Wun Fan and Wun Ping stood opposed to each other in the arena. Wun Ping was frowning, seemingly trying to figure out why Wun Fan seemed so confident. Meanwhile, Wun Fan had a composed, slightly mischievous grin on his face that only made his opponent even more anxious.
Wun Fan clenched his fist, feeling the strength in his body, the rhythm of his pulse and the flow of his blood. He took a deep breath of fresh air and chanted to himself, “Heart as cool as ice, calm in the face of crumbling skies; still through shifting winds, lax as winter mint; forget the self and mind only one, six senses calmed and still as stone.”
Wun Fan stared at Wun Ping. He had to move cautiously against this opponent. Just as he held his breath and placed his entire focus on Wun Ping, he felt an odd sensation overtake him.
It was like his senses had been amplified immensely. When he focused on his hearing, he could seemingly hear Wun Ping’s breathing and even his minute movements, such as the sweat dripping from his palm, the slight twitch in his toe, the imperceptible increase in his heart rate…
In conclusion, Wun Ping was a little nervous!
Wun Fan didn’t know where this ability came from, but he could sense Wun Ping’s condition perfectly. Was this what it felt like to have six senses “calmed and still as stone”? Of course not. To have your six senses calmed and still as stone was a state of being in Taoism which referred to the complete control over your senses, to the extent that you could freely shut them off to attain a state of harmony with nature. At the moment, Wun Fan was only fortunate enough to have gained partial control over his senses, which allowed him to magnify their sensitivity by several times!
The third elder repeated the rules again. “First to fall from the stage loses; first to be unable to continue loses; first to surrender loses. The winner must cease all attacks upon victory. Break the rules and you lose!
“No one wishes to see blood between brothers. Pull your punches and stop when the result is clear. Again, break these rules and you lose.” The third elder stood up and waved his hand once he was done. “Begin.”
Wun Ping did not take the initiative to strike. Instead, he kept up his appearance of composure. He slowly untied the sword from his waist and placed it on the ground.
This kid’s still trying to look confident for the crowd. Eleven years old? He doesn’t behave like an eleven-year-old, Wun Ping insulted Wun Fan furiously in his own mind.
However, he also had to keep up appearances in front of all the clan members. Wun Ping shook his head and gave Wun Ping a friendly and generous smile and said, “After all, there shouldn’t be blood in a match between brothers.”
“Is that so? You truly are Wun Clan’s paragon of virtue, second brother.” Wun Fan praised him, but in truth, he wanted to puke in his own mouth. Motherfucker, keep acting! Keep it up, why don’t you!
The insincere courtesies from the both of them confused the crowd. Everyone in the clan knew that they were on bad terms with each other, yet here they were, putting on a show of brotherhood and friendliness.
“Well then, I suppose I won’t hold back.” Wun Fan abruptly went on the offense, taking a quick step forward and striking at Wun Ping’s face with his elbow.
The one who takes the initiative has the advantage! Wun Ping immediately reacted to the move, swinging his fist into Wun Fan’s elbow. He didn’t believe that Wun Fan’s body would be as sturdy as his.
A loud crack came from Wun Ping’s fist as both of them stepped back from the exchange. Wun Ping’s expression changed. The movement of his right fist appeared a little unnatural. He looked at Wun Fan in surprise as he thought, This guy…
“Hmph! I train my body every night by striking old trees and granite boulders. There’s no way your body is tougher than literal rocks!” Wun Fan took advantage of his momentum when he saw the effectiveness of his attack. He stepped forward and swung his elbow at Wun Ping again.
Wun Ping reacted immediately. A strong gust accompanied his palm as he thrust it forward and caught the incoming elbow. Just as he was about to unleash his counterattack, he looked down to find that Wun Fan had already turned into his arms. The young boy gave him a wicked smile and slammed him to the ground with a nasty shoulder throw.
Slam! The crowd was stunned to see Wun Ping lying on the ground.
“Is this really a sixth level? Even a tenth level didn’t make it past three moves against him.”
The chattering of the crowd below reached Wun Ping’s ears. It was such humiliation, such disgrace that his face blushed red. He started to regret agreeing to this fight.
It wasn’t just the crowd that was stunned; even the clan master and the great elder were speechless. They had seen all sorts of things at their age, but they had never seen such a ridiculous performance from a weaker, disadvantaged fighter. The two of them had expected Wun Fan to hold his ground, but they didn’t expect this result at all.
How much must Wun Fan have trained to have obtained such a strong body at the sixth level?
“Excellent!” Wun Ching Yeung slammed the table and stood up, even spilling some tea in his excitement. He had just witnessed Wun Fan’s exceptional performance, and he couldn’t help but feel tremendous pride for his son. His eyes were a little wet with tears. He did not know what disease Wun Fan had, but the fact that he could persistently train his body without giving up in the face of these tremendous odds was invaluable! With that kind of character, he was certain to succeed in the future, one way or another!
Wun Ching Yeung finally felt like he had not let down his good friend!
“Unstable base, poor footwork, not watching your center—that’s why you couldn’t defend yourself.” Wun Fan commented nonchalantly and humiliated Wun Ping in front of the crowd.
He couldn’t have felt any better. He had not neglected a single night of training in the past three years, and he was finally reaping the rewards now. However, he didn’t dare to let his guard down. He continued watching Wun Ping’s every movement. After all, the reason Wun Ping was taken down so easily wasn’t just because of his excellent physical condition, but because he had severely underestimated him!
“Aaaaah!” Wun Ping cried out and got onto his feet by pushing against the ground. He then unleashed a ferocious series of strikes at Wun Fan. If the crowd’s murmuring had only embarrassed him, then Wun Fan’s words were basically a stain on his dignity. He would not let a mere sixth-level Martial Disciple humiliate him like this!
Wun Ping threw another punch at Wun Fan, but Wun Fan simply pivoted on his feet, dodging the attack and grabbing Wun Ping’s arm in the process. Yet another shoulder throw sent Wun Ping crashing into the floor again.
“Exposed chest and core, undefended ribs, it is easy for an opponent to slip in when your guard is loose,” Wun Fan continued to speak calmly. He tightened the belt around his waist and fixed his hair, as if he was a teacher instructing his student. Only he himself knew that all these things were exactly what his adoptive father had taught him in his previous life.
Sigh. He was thinking about his previous life again. That which happened in the past made the self of the present. There was no point in mulling over the past, and even less in mourning it…
“You!”
Wun Ping’s anger had reached a boiling point. He got onto his feet with a kick-up and lunged at Wun Fan. Wun Ping couldn’t care about appearances or technique anymore. He was like a thug on the street, eager to brawl with his opponent.
“Your head is not aligned and your chin is pointing down. Poor posture.”
“You’re leaning too far forward and too far back, making your punches weak and ineffective.”
“There is no rationale to your stance, and your movements are unnatural.”
“All you have is aether, and openings everywhere.”
Wun Fan had imprinted every move and technique his adoptive father had taught him in their spars from his previous life. He was using the most minimal of actions to neutralise Wun Ping’s attacks. At this moment, he was like a slippery catfish in the eyes of the clan master, the great elder and Wun Siu Lan. Wun Ping couldn’t even touch his sleeve, let alone teach him a lesson.
The second elder saw everything. There was a cold gleam in his eye; Wun Ping had embarrassed him greatly with this performance.
Wun Ping seemed to sense the second elder’s dissatisfaction. Moreover, he was already frustrated seeing Wun Fan parry, block and dodge every one of his attacks. It was like punching cotton—all that strength but nowhere to exert it. So, he did a backflip and landed in the distance, where he picked up the sword he dropped earlier.
Schwing. He drew the sword and pointed it at Wun Fan. Wun Siu Lan immediately got on her feet, intent on going down there to stop him.
However, the great elder stopped her and said sternly, “Kid, the rules of the challenge do not forbid the use of a sword. The Wun Clan’s rules are not to be violated, even if it’s you.”
The great elder loved the brat, but no disciple of the clan shall break the rules of the Wun Clan as long as it stood. Not even the great elder himself was an exception. However, he readied himself to save Wun Fan as quickly as possible if anything dangerous were to happen.
Wun Siu Lan didn’t dare make a move when she saw the great elder speak to her so solemnly for the first time. She could only swear in her own mind, I won’t let you go if you hurt him, Wun Ping!612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbg6I5FGhe
