Chapter 58: The Power of Acupoints (Part Two)

Wearing a long robe would only hinder the speed of his blade drawing? Wushu’s words sounded quite bold and resolute, yet under the watchful eyes of the crowd, his arms were not particularly thick, and combined with his skin that shone with a pale white, the human spectators could not help but sigh inwardly in mixed emotions.

Had it not been for this duel and under any other circumstances, Wushu would have easily passed for a frail, pampered scholar.

At this moment, Wushu ceased to hold back, directly channeling the profound formula within his body. Under the traction of profound energy, the curse power dormant within the nine major acupoints he had unlocked instantly began to surge.

Whether due to the influence of the curse power or not, at this very moment, Wushu looked exceptionally cold and detached.

He clenched his left fist tightly and, without any hesitation, guided the curse power from the ten-shuan acupoints in his left hand out along with his profound energy. Then, something unexpected happened. As the curse power in his left-hand acupoints began to flow freely within his body alongside the profound energy, tracing the pathways of his blood vessels, black-and-white interlaced stripes visibly wound their way around his arms.

The moment the black-and-white stripes appeared, Wushu felt the power within him swell with the momentum of a volcanic eruption, while simultaneously rendering his physical body tougher than ever before.

This was the first time Wushu had ever utilized the power of his inner acupoints. The overwhelming burst of unexpected strength made him eager to engage in a full-scale clash against the berserk golden-haired demonic bear.

Upon witnessing the changes taking place on Wushu's body, Elder Ai in the third-floor VIP room could clearly hardly believe his eyes. He asked in bewilderment, "Young Miss, the power the young master is currently wielding seems extraordinary indeed."

Nodding slightly, Zhao Fenxing could barely conceal her joy as she said, "Wushu's performance today has indeed satisfied me."

Elder Ai flattered, "Young Miss, I must say, you certainly have an eye for talent."

The transformation in Wushu sent waves of shock through the battle pavilion and everyone in the spectator stands, suggesting that the remainder of the match would only grow more spectacular. Yet all these changes happened so swiftly that the berserk golden-haired demonic bear, sensing the shift in Wushu's physique, finally began to take him seriously.

Grip tightening around the hammer handle, Wushu locked eyes once again with the golden-haired demonic bear and said in a deep voice, "The warm-up is over. It is time to show my true strength."

The golden-haired demonic bear, its entire body steaming with crimson murderous intent, did not let out a roar as before. Instead, it crouched low, appearing ready to launch a fatal strike against Wushu at any given second.

"Fight!"

Clutching the great hammer, Wushu took a decisive, sweeping stride forward. To everyone's utter astonishment, the very next instant after taking that single step, Wushu had already materialized right in front of the demonic bear several zhang away.

Accompanied by Wushu’s chilling declaration, "First form of the Great Hammer Technique: Miracles Born of Brute Force!", the golden-haired demonic bear, caught in a moment of supreme peril, recklessly lashed out with its bear paws with all its might.

Boom! The demonic bear's left paw met Wushu’s forceful hammer strike head-on.

Bang! Its right paw collided directly with Wushu’s incoming left fist.

This exchange showcased a pure, brutal melee brawl right from the start, and to everyone's surprise, the two combatants were evenly matched blow for blow. Witnessing this scene, the human spectators in the stands could no longer suppress the joy swelling in their hearts.

In an instant, thunderous cheers erupted across the entire spectator stands.

"You're a bit weak, clumsy bear!" Just as everyone was beginning to think Wushu and the demonic bear were closely matched in strength, Wushu's voice rang out calmly from the arena.

Before the spectators could even react to his words, Wushu added, "Clumsy bear, I am about to unleash my true strength now."

Unlike the reactions of the crowd, upon hearing that Wushu still had far more formidable tricks up his sleeve, the berserk golden-haired demonic bear felt an overwhelming urge to retreat from the stage right then and there. Yet Wushu's confidence was well-founded. Having unleashed the power of his acupoints, the endless torrent of internal energy coursing through him granted him a profound, intuitive insight into the second form of the Great Hammer Technique: When Power Reaches Its Peak, the Weapon Captures the Soul.

Faced with the absolute explosive force erupting from within his own body, Wushu viewed the golden-haired demonic bear as little different from the cats and dogs kept as pets by ordinary households.

With a sudden, powerful upward flick of his right hand holding the hammer, the heavy, massive body of the golden-haired demonic bear was sent flying off the ground completely out of control.

"First form of the Great Hammer Technique: Miracles Born of Brute Force!"

Boom, boom, boom...

"Second form of the Great Hammer Technique: When Power Reaches Its Peak, the Weapon Captures the Soul!"

Bang!

Having batted the golden-haired demonic bear into the air, Wushu exerted force with his feet and seamlessly followed its trajectory. He flickered around the beast—appearing before, behind, above, and below it—delivering a barrage of strikes with his heavy hammer.

Finally, leaping high into the air in accordance with the essentials of the second form, Wushu brought his hammer down squarely upon the bear's head.

Then, the spectators watched as a deafening explosion echoed across the arena. Where the golden-haired demonic bear slammed back down onto the combat stage, the ground caved in and shattered in a spiderweb of deep cracks.

Silence.

The entire spectator seating area grew so quiet that even the drop of a single needle could be heard.

Someone murmured in sheer disbelief, "Did... did he win?" Immediately afterward, a tidal wave of cheers erupted from the stands.

At this juncture, the golden-haired demonic bear was in no condition to face Wushu and had sustained severe injuries from the blow. Yet the golden-haired demonic bear clan had always been fiercely bellicose; even on the brink of death, a warrior of their race desired to perish with dignity.

Landing firmly on his feet, Wushu looked at the demonic bear, which was still attempting to drag itself up to continue the fight. Calmly, he said, "The golden-haired demonic bear clan has always been fond of battle, but a true warrior of your kind chooses a meaningful death even when facing the end. As someone from a weapon-crafting family, I would remind you that the ones you ought to resist are those who have shackled your freedom. Clumsy bear, remember my words: if you can successfully escape from the hands of the demons in the future, and if you ever encounter bottlenecks in your cultivation, you are more than welcome to seek me out. As a demonic beast, you should understand what it truly means to be a weapon soul."

Out of appreciation for the sparring session today, which had allowed Wushu to unleash his full strength to his heart's content, he preferred not to take the beast's life.

Perhaps upon hearing Wushu's words, and recalling the various hardships and humiliations of his own captivity, a deep sense of lingering resentment welled up within the bear. Under the gaze of the multitude, the heavily injured golden-haired demonic bear, having barely managed to stagger upright, crashed heavily backward once more.

"In today's opening match of the grand tournament between the human and demon races, Wushu of the Wushu family from East-Lodging City in the Kun Kingdom is the victor!"

As the master of ceremonies of the Captive Beast Palace announced Wushu's victory, a deafening roar of cheers erupted once again from the stands.

Within the demon race's battle pavilion, Fuxin slumped back into his seat in utter disbelief. "This... how is this possible?"

In contrast to the general astonishment, Feiyu said calmly, "A five-hundred-year-level golden-haired demonic bear actually failed to force him to deploy a formation array?"

Ying Mei'er, who had favored Wushu from the beginning, considered his performance of fighting opponents above his level and remarked, "Tell me, didn't rumors say that the East-Lodging City Wushu family once produced three peerless ancestors? When they fought the avatar of the Black Demon God, that avatar cast a bloodline curse upon the Wushu family as it perished. Yet looking at today's tournament, why do I feel that Wushu's bloodline power is incomparably formidable?"

As the young mistress of the Youying clan within the Shadow Demon tribe, Ying Mei'er was deeply favored by the ancestors of her clan. Yet this was a phenomenon she had never witnessed before, nor had the tribal elders present ever heard of such a thing.

Reflecting on the fact that Wushu's true strength had still not been forced into the open during this match, Feiyu said in a deep voice, "It seems a rematch is necessary!"

Hearing Feiyu's words, the various demons in the battle pavilion instantly grasped the underlying implication. Such a human prodigy had somehow crossed paths with their Shadow Demon tribe; if this could not be called fate, then they had no choice but to uproot the weeds and eliminate the roots entirely.

Giving Ying Mei'er a meaningful look, Feiyu spoke with hidden intent, "Wushu is indeed exceptional. It is a pity, however, that he is not a scion of our demon race. Am I right, Young Mistress Ying Mei'er of the Youying clan?"

Ying Mei'er naturally understood what Feiyu was implying. Was Feiyu attempting to hint at something to her? Before the elders of her clan, she merely smiled faintly, having no desire to offer explanations or utter superfluous words.

As for the battle pavilion belonging to the Eight Great Clans of Emperor Kun City, upon hearing the official announcement of Wushu's victory, Zhao Renheng beamed with exhilaration and said, "Splendid! He truly lives up to being a kinsman of Fifth Aunt."

The direct descendants of the Eight Great Clans in the pavilion, having witnessed Wushu's formidable prowess, now regretted their previous disdain toward him. Seated in the primary seat, Zhao Zhenluo remained remarkably composed as he observed, "Extraordinary! His physical tempering has reached the Barbaric Ox Body Realm, and his earth force is at the peak of the True Body Realm. Yet he still managed to defeat a berserk five-hundred-year-level golden-haired demonic bear. This is truly an exhilarating victory. It seems Zhenfeng’s eye for talent remains exceptionally sharp."