Martial Saint!
Chapter 245 - 0176 Sweeping the Six Combinations (5 updates! 3k)

Chapter 245: 0176 Sweeping the Six Combinations (5 updates! 3k)

a.m.

The intense semifinals kicked off.

On the big screen, the match results were revealed.

[Lu Chenzhou (Flying Swallow) vs. Huo Tianyuan (Six Yang)]

[Zhang Banshan (Yi An) vs. Cheng Qing (Ink Painting)]

The atmosphere erupted like a volcano, igniting the entire venue!

"Lu Chenzhou and Huo Tianyuan are up against each other, one adept in both internal and external martial arts, excelling in cross training and being invincible, the other suppressing all opponents with Six Harmonies Fist... truly something to look forward to."

"It’s said that Huo Tianyuan mentioned in an interview before the competition that the opponent he most wanted to meet was Lu Chenzhou. Now, it really is a narrow path for sworn enemies."

Lu and Huo, both were hot favorites.

Their popularity in the arena was also top-notch.

This match might just be the pinnacle of this Wan Guan Challenge Tournament.

Rest Area.

Ji Xuantong looked at the rising Lu Chenzhou and said,

"The essence of Six Harmonies Fist still stems from the Elephant Form style, and it shares similarities with the Innate Five Beasts Palm earlier on. Take your time and be steady, you’ll be fine."

"Understood."

Lu Chenzhou, with the stride of a dragon and the stance of a tiger, stepped up to the ring.

Huo Tianyuan’s smile stretched across his face as he clasped his fists and said with a laugh,

"Brother Lu, do you recognize Huo Tianyu?"

Lu Chenzhou nodded.

Huo Tianyuan continued,

"She’s my younger sister. She said you were formidable. I didn’t take much notice at first, but seeing you today, you truly stand out. Regardless of win or lose in this battle, I hope we can both bring our A-game and leave no regrets at the national tournament!"

He didn’t seem overly concerned about winning or losing.

A bold spirit rose in Lu Chenzhou’s heart as he laughed,

"Good! I hope you can make it worthwhile for me."

"Quite the boast!"

Huo Tianyuan laughed heartily, and after greeting with clasped fists, assumed his stance.

He inhaled as if swallowing thunder, and within his body, the rumbling sound of muffled thunder emerged. On the stage, oppressive invisible might pressured from all six directions—up, down, front, back, left, and right.

A suffocating aura permeated the air.

Lu Chenzhou’s gaze grew intense.

"His presence is also very strong."

The last person to gain his recognition was Wang Hongdao’s imposing aura.

This man might not quite match Wang Hongdao, but he wasn’t far off.

It seemed Huo Tianyuan had also been concealing his abilities before, not using his full strength.

"Ha!"

Huo Tianyuan stamped his foot and assumed a stance, gliding towards Lu Chenzhou like a dragonfly skimming water. His hands, feet, elbows, knees, shoulders, and hips synchronized as one, forming an invisible dragon-snake. Amidst movement and stillness, his dark force erupted from all around!

With the opening of a dragon’s spine, the world turned upside down!

Boom!

With the sound of an invisible dragon’s roar, Huo Tianyuan’s left leg exploded forward, breaking through the air. Six Harmonies Fist was intricately linked with Elephant Form Fist, hence even in his movements lay the essence of the Elephant Form, and this move was the Big Dragon Form·Gray Dragon Tail Shaking!

The forceful wind made Lu Chenzhou’s training clothes whip and crack. Amidst the fierce storm, he stared straight at the phenomenal might of the Gray Dragon, shifting sideways in a crab-like sidestep. Using his step to draw a circle, and his elbow to block the tail strike of the Gray Dragon, his body spun with the flow, utilizing the kick’s momentum to swiftly circle behind Huo Tianyuan. He flicked out a reverse Tiger Form Claw, aiming for the waist.

Huo Tianyuan raised his arm to block as his body shook, stepping to the left as if Mount Tai was falling, dispersing the force, while his left hand drilled out from below his right elbow. A relentless, piercing noise like the call of a wild eagle exploded continuously in the arena, soaring to the heavens!

Big Eagle Form·Kestrel Sky Penetration!

The piercing sound pained Lu Chenzhou’s eardrums. He leaned back to dodge the lethal strike. Huo Tianyuan’s punch missed, his Sky-drilling Fist opened like a cobra’s threat, hissing menacingly as the Snake Form Palm slashed downward with the momentum of a thunderbolt!

Big Snake Form·Poison Snake Exploration!

This series of strikes really was formidable, as fluid as clouds and flowing water, giving Lu Chenzhou no time to react. Unable to dodge in time, he leaned forward, avoiding a strike to the head, and Huo Tianyuan’s Slashing Palm hit his back with ferocity; the dark force instantly exploded!

Boom!

Lu Chenzhou grunted, his back’s Golden Film vibrated and dispersed. Taking the hit and willing to exchange injury for injury, his hips and torso combined strength, and his entire body’s dark force congregated at his right elbow! His elbow, like a cannon, struck Huo Tianyuan’s underarm, which was yet to retract. Huo Tianyuan’s shoulder joint seemed to dislocate, and the severe pain turned his face beet red, emitting a painful howl.

His body swayed as he retreated, but Lu Chenzhou, seeing his opportunity, didn’t relent and quickly followed up. His Tiger Form Fist and Tiger Form Claw alternated like a mudslide pouring down, as Huo Tianyuan moved backwards with a burst of quick steps that cracked the ground beneath, constantly gathering strength.

Suddenly, his body stalled, his legs crossed as he crouched down, dodging Lu Chenzhou’s Straight Punch in a crouching step with his front foot flicking outwards, his rear foot stomping the ground, sitting almost on the ground, his lower body taut like a bowstring before releasing!

Boom!

Huo Tianyuan leaped up like a spring, and at this moment, he unified the Inner Three Harmonies and the External Three Harmonies, focusing his essence, Qi, and spirit into one point, like a sharp sword thrusting toward the sky.

With his fists positioned like phoenix eyes, he unleashed a ear-splitting screech.

With a pinpoint focus, he aimed to dismantle Lu Chenzhou’s Golden Body!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Making bold and unconventional moves, Lu Chenzhou was caught off guard for a moment and felt two sharp impacts hit his chest as if being shot by arrows, a force dispersing the Golden Film acting upon his muscles. His body was thrown backwards with the force, twisting mid-air to land before dissipating the power with Shaking Feet in a General Shedding Armor pattern, somehow ending up on the edge of the ring.

Below the stage, Ji Xuantong sweated from his palms.

"This Huo Tianyuan has some tricks up his sleeve, and his Qi-Blood has also broken through seven."

For the first time since the start of the competition, Lu Chenzhou was at a disadvantage.

Huo Tianyuan’s lips curved upwards triumphantly, having pulled off a clever move, his confidence restored. Seizing the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot, he leaped forward in two strides, followed by a storm of attacks with maneuvers like Gray Dragon Tail Shaking, Bear King Ice Slap, Spirit Snake Coiling Tree, and Swallow Water Strike...

Six Harmonies Fist consists of twelve major forms, each with tremendous power. Huo Tianyuan’s Six Harmonies Fist was nearing Perfection; shoulders and hips, elbows and knees, hands and feet, heart intent, intent and Qi, Qi Power... Unity of the six, with every gesture or movement, embodied a force that could catalyze the whole body with a single trigger.

Lu Chenzhou, relying on his Hard Qi Gong’s margin for error, forcibly withstood many attacks. His body shimmered with Golden Light, and gradually, he found his rhythm, at the same time internally reflecting on how the arena brimmed with powerful experts. Without Hard Qi Gong, he might not have been so certain of victory in this fight.

Huo Tianyuan’s surprise attacks had disrupted his tempo.

Fortunately, there were no what-ifs; he had Hard Qi Gong!

Gradually, Huo Tianyuan could no longer keep a smile. His merciless onslaught would have defeated any Tenth Rank fighter present.

But Lu Chenzhou, he forcefully withstood it all.

Was this the power of cultivating both internally and externally?

It was enough to make one despair.

"Ha!"

All of a sudden, Lu Chenzhou’s eyes widened in fury, his invisible rage swept out like an avalanche, overwhelming Huo Tianyuan, as he unleashed the majestic aura of the Tiger Form. To Huo Tianyuan, it seemed as though a terrifying Buddhist Vajra was staring him down, and in the mere moment of his distraction, his last bit of advantage was completely erased.

"It’s my turn!"

Bang!

Lu Chenzhou’s Tiger Form Palm broke through the blockade of the Six Harmonies Fist, crashing hard into Huo Tianyuan’s chest. Then, with a bow step forward, he delivered a knee lift that erupted upward like a volcanic blast, striking Huo Tianyuan’s descending blocking hand.

At this moment, the rhythm of the attack was entirely with Lu Chenzhou. His other leg suddenly snapped straight, a powerful mid-air kick landing in Huo Tianyuan’s abdomen. After one solid hit, it was Huo Tianyuan’s turn to fly backwards. Lu Chenzhou followed swiftly with Arrow Steps, each landing causing Shaking Feet that sent Dark Force recoiling from his lower body to his upper body. After ten steps, he arrived in front of Huo Tianyuan, whose elbows swung like pendulums, attempting to crush down with the force of striking a bell.

Lu Chenzhou’s fists clenched tightly, stabbing out like spears. After ten times of building momentum, Dark Force from all around his body concentrated at his fists, exploding upon impact with Huo Tianyuan’s chest.

Boom!

Before Huo Tianyuan could smash his elbows down, he was already lifted by a tremendous force and flung straight across the standard twelve-meter ring, landing below.

Lu Chenzhou breathed heavily, sweat pouring down like rain.

Below him, Huo Tianyuan’s face was flushed red, and the corners of his mouth were tinged with traces of blood.

He wiped away the blood, and suddenly asked,

"I wonder if Brother Lu found this fight to his satisfaction?"

Lu Chenzhou replied with a smile,

"Thrilling!"

This man’s strength was no less than Wang Hongdao’s.

He had earned Xiao Lu’s recognition!

Hearing this, Huo Tianyuan let out a sigh of relief.

To be praised by a respected adversary was enough!

The announcer’s exhilarated voice came through,

"Let us congratulate Lu Chenzhou for advancing to the final!"

From the stands, the cheers of the crowd drowned out everything else.

"Indeed, it’s Lu Chenzhou who wins!"

"Elephant Form! Elephant Form!"

"This man was at a disadvantage in the middle of the match, but that Hard Qi Gong saved him. Any other Tenth Rank would’ve been beaten down from the platform by Huo Tianyuan by now."

"That’s true. That’s why Huo Tianyuan is also strong."

A Lu Chenzhou fan from Su City declared,

"To make Xiao Lu falter with one punch, Huo Tianyuan should be proud of himself."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lu Chenzhou returned to the locker room. He lifted his Training Clothes and found bruises blooming red across his body, burning with pain.

"Such formidable punching power," Shi Ruyu said as she dabbed Lu Chenzhou’s back with a towel and deftly applied ointment to his slightly golden back.

"Thank you, Sister Shi."

Lu Chenzhou put his clothing back down and began regulating his breath to recover his strength.

Ji Xuantong said,

"Unless there’s a surprise, your next opponent should be Zhang Banshan. In terms of frontal ferocity, Tai Chi Boxing might not compare to Six Harmonies Fist, but Tai Chi excels at Hua Realm mastery and utilizing softness to overcome hardness. Moreover, this person has understood two troublesome Hua Realms, so be very careful."

Lu Chenzhou replied,

"Mhm, I’ve saved a few moves especially for him."

Strong as Huo Tianyuan was, in a head-on confrontation, Lu didn’t fear anyone.

Zhang Banshan would be the first formidable enemy!

From the President’s seats, Wanshixian watched Lu Chenzhou.

That this youngster could win was no surprise to him.

What he hadn’t anticipated was Huo Tianyuan managing to suppress Lu Chenzhou briefly.

"Huo, Lu, Zhang... Any of these three, if placed in previous tournaments, would possess the strength to claim the championship. But this is good; it shows that Da Xia is producing more and more talents."

...

In the subsequent match.

Just as Lu Chenzhou expected, Zhang Banshan, with his flowing Tai Chi Hua Realms, gave the Baji Fist expert a run for his money. With two kinds of Hua Realms, one revolving and the other entangling, the man’s fierce attacks were easily neutralized, followed by the longest battle of the competition. After a thousand moves, Zhang Banshan stood on the platform.

His opponent lay exhausted on the ground.

The presenter’s voice rang out in admiration,

"Using four ounces to move a thousand pounds, Tai Chi transforms myriad forces! Zhang Banshan wins!"

On the platform, Zhang Banshan looked as nonchalant as ever. He glanced towards the rest area at Lu Chenzhou, and for the first time, ripples stirred in his usually undisturbed heart.

"It’s finally our turn."