When the number on the Bronze Plate reached one million, the Southern Cross door opened!
It was as if he were standing in the middle of the universe, surrounded by a brilliant river of stars. Like pebbles in a river, countless stars filled the sky.
Suddenly, a spark flew out from the star river and headed toward Tang Tian. The spark grew larger as it approached him.
He soon realized that the spark was actually four stars.
The four stars flew before him and formed a connection. A cross that was almost unrecognizable appeared. Trails of bright light surrounded the cross, forming a door.
The cross was engraved on the door.
"With humility, and eternal perseverance, the Southern Cross marks the door of cultivation hardship."
Below the cross, sixteen characters shone brightly on the door.
"Is this the secret of the Bronze Plate?" Tang Tian muttered as he stared blankly at the glowing cross.
After five years, he had finally cracked the code of the Bronze Plate!
But what exactly was this thing?
He stared blankly at the shining cross on the door for a long time, yet Tang Tian still did not understand anything about it.
Suddenly, a dull gray shadow in the shape of a man appeared from the door.
The gray-clothed man looked exactly like Tang Tian.
"Hey, who are you?" Tang Tian asked.
As if he did not hear him, the gray-haired man began practicing fundamental martial arts.
Fundamental Fist Art.
Fundamental Palm Art.
Fundamental Light Body Art.
Fundamental Hidden Weapon Art.
Fundamental Sword Art.
Tang Tian felt strange, as if he were watching himself practice in a mirror.
Generally, fundamental martial arts did not contain many movements. They did not take long to perform.
When the final movement finished, Tang Tian thought it was already over.
However, the gray-haired man suddenly made a 'pa!' sound with his left hand as he executed the fundamental technique [Fist] Fist Art.
Immediately afterward, he moved swiftly using [Broken Step], leapt forward, twisted in mid-air, and unleashed [Rushing Fist]!
Tang Tian had not felt anything special when fighting yesterday.
But now that he was watching it himself, he could clearly feel the fierce aura erupting from the move.
An incredible move!
Tang Tian was shocked that he could perform such a powerful movement.
Understanding of the killing technique of fundamental fist: [Reversing Lethal Punch]!
A line of blood-red words floated above the gray-haired man's forehead.
Tang Tian became excited.
"Killing technique…"
A killing technique!
The move he had unconsciously used yesterday was actually a killing technique!
Tang Tian was stunned.
After spending five years in Andrew Academy, he clearly understood what a killing technique meant.
Every killing technique required enlightenment in the martial art being practiced.
Its power was far greater than the basic technique.
Generally speaking, the power of a killing technique from one martial art was equivalent to the power of a martial art one level higher.
However, it consumed much less energy.
Therefore, mastering a killing technique was something every martial artist hoped to achieve.
In theory, any martial art could be used to create a killing technique.
But in reality, many martial arts did not possess one.
To awaken a killing technique, one had to be extremely strict with oneself and fully understand and integrate the deeper truths of the martial art.
In most cases, it also required a great deal of luck.
Although the name "killing technique" sounded impressive, Tang Tian knew it was still considered weak.
Very few people spent time training low-level martial arts, let alone fundamental martial arts.
Spirit Cards greatly increased the speed at which martial artists learned new techniques.
Only wealthy people could afford to spend time cultivating mental arts.
With a high enough level of strength, one could use higher-grade Spirit Cards, which allowed the practice of higher-level martial arts.
When the gray-haired man finished the final movement, he suddenly became like a puppet and stopped moving.
Tang Tian's lips twitched.
He felt that the two of them seemed to be of the same caliber.
As if hearing his thoughts, the gray-haired man trembled slightly.
With a single step, he crossed the Southern Cross Light Door.
This…
Tang Tian was amazed by the realistic scene.
In just a second, the gray-haired man walked out of the door.
The gray-haired man raised his head. With a piercing gaze, he looked around.
Huh?
Like a beast with sharp instincts, Tang Tian immediately sensed hostility from the gray-haired man.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up.
He quickly twisted his waist, planted his feet firmly, leaned his body forward toward the opponent, and raised both hands in a fighting stance.
In front of him, the gray-haired man performed exactly the same movement.
Tang Tian had experienced many fights before.
He instantly understood something.
There was no escaping this fight.
He narrowed his eyes.
Instead of regret, he actually felt excited.
It was simple.
The gray-haired man was the key to unlocking the secret of the Bronze Plate.
All he had to do was defeat him.
Come on, youngster!
I have waited five years for this day!
Licking his lips, Tang Tian pushed off the ground like a leopard and lunged toward the gray-haired man with lightning speed.
The gray-haired man did the same.
The distance between them was short.
[Cross] versus [Cross]
A strong impact traveled through their fists.
Tang Tian's body stood firm.
He stared in shock.
He was surprised by the strength of the Cross Punch.
He had fought Ah Mo Li several times before.
Ah Mo Li's punches were heavy and powerful.
But this punch felt completely different.
The gray-haired man's punch carried an explosive burst of power.
Their attack frequency was astonishing.
Fists collided.
Feet clashed.
Kicks and punches crashed together like a violent rainstorm.
[Fundamental Fist Art]
[Fundamental Sword Art]
[Fundamental Hidden Weapon Art]
[Fundamental Light Body Art]
[Fundamental Palm Art]
The five fundamental martial arts alternated rapidly.
They clashed, dismantled, and countered each other constantly.
For the first ten rounds, Tang Tian had no advantage at all.
This was the first time Tang Tian had faced such a situation.
It was not that he had never been beaten before.
But when it came to these five fundamental martial arts, he had never lost to anyone.
This opponent was perfectly matched with him.
The gray-haired man felt extremely strange.
It was like Tang Tian was fighting himself.
Every attack he launched was completely familiar to the gray-haired man.
Even when Tang Tian tried unconventional attacks, the gray-haired man easily avoided them.
Tang Tian gradually became anxious.
There were many reasons why Tang Tian usually dominated fights.
First, he had spent an extremely long time practicing fundamental martial arts.
His body was well balanced.
His explosive power, reaction speed, and movements were better than ordinary people.
Compared to Ah Mo Li's monstrous strength, Tang Tian's power was only slightly weaker.
However, in agility and reaction speed, Tang Tian was superior.
Fundamental martial arts did not rely heavily on True Power.
Instead, they relied more on physical foundation.
Additionally, Tang Tian had repeatedly polished these fundamental martial arts.
Although fundamental martial arts were the lowest level techniques and not very powerful, they were simple and extremely fast.
Since Tang Tian had nearly perfected them, the time required for each attack was minimal.
Combined with his advantageous physique, he could generate considerable power.
Another reason was his personality.
Although Tang Tian looked simple-minded, he fought fiercely.
Getting injured was a daily occurrence for him.
Meanwhile, many academy students had never fought before and would retreat in fear.
These were the reasons why he could act tyrannically in Andrew Academy.
However, against the gray-haired man, these advantages meant nothing.
In terms of strength and reaction speed, the gray-haired man was equal to him.
His mastery of fundamental martial arts was also perfect.
And in terms of brutality, the gray-haired man felt no pain, no fatigue, and was even stronger than Tang Tian.
The two continuously collided and separated.
Within seconds they attacked each other again.
Their attack speed was terrifying.
They fought within a small confined area, then suddenly moved elsewhere.
They clashed again in open space.
Using Broken Step, they moved like shadows chasing each other.
Tang Tian roared angrily.
Punches and kicks continued without stopping.
Hu… hu… hu…
Breathing heavily, Tang Tian glared at the gray-haired man.
His fists had gone from pain to numbness.
More importantly, the fight was too intense.
He could feel his energy draining.
But the gray-haired man showed no signs of exhaustion.
Taking advantage of a rushed punch collision earlier, Tang Tian quickly retreated and gained a moment to catch his breath.
How was he supposed to fight this?
The question of what the gray-haired man actually was had already been pushed aside.
Now Tang Tian had only one question in his mind.
How was he going to defeat this damn bastard?
The gray-haired man did not attack.
He simply stared coldly at Tang Tian.
There were no wounds on him.
No fatigue.
He was invulnerable.
Defeat him.
As long as he defeated him, the secret of the Bronze Plate would be revealed…
It felt as if a voice inside his heart kept shouting.
Tang Tian unconsciously clenched his fists and raised his head.
His gaze sharpened.
Five years.
Five whole years.
Five years of hardship.
All for the secrets hidden within the Bronze Plate.
And now the secret was right in front of him.
As long as he defeated the gray-haired man…
As if sensing Tang Tian's change, the gray-haired man shifted into a defensive stance.
Defeat him.
Tang Tian slightly relaxed his fists before clenching them tightly again.
Without warning, he stepped forward like lightning and pounced toward the gray-haired man.
The gray-haired man showed no fear and calmly collided with him.
[Cross] against [Cross]
Another fierce clash began.
There were no fancy techniques.
Both fought swiftly and directly.
Speed against speed.
Fist against fist.
Flames ignited in the young man's eyes.
Suddenly—
The fire erupted.
Killing Technique — [Reversing Lethal Punch]!
Tang Tian twisted his body in midair at a strange angle.
With a shout, he unleashed the explosive power stored within his punch.
At the same time, the gray-haired man performed the exact same leap and released the same [Reversing Lethal Punch].
Two powerful fists, like meteors screaming through the air, collided.
Just as expected…
He thinks exactly like me…
Tang Tian suddenly sneered.
Just as expected…
Right before the two punches collided, Tang Tian suddenly changed his move.
He opened his palm and met the gray-haired man's fist.
Relaxing his right arm, it wrapped around the opponent's fist like a rattan cane.
Both were moving extremely fast and rushing forward with violent force.
That sudden movement caused both of them to lose balance in midair.
But Tang Tian was prepared.
He exhaled sharply.
Without releasing the gray-haired man's arm, he suddenly exploded with power from his waist.
Using his body as a pivot, Tang Tian lifted the gray-haired man above his head like a sandbag.
"Hehehehe!"
With a savage expression, Tang Tian roared like a wild beast.
He concentrated all the power in his body into his arms and smashed the gray-haired man violently toward the ground.
Hong!
The ground trembled.
Dust exploded into the air.
Still in midair, Tang Tian used the force from his arms to stabilize himself.
Looking down and realizing he had the advantage, he immediately descended.
Without hesitation, he released his palm and used gravity to drive his body downward.
He bent his elbow and slammed it down like a blunt axe onto the gray-haired man's stomach.
The gray-haired man bent like a bow from the impact.
His body curled like a shrimp.
Understanding of the killing technique [Lethal Coiling Elbow]!
Flames burned in Tang Tian's eyes.
He did not notice the words forming on the door.
Unwilling to end such an exciting fight, he turned to face the gray-haired man again.
Pa!
The gray-haired man suddenly turned into a cloud of dust and disappeared.
Eh?
Tang Tian quickly scanned the surroundings.
His entire body was covered in dust.
He searched for a long time, but the gray-haired man never appeared again.
When the fire in his eyes slowly faded, he returned to the Southern Cross Light Door.
Inside the door, the gray-haired man once again stood like a statue, not moving at all.
"Dare to challenge me again and I'll smash you into the door like a flat round cake!" Tang Tian spat fiercely toward the gray-haired man.
At that moment, the cross in the air slowly split open like a door.