Little Struggle Peak Day.
In the vast Martial Arts Arena, Ning Zhuo and Hanzhou stood facing each other.
There were many onlookers.
Cultivators were very familiar with Hanzhou, yet for most, it was their first time seeing Ning Zhuo.
"Is he the Ning Zhuo from Fire Persimmon Immortal City?"
"As I see it, he's quite ordinary. How could he have caught the young miss's fancy?!"
"Whether he is ordinary or not will be seen in this battle."
Many scrutinizing gazes rested upon Ning Zhuo.
Including those of Lin Shanshan, who was in disguise.
Having promised Ning Zhuo she would attend the battle, she made good on her word. However, these days, she had also heard some annoying rumors, so this time she opted for a slight disguise and did not use her real appearance.
Lin Shanshan blended into the crowd, inconspicuous.
Little did she know, a gaze stealthily descended, overlooking the entire Martial Arts Arena, and precisely located Lin Shanshan among the people.
The owner of this gaze was none other than the Sect Leader Lin Bufan of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect.
He handled myriad affairs daily, and it was a particularly busy time for him. Ordinarily, he would not have learned of such trivial news.
However, those around him catered to his interests, concerned for their leader, and informed him while he rested.
"Shanshan has never shown such interest in a male cultivator ever since she was young. Who is this Ning Zhuo? Look into it for me."
After issuing his command, Lin Bufan also took note of the day Ning Zhuo and Hanzhou would clash.
Now, he specifically paused his current tasks, activated an Array, and despite being far away at Yuanlai Mountain, he could view every large and small battle on Little Struggle Peak, clearly and thoroughly.
"Quite a good looking shell..." Lin Bufan's first look at Ning Zhuo made him nod slightly.
He himself had a handsome appearance, and Ning Zhuo's bearing also made him feel that the latter came from no ordinary background, at least from a Cultivation family.
Lin Bufan's first impression of Ning Zhuo was rather favorable.
Ning Zhuo sized up Hanzhou.
Hanzhou had a thin figure and a pale face.
His face was covered with the traces of frostbite and erosion from harsh weather, looking exhausted and troubled. However, his eyes were very calm, exuding a strong will and fearlessness towards adversity.
His sparse and disheveled hair was a greyish-white, as if remnants of melting snow and ice, casually tied at the back of his head with a simple hemp rope, unkempt and chaotic.
He wore an old, grey robe covered in patches and cracks. On his feet were worn straw sandals that made a rustling sound when walking, their soles worn thin, exposing his toes, turned blue from the cold.
His skin was extremely rough, full of frostbite scars and blemishes, his fingers tinged with a layer of white frost.
Generally speaking, even if a cultivator is not wealthy, they would still present themselves in a relatively clean manner, with at least neat clothing.
But Hanzhou was not like that. He seemed to fear that others would not know he came from a beggar's background.
Ning Zhuo bowed his hands in salute, "Brother Hanzhou, I've long been looking forward to this battle. Today, I wish to experience the power of your Bitter Cold Scripture."
Hanzhou's voice was hoarse, "Daoist Fellow Ning, our fates have resulted in this battle, so let us both do our utmost."
Hanzhou was very forthright. After saying this, he took a step forward, rushing towards Ning Zhuo.
He clenched his fists, cold Qi scattering all around, forming frost flowers.
Frost Freeze Fist!
Ning Zhuo's face was solemn. The moment Hanzhou made his move, he almost simultaneously retreated backward.
As he retreated, he invoked a spell.
In an instant, green vines broke through the ground, slithering like snakes, entwining towards Hanzhou.
Hanzhou abruptly sped up, attempting to circumvent the vines.
Ning Zhuo expanded his Divine Sense, continuously controlling the growth of the vines, wrapping them around Hanzhou.
Seeing he couldn't dodge, Hanzhou simply stood still and let out a low shout, his fists flying in shadows.
The blows landed on the vines, immediately freezing them solid, with cold Qi overflowing, rapidly spreading around.
Ning Zhuo had long received intelligence, having investigated that the cold Qi emitted by Hanzhou contained profound mysteries, derived from the practice of the Bitter Cold Scripture.
This Qi was difficult to defend against and easily penetrated a cultivator's body, eroding both flesh and spirit.
Initially, this erosion was almost imperceptible.
But as time went by, with continual accumulation, the impact of the erosion became more and more substantial.
If a cultivator did not possess effective means to dispel this Bitter Cold Qi, the internal injuries would grow increasingly severe, significantly deteriorating their condition.
Many enemies throughout Hanzhou's history had fallen to the Bitter Cold Qi.
Ning Zhuo stimulated the Five Elements Mana and after a series of transformations, refined it into the Fire-attribute.
With a point of his finger, a fire column immediately shot out.
The fire column started thin, but halfway through its trajectory, it expanded into a python-like mass, and by the time it struck near Hanzhou, it had swollen to the size of a pillar in a palace hall.
Hanzhou stood firm, without a single dodging movement, allowing the flames to pour down over his head and envelop his entire body.
The flames scorched for a moment, but intense Bitter Cold Qi infiltrated into the fire, immediately causing the flames to wither.
Despite Ning Zhuo's reinforcement of Mana, he could not increase the fire's intensity by much.
After a few breaths, the flames that had originally burned on Hanzhou had dwindled to mere embers, clinging to the tips of his hair and the edges of his clothing.
"Good Fire-attribute," said Hanzhou, commenting solely on that before continuing his charge at Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and then cast Earth Element Magic.
Sand and dust whirled up, enveloping the entire Martial Arts Arena.
The sand clung to Hanzhou's body, accumulating continuously, until he was gradually encased in a figure resembling a mud sculpture.
Earth Element Magic—Mud Sculpture Technique!
But soon, the surface of the mud sculpture began to seep out swathes of white frost from inside out.
The white frost froze the dirt into chunks, breaking down its structure, which all fell away.
Hanzhou stepped out with a renewed stride, emerging from the mud sculpture; his expression was calm, his gaze resolute and filled with somber determination—he simply said, "Good Earth Element."
Ning Zhuo, expressionless, then deployed Gold Element Technique.
His palm sliced through the air like a knife, targeting Hanzhou with a virtual cut. Successive palm prints turned into golden knives in midair, chopping towards Hanzhou.
Hanzhou marched forward, still without evading.
When the Golden Knives struck him, they did succeed in tearing his clothing further and left cuts on his body, from which some fresh blood flowed.
"Good Gold Element!"
Hanzhou's expression grew increasingly somber, but his momentum surged to its peak.
Though he was merely passively receiving blows, he made an exceptionally imposing impression—the pressure Ning Zhuo felt was the deepest, like being pressed by a giant boulder.
The spectators were abuzz with discussion.
"Hanzhou has brought out his full battle readiness from the start."
"Though I am just an observer, I can feel his respect for Ning Zhuo from Hanzhou's attitude. It's because of this respect that he's gone all out from the moment the battle began, employing the Suffering Body."
"Ning Zhuo's spellcasting is very adept. Yet even the attack-focused Gold Element only caused Hanzhou superficial injuries. He's in danger!"
Lin Shanshan, mingling in the crowd, heard everyone's commentary and very much agreed.
She couldn't help feeling nervous, knowing that Hanzhou's onslaught was going to be even more fierce and ferocious.
This was because the "Suffering Body" was akin to the "Vajra Body," a physical technique that strengthened one's own defenses, but the former increased one's abilities significantly by withstanding external blows.
As long as Hanzhou was able to fight, the more blows he received, the stronger he became.
"Young Master Ning Zhuo's Gold Element Technique had little effect, unable to break through the Suffering Body with a single strike; what can he do now?" Lin Shanshan's heart was fraught with anxiety.
She desperately hoped for Ning Zhuo's victory.
Not only did she hold a lot of fondness for Ning Zhuo, but she had also put in a great effort to help train him.
The more she invested, the more inclined she was to view things from Ning Zhuo's perspective.
Hanzhou's stomp cracked the ground of the Martial Arts Arena, and with his speed shooting up like a bullet, he charged at Ning Zhuo.
The distance between them closed rapidly!
Ning Zhuo battled against time, pushing forward with both palms to deploy a Water Element Technique.
Three waves of water formed out of nowhere, surging with great force to repel Hanzhou, to push him back.
Hanzhou was stymied by the first onslaught of water, but by the second, he grew strong enough to stand his ground.
Come the third wave, he burst forth against the current!
The more he was assaulted, the more formidable he grew. Such was the peculiar nature of the Suffering Body, which naturally diminished the combat will of his opponent.
Hanzhou, using his body like a blade, cleaved through the waves, finally reaching directly in front of Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo took a deep breath, his eyes sparkling with determination. After days of intensive training, he was seizing this moment to test the results of his rigorous regimen!
They clashed with punches and kicks, engaging in close combat.
At first, they seemed evenly matched, but soon, Hanzhou seized the rhythm.
His fists and feet alternated in relentless attack, like a torrential downpour.