Chapter Thirty-Four: Pressure

Chen Fan gathered his wandering thoughts and stepped forward.

With a resounding clap, the two crossed paths and instantly became entangled in a fierce battle.

Though his opponent was a female disciple, Chen Fan made no attempt to hold back or show restraint. He unleashed his incomplete Gale and Thunder Palm directly toward her, aiming a strike at her body.

Lin Qingyu moved with agility and grace, her lithe figure darting with nimble steps. Her attacks, though light in appearance, were filled with formidable power.

Their clash was punctuated by the sharp sound of blows landing, palms and fists meeting in rapid succession. Within moments, they had exchanged over a dozen moves. Chen Fan found himself pressed for time, his responses hurried, inevitably falling into a disadvantage.

“Impressive!” he thought, his face growing grave, not daring to show the slightest trace of carelessness or reservation.

He had not paid special attention to this senior sister during the earlier rounds. Only now, facing her directly, did he truly sense the alarming strength she possessed.

For the first time in these matches, Chen Fan felt such intense pressure from an opponent.

Lin Qingyu’s foundation was solid, her martial cultivation high, her strength far surpassing any previous adversary Chen Fan had faced.

Even someone as steady as Chen Fan had to admit: in terms of overall ability, he was not her equal.

“My White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm is only mastered through two forms. Gale and Thunder Palm and Jade Shattering Fist are still incomplete. I’ve only fully mastered three second-tier manuals; the rest are all third-tier... In terms of strength, I don’t have much advantage over Lin Qingyu. As for technique and experience, I’m entirely outmatched.”

His vitality and foundation were stronger, but only by a narrow margin, while his opponent’s cultivation and experience were both superior.

It was a difference born of accumulation.

If all his previous matches had felt effortless, with no one forcing him to go all out, now he was fighting with every ounce of his strength—yet still falling short.

His vitality was robust, his foundation solid, which allowed him to hold his ground without defeat, but victory seemed nearly impossible.

With every exchange, Chen Fan grew more alarmed.

“Lin Qingyu’s strength likely rivals that of Ge Yuantong or Feng Yuancheng. She’s not just top eight material—she could make it to the top four!”

If not for the fact that Lin Qingyu had only just broken through to the second stage of martial cultivation, had barely begun tempering her muscles, and was naturally somewhat weaker in vitality due to being a woman, Chen Fan would have had no chance of wearing her down.

Blow after blow rang out as their match continued. Chen Fan, though feeling immense pressure, found his excitement and fighting spirit only growing.

His purpose in entering this competition was, after all, to display his strength and talent. Meeting a powerful foe who could hone his abilities was all the better.

Moreover, battling under pressure might yield sudden insight—a perfect outcome.

Unconsciously, a look of exhilaration appeared on Chen Fan’s face.

Of course, he was not the only one feeling the strain—Lin Qingyu felt it as well.

“Well done! It seems I underestimated you, junior brother!” Lin Qingyu’s eyes gleamed with surprise and delight.

“In that case... let me try this technique!”

Her hands fluttered like butterflies, her moves becoming even more refined and skillful. Without the slightest reservation, she launched a new wave of attacks at Chen Fan.

She was no longer using ordinary martial arts but techniques requiring true internal energy.

Suddenly, the pressure on Chen Fan doubled.

He dared not let his guard drop, fending her off with a flurry of Gale and Thunder Palm strikes, struggling to stay in the fight.

Even so, he was forced to retreat step by step, the outcome growing clear—defeat was imminent.

“So strong!” he gasped.

...

Watching Chen Fan being driven back, the disciples of the Four Symbols Sect erupted in excitement.

“He’s finally showing his true colors!”

Yu Xingzheng sneered, “Hmph, you may have escaped yesterday’s lesson, but you’ll lose all the same! How dare a weakling act so arrogant...”

Bao Tianyou, meanwhile, was filled with worry. “Is Chen Fan going to lose...?”

Though he had anticipated this, seeing Chen Fan at a disadvantage still left him disappointed.

In the contestant’s waiting area, Feng Yuancheng squinted at the match on stage, his gaze inscrutable.

“Lin Qingyu may also be using first-rate techniques, but she’s just finished converting her internal energy and has barely started muscle tempering. Her advantage isn’t that pronounced—she’s not necessarily stronger than Yu Xingzheng...”

...

At this point, Chen Fan’s most formidable techniques were the two forms of White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm he had mastered, and the sixth form of Fierce Tiger Fist, which he had created himself.

Yet now, he suppressed the urge to use either White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm or Fierce Tiger Fist, gritting his teeth to withstand the pressure, stubbornly relying on Gale and Thunder Palm to fight on.

He did so in hopes of using this pressure to enter a state of battle-induced enlightenment once more.

His Gale and Thunder Palm was just a step away from completion—he could break through within three days. If he could gain sudden insight and channel inner energy, his strength would increase slightly. Though not enough to nurture his vitality directly, it might offer him a chance to turn the tables.

How troublesome! Lin Qingyu’s brows knitted as she continued her assault.

Chen Fan was clearly struggling, and within a few dozen exchanges, had already taken several hits, falling completely behind.

He was struck nearly every ten rounds!

Yet despite being dominated, Chen Fan did not falter or lose his composure; he remained calm and collected.

Dozens of moves passed in the blink of an eye.

But still, there came no further breakthrough in Gale and Thunder Palm.

Suddenly, Chen Fan failed to parry in time, taking a direct punch to the chest from Lin Qingyu. He staggered back several steps, nearly to the edge of the stage.

He exhaled heavily, barely managing to steady himself and calm his surging energy and blood. But he knew that if he relied solely on Gale and Thunder Palm, defeat was inevitable.

The facts were clear.

Chen Fan frowned, “Is Lin Qingyu truly not yet at her peak in battle? Or perhaps, after one moment of insight with Gale and Thunder Palm, I can no longer experience further breakthroughs in actual combat?”

He hesitated no longer and immediately switched to White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm.

With a resounding clap, he launched into the new technique. Though formidable, he had only mastered two moves—too few variations. Still, the initial switch caught Lin Qingyu off guard, pushing her back several steps.

“It’s the White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm!”

Among the spectators, many recognized this signature move of the White Cloud Dojo.

Li Linliu’s eyes flashed. “This youngster’s White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm carries a certain elegance...”

Most people, when training in martial manuals, mastered one before proceeding to a second. Few, like Chen Fan, attempted multiple at once—often at the cost of spreading themselves too thin.

After Chen Fan began using White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm, Lin Qingyu was briefly flustered, but quickly adapted, regaining the upper hand.

On the main dais, the judges watched as the match remained deadlocked, neither side gaining the advantage.

“Strange, very strange...”

“Lin Qingyu doesn’t seem to be holding back. Could this boy, like Yan Linzu, be another monster with innate, powerful vitality?”

Li Linliu frowned, watching intently for a long while before finally relaxing.

“Although Chen Fan doesn’t have the inexhaustible energy of Yan Linzu, his innate vitality is indeed far greater than average, and his body hasn’t reached its limit yet—his energy seems somewhat stagnant and volatile...”

The foundation of martial cultivation, and the core meaning of training in these manuals, was to strengthen one’s energy and foundation. Some disciples were born with greater vitality, giving them an advantage.

What they did not realize was that Chen Fan’s strength came not from innate talent, but from having mastered more than a dozen training manuals.

Li Linliu, noticing Chen Fan’s stagnation, already knew what gift to bestow upon him.

...

On the stage, Chen Fan understood that, with only two forms of White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm fully mastered, even the most refined technique could not provide enough variety.

“Even a first-rate technique is still a basic manual, and I only know two forms. It can serve as a trump card, but not for prolonged combat.”

Fully aware of this, when he was forced to the edge of the stage again, he switched from palm to fist, energy flowing within as he launched the sixth form of Fierce Tiger Fist.

This punch was imbued with tremendous force, like a tiger descending from the mountain.

With a resounding crash, even Lin Qingyu was forced to retreat repeatedly under its might.

Chen Fan seized the opportunity, breaking free from the brink.

If he lost, there would be no further chance for enlightenment.

“What kind of fist technique is this?” Lin Qingyu wondered.

Though derived from Fierce Tiger Fist, it was not quite the same. Even those proficient in Fierce Tiger Fist might not recognize it, let alone Lin Qingyu.

Chen Fan’s unpredictable switches and displays of power left Lin Qingyu struggling to cope.

Had it been anyone else, Lin Qingyu would have already won. But Chen Fan’s vitality and physique were so robust that, even when outmatched in technique and taking several hits, he remained unaffected—his energy unflagging. This was why Lin Qingyu could not secure victory.

“How is he this strong?!” she thought, pouring all her focus into the fight, not daring to relax even for a moment.

Her stamina was dwindling, and her endurance could not match Chen Fan’s. A single lapse could spell her defeat.

Having escaped the predicament, Chen Fan switched back to White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm, and after only a few moves—

Suddenly, Chen Fan’s eyes fixed straight ahead, blazing with excitement.

On the other side, Lin Qingyu was unsettled by the heat in his gaze, her brow furrowing as she involuntarily retreated half a step.

Yet only Chen Fan could see what was happening—at that moment, a string of runes flashed before his eyes.

He had finally achieved enlightenment in White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm.