Chapter 86: Questioning Blades with Divine Weapon, Debating Fists with Black Tiger
Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Questioning Blades with Divine Weapon, Debating Fists with Black Tiger
The spear extended further and further out of Liu the Monk’s back.
The protruding shaft was stained completely red. Blood trickled down the pole and spearhead, dripping to form a winding stream.
Liu the Monk advanced along the spear’s shaft, his saber raised high. He strode forward as if he felt no pain, as if the spear hadn’t pierced his own stomach, as if it wasn’t his own blood flowing.
Onstage and off, inside the arena and out, everyone was stunned by Liu the Monk’s death-defying bravery. Wang Heihu’s heart leaped in his chest, and he was grateful he hadn’t done something foolish.
Fang Wei’s brow twitched as he tried to wrench the long spear free. But with Liu the Monk’s entire body hanging from it, even as a flicker of pain crossed his face, Fang Wei found he couldn’t move the weapon at all.
If Liu the Monk had been any less determined—if he had tried to clamp the spear under his arm and charge forward—Fang Wei would have had a hundred ways to disengage his weapon and gravely wound his opponent in the process.
But he had let the long spear run him through, using his entire body weight to pin the weapon and charge. Fang Wei had never in his life encountered such a move, much less considered how to counter it.
As Liu the Monk closed in, saber held high, eyes bulging, blood spilling from his lips and his face a mask of ferocity, Fang Wei—a man who had fought his entire life—suddenly felt a flicker of fear.
He instinctively kicked off the spear’s shaft, sending it flying completely through Liu the Monk’s stomach and leaving a massive hole. But the motion threw him off balance. His footing faltered, and he stumbled backward and fell. Before he could even get up, he was scrambling away on his rear, pushing himself back with his hands.
As he watched Liu the Monk charge toward him clutching his stomach, the cold glint of the saber’s edge terrifyingly clear, Fang Wei thought it was all over. But then Liu the Monk staggered and finally collapsed, spent. The saber fell with him, landing squarely between Fang Wei’s legs.
Fang Wei scrambled into a split, his eyes wide. Seeing the saber had landed just three inches from his crotch, he let out a huge sigh of relief.
’Good thing he’s old and frail, not as savage as he was in his youth. Otherwise, I would’ve been castrated.’
He struggled to his feet and saw the dense crowd below staring at him. The thought that all of Panlong Town had just witnessed his pathetic display, that decades of prestige had been wiped out in an instant, made him flush with shame and anger.
Fang Wei stared at the fallen Liu the Monk and ground out through his teeth:
"Fine. Just fine, Liu the Monk!"
Liu the Monk, prone on the floor, forced his head up and revealed a bloody smile.
"A pity... I was just one step away..."
No one could know the agony he had endured while charging down the spear’s shaft. But judging by the blood that had spread over nearly half the stage, anyone else would have collapsed long ago.
But now, even if the Iron Cloth Sect’s sign was taken down, the people of Panlong Town would always remember a martial arts hall where they practiced the Iron Cloth Shirt, and whose master was absolutely savage.
And after witnessing that scene, they would no longer think the spear of Fang Wei—the man who had been sent scrambling and tumbling in retreat—was so invincible.
Fang Wei had dominated Panlong Town for decades. To lose face so completely in his old age made him so furious his beard trembled uncontrollably.
He glared at the gasping Liu the Monk, a vicious light flashing in his eyes. Suddenly, he lifted his leg and brought it down to stomp on the man’s head!
"Master!"
"You dare, you old villain!"
"The match is over!"
Shouts of alarm erupted from the crowd. The members of the Iron Cloth Sect tried to rush the stage to save him, but there was no time.
Blood rushing to his head, Fang Wei was about to bring his foot down when a strange WHOOSHING sound faintly reached his ears.
The reflexes honed by decades of martial arts training took over. He instinctively snapped into a "Golden Rooster on One Leg" stance, yanking his foot back.
An axe with a handle of shimmering, jade-like bone flew in a spinning arc, grazing the sole of his foot as it landed on the stage. With a loud THUD, it embedded itself in the floorboards, gouging out a deep pit.
Fang Wei’s heart leaped in alarm, followed by a wave of cold fear. If he hadn’t pulled his leg back just in time, his entire calf would have been sliced off!
"What rat dares to launch a sneak attack on me!"
Fang Wei spun around and roared in fury.
A tall, slender figure leaped onto the stage.
The newcomer was handsome as a jade carving, with a dashing, heroic air. Dressed in sharp black martial attire that accentuated his capable and clean-cut demeanor, it was none other than Xie Yuan.
Ignoring Fang Wei completely, he knelt to check on Liu the Monk, pressing a hand to the wound. He then called for Hodar, Lu Hong, and the others to hurry onto the stage and help stanch the bleeding.
Liu the Monk’s vision had blurred. As his disciples scrambled to treat his wound, he looked at Xie Yuan’s fuzzy silhouette and asked sluggishly:
"Who are you?"
"Master Liu, I am Xie Yuan."
Xie Yuan grasped Liu the Monk’s hand, his eyes full of respect.
’This is a true man.’
"Xie Yuan... What’re you doing here?"
A look of dawning comprehension, mixed with confusion, appeared on Liu the Monk’s face.
Xie Yuan smiled slightly and said,
"Master Liu, you never officially revoked my status, did you? I’m still a Core Disciple of the Iron Cloth Sect. When the sect is in trouble, of course I have to come back."
"Oh, it’s good you’re back, it’s good..."
Liu the Monk was already slipping into delirium, but a smile touched his lips.
"See? My Iron Cloth Sect... we can clearly produce outstanding disciples. Good enough to join the Longteng Escort Agency..."
"Of course. Master Liu is an excellent teacher. Your disciples can not only go to the Escort Agency for a bright future, but they can also take care of these enemies for you."
Xie Yuan said with a nod.
Liu the Monk couldn’t make out what he was saying, but Hodar and the others were startled and said instinctively:
"Junior Brother Xie, don’t be reckless!"
"Don’t worry, Senior Brother Huo. I’ve already reached the peak of the Second Training. Dealing with these two won’t be much trouble."
"What?"
"Sec... Second Training!?"
Hearing this, Hodar and the others could only stand there with their mouths agape, their faces a mask of pure shock.
’How long has Xie Yuan even been at the Escort Agency? He’s already at the Second Training? How is that possible?’
If this weren’t such a serious moment, they would have suspected Xie Yuan was just making a rash boast.
But seeing the calm certainty on Xie Yuan’s face, Hodar and the others could only exchange glances, full of shock and doubt.
’Is the Longteng Escort Agency truly a Dragon Gate, capable of turning a carp into a dragon?’
As they carefully carried Liu the Monk off the stage, Xie Yuan rose to his feet and met the gaze of Fang Wei, who had been waiting for some time.
Fang Wei recognized Xie Yuan. He had been studying him for a while, his gaze shifting from the young man to the axe at his feet and back again.
Seeing Xie Yuan’s somber expression, Fang Wei, who had overheard their conversation, snorted coldly.
"Young man, you’re exceptionally talented. Don’t throw it all away. However...
"If you insist on fighting on Liu the Monk’s behalf, so be it. But let’s make it interesting. We’ll wager the secrets to your axe technique."
In his eyes, Xie Yuan was an extremely talented young man. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a genius.
’His axe technique has a unique quality, and his cultivation speed is astonishingly fast. He has a great future ahead of him. He’s a hidden dragon that a small place like Panlong Town could never hold.’
’But no matter how fast he cultivates, how long could it have been since he reached the Second Training? In that short time, even if he progressed a thousand miles a day, he couldn’t possibly compare to my decades of accumulated experience.’
’How could a Martial Artist who just reached the Second Training possibly be a match for one who reached it decades ago?’
Fang Wei was still seething. If not for his desire to get his hands on Xie Yuan’s axe technique, he would have knocked him off the stage already.
Xie Yuan looked at him and shook his head.
"My axe technique? You’re not worthy of it."
"What did you say?"
Fang Wei’s expression changed dramatically. He watched as Xie Yuan pointed at him, then gestured to someone below the stage, before announcing in a loud, clear voice:
"I am Xie Yuan, a Core Disciple of the Iron Cloth Sect. I wish to test the blades of the Divine Weapon Hall and the fists of the Black Tiger Fist Hall. I ask that Hall Master Fang and Hall Master Wang please grant me the honor of their instruction!
"You can both come at me at once."