Era of Mist

Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Ancient Snake Fist

The short girl executed her Snake Form Fist brilliantly. She was like a venomous snake, striking left and right, every move insidious and aimed at her opponent’s lower body. The man, infuriated by her circling, suddenly saw an opening. With a loud roar, he threw a powerful punch, hoping to end it all in one blow.

But just then, the short girl sprang up like a striking serpent, her speed unparalleled. Her right arm was the snake, her two fingers its fangs. Her whole body lunged like a viper, its fangs sinking in. With a wet tearing sound, a spray of blood erupted from the man’s throat, and his massive body instantly lost all its strength.

CRACK. The man tumbled out of the secret realm and was picked up by the medical team like a piece of trash. Meanwhile, a sharp CRACKLE sounded from the short girl’s left arm. The layer of light around it shattered, and her arm twisted at an unnatural angle. It was clearly broken.

Feigning an opening is a gamble; you can’t make it too obvious. She had won the match, but her opponent had claimed her arm in return.

”Haaa...”

Watching from below the stage, Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but let out a breath he’d been holding. The short girl’s fist art was dangerous and vicious, a perfect example of the small fighting the large. The slightest misstep would have meant losing everything, and he had been unconsciously holding his breath. Now that the match was over, Shi Tiexin suddenly had a realization.

The short girl’s actual skill level wasn’t much higher than her opponent’s. The reason she’d scored so many instant knockouts was due to the unique characteristics of her fist art.

She was small, so she fully leveraged the advantages of her size, honing her Snake Form Fist to a brilliant degree. Her Body Technique was agile, her changes in direction swift. She dodged more than she blocked, relying on harassing attacks while waiting for an opening. Once she seized an opportunity, her assault was as fast as lightning. Her attacks came from below, at awkward angles, which made the throat—a difficult target for most—the perfect target for her.

There was another thing: the short girl was willing to pay any price to win. Look at her broken arm. Her skill level was actually quite close to her opponent’s. Given her style of fighting, she either scored a quick, decisive kill, or was quickly and decisively killed herself.

’To win, you have to pay a price.’

’She paid the price and seized her chance. That’s why she won.’

Unfortunately, this exam wasn’t a single, life-or-death duel. It was a long, grueling endurance race.

”Loser is eliminated! Winner continues! Arenas, merge!”

Four arenas remained. The short girl’s luck was decent this time. Her opponent was a woman about five-foot-six, who was also covered in injuries. She watched the short girl with a wary and defensive gaze, trying to calculate who was more heavily wounded. At the same time, she furtively studied the short girl’s bones and joints, analyzing her fighting style.

”Ready—Begin!”

BOOM! The short girl took the offensive this time. Her tiny frame exploded forward with terrifying, unstoppable momentum. ”HAAAH!” An astonishing, thunderous roar erupted from her small mouth as she leaped into the air, raining down blows on the other woman.

’Is that... Tiger Form Fist?’

Shi Tiexin was truly stunned. He never would have guessed the short girl was so versatile. To have mastered Snake Form Fist to such a pure degree and also be proficient in Tiger Form Fist...

’Whether she’s a true master is hard to tell yet, but judging by that aura, she’s definitely an expert in Tiger Form Fist.’

Her roar could shake a hundred beasts; her presence was that of a fierce tiger descending a mountain.

She unleashed a ”Tiger Descends the Mountain,” a direct, brutal strike aimed at the woman’s head. The sheer force of it made the hair on even Shi Tiexin’s arms stand on end, let alone the woman facing her directly. The attack threw her into a flustered panic.

She had assumed that, given the short girl’s height, she would stick to the ”inch shorter, inch more dangerous” close-quarters style. She had been focused on defending against attacks from below, but who would have thought the girl would come crashing down with a Celestial King’s crushing blow?

Just as the woman raised her arms to block before dodging, the short girl—whose aerial pounce was so stunningly powerful—suddenly hooked a leg out in a furtive movement. It was silent, insidious, and utterly vicious.

CRACK. The woman’s throat was a mess of mangled flesh and blood. Her cervical vertebrae bulged backwards as she was kicked out of the secret realm, an expression of utter disbelief on her face.

Shi Tiexin could barely restrain himself from crying out in admiration.

’Incredible!’

’Truly incredible!’

’The ”Tiger Descends the Mountain” was a fake! It was still Snake Form Fist!’

’That short girl is incredibly smart. She knew that a woman of five-foot-six is also considered short in this day and age. Her choices in martial arts schools would be limited, likely leading her down a similar path. If they had gotten into a real brawl, the short girl’s injuries would have given her a low chance of winning.’

’But she understood that a woman of that height, having constantly faced taller Martial Artists, would naturally be more cautious and careful.’

’If she weren’t careful, she probably wouldn’t have made it this far.’

’And the short girl exploited that psychology perfectly. She unleashed what looked like a completely authentic and powerful Tiger Form aura, throwing her opponent off balance. In her instinctive reaction, the woman forgot to guard against the threat from below. Then came the surprise Snake Form sneak attack, which landed the final blow and secured an instant knockout.’

’All of this was easier said than done. To be able to feign Tiger Form while flawlessly executing a Snake Form attack in mid-air—and more importantly, using her foot as a fist—was simply unbelievable.’ Shi Tiexin didn’t know what realm the short girl had cultivated her Snake Form Fist to, but it was certainly at a profound level, and likely very advanced even within that level.

He looked at the stage. In the blink of an eye, the outcome had been decided.

Shi Tiexin once again felt the greatness of the Saint of Space-Time. If not for the existence of these secret realms, Martial Artists would never have the chance to truly let loose and display their full talents. But now, a hundred flowers could bloom.

”Loser is eliminated! Winner continues! Arenas, merge!”

Only two secret realms remained. The short girl had fought her way into the semi-finals. The Celestial Golden Light was just a hair’s breadth away!

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but want to cheer for her. He looked at her next opponent and his heart sank. He knew the short girl had run into a formidable foe this time. Across from her stood a man, about six-foot-three and taller than average. But he was definitely no clumsy oaf. He was lean, with a cold, sharp gaze, and he looked incredibly nimble.

Shi Tiexin’s gaze fell on the man’s muscles; the fibers were long and defined. He looked at his arms; they were slender but taut. ’This is probably a speed-focused, cool-headed Martial Artist,’ he thought. ’He’ll be a tough matchup for the short girl.’

Fortunately, Shi Tiexin observed his legs closely and noticed they seemed to be injured. It looked like he hadn’t come through the earlier rounds unscathed either.

’If she wants to win this match, she’ll have to exploit that weakness.’

But if Shi Tiexin could see it, so could the short girl. Even the man himself knew it.

”Ready—Begin!”

The Dragon Map Scholar gave the command. This time, neither fighter moved rashly. They had reached the semi-finals. The Celestial Golden Light was within arm’s reach, and both contestants were being extra cautious.

The short girl and the man slowly closed the distance, exchanged a few quick, probing strikes, and then separated again. They continued testing each other, searching for opportunities and hiding their own weaknesses. Like something out of an old-fashioned TV show, they would trade a couple of blows and then circle one another. It might have looked like child’s play, but they were constantly engaged in an invisible clash.

Just then, a massive gasp erupted from the audience.

Shi Tiexin turned his head to look at the other secret realm, only to find that the match over there had already ended.