My Auto Cloning System-Chapter 88: Mountain fist

Xiao Hu felt his face go red with absolute embarrassment. "He... he just popped out? I dragged this ladder all the way from the storage shed for nothing? He was just hanging there for fun? Is he mocking me"

[Embarrassed Reactive points +1]

[Doubted Reactive points +1]

"You're late with the ladder, kid," Yin Zhe said with a sharp, and sarcastic grin. He reached out and pat the ladder's leg. "But I appreciate the effort. Next time, it'll be best if you try a trampoline. It's more fun for everyone involved." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Xiao Hu slowly climbed down the ladder, looking like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. "I... I thought you were stuck, sir. You didn't move for five minutes. I thought the stone had crushed your skull. And what's a trampoline by the way"

"Oh right you don't know what a trampoline is, I was busy contemplating the deep mysteries of the universe and the structural integrity of this palace," Yin Zhe lied easily, his voice smooth and calm. He walked over to the wooden table and sat down, feeling his incredible life-force pulsing in his veins. (Sigh of relief...)

He looked at the system screen one more time. The machine had given him exactly what he needed. He hadn't even realized how much his mental health was being drained by the constant pain of the black flames until that pain was gone. He was being healed faster than the fire can burn. He now felt sharp. He felt like an actual true villain who was finally ready to take over the xianxia world.

"Thank you, system,"

Yin Zhe monologued himself, with a real, dark smile touching his lips. "I think I'm going to like this Primordial Life-force. Now, let's see what else I can break.

---

*****

The air inside Arena 02 was screaming. It wasn't just the fans. the spiritual energy itself was rubbing together like dry sticks, making a high-pitched whistling sound that hurt the ears. (Whirrrrr!) Every pebble on the floor was vibrating, hopping up and down like they were terrified of what was about to happen. The sound barrier array around the arena was shimmering with a violet hue, struggling to contain the pressure leaking from Zhao Fei's blade.

Zhao Fei stood at the center, his legs spread wide, and his boots cracking the heavy stone beneath him with every pulse of his aura. He raised that massive Great Sword over his head with both hands. It wasn't just glowing anymore; it was a pillar of blue light that stretched toward the ceiling. The light was so thick that it looked like he was holding a fallen star.

"This next strike will finish it, Ren Tie," Zhao Fei said, his teeth gritted so hard that his jaw muscles were bulging. His chest was heaving, and his lungs burning. He was pouring every last drop of his Stage 9 essence. the pure, raw power of his core. into this single blade. "Please... don't hate me for being stronger. This is the end of your road for you!"

Ren Tie didn't look up. He stayed in his low crouch, his chin tucked against his chest. He looked small compared to the giant blue light, like a pebble sitting at the foot of a volcano. His hands slowly came together. (Smack!) The sound of his palms hitting was like a heavy book closing in a quiet library. "The mountain... does not fall," he whispered, and as he said it, his skin turned a shade of grey so dark it was almost black.

Zhao Fei let out a roar that shook the glass windows of the observation deck high above. (ROAAR!) He stepped forward, his foot landing with a sound like a giant's drum. (THUMP!) He brought the Great Sword down in a massive, and vertical slash.

"Great Sword Style: Heaven's Cleaver!"

The blue light exploded. A wave of energy, shaped like a crescent moon and twenty feet tall, tore through the air. It sliced the floor in half as it traveled, sending chunks of stone flying like shrapnel. (Rumble-CRACK!) Ren Tie didn't run. He didn't even flinch. He channeled every bit of his blue essence into his forearms. His skin turned so matte it looked like prehistoric granite. Then He crossed his arms in an 'X' shape.

(BOOOOOM!!!)

The blue wave hit Ren Tie's arms. The shockwave blew the hair off the heads of the people in the front row and knocked over the water cups on the judge's table. (Whoosh!) A giant cloud of white dust and blue sparks covered everything. For ten long seconds, nobody could see anything. The crowd went totally silent.

"Is he dead?" someone yelled from the back.

"He had to be turned into a pancake!"

When the dust finally started to settle, everyone gasped. Ren Tie was still standing. But he looked terrible. He had been pushed back twenty feet, while leaving two deep trenches in the stone floor where his feet had skidded. His clothes were shredded, and his forearms were bleeding, the grey stone-skin cracked and peeling away. (Drip... drip...) Zhao Fei was leaning on his sword, panting heavily. (Huff... huff...) He couldn't believe his eyes. "How... how are you still standing? No Stage 8 should be able to take that hit! My sword is the ultimate power! Why won't you just stay down?!"

Ren Tie coughed, and a bit of red spit hit the floor. (Cough!) He looked up, and for the first time, his eyes weren't calm. They were burning with a cold, hard light. "Your sword is heavy, Zhao Fei. But it's just metal. My mountain... is an idea. You can break stone, but can you break the world beneath it?"

"I can't take another one of those," Ren Tie monologued in his head, his vision swimming. "My bones feel like they're made of thin glass right now. Every breath tastes like copper and dust. If I play his game, I lose. I have to be the rock that trips the giant."

Ren Tie started to move. He didn't run at Zhao Fei. He started walking in a slow, and wide circle. (Clomp... clomp... clomp...) With every step, he hit his own chest with his fist. (Thump!) The sound echoed through the silent arena.

Zhao Fei grit his teeth, his face turning purple with rage. "Stop moving! Face me like a man! Why are you dancing around like a coward?!" He swung the sword horizontally this time, a wide, and sweeping arc meant to cut Ren Tie in half at the waist. (SHOOOOOO!)