Yu Heng heard Zhang Ergou's shout and looked towards the sound. What he saw startled him.
A flash of white light streaked by, and Yu Heng's expression froze.
In that split second of Yu Heng's stupor, Zhang Ergou unleashed his Shadow Clone technique to its fullest.
With a swift movement, he appeared directly in front of Yu Heng.
The Lion's Heart Fury erupted!
ROAR!
A lion's roar echoed from the training ground, causing the disciples in the stands to tense up, thinking a beast had appeared.
BANG!
Yu Heng's robust body was hit repeatedly by Zhang Ergou's barrage of punches, forcing him to retreat. By the time Yu Heng regained his senses, Zhang Ergou was already upon him again.
Zhang Ergou's close-quarters combat skill, Lion's Heart Fury, was displayed to its utmost. In an instant, the tide of the battle turned once more.
"What's going on? What did Zhang Ergou just use?"
"Yeah, I only saw a flash of white light, and Senior Brother Yu Heng just froze!"
"Now that Zhang Ergou's gotten close, Senior Brother Yu Heng is in a bad situation!"
"Exactly! How could Senior Brother Yu Heng, who had the upper hand, suddenly get stunned? Such a mistake in the heat of battle!"
In the stands, the outer disciples of the Misty Sect buzzed with discussion, many lamenting the reversal of Yu Heng's earlier advantage.
Meanwhile, in the seats of the direct disciples from the main peaks, a few observed Zhang Ergou revealing the Soul Capturing Eight Trigram Mirror.
Their faces became serious. With their keen eyesight, they naturally noticed that it was the Eight Trigram Mirror that had caused Yu Heng's momentary daze.
Although the seemingly unremarkable Eight Trigram Mirror was only revealed for an instant before Zhang Ergou concealed it again.
They exchanged glances, and no one spoke.
However, their expressions as they looked at Zhang Ergou had shifted.
If they had come to the training ground to watch Yu Heng and Zhang Ergou's match simply for amusement and entertainment,
then their objectives had now unconsciously changed.
Their regard for Zhang Ergou had simultaneously increased.
After all, the outer sect competition was only a month away, and Zhang Ergou was clearly another formidable contender.
Previously, they had only considered each other as rivals.
But they knew each other too well, so victory depended on surprise or who broke through first.
What they hadn't expected was that after just a few months of seclusion, the outer sect of the Misty Sect had undergone such significant changes.
Zhang Ergou had emerged like a dark horse.
He had caught everyone off guard. Fortunately, there was still a month left; otherwise, encountering an anomaly like Zhang Ergou,
they might indeed be ambushed.
Their gazes towards the training ground became much more serious.
The casual air of watching a spectacle was gone. Clearly, Zhang Ergou now possessed the strength to command their attention.
Zhang Ergou hadn't expected that by simply showcasing one move on the training ground, he had captured the attention of all the direct disciples.
Had he known, would he have become arrogant!
At this moment, the situation on the training ground was quite dire.
Although Yu Heng was an earth-element spiritual root cultivator who practiced earth-element techniques, his defensive and damage-resistant capabilities should have been quite strong.
However, he had encountered Zhang Ergou, a prodigy who not only practiced Lion's Heart Fury but also cultivated his physique with the Phoenix Rebirth Body Refinement technique.
With Zhang Ergou in close quarters, Yu Heng was like Wei Chen and Song Zhinan before him, full of strength but unable to use it.
Battles between cultivators had always been contests of spells and techniques. This was Yu Heng's first time facing someone who relied solely on physical strength and close-quarters combat.
Every time Yu Heng tried to cast a spell, Zhang Ergou would violently interrupt him with Lion's Heart Fury.
Yu Heng was furious yet helpless.
He could only endure the onslaught. In a short time, his fists, elbows, and shoulders, any joint that could exert force, became Zhang Ergou's weapons against Yu Heng.
Despite Yu Heng's tough physique, he couldn't withstand Zhang Ergou's merciless assault.
In a short while, Yu Heng's face and body were covered in wounds.
He wanted to escape, but as an earth-element cultivator, he lacked speed and agility. Under Zhang Ergou's full Shadow Clone technique, escape was impossible.
AHHH!
Yu Heng roared, but it was futile.
"This is too brutal! Senior Brother Yu Heng is being completely dominated by Zhang Ergou!"
"My heavens, is this still the strong and fierce Senior Brother Yu Heng?"
"If Senior Uncle Xiayang knew his own direct disciple was being beaten black and blue by Zhang Ergou, what would he think!"
"This Zhang Ergou is not human! He uses this close-quarters combat skill every time he fights someone."
The crowd in the stands chattered endlessly, and the general sentiment was no longer solely in admiration of Yu Heng.
The disciples watching were also beginning to waver. If Zhang Ergou's previous victories over Song Zhinan and Wei Chen could be attributed to luck,
then Zhang Ergou, who was now overpowering and beating up Yu Heng, a direct disciple of Senior Uncle Xiayang, could already be considered an expert among the outer disciples of the Misty Sect.
Not everyone possessed the strength to fight Yu Heng.
Even the direct disciples from the main peaks were only his match, barely winning by a move or two against each other.
Zhang Ergou's overwhelming, crushing defeat left the direct disciples stunned.
If only they knew Zhang Ergou had only been cultivating for a few months,
who knew what they would think or if they would still consider themselves geniuses.
Putting themselves in Zhang Ergou's place, if they were the ones fighting him, could they handle his peculiar close-quarters combat skills?
Upon realizing the answer was no, a cold sweat broke out on their bodies.
The most speechless and wronged person at this moment was Yu Heng, who was being brutally beaten by Zhang Ergou. Pain was not terrifying, injury was not terrifying, and bleeding was not terrifying.
What was most humiliating was that he was being beaten senseless with no power to retaliate.
He had seen those guys sitting in the stands earlier, and he wondered how they were laughing at him now.
Thinking of this, Yu Heng even felt a desire to be knocked unconscious by Zhang Ergou.
It was too damn embarrassing!
Not only had he challenged a junior brother two cultivation realms below him, but he was also being utterly dominated by him. Where could he even find justice?
If he had the chance to choose again, Yu Heng would definitely not challenge Zhang Ergou. Su Dan Novel Network
This kid was not human; he was a monster and shouldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
With every punch and kick Zhang Ergou landed on Yu Heng, Yu Heng could only passively defend, utterly helpless.
He wanted to cry but had no tears!
"Junior Brother Ergou, can we discuss something?"
Suddenly, a faint voice reached Zhang Ergou's ears.
"What is it?" Zhang Ergou frowned and looked at Yu Heng in confusion, but his actions didn't stop.
"You know I value my reputation. Being beaten like this, I don't know how those guys are laughing at me," Yu Heng said with difficulty, covering his head.
"I admit defeat now, but can you promise me not to make me lose too badly?"
"Senior Brother means, we'll call it a draw."
"Clever!" Yu Heng nodded in approval.
"But what's in it for me?"
"Uh!" Yu Heng was somewhat dumbfounded!