Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Chapter 312: Chapter 300: Three Punches

"Yes, Dean!"

Zhao Lin’s spirits lifted, and he responded in a loud voice.

He wasn’t afraid of a match. Having practiced martial arts for many years, it was no exaggeration to call him battle-hardened. To him, sparring was as common as eating or drinking, especially against rare opponents like Sword Cultivators and Body Cultivators.

He didn’t regret turning down the sect mission to hunt down a Body Cultivator last time, but he did feel a twinge of pity. That had been a full ten thousand Merit Points.

This was the perfect opportunity to see what a Body Cultivator was really made of.

"Don’t be so quick to agree. I’m not sending you in just to settle a score. You’re expected to win."

Zhou Hongfang’s expression was stern. "If you can take first place, in addition to the original Merit Point and pill rewards, I will personally give you another one hundred Spirit Stones."

Zhao Lin was greatly tempted by the offer. With those one hundred Spirit Stones, he could cultivate a magic spell to the mastery level and still have some left over.

Just then, a quiet but exceptionally firm voice spoke up. "Dean, I would like to have a match with Junior Brother Zhao."

Everyone turned to look. The speaker was Yun Jinda.

Yun Jinda’s head was bowed, but his eyes glinted with unwillingness.

"What, are you not convinced?"

Zhou Hongfang asked in a deep voice.

"No, that’s not it. This disciple wishes to witness Junior Brother Zhao’s skills for myself, so that I can be truly convinced."

Yun Jinda phrased it tactfully. Of course, he was unwilling to give up his spot. The Merit Points were one thing, but more importantly, his reputation was on the line.

Besides, he truly believed he had what it took to fight Zhao Lin.

He had three magic spells at the Minor Achievement Level, making him excellent in both offense and defense. Among the disciples who had joined the sect in the same year and were also at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, besides Yue Shengluan, the other two were no match for him.

’It’s true that Zhao Lin is a Martial Cultivator, but he’s only been cultivating for a year. It’s not like I don’t have a chance to win.’

"Fine!"

Zhou Hongfang agreed readily. He had actually been thinking the same thing. A match would at least placate the crowd and also allow him to confirm Zhao Lin’s strength.

"You two will have a match."

"Thank you, Dean!"

Yun Jinda let out a sigh of relief and clenched his fists.

’Martial Cultivators are strong in close combat, so I just won’t give him the chance to get near me!’

’I’ll show the Dean and the elders that I’m the right person for this competition!’

Zhou Hongfang said no more, walking over to the eaves of the corridor on one side of the courtyard and standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

Seeing this, the other disciples also retreated to the corners, clearing out the entire courtyard.

A duel with magic required far more space than one between martial artists.

"Zhao Lin is a Martial Cultivator. Do you guys think Yun Jinda has a chance?"

"Of course! So what if he’s a Martial Cultivator? As long as Yun Jinda doesn’t let him get close and uses ranged magic to pin him down, isn’t it a guaranteed win?"

"I think so too. It’s like mortal light cavalry against infantry. He can use kiting tactics to wear him down..."

Hearing the disciples’ discussion, Zhu Cong grew a little worried and turned to Dong Lingcheng. "Senior Brother Dong, can Senior Brother Zhao win?"

Zhao Lin had joined the sect a year ago. Although he held the title of Martial Cultivator, he rarely showed his martial arts. Last time, he had even used magic to kill the locusts. Even those on good terms with him, like Zhu Cong and Li Sancai, didn’t know his true strength.

"A martial arts duel and a magic duel are two different things. As long as Junior Brother Zhao knows how to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, I believe he should be able to win."

Dong Lingcheng said, sounding uncertain.

At this point, only Zhao Lin and Yun Jinda remained in the center of the courtyard.

"Senior Brother Yun."

Zhao Lin cupped his fists in a salute, quickly running through his battle plan in his mind. Having been through countless life-or-death struggles, he could face this kind of match with a heart as still as water, completely unperturbed.

"Junior Brother Zhao."

Yun Jinda deliberately took a few steps to the side, positioning himself opposite Zhao Lin and subtly increasing the distance between them.

’When fighting a Martial Cultivator, distance is crucial. The farther apart we are, the more time I have to cast my spells.’

Zhao Lin didn’t mind. ’If a few steps can decide the outcome, then I’d lose against a stronger opponent anyway.’

"Begin."

Zhou Hongfang said with a light wave of his hand.

"Divine Movement Skill!"

Yun Jinda immediately leaped backward, casting a Divine Movement Skill on himself at the same time.

The Divine Movement Skill was an agility-type spell, cast on oneself, not on others. After casting, for a period of time, one’s body would become as light as a swallow and as fast as a fleeing rabbit, granting extraordinary movement speed.

This was the strategy Yun Jinda had decided on before the match. If he used an offensive spell first and missed, he might give Zhao Lin an opening to get close, making it difficult to find another chance to attack.

With the Divine Movement Skill active, he could maintain his distance from Zhao Lin, allowing him to attack on the advance and evade on the retreat, putting him in an invincible position.

The idea was good, but Zhao Lin’s speed was beyond his expectations.

Cloud Flipping Skill!

Zhao Lin’s figure flashed, leaving a series of afterimages in his wake.

"So fast!"

"What kind of martial art is that? It’s even faster than the Divine Movement Skill!"

A series of gasps erupted from the disciples.

Yun Jinda was stunned. He leaped back continuously, but not only did he fail to shake Zhao Lin, the distance between them was actually closing.

He had been forming the hand seal for an offensive spell, but seeing Zhao Lin sticking to him like a shadow, he had no choice but to switch to a defensive one.

Zhao Lin closed to within ten feet, raised his arm, and threw a punch that felt as heavy as a mountain.

"Stone Roar Fist!"

Yun Jinda’s defensive spell was ready. Seeing the punch coming, he also let out a sharp cry.

"Vine Wrapping Skill!"

Wood Element Spiritual Qi gathered frantically, and dozens of vines as thick as a child’s arm materialized out of thin air, blocking the space between the two.

The simplest and fastest defensive spell was the Spiritual Energy Shield, which could be summoned and dismissed instantly, but it was purely defensive and far too passive.

The Vine Wrapping Skill, a Wood Element spell, could not only defend but also send out vines to entangle an opponent within a certain range, allowing for a swift transition from defense to offense.

BANG!

Under the heavy blow, more than a dozen vines instantly shattered and flew apart, and the spell immediately showed signs of collapsing.

The moonlight was like water, and the Everlasting Stones on the corridor pillars cast a bright glow.

One punch, two punches... three punches!

Yun Jinda’s mind was in turmoil. He couldn’t spare any Spiritual Power to control the vines and entangle Zhao Lin.

He tried to form a hand seal twice during this time, but both attempts failed.

The reason was simple: he had to concentrate all his Spiritual Power just to maintain the Vine Wrapping Skill. If he diverted any to cast another spell, Zhao Lin would shatter his defense with a single punch.

Even so, when the third punch landed, the Vine Wrapping Skill finally gave way and collapsed with a loud CRASH!

The disciples were all dumbstruck. Every punch Zhao Lin threw felt like it was landing on their own hearts.

’Putting ourselves in his shoes, what would we do in this situation?’

’Run? Can’t get away!’

’Defend? Can’t block it!’

’Attack? Can’t get an attack off!’

As the spell dissipated, Yun Jinda turned to flee.

Zhao Lin wasn’t in a hurry. He threw a punch from a distance.

Celestial Frost Fist!

A plume of white mist shot out, carrying a biting chill as it struck Yun Jinda squarely in the back.

Yun Jinda staggered, about to fall.

Zhao Lin rushed forward and caught him with an outstretched hand.

"Junior... Junior Brother Zhao, you’re amazing. I... I concede."

Yun Jinda’s teeth were chattering as he spoke. He sighed inwardly, ’If I had used an offensive spell right from the start, would the outcome have been any better?’

The disciples were stunned into silence for a long moment. Even Elder Wu, who was most familiar with Zhao Lin, had a look of surprise on his face.

Zhao Lin had ended the fight in just three punches. The entire process, from start to finish, had taken only a few breaths.

"Not bad."

Zhou Hongfang commented faintly.

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