Chapter 85 : Chapter 85
Chapter 85. Picking a Fight?
Changyuan Street, garrison post.
Sun Xiaochuan was listening to his subordinates report today’s “harvest,” a faint smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
At his side, the heavily built Lu Kui frowned and said, “Street Guard, isn’t this a little too risky? That Xu Yuan did kill Xu Tianlong, after all.”
“You really believe Xu Yuan was the one who killed Xu Tianlong?”
Sun Xiaochuan pointed at him irritably and shook his head with a laugh. “The only reason he managed to win such a great merit this time was because he followed behind Hong Qianshan and picked up the scraps.”
“I’ve seen this sort of thing plenty of times—elders bringing juniors along to sponge off merit. I know it better than anyone.”
“But what if…” Lu Kui still looked hesitant.
“Enough. I gained a great deal myself from this latest seclusion, and besides, I’m only testing Xu Yuan’s level. What’s the problem?” Sun Xiaochuan waved him off and cut him short.
Over the past month, he had been bitterly cultivating in the quiet chamber. At last, he had managed to raise the martial skill 《Traceless Shadow》, which he had previously bought at a high price, to the Beginner stage.
This art emphasized explosive speed and swiftness, and it complemented the Benlei Fist perfectly. But because it was too difficult to practice, he had set it aside for a long time. It was only after being provoked by Xu Yuan that he finally picked it up again.
‘Even if I face off against his Wandering Dragon Step, I won’t fall into a disadvantage.’
At that thought, Sun Xiaochuan’s confidence swelled.
The moment he emerged from seclusion, he heard about Xu Yuan smashing apart a Bai Family spy hideout, and jealousy immediately rose in his heart.
That was why he arranged this setup—to crush Xu Yuan’s momentum in public and use the chance to prove who the true outstanding talent really was.
Just then, a commotion came from outside.
A martial artist hurried in. “Street Guard Sun, they’ve arrived. They’re right outside the door.”
Sun Xiaochuan arched a brow. “Oh? They came quickly enough. Let him in.”
Not long afterward, Xu Yuan entered the hall with his men.
Sun Xiaochuan sat firmly in the seat of honor without rising, merely lifting his eyelids slightly. “Street Guard Xu, what a rare guest. What brings you to my Changyuan Street today?”
Xu Yuan’s gaze swept calmly across the hall before finally landing on Sun Xiaochuan.
“Street Guard Sun, today the Third Squad of my Changning Street was pursuing a group of fleeing Bai Family martial artists. They were just about to finish them off when your men from Changyuan Street intercepted them and stole the merit. Are you aware of this matter?”
Sun Xiaochuan feigned surprise. “That happened? Perhaps my men saw those Bai Family thieves flee into my street’s territory and, in the heat of the moment, acted on impulse. Street Guard Xu, please do not take offense.”
“After all, rules are rules. If a man falls within whose territory, then the merit belongs to that side.”
Hearing those nearly identical words, Xu Yuan glanced at him and smiled faintly.
“So Street Guard Sun is a man who respects the rules after all.”
“Of course.” Sun Xiaochuan lifted his teacup, took a light sip, and spoke with a trace of mockery. “If Street Guard Xu feels dissatisfied, then we can settle it according to the ‘rules.’ How about the two of us spar? Whoever wins gets the merit. What do you say?”
Lu Kui’s eyes shifted, and he immediately chimed in from the side.
“Street Guard Xu, surely you aren’t going to send your subordinates to fight for you again this time?”
The meaning in his words was obvious—he was mocking Xu Yuan for avoiding battle last time.
By now, quite a few martial artists had already gathered around to watch the excitement, and upon hearing that, they all began to egg things on.
Seeing Sun Xiaochuan’s expression of assured victory, Xu Yuan sneered inwardly.
After breaking through to the Fifth Meridian, he had already wanted to find someone to test his hand against. Sun Xiaochuan had conveniently delivered himself to the door.
“Since Street Guard Sun is in such a refined mood, Xu will accompany you.”
Joy flashed through Sun Xiaochuan’s eyes. Afraid Xu Yuan might back out, he immediately stepped forward. “Good. Street Guard Xu is forthright indeed!”
The two stood facing one another, and the atmosphere instantly tightened.
Sun Xiaochuan drew in a deep breath and adjusted himself to peak condition.
During this month of secluded training, not only had he brought Traceless Shadow to the Beginner stage, his cultivation had also advanced slightly. He was confident that even against someone who had only just entered the Fifth Meridian, he would still have the power to fight.
“Please,” Xu Yuan said calmly, uttering a single word.
Sun Xiaochuan wasted no more words. His body flickered, and his steps moved like the wind, leaving no trace at all. His speed was actually several times faster than before!
He transformed into a streak of white and in an instant closed in on Xu Yuan, driving a punch toward his chest. The attack was fierce and clearly unleashed with full force.
“So fast!”
The watching martial artists were dazzled by what they saw and could not help crying out in alarm.
Sun Xiaochuan’s movement art truly was remarkable. It was already no weaker than that of many Fourth Meridian martial artists who specialized in footwork.
Yet faced with that lightning-fast strike, Xu Yuan neither dodged nor avoided it.
He simply raised his hand and threw a punch. The movement looked plain and unremarkable, yet it moved later and arrived first, colliding with Sun Xiaochuan’s strike with absolute precision.
Boom!
A vast wave of force exploded outward, forcing the surrounding martial artists to stumble back several steps.
Sun Xiaochuan’s expression changed. He felt a tremendous force transmit through his hand, numbing his entire arm, while his body slid backward uncontrollably for over ten feet, his feet carving two deep furrows into the ground.
“You…” He looked up at Xu Yuan in shock, his eyes full of disbelief.
That punch just now—the sheer power in it had clearly far surpassed the Fourth Meridian!
Could it be…
Xu Yuan slowly withdrew his fist, his expression still as calm as ever. “Street Guard Sun, do you still wish to continue?”
Sun Xiaochuan’s face flushed red, humiliation and rage mixing together.
“I don’t believe it…”
With a low roar, he drove Traceless Shadow to its utmost limit. His figure split into several afterimages as he attacked Xu Yuan from different angles.
At the same time, his fists rained down like a storm, hard and tyrannical enough to seem capable of tearing through the air itself.
And yet, in Xu Yuan’s eyes, those attacks seemed exceptionally slow.
Ever since breaking through to the Fifth Meridian, his Qi and blood had surged drastically, and his perception, reactions, and speed had all risen across the board.
With a single movement of his feet, the Wandering Dragon Step unfolded. His figure turned ghostlike and elusive, weaving effortlessly through Sun Xiaochuan’s palm shadows without even letting the corner of his robe be touched.
After ten exchanges, Xu Yuan had already seen through Sun Xiaochuan completely.
This man truly did have decent talent. His Benlei Fist had reached Minor Mastery, and his movement art had also entered Beginner stage. Among Fourth Meridian martial artists, he absolutely counted as one of the best.
Unfortunately, the opponent he faced was Xu Yuan, who had already entered the Fifth Meridian. This fight across realms was stable beyond doubt.
“This should end now.”
Xu Yuan spoke lightly. Then his footwork suddenly changed. No longer evading, he instead charged directly into Sun Xiaochuan’s incoming fists.
Sun Xiaochuan was overjoyed, thinking Xu Yuan was being arrogant. He threw both fists out at once, heavy as a thousand catties, sweeping with full force toward Xu Yuan’s chest.
Xu Yuan neither blocked nor defended. He let the two fists land squarely on his chest and did not even activate the Iron Garment Art, choosing to tank them with his bare body alone.
Bang!
Several strands of force struck his body, yet they vanished like mud oxen sinking into the sea, producing no effect whatsoever.
Sun Xiaochuan’s expression changed drastically. Before he could even withdraw his move, Xu Yuan’s fist had already crashed into his lower abdomen like thunder.
“Pfft!”
Sun Xiaochuan was blasted backward and hit the ground hard, a mouthful of blood spraying wildly from his lips. The force raging inside his body turned his face deathly pale.
The entire place fell into dead silence in an instant.
Everyone stared at the scene, dumbstruck.
Sun Xiaochuan, hailed as the “number one genius of Changlin Ward,” had actually failed to last even three moves under Xu Yuan’s hands—and had been defeated so cleanly, so miserably!
Xu Yuan drew back his stance, brushed at the nonexistent dust on his chest, and looked toward the people of Changyuan Street.
“As for the matter of the battle merit, does anyone still have objections?”
Lu Kui and the others had faces like dirt. Who among them dared say a single word in protest?
Xu Yuan’s gaze swept over Lu Kui seemingly by accident, causing the latter to force out an awkward look. Xu Yuan said nothing more, only signaling Liu Kun to bring along those several Bai Family corpses before leading his men away.
Street Guard Xu was actually this strong?
Chen Sanli, Liu Kun, and the others looked utterly exhilarated. As they passed before the people of Changyuan Street, every one of them held his head high and chest out.
Only after the Changning Street group had gone far away did the gathered onlookers explode into uproar.
“Street Guard Sun… lost?”
“Lost? He was completely crushed!”
“That punch Street Guard Xu threw just now… did you all feel it? That pressure was absolutely beyond the Fourth Meridian!”
“No way… could it be that he has already entered the Fifth Meridian?!”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
Thinking back again on Xu Yuan’s effortless bearing just now, the more they thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Lying on the ground, Sun Xiaochuan heard those discussions and spat out another mouthful of blood, his face ashen.
He had cultivated bitterly for more than a month, hoping to hold his head high and finally vent his pride at this very moment. Instead, he had lost even more miserably than before.
And what drove him to even deeper despair was that Xu Yuan had already broken through to the Fifth Meridian—a realm he himself had yet to reach even now.
When he thought of how the other man had successively mastered movement arts, body-tempering martial skills, and then leaped straight into the Fifth Meridian in one go…
“What kind of monstrous cultivation speed is this?”
Sun Xiaochuan let out a miserable laugh. The little pride left in his heart shattered completely.
“Genius? Hah…”