Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 359 It’s over!

Before long, Zhong Hui felt that the flow of spiritual energy around her body was becoming increasingly sluggish. The cold, black aura followed her like a shadow, making her back numb and making it difficult for her to remain calm.

She tried several times to forcefully break through the black wind with her powerful punches, but the wind seemed to be tangible yet intangible, dispersing and then gathering again, leaving her only to waste her energy.

It was as if an unnamed fire was burning in her heart, growing ever stronger, and the anxiety was almost overwhelming her reason.

"This can't go on like this!"

Zhong Hui knew that prolonged defense would inevitably lead to defeat. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her restless emotions, and the intent of the Tai Xu Fist gradually circulated within her mind...

Since external forces are difficult to overcome, then we should seek solutions from within!

She forced herself to calm down and murmured to herself, "Attain utmost emptiness, hold fast to stillness. All things arise and flourish..."

As she chanted, she closed her eyes and tried to control her outward spiritual power. Instead of attacking the wind blades that appeared out of nowhere in the black wind, she used her spiritual power to protect herself, letting the wind blades hit the "yellow spiritual power shield" on her body.

Then, yellow spiritual energy gathered in her hands again, and as the light amplified, she gradually made several movements.

These movements, though seemingly slow, possess a strange rhythm, gentle yet steady and powerful.

At the same time, the surging spiritual energy around her gradually subsided, and the spiritual light on her fist became more refined and pure. A righteous and peaceful aura, yet containing the power of heaven and earth, slowly rose from her body.

As the yellow aura grew larger, Zhong Hui finally finished gathering his spiritual power in his fist—

"Ok?"

Sun Ping, who was hiding somewhere in the black wind, let out a soft exclamation and immediately sensed the change in Zhong Hui's aura.

However, at that moment, Zhong Hui suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

She ignored the wind blades and black winds around her, and instead poured all her spirit, will, and spiritual power into her right fist, slowly pushing it out in front of her.

This punch, though seemingly slow, appeared to affect everything around it.

Wherever the fist passed, the dense black wind seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible force, rippling violently!
"Give it to me, break it—"

A loud shout rang out, and a condensed, almost supernatural, fist-infused aura erupted from Zhong Hui's right fist, like a blade of dawn wielded in the darkness, crashing headlong forward—

"Bam—"

A whooshing sound rang out, and the entire illusion seemed to be torn apart like a piece of cloth. The dense black wind was forcibly ripped open by this fist intent and spiritual light, allowing outside light to shine in. The light yellow figure on the arena also became clear again.

It's broken!
A huge uproar erupted from the audience; the scene was truly breathtaking.

However, just as Zhong Hui's old strength had dissipated and new strength had not yet arisen, and he felt a slight relaxation in his mind after breaking through this so-called illusion, another unexpected change occurred!
A thicker, larger black whirlwind rose up from the arena once again.

"what--"

Below the arena, Shi Liuer, who was initially angry that Zhong Hui had been too ruthless, was the first to voice her concern upon seeing this scene.

"Senior Sister Zhong, please forgive me!"

Sun Ping's voice came from all directions of the Black Wind, making it difficult for Zhong Hui to guess the location.

But she instinctively knew that hearing that voice meant something terrible was about to happen!

Although she really didn't expect that Sun Ping, who seemed so ordinary on ordinary days, would actually have such strength, Sun Ping always liked to do things steadily and surely. If he didn't have a way to defeat her, he wouldn't have said such inexplicable things!
Sure enough, just as she was trying to gather her strength again and unleash a powerful punch to forcefully break the deadlock, she suddenly heard a faint sound of air being torn apart from behind.

Zhong Hui's spiritual senses were frantically warning her, but at this moment, the surrounding black wind had become extremely turbid and viscous, making it impossible for her to move or even continue to condense her spiritual power!
The next moment, a long black snake shot out of the black wind and pounced on Zhong Hui's back—

No, that wasn't a black snake, but a long, black whip that gleamed with a cold light!
"what--"

The moment the whip touched Zhong Hui, the immense pain and the inexplicable fear that welled up from the bottom of her heart made her scream. Then, her body suddenly froze, and her soul was suddenly struck and lurched forward, flying several inches away!
This scene was hidden in the black wind, and no one outside could see it clearly. Only in front of Zhang Chengdao, whose tricks were almost non-existent, could the outcome of this competition be determined by the circumstances.

Zhang Chengdao subconsciously stood up in the clouds, frowning as he looked at the arena.

The weapon Sun Ping used was the "Soul-Beating Whip," a magical artifact used in the underworld. Besides being used to deal with vengeful ghosts and evil spirits, it was also used to interrogate and punish the dead.

But this thing shouldn't be something a mere Qi Refining stage disciple should possess!
Moreover, wouldn't it be somewhat inappropriate to use such a fierce magic weapon in a sect competition?

"Hey, don't rush, that's not the real 'Soul-Striking Whip'!"

He Yu hurriedly stopped Zhang Chengdao, who wanted to go down to save people, and said with a smile, "This is not even a magic weapon, at most it is a small toy, Fellow Daoist Zhang, there is no need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengdao focused his attention and examined the object closely. He indeed found that although the black whip resembled the "Soul-Striking Whip" in shape, its spiritual light was dim and its power was far from sufficient. It was more like a meticulously crafted imitation talisman.

Even the yin and ghostly energy attached to it is actually quite limited, not enough to cause much damage to the soul, but rather to bring intense pain and shock.

Just like Zhong Hui's soul leaving her body, it was only because it was her first time being attacked in this way, and she had no experience or tolerance, which is why she was beaten like this.

If one is truly prepared, this little gadget might not even be able to break the soul of an ordinary person.

After observing carefully, Zhang Chengdao breathed a sigh of relief and slowly sat down, but his brows were still slightly furrowed.

Although this counterfeit Soul-Striking Whip wasn't very powerful, the fact that such a method involving soul attacks appeared in a competition between Qi Refining stage disciples was still too ruthless.

The White Stone Immortal Sect he established, and the new cultivation culture formed based on the White Stone Immortal Sect, do not have the kind of gangster cultivation where someone passes by and doesn't like you, so they just cripple your cultivation!
Right there on the arena, Zhong Hui's soul was struck by this blow. Although it did not completely leave his body, it was as if his head had been hit by a heavy hammer. His vision went black, and he was instantly in excruciating pain. The fist intent and spiritual power he had gathered dissipated in an instant, and the protective spiritual light around his body flickered and almost shattered and disappeared.

"Uh-"

She let out a painful groan, her body trembling violently, almost collapsing to her knees. Only a stubborn, indomitable will kept her from falling.

At this point, the outcome had been decided, but Zhong Hui refused to admit defeat.

She struggled, enduring the throbbing pain in her soul and the dizziness in her head. She bit her tongue hard, and the sharp pain jolted her awake, forcibly dispelling some of the discomfort.

At the same time, she was recklessly squeezing out the remaining spiritual energy in her body, even at the cost of damaging her meridians and foundation!
Soon, a pale yellow aura shone from her body again, but it was no longer bright and dazzling; instead, it appeared somewhat dim and mixed.

She struggled to raise her hands, trying to recreate the starting stance of the Tai Xu Fist, but the movement was slow and trembling, a stark contrast to her previous imposing manner, where she would always throw a punch straight at someone's face.

"We absolutely cannot...lose..."

A strange obsession arose in Zhong Hui's heart, tugging wildly at her nerves. Then, a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes.

Tai Xu Quan (太虚拳) is a style of martial arts that combines emptiness and substance, encompassing everything and capable of containing even the most extreme pain and unyielding spirit!

A fierce and resolute aura rose from her, causing the surrounding winds to howl even more fiercely.

However, just as she was at the critical point where her punch was about to start and her spiritual power was about to condense, Sun Ping finally managed to gather his spiritual power and launched his second attack!
Obviously, in this situation, whoever makes the first move wins!

As the Soul-Slaying Whip, imbued with spiritual power, hurtled towards him once more, only one thought flashed through Zhong Hui's mind—It's over!

"Uh--"

This time there was no scream, only a slight thud and a barely perceptible cry of pain.

The dim, barely maintained protective aura around Zhong Hui shattered instantly, like a bubble.

Although the Soul-Striking Whip did not force Zhong Hui's soul out of his body this time, the intense pain it caused to his soul made him unable to bear it any longer. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which stained his pale yellow clothes red.

The next moment, she felt all the strength drain from her body, the world spun before her eyes, her ears rang, and she could no longer stand. She then fell softly backward.

Before her consciousness completely faded into darkness, she seemed to hear a very familiar, calm announcement from the paper puppet:
"In the final round, Sun Ping, a disciple who reached the third level of Qi Refining in the previous year of the Immortal Origin, wins!"

"Sun Ping is the champion of this year's sect competition in martial arts!"

……

The black wind that had enveloped the arena dissipated completely.

There was deathly silence in the audience.

Everyone stared blankly at the pale yellow figure lying unconscious on the arena, and at the disciple standing not far away, who looked ordinary and unremarkable despite his pale face and unsteady breathing. They were all too stunned to come to their senses.

Won?

Did Sun Ping win?

No, it should be said that Zhong Hui, who single-handedly swept through the entire West Division with his bare fists and even made He Shilie, the most likely champion, so afraid to face him again...

Actually lost?

More importantly, the one who defeated Zhong Hui was a disciple who was only at the third level of Qi Refining!

The silence in the square lasted only a moment. The next instant, the disciples of the White Stone Immortal Sect gathered around the arena were chattering incessantly, almost causing a commotion.

"Can someone at the third level of Qi Refining actually defeat someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining?"

"I think that's a foul, isn't it? We've never learned any of the spells and supernatural abilities he used, and they don't even look like proper spells and supernatural abilities!"

"That's not how it works. Since the sect leader and the managers haven't said anything, it's definitely not against the rules."

"The key issue is that we have absolutely no idea how Senior Sister Zhong lost, so even if she faces Senior Brother Sun in the future, we won't have any clue!"

"You're kidding me! With your level one Qi Refining, you think you can go toe-to-toe with Senior Brother Sun?"

"But there's still the next sect competition!"

"That's bullshit! You have no chance next time!"

"You can't say that! Let me tell you, fortunes change, so don't underestimate a young man's potential!"

"Then don't look down on the poor middle-aged, don't look down on the poor elderly, and finally, respect the dead, right?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

……

"Senior Sister Zhong actually lost!"

Shi Liu'er was also muttering to herself, her voice filled with shock.

Yu Shang's face turned pale, and he subconsciously covered his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Only Yan Wuqi gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Although she knew perfectly well that the senior members of the sect would never allow anything to happen to these disciples in such a grand sect competition, she was still very worried when she saw Zhong Hui unconscious on the stage, and she also felt dissatisfied with the White Stone Immortal Sect disciple named "Sun Ping".

However, just as Yan Wuqi had guessed, as soon as the paper puppet finished announcing the result, a gentle beam of light fell from the clouds and landed steadily on Zhong Hui. The latter woke up in a moment, though he still seemed a little dazed and his reactions were always a beat slow.

Even when He Shilie and Zhu Ye were finally separated into third and fourth place, Zhong Hui still seemed a bit slow to react, which made He Shilie quite worried.

He had narrowly lost to Zhu Ye in their match, and although he had exhausted a lot of her strength, it was hard to say who would win or lose given Zhong Hui's current condition.

Regardless of their relationship, He Shilie naturally hoped that Zhong Hui would win.

Even in terms of strength, he felt that Zhu Ye was probably no match for Zhong Hui.

If Zhong Hui failed to unleash his true potential due to an unexpected incident in the previous match, then that would seem somewhat unfair.

However, Zhong Hui was always competitive, so even though he knew he was not in good condition, he did not back down at all. He even took the initiative to ask to immediately complete the final match with Zhu Ye according to the procedure of the sect competition.

Zhu Ye's cultivation level was not high; he was only at the third level of the Qi Refining stage.

However, since he was able to make a name for himself in the martial arts world back then, he was naturally meticulous and acted in a very methodical way.

Just like his sudden match with He Shilie in the previous match, in his match with Zhong Hui, he also relied on various talismans and escape techniques to constantly dodge Zhong Hui until he exhausted her spiritual power before launching a counterattack.

Zhong Hui's Taixu Fist was indeed powerful, but as long as you avoided the first move, you could deal with the rest with ease.

This requires a high level of skill in evasion. At least among all the opponents Zhong Hui had encountered before, none could dodge her first move—except for Sun Ping, but Zhu Ye could.

This contest lasted even longer than the one between Zhong Hui and Sun Ping, taking a full half hour, until the sky turned orange before a winner was decided.

With her superb escape skills, Zhu Ye used her folding fan, imbued with spiritual power, to lightly strike two major acupoints on Zhong Hui's body, which had already exhausted its spiritual power. Zhong Hui then collapsed to the ground in a daze, his lower body too weak to stand up.

"Fellow Daoist Zhong, you flatter me!"

Now that the winner had been decided, Zhu Ye held his folding fan, cupped his hands and said, "If Fellow Daoist Zhong hadn't expended so much energy in his previous match with Fellow Daoist Sun, I wouldn't have been able to win. It was just by chance. Please don't take offense, Fellow Daoist Zhong."

Zhong Hui's mind was still a bit slow, but she did understand what Zhu Ye said. Although it was true that Zhu Ye was trying to save face for her, she felt that she had lost face after hearing those words.

Zhong Hui simply sat down on the ground, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied, "A loss is a loss. There are no excuses or reasons. Fellow Daoist Zhu's escape techniques are superb; I cannot match them!"

Zhu Ye smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhong has a magnanimous nature, which I cannot match!"

(End of this chapter)