Chapter 777 - 777 Advantage
Li Si and Du Tianyi stood face to face, and everyone from both sides immediately became tense.
On the side of the Southern Xingyi School, Du Tianyi was considered the strongest and the hope of the school. Therefore, it was inevitable for them to feel both nervous and excited.
On the side of the Northern Xingyi School, they had previously been at an advantage, so they were convinced that the Southern Xingyi School was no match for them. However, after Xiang Yunpeng's appearance, who single-handedly turned the tide from an initial three-to-zero to an even three-to-three, the Northern Xingyi School's certainty of victory was shattered. Moreover, given Du Tianyi's high reputation within the Southern Xingyi School and the fact that he was now personally taking action, the people from the Northern Xingyi School were naturally very nervous. The score was now tied and this was the seventh match out of ten; the situation was not looking optimistic.
Under the watchful eyes of both sides, Li Si let out a loud shout and charged toward Du Tianyi with fists that roared through the air like a pair of tigers.
Du Tianyi didn't hesitate either. He charged forward just like Li Si, and the two engaged in a fierce battle. Li Si's boxing technique embodied the hallmarks of the Northern Xingyi School—powerful punches and kicks with a focus on strength. Du Tianyi, on the other hand, showcased the Southern Xingyi School's emphasis on skill. As they fought, one unleashed wild attacks, and the other displayed refined moves, dazzling the surrounding crowd.
The people from the Northern Xingyi School were very aware of Li Si's strength, so seeing Du Tianyi able to go toe-to-toe with him without falling short was a huge surprise to them.
The people from the Southern Xingyi School also sweated profusely, feeling extremely nervous. If Du Tianyi lost, the Southern Xingyi School would be completely finished!
In the midst of it all, only Ye Qing, who was standing to the side, remained calm. He knew very well the extent of Du Tianyi's strength. This Li Si might look strong, but he was definitely no match for Du Tianyi. After all, Du Tianyi had been personally guided by the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. Although Shen Tianjun had only instructed him for one day, it was more than enough for Du Tianyi to benefit greatly!
Moreover, Ye Qing could tell that Du Tianyi was actually taking it easy in this fight, and his strength was clearly above Li Si's. In addition, he had learned a boxing technique from Shen Tianjun that combined both the North and South Xingyi Fist, a technique of unparalleled power. Yet now, he was only using the Southern Xingyi Fist and not adding any force from the Northern Xingyi Fist to his attacks. This indicated he was deliberately going easy on Li Si.
If he wanted to, defeating Li Si wouldn't be hard at all. The fact that he hadn't yet suggested that he was likely observing the Northern Xingyi Quan Techniques of Li Si and comparing them with what he had learned from Shen Tianjun. After all, he had only seen the Northern Xingyi School's boxing techniques when with Shen Tianjun, and there were still many aspects of the Northern Xingyi Fist he did not understand.
Ye Qing's guess was indeed accurate. Du Tianyi was intentionally drawing out Li Si's attacks to observe his Northern Xingyi Fist and identify the differences from what he had learned from Shen Tianjun. After nearly an hour of fighting, Li Si had executed a full set of Northern Xingyi Fist, while Du Tianyi had barely made a move, leaving Li Si nearly exhausted.
Du Yongwu watched the battlefield with a dark expression, having realized that Du Tianyi was far stronger than Li Si. However, he couldn't understand why Du Tianyi didn't directly defeat Li Si but chose to waste energy fighting for so long.
Seeing that Li Si had finished his set of Northern Xingyi Fist, Du Tianyi felt somewhat surprised. Most of Li Si's Northern Xingyi Fist looked similar to what he had learned from Shen Tianjun, but there were some differences in certain parts. For instance, a few techniques clearly had several variations, and the directions of the attacks differed from the way Li Si executed them. Li Si's execution was completely different from what Du Tianyi had learned from Shen Tianjun, significantly reducing the power of those techniques, which confused Du Tianyi, making him wonder if Li Si had been practicing incorrectly.
In fact, Du Tianyi did not know that what he learned from the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun was the true Northern Xingyi Fist. The Northern Xingyi Fist had once undergone great changes and its manuals were lost. What the Northern Xingyi School was practicing now was missing many elements and was no longer as glorious as the original Xingyi Quan. However, Shen Tianjun, who had explored all manner of boxing techniques the world over, was very knowledgeable about the Northern Xingyi Fist. What he taught Du Tianyi was the most complete Xingyi Quan technique, naturally much more formidable than what Li Si had demonstrated.
Having mainly wanted to observe the Northern Xingyi Fist techniques from Li Si, and having done so, Du Tianyi didn't want to waste more time. Seizing an opportunity, he placed a palm on Li Si's shoulder and pushed him out of the sparring circle. His attack had not injured Li Si, so this was a true example of a sparring match that ended on just making contact!
The people of the Southern Xingyi School, who had been holding their breath, now cheered excitedly as they saw Du Tianyi win. Du Yongwu, however, had a dark expression on his face. He knew his disciple was bound to lose, but the sheer strength of Du Tianyi was hard for him to accept.
Tie Weihua also wore a delighted expression and looking at Du Yongwu, he smiled and said, "Uncle Du, sorry, but we have taken the lead for now!"
Du Yongwu clenched his teeth and angrily responded, "Du Fei, you're up!"
Du Fei was Du Yongwu's own son and his foremost disciple, the strongest among his students. Moreover, he was the only one able to release Internal Energy, Du Yongwu's secret weapon.
Du Yongwu originally intended to have Du Fei hold off until the end, but the Southern Xingyi School had already won four matches. This one was extremely crucial. If they allowed the Southern Xingyi School to win another match, then even if they won all the remaining matches, they would only end up tying with the Southern Xingyi School, which was not the result he wanted. Therefore, he directly sent his son into battle, hoping to turn the situation around!
This time, just like before, Du Yongwu didn't give Tian Yi any chance to rest. However, people from the Southern Xingyi School were already accustomed to his shamelessness. Everyone just sighed a few times and didn't say much more.
Du Fei was quite cautious; he had been keeping an eye on Tian Yi, knowing his strength was genuinely formidable, so he didn't dare to underestimate him at all.
Walking into the combat arena, Du Fei and Tian Yi greeted each other with a bow. Standing straight, neither of them launched an attack immediately. Instead, they stood at a distance, with both firmly locking eyes, neither willing to make the first move lightly.
Tian Yi was somewhat at ease facing Du Fei; he didn't feel much nervousness. On the other hand, Du Fei had a furrowed brow, staring intently at Tian Yi, looking for an opportunity to strike.
The two confronted each other for a full three minutes, and the people from the North and South Xingyi Gate were somewhat astonished, wondering when the two would actually start fighting.
Finally, amid the anxious wait of the crowd, Tian Yi took a step forward. This action directly affected Du Fei, who, with a loud shout, threw himself forward, raising his hand to strike down at Tian Yi.
Tian Yi blocked Du Fei's punch with his arm and simultaneously grabbed with both hands, directly seizing Fei's wrists, trying to pull him in front of himself. Du Fei did not hesitate either; planting both feet firmly on the ground, with a loud roar, he instead pulled Tian Yi towards him.
Seeing this, Du Yongwu slapped his forehead, almost jumping up to shout in frustration. He had repeatedly emphasized not to engage in close combat with members of the Southern Xingyi School, yet here was his son, pulling his opponent right in front of him, essentially asking for trouble!
Actually, when Du Fei was being pulled by Tian Yi, he wasn't thinking too much, still under the impression that Tian Yi simply wanted to test their strength. After he had pulled Tian Yi close, it suddenly dawned on him what his father had cautioned, his complexion changing at once as he hastened to let go, while kicking toward Tian Yi in an attempt to force him back.
While Tian Yi was at the Shen Family Manor of the West, when Heavenly Lord Shen taught Ye Qing the Wing Chun Fist, he was also listening. The theory of the invincibility of Wing Chun in close combat was etched in his memory, a theory that basically applied to any Southern Fist. Thus, he had deliberately gotten close to Du Fei, and now his ploy had truly succeeded. Now that Du Fei was trying to force him back, of course, that would be impossible.
Tian Yi used his right arm to block Du Fei's kick, then pressed forward another step, drawing even closer to Fei. Du Fei hastily retreated, but for every step he took back, Tian Yi followed one forward, preventing him from escaping Tian Yi's range. Tian Yi's Southern Xingyi Fist was extremely fast and skillful, and it did not take long before he had Du Fei flustered.
Du Yongwu clenched his teeth as he watched the unfolding scene, almost going mad with rage. If Du Fei lost this match, all his plans would be thwarted. However, he knew very well that this match was almost decided. If Du Fei couldn't expand the distance, his defeat was merely a matter of time!
Du Fei clearly understood this, and as he fought with Tian Yi, the more he fought, the more panicked he became. But Tian Yi was like a persistent maggot, no matter how much Du Fei tried to retreat, he couldn't get away, which pushed him closer to the edge of a breakdown.
Seeing Tian Yi gaining the upper hand, Du Fei suddenly let out a thunderous shout and charged toward Tian Yi, recklessly enduring two of Tian Yi's punches.
Tian Yi didn't expect Du Fei to suddenly become desperate; the force of the two punches wasn't enough. Although they hit Du Fei, they did not cause much harm. On the other hand, Du Fei charged like a wild bull, forcing Tian Yi to step back and evade the brunt of the charge.
When Tian Yi stepped back, Du Fei immediately stopped and suddenly created distance between them, instantly changing the previously passive situation.
Seeing this, Du Yongwu couldn't help but exclaim in approval. If the close combat continued, Du Fei would definitely not stand a chance of winning. Du Fei's decision to dash out desperately, regardless of enduring a few hits, just to force Tian Yi back and create distance, meant the fight could go on!