Chapter 112: Wu Ming — Damn it, I have to reveal my trump card

Chapter 112: Wu Ming — Damn it, I have to reveal my trump card "He’s coming, he’s coming! Little Junior Brother is finally going to reveal his true skills!" Cao Youqian couldn’t help but smile slightly as he watched Wang Baole take his stance on the arena. He knew this match was going to be tough for his junior, but he definitely didn’t want to see him get crushed without being able to fight back. Even if he lost, he had to lose standing tall! He didn’t speak loudly, but everyone in the stands heard him clearly. The Xuanhuo Alchemy King chuckled and teased, "Xiao Feng, why do all your disciples seem to have hidden trump cards?" Chu Feng smiled and replied, "If they only had a few cards up their sleeves, they’d easily get killed. So for the sake of their lives, I taught them one more." The other elders nearly burst out laughing at that, but fortunately, they were all seasoned figures who had seen their share of major events. Unless something was truly hilarious, they usually maintained their composure. The Xuanhuo Alchemy King gave Chu Feng a thumbs-up, his expression saying, 'You’re an interesting one.' On the arena, Wu Ming seemed surprised that Wang Baole had actually abandoned his blade to fight him barehanded. "Junior Brother Wang, be careful." As he spoke, he suddenly struck with a palm, more powerful than any previous attack. Wang Baole, moving at a calm and steady pace, cradled the ball and retracted his foot. At the moment he embraced the ball, a faint Taiji diagram appeared between his hands. As the Taiji diagram manifested, Wu Ming’s palm force froze in front of him, unable to advance a single inch. Wang Baole acted as if he hadn’t noticed the incoming palm. With a gentle push of his hands, the Taiji diagram shot out like a cannonball. Boom! With a muffled bang, the Taiji diagram shattered the palm force and flew straight toward Wu Ming. It all happened too fast. Before Wu Ming could react, the Taiji diagram landed on him with a loud thud. Everyone looked toward Wu Ming and saw that the faint golden glow around him had disappeared, but Wu Ming himself was completely unscathed. Gasp... The crowd below the stage instinctively drew in a cold breath at the sight. "Wu Ming is way too strong!" "Could it be that the Physical Cultivation Institute is going to win the Outer Sect Grand Tournament this year?" "..." On the stage, Wang Baole did not follow up with an attack. Just as before, he continued practicing Taiji with calm, steady movements. This puzzled the audience. Why didn’t Senior Brother Wang press the advantage? What surprised everyone even more was that Wu Ming didn’t make a move either. He simply opened his eyes slowly, and as he did, his aura began to rise. The golden glow that Wang Baole had shattered returned to cover Wu Ming once more. "Junior Brother Wang, you are strong. You’re worthy of my full power!" As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Ming began forming hand seals rapidly. In the time of a single breath, a golden seal appeared between his hands. "Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal!" As the words left his mouth, the seal, originally only palm-sized, instantly expanded hundreds of times and descended upon Wang Baole. Wang Baole acted as though he didn’t even see the descending seal. He simply executed an ordinary move—White Crane Spreads Its Wings—and completely dispelled the Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal. The crowd below erupted in exclamations: "Holy crap, what kind of martial art is this? It’s insanely powerful!" "The Miscellaneous Dao Institute really is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!" "..." In the viewing stand, the institute heads all narrowed their eyes, focusing intently on Wang Baole’s performance. They faintly sensed that this set of movements carried the profound essence of the Great Dao. The Xuanhuo Alchemy King glanced sideways at Chu Feng. Seeing that guy still sitting steadily like an old fisherman, he wanted to ask something—but in the end, he held back. On the arena, Wu Ming’s expression grew serious. He had entered the Outer Sect Grand Tournament for one reason only—to take first place. Before the tournament began, he had thoroughly studied the ten seeded contestants and concluded that only Jian Chen and Liu Li were remotely worth his attention. He was extremely confident that he could defeat both of them and claim the championship. What he hadn’t expected was that Wang Baole would suddenly appear midway and force him into a hard-fought battle. 'No, if this continues, I’ll have to reveal my trump card.' The thought flashed through Wu Ming’s mind. Then he suddenly took a deep breath and let out a thunderous roar. "Ho!!!" His deafening roar echoed across the entire arena. If it weren’t for the defensive formation set around the stage, the disciples in the audience would’ve suffered. In the stands, the Xuanhuo Alchemy King instinctively blurted out, "Buddhist Lion’s Roar. This kid’s got some real skill." Facing the Lion’s Roar head-on, Wang Baole continued moving as if nothing had happened, calmly performing his Taiji moves. But internally, he felt his organs trembling violently, as though they might explode at any moment. He immediately sealed his breath and pushed forward! The Taiji diagram reappeared, breaking through the Lion’s Roar and flying toward Wu Ming. Boom!!! Wu Ming, who had been sitting cross-legged in midair, was blasted backward, flipping several times before he managed to land steadily. Before he could fully regain his footing, he felt his blood churning within and nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Wang Baole, as if nothing had happened, continued his practice. But in Wu Ming’s eyes, it was an entirely different scene. He saw Wang Baole almost merging with the heavens and earth, with spiritual energy from miles around gathering around him. At any moment, Wang Baole could condense that energy into a devastating strike. 'Looks like I have no choice but to bring out my ultimate technique!' Wu Ming clasped his hands together and began chanting Buddhist sutras. With every word he uttered, the Buddhist light around him grew stronger. Gradually, the light brightened to the point that a Vajra projection appeared behind him. At the same time, the spiritual energy around Wang Baole condensed into a massive Taiji diagram that hovered above his head. In an instant, the entire arena was split in two—one half glowing with the Taiji diagram, the other shrouded by the Vajra projection. Gasp... The spectators below the arena felt the terrifying pressure radiating from both combatants and collectively drew a sharp breath. "Are these two really only Dao Foundation cultivators?" "Their auras are more terrifying than most True Fate Realm disciples!" "..." In the viewing stand, Cao Youqian couldn’t help but ask, "Master, who do you think will win this match?" Chu Feng gently set down his teacup and shook his head. "I don’t know. Right now, the two are evenly matched. Whoever strikes first... will lose." Just as his words fell, a powerful gust of wind swept through. Both combatants moved at the same time! Wu Ming thrust his palm forward, shouting a single word: "卍!" "Taiji—Limitless!" Wang Baole launched a move—Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain. On the arena, the Vajra projection clapped its massive hands, while the Taiji diagram in the sky came crashing down. Boom—Boom—Boom! With deafening explosions, a mushroom cloud spread over the arena. The blinding flash was so intense that the surrounding disciples were momentarily unable to see what had just happened onstage. As the light faded, everyone’s eyes turned to the arena, and the same question echoed in their minds— Who won this battle? ==================================================================================== Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44