Chapter 30: Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger?

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger?

Zhang Yun waved with a beaming smile. "Xiaoxu, since you tracked me down all the way out here, you must be looking to buy some fish, right? Tell me how many you want, and I’ll catch them for you!"

Xu Jin wore a bitter smile. Where couldn’t he buy fish? Why would he need to come all the way out here, asking around just to find this remote mountain fish pond?

"Is this the guy you were talking about? He’s quite handsome and reasonably tall, but..."

"Looking at his build, he doesn’t seem like he’d have much strength."

The two men who had accompanied Xu Jin stared at Zhang Yun, openly scrutinizing and judging him right to his face.

Zhang Yun maintained his beaming smile. "Xiaoxu mentioned he was the third-place winner in the city’s sanda tournament. If I’m not mistaken, these two must be the first and second-place winners from the same year, right?"

"Ma Yuming. I was lucky enough to take first place back then."

"I’m Zhao Ye, the runner-up. But in terms of actual strength, Brother Xu is no worse than us."

The two introduced themselves earnestly. They looked to be in their twenties, a few years younger than Xu Jin. What they just said wasn’t mere flattery; they might have just had an age advantage during the tournament. However, as Xu Jin had already briefed them, neither stepped forward to shake hands.

Zhang Yun chuckled and clapped his hands. "On behalf of myself, I welcome you three experts as guests to Tianxin Village. Xiaoxu, are you here looking to settle the score today?"

Xu Jin smiled bitterly, looking a bit embarrassed. "Zhang Yun, I’m at least a few years older than you. It’s not really appropriate for you to keep calling me Xiaoxu. Just call me Xu Jin!"

"Hey now! Don’t be so modest. The capable are the teachers. Since you’re my defeated opponent, calling you Xiaoxu can’t be considered impolite, right?"

When he said "defeated opponent," Zhang Yun even raised his hand and squeezed the air, making Xu Jin feel even more awkward.

Ma Yuming’s face darkened. "Brother Xu has practiced Martial Arts for over twenty years, and his overall strength is greater than ours. Everyone in the martial arts and sanda circles respects him! You country bumpkin, you have no martial honor. You ambushed Brother Xu with brute force, and you have the nerve to call him a defeated opponent?"

Zhao Ye was a bit more tactful. "Haha, to be honest, we found it hard to believe that Brother Xu lost in a handshake. Besides, a handshake doesn’t equate to Martial Arts, and brute force doesn’t equate to Power. Let’s just have a proper, formal sparring match!"

Zhang Yun laughed. "So, you guys came looking for a fight today. Do you want to take me on one-on-one, or all together?"

"A martial arts bout!" Ma Yuming retorted angrily. A fight? Were they street thugs? That was an absolute insult to their profession!

Xu Jin spoke up. "You might possess innate Divine Power, but in a simple handshake, there was too little room for me to utilize my skills. I was still unconvinced after going back, so I discussed it with these two. We specifically came to visit you today, hoping you might grant us some pointers, Zhang Yun!"

Zhao Ye waved his hand. "We won’t gang up on you. We’ll just act as referees. Don’t worry, we have martial honor and professionalism; we won’t play dirty!"

Zhang Yun nodded. "This is my home turf, and the two referees are your friends, so I suppose that makes it fair. But think this through. Yesterday, we held back. If we actually throw down today, you’re going to embarrass yourself again!"

Xu Jin couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud, but hadn’t he already embarrassed himself yesterday?

The slope offered plenty of space. Xu Jin assumed a combat stance. "After you!"

Zhang Yun lazily stretched his body. "You make the first move. I don’t want you claiming I have no martial honor and ambushed an older comrade."

"Fine!" Xu Jin didn’t hold back. He pushed off the ground with his foot, kicking up a shallow crater in the dirt slope, and his body shot forward!

At this moment, Zhang Yun was both excited and nervous. He wanted to use them for practice, but he was only confident in his physical strength; his Martial Arts skills were no match for theirs. He figured he could just rely on his sheer power to wrestle his opponent into submission. After all, weren’t sumo wrestlers as immovable as mountains? Sumo athletes might seem fat and clumsy, but a single slap from them could send a lighter person flying.

Zhang Yun prepared to put his strength to the test, knowing this would be a much more comprehensive evaluation than a mere handshake. However, a slight anomaly suddenly occurred!

Xu Jin’s attack should have been swift and fierce, but in Zhang Yun’s eyes, his speed wasn’t fast at all! Not only did he clearly see Xu Jin push off the ground, but he also tracked his entire trajectory. By the time the fist reached his face, Zhang Yun effortlessly stepped to the side and dodged it.

What was going on? Xu Jin was trying to win back his pride in front of two sanda experts; he definitely wasn’t just putting on an act.

After Zhang Yun dodged, Xu Jin couldn’t halt his momentum and stumbled past him, leaving himself completely stunned.

"Keep going!" Zhang Yun beckoned.

Xu Jin grew far more cautious. Trading ferocity for stability, he launched a series of solid punches and kicks at Zhang Yun. Yet, by prioritizing stability, his speed appeared even slower to Zhang Yun!

Zhang Yun realized this was no coincidence—he truly could dodge with ease. However, he lacked the Experience, technique, and reflexes required to launch a counterattack in time.

As the match progressed, he gradually understood the crucial reason! The Mysterious Petal had made him stronger overall; his increased physical strength was simply the first change he had noticed. The reason Xu Jin’s speed felt slow was because Zhang Yun’s own vision, perception, reflexes, and speed had all drastically improved!

This even applied to his memory. After a series of dodges, Zhang Yun had memorized all of Xu Jin’s attacking techniques and had grasped the vast majority of their underlying principles.

This made Zhang Yun incredibly calm. Now he could practice across the board and learn some Martial Arts on the fly!

"Why are you always just a little bit short? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’re going easy on me. It’s my turn now!"

Zhang Yun lacked Experience and was unfamiliar with the techniques, but his speed was vastly superior. Even though he was merely mimicking the punches he had just seen, he struck Xu Jin in an instant!

Xu Jin stumbled back several steps, his face plastered with a look of pure disbelief!

"Watch out!" Having landed a successful punch, Zhang Yun grew even more thrilled.

When he fought Li Bing earlier, neither of them had any technique, so he could dominate with pure strength alone. When Xu Jin had first attacked, Zhang Yun had lacked the Experience and technique, and his reflexes hadn’t been fast enough to counter.

Now, things were different. Zhang Yun already knew how to attack. After knocking Xu Jin back with a single punch, he no longer needed to worry about his reaction time and took the offensive!

THUD! Within a few moves, Xu Jin was kicked to the ground.

"Keep going!" Zhang Yun stepped forward, grabbed Xu Jin by the leg, and gave a fierce heave, tossing him straight into the fish pond!

SPLASH! The massive splash snapped Ma Yuming and Zhao Ye out of their daze.

"Go pull Brother Xu out! I’ll take this guy on!" Ma Yuming refused to believe what he was seeing.

While observing the fight, Ma Yuming had confirmed that Zhang Yun didn’t know any Martial Arts. His clumsy techniques later on were purely imitated on the spot. How could he possibly defeat an experienced veteran like Xu Jin by learning and applying moves in real time?

There had to be something fishy going on!

"Please grant me some pointers!"

The younger Ma Yuming immediately unleashed a frantic, storm-like flurry of attacks!

Zhang Yun didn’t dare lower his guard. He dodged while simultaneously observing his opponent’s techniques. Although his evasions were much tighter and less effortless than before, he still didn’t take a single hit.

By the time Zhao Ye helped a soaking-wet Xu Jin detour back up the slope, Zhang Yun had already begun his counterattack!

"Watch out!"

"Keep going!"

"Again!"

Xu Jin and Zhao Ye were utterly shocked as they watched Ma Yuming get knocked down time and time again. Ma Yuming was an aggressive fighter, always fighting like a fierce beast. What was happening? How was he being so thoroughly dominated by Zhang Yun?

THUD! SPLASH!

Ma Yuming was also hurled into the fish pond.

"You’re the only one left!" Addicted to the thrill of the fight, Zhang Yun smiled and waved at Zhao Ye.

Zhao Ye panicked slightly. Xu Jin’s loss might have been a fluke, but with Ma Yuming losing as well, it couldn’t be a coincidence anymore. Was this kid playing the weakling to trap them?