Improvisation is the better part of valor.
Zhu Peiqi’s combat strength wasn’t particularly high; he was simply exceptionally skilled at ‘evasion’.
In his exchange with East Bamboo Immortal, he had multiple opportunities to strike at her vital points using his exquisite footwork, yet each time, he relinquished these chances.
Opportunities, however, were often reciprocal.
While his peculiar footwork rendered East Bamboo Immortal unable to gain an advantage, unable to catch or restrain him for a time, it remained unclear whether he could secure victory in a single strike if he chose to attack.
More importantly, such an attempt would invariably present East Bamboo Immortal with an opening to seize him.
This endless stalemate, therefore, favored Zhu Peiqi.
As long as East Bamboo Immortal could not capture him, she could not fundamentally defeat him.
He could thus continuously wear her down, securing a greater chance of victory for those who would follow.
“Eight Gates, Eight Wonders, Eight People, Eight Skills—truly admirable! Truly admirable!”
Mr. Ji nodded repeatedly, lavishing praise upon Zhu Peiqi’s Dun Jia Divine Steps.
Though his admiration for an adversary displeased Fenghu and Yunlong, Zhu Peiqi’s footwork was undeniably exceptional.
East Bamboo Immortal had passed so close to him countless times, yet she could not even grasp the corner of his robes.
An enemy was an enemy, to be sure, but one could not deny their extraordinary abilities.
Tongtian Qu, a branch of the Mountain Sea Pavilion, was collectively known as the ‘Eight Marvelous Gates’ alongside ‘Che Di Gate,’ ‘Li Shan Manor,’ ‘Yun Lei Sect,’ ‘Xuan Shui Residence,’ ‘Yun Huo Temple,’ ‘Lin Feng Hall,’ and ‘Chang Ze Estate,’ all renowned under the adage: ‘Eight Gates, Eight Wonders, Eight People, Eight Skills.’
The ‘Eight Gates’ referred to these eight sects, while the ‘Eight Wonders’ denoted the eight marvelous sceneries surrounding their respective locations.
The ‘Eight People’ were the eight founders: Shenxingzi, Fu Ye, Xi Yuanshan, Lei Zhen, Qin Zhenzhen, Feng Yanwu, Li Xunfeng, and Man Changpo.
Their ‘Eight Skills’ were their famed unique techniques, and among them, the ‘Dun Jia Divine Steps’ was the profound art passed down by Shenxingzi, the founder of Tongtian Qu, one of the Eight Marvelous Gates.
The members of the Mountain Sea Pavilion, however, possessed exceedingly peculiar temperaments; their characters ranged from good to bad, their actions from benevolent to malevolent.
They belonged neither to the righteous nor the evil factions, remaining entirely incompatible with other martial arts sects.
One might assume their aloofness stemmed from their disdain for associating with common sects, yet even the esteemed ‘Nine Heavens Palace’ and ‘Great Desolate Alliance,’ two of the Eastern Continent’s three great sects, found themselves at odds with the Mountain Sea Pavilion.
Although the martial arts of the Mountain Sea Pavilion were renowned throughout the jianghu, its internal structure lacked clear organization, making it akin to a scattered pile of sand, vastly different from conventional sects.
Having long traversed the jianghu, Yu Wusheng was a man of vast experience and knowledge.
He observed that the Dun Jia Divine Steps differed starkly from techniques like ‘White Deer Lingbo’ and ‘Ghostly Eye Steps’; it did not emphasize agility nor excel in speed.
Instead, it pursued the path of unpredictable change.
Zhu Peiqi had been on the stage for a considerable time, yet not a single step of his footwork had been repeated, earning Yu Wusheng’s heartfelt admiration.
The Dun Jia Divine Steps was a difficult art to learn and master.
For Zhu Peiqi to have cultivated it to such a degree, allowing him to advance and retreat freely amidst enemy formations as if entering an uninhabited land, appearing calm and self-assured, truly spoke of the immense effort he had put in—a dedication beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
East Bamboo Immortal and Zhu Peiqi remained locked in a stalemate, neither able to overcome the other for a prolonged period.
Yu Wusheng, noticing that noon had passed, considered that if Zhu Peiqi continued this deadlock with East Bamboo Immortal, it would be effortless for him to prolong the fight not just for an entire morning, but even a full day.
However, this could hardly be considered a ‘victory’ over East Bamboo Immortal; at best, it would only amount to a ‘draw.’
At this juncture of their contest, Zhu Peiqi finally clasped his hands in a respectful salute, conceding defeat to East Bamboo Immortal.
“East Bamboo Immortal is truly remarkable.
I have displayed every single variation of my Dun Jia Divine Steps.
To continue fighting would only mean repeating my previous footwork, and such a contest would no longer be a true martial arts match, but merely an escape.
I concede.”
The Polaris faction members sighed inwardly.
‘If only Zhu Peiqi had held out a little longer!’ they thought.
‘The longer he dragged East Bamboo Immortal out, the greater our chances of victory would be! To concede for the sake of face… what a waste of effort!’
Yet… East Bamboo Immortal’s cultivation was truly astonishing!
Any other person, relentlessly pursued as she had been, would have long since been exhausted and defeated by Zhu Peiqi exploiting a weakness.
Though her breathing was now slightly uneven, she remained vibrant and spirited, showing no signs of having battled Zhu Peiqi for an entire morning.
Given the immense complexity of the Dun Jia Divine Steps, she had actually managed to force her opponent to exhaust every single variation…
Frowning, Yu Wusheng disregarded Chi Yiheng, the scholarly man, who was attempting to request a chance to enter the fray, and instead soared directly onto the stage.
“‘Ten-Kill-One’ Yu Wusheng seeks instruction from East Bamboo Immortal.”
The faces of those on the Southern Dipper Star side darkened slightly, clearly indicating their less-than-favorable impression of Yu Wusheng.
This Yu Wusheng was once a hero who fought against the Mortal Heavenly Kingdom.
His moniker, ‘Ten-Kill-One,’ stemmed from a period during that conflict when he single-handedly confronted ten opponents of comparable strength and successfully eliminated every one of them.
The ‘Ten-Kill-One’ title actually had a further elaboration: ‘Ten pursue one, yet fail to close a hundred zhang; One eliminates ten, leaving corpses strewn a thousand chi.’
This implied that the ten pursuers, despite being a hundred zhang away, could never catch Yu Wusheng.
Conversely, when Yu Wusheng slew those ten, they all perished within a thousand chi (according to the traditional units of measurement on the Eastern Continent, 100 zhang and 1000 chi are equivalent distances).
This sounded utterly inconceivable.
If Yu Wusheng’s strength was indeed similar to those ten, how could they fail to catch him from a mere hundred zhang away?
And how could he, alone, kill ten people within a distance of less than a thousand chi?
Though they hadn’t witnessed that battle firsthand, Fenghu and Yunlong understood that this man possessed profound cultivation.
While they didn’t believe his power surpassed their own, in a real combat scenario, both would exercise extreme caution when facing Yu Wusheng, for his martial arts differed greatly from conventional styles.
Yu Wusheng extended his hands forward, his left hand with fingers pressed together pointed skyward, and his right hand with fingers splayed open pointed to the ground.
His opening stance was exceedingly strange.
“Green Hornet Soft Palm… interesting.”
Mr. Ji nodded with a smile, preparing to watch the unfolding spectacle with keen interest.
East Bamboo Immortal granted Yu Wusheng no quarter.
After returning his courtesy, she immediately launched a punch, which Yu Wusheng swiftly met with a palm strike.
Their exchange instantly plunged into a fierce, white-hot intensity.
Before long, Yu Wusheng appeared utterly composed.
Each of East Bamboo Immortal’s incredibly sharp punches was met by his calm and unhurried parry.
Where many skilled fighters before him would have already revealed their declining strength, Yu Wusheng grew stronger with every exchange, behaving as if nothing were amiss, as if East Bamboo Immortal’s formidable fists were soft and powerless.
“East Bamboo Immortal was too depleted by Zhu Peiqi earlier; her cultivation must be insufficient…”
“There’s no need to panic, Mr. Wan.”
Mr. Ji glanced sideways at Wan Ren, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“East Bamboo Immortal certainly expended some energy, but not to this extent… This, it seems, is the true prowess of Yu Wusheng.”
If one were to describe Yu Wusheng’s entire cultivation method with a single word, it would be ‘economical.’
Mr. Ji could find no other term to capture its essence.
In battles of equal intensity, East Bamboo Immortal’s expenditure of cultivation far surpassed Yu Wusheng’s.
Yu Wusheng was exceptionally ‘frugal’ in his application of energy.
Considering his moniker, Mr. Ji mused that his ability to eliminate ten opponents of similar strength was neither boastful nor inconceivable.
By strategically delaying and depleting his adversaries in the early stages of a fight, then seizing opportunities when they became careless or exposed, and factoring in elements like timing, terrain, and their eagerness for victory, achieving a ‘ten-kill-one’ outcome would indeed not be difficult for Yu Wusheng.
However, words were one thing, and actual combat was another.
While Yu Wusheng’s strength might not necessarily exceed East Bamboo Immortal’s, his meticulous control over his cultivation was likely unparalleled among all present; even Fenghu, Yunlong, and Ren Du might not surpass him in the subtle management of their power.
His ‘Green Hornet Soft Palm,’ inherently gentle and peaceful, did not rely on fierce power.
It was perfectly suited to counter East Bamboo Immortal’s aggressive onslaughts with softness overcoming hardness.
Coupled with Zhu Peiqi’s earlier depletion of her energy, Yu Wusheng was not without a chance of victory in this battle.
Mr. Ji scanned his surroundings, but Director Ji and Ren Du were nowhere to be seen.
Faint sounds of battle, however, still wafted from the mountains, leaving him to wonder where the two had taken their fight.
He narrowed his eyes, choosing to disregard their distant struggle.
Many matters had to be resolved by them personally; no one else could do it for them.
After all, they were the representatives dispatched by the Academy of Sciences.
If others could perform their duties, what purpose would they serve?
Mr. Ji, however, was unaware that Yu Wusheng had no intention of winning.
With his shrewdness, Yu Wusheng had long realized that he could not possibly defeat East Bamboo Immortal.
Her aura was extensive and enduring; though she expended more cultivation than he did, in terms of sheer depth of power, he simply could not compare to her.
He already held a clear understanding of the battle’s eventual outcome.
While he possessed a chance of victory, it was not high.
Therefore, there was no need to force a win; his objective was simply to wear down East Bamboo Immortal, just as Zhu Peiqi had done.
Their exchange lasted several hours.
Finally, Yu Wusheng bowed to East Bamboo Immortal and withdrew from the stage.
As he stepped down, he cast a glance at East Bamboo Immortal, observing that her breathing was now somewhat ragged, clearly indicating a significant depletion of her cultivation, making it difficult for her to sustain the fight much longer.
Yu Wusheng’s own condition was far from optimal; his breathing rate significantly surpassed East Bamboo Immortal’s.
While he had indeed depleted a considerable amount of her cultivation, his own power was also nearing exhaustion, requiring several days to recover to his peak state.
His cultivation was not weak, and his control over its application was exceptionally strong, akin to a ‘bucket’ continuously draining water in a slow, steady stream.
Even if his opponent were a massive ‘water tank,’ he should have been able to drain it dry by now, given that her cultivation was depleted much faster than his own.
Yet, East Bamboo Immortal had still not reached the point of ‘exhaustion.’
Following this analogy, her cultivation would have to be described as a ‘pond’ or even a ‘lake.’
What terrifying cultivation!
And to think she had achieved it through self-study… Those she had killed in the past had truly not lost in vain.
Yu Wusheng looked back to see Jie Shu had already taken his place on the stage.
Watching East Bamboo Immortal continue to prepare for battle against Jie Shu, Yu Wusheng gradually understood why Director Ji was so determined to secure Dongzhu.
It wasn’t merely because Dongzhu was a strategically vital military location; a person like East Bamboo Immortal, if she were to join the Southern Dipper Star, would pose a significant threat to Polaris’s Martial Arts Office.
She simply had to be eliminated, no matter the cost.