The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 46: Unyielding in Fisticuffs

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Unyielding in Fisticuffs

"Good!"

The crowd below erupted once again with a deafening roar of approval.

The move Zhou Bai showcased visually outdid that of Li Yan.

Taming monkeys, teasing dogs, climbing poles, walking on the rope—these tricks, common at temple fairs, were performed by artists from the pugilistic world and had been seen by the common folks.

However, this skill of traversing walls and roofs was a rare spectacle for them, especially since the solid wooden boards Zhou Bai passed over were marked with a series of claw prints, which left them clicking their tongues in wonder.

Of course, laymen are only entertained by the spectacle, while insiders look for the subtleties.

Only true practitioners could appreciate the astonishing lower-body skill Li Yan had just demonstrated.

These, naturally, were just diversions.

Soon, everyone’s attention refocused on the platform.

There’s an art to enjoying such spectacles.

For example, if a criminal at the execution ground was silently beheaded, it might send a chill down spectators’ spines, but it would also be seen as dull after the fact.

If the condemned cursed the court loudly, berated the negligent officials, railed against the "dog Emperor," and recited a vow to return as a hero in eighteen years, then the spectacle had a certain flavor.

And so it was with competitions at the platform—the pre-fight trash talk between the opponents mattered.

Like in modern fights, foes needed to be brought together, exchange some barbs, creating a charged atmosphere.

Thus, the crowd focused intently, eyes wide, eager to see how the two would insult each other, hoping for a dramatic act from a play, complete with a few sung lines.

Yet, to their disappointment, the stage above presented a different scene.

Li Yan and Zhou Bai, both were sizing each other up, cold eyes speaking no words.

At this point, having ascended to the platform of life and death, there was nothing left to say.

In Zhou Bai’s view, this was but an arrogant country bumpkin, relying on his father’s modest reputation to seek fame by challenging the Zhou Family.

Li Yan knew that the knot with the Zhou Family was impossible to untie.

Not to mention the past feuds, his father’s death had some connection to Zhou Pan.

Even if the other party wasn’t the murderer, he was certainly an accessory to the crime.

As they sized each other up, both sought weaknesses in the other.

Both were practitioners, not old in years but having trained rigorously since childhood and knowing the human body like the back of their hands, they could deduce whether the opponent had suffered any serious injuries recently by observing certain signs.

A martial artist’s body is as precious as gold.

It must be trained, fought with, and also cared for—if anything went awry, one’s career could halt then and there, unless one were to carve out a path with a unique style, like the ruthless one-armed saber technique.

In a life-or-death challenge, there was no room for mercy.

Should any injury be discovered in the opponent, it would be ferociously exploited.

Seeing no oddities, Zhou Bai grew tired of waiting, and with a slight bow, he said coldly, "I’ve heard you’re adept at Red Fist?"

"Come, let’s have a bout and see how brave you are, daring to challenge the Zhou Family in Xianyang!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Peide from the Eight Great Protectors visibly paled and slammed his fist on the table, exclaiming, "Nonsense!"

At this moment, everyone could see Zhou Bai’s intention.

The Zhou Family’s Monkey Fist was also a branch of Red Fist, but Zhou Pan, having mastered the Through-Back Monkey Fist by assimilating techniques from both arts, had forged a formidable reputation.

As the foundational Red Fist, it was naturally honed to perfection.

The young man’s arrogance was such that he set aside his strengths, aiming to suppress Li Yan with Red Fist.

This diverged completely from the original plan.

A flicker of rage also passed through Yuan Qu’s eyes, but he forcefully suppressed it and smiled, saying, "Elder Brother, don’t get heated. Zhou Bai has also put in plenty of work on his Red Fist, and with his talent, it’ll be extremely easy for him to defeat his opponent."

"This is a fight to the death, he must be desperate for fame!"

Zhou Peide was still irate and said harshly, "After we return, he’ll be confined, and as for you, involve him less in the gang’s affairs, keep him away from Zhou Bai!"

He held himself in high esteem, and although nominally brothers with Yuan Qu and Zheng Hebei, deep down he didn’t respect them and merely saw them as subordinates of the Zhou Family.

Now, in his anger, he spoke without restraint.

"Yes, Elder Brother, you are correct in your discipline."

Yuan Qu quickly bowed and hid the sinister look in his eyes.

Meanwhile above, Zhou Bai had already made the first move.

The ten-meter platform wasn’t large; he harnessed the strength from his feet and with a twist of his body closed in on Li Yan; his left palm raised in a feint, while his right hand already shot forward towards Li Yan’s face.

This move, White Tiger Washes Face, originated from the Red Fist’s Six Harmony Spear.

The arm was like a flashing spear, only leaving a blur, aiming for the element of surprise, a direct strike at the opponents’ eyes and the vital spot between the eyebrows.

This was Red Fist, a technique derived from battlefield experience—every move was designed to draw blood.

It’s not the hundred moves that are perfect that you fear, but the one new trick.

If this move was perfected, a simple raise of the hand would be like a blooming of spear flowers and the explosion of thunder; the enemy would be unable to react, a single blur and they could lose their life.

However, Li Yan was well-prepared.

He didn’t flinch, his left hand came up to intercept, blocking Zhou Bai’s arm, then switching from arm to shoulder, he twisted his body, harnessing his core strength, and like a hammer, his right fist smashed down from above, targeting Zhou Bai’s Baihui point on the top of his head.

Red Fist’s opening move: Blocking Slash Hammer!

It looked like a clumsy technique but was actually about deflecting and countering in one fluid motion.

If it hit, a single punch could smash the opponent’s skull to pieces.

But Zhou Bai, who had been fed moves by numerous masters since childhood, had more experience than Li Yan. He simply shifted slightly and twisted his body, switching shoulders while simultaneously raising his arm. With a cross of his fists and a snatch, he caught Li Yan’s right wrist.

"Not bad!"

From a distant restaurant, Zhou Peide’s face softened.

The Red Fist technique came from the battlefield, where this grappling move was extremely important.

On the battlefield, when fighters engaged in close-quarters combat, a master needed only a slight pull to make the opponent lose balance, leaving them vulnerable.

The same was true for grappling.

Once the grip was secured, a variety of follow-up moves could swiftly defeat the enemy.

Sure enough, as Zhou Bai caught Li Yan’s right wrist, he followed up with a Groin Kick, brutal to the extreme.

Li Yan’s reaction was also exceptionally fast; he countered with a side kick that sent the opponent’s leg flying back.

But as soon as they made contact, he sensed something was wrong.

Zhou Bai’s kick was feigned to be weak, merely a decoy.

As he raised his leg to strike back, he found himself balancing on one leg, his center of gravity unstable.

Indeed, Zhou Bai bent over in a sidestep, taking advantage of the momentum, and wrapped his arms around Li Yan’s right knee pit, crossing his hands and exerting force suddenly.

Carry Sword Leg!

This move was fierce and could directly cause the enemy to lose their balance and fall, with a fatal follow-up strike at the ready.

In that previous moment, Zhang Shitong had been defending against this very move when he was sent flying by a Hidden Flower under the Leaf blow.

Without any surprise, Li Yan fell backward.

Then Zhou Bai’s next move followed closely, a sidestep whip kick timed just right to hit the temple as Li Yan’s head was about to hit the ground.

In this critical moment, Li Yan’s exceptional foundational skills came into play.

He twisted his waist forcefully in mid-air, avoiding Zhou Bai’s side kick, and then clamped onto his waist with a scissor leg.

This mid-action exertion of force couldn’t possibly send the opponent flying as it had in the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall.

However, within the Red Fist, there was a specialized counter-attack technique for ground-fighting called "Nine Rolls and Eighteen Falls."

Leveraging Zhou Bai’s waist for balance, Li Yan supported himself with his left hand, executing a rabbit kick against an eagle horizontally, hitting directly on his leg.

Zhou Bai had plenty of experience in breaking moves, but perhaps due to too strict teachings from youth, his response capacity was lacking, somewhat rigid.

Caught off guard by Li Yan’s move, he was kicked off balance.

Li Yan, with his left hand supporting the ground, landed both legs and, bending to exert force, launched himself forward.

This move was called Pushing Taishan.

Like a tiger pouncing for prey, Li Yan immediately wrapped his arms around Zhou Bai’s waist, took a few steps, and tackled him to the ground, then lay sideways on top of him.

His fists like rapid-fire cannons, they hammered down with a barrage of hits.

Even worse, because the arena was narrow, this push sent Zhou Bai to the edge of the arena, his chest hanging in the air and his waist unable to exert force.

Facing this round of Cannon Fist, Zhou Bai desperately protected his head, but even so, he endured several blows, causing stars to flash before his eyes and blood to spurt from his nose.

Li Yan was ruthless in his attack.

If just one of these successive Cannon Fist blows struck a vital area, it could break the opponent’s neck.

In an instant, Zhou Bai found himself on the back foot, full of fear even as he fiercely resisted, but greater still was his rage.

He had intended to subdue his opponent with Red Fist, yet he hadn’t expected Li Yan, even younger than him, to possess such sophisticated and ruthless techniques, embarrassing him before the public.

Martial arts practitioners naturally carry a certain ferocity.

And Zhou Bai’s practice of the Monkey Fist gave him a trace of wildness.

Anger mixed with pain, causing him to disregard everything. Grasping onto Li Yan’s clothes, he flipped over, sending them both rolling off the arena.

Many onlookers gasped.

The attacks they’d just witnessed were almost devoid of respite, a raw clashing of forces, quick as lightning, leaving them dizzied.

Who would have thought it would turn out this way?

From an arena over thirty feet high, falling off could result in grave injury, could it not?

Of course, the pugilistic world onlookers weren’t worried.

Martial Artists practiced from a young age, and rolling to dissipate force was a basic skill; not to mention a three-story drop, even from a five-story height, they could roll and emerge unscathed.

Some masters proficient in this skill even dared leap from city walls.

What furrowed their brows was the arena’s rule: falling off meant defeat. Could this duel end without a victor?

However, what happened next was beyond their expectations.

As Zhou Bai fell, he contracted his body, showing his monkey form, then with a grip of his claws, astonishingly clung to the wooden wall on the side of the arena.

Li Yan’s claw skills didn’t match his, but he had his own way of coping.

He shook his left hand and punched through the wooden boards, grabbing onto the cracks to stop his fall, looking at Zhou Bai across from him with a cold smile on his lips,

"What now, back up there to fight?"

"Go to hell!"

Zhou Bai roared angrily, his body leaped, and he shot toward Li Yan like a monkey...