Chapter 166: Cracked Skull, Tiger Brains Splattered

"Iron Tiger?"

As the person directly involved, Zhong Shaoying was the most shocked; he himself hadn't broken through yet, so how had Zhou You gotten ahead and promoted to Iron Tiger? Jealousy bit at his heart like a poisonous snake, the tearing, excruciating pain bringing with it a venom-like dizziness and burning sensation.

From this moment on, his resolve to beat Zhou You to death was as firm as iron and stone.

So what if he was at the Iron Tiger realm? Having just broken through without anyone's Instruction, and never having learned the White Tiger Seven Kills, he was just a hollow shell.

Zhong Shaoying had years of accumulation; even without breaking through to the middle stage of Qi and Blood, his foundation was deeper than his.

Under specific circumstances, technique could bridge the gap in realms, and could even allow one to overtake the opponent.

Zhong Shaoying took a deep breath, circulating the Tiger Aura throughout his body, and a faint "King" character pattern appeared on his forehead.

"White Tiger Seven Kills!"

Seeing this, Shen Sijing exclaimed in shock; this was a fight to the death.

The Qi and Blood 3rd Stage realm, combined with the White Tiger Seven Kills, could indeed potentially rival the lethality of the Qi and Blood 4th Stage.

Zhou You had clearly just broken through not long ago; if he were careless, it was truly possible for him to be struck.

This was Zhou You's second time seeing the White Tiger Seven Kills, and he knew he could not be careless.

Jiang Hua had faced the martial master-level Yan Ping and used the White Tiger Seven Kills to survive a desperate situation, which showed the power of this move.

The gap between Zhong Shaoying and him was not large, so he could fully unleash the power of this move.

Zhong Shaoying let out a roar, swinging his right leg up, the force infused into it making it erratic and unpredictable.

The White Tiger Seven Kills did not have fixed postures or patterns; strictly speaking, it was a technique for channeling and exerting force.

Depending on each Disciple's different fighting style, the way it manifested was also different.

Jiang Hua's White Tiger Seven Kills style was cold and stealthy, launched by surprise when the enemy was off guard; it was tricky and fatal.

And Zhong Shaoying?

His White Tiger Seven Kills were unleashed through leg techniques, more explosive and fierce than before, scraping until one's Human Bone ached.

Zhou You's whole body seemed shrouded in a rain of blades, and his Hard Qigong showed signs of being pierced through.

His Lv5 General Unloading Armor Great Mantle was actually showing signs of failing against the White Tiger Seven Kills attack?

"Zhou You, this kick of mine is destined to shatter your turtle shell."

Amidst Zhong Shaoying's loud shout, he masked the trajectory of his leg, and with a *whoosh*, a black shadow flashed, stabbing straight at Zhou You's throat.

His leg technique was extremely exquisite, able to bend and stretch, soft and hard at will, sometimes like a soft whip, sometimes like a steel pillar.

Exploding into the move, it instantly straightened like a thorn, stabbing at Zhou You's throat, his vital point.

"White Tiger Seven Kills: Life-Taking, Corpse-Destroying, Soul-Chasing."

When Wang Jianxiong taught the White Tiger Seven Kills, he would always emphasize one thing: try not to use it lightly, and when executing it, it should be directed outward, not inward.

Because the White Tiger Seven Kills was a killing move; once launched, there was no regret, and it would surely take a life. The power was something even the user could not control, so it was strictly forbidden to use the White Tiger Seven Kills during sparring between fellow disciples.

Zhong Shaoying would rather violate his master's prohibition than fail to kick Zhou You to death with this move.

A gasp erupted from the crowd; even the new students who had just entered the sect could see the ruthless determination to kill in this move.

Zhou You took a deep breath; he had finally waited for this move, and now he too had a justifiable reason to strike.

"You have the White Tiger Seven Kills, I have..."

Zhou You gathered the strength of his four limbs into his chest and abdomen, his head shrinking back like lightning as he executed a fluid 'Head Hammer'.

The Head Hammer channeled force into the head and neck, using the skull as a weapon, invincible and unbreakable.

He lowered his head and lunged forward, his center of gravity sinking in the blink of an eye, moving his throat down by three inches.

Zhong Shaoying's foot landed on Zhou You's forehead, and both of them cried out in pain simultaneously; it was too painful.

Zhong Shaoying's toe bones felt like they were splitting; after all, the skull was much harder.

And Zhou You's forehead felt as if it were being fiercely drilled by a drill bit, the pain so intense it felt as if his brain were being pierced through.

In that fleeting moment of brief confrontation...

Zhou You's Head Hammer force did not diminish, and suddenly a black shadow streaked past his shoulder, fast as lightning.

The black shadow was silent, and it was not until it struck Zhong Shaoying's chest that a powerful force erupted.

"Tiger Tail Kick!"

Zhong Shaoying's heart was shaken violently; he heard the original form of the black shadow from the third-party perspective below the ring. Zhou You was actually using his own most proud move against him?

But he was clearly executing the Tiger Head Hammer, with his limbs and torso all concentrated on exerting force; how could he divide his focus and strength to kick out a Tiger Tail Kick?

Zuo Shier saw the scene before him, so excited his whole body trembled.

Others only saw Zhou You performing two moves of the Tiger-Subduing Fist simultaneously, but he saw that this was the principle of his own Two Hearts Fist.

Dividing one's focus to do two things, attending to both front and back! To him, this move of Zhou You's was earth-shattering, fusing the Tiger-Subduing Fist and the Two Hearts Fist into one.

Ever since he joined the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall, he had fallen into despair, unable to see a path forward; he was unwilling to give up the foundation of the Two Hearts Fist, yet switching to the Tiger-Subduing Fist offered no advantage, and he had once stagnated.

Now, seeing Zhou You's Head Hammer combined with a kick, it was like a flash of light entering a dark room, suddenly becoming clear.

So Zhou You had quietly mastered the principles of the Two Hearts Fist and integrated them into the Tiger-Subduing Fist.

Didn't that mean he could also follow this path in the future? "Dual-Body Tiger Form, Absolute Kill!"

A single Tiger Tail Kick sent Zhong Shaoying's Qi and Blood churning in his chest, his internal organs displaced.

He swallowed a mouthful of blood, his left foot stomping the ground, *clack*, piercing through the stone slab, and he spun a full circle using his heel as an axis.

His right foot swung at Zhou You's face like an iron hammer, forcing him to retreat and defend.

Zhou You stretched out his arms; on the left was 'Like Holding a Tiger Cub', and on the right was 'Gouging the Heart and Carving the Bone'.

At this moment, his back and posture presented an extremely strange, fractured state, different on the left and right, yet achieving a distinct balance and fusion.

His left arm curled into a sphere, catching Zhong Shaoying's flying Tiger Tail Kick, while his right arm followed the momentum, his Hu Zhua as if cast from iron.

*Puchi! *

Zhong Shaoying's eyes were filled with immense shock; the softest part of his abdomen had been pierced through by the Hu Zhua, which emerged bloody from his back.

Zhou You released his limp right leg and kicked him squarely on the crown of his head.

Crack! Zhong Shaoying's skull shattered and caved inward, his neck bone was crushed, and he died on the spot.

Below the stage, Lu Jianqing tried to intervene, but as soon as he rushed near, he was grabbed by Zhou You.

"Little Senior Brother, I heard you like to slap people."

Zhou You moved like the wind, slapping twice, leaving Lu Jianqing's cheeks swollen.

Zuo Shier let out a breath; how satisfying!

The Skull-Cracking Tiger Zhong Shaoying died on the arena stage, beaten to death by the Winged Tiger Zhou You.

The corpse hit the ground with a dull thud, and a cold breeze from nowhere swept past.

One person, one thought; a thousand people, a thousand ideas. Although there were many spectators present, not one had imagined such an ending.

Even among Zhou You's "own people," the most optimistic thought was merely a draw.

A weary sigh broke the deathly silence of the scene.

"Zhou You, you killed Zhong Shaoying; how will you compensate me?"

The voice came from the master of the martial arts hall, the teacher of both combatants, Wang Jianxiong, Wang Laohu.

Zhou You's face suddenly turned pale, and clutching his forehead, he said in a low voice, "Master, Zhong Senior Brother's final strike injured my brain. Disciple has a headache; I ask Master to decide for me!"

With every sentence, his voice gradually lowered, as if he were severely wounded and nearing death.

"Master, he is faking it."

Lu Jianqing was so angry his hands and feet trembled; just a moment ago he was full of life, and in the blink of an eye, he was on his deathbed.

Wang Laohu remained unmoved and said calmly, "Zhong Shaoying was one of my most capable Disciples; you killed him, so you shall fill the vacancy."

"I punish you to remain under my tutelage for twenty years, serving me."

Shen Sijing's brows twitched; was this a punishment? It was barely a light drizzle.

Zhou You agreed decisively, "Master, Disciple is heavily injured; I request leave to go back and recover."

"Very well, is a year or six months enough? If not, then two or three years. Remember, the time spent recovering is not included in these twenty years."

Ginger is indeed spicier when old; one sentence blocked Zhou You's path to playing the invalid and slacking off.

Lu Jianqing glared fiercely at Zhou You's back; for the great humiliation suffered today, he would one day inflict it back tenfold.

(End of chapter)