Semifinals

One of the middle-aged men pointed into the distance and said,

"Look over there—it seems like someone’s being chased."

The young man adjusted his camera and quickly spotted the fleeing figure in the distance.

He couldn’t help but blurt out,

"Isn’t that Chen Feng, the one who’s reached the pinnacle?"

The middle-aged man leaned in for a closer look.

After a moment, both of them let out a deep sigh.

"Chen Feng’s speed is indeed unmatched when it comes to running away."

"But he’s as good as dead."

"The direction he’s fleeing—it’s straight toward Jade Mountain’s Heavenly Pool."

The young man sighed as well.

By now, Jade Mountain’s Heavenly Pool was already swarming with over a million invaders.

Once Chen Feng reached that place, he’d be surrounded, outnumbered, and with no escape.

The middle-aged man patted the young man’s shoulder.

"Let’s get out of here too."

"Kunlun Mountain is getting more dangerous by the day."

The young man packed up his camera, and the two of them headed toward the outskirts of Kunlun Mountain.

......

National Tournament.

Liu Weiwei had also begun her quarterfinal match.

On the arena stage,

as she executed the sixth strike of her Celestial Crippling Kick, she suddenly realized something was off.

Her opponent was strong.

What’s more, this opponent was a disciple of the Wang Family.

His mastery of Tai Chi was formidable.

At every critical moment, he managed to neutralize most of the Celestial Crippling Kick’s force.

Still, she could tell—if they fought head-on, he wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

But that was the problem.

He refused to engage her directly.

Instead, he focused entirely on defense and evasion.

Liu Weiwei knew she couldn’t let this drag on.

She only had four more kicks left.

If she didn’t defeat him within those four strikes, she would lose without a doubt.

Meanwhile, Jin Youxi was keeping an eye on her junior sister’s match while scrolling through her phone.

In the search bar of Douyin, she had typed two words: "Chen Feng."

Liu Weiwei frowned, deep in thought, then made up her mind.

She would unleash all four remaining kicks at once—a final, decisive strike.

If she still couldn’t defeat him, it was over.

In the spectator stands,

Wang Hao was also watching his younger cousin’s match.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but admire Chen Feng’s disciple—not only was she stunning, but her martial arts were incredibly fierce.

He wore a single-lens vitality-monitoring eyepiece,

keeping a close watch on the fight below.

His cousin’s fighting style today was unusual—completely defensive.

But compared to Liu Weiwei’s relentless offense, it was clear he was at a disadvantage.

When Liu Weiwei unleashed four consecutive kicks, sealing off his cousin’s escape routes,

Wang Hao knew—his cousin was about to lose.

Sure enough,

on the stage, the young man facing Liu Weiwei,

despite his unwavering defensive stance,

could now see that he had pushed her to her limit.

Four kicks at once—it was too much to block entirely.

He barely managed to neutralize most of the force behind the first three.

But the fourth kick broke through his defenses.

Liu Weiwei’s final strike sent him flying off the stage.

Jin Youxi rushed forward to steady Liu Weiwei as she staggered.

The young man nodded respectfully at the two women.

He admired Liu Weiwei.

A student from an ordinary martial arts school, yet she had fought her way into the top four of the National Tournament, a stage crowded with prodigies.

What’s more, her master was the very man who had once saved his eldest cousin’s life.

With a hint of goodwill, he offered a warning:

"Liu Weiwei, your weakness has been exposed."

"We’ve all noticed—you can only deliver ten kicks per match at most."

"The fights ahead won’t be easy for you."

Liu Weiwei froze, her face instantly turning pale.

At this moment, she finally understood why her opponent had been fighting defensively all along.

Jin Youxi asked anxiously,

"Weiwei, they’ve figured out your weakness. What should we do now?"

Liu Weiwei frowned and stepped off the fighting platform with Jin Youxi, her heart filled with unease.

These scions of prestigious families were incredibly strong.

If her opponent fought head-on, she could still rely on the offensive power of her Heavenly Crippled Kick to gain some advantage.

But if they deliberately avoided direct confrontation and focused on defense, her chances of winning would drop significantly.

Just then, Wang Hao noticed his younger cousin approaching and asked curiously,

"What did you just say to Chen Feng’s disciple? She looked terrified."

The young man chuckled.

"Because her biggest weakness was exposed—she can only use ten kicks at most."

Wang Hao raised an eyebrow, surprised by this revelation.

But as he observed Liu Weiwei’s techniques, he suddenly recalled seeing Chen Feng fight in the Kunlun Mountains.

With a faint smile, Wang Hao left the spectator stands and approached Liu Weiwei and Jin Youxi.

At that moment, Liu Weiwei was sitting on a chair while Jin Youxi vigorously massaged her junior sister’s legs.

"If only it were Master massaging my legs instead," Liu Weiwei couldn’t help but think of Chen Feng.

Just then, Wang Hao spoke up.

"I once witnessed your master, Chen Feng, fight in the Kunlun Mountains."

"Your leg techniques were taught by him, so I assume they’re the same martial art."

"I’ve heard online that it’s called the Heavenly Crippled Kick."

"I can see its offensive power is formidable, but it doesn’t have to be purely offensive. Chen Feng used it to channel force from the ground, converting it into incredible lightness techniques for movement."

Wang Hao’s words instantly enlightened Liu Weiwei.

She had always treated the Heavenly Crippled Kick as purely an offensive skill, never considering its potential to enhance agility and speed.

Liu Weiwei quickly stood up and bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you."

Though Jin Youxi didn’t fully understand, she also bowed alongside her junior sister.

She also remembered this man—he had once defended their master on a televised interview.

"Thank you, Mr. Wang Hao."

Wang Hao nodded and left.

He truly wished to return to the Kunlun Mountains and join the battle against the invaders.

But the Martial Arts Association, preparing for future crises, had strictly forbidden anyone under sixty from entering.

The next day, the semifinals of the top four commenced.

This time, Liu Weiwei faced the prodigy of the Zhang family—one of the hottest contenders for the championship in this Martial Apprentice Tournament.

Rumors said he had mastered the first layer of the Divine Shifting Technique at a young age.

This was the Zhang family’s treasured martial art, said to rival saint-tier techniques when cultivated to the seventh layer.

Liu Weiwei was extremely nervous.

She had watched this opponent’s previous matches.

His techniques were bizarre—capable of redirecting attacks and even replicating some of his enemies’ simpler moves.

Now that her greatest weakness was exposed, Liu Weiwei knew she couldn’t fight the same way as before.

After hearing about Chen Feng’s combat style yesterday, she had spent the entire night contemplating it.

She even searched online for videos of Chen Feng’s battles.

In them, she noticed how every time he moved, the ground would shatter, sending debris flying.

She roughly deduced how her master utilized the Heavenly Crippled Kick.

Now, imitating Chen Feng’s approach, she channeled her inner energy through the meridians of the Heavenly Crippled Kick, circulating it wildly.

Her opponent, the young man, was also prepared.

Though he knew Liu Weiwei could only deliver ten kicks at most...

However, he had witnessed the power of the Crippled Leg technique firsthand.

Even the Ye family's Indestructible Golden Bell technique could only withstand five strikes.

Of course, the Ye family's young master had too shallow an understanding of martial arts, failing to unleash the full potential of the Indestructible Golden Bell.

Rumor had it that the kid had secretly lost his virginity beforehand, which was why he couldn't even endure five strikes from Liu Weiwei.

He had to admit, the Crippled Leg technique was truly formidable.

Still, he remained confident in his own Divine Shift technique.