High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Brilliant Tactics

’I can’t keep getting bogged down like this!’

Chu Shanhe’s thoughts raced. His Step Technique suddenly changed, shifting from his previous frontal assault to a skirmishing style.

He no longer sought direct confrontations. Instead, like a butterfly flitting through flowers, he constantly moved around Xu Wuyi.

His Body Technique was erratic, his attack angles growing ever more cunning as he targeted the key nodes of Qi and Blood circulation, such as joints and acupoints.

He was trying to expend less energy in exchange for a greater result, or to force Xu Wuyi to reveal a bigger opening.

Xu Wuyi’s gaze hardened. Chu Shanhe changing his tactics was completely within his expectations.

Teacher Wang had analyzed it long ago: when facing an all-rounder opponent like this, if they started to skirmish, he had to force them into a direct confrontation.

He stopped conserving his stamina. The Qi and Blood in his body surged like a mighty river as he activated his Instant Shadow Step at full power!

”BOOM!”

Qi and Blood erupted from the soles of his feet, and the specially made floor let out a soft, muffled thud.

Xu Wuyi’s figure blurred into an afterimage. He was no longer passively standing his ground to block but actively pounced on the skirmishing Chu Shanhe!

’You retreat? I advance!’

’You circle? I give chase!’

His formidable Qi and Blood supported the high-frequency use of Instant Shadow Step, repeatedly disrupting Chu Shanhe’s skirmishing rhythm and forcing him to turn back and engage in a head-on battle of attrition.

”Furnace Flame!”

A dark red Qi Force coiled around Xu Wuyi’s fist, and a searing heat washed over his opponent.

Xu Wuyi’s explosive speed far exceeded Chu Shanhe’s expectations!

That instantaneous burst of speed was even a notch faster than when he had fought Shen Wei!

Chu Shanhe’s vision blurred. Xu Wuyi was already upon him, a straight punch filled with terrifying power blasting toward his face like a cannonball.

The force of the punch was so oppressive it nearly took his breath away.

There was no escape!

Faced with Xu Wuyi’s earth-shattering punch, Chu Shanhe’s response was nothing short of textbook perfection.

As Xu Wuyi’s searing Furnace Flame fist came crashing in, he used the Soft Force of his Mianyun Palm to dissolve it, weakening the explosive power layer by layer and redirecting its trajectory.

The Triple Power erupted in superimposed waves like an undercurrent. Chu Shanhe would sometimes use the clever techniques of his Armor-Removal Skills to channel the force into the ground beneath him, causing the special flooring to rumble continuously.

Other times, he would strike with his Vessel-Cutting Finger, precisely targeting the peak points of Xu Wuyi’s power exertion to force the Power to dissipate prematurely.

Xu Wuyi’s strength held the absolute upper hand, each punch containing the might to shatter stone. Yet, whenever his blows landed on Chu Shanhe, it was like hitting slippery cotton.

Seventy to eighty percent of his power would be neutralized, preventing him from dealing any substantial damage.

In contrast, Xu Wuyi himself was expending an enormous amount of stamina to maintain such high-intensity bursts.

From the examiners’ seats, several teachers’ eyes were glued to the two figures crossing at high speed on the floor.

”The offense and defense have switched.” Liu Hui couldn’t help but murmur in admiration. ”Xu Wuyi has a massive advantage in strength, but he can’t convert it into a winning position. These two are truly well-matched.”

Li Liangcai nodded in agreement. ”That’s right. Chu Shanhe changing his strategy to focus on skirmishing was a good move.”

”He’s forcing Xu Wuyi to take the initiative and pursue him. As long as he doesn’t reveal any openings himself, the one on the offense is bound to expend more stamina.”

”This indirectly accelerates Xu Wuyi’s exhaustion. If it goes on like this, the outcome is still anyone’s guess.”

Both of them believed that the Martial Arts literacy Chu Shanhe displayed had already surpassed the level of an ordinary high school student.

His tactical choice was perfect. Finding a way to circumvent his opponent’s specialty was precisely what Chu Shanhe excelled at.

Shen Wei’s explosive power was actually far greater than his, yet he lost to him every time for this very reason.

On the floor, Xu Wuyi’s stamina consumption was indeed accelerating, and his breathing was no longer as steady as it was at the start.

But his eyes remained calm, showing no trace of impatience, as if this unfavorable situation was something he had long anticipated.

His composure naturally did not escape Chu Shanhe’s notice.

Chu Shanhe wondered if Xu Wuyi still had a trump card, but at the same time, he suspected he might just be bluffing.

A duel between Martial Artists was never just a contest of Martial Arts; it was a comprehensive game of mentality, tactical decisions, and on-the-spot performance.

In the blink of an eye, their high-intensity clash had already lasted for ten minutes.

Ten minutes of complete focus, ten minutes of surging Qi and Blood and violent collisions, was already an immense burden for a Martial Disciple.

Chu Shanhe’s breathing had become noticeably heavier, and beads of sweat gathered at his temples, trickling down his cheeks.

The once flawless circulation of Qi and Blood around his body had also become slightly sluggish. Although it was still stable, it was no longer as smooth and effortless as before.

Xu Wuyi’s condition looked even worse. Every breath he took carried a searing heat. He was forced to reduce the frequency of his Instant Shadow Step, and his offensive was no longer as ferocious as before.

However, it was in this battle of attrition that the terrifying nature of Chu Shanhe’s techniques, honed through countless real battles, began to emerge.

His movements were still precise, his techniques still cleverly linked, as if he were a tireless machine, firmly in control of the battle’s rhythm.

Xu Wuyi, on the other hand, had simply risen too quickly.

All told, it had only been half a year since he obtained the Martial Arts Diligence Record and began training in earnest, to now being able to contend with a Genius like Chu Shanhe.

And it had only been a few months since he started combat training on the Virtual Battle Network.

No matter how hard he trained, when it came to the accumulation of real combat experience, there was still a gap between him and an opponent like Chu Shanhe, who had been fighting since he was a child.

This gap might not have been obvious when their stamina was full, but as both fighters began to tire, it was gradually magnified.

During a sudden stop and change of direction with Instant Shadow Step, a slight stagnation in Xu Wuyi’s Qi and Blood circulation caused him to stumble minutely as his foot landed.

While blocking one of Chu Shanhe’s cunning finger strikes, his arm retracted half a beat too slow. His sleeve was torn at the elbow, leaving a bloody scratch on his skin.

Openings began to appear.

Although they were all insignificant details, in the eyes of an expert like Chu Shanhe, they were as conspicuous as fireflies in the dead of night.

He keenly captured these changes.

’His stamina is dropping, and his movements are starting to lose their form...’ Chu Shanhe made an instant judgment.

He no longer just skirmished and neutralized attacks; his tactics suddenly became more aggressive.

With a quick shift of his feet, Chu Shanhe cut to Xu Wuyi’s flank. While dodging the frontal punch, he unleashed a Wind-Splitting Leg, sweeping toward the knee of Xu Wuyi’s supporting leg.

Xu Wuyi reacted extremely quickly, sinking his waist to disperse the force while simultaneously bending his arm to block.

”BANG!”

As leg and arm collided, Xu Wuyi’s body swayed. A soft, penetrating force sent a wave of aching numbness through his calf.

Having gained the upper hand, Chu Shanhe pressed his advantage, his assault tightening around Xu Wuyi like a closing net.

Fists, palms, fingers, and kicks came from all sorts of bizarre angles. He no longer aimed for a one-hit kill, but instead constantly accumulated small advantages, compressing Xu Wuyi’s space and accelerating his exhaustion.

New wounds began to appear on Xu Wuyi’s body. He looked somewhat battered, his breathing growing more ragged, and his movements were not as swift as before.

But surprisingly, he remained busy yet composed.

Even when an opening appeared and Chu Shanhe landed a hit, he always managed to avoid vital areas. The wounds looked numerous, but they hadn’t affected his core combat ability.

His eyes remained like a deep pool, utterly inscrutable.