He no longer harbored the resentment he initially felt towards Li Chonglou; all that remained was tension.
What a joke. How could he possibly defeat a master who could instantly subdue someone in the third level?
When Li Chonglou returned to the audience area, Wu Long approached him, his face full of shock.
“Damn it, Brother Li, what exactly is your strength? If I recall correctly, Hui Fu’s fire whip also had a speed enhancement, and you still managed to outrun it?”
Li Chonglou was slightly surprised that this fellow had spotted the crucial detail. However, he naturally wouldn’t answer his question directly.
When it came to strength, few were willing to let others easily ascertain it unless absolutely necessary.
“About the same as you guys, I’m just better at bursts of power.”
Li Chonglou simply provided a casual excuse, but for Wu Long, it was sufficient. Indeed, there were people in this world who excelled at speed bursts, capable of unleashing speeds far beyond their cultivation realm in an instant.
However, every strength had its weakness. Experts of this type typically lacked stamina and were only suited for rapid combat. Once they encountered a formidable opponent, they would often fall without a fight.
Thinking of this, Wu Long sighed, “Then Hui Fu was just unlucky to run into your specialty, Brother Li.”
As he spoke, Wu Long grinned, his schadenfreude evident.
Li Chonglou smiled and said no more, as the next match on the stage had already begun.
Although this was Li Chonglou’s first time participating in this competition, based on Wu Long’s words, everyone seemed more agitated than usual. They had been fighting multiple matches consecutively, unleashing their ultimate moves right from the start. Wu Long even remarked that in previous years, any one of these displays would have been considered a highlight.
In other words, the appearance of this quota had put everyone on high alert, unleashing their most guarded secret techniques as if they were commonplace, all to maintain their momentum.
Because of this, Li Chonglou found their matches quite interesting.
Wu Long, assuming Li Chonglou was witnessing such a dazzling array of combat techniques for the first time, wore a hint of pride on his face.
Especially when someone unleashed a secret technique, it would automatically be explained.
“That’s the Heavenly Wolf from the Hong family. Don’t be fooled by its weak aura; if you were to encounter it, its power would be no less than Hui’s family’s fire whip.”
“This is the Charging Fist from the Tian family. The name is plain, but its power is considered above average.”
With each contestant’s secret technique revealed, Wu Long could immediately provide detailed information. Li Chonglou didn’t interrupt, his gaze fixed on the contestants on stage.
What Wu Long didn’t know was that what he considered mere displays of knowledge was, in Li Chonglou’s eyes, a covert replication in progress.
“It’s a chilling aura, likely utilizing the Water Acupoint and Qi Acupoint.”
“Magnification, Qi Acupoint and Strength Acupoint?”
“Explosion, Charge Acupoint, Strength Acupoint.”
Li Chonglou had long since given new names to the various acupoints within the human body. This was because the cultivation technique was one that he had painstakingly explored himself, and only by doing so could he effectively utilize each acupoint.
Wu Long’s explanations allowed him to roughly deduce the acupoints used in these secret techniques. Although the internal energy transfer ratios were still unknown, with a little time, replicating them perfectly would not be difficult!
After all, his acupoints were already fully developed; what he lacked were the methods to link and call upon them. Having already grasped the basics after learning Wu Tong’s secret technique, the performances on stage, coupled with Wu Long’s commentary, were practically laying the path out for him!
Li Chonglou appeared calm and collected, but inwardly, he was overjoyed and incredibly excited.
“This is worth it! Even without information on Wei Yin, this trip is absolutely worth it!”
There were not a small number of experts present, but not an overwhelming number either. With a total of over twenty matches for twenty-odd participants, Li Chonglou wouldn't miss a single detail, intently watching the stage.
This continued until the matches for the top ten.
Before this, Wu Long had also stepped onto the stage and completed a match. His performance revealed no particular highlights, but he won nonetheless. Li Chonglou didn’t need to guess; this fellow was definitely hiding his true strength.
However, it wasn't important to Li Chonglou. Wu Long’s displayed strength was also at the third level. Even if he had more hidden, it would at most be the fifth level, which posed no significant threat to him.
What he hadn't expected was that the first match of the top ten would be his turn.
“Next, Li Chonglou versus Yu Hui.”
Yu Hui? Someone from the Yu family?
Not long after Li Chonglou stepped onto the stage, a young man named Yu Hui lightly leaped onto the platform.
He bore a slight resemblance to Yu Ke, though Li Chonglou wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.
However, Li Chonglou was certain he hadn’t seen this person in the Yu family before. This meant that this individual likely hailed from a collateral branch of the Yu family, though the reason for still sharing the surname Yu remained unknown.
“He shouldn’t recognize me, right?”
Li Chonglou felt a faint worry in his heart. The Yu family had gone through such a significant event, and in the end, the two of them were made scapegoats. If he were recognized, perhaps people would be sent to surround him.
As Yu Hui stepped onto the stage, he kept staring at Li Chonglou, his brow furrowed.
When Uncle Quan announced the start of the match, Yu Hui did not attack immediately.
“Are you from the Li family? Your name sounds somewhat familiar?”
Li Chonglou’s heart skipped a beat, but he calmly replied, “Apologies, I don’t know you.”
Yu Hui’s brow furrowed even deeper, but Li Chonglou dared not give him any more time to think, and made the first move.
From below the stage, Wu Long suddenly looked anxious.
“Oh no, I forgot to remind him that people from the Yu family are best at identifying weaknesses. Anyone who attacks first will be at a disadvantage against them.”
What was more critical was that Yu Hui’s strength was one of the rare few who had broken through the fourth level!
And this was only what was revealed on the surface. Who knew if he had even more hidden strength?
There were quite a few people who knew the Yu family’s characteristics, just like Wu Long. However, unlike Wu Long, their faces showed anticipation.
“Finally, we’ll get to see his true strength.”
“He’s already at the fourth level; it would be too outrageous if he still couldn’t show it.”
Li Chonglou was not considered old by any means. The main point was that everyone else present was a proud talent in their own right. In their eyes, for someone of Li Chonglou’s age, the fourth level was already the pinnacle.
After all, possessing fifth-level strength would be equivalent to their third-level talent. Who would willingly be outshone by an unrecognized outsider?
It was at this moment that Yu Hui on stage finally moved.
Just as Wu Long had said, upon seeing Li Chonglou make his move, a sharp glint flashed in Yu Hui’s eyes. He almost instantly identified a weakness.
“His center of gravity is on the right side, so his next attack will likely come from the right. That means your left side…”