79: Chapter 79 The Eight Acupoints of the Mysterious Pass? How is that possible?

The moment the words fell.

After a brief moment of dead silence, the audience, who hadn't quite reacted yet, instantly erupted!

"Holy crap! The first match is between these two enemies!"

"A life-and-death match! It's a life-and-death match right from the start! How exciting!"

"Hahaha, look at Chen Shanzhi's bewildered expression.

He probably hasn't even realized yet that he's the first one going up to deliver his own head on a silver platter!"

"A Xuanguan Five Apertures built on pills fighting a solid Xuanguan Seven Apertures? What's the point of this fight?

Tang Liu, kill this playboy!"

Listening to the tsunami-like mockery and boos from the surrounding stands.

Standing in the center of the arena, Chen Shanzhi casually reached out and rubbed his eyes, which were a bit sore from the golden light earlier.

Then, he cracked his neck, producing a series of "clack-clack" bone-popping sounds.

He looked up, his gaze lazily drifting toward Tang Liu opposite him.

At this moment, the instant Tang Liu heard the word "start."

His whole being was like a long-dormant Vicious Beast that had completely broken its Seal!

"Boom!"

A violent True Essence, permeating with bone-chilling killing intent, erupted from within Tang Liu's body!

The white jade slabs beneath his feet were instantly covered in a thick layer of frost at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The terrifying pressure of the Xuanguan Eight Apertures was released without reservation!

The temperature across the entire Martial Arts Arena seemed to drop several degrees in an instant.

On the stands, the students who had been jeering earlier all widened their eyes.

"Xuanguan Eight Apertures? Tang Liu actually broke through to the Xuanguan Eight Apertures?

If I remember correctly, he's only eighteen!"

"Good heavens! Last semester, he was only at the Xuanguan Seven Apertures and could already defeat a Xuanguan Eight Apertures Martial Artist from the Heaven Class.

Now that he's reached the Xuanguan Eight Apertures himself, isn't he going to be even more formidable?"

"Now that useless heir will probably be knocked out in a single move!"

Even the White-robed Elder floating above the golden barrier couldn't help but take a few more looks when he saw the frost spreading beneath Tang Liu's feet.

"Mutated True Essence?"

An unconcealable hint of surprise flickered in the elder's eyes as he stroked his beard in praise:

"It seems that during this time, this Commoner Martial Artist named Tang Liu has had quite an extraordinary encounter."

One must know that Mutated True Essence is rare even among those deeply rooted great clans.

For it to appear in a Commoner Martial Artist is even more of a rarity.

Meanwhile, on the arena, when Chen Shanzhi felt...

...the Aura belonging to the Xuanguan Eight Apertures emanating from Tang Liu, he couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

Wait, that's not right.

According to the plot line of the original eroge, even with Tang Liu's talent, his cultivation at this point should have reached the Xuanguan Seven Apertures at most.

How did he get stronger?

Chen Shanzhi looked down at the frost emitting cold air beneath Tang Liu's feet.

The laziness on his face gradually faded, replaced by a look of solemnity.

In the game, Martial Artists with elemental True Essence see their combat power increase exponentially!

They are far more powerful than ordinary Martial Artists.

"He really has no martial ethics."

Chen Shanzhi's lip twitched as he whispered:

"I've already snatched away all the Opportunities you were supposed to have before the martial demonstration.

I even forced you to choose the Prince Qi route, which has almost no resources in the early stages."

"Who would have thought that not only did you advance, but you even ended up with ice-attribute Mutated True Essence?"

"As expected of the Heavenly Dao's favorite son in this world. Some are born in Rome, while others are born to be beasts of burden, huh?"

Complaints aside, a very intense Battle Intent gradually ignited in Chen Shanzhi's eyes.

However, this makes it interesting!

His recent increase in strength also made him want to find someone to test his true level.

Others wouldn't dare use their full strength because of his status.

This Tang Liu is the perfect candidate.

Opposite him, Tang Liu stared intently at Chen Shanzhi.

When he saw that after revealing his Xuanguan Eight Apertures strength...

...Chen Shanzhi was not only not scared witless...

...but his eyes even showed a hint of eager Battle Intent.

A flash of disdain immediately crossed Tang Liu's bloodshot eyes.

It was as if he had seen through Chen Shanzhi's confidence.

Licking his dry lips, he couldn't help but mock in his heart:

"As expected, he's just a worthless playboy who only knows how to eat, drink, and gamble!"

"Does he naively think that the Life-Protecting True Essence can actually save his miserable life?"

Thinking of this, Tang Liu shouted, "Tang Liu of the Heaven Class, please advise!"

Before his voice had even faded...

"Bang!"

The ice beneath Tang Liu's feet instantly shattered, sending ice shards flying.

His entire body turned into an icy blue afterimage as he closed the distance in an instant.

He was so fast that most people in the stands could only see a blurry trail!

"Die!"

Tang Liu clenched his right fist, and as the wind from his punch whistled, a layer of blue Protective Aura covered in sharp frost instantly enveloped his entire right arm!

This punch was a killing Martial Skill from his primary Cultivation Technique, the Divine Turtle Art, called the Tortoise Bastard Fist.

Although the name was laughably tacky, combined with the incomparably thick Divine Turtle True Essence in his body...

...the power of this punch could be described as terrifying!

It was heavy and powerful, like a mysterious turtle pressing down from above, exuding a suffocating sense of heavy crushing!

What was even more lethal was that this Tortoise Bastard Fist consisted of eight strikes, each one stronger than the last.

Once unleashed, it was like waves crashing against the shore, continuous and unending.

It carried a surging momentum of destruction, giving the opponent no chance to breathe!

Tang Liu was clever; he knew the academy had rules.

He also knew that the Life-Protecting True Essence on Chen Shanzhi must have been removed by the person behind the dark shadow.

Therefore, this time, what he wanted was the element of surprise.

Using his strongest and most violent killing move, he intended to crush Chen Shanzhi's heart vessels in a single strike!

This would create a situation of "a slip-up during a martial arts exchange"!

On the stands outside the arena, there were many who knew their stuff.

They recognized Tang Liu's move at a glance and immediately cried out in surprise:

"It's Tang Liu's famous Martial Skill! That's the punch he used to defeat a Xuanguan Eight Apertures Martial Artist when he was only at the Xuanguan Seven Apertures!"

"Holy crap, against a Xuanguan Five Apertures playboy, he's actually going all out right from the start?"

"It seems the grudge between these two is even deeper than we imagined!"

"With this punch, even if the Academy Head's Life-Protecting True Essence triggers at the last moment to save his life..."

"...with Chen Shanzhi's frail body, he'll likely suffer full-body fractures and be bedridden for over half a month!"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes showed extremely excited anticipation and schadenfreude.

Outside the arena, Tang Xiaowu gripped the railing of the stands so hard her knuckles turned white, her heart leaping into her throat.

Meanwhile, in the arena, Chen Shanzhi, facing this violent punch...

...the laziness on his face completely vanished, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.

He didn't dare to be careless, as the person charging at him was a genuine former Son of the Plane capable of challenging those above his level.

The major apertures in his body were like dormant volcanoes at this moment, circulating frantically!

All over Chen Shanzhi's body, extremely hidden acupoint locations instantly lit up with faint golden specks of light.

Immediately after, a faint dark-golden glow appeared on the surface of his skin!

The first transformation of the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art of the Witch God was fully activated!

However, since the original owner was just a playboy, he had never practiced any Martial Skills.

Thus, this body had no memory of any Martial Skills.

After Chen Shanzhi transmigrated, he hadn't had the time to practice Martial Skills either.

So at this moment, facing Tang Liu's world-destroying punch...

...all Chen Shanzhi could use was the basic boxing routine he had learned during military training in his previous life for physical fitness.

He suddenly spread his legs.

He dropped into an extremely non-standard, perhaps even comical, horse stance.

Then, he pulled his right hand back to his waist, clenching his fingers into a fist.

Facing Tang Liu's icy blue fist shadow, he threw a most unadorned straight punch!

"Seventh Set of Military Boxing, Bow Stance Thrust Punch!"

Seeing Chen Shanzhi's flashy but weak, completely unorganized movements...

...the crowd outside first froze, and then many couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! This useless heir has grown up without even knowing a single decent Martial Skill?"

"Looking at his limp posture, what he's using is probably just some calisthenics from a mundane military camp meant for stretching, right?"

"This is purely a mantis trying to stop a..."

Before the mocking student could finish his sentence...

...the rest of his words were cut off as if someone had grabbed his throat, stuck in his gullet.

On the arena...

...Tang Liu's eyes held a cruel and mocking coldness.

With his heavy punch enveloped in frost Protective Aura...

...he collided head-on, without any fancy tricks, with Chen Shanzhi's seemingly powerless fist!

"Die for me!" Tang Liu roared frantically in his heart.

However, at the very moment their fists met...

...the sneer in Tang Liu's eyes froze instantly, as if a pause button had been pressed.

It was replaced by absolute horror!

"Thud!"

A terrifying muffled sound, like a sudden clap of thunder, erupted where their fists met!

A visible white shockwave, mixed with shattered ice crystals, swept out frantically in all directions!

At the moment of contact, Tang Liu felt that his punch didn't seem to have hit a human body of flesh and blood at all.

Instead, it felt like he had slammed into a massive boulder crashing toward him at high speed!

A terrifying force, like an overwhelming tide, surged in through his fist!

That massive force tore through the icy blue Protective Aura on his arm like dry weeds.

Passing through his wrist and up his forearm, it exploded directly against his chest!

"Pfft!"

Tang Liu sprayed out a mouthful of blood, and like a kite with its string cut, he flew backward in a straight line!

"How... is this... possible?"

In mid-air, Tang Liu's face contorted as he stared fixedly at his own fist, his voice filled with disbelief.

As for Chen Shanzhi, he didn't fare much better in this clash.

He also stumbled back several steps.

Finally, his right foot stomped down hard, creating a circle of spiderweb-like cracks in the ground, barely managing to halt his retreat.

His Aura fully erupted in that instant, revealing its sharp edge.

At this moment, the entire Martial Arts Arena was dead silent.

Only the sound of Tang Liu's landing and his shocked voice echoed throughout the field:

"Xuanguan Eight Apertures??"