The flames of the sun had not yet shone directly down, but the sand on and around the fighting stage seemed to already shimmer with a dazzling light. The air was saturated with intense heat, and even before the two masters officially engaged, an endless, immense pressure emanated from them.

Below the stage, the whispers had ceased entirely. Everyone was affected by the crushing weight of the moment, fearful that a single misstep might provoke the two extraordinary figures standing above.

Fourth Master Xu Xiangqian of the Xu family clenched his fists tightly. His expression was singular; beneath the shock and fury, there seemed to linger a thread of utter bewilderment.

After advancing to the Ninth Layer of Inner Strength over a year ago, he had long assumed he ranked among the very top figures in Taicang County. Aside from a sparse handful of individuals, there was no one else he deigned to seriously consider a threat.

But now, seeing these two figures on the stage, especially feeling the colossal aura erupting from Lin Taoli—an aura that seemed even superior to his own Fierce Fire Technique—his heart instantly turned ice-cold. It became horrifyingly clear that in their earlier exchanges, Lin Taoli had not deployed his full strength.

If he had revealed this bizarre hand seal technique from the very beginning, could he have held out for this long?

His gaze shifted, landing on He Yiming, who stood poised opposite Lin Taoli.

A bitter taste suddenly filled his mouth, intensely bitter...

A Ninth Layer Inner Strength expert at fifteen years old. How on earth had this man cultivated himself to this level?

At this precise moment, a thought abruptly surfaced in his mind: His second brother’s chance encounter with this youth in the desolate mountains over a year ago—perhaps even then, he should have paid any cost necessary to strike this boy down. If this youth were given just a few more years, to what heights might he ascend?

Would the Xu Family Fortress truly exist in Taicang County in the days to come?

Perhaps...

A truly terrifying notion suddenly welled up in his heart: perhaps one day, this child's achievements might even surpass those of the Old Ancestor.

If that day truly arrived, even he could not guarantee that the Xu Family Fortress would remain as unshakable as it stood now.

For an instant, a faint trace of killing intent flickered in his eyes. He glanced around. Apart from He Quanming and a few others, almost everyone else showed some degree of horror.

With a son like this in the He family, although his fame spread far and wide, it was also destined to become the object of universal envy.

On the stage, Lin Taoli’s voice, light as if devoid of any power, suddenly rang out: "Coming without trace, leaving without shadow, ethereal and elusive—the Cloud Rain Seal. Brother He, be careful."

In the beginning, he had always addressed He Yiming as Young Brother He. But when his own Inner Strength reached the Ninth Layer, and He Yiming still confronted him without yielding an inch, he finally understood: this man's cultivation of Inner Strength was clearly no less than his own.

At that moment, he cast aside all previous condescension. Even his form of address underwent a subtle transformation; calling him ‘Brother He’ was speaking from a position of absolute equality.

He Yiming announced loudly, "Young Master Lin, please."

His voice was full of anticipation, as if eager for the thunderous strike that was about to erupt. Yet, no one dared call him arrogant now.

Lin Taoli curled his fingers, then gently flicked his right index finger.

He Yiming’s heart gave a slight jolt. What sort of combat technique was this? But just as suspicion clouded his mind, his heart suddenly tightened, and his fists flew toward his chest and abdomen with blurring speed.

His palms did not actually strike his torso, but merely grazed the area, faintly touching a bizarre, supremely strange force.

His expression immediately changed drastically, for he realized what it was: a surge of Inner Strength, detached from the body, possessing a power akin to that of a hidden projectile.

An impossible thought flashed through his mind, and his eyes locked onto the hands of his opponent, which were forming strange seals.

Generally speaking, no matter how potent Inner Strength became, it could not exist independently outside the body.

He knew this for a fact, having tested it himself. Forget Lin Taoli’s Ninth Layer Inner Strength; even his own Tenth Layer Inner Strength could not be sustained detached from his form.

However, human martial arts had evolved over countless years, yielding many miraculous and secret skills.

Legend spoke of a supreme technique called the Void-Splitting Palm, which allowed Inner Strength to leave the body, retaining enough condensed power for a short time to injure an enemy.

Of course, the difficulty in mastering this palm technique was almost unimaginable; it was said that few practitioners had ever succeeded since its creation. Moreover, it remained only a legend; He Yiming had certainly never witnessed it.

But the situation he currently faced bore a striking resemblance to that legendary, singular skill.

A sudden realization struck him, recalling the two sentences Lin Taoli had just spoken.

Cloud Rain Seal, coming without trace, leaving without shadow, ethereal and elusive—it was indeed true.

He Yiming gave a sharp cry and began to swing his fists again. An aura, fully matching his opponent’s in intensity, rose from his body.

After that initial strike, he understood that against such an uncanny seal technique, pure defense was utterly impossible. No one could completely guard against an attack that vanished and reappeared without warning.

Since defense was futile, why not counter with aggressive offense?

A powerful barrage of punches roared forth, cutting the air with piercing sharpness, surging toward his opponent. At this moment, He Yiming seemed entirely enveloped by an endless succession of phantom fists. The full might of his boxing technique was unleashed instantly; the ultimate power of the Ninth Layer of Rolling Stone Fist was fully demonstrated.

Had it been anyone else—even the equally Ninth Layer experts Xu Xiangqian or Cheng Ningsheng—they would have been forced to bring out their deepest, hidden skills to halt the momentum of He Yiming’s overwhelming offensive. Otherwise, once the power of the Rolling Stone Fist accumulated to its apex and erupted, lacking a miraculous technique like the Ground-Prostrating Seal, they would likely be instantly injured and defeated.

Yet, Lin Taoli acted as if entirely unaware of this. His feet moved with stable, yet fluid and graceful steps, dancing lightly across the stage.

Although his footwork avoided a direct clash with He Yiming’s Rolling Stone Fist, observers had a peculiar impression: Lin Taoli did not appear to be dodging, but rather attacking—using a completely different method to advance steadily beneath the mountain-like ferocity of the Rolling Stone Fist.

Lin Taoli would flick a finger, and He Yiming’s movement would momentarily falter. While the degree of deceleration was too small for ordinary eyes to detect, these were masters of profound perception; they immediately grasped the crucial point.

Whenever Lin Taoli slightly moved a finger forming the hand seal, He Yiming recoiled as if struck by lightning. Since their exchange was not stationary but involved constant movement across the entire stage, it gave onlookers the illusion that He Yiming was the one relentlessly pressing the attack.

In reality, as Lin Taoli manipulated his hands, he had completely mastered the situation. No matter how formidable the Rolling Stone Fist became, it was constantly being suppressed by his opponent, leaving absolutely no opportunity for a counterattack.

The crowd exchanged glances. What kind of technique was this? It possessed such incredible power, and more importantly, it seemed utterly impossible to defend against or guard against.

However, how could outsiders truly comprehend the predicament He Yiming faced now, a mix of agony and exhilaration?

The Cloud Rain Seal was truly an inconceivable, supreme secret technique capable of briefly manifesting the power of Inner Strength outside the body.

Furthermore, within this secret technique, He Yiming suddenly felt a familiar sensation, identical to the feeling when practicing his Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting. This confirmed his suspicion: the two hand seal techniques used by Lin Taoli were derived from extremely rare, Innate Combat Skills.

But it made sense; no technique other than an Innate Combat Skill could allow Inner Strength, after leaving the body's meridians, to continue exerting a damaging force.

Although He Yiming’s twin fists looked majestic and formidable, his heart was filled with profound apprehension, daring him not to press the attack too closely.

Inner Strength, once detached, dissipates rapidly. But the Cloud Rain Seal possessed the function of condensing this Inner Strength to a high degree, allowing it to inflict damage across a distance. While the ranged strikes of the Cloud Rain Seal were painful, they only caused a vague ache. If He Yiming were to make direct contact with the full power of the Cloud Rain Seal, he dared not imagine the result.

He might very well be blown apart by the technique.

A sudden sharp pain flared in his waist and abdomen—another inexplicable, strange blow landed.

Despite his desperate efforts to evade, there was no defense against such an elusive fighting style. If not for his unusually resilient physique, he would have collapsed long ago.

Yet, having endured so many impacts, he had not been without gain. With every strike absorbed, his comprehension of the Cloud Rain Seal deepened. While he could not trace the pathways of Inner Strength as clearly as he could with the Ground-Prostrating Seal, he gained an incredibly subtle feeling, forming a general impression, and he continued to explore it.

Perhaps this was the meaning of being in pain while simultaneously experiencing joy.

He exhaled a long breath. Lin Taoli was utterly awestruck by He Yiming’s endurance. If their roles were reversed, he knew he could not withstand so many bizarre attacks before continuing to leap around the stage as if nothing had happened.

However, at this point, his own reserves were beginning to dwindle.

The Cloud Rain Seal was not something a Ninth Layer Inner Strength practitioner could sustain indefinitely. Thus, even he could not afford to drag the fight out any longer.

A long roar suddenly erupted from his throat. Lin Taoli halted abruptly, his hands held steady in the seal position, his expression intensely serious: "Brother He, this is my final strike. If you can withstand it, then I lose. If you feel yourself losing your strength, please retreat immediately; do not attempt to meet it head-on. I guarantee I will not pursue."

With that said, the hands forming the seals slowly lifted.

A strange power seemed to subtly radiate from his hands. In that moment, his hands possessed an ineffable allure that captured the gaze of every spectator.

"Innate Combat Skill..."

Old Master Xu’s face paled slightly, muttering under his breath.

Ps: Great brothers and sisters, thank you for pushing Bai He to the top of both charts. This is Bai He’s first time reaching number one on the weekly recommendations! But we still need more recommendation tickets, thank you... [bookid=1429437,bookname=《The Warring States Period Heterodox Thinker Lü Buwei》]