Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1732 - Challenge

Chapter 1732 – Challenge

At the critical moment, Liu Wuxie twisted his body at a bizarre angle, like a coiled rope, with his upper body turning left while his lower body shifting right. Wang Zhuang’s attacks shot past him, and all four streams of force missed their target, producing explosions that rang through the air.

Wang Zhuang stopped attacking and stood where he was, wearing an ugly expression. As a dignified ninth-level High Immortal, he couldn’t accept that he had failed to defeat a mere heavenly immortal, especially when his opponent hadn’t even fought back.

The surrounding students looked dumbfounded, wondering if they were dreaming in broad daylight.

“How is that possible?”

Many people rubbed their eyes as they stared at Liu Wuxie’s twisted body in midair.

Liu Wuxie slowly untwisted himself and returned to normal. He had achieved unity with heaven and earth. Although he couldn’t fully transform his body, he could still perform acrobatic movements beyond the reach of ordinary humans.

Several advanced-class students sneered after seeing through Liu Wuxie’s movement. “He’s only relying on powerful footwork. His actual combat strength must be trash.”

More students stepped forward to voice their agreement, siding with the advanced-class students. “That’s right. He only has good footwork. He’s still unworthy of being our mentor.”

However, Liu Wuxie ignored them completely. Angering him wasn’t that easy. Someone was clearly trying to stir up the crowd from the shadows, so how could he fall for it?

“Do you think the same as well?” Liu Wuxie asked Wang Zhuang instead.

Wang Zhuang said nothing, but he clearly agreed with the others. In his eyes, Liu Wuxie had only managed to dodge his attacks by relying on footwork.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll strike once. If you can dodge it, you may leave,” Liu Wuxie said.

The moment he said that, silence blanketed the area so completely that even a falling needle could be heard. Everyone stared at Liu Wuxie as though they were looking at a monster.

“Hahaha!” After two breaths of silence, thunderous laughter erupted from the crowd. Liu Wuxie’s words amused everyone.

The advanced-class students who had mocked Liu Wuxie earlier stepped forward again, provoking him with their words. “What a joke! Is there something wrong with his head?”

However, the moment they finished speaking, a chilling gleam shot through the air. The aura released by the Divine Mystic Yin Needle caused the surrounding temperature to plummet.

The advanced-class students who had spoken earlier shut their mouths, intimidated by Liu Wuxie’s gaze. That wasn’t the gaze of an ordinary person, but the eyes of a ferocious beast. Even the students who wanted to speak were forced back into silence by Liu Wuxie’s stare.

Once the mockery faded, Liu Wuxie turned back to Wang Zhuang and waited for his reply.

“If you can land a hit on me, I’ll willingly join Mentor Ye’s class. I’ll do whatever you ask without complaint,” Wang Zhuang replied firmly.

“Since that’s the case, pay attention,” Liu Wuxie said. He warned Wang Zhuang before attacking, which earned him the respect of many people.

Many had initially thought Liu Wuxie would resort to a sneak attack, but he proved them wrong by conducting himself honorably.

Wang Zhuang assumed a defensive stance, his expression turning solemn. He didn’t dare to be careless in the slightest.

Liu Wuxie feinted and appeared at Wang Zhuang’s right side. His bizarre movement instantly left Wang Zhuang unsure how to defend.

He then threw a simple punch from the right toward Wang Zhuang’s shoulder. There was no flashy technique or surging aura, but such a simple attack that made all the mentors narrow their eyes.

“The simplicity of Dao!” Xia Yuanming exclaimed.

Liu Wuxie’s punch had reached the realm where formlessness surpassed form. Though it looked like an unintentional punch, it contained tens of thousands of variations. None of them could understand how Liu Wuxie had achieved such a feat at such a young age.

“He has simplified everything and refined the essence of martial techniques to perfection!” Yu Yong followed, equally shocked by Liu Wuxie’s punch.

As a ninth-level High Immortal, Wang Zhuang reacted immediately. He stepped forward to evade Liu Wuxie’s punch, but the moment he moved, Liu Wuxie adjusted his attack as though he had already predicted his actions. Forced into a corner, Wang Zhuang could only withdraw the foot he had just stepped forward with.

However, one wrong step led to repeated mistakes. Afterimages appeared around Liu Wuxie’s fist, making it impossible to tell which was real and which was fake.

The advanced-class students who had mocked Liu Wuxie earlier fell silent, wearing ugly expressions. Their mouths hung open as if they had swallowed several rotten eggs.

As Liu Wuxie’s punch approached, Wang Zhuang knew he could no longer dodge and immediately used a martial technique to counterattack.

This naturally surprised everyone even more. Wang Zhuang had actually chosen to retaliate against Liu Wuxie’s simple-looking punch. After all, Liu Wuxie had only relied on footwork to dodge his attacks earlier and hadn’t retaliated at all.

“Don’t you think it’s too late for you to react now?” Liu Wuxie’s voice echoed beside Wang Zhuang’s ears as his fist force suddenly accelerated, cleverly bypassing Wang Zhuang’s arm and striking his ribs.

The impact sent Wang Zhuang flying, and he clutched his ribs in pain. He was fortunate that Liu Wuxie had withdrawn his strength in time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten off with a simple injury and would have collapsed to the ground on the spot.

Likewise, how could Wang Zhuang fail to sense that Liu Wuxie had held back at the final moment?

“Are you convinced now?” Liu Wuxie asked, withdrawing his fist and looking at Wang Zhuang with a smile.

Not far away, Zhang Hua craned his neck back when he saw this scene. He suddenly felt fortunate that he hadn’t provoked Liu Wuxie earlier, or he would have been the one injured now.

“I’m convinced,” Wang Zhuang said, though a trace of reluctance still lingered in his eyes. He naturally couldn’t accept being defeated by a heavenly immortal, but a loss was a loss. He wouldn’t go back on his word, even if he retained his own opinion.

“Do you know where you lost?” Liu Wuxie asked. He intended to make Wang Zhuang submit wholeheartedly.

“Where?” Wang Zhuang couldn’t help asking.

“First, you underestimated your opponent. From the very beginning, you never regarded me as a real opponent,” Liu Wuxie explained while the surrounding crowd listened attentively.

Wang Zhuang nodded because he couldn’t deny that he had underestimated Liu Wuxie.

“Second, you’re left-handed. That’s why I forced you into a passive position by attacking your right side. In a true life-and-death battle, you must never expose your weakness to your enemy,” Liu Wuxie said, pointing out Wang Zhuang’s second fatal flaw.

Wang Zhuang shuddered, and fear flickered in his eyes.

“How did you know I’m left-handed? I clearly used my right fist when I attacked earlier,” Wang Zhuang asked. He had deliberately attacked with his right hand to conceal the fact that he was left-handed before launching a fatal blow with his left.

Liu Wuxie said, pointing at Wang Zhuang’s left shoulder, “Although you used your right hand earlier, your left shoulder moved unconsciously the moment you attacked. That proves you’re not used to punching with your right hand, and it’s something you need to practice more.”

Many people now clearly recalled how Wang Zhuang’s left hand had moved subconsciously when he had thrown a punch at Liu Wuxie with his left hand.

Cold sweat rolled down Wang Zhuang’s forehead when he heard Liu Wuxie’s explanation. Suddenly, he gave Liu Wuxie a deep bow, as if to a mentor, and said, “Thank you for your guidance!”

This scene instantly changed everyone’s expressions. Wang Zhuang had an untamable personality, and the fact that Liu Wuxie could make him submit wholeheartedly was enough to prove that he wasn’t simple.

“Go and register,” Liu Wuxie said, waving for Wang Zhuang to find Ye Linghan.

This time, Wang Zhuang showed no dejection on his face and happily ran inside. He hadn’t expected Liu Wuxie’s martial talent to be so extraordinary, in addition to his skill in spiritual arrays. This meant studying under Liu Wuxie wouldn’t be a loss.

With that, the farce ended in a manner that caught everyone by surprise.

Ye Linghan quickly handed the form to Wang Zhuang to fill out, afraid that he would go back on his word. Others might not have known Wang Zhuang well, but Ye Linghan had some impression of him. He was a descendant of the Wang Clan and possessed extraordinary talent, even within it.

If she could recruit such a student, she would have a high chance of defeating the other classes in the monthly assessment.

Liu Wuxie began looking around. He needed thirty students. They had already had three before, and with Zhang Hua and Wang Zhuang joining, they now had five. But that was still far from enough.

Noticing Liu Wuxie’s gaze, many people lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. Class time had long passed, yet these students still refused to leave, wanting to continue watching the spectacle.

None of the mentors intervened either, as the Azure Flame Dao Hall’s education wasn’t limited to classrooms. The challenge Liu Wuxie had designed could also be considered a form of education for the students.

“Are there only cowards in the Azure Flame Dao Hall? I only set up a small spiritual array, yet none of you dare to try it? I despise all of you,” Liu Wuxie remarked, deliberately provoking them after seeing that no one was willing to step forward.

Everyone glared at him furiously, wishing they could attack him together. Liu Wuxie’s words had essentially insulted them.

Someone finally couldn’t tolerate it any longer and wanted to attack. “Liu Wuxie, you’ve gone too far!”

But right then, Ye Linghan appeared before Liu Wuxie and swept her sharp gaze over them. Her presence made the students who wanted to attack lose their momentum.

They dared to deal with Liu Wuxie, but they could only give up against Ye Linghan.

“Forget it. I guess I overestimated the quality of the students in the Azure Flame Dao Hall. It looks like the students here are all cowards. Since that’s the case, five students will do,” Liu Wuxie sighed and turned around, indirectly calling the crowd cowards.

His words instantly ignited the crowd. Liu Wuxie could call them turtles, but they couldn’t accept being called cowards.

A group of fifteen rushed forward. “Liu Wuxie, hold it right there!” They seemed to be from the same class, and they glared at Liu Wuxie with hatred. Judging from their appearance, they weren’t students of the spiritual array class. They had most likely come to watch the spectacle, only to be mocked by Liu Wuxie.

“Do you need something?” Liu Wuxie asked, sweeping his gaze across the fifteen with a hint of mockery.

“We want to challenge you!” the fifteen students said. They could only vent their anger by crippling Liu Wuxie.

“You can, but only after you make it through the spiritual array,” Liu Wuxie said, pointing at the spiritual array.

“I don’t believe this bullshit spiritual array can stop me!”

A ninth-level High Immortal charged into the spiritual array without hesitation.

“Xiang Rulong, don’t fall for his trick!” the students behind him shouted, trying to stop him. They could naturally tell that Liu Wuxie was deliberately provoking them to step into his trap by entering the spiritual array.