Martial Arts Master

Xin Xiaoyue wasn’t the only one who found it strange. The guest hosts in the commentator box had their doubts too.

Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun?

“Certainly, he can elude Xin Xiaoyue’s interference if he casts that during talk-time, but there’s an issue here. Bear in mind that talk-time has only just begun, so he has to endure for two more minutes! Remember, Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun takes quite a toll! Plus, if he shows Xin Xiaoyue his hand here, she can adopt a ranged, guerilla tactic when the actual fight begins. What would Lou Cheng do then? Wouldn’t he be wasting all this mental power and Emperor Yan Force?”

“Well, Lou Cheng has displayed monstrous stamina in the past and was capable of a 10 hit combo when others were doing 5 to 6. Could it be that the vastness of his stamina has extended to his mind after attaining Physical Invulnerability? There’s no other way to explain his decision…”

…

Yan Zheke’s sweet, dimpled smile deepened at the boisterous commentary.

How can you dilettantes expect to comprehend the might of the “Universe” arts!

…

From the end of a luxury cruise ship’s deck, Empress Luo peered at the battlefield on Jiangxin Island and laughed. A laugh teetering between surprise and sentimentality.

“Fancy tricks right after attaining Physical Invulnerability. He’s not very like the Dragon King in this aspect. Rather, he reminds me of the Warrior Sage.”

Long Zhen and Guo Jie said nothing. They stared fixedly at the five-colored fireballs—Scorching Red, Faint Purple, Gold, Dazzling White, and Light Blue—orbiting around Lou Cheng. At first glance, they seemed to be flying pell-mell on independent paths, but there was something that suggested organization. They seemed to be in sustained motion even without the guidance of the mind.

Others might not have noticed that, but it didn’t escape the keen eyes of the practitioners who dedicated years of their lives to studying the Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun. When they used the move, it required arduous efforts and intricate methods. But Lou Cheng’s manners seemed effortless, with the five fireballs encircling and following him as though they had their own wills.

To explain it with an abstract metaphor, to them, executing the move was like flying a kite or holding onto a balloon—they had to clutch to the string tightly to keep them in the air. On the other hand, Lou Cheng had launched five satellites around him that spontaneously orbited in predestined routes.

Remarkable, praised Long Zhen internally.

He trusted that Lou Cheng wouldn’t have attempted the move had he not been fully confident. That meant his Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun consumed little energy and that he could maintain it for a long time!

…

Similarly, a chorus of awe had erupted in the Longhu Club and Lou Cheng Fan Club forums.

“He’s so cool! [starry eyes]” wrote Brahman.

To her, her idol looked like a deity descending from the skies, donned in a dragon robe weaved from the trails of the colored fireballs. She was enchanted by his divinity and might, so dignified yet distant.

It was the same for Yan Xiaoling, who was busy taking screenshots.

“Licking my screen! [drooling]” she wrote.

“You are such a diehard fangirl, or rather, pervert! Don’t tell anyone that we are acquainted! [disgusted]” replied Unparalleled Dragon King. “This is a martial arts forum! Can we (and by we I mean you two) stop fawning over Lou Cheng’s cool appearance and focus on how he potentially invented a new method that reduces the consumption of Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun? Who cares about how cool he looks!”

Have to admit it was incredibly cool though…This is the kind of stuff that inspires dreams in young ones…

“Anyway, I don’t think Lou Cheng’s doing this just to look cool,” wrote “A Plumber Eating Mushrooms.”

“He’s the Heavenly Son of China! Expect the unexpected! [sparkling eyes]” wrote Nie Qiqi.

…

Amidst puzzled faces and lively discussions, Xin Xiaoyue had already formed an Ice Heart, repressing her emotions. She raised her hand.

“Referee, he’s cheating!”

She twinkled when she saw the twitch at Lou Cheng’s lips!

“Kidding! Trying to liven up the mood!”

Her eyes turned serious as she spoke. Her aura spread, sharply lowering the temperature in tens of meters around her. It felt like the breezy autumn was over, and winter was coming.

Whoosh! There came wind, a wind that neither howled nor raged, a wind that merely fluttered the dried leaves. Yet, there was an indescribable coldness in it, a strange coldness redolent of a hospital’s mortuary. Hidden in the freezing cold were traces of malice that provoked fear, made tremble, and strayed thoughts.

There was Death Intent in the cold!

It was not only a declaration of war but also a psychological attack!

At that moment, however, Xin Xiaoyue sensed the darkness in Lou Cheng, so vast and vacant and cold that her frigid winds of malice thinned and dispersed after entering, not affecting him by even a bit.

It’s like the end to everything. An eternal death… Xin Xiaoyue vaguely understood something. That was when the referee shouted from a distance away.

“Begin!”

The curtain is raised for the official Master Battle!

Bang!

Xin Xiaoyue turned on her waist, generating a polar gale bearing geese-feather sized snow so dense and heavy it blinded and muffled sounds, reducing the range of mental perception.

It was easy to hide one’s tracks amidst all the wind and snow!

An unmanned drone filmed the scene, presenting it to audiences watching through various means. With the aid of modern technology, Xin Xiaoyue’s silhouette was vaguely visible amidst the blizzard. Sometimes she was in the west, sometimes in the east. Sometimes she scaled hills, sometimes she skirted to the side. She was always on the move at top speed, not giving Lou Cheng a chance to go closer.

With his five flames intact, only a fool opts for a full-frontal confrontation!

The howling of the gale drowned the thumping sounds of her zig-zags. After repositioning herself consecutively, she formed a sword with her fingers and pointed forward, releasing a piercing crystalline frost beam that stabbed at Lou Cheng at supersonic speed.

Ice Spirit Holy Light, a dagger in close-quarters, but an arrow in ranged combat!

Swish, swish, swish! Xin Xiaoyue worked her footwork with her upper body still, firing a few consecutive dreamy frost beams in the permeating blizzard, entrapping Lou Cheng from all directions.

She imagined that even if the attack didn’t damage her opponent, it would at least cause the fireballs around him to destabilize and self-destruct.

Lou Cheng, who stood still in observation, finally made a move. Side-stepping, he swept up a frigid wind, avoiding most of the Ice Spirit Holy Light and diverting the remaining. At the same time, above his left shoulder, the scarlet fireball strayed from its route and shot out, colliding into the beams of frost light headed for his face.

Boom!

The flaring explosion blew the Ice Spirit to pieces. Transparent flakes, iridescent against the scarlet light, came falling down, so beautiful it seemed like the figment of a dream.

Then the pale-purple fireball hovering above Lou Cheng’s head whistled out, piercing through the blizzard and following the trail of frost beam as it headed for Xin Xiaoyue.

Xin Xiaoyue knew about fireball techniques derived from Flying Flame Meteorite, Golden Godly Flames, and Lord Emperor’s Purple Flame of the Fire Sect, so she expected her opponent to have a way of attacking from far. However, little did she expect that he would use his Five Flames like ammunition!

Isn’t that too wasteful?

Her mind lagged, the skin on her back horripilated. Xin Xiaoyue straightened her knees, turned on her waist, and instantly leaped back ten or so meters with the help of the gales.

Rumble!

At where she originally stood, the snow melted, the gales ceased, and the island jolted. An explosion crater appeared on the ground. Flames spat, and a ridiculously strong shockwave blew past her, scraping off a layer of ice crystal.

This was the move Meteorite, derived from Emperor Yan Force using Lord Emperor’s Purple Flame. Attack power alone, it was definitely in the top three among similar moves!

The reason why Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun was one of the greatest killer moves of the Fire Sect was because it combined and improved the aforementioned moves with the foundations of one’s own learning. It also had a unique burst technique.

Among which, the Scorching Red fireball came from the starting Zhurong Force, and its hovering and launching technique originated from the 4th Style, Flying Flame Meteorite. It was the weakest and didn’t have any special effects, but had the shortest casting time and least consumption.

The dazzling white fireball was an improved version of the scorching red one. It was hotter and more powerful, and at the same time had the denseness of Emperor Yan and the ease to control of the Fire Force, albeit little.

The light blue fireball was the mutated version of the dazzling white one. It was even hotter but had a relatively small explosive force. It mainly burned.

The golden fireball was driven by the Fire Force, formed through using the technique from Golden Godly Flames. It had a strong explosive force, but less than outstanding in hotness and burning. However, it could be controlled after firing. That is to say, a martial artist who has precise control can trigger a second or even third veering in a specific range.

The faint purple fireball originated from Emperor Yan Force and Lord Emperor’s Purple Flame. Its main features were its scorching heat and density. Once fired, it would be like a powerful explosive. When used by Physical Invulnerability Experts at the Dragon King’s level, the enemy would have a hard time moving before the purple sphere, as though they were under the effect of magnetism.

The last two had a heavy consumption and brought great stress, so augmenting the five flames could easily destabilize them.

Amid the shockwave of the explosion, Xin Xiaoyue saw the golden fireball orbiting around Lou Cheng flying towards her from the corner of her eye.

That wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was how he effortlessly produced a new scorching red and faint purple fireball!

Is there no end to this? Xin Xiaoyue stepped forward and plunged down to avoid the Golden Fire Force Ball’s second veer. However, what she didn’t know was Lou Cheng’s primary force was Emperor Yan Force, and he was only a beginner at Fire Force kungfu.

Boom! The flames burst apart, sending shockwaves in every direction. It left another explosion crater.

Swish, swish, swish! Using her Mesmerizing Snow Steps, Xin Xiaoyue responded with an Ice Spirit Holy Light. Cold sword aura traveled through the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Scorching Red, Faint Purple, Gold, Dazzling White and Light Blue around Lou Cheng shot out in succession, then quickly formed again. The raging blizzard was sometimes scattered apart, and the ground was covered with shell craters.

The audience had seen ranged battles countless times in Physical Invulnerability battles, but this is the first time they have seen a fight like this one, a purely ranged battle that lasted this long.

That was because for a Physical Invulnerability Expert, using ranged attacks had much greater consumption than melee attacks, so using ranged as a complement to melee attacks was the norm! Else, no-one can sustain it!

“It’s like I’m watching a battle between Immortals! No, it’s the Sword Saint V.S the leader of the Divine Cult of Five Flames!” jested Pig-Riding Knight in the Longhu Forums.

“In my opinion, if Lou Cheng can transform his fireballs into multicolored dragons, I’ll be on my knees hailing the descent of an immortal! That would be sick! [snickering]” wrote Road to the Arena.

“Can’t be helped. The Divine Cult of Five Flames has the same origins as the Dragon King!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The shockwaves from the explosion messed up Xin Xiaoyue’s hair, and her face was covered in dust and dirt. Her combined art of the Ice and Death Sect seemed to be useless here.

Trading fire like this made her feel like she was fighting five gun-turreted tanks with an assault rifle. The firepower, suppression power and covered range couldn’t even be compared. Even her advantage of fast firing and reloading rate was matched by Lou Cheng’s methodical spawning of fireballs.

Can’t let this go on. This guy’s pretty much a human gun-turret! Complaining internally, Xin Xiaoyue changed her strategy. She turned and evaded the explosion.

Whoosh!

The howling of the wind grew stronger and more sinister, the goose-feather snow turned into ice crystals. Xin Xiaoyue’s figure faded, turning shadowy like a phantom.

The phantom split, using the environment to appear in every direction. Tens of floating Xin Xiaoyues dived at Lou Cheng, like ghosts wandering in the freezing night.

This was something she came up with after merging the Death Sect’s Spectre and the Ice Sect’s second style, Mesmerizing Snow Step. She named the illusion movement Wandering Ghosts on a Freezing Night.

It has been tested and proven to be able to effectively avoid the detection of Enemy Heart Freezing Move unless within 2-meter radius!

And at that range, even if one realizes which one is real and fake, they wouldn’t be able to counter it!

Whoosh! In the wailing of ghosts and howling of the wind, the shadowy Xin Xiaoyues approached rapidly. Her real form kept switching places with the illusions, and her intention seemed to be taking down the Five Flames beneath the blind of attacking Lou Cheng!

That was when Lou Cheng stepped forward, propelled by flames and wind, appearing before her instantly. All the illusions didn’t seem to have any effect on him.

His danger premonition only reacted to this spot!

Reflected in Xin Xiaoyue’s widening eyes, Lou Cheng impassively straightened himself, jerked out his right arm, and swung down. The Scorching Red, Faint Purple, Gold, Dazzling White and Light Blue behind him orbited rapidly, then congregated towards one spot!

“Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun!”

At that crucial moment, Xin Xiaoyue felt her legs turning to jelly. The soil became a swamp.

Her hoary complexion was that of a corpse as a wall of ice that seemed everlasting enveloped her, as though she had planned it.

Suddenly, she sunk into the ground. The swamp hardened after her.

A scorching white flare made the audiences on the ship far from the island subconsciously close their eyes. Tears trickled from their irritated eyes.

Boom!

The earth jolted, a mushroom cloud gradually rose. The violent wind had swept clean the fallen leaves and upheaved dirt. A scarlet flame blazed in the huge crater, crawling outward.

With a crack, the ground behind Lou Cheng split open, from inside which sprang Xin Xiaoyue, pointing at her opponent’s back with a finger sword.

The ice wall that covered her entire body from before had shattered. Her skin was chapped, but there wasn’t any blood, but for the dark red stream trickling from the corner of his lips.

Everything from before had been within Xin Xiaoyue’s expectations!

She was aware that Lou Cheng, before attaining Physical Invulnerability, had the supernatural abilities to deflect curses and foresee danger, and she trusted that his abilities will only improve after making the great leap. Therefore, she wasn’t hoping for a Wandering Ghosts on a Freezing Night to mess with his senses, and had secretly prepared the Death Sect’s Cadaver Burial technique in advance. At the same time, she

Casted Eternal Ice Wall to exhaust her enemy’s Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun, shifting the battle into her comfort zone.

Even so, she was severely impacted by the terrifying power of Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun, she felt a severe tremor within. It didn’t injure her badly, but left many negative effects!

What marvellous power! As the thought flitted across Xin Xiaoyue’s mind, shadows appeared beneath her opponent’s feet. Like shackles of air or overgrown vines, they bound and chained Lou Cheng’s legs to the ground.

At the same time, Xin Xiaoyue had completed her visualization. The tip of her finger turned blue-black, as though suffering from frostbite.

Lou Cheng didn’t expect his opponent to show such sound judgment and calculated mobility in her plight. With his previous move unfinished, he couldn’t react in time and was temporarily immobilized. He could only take the finger strike head-on.

His heart was still cool as ice, so he didn’t panic. Thoughts flitting, he turned sideways on his waist. A layer of ice crystal blanketed his right arm as he swung a back-hand.

Pompf!

Xin Xiaoyue’s finger struck, then repositioned, rebounding on borrowed strength. Lou Cheng felt a chill infiltrating him, melting the ice wall and piercing into his flesh. In a split second, he couldn’t feel his right hand, along with his forearm and biceps, as though they were frozen numb or defected.

That rather shocked him; normally, his vigorous Physical Invulnerability Qi and blood could resist and negate most effects, as long as it didn’t affect his mind, not to mention he had an ability that bestowed him exceptional cold resistance. In order for the effects to manifest, they had to accumulate. Else, they could only restrict his movements by freezing him on the surface. However, at that moment, his entire arm was frozen stiff!

Like what Martial Sister said, Lethal Chill was more stronger than he expected!

When Xin Xiaoyue was repositioning, Lou Cheng didn’t waste time being surprised or hesitate. He immediately concentrated his Qi and blood, condensing the injurious chill and negating it to a certain extent to prevent it from entering his shoulders.

Even so, his entire right arm was extremely numb and stiff, momentarily losing its mobility.

Bam! Lou Cheng’s Dan Qi erupted and filled his legs, tearing away the spirits’ arms and unbinding himself.

Xin Xiaoyue, confident in her Lethal Chill, closed in on his right once again, then threw a fist enwreathed in dark light.

She wanted to turn the tables while Lou Cheng’s right arm was paralyzed, then take the victory with a series of Lethal Chills.

But Lou Cheng didn’t panic at all. With a jolt of his right shoulder, he turned his solidified arm into a weapon. He swung it out, deftly and spontaneously, as though he had practiced it a thousand times.

How would Xin Xiaoyue know about the fighting methods he practiced back when he lost control of all his limbs! Compared to then, this was nothing!

Bam!

With a dull thud, they checked moves. The icy look in Xin Xiaoyue’s eyes concealed her astonishment. Lou Cheng stepped forward, concentrating his force and visualizing a Fighting Formula.

His frame expanded at once, his bulging muscles stretching his martial arts suit and accentuating his defined muscles. His blue-black complexion made him look more like a monster disguised as a human.

Boom!

His fist swung down, producing a loud crack as it found its mark. Upon contact, Xin Xiaoyue’s blocking arm quivered, and she had to take several steps back. Her organs were rumbling within her, triggering all of the lingering effects of Descend Of The Sun.

Under the pressure of Lou Cheng’s attack, Xin Xiaoyue concentrated her force and began visualizing. She threw out an Ice Spirit Punch, her fist permeating with white mist.

Unswayed, Lou Cheng continued using the Fighting Formula and erupting his Dan Force. Turning into a giant, he smashed down with his left fist.

Bam! The discomfort in Xin Xiaoyue’s organs grew, and there was buzzing in her ears. She left several deep dents in the ground as she retreated to mitigate the force.

Lou Cheng didn’t bother with his frozen left fist and arm. Once again, he used Force Concentration and shuffled the stars into a Fighting Formula!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

After a few consecutive blows, Xin Xiaoyue was dizzy and wobbly. The tremor at her arms made it hard for her to exert strength.

By then, Lou Cheng’s Fighting Formula had reached its limit and had switched to using burst attacks purely driven by Dan Force. After the first punch, scorching red condensed around him and fell into orbit.

Boom!

The fist and fireball landed at the same time. Xin Xiaoyue flew back from the impact. She caught her breath mid-air and flipped like a sparrowhawk. Riding on the violent wind, she landed steadily to the side.

Just as she wanted to use Force Concentration to repress her internal disturbance, she saw Lou Cheng coming after her relentlessly, not giving her a chance to readjust. Scarlet formed around him, then dazzling-white, then light blue.

More of these? Shocked, Xin Xiaoyue checked her body conditions. She straightened, hopped back, and raised her right hand.

“I give in!” she cried.

It would be unthinkable to get hit by the Nine Rotations of Five Flames. Descend Of The Sun once more!