Chapter 543: First Battle a Success, Disciple Makes a Name

Qi Qingdi has entered the arena; this is his first battle.

Numerous whispers came from all directions, exchanging information about his personal details and family background.

"I heard he is a fellow townsman of Zhou You, and also has blood ties to a noble family."

"Heh, ever since the Witch-people invasion, cities have been destroyed and noble families ruined. There are countless noble descendants wandering the countryside; they aren't worth anything at all. Only those of the core bloodline are valuable."

"Hmm, look at his late-stage Qi and blood, and he's holding a Qi and blood divine weapon. Clearly, Zhou You thinks very highly of him."

"So what if he thinks highly of him? Can he defeat a Primary Martial Master?"

The Zhengming Martial Arts Hall side had already confirmed their candidate for the first battle; the first match was Xue Zhengming's head Disciple, a fifty-year-old Primary Martial Master.

The fifty-year-old martial master was named Xue Huan, a student of the Zhengming Fist, and was Xue Zhengming's trusted and beloved disciple, mediocre in every aspect.

However, no matter how mediocre, he was still a Primary Martial Master, possessing a powerful physique of steel bones and iron muscles.

"Little doll, you are no match for me; you'd best concede early."

Xue Huan glanced at the short staff in the opponent's hand and sighed inwardly; what a waste, to be holding a Qi and blood divine weapon while only at the late stage of Qi and blood.

Even so, he was still far from being his match.

"Victory or defeat is not in the tongue, but under the fist. Please."

Qi Qingdi held the short staff horizontally in front of his chest, held his breath and focused his mind, his feet treading out plum-blossom-shaped imprints.

He practiced fist techniques at the Daqian Martial Arts Hall and often had the opportunity to spar with Zuo Lv and Lan Chengxiu, becoming familiar with the prowess of Primary Martial Masters, and had also figured out a set of methods to counter them himself.

Therefore, facing Xue Huan, he was not panicked; instead, he became increasingly calm, full of confidence.

Outside the battlefield, Qin Lie also tactfully expressed his confusion, "Hall Master Zhou, your cultivation of your Disciple comes from good intentions, but this child Qingdi is still too young. Rashly facing a martial master is bound to be unfavorable for his future growth."

Zhou You smiled and did not explain. In his view, Qi Qingdi had long since reached the threshold of breaking through to a martial master.

Sending him to fight the opponent's martial master today was to give him the opportunity to display and hone his skills, to take that final step toward a breakthrough.

Ever since Zhou You walked out of Gongliang City and came into contact with the vast outside world, he knew there were too many geniuses; those who broke through to martial master in their teens were a dime a dozen.

With Qi Qingdi's talent, coupled with his Instruction and cultivation, creating a miracle was no problem.

"Just watch, I have confidence in him."

The master and disciple had great tacit understanding; long before entering the arena, they had already reached a high level of consensus in their thinking.

The martial masters of Zhengming Martial Arts Hall were no formidable characters; they could serve as whetstones for practice, with the ultimate goal being to force out the mastermind behind the scenes and make the other party show their true colors.

A fierce wind swept across the battlefield; Qi Qingdi's figure split into heavy shadows, the short staff appearing and disappearing, concealing murderous intent.

As the opponent, Xue Huan was caught off guard; he did not know much about the Double Body Tiger Form Fist.

The Qi Qingdi before him moved with light and agile steps, occasionally flickering into two figures, and both figures launched real, effective attacks, leaving him in a dilemma and scrambling to cope.

"Zhengming Fist."

Amidst Xue Huan's shout, a punch unleashed a water-vat-sized air explosion, its terrifying destructive power enveloping the area where he and Qi Qingdi were entangled.

With a cracking sound, a layer of the stone ground beneath their feet was stripped away by the aftermath of the air explosion.

Using force to break technique; no matter how many tricks one had, the crushing power of being a realm higher was simply unsolvable.

For a moment, gasps of alarm erupted from the Daqian Martial Arts Hall camp.

No matter how much of a genius Qi Qingdi was, he was only at the late stage of Qi and blood; his physical strength and Qi and blood level were a whole tier below the opponent's. There was no way he could survive a head-on collision.

Seeing the air explosion envelop him, he was about to be dragged into it; at best he would be severely injured, at worst, killed.

A tiger's roar erupted on the flat ground, a momentum that could shake the earth and mountains burst forth. "Qi and blood 9th stage."

Qi Qingdi erupted with the power of the peak of Qi and blood, shocking the onlookers; he was only one threshold away from being a Primary Martial Master.

At his age, to have hope of breaking through to martial master in his teens, he could be called a person of boundless prospects.

Daqian Martial Arts Hall, with Zhou You in the lead and Qi Qingdi following, could at least ensure two or three hundred years of prosperity without decline.

Qin Lie, Yang Kuoqiong, and other friendly hall masters were very envious, and looking at their own disciples, they couldn't help but feel a bit of disdain.

Amidst the roar, Qi Qingdi suddenly leaped up. When he left the ground, it was a fierce tiger jumping over a ravine, but in mid-air, his posture became graceful, like a great crane spreading its wings to walk on the air.

That's right, he also practiced the Crane Form. As a personal Disciple, having reached the peak of Qi and blood, he was qualified to practice the Tiger-Crane Dual Path.

"Isn't it Tiger Form Fist? Why does it have the essence of a bird fist?"

A certain martial master who didn't know the inside story was puzzled. This Crane Form move was quite exquisite, and it was difficult for an outsider to master it.

A companion beside him reminded him, "During the great battle with the Witch-people, Zhou You's fist technique background already exposed that he practices both Tiger and Crane forms; he is a master who hides his true strength."

As a Disciple, Qi Qingdi naturally could not lose face for his master.

Looking down from above, he held the short staff as if emerging from dark clouds, delivering an extremely fierce strike.

"Striking the Earth from Heaven, Floating Clouds Obscuring the Sun."

In an instant, with lightning speed, the staff struck Xue Huan squarely in the chest. His eyeballs popped out on the spot, "Beheading Charm Treasure."

The power of the short staff entered his body, and only then did he realize it was not an ordinary Qi and blood divine weapon, but a treasure fused with the remains of a Beheading Charm.

This Beheading Charm treasure was enough to bridge the gap in strength and bring about a counter-kill.

Boom! Xue Huan's Qi and blood were instantly scattered; even a body of steel could not withstand it, and he flew backward horizontally.

The group from Zhengming Martial Arts Hall behind him saw the extraordinary momentum and, not daring to take it head-on, all moved aside to both sides in unison.

With a loud boom!

Most of Xue Huan's body was embedded in a nearby stone wall, his chest trembling violently, the lingering force not dissipating for a long time.

Defeated, he was actually defeated.

Xue Huan, a Primary Martial Master, was actually defeated by Qi Qingdi, who was at the Qi and blood 9th stage.

This was a miracle, reminding many of those who had left their names behind by creating similar miracles, such as Yan Shan, Liu Fengji...

Zhou You himself was already very formidable, and his Disciple also had such potential; the future momentum of Daqian Martial Arts Hall was visibly flourishing.

Some also noticed that the short staff in Qi Qingdi's hand was a Beheading Charm treasure.

A Beheading Charm treasure! In the current environment, where even Primary Martial Masters couldn't guarantee a Qi and blood divine weapon for everyone, and Intermediate Martial Masters regarded Beheading Charm treasures as precious gems, Zhou You actually gave such a heavy treasure to his Disciple? How protective of his own was he? Everyone sighed in amazement; they deserved to win this round.

The crowd was bustling, and a pair of eyes stared at Qi Qingdi, muttering words that only he could hear as he analyzed, "No wonder; Daqian Martial Arts Hall possesses a Hidden Charm Treasure, so it is no injustice that Old Li capsized in the gutter."

"Let me think about how I can bypass the Hidden Charm Treasure and kill Qi Qingdi."

"Zhou You dotes on this Disciple dearly; once he dies in the ring, Zhou You will surely go mad and turn Zhengming Martial Arts Hall into a river of blood."

The owner of the eyes moved his palm, and a transparent object squirmed a few times before its outline vanished and it returned to stillness.

The Colorless Jellyfish, one of the Strange Insect Ranking, possesses both the traits of invisibility and deadly poison, making it an excellent tool for assassination.

(End of chapter)