My Auto Cloning System-Chapter 89: Ren Tie

Ren Tie dropped flat to the ground, the blade whistling just inches over his back. (Whoosh!) The wind from the sword was so cold it gave him goosebumps. Before Zhao Fei could pull the heavy weapon back, Ren Tie used his hands to spring forward like a frog. (Boing!) He wasn't punching yet. He grabbed Zhao Fei's wrist. not the sword, but the bare skin of his arm. (Grip!) "Get off me!" Zhao Fei screamed. He tried to shake Ren Tie off, but Ren Tie was like a burr stuck to a dog's fur. Ren Tie's blue energy started to flow out of his fingers and into Zhao Fei's sleeve.

"Mountain Fist: Rooting the Soul!" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Suddenly, Zhao Fei felt his legs turn to lead. The Great Sword, which was already heavy, became more impossible to lift. The tip of the blade hit the floor and stayed there. (CLANG!)

"What did you do?! Move! Move, you stupid arm!" Zhao Fei panicked. He used both hands to tug on the sword, but it wouldn't budge. It was like Ren Tie had turned Zhao Fei's own body into part of the mountain.

"He's using his energy to link me to the ground!"

Zhao Fei monologued to himself, sweat dripping into his eyes. "He isn't attacking my body... he's attacking my gravity! He's turning the earth against me!"

Ren Tie didn't waste a second. He stepped in close, his shoulder hitting Zhao Fei's chest to knock him off balance. (BUMP!) He drew his right fist back so far it looked like his arm was going to snap. His entire body began to glow with a deep, and earthy brown light, it was the color of the oldest soil in the world.

High above, Elder Chen Niao stood up so fast he knocked over his tea. And (Splatter!) "That stance... no, it can't be! That's the third hidden form of the Mountain Fist! The boy is definitely a genius! He's doing what only masters can do!"

The crowd started to lean forward. The tension was so high it felt like the air was made of thick, hot syrup.

Ren Tie's fist didn't just glow; it started to pull in all the dust and tiny stone fragments from the air, forming a spinning ball of rock and wind around his knuckles. (Whirrrrr!) "Ultimate Mountain Fist: The Peak's Collapse!"

Ren Tie punched. He didn't punch fast. It was slow and heavy, like a landslide moving down a hill. But it was unstoppable. It felt like the entire weight of the arena was behind that one fist.

Zhao Fei tried to let go of his sword to block, but his feet were still "rooted" to the floor by Ren Tie's earlier move. Right now He was a sitting duck. He watched the fist come toward his chest, and in that moment, he saw the image of a massive mountain falling out of the sky.

(BOOOOOOMMM!!!)

The punch landed square in the center of Zhao Fei's chest. The sound wasn't like a fist hitting meat. It sounded like two planets crashing together in the dark. (CRACK-BOOM!) A massive pillar of brown energy shot out of the back of Zhao Fei's shirt,

hitting and dissipating when it came in contact with the sound barrier behind him. (Zzzzt-POP!) Zhao Fei didn't fly back. The punch was so "heavy" it just folded him in half right where he stood. His eyes went blank, his mouth fell open, and his Great Sword finally fell out of his hands, clattering against the stone. (Clatter... clank...) Zhao Fei collapsed into a heap, face-down in the dust. He didn't move a muscle. He was out cold, and his blue aura was completely extinguished.

Ren Tie stood over him, while his chest heaving, his breath coming in ragged gasps. (Huff... huff... huff...) The grey stone-skin on his arms finally shattered completely, falling to the floor like broken pottery. He was shaking from exhaustion, his knuckles were split and bleeding, but he didn't fall. He forced his legs to stay straight. He looked up at the judge, his face covered in white dust.

Elder Feng, the floating judge, was staring down in total silence. He had already seen thousands of fights in his life, but a Stage 8 defeating a Stage 9 with such a tricky, and high-level technique was something that would be talked about for years to come.

"Winner... Ren Tie!" the judge finally yelled, his voice cracking with excitement.

(BONG! BONG! BONG!)

The victory drums started to beat, their rhythm matching the heartbeat of the crowd. The sound barrier was down, and suddenly, the noise of ten thousand people hit Ren Tie like a physical wall of wind. (WAAAAAAAHHH!!!) The fans were jumping in their seats. They were screaming his name so loud the ground was shaking.

"REN TIE! THE MOUNTAIN! REN TIE!"

Ren Tie let out a long, and shaky sigh. (Phew...)

He looked at his broken, and bleeding hands and smiled. It wasn't a mean smile. it was the smile of someone who had just climbed the highest peak in the world.

"I did it,"

he thought, and his vision blurring as the adrenaline began to wear off. "I didn't fall. Yin Zhe... I hope you saw that."

Two medical attendants rushed onto the stage with a stretcher for Zhao Fei, checking his pulse and whispering to each other in shock. Others came to help Ren Tie, but he waved them off for a moment, wanting to stand on his own victory stage for just a few more seconds.

Meanwhile High in the VIP seats, the elders were already arguing, their voices loud and competitive. "He's a diamond in the rough! I saw him first!" one shouted. "No, he's a mountain in the making! His affinity for earth is legendary!. He might Awaken a earth element"

Ren Tie walked off the stage, his head held high even though his legs felt like they were made of jelly.

The stone floors of the preparation tunnel were freezing cold, sending shivers up Bao Zi's legs. He was pacing back and forth, his hands were shaking so much he had to tuck them into his sleeves. In the distance, he could hear the fading roar of the crowd from Ren Tie's match. Every cheer felt like a hammer hitting his heart. (Ba-dump, ba-dump!)