Hit hard

Thinking he would easily thrash the little Celestial Master, only to be counter-killed by the little Celestial Master who was on his last drop of health, he was indeed somewhat unwilling to accept it.

At this time, a junior brother beside him spoke up.

"Senior Brother Gongyu, your strength was merely restricted, which is why you couldn't block that strike."

But Gongyu did not make excuses. He just coldly snorted, "A loss is a loss. My strength was restricted, but was Junior Brother Celestial Master not sealed as well? Using this as an excuse will only make us a laughingstock!"

Although he was already an elder, being reprimanded by his senior brother like this still made him instinctively shrink his neck, not daring to say another word.

Gongyu propped himself up and stood. His gaze swept over the eager fellow disciples behind him, and he warned in a deep voice, "Did you all see clearly? Junior Brother Celestial Master's techniques are quite unpolished, but who among you is confident in taking that punch of his head-on?"

The crowd fell silent.

"Therefore, whoever goes up next, remember to skirmish with him and exhaust his strength! You must absolutely not give him the chance to land a decisive blow. I am the prime example of what not to do!"

His words were powerful and resounding.

On the arena, Zhang Gonglian swayed slightly after throwing that punch, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

The last trace of spiritual power in his body was completely depleted, and a massive sense of emptiness and exhaustion surged over him like a tidal wave.

He forced himself to sit cross-legged and immediately began to circulate his cultivation method, attempting to condense his spiritual power once again.

The qi vortex within his dantian, however, was like a rusted gear, turning with extreme difficulty and sluggishness. Only after a long while did it manage to squeeze out a faint sliver of spiritual power.

Lin Mo, however, was in no rush to announce the start of the next match.

With his arms crossed over his chest, he looked with great interest at the challengers below, who were as quiet as winter cicadas, and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Did you all see that? Don't think the Celestial Master is a sick cat just because he's sealed!"

"He can still hit you with a deliberate heavy punch! So, I'm telling you, don't just rush in impatiently. You have to kite and wear him down, otherwise you'll easily suffer a loss!"

Hearing this bizarre name for a heavy punch, Zhang Gonglian, who was struggling to recover his spiritual power, twitched his eyes fiercely and almost choked on his breath.

But he still forced himself to focus his mind, seizing every breath of time to recover.

Lin Mo's gaze swept over the tense and solemn faces, the curve of his lips becoming increasingly playful.

These little Daoists all looked as if they were stepping onto an execution ground.

He cleared his throat. His voice was not loud, but it clearly echoed throughout the entire martial arts arena.

"Alright, break time is over."

"Now, Challenger Number Two, step forward!"

A commotion rippled through the crowd as everyone's eyes focused on a corner of the formation.

A disciple with very ordinary features took a deep breath and walked out from the crowd, his face pale.

He inched his way onto the arena step by step. First, he bowed toward the elders' seating area, and then he made a deep bow to Zhang Gonglian not far away.

"This disciple... this disciple does not wish to fight the Celestial Master. This disciple chooses to withdraw."

His voice was trembling. After finishing his sentence, as if relieved of a thousand-pound burden, he turned and prepared to slip off the stage.

He hadn't even taken two steps.

An irresistible force appeared out of thin air, lifting his entire body into midair.

Lin Mo raised a single hand in the air. His spiritual power transformed into an invisible giant hand, grabbing the disciple like a little chick, leaving him kicking his feet wildly.

"Hmm? Do you think this is a wet market? You can come and go as you please?"

Lin Mo's voice carried a hint of mockery, but his eyes held no smile.

"You think you can just say you won't fight and that's it? No way! Today, you must fight! If you don't fight, I will throw you out of the Dragon Tiger Dojo right now and never take you back!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue fell dead silent.

Lin Mo cast a sidelong glance at the elders' seating area. Although he didn't say anything more, his meaning was self-evident.

The elders exchanged glances for a moment and immediately understood.

Daoist Priest Gongyue slowly stood up, gathered his inner breath, and spoke in a deep voice.

Daoist Priest Gongyue also stood up.

"All disciples, listen clearly! What Layman Lin has said represents the will of our Dragon Tiger Dojo! Today's matches are both a sparring session and a test! If anyone is too afraid to fight and refuses to step forward, they will be deemed as having an insincere character and are asked to leave the mountain on their own!"

As his voice faded, the other elders nodded in agreement, no longer showing the slightest objection.

At this, the disciples completely erupted in uproar.

"Are... are they for real?"

"This... what if we actually injure the Celestial Master? Will we ever have a good life after this?"

"Are you stupid? If we don't fight now, we'll be kicked down the mountain immediately! Can't you weigh the pros and cons?"

"The elders have spoken, they are giving us immunity! What are you afraid of! Being able to exchange blows with the Celestial Master is such a great opportunity."

Their initial hesitation and fear instantly vanished into thin air under the threat of being expelled from the mountain.

Rather than being overly cautious, it was better to give it their all!

Lin Mo casually flicked his wrist, tossing the disciple back onto the arena, and conveniently applied a restriction on him.

"Alright, those are the rules. On your marks, get set! Fight!"

The final word "Fight" exploded like a clap of thunder.

The thrown disciple had just scrambled to his feet. Looking at Zhang Gonglian opposite him, his eyes were still full of apprehension.

But while he was still hesitating, Zhang Gonglian made his move.

There was no flashy opening stance. With just a forward dash, his figure stirred up a strong gust of wind and instantly closed the distance!

The disciple was terrified. In his panic, he raised his hands to block, completely losing all form and technique.

A moment later.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud rang out.

The disciple's body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing heavily off the stage.

On the arena, Zhang Gonglian slowly retracted his palm, his breathing slightly unsteady.

A clear bloody scratch had appeared on his cheek, left behind by the disciple's frantic and random attacks just now.

It could be considered trading an injury for an injury.

However, as Zhang Gonglian looked at the disciple off the stage, his gaze was piercingly cold.

"Cowering in fear and constantly bound by the thoughts in your own mind—what is the meaning of such a battle?"

The disciple struggled to his feet, his face filled with shame and fear.

"Celestial Master, this disciple just didn't want to..."

"Get down!"

Zhang Gonglian didn't give him a chance to explain, interrupting coldly, "Copy the Secret Edict of the Celestial Master Mansion's Thunder Aura Altar Rites one hundred times! You are not allowed to eat until you finish copying it!"

"Yes, this disciple obeys."

Feeling as though he had received a grand pardon, the disciple scrambled away.

Zhang Gonglian immediately sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and seized every breath of time to recover the spiritual power consumed in his body.

With this prior example, the atmosphere that followed completely changed.

"Number Three, disciple Liu Mang, requests the Celestial Master's guidance!"

A burly disciple stepped onto the stage. After cupping his fists in greeting, he didn't waste a single word of nonsense. He started with a fierce and masculine golden light, aiming straight for Zhang Gonglian's face!

"Number Four, disciple Sun Qian, requests the Celestial Master's instruction!"

A female disciple with agile movements attacked. The flexible sword in her hand was like a spirit snake leaving its hole, the sword light flashing as it specifically targeted the blind spots of Zhang Gonglian's defenses!

Number Five, Number Six...

One after another, not a single person shrank back anymore.

Fist and kick techniques, talisman spells, and weapons—all sorts of trump-card skills emerged in an endless stream.