As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 156 Xiong Tieshan's Shock
Hou Zhijian's choice of the multi-card strategy was not unexpected by Xiong Tieshan, and was even strongly supported by Xiong Tieshan.

He had long seen that this loyal disciple did not have the talent for the cardless style.

Even if it's just to make a living, you should learn more skills. Although being a sparring partner is hard work, at least you can eat your fill.

The Kuangtie Club is the culmination of my life's work, and I am determined to hold on until the very end.

But this stubborn and unpleasant old man wasn't so wicked that his disciples had to be buried with him.

only……

"Ah Jian shouldn't be that good, right?"

Xiong Tieshan scratched his stubble, which looked like a steel brush.

Hou Zhijian's true abilities are best known to his master. The two simple and unadorned low-level bronze cards, "Giant Sword" and "Great Rock Turtle," cannot be used for many different tricks.

But he felt that the more he thought about this unremarkable match, the more technically sophisticated it became.

First of all, Hou Zhijian's opponents are not weak.

Xiong Tieshan was very impressed with the player named "Battle Axe" Glass.

Because of last year's Dawn Cup, Glass unfortunately faced Chu Zhifeng in the first round, which led to his "first-round exit".

But in that match, Glass also fought a fierce battle for a full three minutes against Chu Zhifeng, whose skills were not yet fully refined.

After the match, Xiong Tieshan personally applied medical supplies to Chu Zhifeng and saw the bruises and swelling under the skin of his true disciple. He even saw a slight bone fracture under his ribs caused by his opponent's attack, which was enough to prove that "Battle Axe" Glass had strength far beyond his ranking.

This year's Grasse seems stronger than last year's.

Just by looking at his almost taut deltoid muscles, you can tell that he hasn't wasted a single minute in the past year, and he's eager to get revenge.

Therefore, when Glass saw the logo of the Kuangtie team, his eyes were bloodshot, and he jumped onto the ring like an angry bull, Xiong Tieshan exclaimed "Oh no!" in his heart, convinced that Hou Zhijian probably wouldn't last half a minute before being defeated.

Unexpectedly, the match turned out so ugly. Glass's fierce and unparalleled style was completely wasted, and he was completely suppressed by Hou Zhijian!
“A-Jian has become stronger. His two guardian spirits have become more substantial and refined, as if they have been upgraded by half to one star level.”

Xiong Tieshan muttered to himself, "Moreover, the connection between the two guardian spirits is even closer. 'Giant Sword' is not just a simple attack card. When the opponent attacks, it can also block the route and help 'Great Rock Turtle' fill in the gap."

Similarly, "Giant Rock Tortoise" does not just defend, but at the right time, it can use a move similar to "Iron Mountain Lean" to make a very subtle impact and make the opponent lose balance.

"No wonder 'Battle Axe' Glass was having such a hard time."

Moreover, Xiong Tieshan realized that Hou Zhijian was definitely not as tired as he appeared.

This disciple, whose talent was not particularly outstanding, had followed him for a longer period than Chu Zhifeng.

He was very clear about his disciple's personality and his instinctive reactions when he was physically exhausted and his consciousness was blurred.

Hou Zhijian's fighting spirit was the strongest he had ever seen among all the young people.

If he were truly exhausted and on the verge of collapse, Hou Zhijian would grit his teeth, widen his eyes, and use the "Locking Yuan Technique" from the Cardless Flow to shrink the pores all over his body, preventing his physical strength from being lost along with sweat.

It's definitely not like this now, panting, drenched in sweat, and looking like he wants to stick his tongue out.

"When did this kid learn to act?!" Xiong Tieshan was completely baffled. "His physical reserves are clearly still plenty, so why is he pretending that he can't even walk?"

Wait, there’s more!
When Hou Zhijian finally defeated Glass's Soul-Severing Axe with the "Giant Sword", he made a very subtle movement with his hand, and then a very blurry red light seemed to surge around the "Giant Sword".

A flash of red light disappeared in an instant, and the "Soul-Severing Axe" shattered into pieces.

Because of the fast pace, with more than a dozen matches taking place simultaneously, the attention of most spectators, including the commentators, was drawn to the more exciting duels, and few people noticed how this protracted battle of rookies actually ended.

Even those who noticed it wouldn't pay attention to the hidden and brief red light because they were unfamiliar with Hou Zhijian's strength and habits.

Xiong Tieshan knew that Hou Zhijian's greatest strength was that he was very clean in his actions. Even in the most intense moments of the battle, he would never make any unnecessary movements. Moreover, his "Giant Sword" could never possibly emit a dark red light.

"This is some kind of... very covert skill, with a flavor of 'intimidation, deterrence, and fear'?"
"That's impossible. The 'Giant Sword' is known for only being able to perform basic attacks and cannot awaken skills."

"How could Ah Jian have undergone such a complete transformation and mastered such advanced spirit control techniques in just half a month?"

Xiong Tieshan's mind raced, and he immediately found the answer.

"Someone has enhanced A-Jian's cards."

This answer, however, plunged him into even deeper confusion.

"Giant Sword" and "Great Rock Turtle" are both very mature and widely used low-tier bronze combat cards.

Over the past few centuries, countless card makers have tried to enhance and modify these two cards, exploring runes and inscriptions that can perfectly unleash 100% of the power of the remnant souls of the past.

It can be said that after hundreds of years of research, the potential of these two low-tier cards has been completely exhausted, to the point where there is no room for improvement.

Unless you spare no expense and use a large amount of rare and extraordinary materials to reforge it.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for their combat power to undergo a qualitative change, let alone for them to be given a brand new skill like "Fear Attack"!

"Is it... Ah Yan?"

Xiong Tieshan was startled.

Xu Yan is the only spirit card maintainer in the Kuang Tie Club.

This little guy from the depths of the wilderness holds so many secrets.

However, it's one thing to modify Black Iron civilian cards and strengthen training cards with low spiritual pressure output, but to make such subtle and exquisite adjustments to battle cards is even possible.

Before Xiong Tieshan could figure it out, he discovered a new surprise or shock from the massage technique Xu Yan used on Hou Zhijian.

"What kind of technique is this?"
"It seems to be disguised as massaging muscles and restoring physical strength, but in reality, it uses a special vibration technique to stimulate A-Jian's acupoints. While A-Jian has just fought a fierce battle with an expert, his nerve endings and muscle fibers are in a state of high excitement. This bombards his cells to further enhance his ability to withstand blows, and may even transform the combat experience into an almost instinctive muscle memory?"

As a seasoned expert in the no-card-play style, Xiong Tieshan naturally knew countless methods of muscle massage and acupoint stimulation to heal wounds, restore physical strength, and stabilize the mind after fierce battles.

But Xu Yan, who is young and unremarkable in appearance, seems to have mastered a secret technique that is more skillful, exquisite, and unfathomable than his own!

(End of this chapter)