Chapter 228: The Bigger the Boast, the Harder the Fall

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: The Bigger the Boast, the Harder the Fall

The competition quickly began. Experts from every nation took to the stage, showcasing their skills. After several rounds of fierce competition, the top three emerged.

Great Xia,

Dahe,

Goryeo.

The surrounding audience erupted in thunderous cheers, applauding and cheering for the doctors. The doctors themselves looked proud and confident.

But Feng Qingwu clearly saw the disdain in the eyes of the competitors from Goryeo and Dahe Country.

She knew the real battle was about to begin.

Based on the skill displayed by the experts from the other two countries, the worry in Feng Qingwu’s eyes deepened. ’Neither of these two opponents is a pushover!’

But to Feng Qingwu’s relief, just in time for the final showdown, Guan Chengyun—the number one master on the Divine Doctor List—arrived.

Feng Qingwu let out a long sigh of relief. ’This big shot has finally shown up. Our chances of winning have just gone up a notch.’

At that moment, the three teams drew lots. Great Xia and Dahe Country were drawn to compete in the first round, while Goryeo received a bye. Goryeo would then face the winner to determine the ultimate champion.

The match began. A young man in a kimono stepped onto the stage and clasped his hands in a salute to the crowd. "I am Yamamoto Jun, disciple of Dahe Country’s National Preceptor, Kato Changkong. I have come to test the skills of the masters from Great Xia’s medical world. I await your instruction."

Several of the great Divine Doctors exchanged glances. In the end, Divine Doctor Yang Yongshou, ranked second on the Divine Doctor List, rose to his feet and prepared to ascend the stage.

But Yamamoto Jun, still on the stage, waved a dismissive hand at him. With a look of contempt, he said, "You... are not worthy of competing against me."

Then he pointed at Feng Qingwu, who was sitting in the front row. "You. They call you the number one medical expert in Great Xia. Why don’t you come up here and meet your doom?"

The crowd was livid. ’This... This is just too arrogant!’

At that moment, a young man beside Guan Chengyun shot to his feet. He pointed at Yamamoto Jun and roared in anger, "Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to challenge our Chairman Feng? I’m more than enough to take care of you."

Guan Chengyun’s grandson, Guan Peng.

Guan Peng had long held a secret crush on Feng Qingwu, so when he heard someone challenge her, he saw red. He had stood up without a second thought, eager to show off his skills in front of her and play the hero saving the damsel in distress.

But as everyone looked at Guan Peng, their eyes were filled with worry.

’He’s just a young hothead. What real skill could he possibly have? This is a competition for the honor of Great Xia Traditional Chinese Medicine, not child’s play.’

Guan Peng noticed their worried expressions and declared arrogantly, "Everyone, rest assured. I started studying medicine with my grandfather when I was three—that was twenty years ago. I’ve already mastered eighty percent of his skills. I won’t claim to be the best, but I am one hundred percent confident that I can take down this arrogant fool."

At this, Guan Chengyun said with a smile, "Well, Peng’er isn’t just boasting. He’s the most talented student I’ve ever seen, and I’m very confident he can win. More importantly, the other side sent up a junior. If we old-timers were to get involved directly, we’d be criticized even if we won. So, it’s best we let him fight this match."

Everyone thought about it and had to agree with his reasoning. In the end, they all nodded in approval.

Guan Peng looked at Feng Qingwu and said with a smile, "Chairman Feng, I will make sure to take down this guy who dared to challenge you. I’ll do it for you."

With that, he strode confidently onto the stage. Looking at Yamamoto Jun, he said coldly, "What are you best at? Bring it on. Today, I will defeat you in your own area of expertise. I’m going to beat you so thoroughly you’ll have no choice but to admit defeat."

Yamamoto Jun looked at Guan Peng and chuckled. "You want to defeat me in my own area of expertise? Very well. Today, I will make you pay a heavy price for your arrogance."

"Isn’t Great Xia Traditional Chinese Medicine supposedly best at acupuncture? Then I’ll challenge you with something I’m worst at: silver needle acupoint striking. I will use silver needles to seal your acupoints, and you will use them to unseal them. If you can undo all the points I’ve sealed, it will be your turn. Whoever fails to unseal the points loses. Any objections?"

Guan Peng looked at Yamamoto Jun and laughed. "I gave you a chance, but you were too stupid to take it. To think you’d challenge me in my strongest area. Since you’re looking for death, I’ll be happy to oblige. We don’t need to decide who goes first. You can have the first move."

The crowd below cried out in alarm, "Little Divine Doctor Guan, no! It’s fairer to decide who goes first!"

Everyone knew that securing the first move could mean defeating an opponent in a single stroke, increasing one’s chances of victory by fifty percent. Yet Guan Peng had just given it away. This was beyond confidence; it was pure arrogance.

But Guan Peng just looked at the crowd and said with a smile, "Seniors, rest assured. For me, taking him down will be as easy as reaching into my pocket to grab something."

Guan Chengyun also added with a smile, "Everyone, please don’t worry. I’ve trained Peng’er in the art of acupuncture since he was a child. I have faith in him."

Since Guan Chengyun himself had spoken, the crowd fell silent.

On the stage, Guan Peng looked at Yamamoto Jun and declared arrogantly, "Bring it on. Use your strongest technique. I can take it."

Yamamoto Jun gave a cold smile, picked up a silver needle, and thrust it directly into Guan Peng’s left shoulder.

Guan Peng’s left arm instantly went rigid.

But Guan Peng merely sneered. He pinched the needle with the fingers of his right hand and plucked it out. Looking at Yamamoto Jun, he chuckled. "You’d better speed up. Otherwise, this match is going to be really boring."

Yamamoto Jun chuckled. A handful of silver needles suddenly appeared in his right hand. Then, his hand moved like lightning, striking at the major acupoints all over Guan Peng’s body.

At first, Guan Peng managed to keep up. But he soon found that Yamamoto Jun’s speed was constantly increasing. In the end, he couldn’t pull the needles out fast enough to match the speed at which Yamamoto Jun was striking his acupoints. Soon, both of his arms were sealed, leaving him unable to unblock them. Then his legs. Finally, Guan Peng stood frozen in place like a statue, completely unable to move.

At that point, the referee declared Yamamoto Jun the winner.

The crowd burst into an uproar.

’That kid was so arrogant, we thought he must have some real skill. To think he’d lose such a straightforward match just like that!’

Everyone despised him. If not for their respect for Guan Chengyun, they would have already started throwing sanitary pads in his face.

Guan Peng’s face was flushed with shame. After Yamamoto Jun removed the silver needles, he lowered his head and silently stepped off the stage. But the moment his feet touched the floor, his knees buckled, and he collapsed with a THUD, unable to get back up.

"Peng’er!" Seeing this, Guan Chengyun rushed over. He helped Guan Peng up and asked urgently, "Peng’er, what’s wrong?"

Guan Peng gritted his teeth. "Grandpa, he pulled out the needles, but he didn’t unblock my acupoints. It’s fine... I’ll just do it myself."

With that, he took out his own silver needles and began to treat himself.

But after inserting a few needles, his expression changed drastically. "Grandpa, I... I can’t unblock the acupoints he sealed!"

"Let me." Guan Chengyun shot Guan Peng a glare. "I told you to work harder and be more humble, but you wouldn’t listen to a single word. Look at you now, utterly humiliated!"

Guan Peng lowered his head in shame.

Guan Chengyun plucked out a silver needle and inserted it into several points on Guan Peng’s legs. "There," he said confidently. "Get up now."

But after struggling for a moment, Guan Peng said helplessly, "Grandpa, my legs are still numb. I can’t feel anything at all."

Guan Chengyun’s expression changed instantly. He finally realized something was terribly wrong.