Lin Yueru froze, struck squarely on the shoulder by Zhang Ergou's palm.
"Damn it!" Lin Yueru hissed. She was caught off guard by Zhang Ergou's reckless fighting style, allowing him to gain the upper hand.
However, her cultivation and strength were superior to Zhang Ergou's. After a brief moment of panic, Lin Yueru began to respond with composure.
Her expression grew colder, her face like frost. Her attacks became much fiercer, and she calmly dealt with Zhang Ergou's moves.
But Zhang Ergou didn't just use his fists; his knees lunged forward at Lin Yueru simultaneously.
"Treacherous!" Lin Yueru cursed inwardly, her hand swiftly blocking Zhang Ergou's knee.
"Heh heh, the more treacherous moves are yet to come," Zhang Ergou chuckled, his offensive surge not diminishing but increasing in ferocity and dominance.
Roar!
A strange lion's roar accompanied each of Zhang Ergou's attacks.
Beside them, Qiao Yanyun narrowed his eyes, watching Zhang Ergou's profound close-combat techniques with silent admiration.
"What kind of fortuitous encounter did this brat have to learn such exquisite close-combat skills?"
With Qiao Yanyun's knowledge, he was certain no one in the Misty Sect practiced such skills, thus ruling out the possibility of Zhang Ergou learning it from Chunyang Sanren.
Like a lion descending from the mountain, Zhang Ergou used his hands and feet in unison. For a moment, Lin Yueru, who had been responding with ease, appeared flustered.
"This guy's close-combat skills are too dominant!" Lin Yueru sighed inwardly, becoming more frantic in her haste.
"Hah, good lad. Besides that kid from Dongyang Peak, this is the first time I've seen Yueru so flustered," Qiao Yanyun stroked his beard, his face filled with astonishment. "Indeed, to have caused half the disciples from Xiayang Peak and Qiuyang Peak to suffer losses, this brat truly has the strength for it."
Bang!
Bang!
The battle between Zhang Ergou and Lin Yueru grew more intense. With the mysterious close-combat skills of the Lion Heart's Fury, Zhang Ergou was for a time suppressing Lin Yueru.
Conversely, Lin Yueru's clothes were torn, her form disheveled. Her superior magical techniques had no opportunity to be employed.
Every attempt she made to attack was forcefully interrupted by Zhang Ergou, leaving her with no choice but to passively defend against his onslaught.
Bang!
With another loud crash, Lin Yueru and Zhang Ergou exchanged a palm strike. Their figures then rapidly retreated, and in doing so, Lin Yueru knocked over a stone monument.
Seizing the moment before Zhang Ergou could pursue, Lin Yueru had time to react. She formed hand seals and unleashed a powerful move at the charging Zhang Ergou.
"Ice Palm!" Lin Yueru's palm strike forced Zhang Ergou to retreat repeatedly.
"Snowfall From Heaven!" While Zhang Ergou was being pushed back, Lin Yueru again formed hand seals and cast a technique even stronger than Ice Snow Profound Heaven.
Behind Lin Yueru, dark clouds churned. In an instant, snow filled the sky. The snowflakes, like ice needles, shot out streaks of frigid light.
The power of this magical technique surpassed Zhang Ergou's comprehension. It seemed to cover this very world with ice and snow. At this moment, Zhang Ergou could only see a vast expanse of white.
He even lost track of where Lin Yueru was.
To defeat Zhang Ergou, Lin Yueru had resorted to her most powerful moves. She did not wish to lose to a disciple at the early Foundation Establishment stage.
On the periphery of the snowstorm, Lin Yueru's expression was solemn. Casting this technique consumed a significant amount of her energy, and her complexion was slightly pale.
To defeat Zhang Ergou, Lin Yueru had even revealed her last trump card.
Within the area covered by snow, Zhang Ergou was disoriented. He turned in circles, surrounded by a white void. Looking down at his feet, he realized he was going in circles.
It turned out Lin Yueru's technique also had a hallucinatory effect.
An ordinary disciple would have broken down by now, unable to endure any longer.
Zhang Ergou frowned slightly, a thought crossing his mind.
"Spirit Fire, appear!" With a flicker of thought, Spirit Fire enveloped his fist, appearing in Zhang Ergou's vision. The golden light soothed his eyes considerably.
Sizzle!
As the ice particles approached the Spirit Fire, they were instantly refined into gas and dissipated.
Zhang Ergou rejoiced. With a mental command, the Spirit Fire surged from his Dantian and manifested on the surface of his body.
If anyone could see him at this moment, they would perceive Zhang Ergou as a being made of fire.
Centered around Zhang Ergou, the ice particles rapidly dispersed, and the space before his eyes cleared significantly.
It was effective!
Outside the snowstorm, Lin Yueru saw no movement from within the snow-covered area for a long time, believing Zhang Ergou to be trapped by her spell.
She breathed a sigh of relief. She had never been made to look so disheveled by an early Foundation Establishment disciple before.
"To force me to use my ultimate move, you can be proud, brat," Lin Yueru's movements slowed slightly.
However, before her words could finish, the situation took a dramatic turn.
The snow that had covered the heavens and earth seemed to encounter its natural enemy, retreating and scattering. Then, Lin Yueru witnessed a scene that shocked her.
A figure wreathed in flames emerged from the icy expanse, instantly vaporizing the snow.
Clang!
Then, a fiery spear thrust out, aiming directly for Lin Yueru's chest.
In Lin Yueru's panicked and stunned gaze, the tip of the spear stopped an inch from her chest, unmoving.
As the flames receded, Zhang Ergou's figure became visible.
"Senior Sister, you lost!"
Zhang Ergou looked at the dumbfounded Lin Yueru with a smile.
"Ah, this...!" Lin Yueru stared at the composed Zhang Ergou with immense shock. The upheaval in her heart was unprecedented.
She had boasted that she would defeat Zhang Ergou within ten moves. And now, after only a few moves, she had lost.
It was truly ironic.
To have lost to an early Foundation Establishment disciple, despite her cultivation being half a step into the Golden Core stage and having used her ultimate move, Lin Yueru found it difficult to accept this reality.
As Zhang Ergou sheathed his Ghost Spear, Heaven's Inquiry, he lost his footing and stumbled backward, nearly falling.
If not for his Spirit Fire, he would have been defeated long ago and wouldn't be standing here.
"Hah! Good lad, your master certainly did not misjudge you. You have indeed surprised me," Qiao Yanyun walked slowly towards Zhang Ergou, his face filled with admiration.
"It was all luck. If Senior Sister's cultivation wasn't ice-elemental, I truly wouldn't have had a way to counter it," Zhang Ergou scratched his head and chuckled.
"You brat, getting the benefit and acting humble!" Qiao Yanyun playfully punched him.
Zhang Ergou bared his teeth, quickly took out a Qi-Replenishing Pill, and sat down to heal.
"Yueru, you must understand that cultivation is not just about meditating in seclusion. There are many extraordinary individuals in this world. Only by enduring battles of life and death can one solidify their cultivation and realm."
After sternly lecturing Lin Yueru, Qiao Yanyun pointed to Zhang Ergou, who was sitting cross-legged.
"Do you know why Zhang Ergou was able to defeat you?"
Lin Yueru pursed her lips, a hint of defiance in her eyes.
"It's just because his fire happened to counter my technique!"