With a deafening sound, the tip of Billy's spear knocked into the pagoda. Time seemed to stop for a moment after which, violent waves of power exploded out from the point of contact. It was as if the ground trembled and the arena was torn apart. All eyes were fixed at the spot where the two objects had collided.
Then the shaft of the spear bent, little by little, before the eyes of an astonished audience. Within a fleeting moment, it was bent completely into a bow, until it was on the verge of breaking.
Swoosh!
Astounded, Billy reacted quickly. He twisted his arms, drew back the spear and flew backward in an awkward gesture, pushed back with a mighty acceleration due to the spring force when the bent spear whipped straight.
"It's not possible!" he yelled in disbelief as he collected his wits.
His cry of surprise was heard by all. But this time, no one dared to make a sound.
Finally, in front of Austin, Billy was no longer the superior and confident warrior he had always been. For the first time ever, his face showed signs of alarm.
Austin on the other hand, felt elated. His long hair flew in the air conspicuously and there was pride rushing through him. At this moment, he was showing an awe-inspiring demeanor, with domineering confidence and pride.
"That's just the start!"
He suddenly yelled, rushing forward. Grand Pagoda Summoning Skill was more powerful than he had imagined. And it had felt so good that he wanted to use more of it on Billy, his supposedly strong opponent. With the pagoda in his hands, he attacked.
Grinding his teeth, Billy also let out a loud roar. All his vital energy gushed out through the veins of his hand and concentrated itself into his spear. The spear hummed and trembled under the mighty and forceful surge. Suddenly, it spiraled out like a viper and dashed towards the pagoda.
"Clink!"
"Clunk!"
"Clunk!"
Three times, the two weapons collided. Three times, the sound rang out. Beginning at the point of impact, violent and extraordinarily powerful waves swept out across the arena like a stormfront, sending pieces of rock and concrete flying everywhere.
With each stroke, Billy was forced a step backward.
Finally, under the gazes of more than a thousand shocked eyes, after the third crash, his body flew out of the arena and landed heavily on the ground outside, leaving a long trail of blood behind him.
It was this very moment when victory and defeat were divided between the two contestants. Billy had lost. Clearly.
The pagoda had blocked every single one of his attacks and had penetrated through his defense like through a sheet of paper. It had smashed his vital energy and damaged him severely.
Having witnessed the whole combat closely, all the outer disciples glared at Austin in horror and shock.
There were some who were less horrified and more awed, and they stared at him with hot envy.
Beyond almost everyone's expectations, Austin, the most unpopular candidate, had won!
His victory inspired all of the disciples present who weren't supporting Billy. Despite the risks, Grand Pagoda Summoning Skill was indeed a powerful spell, and impressed everyone. As a fourth-grade martial arts skill, once mastered, it could even have proved fatal to the enemy in combat.
And Billy's Dragon Winding Spear Skill was just not enough. Although he had learned to master half level of spear intent, the skill he was employing behind it was merely third-grade, one stage lower than that of Austin's. His defeat came naturally.
Having seen the true power of the Grand Pagoda Summoning Skill, many of the outer disciples were itchy to learn it. They were hoping they could also use it in their combats.
"This is impossible! I don't believe it!"
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