The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 47 Zhou Family Zihou Fist

Chapter 47: Chapter 47 Zhou Family Zihou Fist

A wave of humiliation engulfed Zhou Bai, fueling his rage until it reached the heavens.

However, this only served to calm him down.

Xianyang City’s pugilistic world was not large, Zhou Bai had always known this. Even though he was adored from a young age and praised by his elders, he had always yearned to venture out.

Unexpectedly, halfway there, Li Yan had emerged.

A country boy, even two years younger than himself!

If he was considered a genius, what was this guy?

Along with the humiliation came a surge of resentment.

Though Zhou Bai didn’t want to admit it, he realized he had begun to feel jealous.

His earlier boasts were now completely forgotten. At this moment, Zhou Bai resorted to his specialty, the Monkey Fist, eager to slaughter the young man before him and vent the hatred in his heart.

Zhou Bai, resembling an ape, pounced forward, extending his claw midair, scratching towards Li Yan’s head.

Li Yan, leveraging the wooden boards, lifted his leg for a Skyward Kick.

Zhou Bai seemed to have anticipated this and somersaulted midair, taking a position above and stretching out his right leg in a sweeping arc, striking down like a hammer.

Bang!

Their legs collided, creating a muffled thud.

Zhou Bai’s movement technique was stronger. On the vertical wooden wall, he clearly had the advantage, turning around with the help of the wall, his claws again firmly gripping the wood.

Li Yan, suspended midair, had only one point to leverage, which was the wooden board he had smashed through.

With the impact, although his arms could hold, the wooden board in his hands crackled and broke, plummeting down two meters before he could punch the board again to halt his descent.

"Get down!"

Just as he steadied himself, Zhou Bai attacked again from above.

This time he didn’t use his leg, but his right fist was loosely clenched, stirring the air.

This guy was using Hidden Energy!

Li Yan was startled and quickly changed his tactics.

He knew if he were struck, falling off the platform would be the least of his worries—he might suffer internal injuries that only the Daluo Dharma Body could repair.

With his opponent above him, Li Yan could only dodge.

Twisting his body, he pushed off with his feet while forcefully punching out, unexpectedly creating a series of holes in the wooden wall. He flipped and moved to the other side, trying to leap back onto the platform.

However, Zhou Bai was faster.

Seeing Li Yan avoiding, he also closed in, flipping and tumbling, his claws grabbing onto the walls like an ape traversing a steep cliff, reaching the other side first.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Just as he was about to leap down, he saw Li Yan suddenly lift his leg, kicking and shattering the wooden wall in front, revealing the frame of the platform behind and squeezing through.

"Where do you think you’re hiding?!"

Zhou Bai scoffed coldly, ready to follow.

But before he could move, he was startled and quickly retreated.

Crack!

The area where he was standing exploded as the wooden wall burst open.

It was Li Yan who had jumped up following the wooden frame inside, separated by the wall, his Hidden Energy bursting forth in a ’Punch Across the Mountain.’

This strike was formidable.

Using Hidden Energy, and specifically yang power, made the entire wooden wall explode like a mine, shattering it, with large pieces of wood clattering down.

Once Hidden Energy was engaged, not only did the power of the strike surge, but various other effects manifested.

Yang power, with explosive force; Yin Force, reaching directly to the viscera; and other techniques like Spiral and Coiling Silk, were twisting and turning, varying widely.

But both were just beginning to explore this realm, their power was not yet profound, exhausting them after just a few uses, thus only employed at critical moments.

Had Hidden Energy been mastered more deeply, whether in offense or defense, including Hidden Energy in every move would make handling them seem effortless, without such concerns.

Li Yan’s use of Hidden Energy in a surprise attack had nearly succeeded.

Although Zhou Bai managed to dodge in time, he found no foothold and had to grab with both hands and flip backward, returning to the platform.

On the other side, Li Yan also shattered the wooden board and sprung from the other wall, flipping back onto the platform.

Below the platform were neatly arranged thick logs. Although they could be broken with Hidden Energy, there was no need to exert that much effort.

Both contestants faced off on the platform again.

This series of exchanges was like a sudden, intense storm, filled with peril.

Not just the ordinary citizens, but even many from the pugilistic world held their breath, their eyes widened, daring not even to breathe heavily.

Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan felt their hearts pounding and broke out in a sweat.

Seeing Li Yan escape from danger, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good!"

At the same time, cheers exploded around them.

From the start on the platform until now, it hadn’t been long, but the techniques and tactics displayed by these two men, along with their quick reactions, dazzled the audience.

Some young people frowned even more.

They had been somewhat resentful since all had endured hard training in their youth and carried a sense of pride, simply feeling that they were born at the wrong time or lacked promotion.

But now they understood that if they went up, facing either contestant on the platform, they would likely have already been defeated.

Above the tournament platform, the atmosphere had become even more intense.

In this bout, Zhou Bai dared not underestimate his opponent. He half-squatted, chest indrawn and back rounded, first adopting a "Reverse Hand Gazing at the Moon" posture, then scratching his neck, his claws alternating front to back, as he eyed Li Yan.

Zihou Fist of the Zhou Family!

He stared at Li Yan, a fierce glow gradually rising in his eyes, his empty claws clenching, producing a crackling sound.

Li Yan’s eyes slightly narrowed as he shifted his stance and became more alert.

The claws of the Monkey Fist had to be rigid.

Zhou Bai had clearly put in arduous training; each finger was like steel fiber.

Red Fist emphasized agile movement and skillful attack and defense integration, whereas the Zhou Family’s Monkey Fist, blended with the White Ape Divine Fist, emphasized striking with breaking, breaking within striking.

Once engaged, the force could be adjusted on the fly.

Adding that the opponent was familiar with the variations of Red Fist techniques, a slight misstep could lead to defeat.

"Scared, huh?"

Seeing Li Yan step back, Zhou Bai’s eyes flickered viciously, as he pounced forward with a Monkey Leap, his arms bent and poised to claw and scratch like a savage monkey attacking a person.

However, in mid-air, he suddenly changed his technique, twisting his body, supporting himself with his right palm on the ground like a sliding tackle, aiming a kick at Li Yan’s groin.

This move was called "Monkey Lying in the Lotus."

Monkey Fist was tricky and agile, with many moves aiming seemingly humorously but actually targeting vulnerable spots like the throat or eyes.

Li Yan reacted even faster, dodging to the side to avoid the critical strike, then whirling his right leg like a whip, delivering a "Blocking Horse Barrier Kick."

The art of striking originated from the ground.

Though Zhou Bai’s move was fierce, it also left him lying sideways, poorly positioned to generate force, exposing his face.

If Li Yan’s kick landed, it would burst his head open.

However, Zhou Bai reacted just as quickly; when his Monkey Lying Lotus failed to hit, he twisted his legs, using the rotating momentum to suddenly get up and roll to Li Yan’s weaker side.

At this moment, Li Yan’s whip leg had not yet retracted.

Zhou Bai reached out, executing a "Naughty Monkey Drags the Snake," grabbing Li Yan’s right leg.

This technique, a kind of grappling, could twist a joint and make an opponent fall, exposing their groin for a kick.

However, Zhou Bai forwent the follow-up move.

His eyes fiercely shining, Hidden Energy surged as his steel-claw-like hand violently exerted pressure, aiming to cripple Li Yan’s right leg directly.

Feeling intense pain in his leg, Li Yan became ruthless too, bending his body with Hidden Energy flowing, his palm striking towards Zhou Bai’s forehead.

If his leg was damaged, it could be remedied with the Daluo Dharma Body, but if his palm struck true, he could instantly smash Zhou Bai’s head.

Madman!

Zhou Bai was shocked, hastily shifting to the side.

Still, his shoulder took a hit, sending him flying sideways, twisting midair to forcefully stop himself, glaring fiercely at Li Yan.

His left arm dangled limply, having been dislocated.

Furthermore, the powerful Hidden Energy from the strike severely damaged his muscles and fasciae, visibly causing swelling and turning them black and blue.

Meanwhile, Li Yan fared no better.

Though he maintained his stance, five bloody holes appeared on his right leg, continuously oozing blood, staining his leg wrap red.

The spectators below watched with hearts pounding.

They hadn’t expected such rapid movements from both sides, causing them both to sustain injuries within a few moves.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before one of them was killed or incapacitated!

"Humph!"

Zhou Bai sneered coldly, slowly rising to his feet, grasping his left arm with his right hand and snapping it back into place with a click, then shaking his shoulder.

"Boy, your leg’s done for; how will you continue fighting me?"

The Zhou Family’s Monkey Fist was already known for its flexible movements, and with Li Yan’s right leg injured, Zhou Bai now held a complete advantage.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Bai burst forward.

He moved on his hands and feet, like a swift-moving spirit monkey, quickly appearing in front of Li Yan, seeming about to strike but then twisting to Li Yan’s rear.

Li Yan swiftly shifted his stance to prepare an attack.

But Zhou Bai’s movements were incredibly agile, his chest drawn in and back rounded, spinning around him like a top, confusing real and feigned moves, hard to distinguish.

Li Yan then finally recalled Zhang Shitong’s words.

When he was about to leave the martial arts school, Zhang Shitong had said, if he couldn’t break through Zhou Bai’s "sphere," there would be no hope of victory.

The so-called "sphere" was the essence of Monkey Fist: the body a ball, constantly twisting, the whole body a sphere, forming a fist without a sphere.

At this moment, Zhou Bai’s movements were smooth and round, swift and fierce, and his techniques, true and false, made it hard to distinguish.

Chit!

Unprepared, Li Yan took another blow from Zhou Bai.

Though it wasn’t powered by Hidden Energy, the opponent’s clawing was formidable, tearing five scratch marks on his back.

Li Yan acted quickly, throwing a groin kick.

Unfortunately, Zhou Bai just rolled on the spot, easily dodging it, and upon rising, even squealed excitedly like a monkey, his eyes gleaming, fierce, and filled with wildness.

Every move, every jump, was almost indistinguishable from a monkey...