Lotus Lane, the Chen family home.
Chen Dashan held a plane, shaving a piece of wood. Wood shavings fell away, and sawdust flew in the air.
His movements were skilled; he had been immersed in this trade for decades. However, whenever he took a step to change angles, his brows would furrow in pain. His bones were still aching.
Seeing this, Mrs. Li’s eyes filled with resentment. "That little brat simply isn’t human! To be so ruthless against his own flesh-and-blood father!"
Chen Dashan shook his head and sighed, saying in a muffled voice, "Don’t provoke him to his face anymore. Let’s start with his aunt. We have to get some silver back somehow."
Mrs. Li continued to complain incessantly. "That Huang Juan is no good either. She claims to care about her nephew, but isn’t she just greedy for the silver Chen Yuan can bring her?"
CRASH!
A heavy kick struck the door.
"Chen Dashan, get the hell out here! If you aren’t dead, open the door!"
The two hurriedly stopped what they were doing. Peeking through the crack in the door, they saw Qian Bao’s face and were terribly frightened. They quickly pulled back the latch and squeezed out fawning smiles.
"Mr. Bao, what wind blew you here? Haven’t we already paid the peace-keeping fee and the tribute money?"
Chen Dashan felt a chill in his heart. With Qian Bao looking so aggressive, it definitely wasn’t anything good!
Qian Bao sneered. "Chen Dashan, do I need to spell out the guilty deeds you’ve done? Bullying my Younger Brother Chen? And you even dared to go to Hundred Herbs Lane to make trouble? Trying to ruin the neighborhood’s peace, aren’t you?"
Cold sweat instantly poured down Chen Dashan’s face.
Qian Bao was obviously using "the neighborhood’s peace" as an excuse to pin a label on him. When did he ever care about such things normally? It was highly likely that Chen Yuan was behind this! That vile spawn...
He could only bow and force a placating smile. "Mr. Bao, I absolutely didn’t mean to disrupt the peace. It’s just that household expenses are tight, and I wanted to borrow some silver to tide us over. My Kai’Er is practicing martial arts at the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall, and it’s exactly the time we need money."
Qian Bao scoffed. "Using that good-for-nothing Chen Kai to pressure me? You really are quite stupid. Casting aside a good seedling like Younger Brother Chen, and throwing money to train a piece of trash like Chen Kai..."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly turned fierce. He waved his hand. "Beat them! Beat them until they don’t dare cause trouble anymore!"
His underlings, whose hands had long been itching for action, immediately put on savage expressions and ruthlessly smashed their wooden clubs down.
THUD! WHACK!
Fists and feet collided with fierce momentum, producing muffled thuds.
The Monument-Breaking Palm emphasized a single word: "Hard." Hard stances, hard strikes, and hard breakthroughs.
After a few probing moves, Chen Kai stomped his left foot hard on the ground, sending dust flying. His entire body crashed toward Chen Yuan like a cannonball. His right palm, wrapped in the sound of rushing wind, chopped straight toward Chen Yuan’s face.
This palm strike was heavy and powerful, truly like a stone monument smashing down on one’s head.
Chen Yuan did not retreat.
In the Xin Yi Liu He Fist, stepping into the opponent’s center line to seize the dominant position was something even immortals would find hard to defend against.
He pushed off with his back foot, stepping his front foot right into Chen Kai’s center guard. His body tilted slightly, and his left arm thrust out horizontally like a bear’s shoulder, forcefully blocking Chen Kai’s wrist.
As their arms clashed, a muffled sound of colliding bone and flesh rang out.
Chen Kai felt as if his palm had chopped onto a solid boulder; the recoil numbed the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.
His heart skipped a beat, but his reaction was extremely fast. With his right palm blocked, his left palm had already shot out from his waist. His five fingers pressed together like a knife, thrusting straight toward Chen Yuan’s ribs.
This move was called "Piercing the Clouds and Shattering Stones." It was the killing move he had practiced most proficiently.
Chen Yuan’s right arm chopped down from his chest, breaking the straight strike with a horizontal force—the Cross Fist power of the Xingyi Five Elements Fist.
The edge of his fist intercepted the inside of Chen Kai’s forearm. Chen Kai’s entire left arm instantly went numb, and his attack was forcefully deflected. It slid past Chen Yuan’s lapel, not even brushing the hem of his clothes.
Borrowing the momentum, Chen Kai spun his body and thrust out both palms simultaneously. Palm strike followed palm strike in an endless stream, like a giant axe splitting a mountain.
The disciples watching from the sidelines only saw a flurry of palm shadows and heard the whistling of strong winds. They couldn’t help but cheer loudly.
However, Chen Yuan advanced and retreated calmly amidst the barrage of palm shadows.
His footwork wasn’t wide; he merely shifted inch by inch, his heels seemingly plowing the ground. Every step landed precisely in the gap where Chen Kai’s old force was exhausted and his new force had yet to generate.
Chen Kai’s palm wind grazed the tip of his nose and brushed past his chest, but it always fell short by a mere inch.
Like a fierce gale trying to shake a mountain, the mountain remained unmoving.
Standing to the side, Hongtao watched with a slight frown. Laymen watch for the spectacle, but experts look for the technique.
Although Chen Kai’s offensive was fierce, he had already unleashed seven or eight moves in a row. Meanwhile, Chen Yuan had only defended without attacking once; even his breathing hadn’t faltered.
This wasn’t an evenly matched fight at all. He was just toying with him.
Chen Kai sensed it too.
His breathing grew heavier, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes had already turned slightly red. The cheers from his fellow junior disciples around him changed flavor in his ears, sounding entirely like mockery.
"Is dodging all you can do?!"
Chen Kai roared furiously. He suddenly changed his move, his five right fingers curling like a hook as he lunged straight for Chen Yuan’s throat! Simultaneously, his left hand reached down, clawing ruthlessly toward Chen Yuan’s crotch!
Locking the throat up high, striking the groin down low.
These were no longer moves for a friendly spar; this was a venomous strike meant to cripple.
The cheers from the sidelines abruptly stopped. Hongtao’s expression changed, and he was just about to shout for them to stop—
Chen Yuan’s gaze finally changed.
From the placid calmness of an ancient well, it chilled into the freezing depths of an abyss.
He raised his left knee, as lightly and deftly as lifting a bucket of water, sealing off Chen Kai’s low strike. The moment his knee met the palm, Chen Kai’s finger bones let out a crisp crack, unable to bear the heavy burden.
At the same time, Chen Yuan’s right fist burst forth from the center line. It was the Xingyi Beng Fist, short and explosive like a clap of thunder.
THUD!
With a muffled sound, Chen Kai’s right hand, which was clawing toward the throat, was forcefully blasted away. His five fingers splayed open in a spasm, and his entire arm lost feeling.
Chen Kai’s center guard was left wide open. He looked up in terror, meeting Chen Yuan’s serene gaze.
That serenity made his heart palpitate far more than any vicious expression ever could. Because within it, there was no anger, no killing intent—he didn’t even acknowledge him as an opponent.
It was like he was looking at a piece of wood.
Chen Yuan stepped forward with his right foot, his toes pointing inward. His knees and hips unified. The power of his entire body traveled from the soles of his feet up to his spine like a taut steel cable, then channeled from his spine straight into his right fist. It was the Inner and Outer Six Harmonies of the Xin Yi Liu He Fist. The whole-body force erupted. Even from an inch away, the power originated from the earth.
Beng Fist.
The second Beng Fist.
Chen Kai wanted to retreat, but the intent behind Chen Yuan’s fist had already locked onto his figure.
This punch landed unerringly, squarely upon his left ribs.
CRACK.
A crisp fracture echoed, like a dry branch snapping.
Chen Kai’s eyes bulged, and his mouth fell wide open, yet he couldn’t even let out a scream.
Lifted off his feet, the punch sent him flying two feet in the air before he crashed heavily onto the bluestone floor, kicking up a ring of dust.
Dead silence filled the courtyard.
The disciples who had just been clamoring for him to "beat him to death" were now completely quiet.
Chen Yuan pulled back his fist and stood upright. He remained expressionless, his breathing as steady as before.
He looked down at Chen Kai—who was curled up on the ground with his face covered in snot and tears, and who only just now spat out a mouthful of blood and let out a miserable wail like a slaughtered pig—and said flatly, "Thank you for the match."
Hongtao gave Chen Yuan a deep look before slowly announcing, "The outcome is decided. Chen Yuan is the victor."
He then cast a glance at Chen Kai, who was unable to get up, his face full of unwillingness and his eyes brimming with resentment. Several people had already stepped forward to check his injuries.
Hongtao’s heart felt slightly heavy. He had initially thought that even if Chen Yuan came to challenge them with some confidence, he wouldn’t be that strong. After all, his aptitude and the time he had spent practicing martial arts were clear for all to see.
However, the previous battle had completely changed his mind. Chen Yuan’s Xin Yi Liu He Fist was on an entirely different level compared to Chen Kai’s Monument-Breaking Rock-Splitting Fist.
The gap was simply too vast!
Even looking across the entire Outer Courtyard, the only ones capable of firmly suppressing Chen Yuan were those disciples who had better foundations and had joined earlier. However, sending those disciples out to fight would inevitably be an unfair victory. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
He would think about it later. Thus, he said, "Brother Chen Yuan, you now have a quarter of an hour to rest."
Chen Yuan shook his head slightly. "There’s no need. I’ve only just warmed up. Let’s continue."
The moment these words were spoken, Chen Kai felt boundless humiliation. Overwhelmed with rage, a mouthful of blood surged up his throat, and he fainted dead away.