Chapter 49 - 48: One Punch

Chapter 49: Chapter 48: One Punch

"Please."

As his voice faded, Xu Tianfang cupped his fists in a salute.

Seeing this, Zheng Jun returned the gesture. After offering a "please" of his own, he said amiably, "Hall Master Xu, you may strike first. I won’t dodge or evade."

"Hmm?"

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, Xu Tianfang froze for a moment before flying into a rage.

He thought furiously, "What is the meaning of this?! You may be a peerless genius, Zheng Jun, a true Martial Arts Pride, but aren’t you looking down on me a bit too much? I, Xu Tianfang, am a prominent figure in Black Mountain County. Who doesn’t respectfully call me ’Hall Master Xu’ upon meeting me? Aside from the County Captain and the County Magistrate, no one dares to humiliate me like this!"

"Hmph!" Xu Tianfang snorted coldly. Without any hesitation, his Blood Qi surged, and his True Qi rampaged. "Then watch out, Squad Leader Zheng!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Tianfang delivered a palm strike that crashed forward like waves against the shore. Its majestic momentum was truly terrifying, striking with the unstoppable force of a reversing river!

The palm landed squarely on Zheng Jun. Activating his Hard Qi Skill for defense, Zheng Jun’s bones and sinews instantly hummed, and his Blood Qi rolled like a mighty river. His tall, slender figure let out a deep RUMBLE!

His flesh, which was already as hard as stone, somehow became even denser!

Seeing this, the surrounding apprentices gasped and began to murmur among themselves.

"Who exactly is that man? Our master’s Mountain-Opening Palm can shatter monuments and split rocks with a single strike. This guy took a direct hit from Master and didn’t even budge?!"

"A black Official’s Uniform and a Ceremonial Saber at his waist—he’s a constable from the County Government Office! Could it be... the renowned Zheng Jun, Zheng San?!"

"It’s really the Zheng San who slashed Lou Wei, killed Cyan Fish, captured the County Magistrate, and severed the arm of a Vast Sea disciple?! No wonder he could take a palm strike from our master completely unscathed. A man’s reputation truly precedes him!"

The chatter around him didn’t reach Zheng Jun’s ears. At this moment, his attention was completely focused on the small ink-wash text floating in front of him.

[Attacked. Hard Qi Skill repayment progress +99. Current repayment progress: 203/2500.]

Seeing this, Zheng Jun was overjoyed. He couldn’t help but praise, "Hall Master Xu, what immense Palm Power! Again, again!"

Looking at Zheng Jun, who stood as unmoving and imposing as a mountain peak, Xu Tianfang’s expression gradually darkened.

Xu Tianfang was also a practitioner of Horizontal Training, so he could tell at a glance what was going on with Zheng Jun.

He thought in disbelief, "Horizontal Training at Great Success! Is he actually using me as a sparring partner to practice his skills? No wonder he forbade the use of weapons. After all, unless one has mastered an Upper-Grade Horizontal Training technique, regular Horizontal Training can be broken by blades! How arrogant! How brazen!"

Xu Tianfang’s face turned incredibly ugly. His Iron Palms shot out from his sleeves like the wind, no longer holding back!

The True Qi within his entire body surged once again. Like a vat filled to the brim with water, it completely overflowed. His Palm Technique became vicious as he blasted toward Zheng Jun, roaring, "Such formidable Horizontal Training, Squad Leader Zheng! Then I shall hold nothing back!"

Seeing that Xu Tianfang had truly lost his temper, Zheng Jun realized his earlier words might have sounded a bit provocative. However, he showed no intention of retreating. Instead, brimming with confidence, he circulated his Hard Qi Skill and raised his fists in a primarily defensive stance.

BAM!

BAM! BAM!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

With every sound of impact, Zheng Jun merely blocked. He made no counterattacks, allowing Xu Tianfang’s Palm Technique to strike his body freely.

Zheng Jun could acutely feel that every ounce of Xu Tianfang’s strength was like the ferocity of a tiger or leopard. Bolstered by True Qi, the strikes jolted Zheng Jun until he went numb, forcing him to stumble backward!

He could only think, "Good thing my capabilities skyrocketed after reaching Qi Storage. If I had come here yesterday, Xu Tianfang would have beaten me until I spat blood and my internal organs ruptured!"

But today was different from yesterday. He was no longer the Blood Refining Martial Artist he was the day before.

"Again! Again!" Zheng Jun gave a long cry, his voice echoing loudly.

Seeing that despite his full-powered assault, Zheng Jun had only retreated a few steps while blocking with his fists, Xu Tianfang momentarily lost his composure. He even felt a bit dazed.

He thought, "Is this what a Martial Arts Pride is like? To have Horizontal Training at Great Success at such a young age... No wonder he could withstand Qi Storage while only being at the Blood Refining realm."

After letting out a long sigh, Xu Tianfang broke into a series of cold sneers.

He concluded, "If that’s the case, he won’t be able to defeat me. To have Great Success in Horizontal Training at this age inevitably proves that his other martial arts are lacking. At best, he’s skilled with a blade. But weapons are forbidden in this duel! I also have Horizontal Training, so sooner or later, I will be the victor! A Martial Arts Pride he may be, but alas, he’s still too green!"

With this thought, Xu Tianfang cast off any lingering reservations and attacked with all his might, continuously unleashing his Palm Technique!

He thought viciously, "If one palm can’t break through his defense, then I’ll strike a few more times! I’ll throw three, four, five, or six palm strikes, and punch seven, eight, nine, or ten times!"

Palm after palm, Xu Tianfang grew increasingly ferocious, his assault becoming sharper by the second!

At first, Zheng Jun had the luxury of glancing at the increasing repayment progress. However, as Xu Tianfang’s Palm Technique turned sharper, he could no longer spare any attention for the growing progress bar and focused wholeheartedly on countering the strikes.

Just like that, Xu Tianfang aggressively bombarded him for the time it takes several incense sticks to burn. He threw an unknown number of palm strikes, until the Qi Storage Martial Artist nearly depleted his True Qi, ending up drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

Zheng Jun, on the other hand, felt completely refreshed.

"Hall Master Xu, it seems the winner has been decided. Why don’t you admit defeat?"

Zheng Jun’s body was covered in palm prints and flushed red, but the damage was strictly superficial. His internals were entirely unharmed.

More importantly, Zheng Jun saw that the repayment progress had now reached 854/2500!

He thought to himself, "Farming points from an expert really is the fastest way."

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, Xu Tianfang felt quite irritated. He immediately snorted coldly. "You haven’t beaten me yet, so how can you say the winner has been decided? At best, it’s a draw! My Horizontal Training is not necessarily inferior to yours!"

Xu Tianfang was extremely confident in his own Horizontal Training.

Hearing this, Zheng Jun nodded and gave a warning. "Then I’ll make my move. Be careful, Hall Master Xu."

He really needed the Iron Sand Demon Suppression Skill.

Upon hearing this, Xu Tianfang immediately activated his Iron Sand Demon Suppression Skill, unleashing his imposing aura to the absolute limit!

"Phew!" Zheng Jun exhaled a breath.

His Blood Qi erupted, and his True Qi surged.

The muscles and sinews in Zheng Jun’s arms coiled tightly like Flood Dragons. His True Qi and Blood Qi merged and surged, rushing violently like a torrential river!

Zheng Jun felt as if his arms possessed tens of thousands of pounds of force. After a brief moment of hesitation, he actually pulled back thirty percent of his strength. Still, when he lunged forward, the attack was incredibly heavy and powerful. Utilizing his Great Success Ma Family Fist, he blasted toward Xu Tianfang with crushing momentum!

BAM!

Under the sheer weight of the overwhelming strike, the punch landed squarely on Xu Tianfang’s chest. Xu Tianfang instantly felt an immense force crash into him, causing his body to uncontrollably tilt backward.

His surroundings grew increasingly blurry as his body began to slowly lift off the ground.

A dull THUD followed.

Xu Tianfang fell heavily from the arena. His chest ached dully, and his head buzzed with a ringing sound.

He could only think of one thing, "Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?"

This thought faded in a flash. Immediately after, Zheng Jun’s voice echoed from the arena, "Hall Master Xu, I humbly accept this victory.

"Don’t forget our wager."