arts with her daily; soone who knew her habits and fighting thods in and out!
The only reason he hadn't managed to take her down yet was the disparity in their physical attributes. The occasional strikes he managed to land on her could not even make her wince.
Aside from that, Han Xuhan's offensive arsenal also seed lacking, limiting his ability to finish a fight using heavy handed moves.
The observation rekindled so hope in her heart. Her stamina was obviously far greater than his. She could outlast him even if she couldn't take him down quickly.
Her sense of superiority had long slipped away, and not even she realized this. From her initial intent to erge victorious by thunderous, violent ans, she was now chasing after a hard-won victory.
Her very own self from ten minutes ago would have found her current mindset humiliating, had it been capable of peering into fate. She'd see her spirit for combat reignite with vigor at a re hope of defeating this wretched opponent.
This ti, she was going to ditch the ordinary tactics and resort to her family's private martial arts!
There was no way this guy could ever guard against those unique moves. Nobody in the sect could possibly know the intricacies of a distant clan's private techniques.
ntally, she went through the familiar moves and chose to strike with what she was the most skilled at. It was a simple punch, executed re inches from the target.
To an outsider, it'd seem no different from a harmless jab. The truth couldn't be further from it.
Incorporated within this short punch was the vital energy from FOUR acupoints, assimilating together like turbulent rivers falling into each other.
The combined explosion of vital energy was so potent that a peak third phase martial artist like her could run her fist through foot-thick blocks of wood without any fear of damaging her bones.
Han Xuhan, parry this, you filthy casual!
She lunged forward to engage him in close combat. Horizontal kick, left hook, block, evade, feint of a slashing palm that barely missed his shoulder, and then, clenching that palm into a fist, her punch fell on his neck like a warhamr!
The distance between his neck and her fist was no more than six inches. There was no way for Han Xuhan to block or avoid the strike. With a satisfying crunch, the strike made contact with his skin.
But the explosive surge of vital energy, her main weapon, did not co out!
The power she needed to break his neck did not appear.
All her punch did was knock off his wooden mask by accident. Under that mask was a smiling face, a benevolent gaze, and a countenance full of pity.
"Hnghhhh!"
The kick that landed on her left calf was unbelievably powerful, and it did not lack vital energy in the slightest.
She could almost feel her bones and tendons tearing as her lower body bent sideways from the force, destabilising her balance completely.
She imdiately shifted to a tricky defensive maneuver, swinging one of her legs like she had a way to strike him from this awkward position, while gathering vital energy in her hand to strike the ground and push herself away from the opponent.
The next mont, a downward punch fell on her midsection, completely ignoring the feint kick, as if Han Xuhan KNEW exactly what she'd do.
This punch had no vital energy in it, only raw physical power. Had it been similar to her killing moves, it would have shattered her lower ribcage without a doubt.
Now, all it did was just smash her torso into the ground. Although the pain that shot through her senses was imnse, she could still get up and fight.
However, the fight in her was gone. The only thing left in her head was a series of questions that only her opponent could answer.
Why did her vital energy fail?
Why couldn't her strength and speed match an inferior opponent?
Why could he see through her family's private martial arts?
And why did he understand her fighting instincts so well?
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