Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: A Bout (1)
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Gulp.
The Divine Demon Fist swallowed dryly, an awkward smile on his face.
"No, well, I wouldn't call it a disturbance."
Fearing he'd get hit if he made a sarcastic comment about being interrupted, the Divine Demon Fist's lips curved into a strained line.
But Ouyang Jue wasn't focused on the Divine Demon Fist; his attention was on Liu Zhangming.
'What I just saw was definitely...'
The Dragon-Embracing Divine Palm.
It was a martial art created by refining the fierce power and core principles lacking in the Mount Hua Sect's Crane Spirit Palm, elevating it to a higher level.
It was supposed to appear seven years from now.
It was the art Liu Zhangming would showcase at the next Nine Dragons Tournament, when I was twenty-five.
It wasn't supposed to emerge this early.
Ouyang Jue approached Liu Zhangming, a tense look on his face.
"Senior Brother, have you by any chance created a new martial art?"
"..."
At those words, Liu Zhangming frowned, which was unlike him.
He looked clearly uncomfortable, as if a fishbone was caught in his throat.
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue felt his curiosity outweigh his tension, and his eyes gleamed.
"Would you be willing to spar with me as well?"
"I'd like to postpone it."
Liu Zhangming's expression grew heavier, as if he had something weighing on his mind.
But Ouyang Jue remembered something Liu Zhangming had once said.
That agonizing over an unsolvable problem alone was less effective than pondering it together.
'This is exactly when I should step in.'
Ouyang Jue revealed a bright smile.
"Senior Brother, do you remember?"
Liu Zhangming, who had been staring at the ground, looked up at Ouyang Jue.
Ouyang Jue continued speaking.
"About a year ago, when you saw the retaining wall of the ruined hermitage and asked for a sparring match."
Liu Zhangming's lips parted slightly.
"You knew?"
"Who do you think I am? I'm your Junior Brother, aren't I? I can tell just by looking at your face."
"You and your words."
Liu Zhangming let out a hearty laugh. He realized then just how quickly time had passed.
'Has it already been a year?'
Liu Zhangming let out a deep breath. He recalled the many events that had transpired in that time.
Just one year.
In the long span of a life, a year was but a fleeting moment. But this past year could not be dismissed as merely a moment.
That year had been a series of changes for Liu Zhangming. There had even been a time when he had to fight for his life against an elder he respected.
As his thoughts reached that point, Liu Zhangming had a sudden realization.
'...What is this.'
The frown on his face smoothed out.
'This issue is nothing compared to that.'
Of course, as a martial artist, he needed to investigate the cause. But it wasn't a problem so difficult that it should worry those around him.
Rather, as Ouyang Jue had said, he needed to spar with others to understand his current condition. And if there were limits, he needed to find out what they were.
A simple voice flowed from Liu Zhangming's lips.
"Come."
"Your unworthy Junior Brother greets you with muddy feet!"
Ouyang Jue, wittily responding to Liu Zhangming, immediately executed a strange and marvelous footwork.
Illusion and change—it was a modification of the Plum Blossom Steps, designed to make it difficult to discern his movements.
Even the Divine Demon Fist, who had learned the Plum Blossom Steps first upon entering Mount Hua, couldn't tell that what Ouyang Jue was using was the Plum Blossom Steps.
He thought Ouyang Jue was using a martial art from some unique sect, just as he had before.
But Liu Zhangming's keen eye reacted sharply.
"Quite an interesting interpretation."
"..."
Ouyang Jue simply remained silent, a smile on his face.
His action was a form of respect.
It implied that his own modifications were less significant than his Senior Brother's, who adapted and improved the Plum Blossom Sword Arts in every situation.
Liu Zhangming also understood the meaning behind it.
And so, a faint smile spread across Liu Zhangming's face.
"A movement reminiscent of falling plum blossoms."
Immediately after saying that, Liu Zhangming's eyes flashed. For a moment, a gleam of energy made of Purple Mist Ki swept over his entire body.
A shiver of tension ran down Ouyang Jue's spine. It was just an instant, but it felt as if he were facing not the Liu Zhangming of today, but the one from the distant future.
The purple ki that carried the scent of plum blossoms, and the Plum Blossom Sword Arts that he could never shake off, no matter how hard he tried.
Thwack!
For now, they were only exchanging fists. But Ouyang Jue changed his mind.
'What if Senior Brother were holding a sword right now?'
Of course, he wouldn't lose. He was confident he could win. But... the process would be incredibly arduous.
Ouyang Jue revised his private opinion that Liu Zhangming was beneath him.
With all his heart and all his strength.
This was a chance to find out why Jin Mu-wol and the others were so interested in Liu Zhangming.
"Let's pick up the pace."
Sssst.
Ouyang Jue's figure blurred in an instant.
It was truly divine speed; he circulated the Purple Mist Divine Arts through the Plum Blossom Steps he had just performed, unleashing the unique mystique of the Purple Mist Ki.
Even the Divine Demon Fist, who was confident no one could match his speed, momentarily lost track of him.
The Divine Demon Fist blinked, then snapped his head up.
'Above!'
Ouyang Jue was smiling cheerfully, his fist wreathed in purple ki.
To an onlooker, it would seem he was facing a worthy rival, not his own Senior Brother.
Feeling the ki contained in that fist, the Divine Demon Fist felt a wave of dizziness.
'Surely he's not going to smash his Senior Brother's skull... is he?'
What if he were in that position? There was no need to even think about it. He would have used the full speed of the Path Towards the Extreme of Light to get away.
But Liu Zhangming was different.
"...Hmph."
Even as Ouyang Jue's fist descended upon him, Liu Zhangming's gaze remained steady.
Moreover, Ouyang Jue had forgotten he was wearing the Diamond Fist-Seal Armor. It was essentially a fist wrapped only in bandages colliding with a sacred treasure of Shaolin.
Clang, crack!
Feeling the impact of flesh against metal, Ouyang Jue thought, 'Oops,' and tried to pull his fist back.
But Liu Zhangming's counter didn't end there.
"I hear your martial renown has grown quite high these days... yet you're so indecisive at a crucial moment."
He grabbed the back of Ouyang Jue's retracting arm and pulled him in.
"...?!"
Ouyang Jue's eyes widened at the immense strength he felt from Liu Zhangming. Before he had gone to the Martial Alliance, Liu Zhangming's power hadn't been this great.
Did he notice his gaze?
Liu Zhangming gave an awkward laugh.
"I've been training a bit."
'Is this the kind of strength you get from 'a bit' of training?!'
Ouyang Jue wanted to retort, but he couldn't get a word out.
Crack!
Liu Zhangming's violently raised knee struck his jaw, and a subsequent heel kick dug into his solar plexus. It was a foot-blade, sharper than any knife.
"Kuhp."
A sudden surge of blood rose to his throat. The metallic scent of it filled his nostrils.
To Ouyang Jue, it was as if Liu Zhangming was saying:
"Are you letting your mind wander while sparring with an opponent?"
Just like when they sparred with the ruined hermitage in the background, no different from before.
He wasn't holding a sword now, but the sparring situation was the same.
"...Ha."
Ouyang Jue grinned. Now, he could purely enjoy the spar.
'So, Senior Brother, you'd better be on your guard now.'
Ouyang Jue stared at Liu Zhangming with a venomous glint in his eyes.
"Oh?"
A mischievous smile played on Liu Zhangming's face. Thinking Ouyang Jue was finally going to come at him seriously, he circulated his Purple Mist Ki even more densely.
Pang!
The tips of Ouyang Jue's feet dug into the soft, snow-melted ground, propelling his body forward.
After about a hundred seconds had passed.
'What kind of sparring match is that?'
The Divine Demon Fist watched their exchange, seriously contemplating whether he should call an elder.
He had long since uncrossed his arms. The thought of just watching for fun had vanished.
It was too high-level.
The level of skill they displayed was extraordinary. They didn't yield an inch, even against attacks that could shatter bones if they connected.
Instead, they seemed to enjoy and admire each other's responses.
It was as if they weren't competing, but simply reveling in the contest of skills.
The Divine Demon Fist watched the spar, biting his upper lip with envy.
'If I took the Thunder Spirit Pill, could I join in?'
Then he clicked his tongue. Even he found the thought pathetic.
Wasn't martial prowess gained by coveting external objects futile? Wasn't the true path to become strong only through training?
The Divine Demon Fist knelt down right where he stood.
From that position, he carefully watched Ouyang Jue and Liu Zhangming's spar.
Baam, krak. Pang!
With every step, shockwaves rippled through the air. It was only natural that the hems of their robes were completely torn.
"Hah, hah!"
Panting heavily, Ouyang Jue leaped at Liu Zhangming like a beast.
The martial art he chose was the Jade-Shattering Fist, a style used by rogue warriors against newly debuted martial artists.
The reason was singular and clear.
"...!"
It was full of feints that an inexperienced martial artist would be unable to counter immediately.
Furthermore, the footwork used with the Jade-Shattering Fist was famous for its erratic movements.
As Ouyang Jue switched to a completely unexpected offensive, Liu Zhangming's face hardened.
Even his eyes, which had been reacting moment by moment, now held not intensity, but a deep stillness.
"...This is difficult."
If he allowed even half a step of distance, his entire upper body would be left open.
Knowing Ouyang Jue wasn't soft enough to hesitate, Liu Zhangming let out a wry smile.
'He won't hold back at all.'
Then he opened his mouth wide and took a deep breath.
"Hoo-eup."
Liu Zhangming's heel pushed forward as his body moved back.
In that instant, Ouyang Jue's eyes flashed. This was the perfect opportunity to neutralize Liu Zhangming.
"Brace yourself!"
Ouyang Jue desperately ignored the thirst that rose to his throat. His lungs screamed as if they were about to shrivel.
But there was only one step left. He was just that close to turning Liu Zhangming's defense against him.
"Stop."
At the voice that came from a distance, Ouyang Jue and Liu Zhangming stopped their movements and looked in that direction.
But a sense of regret remained, and as Ouyang Jue looked at Liu Zhangming, he was startled.
'In that short time, he was preparing the latter half of the Dragon-Embracing Divine Palm's forms...'
And he was shaping his ki into a form of pure power, intending to completely shatter my final attack.
Just being able to manifest sword qi is considered genius. But to do it with a fist?
Ouyang Jue may have regressed from a past life, but Liu Zhangming hadn't. That made his surprise all the greater.
In that time, the Daoist who had stopped the spar had drawn near.
Ouyang Jue hurriedly clasped his hands and called out.
"Ouyang Jue, disciple of Bai Duanxian, greets Protector Zheng!"
"Huhu, I watched from afar. It was quite a sight."
It wasn't Zheng Zhongshan, with whom he had spoken just before, but his older brother, Zheng Paro, who was smiling in admiration.
"Zhangming, won't you reconsider what I said before?"
"..."
"I'm asking if you will accept my teachings."
At those words, Ouyang Jue's eyes went wide as saucers.