Dual Peak

"Make your move."

Yun Kun could scarcely believe his ears. Was this truly the Yun Che from his memories?

Hmm!

The moment his gaze locked onto Yun Che, his expression subtly shifted, and a mocking smile soon curled his lips. "I knew it—so you've broken through to the second level of martial arts... Hmph! If this is all you have to offer, prepare to beg for mercy on your knees today."

Yun Che's cultivation at the second level of martial arts was only a mild surprise to Yun Kun. It had no impact on his plans.

After all, Yun Che had only recently attained the second level, whereas Yun Kun had been at it for a year or two, already reaching the peak of the second level. Moreover, his reliance on advanced martial arts was his greatest strength.

"Enough talk, I have little time to waste."

Yun Che's cold voice cut through the tension.

"You brat! Don't get too arrogant!"

Yun Kun exploded in fury, his limbs and body contorting into an eerie, treacherous posture, akin to a venomous serpent. In an instant, he lunged forward, aiming a savage strike at Yun Che's lower body.

In the blink of an eye, Yun Kun unleashed the "Toxic Snake Thirteen Transformations," his speed and explosive power far surpassing his previous attempts.

"Yun Kun must have mastered the first three transformations of the 'Toxic Snake Thirteen Transformations' to a minor perfection."

Yun Yu Han, who was watching from the archery field, revealed a hint of surprise, her expression tinged with admiration.

As a genius nurtured by her clan, she had, of course, practiced advanced martial techniques. The higher the level of a martial art, the more difficult its cultivation. If one could master the finer points of an advanced martial art to the minor perfection level, it would easily surpass the full mastery of an ordinary intermediate-level technique.

"So fast! Its power has at least increased by half compared to before!"

Yun Che was also taken aback by Yun Kun's movements. Thankfully, his reactions were quick, and his left eye allowed him to see through the trajectory of Yun Kun's strikes.

"Angry Dragon Raging the River!"

Yun Che roared, his legs sinking deep, his inner energy surging in response to the "Push Qi Formula," quickly condensing within his arms to initiate the first enhancement.

Yun Kun suddenly realized the explosive surge of energy in his opponent's body, and his aura spiked dramatically.

But what was even more shocking came next. As Yun Che unleashed the "Angry Dragon Raging the River," his energy once more surged between his fists, creating a second wave of amplification.

The third form of the Angry Dragon Fist—Angry Dragon Raging the River!

In that moment, Yun Che seemed to transform into a furious dragon, his aura as violent as thunder, his fists blurring into shadowy images as they crashed down with terrifying force.

Boom!

The first punch landed with a thunderous crash, sending Yun Kun's body reeling, his blood churning within him, nearly forcing him to spit blood.

The "Toxic Snake Thirteen Transformations" he had mastered emphasized flexibility, stealth, and deceptive maneuvers, not direct confrontation.

Yet Yun Che's fists seemed to read his movements, striking with precise accuracy at his soft spots.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fists blurred in rapid succession, each strike accompanied by the sound of a violent shockwave.

With the aid of the "Push Qi Formula," Yun Che unleashed the third form of the Angry Dragon Fist—"Angry Dragon Raging the River"—with an astonishing power.

"Ah..."

Yun Kun was sent crashing to the ground, his legs giving way as his arms went numb, a trace of blood dripping from his mouth.

"You've lost."

Yun Che took a slightly heavier breath and stepped back from the combat zone.

During the fight, he had activated his left eye, allowing him to clearly track Yun Kun's every movement, easily spotting the flaws in his attacks. Clearly, Yun Kun's advanced martial art was still not perfected or fully mastered.

What pleased Yun Che most was the unexpected power that the combination of the "Angry Dragon Fist" and "Push Qi Formula" had generated. It had already exceeded expectations, and he was now capable of challenging an average third-level martial artist.

"How could this be... I've cultivated an advanced martial art!"

Yun Kun crawled up from the ground, roaring in disbelief.

Their battle had lasted barely two breaths.

One move!

Yun Kun was defeated!

The Yun family disciples on the archery field stood speechless.

Though it had been a battle between equals, winning in a single move was still astonishing—especially when the defeated party had been cultivating advanced martial arts.

Watching Yun Che's retreating figure, Yun Yu Han murmured, "I know the 'Angry Dragon Fist.' It's a highly prestigious technique within the clan, almost on par with advanced martial arts, though incredibly difficult to master. He seems to have also cultivated another technique, which complements the 'Angry Dragon Fist,' amplifying its power almost twofold."

"Sister Yu Han, Yun Kun's cultivation level is higher than Yun Che's, and he's also practicing advanced martial arts. How could he lose?" A young girl beside her asked.

"Techniques are fixed, but people are alive. Yun Kun's use of the 'Toxic Snake Thirteen Transformations' is rather rigid, and he's only learned three forms, far inferior to his older brother 'Yun Qian.' In battle awareness, he can't compare to Yun Che," Yun Yu Han paused slightly, her eyes glimmering. "Moreover, Yun Che has cultivated two techniques, both close to advanced levels, beyond the minor perfection stage. With the combination of both, his strength already surpasses Yun Kun."

After hearing Yun Yu Han's analysis, the girl beside her was astonished. "Yun Che is truly that powerful!"

"Hehe, I heard that Yun Kun's older brother, 'Yun Qian,' stands out in the clan, ranked among the top five of the outer disciples. I wonder if he will seek revenge for his younger brother."

...

"Trouble really does seem to be endless!"

Yun Che shook his head and left the training grounds, heading towards a secluded mountain orchard within the clan.

He had come here, of course, to cultivate the most mysterious light-body technique he possessed—Piao Ling Du.

Among the hundreds of martial arts manuals Yun Che had taken from the Xuanwu Pavilion, Piao Ling Du was undoubtedly the highest-ranking. Its only drawback, however, was that it was but a fragment, and its cultivation was exceedingly difficult.

"The power of Angry Dragon Fist combined with Qi Pushing Technique is already this formidable; I wonder what wonders the higher-ranked Piao Ling Du might offer," Yun Che thought, filled with anticipation.

That very day, he began to immerse himself in the study and practice of Piao Ling Du.

As his focus deepened, the faint cyan spiral within his left eye's space spun faster.

Yun Che could feel the techniques and movements of Piao Ling Du embedding deeply into his mind. While its methods weren't as easy and straightforward as Angry Dragon Fist or Qi Pushing Technique, they were still relatively smooth to comprehend.

"The difficulty of cultivating Piao Ling Du is at least two to three times that of mid-tier pinnacle techniques..." Yun Che concluded through comparison.

Naturally, this difficulty was no obstacle for him.

In just two to three days, Yun Che had grasped the essence of the first quarter of Piao Ling Du's fragmented manuscript.

In a total of six days, he had managed to practice the first quarter of the technique, reaching the "initial success" stage.

For techniques that amplify strength, the cultivation process has four stages: initial success, small success, great success, and peak.

Initial success represents thirty percent of mastery.Small success represents fifty percent.Great success represents seventy percent.Peak represents ninety percent or more.

For example, Angry Dragon Fist—Yun Che had easily cultivated it to great success.

However, Piao Ling Du had only reached the initial success stage in the same amount of time, and that was only with one-quarter of the fragmented manuscript.

With a swoosh, Yun Che leapt into the air, his body as light as a swallow, gliding four to five meters above the ground.

Swoosh! Swoosh!...

His toes tapped off the branches of towering trees, lending him the exhilaration of soaring and gliding.

In an instant, Yun Che seemed to transform into a graceful swallow, darting through the forest, soaring and leaping with ease.

"This Piao Ling Du has already surpassed the great success of ordinary mid-tier light-body techniques at only the initial success stage!" Yun Che thought, elated.

This was proof that Piao Ling Du far exceeded even advanced martial arts in terms of rank.

Between his bouts of training, Yun Che did not forget to devote time to deciphering the remaining three-quarters of the technique.

However, fully unlocking the rest of the manual demanded immense mental energy.

Since leaving the Xuanwu Pavilion, Yun Che had dedicated a portion of his daily time to deciphering it. By now, he had cracked one-third of the remaining contents.

In other words, half of Piao Ling Du's full technique had already been revealed to him.

After reaching the initial success stage in Piao Ling Du, Yun Che did not focus all his energy on it. Instead, he resumed practicing Angry Dragon Fist and Qi Pushing Technique.

He understood that although Piao Ling Du was a high-ranking technique, it was a light-body technique, which contributed little to his overall cultivation.

After practicing a high-level technique like Piao Ling Du, returning to Angry Dragon Fist and Qi Pushing Technique seemed easier and more natural.

In just two days, he had made significant progress.

Qi Pushing Technique broke through to the third level!

Angry Dragon Fist was nearing peak mastery!

At this point, Yun Che closed his eyes, feeling his internal energy surging like a tidal wave. His physique and strength had grown more than half again compared to when he first broke through to the second stage of martial arts.

Inside his left eye's space, the faint cyan spiral had expanded from two feet to almost three.

"It seems my martial arts realm has reached the pinnacle of the second stage. I'm just one step away from breaking through to the third stage," Yun Che thought, taking a deep breath and suppressing the excitement building in his chest.

It had only been half a month since his breakthrough to the second stage of martial arts.

This progress was astounding!

Of course, what surprised him the most was the breakthrough in Qi Pushing Technique to the third level.

Once Qi Pushing Technique reached the third level of completion, Yun Che would have the chance to comprehend Martial Energy, the key to breaking through to the fourth stage of martial arts and becoming a true martial artist.

Yun Che had never anticipated breaking through to the third level of Qi Pushing Technique so quickly.

This advancement had made his internal energy far stronger than that of other martial artists at the second stage, and he was already on par with those in the third stage.

In just half a month, Yun Che's strength had nearly doubled.

All of this stemmed from his fusion with the mysterious eye just half a month ago.

Yun Che was certain that his once-mediocre fate had silently begun to shift...

That evening, Yun Che began to plan his future.

His first goal was the family martial competition scheduled a month and a half from now. He was determined to win, seeing it as a chance to leap forward, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

At that time, he intended to defeat Yun Yijian in a fair contest and prove himself against the true geniuses within the clan and even those from the greater Yuyang City.

"My left eye's transformation has granted me immense learning and comprehension abilities. Now, the only remaining gap between me and the clan's geniuses is... cultivation resources," Yun Che thought, his eyes gleaming with resolve. His mind quickly analyzed the situation.

Ever since merging with his left eye, his mental strength had grown, allowing him to remain calm and think more clearly than ever before.

Now the question was: how could he obtain cultivation resources?

While Yun Che's cultivation speed was rapid and he had reached the pinnacle of the second stage, breaking through the bottleneck still presented significant resistance.

With sufficient resources, however, this resistance could be easily overcome.

"I have it!"

An idea suddenly flashed in Yun Che's mind, and a confident, composed smile appeared on his face.