Era of Mist

"That guy is so strong!"

"Seriously impressive. Who is that?"

"You don’t know him? That’s Gao Shaoling!"

"So that’s Gao Shaoling. The top genius of the Tumu First Orthodox School really lives up to his reputation. Looks like once he gets into Luming Academy, he might even be able to compete for a spot among the Eight Sages of Lu Ming!"

"The Gao Family’s heir is truly extraordinary. He’s no worse than that one from the Si Family back in the day. A true peerless genius."

"Shh, don’t praise him too much, you’ll bring him trouble! That Dragon Map Scholar up there is still watching. They’re about the same age, so it’s best not to be calling anyone a ’peerless genius’ in front of him."

The people who had been singing Gao Shaoling’s praises quickly fell silent. After stealing a glance at the Dragon Map Scholar, they stopped talking and moved on to other topics. It was true. The Dragon Map Scholar didn’t look much older than Gao Shaoling, but his cultivation was an entire major realm higher, if not more. The title of "peerless genius" really shouldn’t be thrown onto Gao Shaoling in his presence.

Still, Gao Shaoling was undeniably strong!

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but look toward that mystical realm, where a young man stood proudly. The youth was of average height for the era, but his posture and bearing were exceptionally graceful.

The layer of light around his body was stable, and the few cracks that appeared were quickly repaired by his mental energy. He was completely unscathed, his clothes not even dirty as he stood there, calm and composed. Although he had only won the semi-finals and the final match hadn’t yet begun, he already radiated a confidence that victory was his for the taking—that no one else could possibly stand against him.

The slight upturn of his lips seemed to have already claimed the champion’s title for this provincial exam.

But just as Shi Tiexin and the entire audience were focused on Gao Shaoling, a fierce, high-pitched roar suddenly erupted from the other mystical realm.

"DIE—!"

It was like the roar of a tiger in the mountains—all advance, no retreat. The shout sent a jolt through Shi Tiexin. When he snapped back to his senses and looked over, he saw that the short girl had, in an instant, launched into the most vicious and intense close-quarters combat.

CRACK! POP! The short girl seemed to have just used some unexpected tactic to instantly put her male opponent at a disadvantage. But the man’s skills were extraordinary, and with two good arms to fight with, he began to rapidly counterattack, intending to turn the tables.

"DIE—!!"

The short girl roared again, abandoning the grappling tactics the Snake Form Fist was known for and actually starting to trade blows head-on with a proper Tiger Form Fist. No, to be precise, she blended the viciousness of the snake with the ferocity of the tiger. Her one-armed attacks were simply unstoppable.

CRUNCH! CRACK! The two exchanged rapid, incredibly dangerous blows. Blood sprayed intermittently during their close-quarters brawl, a sight so brutal it made one’s teeth ache. In a battle like this, there was no room to worry about the propriety between men and women. Both fighters were constantly taking hits, and the short girl’s clothes were mostly torn to shreds.

But the short girl paid it no mind, her attacks only growing more ruthless.

"DIE—!!!"

With a third, hoarse tiger’s roar, the short girl suddenly unleashed an all-out strike, holding nothing back. It was a do-or-die attack. Her opponent was no weakling; with a great shout of his own, he executed a cross-arm block in the nick of time, parrying and dismantling her form, trying to stop the blow. At this moment, it all came down to who was stronger, and who was more vicious.

PSHH! Blood spurted from the man’s throat.

’Did she win?’

Shi Tiexin’s eyes widened, but he realized that wasn’t the case. The short girl’s "viper bite" had been blocked halfway, the "snake fang" fingers striking too shallowly. Though blood sprayed from the man’s throat, his combat strength wasn’t diminished. With a savage expression, the man locked his arms in a reverse hold. As long as he crushed the short girl’s right arm, victory would be his!

But just then, there was a sickening SNAP.

To the utter astonishment of the man and the entire audience, the short girl actually forced a step forward, using the immense force to deliberately snap her own right arm!

The next second, her limp left arm shot up! It was as vicious, as decisive, as that unbelievable leg hook from before!

PSHH! A great spray of blood mist erupted from the side of the man’s neck. In the end, the short girl hadn’t managed to break his neck with one strike, but it was enough to sever his carotid artery.

Shi Tiexin was filled with solemn respect.

The short girl may have been small, but her will to fight and her combat instincts were truly powerful.

The fight wasn’t over. Her opponent was a remarkable man in his own right. Even with blood gushing from his neck, he grit his teeth and launched a ferocious counterattack, a desperate gamble to see who would die first. The short girl’s arm was still locked tight, leaving her unable to escape. She could only use her legs to fight him at close range.

The man’s legs were injured, and the short girl’s Snake Form Fist wasn’t known for its Leg Technique, but the boiling killing intent and formidable willpower of them both was enough to move any spectator.

In that incredibly short span of time, both fighters used the most primitive and savage methods possible, unleashing every ounce of damage they could upon each other.

Watching all this, Shi Tiexin was filled with immense admiration.

Compared to Martial Artists like these, the thugs from the Fengming High School World Line were absolute scrubs. No, forget the thugs—even he himself would probably be killed in two or three moves if he went up there.

He had been in countless fights since he was a child and felt it was no exaggeration to say he was battle-hardened. But in the end, places like the Orphanage and the Star Worker School had no one like this—no one whose cultivation, fist techniques, cunning, willpower, intellect, and ruthlessness were all of the highest caliber.

’Coming here today and witnessing this... I’ve truly learned so much.’

THUD. Someone on the field collapsed.

They both collapsed together.

CRACK. The mystical realm shattered. One person was ejected from it—the man.

The man had fought to the very end, clutching the short girl’s arm so tightly that he dragged her down with him when he fell. But he had lost. After the short girl tore open his artery, his strength and reflexes had steadily declined. To have fought on for that long was a testament to his power.

Once out of the mystical realm, the man’s condition improved significantly; he was even still conscious. After all, it wasn’t a fatal injury like having his neck snapped. The man was able to stand up on his own. He looked at the short girl still inside the realm, his expression complex, but in the end, he gave a slight nod, as if acknowledging his defeat with conviction.

The short girl, however, was in terrible shape.

Her injuries hadn’t been healed. Her right arm was completely shattered, and her left arm had actually been broken long ago. What’s more, she had suffered multiple fractures during their final deathmatch. Her clothes were in tatters, though a special undergarment prevented any indecent exposure. But her once-full right breast was now completely caved in.

If her injuries hadn’t been so severe, she wouldn’t have been dragged to the ground by her opponent.

PUH. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the short girl struggled to lift her head and look across the field. There, a calm and composed young man stood, looking down on her.

The provincial exam’s schedule did not slow down one bit for her brutal battle.

Gao Shaoling spoke.

"You’re no match for me. Concede."

’She’s already this beaten up, there’s no way she can win, and she’s already done enough to earn the Celestial Golden Light. She should just concede.’

But the short girl swayed and wobbled to her feet, blood streaming down her body. Her arms hung uselessly at her sides, and she could barely stay upright. Yet she stared fixedly at her opponent, as ferocious as a tiger, as vicious as a snake.

"DIE—!!!!"

With a wild roar, the short girl charged toward Gao Shaoling in a final, desperate sprint, her hot blood splattering the path before her.