Chapter 257 - 246: Eat Some More Peanuts
When Li Taiqing asked about the outcome of the following match, He Yun smiled faintly and countered, "Who do you think won, Senior Brother?"
"I have to guess...?"
Li Taiqing was exasperated. He shook his head, thought for a moment, and said, "I’m guessing Bolta won."
He Yun clapped her hands and laughed. "Wrong!"
"What? Zhao Lin won?"
Li Taiqing was stunned. He pressed her in disbelief, "He really won? You’re not pulling my leg, are you?"
He Yun pouted, stomped her foot, and put her hands on her hips. "Why don’t you believe me, Senior Brother! I’m telling you, Zhao Lin won."
"Don’t be angry, Junior Sister..."
Li Taiqing pulled a chair over and sat down, his voice softening. "Tell me. How did Zhao Lin manage to win?"
In his mind, the strongest competitors in this Grand Assembly were, without a doubt, Basang and Bolta.
Zhao Lin’s strength was clearly a notch below theirs. It was only because his fist power was so exceptional that he’d gotten a favorable ranking, facing relatively weak opponents all the way through.
In the quarterfinals, for instance, he had fought Weizi’s top disciple, Mai Kun, while Zhao Lin’s opponent was Muheli. The two were not on the same level.
But he never imagined Zhao Lin could actually defeat Bolta.
Seeing Li Taiqing’s serious expression, He Yun stopped being difficult. She thought for a moment and said, "They actually didn’t fight for very long, only about forty or fifty exchanges..."
The more Li Taiqing heard, the more astonished he became. He had assumed that even if Zhao Lin won, it must have been through some clever trick or an unorthodox strategy.
Who would have thought that Zhao Lin would go head-to-head with Bolta, trading blows from the very beginning.
After absorbing the Gold-devouring Rat’s Essence Soul, Zhao Lin’s cultivation had taken another step forward. His strength had also increased slightly, giving him a definitive edge over Bolta.
Bolta’s Gathering Body Skill allowed him to accelerate and launch attacks at close range.
But Zhao Lin was unlike Bolta’s previous opponents. He wasn’t afraid of close-quarters combat at all. Furthermore, his Cloud-Flipping Force, made swift and agile by his Wind Attribute, gave him evasive skills that Bolta couldn’t hope to match.
In terms of both strength and speed, Zhao Lin completely overwhelmed Bolta. As for cultivation techniques, his Celestial Frost Fist was in no way inferior to Bolta’s Heavy Mountain Fist.
A real fight isn’t a simple on-paper equation, of course, but as it happened, Zhao Lin’s practical combat skills were equally outstanding.
And so, Zhao Lin moved like the wind, his offense a crashing storm. Bolta was completely on the defensive, unable to leverage his superior height and build. Instead, his massive size and slower movements became glaring weaknesses, turning him into a living punching bag.
If it weren’t for his thick hide and superhuman resilience, he would have been knocked out long ago.
Even so, Bolta was on his last legs in under thirty exchanges. Zhao Lin’s fists were just too damn hard!
Left with no other choice, he had to use his Earth Attribute defensive technique—the Rock Shield Skill.
The Rock Shield Skill formed a barrier like a wall of sand, completely encasing Bolta.
When Zhao Lin’s fists smashed against it, the force was unable to penetrate. Bolta seized the opportunity to launch a few counterattacks, quickly recovering from his disadvantage.
However, Zhao Lin soon realized the Rock Shield Skill wasn’t as formidable as it looked.
’Protecting the body with inner force... how much energy would that consume? How long could he possibly keep it up?’
Back in the round of sixteen, the notoriously defensive "Turtle Shell" Helian was only able to hold out for so long because he only defended specific areas, not his entire body like Bolta was doing.
With this in mind, Zhao Lin released an ultrasonic pulse. The feedback he received led him to a conclusion: Bolta’s Rock Shield Skill was actually a layer of Earth Attribute defensive energy, rapidly rotating and rolling around his body.
It was like a fan—it appeared to be a solid, impenetrable disk, but in reality, it was just a few blades spinning rapidly.
Once he realized this, Zhao Lin timed it perfectly. He threw two quick punches that slipped through the Rock Shield and struck Bolta’s body.
Bolta’s large frame swayed from the blows. Furious, and with rage clouding his judgment, he fully activated his Gathering Body Skill and charged straight at Zhao Lin, intending to ram him off the platform.
Zhao Lin dodged with ease, circled behind Bolta, and sent him flying off the platform with a single palm strike.
He Yun was a gifted storyteller, describing the fight so vividly that even though Li Taiqing hadn’t seen it himself, he could picture it clearly.
When she finished, Li Taiqing let out a long breath and fell silent for a while.
"’It seems I underestimated Zhao Lin. To think he could win on pure strength alone.’"
"’So, he actually has a shot against Basang tomorrow.’"
He Yun snorted. "That would be great! Someone needs to teach Basang a lesson!"
Since Basang had defeated Li Taiqing, she was naturally rooting for Zhao Lin.
Li Taiqing nodded, not paying much mind to his junior sister’s comment. His eyes were filled with anticipation. "Well then, let’s see who will be crowned champion tomorrow!"
「Xingyun Sect Courtyard.」
Three men sat at a table laden with wine: Lu Chaohuan, Yang Lin, and Zhao Lin.
Lu Chaohuan was in high spirits. For dinner, he had specially requested Elder Ruan to bring a jar of local rice wine, and he made an exception by having two cups himself.
It had been many years since a disciple from the Xingyun Sect had made it to the finals of the Martial Arts Grand Assembly, and Zhao Lin was only twenty years old.
’As long as we can keep this cash cow, we won’t have to worry about our performance in the next three Grand Assemblies.’
’Then, cultivation resources of all kinds will come rolling in, and I’ll finally be able to carry myself with some pride as Sect Leader.’
Lu Chaohuan raised his cup. Slightly tipsy, he beamed at Zhao Lin, who was busy eating.
"Zhao Lin, I am incredibly proud that you’ve made it to the finals."
"Regardless of the outcome tomorrow, you are already the most outstanding disciple of our Xingyun Sect. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself."
Zhao Lin put down his chopsticks. "Sect Leader, I understand."
’Having come this far, it would be a lie to say he didn’t want to be champion.’ Zhao Lin was well aware that there was a huge difference in the prestige—and rewards—between first and second place in the Grand Assembly.
Winning the championship would bring immense benefits to Great Yue, the Xingyun Sect, and himself—the impact would be comparable to winning a battle involving tens of thousands of soldiers in ancient times.
Lu Chaohuan nodded. "Your victory over Bolta today with such little effort is commendable, but... Basang cultivates a Thunder Attribute Skill. His fist power is unparalleled. You must not get complacent or let your guard down."
Zhao Lin replied calmly, "Of course. I wouldn’t dare underestimate him."
Then, Lu Chaohuan’s tone shifted again. "But... you must be confident during the fight! Don’t be timid, and whatever you do, don’t be nervous!"
"In my experience, when a person gets nervous, they can only perform at thirty percent of their full potential. All that hard work goes down the drain."
Zhao Lin, who had just picked up his chopsticks again, froze. "Yes, I’ll remember. Don’t be nervous."
But Lu Chaohuan changed his tune once more. "However, you can’t be completely relaxed, either. A little bit of nervousness can be a good thing, helping you perform far beyond your normal level."
Zhao Lin was left reeling from the contradictory advice. ’Is the Sect Leader trying to mess with my head?’ he thought.
Yang Lin couldn’t take it anymore. He said bluntly to Lu Chaohuan, "Old Lu, have you had too much to drink? Why are you talking out of both sides of your mouth?"
Lu Chaohuan didn’t get angry. He just chuckled. "I’m not drunk, I’m just overjoyed."
Yang Lin snatched the cup from his hand. "Don’t take your happiness out on the boy. Just eat your food. You’ve still got peanuts."
...