Chapter 260 - 259: Defeating Lei Gang
Chapter 260: Chapter 259: Defeating Lei Gang
"Senior Brother Fang is here."
A sharp-eyed Qingxuan Sect disciple suddenly called out.
Everyone followed the sound and saw Fang Han, dressed in a silver-striped cyan robe with a longsword at his waist, approaching at a slow pace.
His expression was placid as his gaze swept across the arena, finally landing on Lei Gang.
The once-noisy scene fell silent in an instant.
All eyes focused on him, filled with curiosity, scrutiny, anticipation, and even a hint of schadenfreude.
Seeing that the man of the hour had finally appeared, Lei Gang sized Fang Han up and down. The disdain in his eyes grew thicker as he snorted.
"Fang Han, you finally decided to show yourself? You’ve kept me waiting! I thought you didn’t dare to accept the challenge and were going to hide like a coward in your shell!"
Fang Han walked to the center of the arena and stopped about thirty feet from Lei Gang. He didn’t get angry at the taunt, only speaking coolly.
"My apologies, Brother Lei. I was just having breakfast. Next time you issue a challenge, perhaps pick a later time. At least wait until I’ve finished my meal."
His tone was flat, as if he were stating the most ordinary thing in the world.
But to Lei Gang’s ears, these words were undoubtedly the greatest slight and humiliation!
’I came here to issue a formal challenge, and he made me wait because he was eating breakfast?’
’He’s completely looking down on me!’
"You... Arrogant!"
Lei Gang flew into a rage. His bronze-colored face flushed red, veins bulged on his forehead, and he roared.
"Enough with the lip service! Let’s see what you’ve really got!"
"Since Brother Lei insists on a lesson, I will naturally oblige. Please, begin."
Fang Han gave a slight nod, his tone still as placid as ever.
"Take this!"
Lei Gang could no longer hold back. Seeing Fang Han accept the challenge, he wasted no more words. With a furious roar, the muscles all over his body bulged, and his Fifth Grade Inner Qi erupted.
He stomped his feet hard on the ground, cracking the tough Cyan Gang Stone floor into a spiderweb pattern. His body shot forward like an enraged bull.
His right fist clenched, knuckles letting out a series of CRACKLES. The wind from his punch was sharp and piercing, carrying a devastating momentum as if it could shatter mountains and shake the earth, and it shot straight for Fang Han’s face.
This was the ultimate technique of the Iron Fist Sect—the Mountain-Breaking Fist!
Before the fist even arrived, the sheer force of its wind was enough to make the spectating disciples gasp for breath, their faces turning pale.
’Mountain-Breaking Fist... renowned for its vigorous and aggressive style.’
Facing this incomparably ferocious punch, Fang Han’s eyes remained untroubled as records related to the Fist Technique flashed through his mind.
Only when the wind from the punch reached his body did he unhurriedly tap the ground with the tip of his toe.
His figure was like a weightless willow catkin, like an elusive wisp of flowing wind. In the blink of an eye, he silently floated back three feet.
It was the perfect distance to evade the thunderous blow.
The wind from the punch grazed his lapels, failing to harm him in the slightest.
’Hm? What a strange Body Technique!’
Lei Gang’s punch missed, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, but his assault didn’t stop. His left fist immediately followed, hammering toward Fang Han’s vital points like a torrential storm.
Layers of fist shadows appeared, the powerful winds howling as they completely sealed off all of Fang Han’s room to dodge.
However, Fang Han’s figure moved like a phantom, weaving effortlessly through the sky full of fist shadows.
He pushed the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step to its limit, the profound mastery of the Great Success Realm on full display.
Every time the edge of a fist was about to strike him, he would evade by a hair’s breadth, his movements graceful and composed, as if not a speck of dust could be stirred.
It was as if Lei Gang’s wild and violent attacks were nothing more than child’s play in his eyes, completely non-threatening.
"Damn it! Is hiding all you know how to do?"
After more than ten consecutive punches missed completely, not even touching the corner of Fang Han’s clothes, Lei Gang was both anxious and furious. He bellowed in rage, his attacks growing even more frenzied.
The surrounding spectators had now begun to see what was happening.
The disciples of Qingxuan Villa now wore expressions of relief and pride, while the faces of those who had been mocking him earlier gradually turned sour.
This Fang Han, with this unpredictable and ghostly Body Technique alone, was already in an invincible position!
"Then you’d better be ready to receive this."
A sharp glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes as he spoke with a cold smile.
He had been dodging not out of fear, but because he wanted to see what was so special about the ultimate technique of the Iron Fist Sect and to observe the patterns of Lei Gang’s strength.
Now that he had a general understanding, he would waste no more time.
SHIING—!
Just as Lei Gang threw another punch, at the precise moment when his old force was spent and new force had yet to be generated, Fang Han moved!
The Flowing Wind Sword left its sheath. Infused with Inner Qi, the blade let out a powerful hum.
His figure was like lightning. Though he moved second, he struck first, thrusting his sword with unerring precision toward Lei Gang’s right shoulder, which was slightly exposed from exerting force.
The speed of this strike was beyond imagination, the tip of the sword making a faint tearing sound as it cut through the air.
Lei Gang’s vision blurred. An incomparably sharp sword wind was already upon his shoulder. He paled in horror; it was too late to dodge or block.
THUD!
Lei Gang’s forward-charging body froze abruptly, then was sent flying backward heavily.
He crashed to the ground, a visible dent in his shoulder. If not for the Inner Armor he was wearing, his shoulder would likely have been pierced through by that one strike.
Although he wasn’t impaled, he had still suffered a massive impact.
His right arm hung limply, momentarily devoid of any strength. His face was filled with incredulous horror and confusion.
’Defeated!’
’I couldn’t even block a single one of his strikes.’
Silence descended upon the Martial Arts Arena.
You could hear a pin drop.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Fang Han, who stood in the center of the arena holding his sword, their faces masks of utter disbelief and shock.
One move!
Just one move!
Lei Gang, the third True Inheritor of the Iron Fist Sect, whose Cultivation had reached the Early Stage of Fifth Grade and was renowned for his Vigorous Boxing Technique, had been utterly defeated!
He hadn’t even managed to force out Fang Han’s true strength. After just a few tentative evasions, a single casual strike had decided the victor.
The gap between them was far too wide!
GULP.
Someone in the crowd swallowed hard, the sound exceptionally clear in the profound silence.
"Senior Brother Fang... is so strong!"
A disciple from Qingxuan Villa murmured to himself, his face filled with excitement and adoration.
The other Qingxuan Villa disciples were the same. They couldn’t help but puff out their chests, a sense of shared honor and pride swelling within them.
This was the new prodigy of their Qingxuan Sect!
In Luo Bingyun’s bright eyes, the cold indifference faded, replaced by an unconcealable look of astonishment.
She knew Fang Han was strong. She had already known from the True Inheritor rankings that his strength was surely above her own and Qin Hao’s.
But she had never imagined that Fang Han’s strength had reached such a level!
Qin Hao’s thick brows furrowed. A sharp light flared in his fierce eyes, and he clenched his fists, a great storm churning in his heart.
He was straightforward by nature and worshipped strength. Now, having witnessed Fang Han’s power, he felt nothing but sincere admiration for him, along with a hint of indescribable pressure.
"This Fang Han... his strength is actually this terrifying?"
"Lei Gang might be reckless, but he’s by no means weak. To be defeated in one move... It seems this Fang Han’s place on the Celestial Pride List is no fluke!"
"No wonder he could push Qin Xiaoran off the list. He’s the real deal!"
...
The disciples from other powers who had previously been spouting ridicule and waiting for a good show were now all pale-faced. Their gazes flickered, and they no longer dared to meet the eyes of the Qingxuan Sect disciples, let alone let out the slightest sneer.
The crowd’s gazes couldn’t help but discreetly drift toward a young woman in the crowd. She wore a goose-yellow dress and had a beautiful face, but her expression held a trace of imperious arrogance.
This woman was none other than Liu Feifei, the daughter of the Thousand Skills Pavilion’s Pavilion Master and the third True Inheritor of the pavilion.
Like the Iron Fist Sect, the Thousand Skills Pavilion was a power second only to the Seven Sects. As the Pavilion Master’s daughter, Liu Feifei had always had a spoiled and overbearing personality.
At this moment, however, Liu Feifei’s pretty face was slightly pale. She bit her lower lip, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief and lingering fear.
Her strength was on par with Lei Gang’s. She had come to the Commandery City with the intention of challenging Fang Han to make a name for herself, and just a moment ago, she had been secretly annoyed that Lei Gang had beaten her to it.
But now, seeing Lei Gang defeated by Fang Han as easily as chopping vegetables, how could she have even a shred of courage left to challenge him?
Her heart was filled with nothing but relief—relief that she wasn’t the one who had acted first. Otherwise, she would have been the one humiliated in public, her reputation in tatters.
Feeling the faint gazes sweeping over her from all sides, Liu Feifei’s face burned with shame. She couldn’t stay any longer.
With a stomp of her foot and a look of vexation, she hastily left with the disciples of the Thousand Skills Pavilion.
"With just that little bit of strength, you had the nerve to challenge me?"
Fang Han shot a cool glance at Lei Gang, who was struggling to his feet with an ashen, crestfallen expression. Without another word, he turned and walked back toward his own courtyard.
The crowd automatically parted to form a path, and all eyes watched him leave with reverence.
After this battle, Fang Han’s name was destined to spread through the younger generation of the entire Commandery City at an even faster rate.
And that was exactly what happened. The news spread through the Commandery City as if it had grown wings.
Inside an annex of Tingyu Building, Su Yu’s fingers, which were stroking a zither, paused slightly, and the music faltered almost imperceptibly.
He slowly opened his eyes. A trace of surprise flickered within them, which then transformed into a look of intrigued amusement.
"Defeating Lei Gang in one move? Heh, he’s a bit more interesting than I expected... It seems his reputation isn’t just empty talk."
He murmured to himself as his fingertips returned to the zither strings. The music flowed out once more, but this time it carried a more elusive rhythm than before.
At the Netherworld Pavilion’s residence, Qin Xiaoran was so enraged that he shattered the mahogany tea table beside him with a single palm strike, sending splinters flying.
"Useless! That useless Lei Gang! He couldn’t even take one move from Fang Han! He’s brought utter shame upon us all!"
His face was ashen, and his eyes blazed with fury.
He couldn’t challenge Fang Han for the time being, so he had hoped someone else would cause trouble for him. But he never expected Lei Gang to be defeated in a single move, not even managing to probe the depths of Fang Han’s strength.
"Fang Han, don’t you get cocky! Defeating Lei Gang is nothing! At the birthday banquet, I will personally crush you under my foot and show you who truly deserves a spot on the Celestial Pride List!"
He gritted his teeth, growing even more impatient for the upcoming birthday banquet.
...
「Two days passed in a flash.」
The birthday of Zhang Yuanshan, the Patriarch of the Zhang Family, had finally arrived.
On this day, the Commandery City was teeming with heroes, its streets bustling with carriages and people.
The Zhang Mansion, in particular, was adorned with lanterns and decorations, crowded with guests like clouds in the sky, creating an extraordinarily lively atmosphere.
Just past seven in the morning, the group from the Qingxuan Sect, led by Shen Moyan, arrived at the Zhang Mansion.
As the Hall Master of the Qingxuan Sect’s Inheritance Hall and a First Grade Realm expert, Shen Moyan held a distinguished status. He was personally welcomed into the inner residence by the Zhang Family Patriarch to be seated with the upper echelons of the various powers.
Meanwhile, Fang Han, Luo Bingyun, and Qin Hao were respectfully led by a Zhang Mansion steward into an exceptionally spacious and luxurious courtyard.