Chapter 52: Xiao Li's Talent (Part Two)

“Has he opened the Fifth Gate?” Feng Xue narrowed his eyes, but made no move to stop Li—truth be told, there was no way to stop him. Though in the anime the release of the Eight Gates takes a long time, in reality it happens in an instant. Just like Emperor Kai’s Evening Elephant and Night Guy combos that seem to last minutes in the show, when brought into the real world, they would only take a few seconds at most. Honestly, if Emperor Kai could keep the Eighth Gate open for several minutes, he could probably kick down the moon itself—would you believe it?

There was no time for further thought. Now, wrapped in a sweeping torrent of air, Li charged toward Feng Xue, his entire skin flushed a vivid red from capillaries bursting with blood. His blood boiled, his strength burned—this was all Li could feel in that moment. A tremendous, overflowing power surged through his body, giving him the illusion that even the sun could be destroyed with a single blow.

But Li sobered up almost instantly. This wasn’t his first time using the Eight Gates, nor was it the first time he’d felt such intoxicating might. He didn’t suppress the sensation, however—instead, he channeled it, unleashing it all in a ferocious attack against Feng Xue.

Feng Xue bent his knees ever so slightly, power surging from his feet. His hands thrust forward, expertly diverting Li’s offensive to either side. With a combination of skillful force manipulation and the AT Field’s immense shockwave, Feng Xue brushed aside Li’s fists and seized the opening. He stepped in close, driving a palm, imbued with the power of wind and thunder, squarely into Li’s chest.

This move, of course, had a name: "Left-Right Iron Gate Breaker," one of the Eight Great Moves of Bajiquan.

"Got him!" Feng Xue thought as he felt victory within his grasp—only for a sudden sense of danger to flash in his mind. "Something’s off!"

His sharp instincts, honed through countless meals and battles, prompted him to instantly redirect the AT Field from his fists, gathering it instead into a multicolored, interlocking polygon the size of a heart-shield over his chest.

But then—crack, crack!—to Feng Xue’s incredulity, a bandaged fist smashed right through this so-called absolute defense, a shield meant only to neutralize and never to be broken.

"Impossible!" That thought barely had time to register before Feng Xue was sent flying once more.

Boom! With a thunderous crash, Feng Xue’s body left a massive, human-shaped hole in the wall, opening a view to the outside of the tower.

Coughing up blood, Feng Xue felt the suffocating pain in his chest intensify. Bajiquan relied on two key techniques during an attack: stamping and forceful exhalation. Because his ribs had been injured at the start, the latter was all but sealed for him.

Even so, a blow that concentrated all his strength through a stamp should not have been something Li could withstand.

After all, the Eight Gates only increased offensive power; in terms of defense, they offered almost nothing.

Wobbling, Feng Xue dragged himself from the rubble and returned to the arena. Li was still there, breathing heavily, left hand behind his back, right hand extended in his signature stance. Yet Feng Xue’s keen senses picked up a change—not just in Li’s aura, but in something deeper. Li seemed to have stepped out of the Eight Gates’ state entirely. His skin was back to normal, and a force utterly unlike chakra now enveloped him.

"No way…" On the stands, Mu Qianrou gaped at Li, suddenly feeling utterly inadequate.

Feng Xue too recognized the source of the strange power radiating from Li, his heart filled with a silent, exasperated cry.

“So that’s how it is. Li, you’re no failure—you’re a genius!” Feng Xue addressed him with a newfound gravity. “The one at fault isn’t you, but the world itself!”

“Huh?” Li was bewildered by this unexpected praise, yet his straightforward nature made him bow in thanks. Still, the stiffness in his movements betrayed just how exhausted he truly was.

“That idiot!” Neji’s face darkened. To so carelessly reveal his state—what if the opponent attacked right now?

But Feng Xue made no move to take advantage. He simply stood there, maintaining a subtle distance from Li, as if their confrontation had only just begun.

“To think he could, after a single exchange with Mu Qianrou, grasp the essence of martial will and swiftly form his own. If he’d never trained with chakra, but only cultivated his body, his achievements would be far greater than this!”

Indeed, Li was far from talentless. From Might Duy to Might Guy to Li himself, this lineage possessed the rarest and mightiest gifts in the entire world. They had pure hearts and indomitable wills, but most importantly—they worked harder than anyone else.

Not to mention higher-level martial worlds—even if they were dropped into a low-fantasy world like The Deer and the Cauldron or Sword Stained with Royal Blood, or even Dragon Snake—a world without internal energy—these three would likely touch the absolute peak, shattering the void and attaining the undying realm. Li, especially, with his innate gifts, might even achieve the feat of breaking through the void in an era devoid of magic.

No, perhaps the world of Hunter x Hunter, with its pure focus on honing power through fist and will, would suit him best. There, as an Enhancement specialist, once he mastered Nen, he might even realize Uvogin’s dream—one punch with the force of a nuclear blast.

Alas, he was born in this world polluted by chakra—a power laced with Kaguya’s personal will. For a martial artist, nothing is more taboo than borrowing the strength of others. The path of martial arts is, ultimately, the pursuit of self-sufficiency.

This is why Li cannot use any ninjutsu, and Guy can only use a scant few. No matter how much chakra they possess, the will of another embedded within it is instinctively rejected by their martial gifts.

Whether Yin or Yang Release, or the five elemental releases—Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Lightning—all originate from Kaguya’s bloodline, and repelling her will means they can use neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu.

Taijutsu, however, is the one force that can counter Kaguya’s lineage—hence Emperor Kai almost kicked his way to the final chapter.

But now, with a single exchange, Li had grasped from Mu Qianrou the power truly suited to him, and in his battle with Feng Xue, had refined it to the point of manifesting an aura. Feng Xue could already foresee that, in three years’ time, Li would need neither the Sage of Six Paths’ dreamlike tutelage nor Kai’s Eighth Gate. As long as he steadily cultivated his martial will, he could easily kick his way to the ultimate ending. After all, this was a force transcending this world and even beyond what Kaguya could comprehend—a being on Earth’s reality that could no longer be understood by ordinary means.

“Still, for all your incredible gifts, how long can your body, opened to five gates and protected by martial will, truly endure?” Feng Xue murmured, then stomped forward, leaping before Li and throwing a punch. To his surprise, Li deflected it with a forceful motion, sending Feng Xue flying in an arc reminiscent of Taiji.

“Damn it!” Feng Xue braced himself with both hands, retreating swiftly to brace for the oncoming onslaught. However, Li made no move to attack. He remained in the same stance, left hand behind, right hand extended.

“Could it be…?” Feng Xue’s expression grew grave. His long hair suddenly lengthened, transforming into countless tendrils that shot toward Li. Yet Li did not dodge, but, maintaining his defensive posture, brushed each one aside, then lapsed back into silence.

A look of respect appeared on Feng Xue’s face. He withdrew his stance and bowed to Li, then turned to the dumbfounded Hayate Gekkō and declared, “He’s already lost consciousness…”

Indeed, even unconscious from exhaustion and pain, Li’s unyielding will kept his body locked in a fighting stance. But now, it was finally over.

Or so it seemed—

“Damn it, if there’s no rigging from the Hidden Leaf, I’ll eat my own head!” Feng Xue exclaimed, waving a slip marked with the number ④, his face twisted into an exaggerated expression straight out of an anime. That slip meant that, in one month’s time, he would face Gaara in the finals!