Chapter 87: One Punch to Subdue the Tiger, One Slash to Cut Down the Warrior
Chapter 87: Chapter 87: One Punch to Subdue the Tiger, One Slash to Cut Down the Warrior
At Xie Yuan’s words, a hush fell over the area around the massive high stage, silencing all of Panlong Town.
The townspeople stared blankly at Xie Yuan on the stage, all sharing the same thought:
’Has this kid lost his mind?’
’Those are two hall masters!’
’They just beat his master to the ground. What makes a mere disciple like him think he can take them on?’
In contrast, the eyes of Panlong Town’s magistrate lit up. He nodded repeatedly and instructed the scribe beside him:
"What a loyal and filial disciple! Quick, record this in the town’s annals."
As the scribe buried his head in his work, furiously writing, the magistrate stroked his chin.
’Hmm, it would be even better if Elder Fang doesn’t hold back and just kills him...’
The scribe paused upon hearing this, asking in surprise:
"This... I thought you admired his loyalty and filial piety, sir, and hoped he would win."
"Winning is impossible. It’s better if he dies for his loyalty and filial piety; that would be a rare tale indeed. We’ll add it to the local records and report it to the imperial court. We might even be granted a memorial arch. It would be a great story for Panlong Town to pass down! When that happens, perhaps I’ll get a promotion. If this story spreads like the Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, my name might even be known to posterity..."
"Your insight is brilliant, sir!"
The crowd gradually grew boisterous. The disciples from both the Black Tiger Fist Hall and the Divine Weapon Hall, finding the situation both ridiculous and infuriating, started shouting:
"Who the hell do you think you are! How dare you challenge our masters!"
"You’re courting death!"
Meanwhile, Hodar and the others from the Iron Garment Sect were also worried, feeling that even with Xie Yuan’s lightning-fast progress, this boast was far too audacious.
Fang Wei’s face darkened. Of course, he couldn’t possibly agree to such a request.
For two hall masters to fight a single disciple would be a disgrace even in victory.
He flicked his sleeve and said coldly:
"Young people don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. I’ll let Hall Master Wang play with you for a bit."
’That old sly fox is using me to test the waters again,’ Wang Heihu cursed inwardly.
But he was also thoroughly enraged by Xie Yuan’s unspoken contempt, so he didn’t say much. With a single leap, he was on the high stage, a fake smile plastered on his face.
"The Iron Garment Sect truly produces valiant Martial Artists. How admirable, how respectable."
No matter what, Wang Heihu was still the master of a martial arts hall and had held a prestigious position in Panlong Town for many years.
If it had been a hall master of equal status like Fang Wei or even Liu the Monk, it would be one thing. But for a mere disciple to dare shout at him like this—Wang Heihu was naturally furious. He would not tolerate such provocation and had to strike back.
’In his mind, if I can’t beat Liu the Monk when he’s going all out, can I not beat a snot-nosed brat like you?’
’A genius? So what? He only reached the Second Training within the last month! If you told me I couldn’t beat him a year from now, I might believe you. But right now? Absolutely impossible!’
Wang Heihu’s expression was grim. He even thought to himself, ’Old Ghost Fang just lost a lot of face. If I can defeat this kid cleanly and decisively right now, my prestige will definitely rise. I might even have a chance to gradually eclipse Old Ghost Fang!’
At this thought, a glint flashed in Wang Heihu’s eyes. He decided to use his full strength and aim to settle the match in three moves!
’In that case, I can’t let him use a weapon. Besides, he just said he wanted to practice his fists...’
Wang Heihu’s eyes darted about, and he chuckled.
"If you want to test your skills with weapons, you can ask for Elder Fang’s guidance. I, on the other hand, will offer you a pointer or two on Fist Skill. Come!"
Xie Yuan didn’t know what schemes were running through the man’s mind, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared.
He simply walked to the center of the stage, stood firm, and raised his hands slightly, assuming a fist-fighting stance.
Seeing that Xie Yuan’s stance was ordinary, with nothing special about it, Wang Heihu breathed a sigh of relief. He grinned ferociously and cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing loudly, then raised his bowl-sized fists.
A faint red glow appeared on his pair of iron fists. It was clear his Blood Qi was circulating, and his blood was surging, making them look almost twice the size of a normal person’s.
"Watch closely!"
Wang Heihu drew back his right hand and then suddenly threw a punch. The sound of his fist tearing through the air was like the roar of a vicious tiger, even drowning out the clamor from the crowd!
Seeing this, Xie Yuan wasn’t nervous. He simply pushed his own right fist forward slowly, with no fancy moves.
’This kid is too arrogant!’
When Wang Heihu saw that Xie Yuan actually intended to meet his fist head-on, he grunted. His arm accelerated again, his fist seeming to swell even larger, as he prepared to end it all in this one exchange!
Then, just as his fist was about to collide with Xie Yuan’s, his expression suddenly changed. He sensed something was wrong.
’There’s something strange about the wind pressure from this fist!’
He was an old master of Fist Skill. Even if he couldn’t see the subtlety in Xie Yuan’s Fist Skill, that heavy, solid feeling... ’It’s not right!’
Wang Heihu hesitated for only a fraction of a second before his face contorted in alarm. He subconsciously retracted his fist and crossed his palms to block instead.
But how could he possibly block Xie Yuan’s Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist?
The Kun Character Fist—heavy and majestic. A single punch was like a towering earthen wall crashing down.
The moment Wang Heihu’s palms made slight contact with Xie Yuan’s fist, a sharp CRACK was heard. His arms broke directly, and his entire body was sent flying off the high stage, spitting blood.
Xie Yuan retracted his fist. Without even glancing at Wang Heihu, who was being frantically caught by his disciples, he turned his head to stare at Fang Wei.
The noisy crowd fell silent. Everyone stared at Xie Yuan in disbelief.
One... punch?
He used just one punch to blast away Wang Heihu, a man who had been immersed in Fist Skill for decades and ran his own martial arts hall?
Wang Heihu had just been thinking of ending the fight in three moves, but unexpectedly, it ended in one.
Amidst the dead silence, Fang Wei slowly rose to his feet, his hand resting on the large spear beside him.
He ascended the stage step by step, looking at Xie Yuan with a hint of solemnity in his eyes.
"Your talent is even better than I imagined."
"Panlong is too small. It has limited your imagination."
Xie Yuan replied coolly.
"Perhaps."
Fang Wei nodded slightly.
"But Panlong is also large. Over the decades, there have been many young talents, but none have ever escaped the palm of my hand."
"That only proves Panlong still isn’t big enough."
Xie Yuan drew his saber and shook his head.
"There’s no need to waste words. Let’s begin."
"I’d advise you to use your axe. I’m not a hesitant fool like Wang Heihu."
Fang Wei held the spear behind his back. His graying hair and beard fluttered slightly in the wind, his expression now calm.
Xie Yuan agreed with his assessment.
Wang Heihu looked rough and bold, but in reality, his mind was full of schemes. As a Martial Artist who practiced a fierce and powerful Fist Skill, he was always hesitant. Although this wasn’t the reason for his defeat, his strength was far inferior compared to Fang Wei’s.
Fang Wei was different. He was domineering and unreasonable, and his martial arts were the same. When he wielded his long spear, he could be called invincible in Panlong. The momentum from decades of accumulated victories made him the most difficult type of opponent to handle within the same realm.
But the outcome of this match also had nothing to do with his abilities.
Xie Yuan slowly raised his long saber and said indifferently:
"If you can withstand one strike from my saber, then we can talk."
The area around the high stage grew even quieter.
A dark look returned to Fang Wei’s face. He shook his spear and berated him:
"Young man, you don’t know what’s good for you! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson!"
He twirled his spear in a flourish, and suddenly it shot forward like a viper striking, the spearhead becoming a faint shadow as it stabbed rapidly toward Xie Yuan.
At the same moment, Xie Yuan’s long saber fell. The wind from the blade let out a fierce and vicious howl, like a pack of wolves, instantly overwhelming the lone viper.
The shadow of the blade flashed and then stopped. The onlookers couldn’t see what had happened at all. They only saw Fang Wei, holding the shaft of his spear, trembling slightly, his lips drained of color, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Then, the front half of the great spear shattered into several pieces, clattering down onto the high stage.
The arena was once again deathly silent.
Hall Master Fang, who had dominated Panlong Town for decades, had his personal weapon of countless years shattered in a single exchange.
’If you can’t get close to someone wielding a great spear, then you just have to destroy the spear itself.’
Xie Yuan flicked his long saber, knocking the remaining half of the spear shaft from Fang Wei’s hands. He then kicked the old man off the stage, sending him tumbling down from the high platform.
’This guy likes to play dirty. Can’t give him the chance.’