Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

The night passed...

On the day of the final battle, a red sun slowly rose into a clear, cloudless sky.

The contingents from Xiuzhao, Great Yue, and Wuche arrived early at the training ground for the final battle. Wuzhu and Weizi also showed up a short while later.

Everyone was talking about the same thing: today’s final battle.

The Sect Leader and elders of the Flame Sect didn’t look too happy. Their own sect’s performance had been mediocre, yet Zhao Lin and Basang were meeting in the finals. When they considered the fighters’ ages, they were filled with an indescribable feeling.

In the stands with Wuzhu, a burly, bearded man said casually, "It’s a shame there are no gambling dens in these mountains. Otherwise, I’d love to place a few bets for fun."

The pale-faced man next to him turned his head, intrigued. "Ba Yan, if you could bet, who would you put your money on?"

The bearded man replied without hesitation, "Zhao Lin."

The pale-faced man was surprised. "No way. I asked a few of my martial brothers, and they all think Basang has the better chance of winning."

Waving a large hand, the bearded man said, "That’s where you’re mistaken. Gambling dens have a spread. Based on how things look now, they’d probably give you 2-to-1 odds on Zhao Lin and make you bet two to win one on Basang. But I think they’re almost equal in strength. It should be closer to even money."

The pale-faced man nodded. "I’m surprised you have that much faith in Zhao Lin."

The bearded man said, "Zhao Lin was just unknown before, but his performance in the last two rounds was incredibly strong. You can’t just assume Basang will win because he became famous earlier and cultivates a Thunder Attribute Skill, can you?"

"That makes sense. I was lucky enough to watch the last two martial tournaments, and the favorite before the fight doesn’t always win. Sigh, one is twenty and the other is twenty-four. So young!"

"Tell me about it. Compared to those two, I feel like I’ve wasted all my years of training..."

In front of the Great Yue stands, Zhao Lin stretched his body while humming a little tune.

It was impossible not to feel nervous before a big fight. Zhao Lin knew that in his previous life, many athletes used music to relieve stress before a competition.

He didn’t have the means to listen to music now, so he just hummed a song from memory.

"How many times I’ve fallen on the road,

How many times I’ve had my wings broken,

But now I no longer feel lost or adrift,

I want to break past this simple, wild desire,

I want to bloom with life..."

When the appointed time arrived, Elder Ruan announced the start of the final battle.

Zhao Lin took a deep breath, clasped his fists in a salute toward the Great Yue stands, then walked briskly to the foot of the fighting ring and ascended the steps.

Basang also stepped onto the ring. They locked eyes, and each saw in the other an unyielding determination to win.

Elder Ruan raised his hand and shouted, "Fighters, take your positions! One, two, three!" With the last word, his hand chopped down sharply.

Zhao Lin and Basang shot forward simultaneously, colliding violently like two shooting stars.

Basang threw a Thunder Blade Fist, a move that had been invincible for him since the start of the tournament.

Zhao Lin didn’t adopt the evasive, roundabout tactics people expected. Instead, he met the attack head-on with a Celestial Frost Fist.

BOOM!

A sound like muffled thunder echoed across the ring.

Zhao Lin and Basang each took two steps back and stood still.

They were evenly matched.

This was the first time anyone had dared to meet Basang’s fist with their own and not be at a disadvantage.

Zhao Lin finally felt the power of the Thunder Attribute True Qi. The force scattered, and his body trembled as if he had been electrocuted.

Basang hadn’t fared well either. A frigid aura washed over him, causing the energy in his body to stagnate for a split second. Goosebumps broke out uncontrollably all over his skin.

"Good!"

Basang shouted, then stepped forward and threw another punch. Arcs of lightning coiled around his arm, dazzling in the sunlight.

Zhao Lin’s eyes narrowed, and he met the attack with a punch of his own.

This time, he didn’t use Celestial Frost Fist. Instead, he infused the force of an ordinary Stone Roar Fist with Wind Attribute True Qi, wanting to see how a different type of True Qi would fare.

A cyan light flowed around his fist, the force layering upon itself.

With another dull thud, the two separated.

This time, Zhao Lin recovered faster. He felt a mix of joy and concern.

’The Wind Attribute True Qi is clearly more effective in this confrontation than the Cold Ice True Qi,’ he thought. ’Unfortunately, I started cultivating it relatively late, so my reserves aren’t deep enough to use it freely.’

"That’s more like it! Again!"

Basang let out a low roar, dipped his shoulder, and threw a third punch.

Zhao Lin didn’t want to continue trading blows head-on. The invincibility of the Thunder Attribute wasn’t just an empty boast. He immediately shifted his body, moving from the center palace to the ’Xun’ position.

Although Basang had never practiced a formal Body Technique, he possessed a beast-like intuition. The moment his punch missed, he immediately sidestepped and threw a hook at Zhao Lin’s head.

Zhao Lin executed the Cloud-Flipping Force. He dodged gracefully before lunging forward again, thrusting a claw-hand strike swiftly toward his opponent’s armpit.

Their exchange was minimalist and blindingly fast, with no wasted movements.

Basang’s attacks were fierce and sharp, the wind from his fists turbulent, each punch carrying immense power.

Having absorbed the Essence Soul of the Gold-devouring Rat, Zhao Lin’s physical strength had increased by another level, making him a fraction stronger than Basang. However, his True Qi was suppressed by Basang’s, so he tried to avoid clashing fists directly, using his Body Technique to maneuver instead.

The two exchanged blows faster and faster, so fast that most of the disciples in the stands could no longer follow their movements clearly.

They could only vaguely make out that Basang’s punches were faster, while Zhao Lin’s Body Technique was swifter.

’My Cold Ice True Qi is more than halfway depleted, and it seems Basang is also deliberately conserving his Thunder Attribute True Qi. If this keeps up, the outcome is still a toss-up...’

’It’s time to play my trump card.’

After seventy or eighty exchanges, the thought flashed through Zhao Lin’s mind.

Sky-splitting Slash could strike from a distance of nearly two and a half feet. It was a perfect offensive weapon, especially since using it for the first time against an unsuspecting opponent would be devastatingly effective.

With this in mind, Zhao Lin deliberately exchanged a punch with Basang, pretending he couldn’t handle the force and revealing a defensive opening.

Basang immediately shot forward like an arrow and pounced.

True Qi erupted from the acupoints on Zhao Lin’s back. His body flickered continuously as he charged forward in a serpentine path.

Their figures crossed, now only five feet apart.

’The time is now!’

Zhao Lin activated his Wind Manipulation Skill and chopped down fiercely with his palm. He stirred up a violent gale of energy that formed a tangible, crescent-shaped blade over two feet long.

The blade-slash erupted with cyan light, its edge incomparably sharp, as it flew straight for Basang’s chest and ribs.

Sky-splitting Slash!

At the exact same moment, a savage grin appeared on Basang’s lips. He swiped with his palm, and his True Qi trailed out to form a thick, wide-backed saber.

Sparks of electricity burst forth. The blade-slash was covered in serrations, its surface rippling with protrusions like the fangs of a wild beast. It, too, was nearly two feet long.

Sealing Wolf Slash!

His target was the same as Zhao Lin’s: straight for the chest.

Zhao Lin’s heart lurched. He never expected Basang to use his Sealing Wolf Slash at this very moment, but his own Sky-splitting Slash was already launched...

Basang was also stunned. Only now did he realize Zhao Lin had also been holding back a trump card. And from the looks of the incoming blade-slash, its power was no less than his own Sealing Wolf Slash.

Neither of them hesitated. Instead of dodging, they both pushed their True Qi to its limit and poured all their power into their attacks.

It was too late to dodge. A partial evasion would be useless, and abandoning their attacks would only lead to a swift defeat.

When two powerhouses meet, the braver one wins. It was better to take the blow and maximize the power of their own attack.

As for whether they could withstand the other’s attack, that was not a question to be considered right now.

Sky-splitting Slash versus Sealing Wolf Slash!

In the stands, almost everyone had leaped to their feet, staring nervously at the ring...