The Deceptive Arts and the Berserk Fiend

Qiu Yue’s relaxed demeanor faded somewhat.

Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

She had discerned the underlying truth.

Lin Mo evidently possessed considerable insight into human meridians.

Yet, this… in merely a month?

It seemed utterly impossible!

He exploited the extreme frigidity of Profound Yin energy to precisely impede his opponent’s spiritual energy circulation.

By doing so, he froze their muscles, effectively crushing the very power advantage on which body cultivators relied.

‘Could he have learned the deceptive arts of Mo Lan?’

‘And those relentless frost traps… were they also Mo Lan’s deceptive arts?’

Upon closer inspection, however, the ice crystals themselves bore no spiritual energy; they were merely frozen water vapor, imbued with an initial propulsive force.

Even the ice shards he conjured in his hands were of the same nature—essentially, they were but slightly harder than ordinary winter ice, at best comparable to common ice blocks found during the coldest months.

Every previous exchange had been designed to weaken Zhao Miaozhi’s protective aura.

Ultimately, these were all merely ‘minor tactics.’

But could these ‘minor tactics’ truly have been mastered by Lin Mo in just a single month?

The prerequisite for all these maneuvers lay in the precise apprehension and systematic weakening of the opponent’s spiritual energy flow.

A mere month!

To achieve such a feat in actual combat, discerning an opponent’s spiritual energy nodes and constantly grasping the flow of vital energy—what level of keen responsiveness would that demand?

What profound understanding of meridians would it require?

Even granting him extraordinary talent, how could the subsequent events be explained?

To achieve mastery in a single month, had Lin Mo perhaps ceaselessly cultivated his techniques?

Had he familiarized himself with and expanded his meridians in a near-self-destructive manner?

Had he used a continuous torrent of spiritual energy to engrave the path of every single meridian?

‘How could that be possible?!’

‘The sleepless nights, the endless depletion of immense mental energy, and the tearing sensation from continuous, saturated infusions of spiritual energy forcibly expanding one’s meridians…’

Each of these torments was utterly indescribable, far beyond mere heartbreak.

Even with Qiu Yue’s formidable will and physique, pushing through for a single week would have been her absolute limit.

Furthermore, the method of freezing an opponent’s spiritual energy was undeniably a technique he had learned from her.

‘Had he merely observed it once?’

A profound shock rippled through Qiu Yue’s heart, simultaneously intensifying her desire for Lin Mo.

‘He was simply too exceptional, truly peerless.’

At this moment, overwhelming joy and profound obsession swirled within Qiu Yue’s heart.

She slowly rose and moved towards the viewing stand, her heart aching to leap down and abduct Lin Mo on the spot!

But no, she could not.

The time was not yet right; for now… she could only endure.

Moreover, Qiu Yue was not the only one reveling in this spectacle; there was also—

‘The matters between Qiu Yue and Lin Mo… were they merely…’

“Well, Grand Elder Qing You?”

Mu Qingli turned slightly, her normally aloof expression now tinged with a hint of triumph and a touch of suspicion.

Her voice, light and airy, drifted towards Qing You.

“Weren’t you quite vocal just now, about my disciple? Hmph, such rat-like behavior! Only dodging, what kind of decorum is that? —That voice, it still echoes through the grand hall, doesn’t it?”

As she spoke, she rose from her seat and gracefully approached Qing You’s side.

Her posture exuded the oppressive air of victory.

“And now, Grand Elder Qing You, why this sudden silence?”

Leaning slightly forward, her cool voice carried a probing undertone.

“Hmm? I was rather hoping my disciple would hear you out. Hmm?”

Mu Qingli’s proximity was almost impolite, her delicate earlobe nearly brushing Qing You’s icy, jade-like cheek.

Qing You held her back rigidly straight, her gaze still fixed upon the shifting shadows cast by the arena, forcing herself to avoid Mu Qingli’s triumphant expression.

Nevertheless, a volatile mix of emotions played across Qing You’s face.

She vehemently suppressed the surging fury within her—that ear, so close to her face, made her long to bite it off!

Yet, her status and decorum ultimately held her rigidly in place.

She let out a cold huff, her voice stiff and restrained, as if suppressing profound anger.

“Hmph, a petty person basking in momentary success! Are you so impatient when victory is yet undecided? Acting Sect Master, why not open your eyes and look closely? Zhao Miaozhi…”

Qing You’s gaze shifted to Zhao Miaozhi amidst the shifting light and shadows.

“Does her face show even a hint of surrender?!”

Qing You, however, was not one to silently swallow such an insult; her steady tone abruptly escalated in volume at the end!

The sudden outburst instantly pierced Mu Qingli’s eardrums!

“You!”

Mu Qingli recoiled several steps, clutching her ears.

“Hmph, you’re just jealous, jealous that I have such an exceptional disciple!”

Mu Qingli merely sneered, offering no further retort, her attention returning to the match in the arena.

“Bastard!”

Zhao Miaozhi let out a roar, suppressed to its absolute limit, like a wounded beast.

“How could I possibly lose to you so easily?”

‘Consider this: Lin Mo was still severely wounded! Not yet recovered!’

‘In such a state, to be beaten into such a sorry mess by a severely injured, sickly, delicate woman?’

“It’s entirely thanks to superior cultivation techniques! That’s right! Lin Mo has no real strength; he relies entirely on the strange spiritual energy and frigid Profound Yin energy of the Bright Jade Profound Yin! How else could Lin Mo possibly contend with her blow for blow? He was simply lording it over others, relying on his cultivation technique! It wasn’t his own strength at all!’

She utterly detested such individuals!

Those who, despite not being inherently powerful, adopted a condescending air!

It was nothing but sheer luck!

Her fists clenched, her muscles, taut and knotted, bulged grotesquely.

Beneath her dark skin, terrifying greenish-purple meridians writhed like living things.

A grotesque distortion instantly spread throughout her entire body!

Her physique seemed to swell once more.

An even more savage, bloodthirsty power surged skyward!

Even the scars on her face began to writhe like centipedes, and her eyes transformed completely into a blazing crimson.

“So, she resorted to the ‘Berserk Fiend Battle Art’ after all?”

For the first time, Host Yun’s voice rang out, tinged with gravity and a hint of imperceptible regret.

The older disciples who knew Zhao Miaozhi well instantly blanched.

This secret art depleted one’s life essence, forcibly drawing upon a trace of primeval beast bloodline power.

The consequence was that the user’s appearance would become incredibly grotesque, like a monster, in the short term, potentially even leaving permanent disfigurement!

Zhao Miaozhi had once publicly declared that she would rather die than ever again employ this technique she so utterly loathed!

Yet now… she had been forced to this extent?!

One could not possibly underestimate Zhao Miaozhi’s formidable power; her ferocity was such that even the Inner Domain Host Yun had remarked that she could contend with early Foundation Establishment cultivators!

If she were to employ the ‘Berserk Fiend Battle Art,’ she might even possess the strength to challenge mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators!

One must understand that the gap between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment was akin to that between a child and an adult!

‘At present, Lin Mo was merely someone who had failed a breakthrough and was severely injured; yet, even in such a state, he could still exchange blows with Zhao Miaozhi?’

‘If he were at his peak… how truly terrifying would that be?’

At this moment, Zhao Miaozhi was a monstrous fiend, having completely abandoned her human appearance, massive and hideous!

Her rapidly growing fur and continuously swelling physique subtly outlined the horrifying silhouette of a werewolf!

Her eyes held nothing but the madness of destruction!

She intended to use this most grotesque form to unleash the most savage power, utterly crushing this elusive opponent in the shortest possible time!

She would end this humiliating battle!

She stomped her feet, and the entire arena seemed to tremble violently!

Her colossal body transformed into a terrifying streak of light, a blend of earthy yellow and crimson.

Wherever she passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a ghastly, wailing shriek!

There were no techniques, no variations, only a purely destructive charge pushed to its absolute limit!

This was an all-out, life-or-death strike, meant to obliterate anything in her path!

Her sole objective: to smash Lin Mo into a bloody pulp!

Confronted by this death charge, akin to a meteor crashing to earth, even Qing You, observing from the sidelines, unconsciously sat bolt upright.

Mu Qingli’s breath hitched instantly!

Every spectator’s heart leaped into their throat!

But Lin Mo showed no fear!

Zhao Miaozhi’s momentum was absolute, allowing for no further changes in her attack!

Her power was concentrated to its utmost.

Her charging path, consequently, became… utterly straight and predictable!

This was the flaw!

A fleeting vulnerability, created by her own immense power!

Just as that berserk figure was about to engulf Lin Mo—

He did not dodge to either side; instead, as if drawn by the terrifying gale, he took an esoteric, minute step forward, advancing towards Zhao Miaozhi’s charge!

His body moved not backward, but forward, subtly shifting to the side!

Indeed, to observers, it appeared as though Lin Mo’s footwork was somehow similar.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly.

Lin Mo’s left hand moved like lightning, not in defense or attack, but with extreme flexibility, precisely pressing half an inch above the outside of Zhao Miaozhi’s charging left knee—a point that, during her full-power burst, was both the most rigid and the primary fulcrum supporting her entire body weight!

Simultaneously, his right hand’s five fingers swept across like plucking a zither, silently launching several ‘threads’ imbued with condensed Profound Yin spiritual energy.

These were not for restraint, but instantly struck the fragile ligaments around her opponent’s ankle joint, which had tightened from the immense force of the thrust!

A jarring ‘crack’ echoed, a sound that grated on one’s teeth!

It was not bone snapping, but a complete shift in balance!

Zhao Miaozhi, rushing forward with overwhelming might, felt her left leg suddenly ‘soften’ under the immense impact.

Her entire body’s center of gravity, propelled by the savage momentum, irrevocably skewed!

Her colossal, bear-like body, burning with Berserk Fiend power, capable of crushing mountains, thus carried its terrifying forward momentum.

Under the gaze of countless astonished and bewildered eyes—

“Boom—!”

Like an uncontrolled boulder, she violently, heavily, grazed past Lin Mo’s robes by mere inches… hurtling over the boundary line of the arena!

Then, with a dull, thunderous crash and the grinding of bone, she slammed hard onto the rigid ground beneath the arena!

Dust billowed!

The entire training ground fell into instant, profound silence!

One could hear a pin drop!

Everyone seemed to be frozen in place, mouths agape, eyes wide, staring at the figure still standing upright on the arena, though his breathing was unsteady.

Then they looked at Zhao Miaozhi below the arena, who, after a few struggles, remained unable to rise, her monstrous, fiend-like form crushed by the backlash of her power and secret art.

Host Yun’s voice, tinged with unconcealed shock and a hint of imperceptible admiration, broke the deathly silence:

“Section B-5, Lin Wan’er, wins!”

After a brief, stunned silence, an unprecedented clamor erupted from the audience!

To most, it seemed Lin Mo had simply been lucky, winning by chance.

Excluding the disciples, few understood why Zhao Miaozhi had suddenly stumbled and fallen out of the arena.

Only a select few, however, truly comprehended what Lin Mo had done.