Chapter 1809 909: South City Five Dao Temple

"Yin Yang Combined Thunder..."

The High Priest of White Cloud Temple's pupils contracted, "Have you lost your mind? How dare you use this technique with just a physical Martial Arts!"

Yin and Yang are the beginnings of change.

It's not that no one thought about the Yin Yang Combined Thunder technique, but it's very uncontrollable. Even those prestigious sects require multiple people on the magic platform to control it.

Using this Thunder Technique with just the physical body can break all the veins at any moment.

They naturally didn't know that Li Yan had the Daluo Dharma Body, capable of rapidly healing injuries.

After countless attempts, he finally mastered this technique completely.

No sooner said than done, the Thunderball of Badong Hai had already pressed down.

Feeling something amiss, he had no choice but to rush into an attack.

Li Yan pushed forward with both hands, and the Chaotic Thunder Light surged up.

At the moment the two forces touched, there was no loud noise or blast of air.

Time seemed to pause for an instant.

BOOM!

Following that, a blinding white light engulfed the entire platform.

Many people instinctively closed their eyes.

When they opened their eyes again, the platform was no longer recognizable.

The central pit had expanded twice its size, the cement layer completely shattered, revealing the loosened yellow earth beneath.

Three of the eight cast iron pillars had fallen, the remaining five were bent and twisted.

Badong Hai lay at the edge of the pit, his right arm bent at an odd angle, clearly broken.

His face was deathly pale, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, yet he struggled to sit up.

Li Yan stood three zhang away, his sleeves completely shredded, his chest heaving violently, but he remained standing.

Silence lasted for three breaths.

Badong Hai supported himself with his left hand, got up with difficulty, and rasped, "I lost."

Huo Yin stood up from the judge's seat, his voice booming:

"The outcome is decided, Li Yan wins!"

As his words fell, the Martial Arts Observation Platform erupted in a cacophony of discussions.

"Yin Yang Combined Thunder... that's a life-risking move!"

"That Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Seal of Badong Hai, if it were me, I'd be ashes immediately."

"Li Yan held back in the end, you see Badong Hai only had a broken arm, his internal organs weren't severely injured."

"Nonsense, with Master Huo setting the rules, if a deadly hand was truly dealt, he'd be the first to oppose."

Amidst the discussions, Li Yan walked to the edge of the pit and extended his hand to Badong Hai.

Badong Hai hesitated for a moment, then grasped it with his left hand, using it to stand up.

His right arm hung limply, cold sweat covered his forehead, yet he managed a sincere smile: "Thanks for holding back. If that Yin Yang Combined Thunder had struck with full force, I might have had to give half my life today."

"Brother Ba's martial arts are superior to mine."

Li Yan spoke sincerely, "If it were purely a contest of punches and kicks today, I would undoubtedly lose."

These words were not mere politeness.

The foundation of Badong Hai's Baji Fist was honed for real on the Yu Zhou Pier fighting against various martial artists. The purity of his power and the craftiness of his changes, Li Yan admitted he wasn't a match for.

The reason he could win was due to various "foundations."

But these no longer counted as pure martial arts.

Badong Hai sensed the true intent behind his words, his smile became more relieved. He said no more, saluted towards Huo Yin, and then, supported by the disciples of the Primordial Emperor's Law Lineage, left the stage.

Li Yan turned and walked off the platform.

As he passed, the once scrutinizing, skeptical, and even disdainful gazes all changed.

Sitting in the front row was "Iron Arm" Zhou Chong, whose ribs had been broken by Badong Hai's three punches three months ago, now looked at Li Yan with awe; the Tang Sect's liaison's fingers trembled slightly within his sleeve, as if calculating how to counter that previous Yin Yang Combined Thunder with hidden weapons; Golden Swallow Sect Master Su Yu slightly nodded, eyes showing a "just as expected" expression...

At the Crown Prince Mansion's seats, Chief Historian Chen Wenxian finally unclenched his tightly held fists, his palms covered with sweat.

He turned slightly to whisper to his confidant, "Report back to the mansion immediately, Li Yan won, Badong Hai conceded willingly."

The confidant quickly left.

On the other side, in the box where King Wu and Zhuo Shirong from the Hu-Guang Chamber of Commerce were, the curtain had already been lowered halfway.

Zhuo Shirong, usually with a cheerful round face, now showed no expression, only softly said to King Wu, "Your Highness, this pawn of Badong Hai... is ruined."

King Wu, Xiao Qiming, in his early forties, with a fair face and no facial hair, wore a robe typical of a wealthy merchant.

He stared at the large pit in the middle of the platform for a long time, then calmly said, "No matter. I never expected to settle the situation with just one martial duel. Let's go, staying here only invites ridicule."

Li Yan ignored all this.

He had returned to his own seating area, where Sha Lifei handed over a waterskin, while Wang Daoxuan produced a small porcelain bottle, pouring out two vermillion elixirs: "Hurry and take them, to suppress the backlash of the Thunder Power."

Li Yan swallowed the elixirs, sitting cross-legged to adjust his breath.

As Huo Yin stepped down from the judge's seat, he paused slightly as he passed by Li Yan's side.

Li Yan opened his eyes.

"Yin Yang Combined Thunder is a Mystic Sect Secret Skill, when perfected it can evolve into Chaos, breaking all laws."

Huo Yin's voice was not loud, only a few around could hear, "But what you used earlier, the approach was incorrect. Yin Thunder belongs to the North Emperor Fengdu, while Yang Thunder is of the Thunder Department's True Method. Forcing them together harms oneself as much as the opponent."

Li Yan cupped his hands: "Thank you, Master Huo, for your guidance."

Huo Yin gave him a penetrating look: "It's not guidance. Just a reminder, should you ever reach a life-or-death moment, use such moves with caution."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and departed, the crowd parting to create a path as he passed.

A Grandmaster Battle that tugged at the nerves of different factions in the Capital thus concluded.

But everyone knew this was just the beginning.

On the way back to the Chongwen Gate residence, the atmosphere was much heavier compared to when they came.

The carriage sent by the Crown Prince Mansion was spacious and steady, yet no one inside was talking.

Sha Lifei was cleaning the barrel of his specially made firearm, Wang Daoxuan rested with closed eyes, fingers continuously calculating in his sleeve. Li Yan sat by the window, watching the rapidly retreating street scene outside.

The Capital was still the same Capital.

By the Yongding Gate to the Bell and Drum Tower flint wheel car tracks, shirtless laborers were chanting slogans as they unloaded; the chimneys of the new-style textile factories ceaselessly spewed black smoke, the air reeked of coal dust and the mixed scent of cotton fibers; gang members of car agencies and patrolling city soldiers were in a standoff at an alleyway entrance, their curses audible even through the carriage window.