Chapter 87: Goldenscale Palm

A black serpent uncoiled from behind Zhang Lie's back. As it raised its head, waves of dark energy flooded the room. The serpent hissed and black ripples spread out from its body, corroding everything they touched.

Behind Yang Ze emerged a giant shark, opening its maw wide so everyone could see its rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

"Captain, here I come!" Yang Ze swung down with his greatsword, and the giant shark flicked its tail and launched itself toward Zhang Lie.

Zhang Lie didn't seem very concerned. He raised an arm and held Venombane horizontally in front of his chest. The serpent behind him coiled around his body.

As the giant shark struck the serpent, its body dissolved into water-attuned genetic energy. [The Boundless Blade] was a mythic-grade technique, and it was impressive enough that Yang Ze had managed such a blow, even if Zhang Lie's defense was more than capable of nullifying it.

Thus ended the fight.

"Your [Mirrored Refraction] and [The Boundless Blade] are uniquely yours, and I'm impressed by how much individualism you've put into both techniques. That you were able to do so much in so little time is an impressive feat," Zhang Lie praised. Gtt the ltest vls at .o/(v)/e/l/bi(.)co

"Ah, I'm still too weak! Captain, if you came at me seriously, I probably wouldn't be able to defend against a single blow of yours."

Zhang Lie stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "Not yet, but we'll see about the future, won't we?"

Yang Ze beamed as he walked toward Fang Yi.

"I've already tested both of them, so which of you is up next?"

"Li Feng's our last hope, so let me go first!"

Sun Xiaowu dashed forward. Whereas Fang Yi had focused on speed and strength, and Yang Ze on charging up for a single, devastating blow, Sun Xiaowu had honed his sharpness.

The two hunters that Zhang Lie had faced had both made massive gains within the last month, and Zhang Lie was very pleased with their efforts. From the aura emanating from Sun Xiaowu, he seemed to have made equally significant progress.

As for Sun Xiaowu, he certainly didn't dare take it easy against an opponent like Zhang Lie. Despite their month of effort, their captain hadn't slacked off, either. He raised a hand, his polearm gleaming with resplendent light.

"Captain, face my [Golden Divide]!" The beam shot straight toward Zhang Lie.

"Not bad, not bad! You've made excellent progress with that technique." Zhang Lie stepped to one side, easily avoiding the blow. Sun Xiaowu's strength had increased by far more than he had expected, surely a result of an endless amount of hard work.

"What else do you have? Come at me!" Zhang Lie triggered [Mirrored Refraction] and appeared silently behind Sun Xiaowu. "Take this: [Fists of the Silent Sea]!"

"I'm ready, Captain! [Adamantine Aegis]!" A layer of golden runes covered his skin, absorbing Zhang Lie's [Fists of the Silent Sea] for a single moment before dissolving immediately afterward.

"[Blinding Flash]!" The next moment, Sun Xiaowu's body divided into a dozen illusions.

Zhang Lie smiled as he took a few steps back. Against an opponent of equal strength, this would have been a devastating skill. It would be extremely difficult to distinguish the real body from the fakes, allowing Sun Xiaowu to sneak up and attack his opponent.

The advanced form of this technique would be able to generate hundreds of such illusions, almost guaranteeing a direct hit for Sun Xiaowu.

"You're still not too adept at controlling and manufacturing these illusions of yours yet, and it's too easy to identify your actual body." Zhang Lie easily found the true Sun Xiaowu.

Feeling a premonition of danger, Sun Xiaowu hurriedly retreated.

Zhang Lie was just about to step forward when he sensed a fluctuation of genetic energy coming from behind.

Hmm? Interesting.?If he weren't mistaken, Sun Xiaowu was behind him, and what he had thought to be the real Sun Xiaowu was nothing more than a meticulous fake.

Indeed, this was the truth.

"Captain, I'm behind you!" Sun Xiaowu called out in delight, thinking that his deception had succeeded.

Very soon, however, he was unable to smile. Having deduced that Sun Xiaowu was behind him, Zhang Lie turned around and blasted him back with a humongous wave of genetic energy.

"Captain, can't you give me a chance?! I trained hard for a whole month, but the difference in our strength is only growing!"

What Sun Xiaowu thought to be the perfect decoy was nevertheless seen through, and his attack was so easily dispelled with a [Three-Wave Crescendo]! Sun Xiaowu wasn't wrong: Zhang Lie's strength had grown by leaps and bounds in the last month. However, he had also been stronger than the six of them from the beginning.

Sun Xiaowu and the others had gotten a month of intensive training, but they still needed to practice their techniques on live opponents. Fighting with others was the fastest and most impactful means of improvement, and Sun Xiaowu and the others would need opponents of similar caliber.

"You've already done very well. There's no need to rush thingsbe patient and you'll surely see more and more improvement," Zhang Lie consoled him.

[Blinding Flash] had significant potential for confusing his opponents, as long as he was able to use it well. It could prove crucial for escaping or for giving an opponent a lethal blow.

Unfortunately, there weren't many chances to use the technique in this fashion, and Zhang Lie would have to give him a few pointers before they departed for the Void Cup.

He wasn't done with Sun Xiaowu just yet, however. "How about your legendary-grade [Goldenscale Palm]? Show me that!"

Sun Xiaowu's eyes brightened. "Take this, Captain!"

His right arm glowed with resplendent light. It suddenly bulked up, and a layer of dense golden scales emerged over his skin. An aura of intense strength emanated from his body. Sun Xiaowu took a step forward, then punched with all his might, generating a dominating wave of genetic energy.

"Very good!" Zhang Lie praised again. Except for him, no hunter present would be able to take this blow without suffering some degree of injury. To have trained a legendary-grade technique to this extent in such a short period of time, Sun Xiaowu must have given it his all.

He allowed the punch to get within a palm's length of his body to sense its strength before countering with a blow of his own. "Let's end it here!"

Sun Xiaowu felt a tremor in his right arm as the genetic energy from his technique receded, then stumbled back from the force of Zhang Lie's punch. It took him ten steps before he could regain his footing.

"Captain, you're far too strong!" Sun Xiaowu gasped.

"Your [Goldenscale Palm]'s a very domineering technique, and hardly anyone at the same level will be able to suffer the attack unharmed," Zhang Lie evaluated. He was very pleased with Sun Xiaowu's progress.

Chapter end