Chapter 62: Yanyuan Academy (Part 4)

From the beginning until now, Yan Ruotai had been employing ordinary fist techniques, characterized by heavy momentum and immense power. After compressing Shuisheng's sphere of movement, he suddenly shifted his fist-wind, transitioning from heavy to light, and from light to agile. Within the same span of time, the number of strikes multiplied, and his boxing style transformed from conventional and rigid into erratic and unpredictable.

"Watch out! Yan's Fluttering Fists!" he shouted.

Indeed, what he was executing at this moment was the foundational boxing art upon which the Yan family had built its legacy: "Yan's Fluttering Fists." While the name contained the word "fluttering" (implying chaos), and the execution appeared disorderly, it actually harbored all manner of profound mysteries.

Chaotic yet unscattered, methodical amidst the disorder.

With a loud "bang," Shuisheng took a punch squarely on his left shoulder. He staggered, and before he could recover, his opponent's other fist struck directly at his face.

He had no choice but to erect an ability shield in front of his chest to dampen the opponent's attacking force, followed by a ground roll that allowed him to evade to the right corner of the fighting stage.

This Yan Ruotai combined steadfastness with agility; he was by no means a one-dimensional, purely strength-based fighter.

At the very beginning, he had underestimated his opponent and been slightly careless.

Shuisheng rapidly revised his combat strategy in his mind.

Standing in the corner of the stage, he gathered his strength. At that moment, Yan Ruotai's fist arrived once more. Without dodging or evading, Shuisheng unleashed a punch with all his might!

With a booming crash, their fists collided. A sharp pain surged through both of their knuckles, and each was driven backward by the impact.

Shuisheng retreated a single step, but Yan Ruotai was forced back a step and a half!

Shuisheng had been prepared, delivering a full-strength counterattack. Yan Ruotai, on the other hand, was using "Yan's Fluttering Fists," a technique not renowned for sheer power; he had neither exerted his full strength nor concentrated his force. Consequently, this was the outcome.

A water-attribute ability user trading blows head-on with a strength-attribute ability user at the same rank, yet somehow gaining the upper hand? Such a spectacle seemed utterly unbelievable to the onlookers.

Many students who had long disliked Yan Ruotai seized the opportunity to jeer.

Yan Ruotai's face flushed crimson. He re-established the solid Iron Ox Stance, channeled power from his waist, and gathered all his strength into his fists. Abandoning the "Yan's Fluttering Fists," he prepared to reclaim his pride through sheer, unadulterated power.

In his vision, that fellow on the opposite side seemed to have gained confidence from the previous clash, wearing a provocative expression and even curling his index finger to beckon him forward!

I am going to let you experience the true power of a strength-attribute ability user!

Driven by this mindset, Yan Ruotai unleashed his full power, hurtling forward with a thunderous punch!

This was a strike into which he had funneled his entire body's might, a blow destined to succeed!

His opponent also raised a fist to meet him, appearing ready to trade blows once more.

Excellent! Abandoning his horse stance, Yan Ruotai slammed his feet against the ground, driving himself forward to push his speed and power to their absolute limits.

Just as his fist was about to make contact with his opponent's—intending to shatter the bones of that noticeably smaller fist—Yan Ruotai suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. To severely injure or cripple the opponent like this would truly be embarrassing, as it was merely a friendly spar. However, his momentum was already fully committed; it was impossible to retract or alter his force.

He felt he had been far too impulsive, filled with bitter regret.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, the figure of the young man vanished.

Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, Yan Ruotai looked closely again—he was indeed gone. Before him was only the railing of the training stage.

At that critical juncture, Shuisheng employed the "Water Invisibility Technique" taught by Mei Yulang, utilizing his ability to generate a layer of moisture across his skin that absorbed and reflected ambient light. To Yan Ruotai, this phenomenon was indistinguishable from actual invisibility.

He then pivoted sideways, braced his hands against the floor to whip his body around, and delivered a heavy push directly to Yan Ruotai's back.

Yan Ruotai heard a chorus of gasps echoing in his ears. Before he could ponder why anyone would gasp, a colossal force surged against his lower back, propelling his already high-speed forward strike even faster! Faster still!

Not good! he screamed internally, frantically trying to check his momentum. But it was already too late.

In a fraction of a second, the railing was right in front of his face. He collided with the barrier, and propelled by the tremendous residual inertia, vaulted right over it, crashing heavily onto the floor outside.

"Yan Ruotai has been knocked out of the ring! Shuisheng wins!" Lin Chengxun announced the match result. Even for him, this outcome was something he would never have believed beforehand. Reality had delivered a resounding slap—not only to Yan Ruotai, but also to anyone who had predicted Yan Ruotai's victory.

As a knowledgeable instructor, misjudging the outcome was truly mortifying.

"Whoa!" The audience erupted in uproar.

Shuisheng stood upon the stage, his breathing still ragged. The full-force shove he had delivered to Yan Ruotai's back, combined with the opponent's own charging momentum, had subjected the target's body to a compounding force that accelerated him wildly and built up massive inertia, ultimately sending him tumbling uncontrollably out of the ring.

One major drawback of strength-attribute ability users was the difficulty and slowness of changing their moves—which was precisely why Yan Ruotai diligently practiced "Yan's Fluttering Fists." The characteristics of that boxing style could compensate for the inherent weaknesses of strength-type fighters. However, lured in by Shuisheng, he had abandoned the technique, presenting his opponent with a golden opportunity.

Looking down at his own hands and body, Shuisheng could hardly believe it either. Such reactive speed, such microscopic observation skills, far exceeded even his own estimations of his capabilities.

He surmised that these improvements stemmed from two factors: first, the fruits of his arduous cultivation; second, the transformations brought about by "Return to Ruins Leaving Water."

"Such incredible adaptability!" a student remarked from beneath the stage. By this time classes had ended, and the students who remained in the martial arts training hall to practice generally possessed genuine skills and sharp discernment, quickly perceiving the profound mechanics at play.

"Did you record it? Did you get it on video?" another student anxiously asked his companion.

"It's all on my phone, don't worry," the companion replied. "Impressive, truly impressive. To pull off that entire sequence of counters in such a short span of time is no mean feat."

"Good grief, is this really just a Tier 2 ability user?!"

"Isn't the combat stage the home turf of strength-attribute users?!"

"How can a water-attribute ability user have such blinding adaptability? Unbelievable!"

...

"Shuisheng is amazing!" Yan Ruoxun cheered. This outcome far exceeded her expectations, which only served to make her all the more delighted.

After all, he was her good friend.

For a good friend to secure such a victory brought glory to her as well, didn't it?

Looking crestfallen, Yan Ruotai walked down from the stage and sat on a nearby mat, his expression deeply gloomy.

He had assumed that with a strength-attribute facing a water-attribute at the same rank, his victory was an absolute certainty. Yet, things had ended in this manner, and no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not comprehend it.

Shuisheng sat flat on the canvas of the stage, drenched in sweat with a dull ache radiating from his left shoulder.

Fortunately, he had only taken one blow, and the injury was minor—at worst, some soft tissue bruising. Yet, excitement surged within his chest just as fiercely.

Yan Ruotai was no ordinary person; he was a scion of the Yan family, one of the three prestigious great families of Lucky Spirit City, having undergone comprehensive and systematic training since childhood! The significance of defeating him was immense!

It proved his own strength; among ability users of the same rank, he perhaps already stood in the vanguard.

A profound sense of self-confidence blossomed within the young man's heart.

A moment later, however, he began to feel that something was amiss with his left shoulder. A dull ache, a tingling numbness, a searing pain... it hurt so much that he winced and bared his teeth. Pulling back his clothes to inspect it, he found a massive bruise.

In truth, many bruises might not register immediately, only gradually revealing themselves as time passed. Yan Ruotai's adaptability might have fallen short of his own, but the solid foundation of his punching power was indisputable.

"Shuisheng, what's wrong?" Yan Ruoxun hurried over to check on him.

Stepping forward and taking a look, Lin Chengxun instantly realized something was wrong and barked urgently, "Medical room! Hurry to the medical room!"