Chapter 60: Cannon Fist Unleashed
Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Cannon Fist Unleashed
WHOOSH!
The heavy Horse-cutting Blade sliced through the air, whistling as it chopped down toward Tang Wen.
Tang Wen kept his hands clasped behind his back. With a light tap of his feet, he darted back several meters like a swift bird.
The wielder of the Horse-cutting Blade advanced and attacked again; Tang Wen dodged once more.
One minute passed. Five minutes. Fifteen minutes.
The hands Tang Wen had clasped behind his back never once came out.
He simply used his footwork to lead the man with the Horse-cutting Blade on a chase around the entire field.
His opponent finally stopped, leaning on the pommel of his Horse-cutting Blade and panting heavily. The look he gave Tang Wen was one of utter despair.
’Can’t touch him!’
’I can’t touch him at all!’
Tang Wen hadn’t attacked, hadn’t blocked, and didn’t even have a weapon in his hands.
’He’s just circling within this small area, while I’m holding a two-meter-long Horse-cutting Blade with every advantage, yet I can’t even touch the corner of his clothes.’
Tang Wen glanced over at General Zhao.
The general, with a complicated expression, called a halt to the match. "That’s enough! Your Horse-Cutting Saber Technique is proficient, but you lack speed and explosive power. Go back and practice hard."
"Thank you for your guidance, General." The man with the Horse-cutting Blade left, dejected.
He glanced at the other fields, where all the candidates and Commanders were locked in a fierce back-and-forth.
This only made him feel worse.
Turning back, General Zhao said to Tang Wen, "You need to actually fight them. You can’t just keep bullying them with your speed."
Tang Wen nodded nonchalantly.
The previous three challengers had allowed him to get a rough grasp of their skill level.
And to understand his own.
The fourth person to enter the field had watched the match between Tang Wen and the man with the Horse-cutting Blade. Seeing that Tang Wen was unarmed...
...he also made a last-minute change, swapping his Steel Shield for a smaller Steel Round Shield and entering the field with a Long Sword in hand.
’Fully equipped, are we?’
Tang Wen smiled.
"Begin!"
In the blink of an eye, Tang Wen closed the distance.
The candidate, though startled, remained composed and slashed his Long Sword toward Tang Wen’s eyes.
Tang Wen punched upward, his fist smashing against the flat of the Long Sword with a crisp CRACK.
The blade was bent by the sheer force of the blow, and the candidate nearly lost his grip on the hilt.
Before his opponent could react, Tang Wen lowered his shoulder and sank into a horse stance. An image of a Fireball soaring up to bombard a mountain flashed through his mind.
A warm current surged through him as he threw a heavy punch.
Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist!
BOOM!
The fist slammed heavily into the Steel Shield. With a loud BANG, the Steel Round Shield shattered into pieces.
The candidate stumbled, trying to keep his balance, but ultimately tripped and fell to the ground.
As for his right arm, which had held the shield, it had gone completely limp.
"Cannon Fist?"
"You brat, when did you learn Cannon Fist?"
General Zhao’s face was filled with astonishment. He was so surprised he forgot to immediately call for aid for the injured candidate.
The man clutched his arm, his face slick with cold sweat, but he clenched his jaw and didn’t make a sound.
Tang Wen didn’t answer, instead quickly waving over a medic.
"Hmm, it’s not a huge problem. His arm is just broken in three places. Come, take him away. Back to the infirmary to get it splinted!"
Tang Wen breathed a sigh of relief. They were all Guards, and he didn’t want to inflict any permanent injuries on anyone.
"I said, you brat, when did you learn Cannon Fist?"
"Haha, just in the last couple of days. Perfect timing, I just learned it."
He wasn’t lying. The difficulty of practicing the Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist had exceeded his imagination.
[Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist, Master (121/3000)]
After two months of hard training, his Fist Technique had clearly broken through to the Master Level, but he still couldn’t use it smoothly.
Only in situations like the one just now, after his opponent revealed an opening, did he dare to use Visualization to throw a punch.
If an opponent were to launch a surprise attack, he wouldn’t be able to execute it in time.
"How many times did you view the Visualization Image?" General Zhao’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
Every request to view the Visualization Image was recorded, so Tang Wen told the truth. "It wasn’t a matter of ’how many times.’ I stayed there for a whole day."
"So you’re saying you only viewed it once?!" His voice suddenly jumped an octave.
Everyone nearby turned to look.
"Keep it secret! Do you understand, keep it a secret!" General Zhao instantly lowered his voice again.
’Another true genius!’
Tang Wen looked at him speechlessly. ’You’re the one who shouted it out loud.’
As the two of them were talking, the last person waiting to be assessed, an Imperial Guard Captain, had already fallen into despair.
He tore at his hair, racking his brain, but he couldn’t figure out any way he could possibly last longer.
’It’s not that I’m incompetent, it’s that this Commander Tang... he’s just too monstrous!’
General Zhao’s eyes were filled with delight. He waved a hand and said, "Alright. Seeing as you’re not very good at assessing others, I’ll take over."
Tang Wen readily agreed. "I still have much to learn. I must study diligently under you, General."
"Cut the flattery!"
"General, I am genuinely sincere about learning from you."
"Go on, go on, stand over there. Next candidate, step up."
Seeing his beaming smile, Tang Wen made a mental note: General Zhao really liked this kind of flattery.
The combat assessment ended. Aside from Zhou Bing and Tang Wen, only three new Commanders were selected.
Even with the two of them, they were still halfway short of the goal to select ten Commanders.
On the other hand, the goal of selecting one hundred captains was met. Many elite members of the Hunting Guards or the Forbidden Guard had been practicing martial arts for years and possessed a skill level approaching that of a Martial Artist.
They were ready-made captains.
The assessment and selection were over.
Tang Wen, Zhou Bing, and the three new Commanders followed General Zhou and the other seniors to the Queen’s palace.
Upon arriving, Tang Wen was somewhat disappointed.
Though it was called a palace, it wasn’t much different from the residences in the camp.
It lacked the imposing air that a dwelling of a great personage should have.
It was an ordinary building, just made with heavier stones and a slightly higher roof.
General Zhou led the way into a room with a plaque that read "Council Hall".
The room was empty.
There was a large round table, dozens of chairs, and a sand table with a terrain model in the center of the room.
"Everyone, have a seat."
SCRAPE. A series of chairs were pulled out.
Tang Wen and Zhou Bing sat in the seats near the door.
After some words of greeting and encouragement, General Zhou began to assign positions.
"Liu Sha, Zhang Mian, Qian Lai, please introduce yourselves to everyone."
Two middle-aged men and one young man stood up. They were the other three newly promoted Commanders.
The two middle-aged men introduced themselves first. They came from a regular Guard Battalion, had previously held captain-level positions, and were stationed in the Outer City.
Because their duties were light, they had plenty of time for Martial Arts Training.
After years of diligent and unceasing practice, they had finally mastered the Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist the year before last.
After another two years of hard training, they could now finally use it in actual combat.
Thus, they passed the assessment and became Commanders.
Generals Zhou and Zhao conferred in low voices for a moment, then asked, "Given your relative lack of combat experience, we will assign you to General Zhao’s command in the Inner City. You will jointly lead the First Hunting Battalion, with each of you in charge of 10 squads."
"Yes, General!" The two men stood at attention, their backs ramrod straight.
The younger Qian Lai was the third to stand up.
He came from the Forbidden Guard and was not yet twenty-five, a true genius.
When asked where he wanted to be stationed...
Qian Lai thought for a moment and said, "Generals, I would still like to return to the Forbidden Guard, but I feel the current situation there needs to change. We lack practical combat experience."
"Mm, we’ve noticed the problem you mentioned. As a next step, the Forbidden Guard will rotate between internal and external duties, so there will be no shortage of real combat. In that case, you may return to the Forbidden Guard!"
"Thank you, General!"
All three had spoken.
It was Zhou Bing and Tang Wen’s turn.
Zhou Bing needed little introduction. In both the Inner City and Outer City, anyone of status knew who she was.
The camp’s number one beauty, husband killer, genius, General Zhou’s niece.
Anyone with even one of the above identities would be a well-known figure in the camp.
The Ice Beauty had collected all four.
She said a few simple words. General Zhou did not assign her a post and instead gestured for Tang Wen to rise.
Tang Wen’s introduction was even simpler. "There’s not many people left in my family, just an older sister. As for my residence, I’m currently staying at Sister Bing’s place. There’s not much to say about my Martial Arts Training; it’s all just been my own hard work and effort."
"What hard work? You brat, you mastered Cannon Fist at fifteen. You’re a genius," General Zhao chided with a laugh.
"General, I’m no genius. I just take the time others spend drinking—drinking tea, that is—and use it for Martial Arts Training."
Everyone in the room was taken aback. His words seemed humble, yet also held a deeper meaning. They couldn’t help but look down at the tea in their own cups. ’Hmm, maybe I should quit drinking it from now on?’
A few seconds later, General Zhou cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Alright, next let’s discuss the duties for Zhou Bing and Tang Wen."