Chapter 774 - 774: A Final Victory
The man who had fought three matches already was considered relatively capable among Du Yongwu's disciples.
The reason Du Yongwu had sent him up again was because he had already fought three matches and his energy was nearly depleted, and he wouldn't be much use in the subsequent major battle. And by sending him up, even if he lost, firstly, they could get a sense of Xiang Yunpeng's capabilities; secondly, having won three matches already, he had certainly gained a lot!
An injured man on the side struggled to sit up and urgently warned, "Second Senior Brother, be careful; this person is extremely ruthless!"
"Don't worry, watch how Second Senior Brother avenges you!" Xiang Yunpeng replied proudly.
"Second Senior Brother, go for it!" The crowd from Southern Xingyi School shouted continuously, each clenching their fists. They had been mocked for so long and looked down upon all morning, and everyone was holding back their frustrations, hoping to vent them this time.
Everyone backed away, clearing a battlefield. Xiang Yunpeng and the man from Northern Xingyi School stepped into the center. Xiang Yunpeng made a fist and bowed slightly, giving a basic courtesy gesture, yet the man's face was full of arrogance, and he didn't reciprocate, directly kicking towards Xiang Yunpeng.
"Hmph!" Ye Qing snickered coldly from the side, sarcastically remarking, "It seems that the courtesies of Northern Xingyi School are nothing special after all!"
Flushed with embarrassment, Du Yongwu was taken aback; his disciple, after winning three matches consecutively, hadn't taken the men from Northern Xingyi School seriously, thus his discourtesy. This also left him in an awkward position, especially since he had been harping on about the importance of courtesy. Now, his own words seemed to slap back at him, which was hardly bearable.
"What courtesies, what not—since it's a martial arts match, victory should purely depend on skill. If we're discussing courtesies, we might as well not fight at all!" yelled a disciple beside Du Yongwu, completely oblivious to Du Yongwu's expressions.
"Shut up!" Du Yongwu glared at him angrily. The disciple startled, afraid to speak any further, not even understanding where he had gone wrong.
Meanwhile, in the blink of an eye during this exchange, Du Yongwu's disciple had already exchanged three moves with Xiang Yunpeng. Northern Xingyi School's Xingyi Quan was known for its powerful and domineering style, while Southern Xingyi School valued more skillful techniques. The two clashing, Du Yongwu's disciple mainly used long punches and kicks, demonstrating formidable strength. However, Xiang Yunpeng kept blocking and dodging, gradually closing the distance, seemingly aiming to get closer.
Seeing this, Du Yongwu frowned. He could see that Xiang Yunpeng was solely focusing on blocking and dodging and not attacking, making his disciple think that Xiang Yunpeng's skills were lacking. Thus, his disciple was being careless, not noticing that Xiang Yunpeng was inching closer. Du Yongwu's vision was beyond ordinary, and he was also very aware of the characteristics of Southern Xingyi School. Realizing this, he knew that his disciple's defeat was inevitable and unchangeable!
"Watch carefully!" Du Yongwu turned, whispering to a few disciples behind him, "When the fight starts, don't let this man get close to you, understand?"
Though Du Yongwu's disciples nodded, somewhat understanding, they didn't really care.
Du Yongwu sighed. Seeing his disciples' expressions, he knew exactly what they were thinking. He knew they wouldn't take his words seriously unless they suffered a few losses themselves.
In the battlefield, the man from Northern Xingyi School was becoming more fluent in his attacks, growing increasingly aggressive. Throughout, Xiang Yunpeng continued to dodge and block, being completely on the defensive. This situation, not only to people from Northern Xingyi School but even those from Southern Xingyi School, was baffling; they couldn't understand why Xiang Yunpeng wasn't fighting back.
Standing beside, Ye Qing was calm, for he had also noticed that the distance between Xiang Yunpeng and the man was closing. Moreover, he could see that although Xiang Yunpeng was just blocking and dodging, he was doing it with considerable ease. However, though the man's attacks flowed well and his punches were powerful and oppressive, in reality, he was progressively getting cornered—a fact only he was clearly aware of!
Had it been the Ye Qing of the past, he likely wouldn't have noticed these details. But after training with Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun for three days, although he had primarily learned theory, his skills had significantly improved. Previously, Ye Qing possessed both Inner Strength and External Skills, but lacked profound Martial Arts philosophies. Shen Tianjun's Martial Arts philosophies, encompassing the essence of his life's learning, were intricate, and although Ye Qing couldn't fully grasp these ideas, they had greatly enhanced his abilities, improving his vision several notches, allowing him to see the strengths and weaknesses of both sides clearly!
Everything went as Ye Qing had predicted; Xiang Yunpeng gradually closed in on the man, who became increasingly cornered in his movements. Towards the end, the man was practically being led by Xiang Yunpeng in his attacks, attacking defensively. Yet this was something others with less capability failed to perceive, still thinking the Northern Xingyi School's fighter had the upper hand.
The members of the Southern Xingyi School were also gripping their hands with sweat, unable to discern the outcome. However, Du Tianyi, like Ye Qing, remained composed. He had been intentionally allowed to listen while Shen Tianjun taught Ye Qing Wing Chun Fist. He had learned the theoretical aspects of Shen Tianjun's martial arts, which naturally elevated his level and enhanced his vision considerably. Like Ye Qing, he could see what the actual situation of the match was!
Du Yongwu furrowed his brows, knowing that this match was nearing its end. Moreover, Xiang Yunpeng's formidable strength had indeed shocked him, making the decision of whom to send out next a troublesome matter.
Indeed, in less than half a minute, the man fiercely kicked out, but Xiang Yunpeng easily dodged it. At the same time, Xiang Yunpeng also stepped forward half a step and finally threw his first punch. The Half-Step Collapse Fist, like thunder, struck the man's chest. The man was directly pushed back three or four steps, staggered a few times while standing in place, and eventually slowly fell to the ground, defeated!
Everyone was stunned. The man had been so aggressively fighting moments ago, who would have thought he'd be defeated so quickly? What exactly had happened? Most people did not understand what had happened.
However, after a moment of astonishment, the members of the Southern Xingyi School were also thrilled. After fighting all morning and finally winning a match, their mood was upliftable. Especially since the man was also injured by Xiang Yunpeng, it also gave the previously injured three Southern Xingyi School members a chance to vent their anger. Everyone gathered around Xiang Yunpeng, cheering and jumping excitedly.
Tie Weihua also finally showed a smile, having won a round after such a long time, he was also very excited. However, as the Sect Leader, he had to remain composed.
Suppressing the joy in his heart, Tie Weihua looked at Du Yongwu and said, "Uncle Du, it seems we were quite lucky this round!"
The members of the Northern Xingyi School were all in astonishment, with some beginning to recall what Du Yongwu had previously told them. At that moment, they finally understood why Du Yongwu had warned them not to let Xiang Yunpeng get close. Once close, winning or losing was a matter of seconds!
Even some began to doubt whether the martial arts of the Northern Xingyi School were indeed inferior to those of the Southern Xingyi School. Of course, no one dared to voice such thoughts, they were just pondering internally.
"Senior Tie indeed has taught a good disciple!" Du Yongwu, with a cold stare at Xiang Yunpeng, said, "Not bad at all. Learning from Tie Yongwen, he knows to close the distance and target the weaknesses. Hmm, but, my disciple has already fought three rounds, and he's already out of strength. Your victory wasn't truly honorable, it doesn't count for much!"
The members of the Southern Xingyi School were immediately displeased and started murmuring loudly. Tie Weihua raised his hand, and with some difficulty, managed to quiet everyone down before looking at Du Yongwu, "If Uncle Du is not prepared to accept this, then we can consider this match as if it had not been played. Just a word from you would be enough, no need for more!"
Of course, Du Yongwu wanted to deny their victory, but he couldn't afford to lose face. Du Yongwu gritted his teeth and said, "Hmm, I'm not like you Southern Xingyi School folks. When we lose, we accept our defeat. We've already fought four matches, winning three and losing one, still temporarily leading. Yet, we're not as overexcited as you are. Youngsters, can't keep their composure, can they!"
This made the members of the Southern Xingyi School somewhat embarrassed, indeed it was true—getting so excited over a single win was perhaps a bit much.
"Enough talk, shall we continue the fight or not!" Xiang Yunpeng shouted, his personality being straightforward, thus his words lacked courtesy.
Angered, Du Yongwu was just about to reproach Xiang Yunpeng for his lack of manners. But then, considering what his disciple had just done, he immediately shut his mouth. His own people were already lacking in manners, so he had no right to criticize others.
"Since you're so eager to lose, then let's continue the fight!" Du Yongwu turned his head, glanced at his disciples but still was unsure whom to choose. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and commanded, "Third Brother, you're up!"
A tall man stepped forward and walked to the center of the battlefield. Xiang Yunpeng, as before, slowly bowed to him. This time, the people of the Northern Xingyi School did not dare to act arrogantly and promptly returned the bow, which made Du Yongwu look much better.
After exchanging bows without any hesitation, the two engaged in a fierce battle right away. This man's strength was similar to the previous one, however, he hadn't attacked until now, saving up his strength, which was much stronger than that of the previous man. Moreover, he was intentionally cautious not to let Xiang Yunpeng get close to him. Thus, as soon as they clashed, the battle became deadlocked, with neither able to overcome the other, fighting to a standstill!