The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 44: Thunderous Movement, Waves Arise

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Thunderous Movement, Waves Arise

Early morning, before dawn.

Sha Lifei had already returned to his room, sleeping in his clothes with a wine jar in hand, sprawled out in all directions, snoring thunderously.

In the opposite room, Wang Daoxuan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, storing God.

The small courtyard was dimly lit and silent.

Li Yan still stood in a horse stance beside the war drum.

He had practiced tirelessly through the night, finally mastering the rhythm, perfectly integrating the drum sounds with the echoes of the True Word from his mouth.

But this was only the foundation of the training.

Only by using the body as a drum and unleashing the Thunder Sound could he consider himself initiated.

However, he was unable to take that step forward.

An entire day of intense focus and selfless meditation had drained Li Yan mentally to the limit, leaving his mind groggy and exhausted to the point of death.

His eyes were half-open and half-closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

His body also reached its limit, and coupled with the chilling cold of the latter half of the night, both his legs were stiff and numb, wobbly as if he might collapse at any moment.

Still, Li Yan didn’t use the Daluo Dharma Body.

He had experienced this situation many times.

Whether it was Pan Gong or martial techniques, the hardest part was crossing that hurdle.

It was like long-distance running, overcoming limits repeatedly until reaching a smooth path.

If he used the Daluo Dharma Body now, it would naturally eliminate the negative state of his body, but it would mean giving up halfway and having to start over.

So now, he was waiting for an opportunity.

Finally, a sliver of dawn appeared on the horizon.

The morning light broke the darkness, dividing the sky into blue and black.

This light altered his groggy consciousness.

It was time!

Without the slightest hesitation, using this opportunity for change, Li Yan forgot himself completely, striking down with both hands while contracting his abs, using the power of his diaphragm to exhale and produce sound,

"Hum—!"

Boom!

The drum sound combined with the True Word, resembling thunder.

The war drum below roared and vibrated, splitting open.

Li Yan only felt his chest vibrate, as if he himself were the drum, with tremors from muscle, bone to internal organs, and a tingling sensation coursing through his body.

The Divine Drum Thunder Sound was finally mastered!

However, at this time, he was already at the end of his strength and couldn’t withstand this force reaching his organs, only feeling a tightness in his chest and a sweetness in his throat before falling straight to the ground.

The drumbeat, like a clap of thunder, startled everyone within a hundred meters awake.

"Ouch!"

Sha Lifei, who was sleeping soundly, was so startled he jerked awake, flailing about, clutching the wine jar, and fell off the bed with a crash.

Wang Daoxuan also felt his mind go blank, nearly losing control of his stored God.

"What happened? An earthquake?"

Sha Lifei rushed out in a hurry.

Wang Daoxuan also calmed his mind and came to investigate the small courtyard.

Seeing Li Yan unconscious and collapsed, Sha Lifei hurriedly went to help him up, while Wang Daoxuan bent down, attempting to check his pulse.

"I’m okay."

But at this moment, Li Yan had already woken up, waved his hand, and smiled, "Is there anything to eat? I’m starving..."

As he spoke, the Daluo Dharma Body was already in operation.

Minor internal injuries quickly disappeared, and the exhaustion within his body vanished.

...

"Oh, still thinking about eating, huh?"

When Zhang Shitong arrived at Wendao Temple, Li Yan was still eating, holding a large bowl of oil-splashed noodles with cold beef salad, eating hungrily while squatting on the doorstep.

This guy seemed unable to speak properly, clicking his tongue, "Indeed, not knowing if tomorrow’s life or death, might as well enjoy a meal while you can."

"Later at Qingfeng Building, I’ll treat you to something nice."

"Keep it for yourself!"

Before Li Yan could respond, Sha Lifei mocked from the side, "If you can’t speak properly, just say less. It’s like you’ve never brushed your teeth in three years."

"Heh, same to you."

Zhang Shitong sneered coldly, slowly rolling up his sleeves.

Watching these two jesters, Li Yan only felt a headache coming on and cut straight to the chase, "The location’s set, where is it?"

"At the crossroads on Paifang Street, at the hour of Shen."

Zhang Shitong, knowing the importance of the matter, replied solemnly, "It’s close to the ferry dock, surrounded by brothels, gambling houses, and stables, with many people from the pugilistic world around."

"Seems like the Zhou Family is quite confident, wanting to kill you in public and vent their anger."

Li Yan didn’t comment, "Any rules for the duel?"

Zhang Shitong said gravely, "A three-zhang high wooden ring, no weapons, no spells allowed, only fists and feet, death or falling off the ring means defeat."

"How big is it?"

"A ten-meter square ring."

Li Yan sneered after hearing this, "Red Fist is known for its agility, and Zihou Fist is among the best. With such a small ring, Zhou Bai wants a head-on collision?"

Zhang Shitong nodded, "That’s what my father suspected. Zhou Bai stepped into Hidden Energy last year, surpassing you in strength."

"If both parties go back and forth, dodging with movement techniques, it’s not the scene Zhou Pan wants. He’ll probably press with force as soon as he steps in!"

"My father suggests evading the edge first; his power is shallow and he can’t use Hidden Energy with every move. Wait until he’s exhausted before striking for a chance to win."

"Hmm, thank Senior Zhang for me."

Li Yan’s expression remained unchanged, his gaze calm...

...

After relaying the message, Zhang Shitong left in a hurry.

This martial duel had long taken on a different flavor, carrying more weight.

The feud between the Li and Zhou families, dissatisfaction with Zhou Pan within the Divine Fist Association, and even the open and covert battles backed by those in Chang’an...

In Xianyang City, many were eager to see the Zhou Family stumble.

These things, Zhang Shitong wouldn’t speak of.

Having lived two lives, Li Yan naturally saw through it, and even anticipated these circumstances.

The death duel agreement wasn’t made on a whim.

When his father was alive, he often reminded him that a reputable name in the pugilistic world wasn’t just for vanity.

In this world, there was no Spiritual Energy, no one who trained in the remote mountains for years, and then swept the world upon emerging.

Characters like the "Sweeping Monk" didn’t exist. No matter how skilled in martial arts, without enough experience against foes, one could still be outsmarted by cunning veterans.

According to Wang Daoxuan, it was the same for people of the Mystical Sect.

No matter how good their potential, they needed to see the world and its people, to see themselves.

There was another benefit to dueling.

In this pugilistic world, reputation could sometimes bring trouble, but in a certain sense, it also functioned as an Amulet.

Of course, all this presupposed he could win.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

In the small courtyard, the drum sounded again.

But unlike the previous day, Li Yan had now mastered the Divine Drum Thunder Sound.

The drum beats and thunder sound resonated, chest cavity and war drum in harmony, the sound grand, with each beat sending the resonating force deep into his fascia and organs, tingling as if struck by lightning.

He carefully controlled the force, training progressively.

Firstly, to prevent bursting the remaining drums.

Secondly, because this method was fierce, if not managed well, repeated internal damage to the fascia would require using the Daluo Dharma Body for recovery.

No matter how good a treasure, it couldn’t withstand such wasteful use.

The growth of Hidden Energy wasn’t a day’s work; only with a water-drop-wearing-stone effort and the body’s gradual changes could one achieve mastery and skillful maneuverability.

All Li Yan needed to do was enhance his skills as much as possible before tomorrow’s duel, to be ready at the crucial moment.

"Press me with force?"

"Can you hold me down!"

After another round of training, Li Yan recalled the Zhou family’s intentions and sneered inwardly, shifting his body to the side and striking out with his right palm.

The Thirty-six Beating Hands: Overlord Leisure.

Rumble...

A water trough was struck by his palm, shifting half a meter across.

Once stopped, the water in the trough rose and crashed.

"Oh no, my fish!"

Wang Daoxuan immediately looked pained.

But when he rushed over to check, he was surprised to find the few red fish in the trough were swimming around happily, completely unaffected...

Outside the door, in the depths of the old alley.

A short man squatted in the corner, listening to the drum for half a day before finally becoming impatient and leaving in a hurry...

...

"Drumming?"

In a private room at the Yuhe Teahouse, Yuan Qu raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, he’s been drumming continuously."

Speaking was the short man who had been eavesdropping just now, with a flattering smile, "I wouldn’t dare lie to you, Gang Leader Yuan. As the neighbors say, he’s been drumming since yesterday. Who knows what madness that boy is on."

"Alright, alright, get lost!"

Beside him, a tall man waved impatiently.

His skin was dark, dressed in a red robe, with a small hat adorned with flowers, the gang leader of the Iron Blade Gang, Zheng Hebei.

After dismissing the scouts, Zheng Hebei gave Yuan Qu a sidelong glance and said in a deep voice, "Yuan, what do you think that kid is up to?"

"I heard he’s learned from a sworn Magician, could he be trying some Divine Strike?"

"Heh, are you scared?"

Yuan Qu sipped his tea, speaking neither warmly nor coldly.

Though both from the same origin, they were rival gangs occupying the east and west of Xianyang City, often clashing, and their personalities caused them to dislike each other.

At Yuan Qu’s taunt, Zheng Hebei immediately retorted with anger, "Scared of what? Clearly, it’s Meng Haicheng who messed up. If he had told me earlier, I would’ve just gotten rid of that boy; there’d be no trouble now."

"I say skip the duel tomorrow; I’ll invite the magician tonight to curse him to death!"

His words were reckless, but Zheng Hebei’s eyes remained calm all the while, fixed on Yuan Qu as if trying to discern something.

Yuan Qu glanced at him, sneering, "What are you probing for? Do you really think no one knows about the Jiang Zuo Magician you hid?"

"Those tricks you pulled couldn’t fool experts, it’s just that others turned a blind eye out of respect for your master."

"And why are you messing with the Beggar Gang at Chaotic Burial Mound? The challenge is set; making underhanded moves only adds to the chaos..."

"No need for your lectures!"

Zheng Hebei snapped irritably.

Seeing this, a fire arose in Yuan Qu’s eyes too, "Zheng, don’t cause trouble at this time; I’m not helping you here."

He stood by the window, hands behind his back, looking outside, muttering, "Remember, if that old man falls, neither of us will fare well!"

"The waters in Xianyang City run deep..."

Below, at the old crossroads of Paifang Street.

It was nearing dusk, and a group of carpenters was busy, the towering martial stage already taking shape, while curious onlookers gathered in thick crowds.

Two layabouts joked among the crowd,

"Old Third, who do you think will win tomorrow?"

"Heh, who cares who wins, as long as it’s entertaining."

"Right, hopefully they beat each other’s brains out..."