"He’s too arrogant! I can’t take it anymore—someone needs to teach him a lesson!"
"He strikes so ruthlessly, yet still dares to spout such nonsense. Does he really think there’s no one capable in the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall?"
"How dare someone with a mere Upper-D Grade aptitude act so insolently! Is there a senior brother with an Upper-C Grade aptitude who can show him the gap in our strength?"
The Outer Disciples of the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall were in an uproar, filled with righteous indignation. They were already dissatisfied with Chen Yuan’s character, but now he was slapping them all in the face in public. It instantly sparked outrage.
Hongtao narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of displeasure rising in his heart. After weighing his options for a moment, he spoke up. "Brother Chen Yuan, to reach such a level in such a short time with an Upper-D Grade aptitude, your comprehension must be extremely high. In that case, I will have a disciple with a Lower-C Grade aptitude spar with you. He has only been practicing martial arts for a little over two months. What do you think?"
By stating his aptitude and training duration, Chen Yuan was clearly trying to set limitations so he wouldn’t have to face an overly strong opponent. But Hongtao knew they couldn’t afford to lose this next match; otherwise, the morale of the Martial Arts Hall would suffer. He had no choice but to use comprehension as an excuse to send out a junior brother with a higher chance of winning, which was at least a justifiable move.
Chen Yuan cupped his hands slightly. "I leave the arrangements to Senior Brother Hongtao. I have no objections."
"Good." Hongtao nodded and waved a disciple over. "Hu Feng, you will fight Brother Chen Yuan in this match."
As they brushed past each other, he whispered, "Do not be careless. His Xin Yi Liu He Fist is not weak. Suppress him with your vitality and blood. As time drags on, you will naturally win."
Hu Feng nodded heavily.
At that moment, beneath the boiling clamor, a white-bearded figure slowly paced over. With a square face, he carried an aura of natural authority. It was none other than Shi Yue, the current master of the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall.
Hongtao had sharp eyes. He was about to step forward to greet him but was stopped by a single look. He hadn’t expected to alarm his master. Shaking his head, he could only hope that Hu Feng would emerge victorious.
Tao Ping’s gaze grew a bit heavier. Although Chen Kai had been the first to strike ruthlessly in the initial match, they were the ones who had come to challenge the establishment. Beating a Martial Arts Hall disciple until they couldn’t get up, or even knocking them unconscious, carried a heavy undertone of provocation. Furthermore, Chen Yuan’s arrogant and flamboyant remarks about just "warming up" had undoubtedly stoked the resentment of the hall’s disciples.
Today’s trip would likely not end peacefully. In the long run, offending the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall would bring nothing but harm to his path in the Martial Dao.
What puzzled him even more was that given Chen Yuan’s usual temperament, he wouldn’t normally do something so high-profile. He wondered if it was simply a matter of youthful impulsiveness, acting out when the occasion arose. Tao Ping shook his head, sighing inwardly.
In the center of the courtyard, the martial arts match resumed.
Hu Feng was fully prepared. He went all out right from the start, unleashing the Monument-Breaking Palm with whistling gusts of wind. He was completely different from a half-baked amateur like Chen Kai. The more he fought, the more smoothly his moves flowed. The impassioned cheers and encouragement from the other disciples made his blood boil, fueling his ferocity. He suppressed the arrogant Chen Yuan throughout the entire fight, ultimately knocking him back with a single punch.
As the words "I concede" fell from his opponent’s lips, Hu Feng won the match.
"I’ve learned much." Chen Yuan flicked his sleeves and cupped his fists.
"You let me win." Hu Feng held his head high, the smugness in his eyes practically overflowing. He had defeated an enemy who came to provoke the Martial Arts Hall under the watchful eyes of the crowd, avenged his junior brother, boosted the hall’s prestige, and received everyone’s admiration.
At this moment, Hu Feng felt like he was riding high, practically on top of the world. He had never felt so exhilarated. He wished his master were there to see it. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he actually spotted his master’s figure standing at the back of the crowd, with disciples already greeting him.
He had the perfect timing, the home-ground advantage, and the support of the people. It was incredibly cool! He felt no different from the main character in a dime novel. His only regret was that he hadn’t beaten Chen Yuan to the point of vomiting blood to properly vent his anger.
However, the moment he thought of that, he noticed something was off. Turning his head sharply, he saw Chen Yuan sitting cross-legged, calmly regulating his breathing, without the slightest hint of frustration or anger over his defeat. Tao Ping stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head with a faint smile, seemingly having realized something.
His meditation ended.
Chen Yuan stood up to continue the challenge. Hongtao gave him a meaningful look and arranged for the next opponent. This time, the challenger also had a Lower-C Grade aptitude and had similarly been practicing martial arts for over two months, though he was slightly weaker than Hu Feng.
The fight began. The opponent’s attacks were fierce and relentless, practically suffocating. Chen Yuan panted heavily as he retreated step by step, struggling to hold on before helplessly conceding, thus losing the match.
The Outer Disciples of the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall were overjoyed! They looked ready to wave flags and shout in celebration. With two wins out of three, their Kaisan Martial Arts Hall was clearly superior! Amidst the celebration, they naturally didn’t forget to mock and ridicule Chen Yuan. They hurled insults about how he was nothing special, how he couldn’t take a single blow, and told him to keep his tail tucked between his legs in the future, venting all the frustration they had kept pent up in their hearts.
Chen Yuan appropriately displayed a look of unwillingness and chagrin. He walked over to Hongtao, sighing. "Senior Brother Hongtao, your esteemed hall’s Monument-Breaking Palm is indeed incredibly fierce. I, Chen Yuan, concede defeat. I need to go back and reflect on my shortcomings, so I won’t disturb you any longer."
Hongtao patted his shoulder, speaking with profound meaning. "Brother Chen Yuan, you are quite the fascinating person. Let me see you out."
He had already seen through it—this kid had been completely acting in the last two matches. So he came here solely to beat up Chen Kai? Talk about making a whole feast just to serve one dish. But Hongtao didn’t expose him. Let it be; this outcome was beneficial for both sides. The grudge was settled on the spot.
After sending the two off, Hongtao returned to report back to his master, Shi Yue. The two chatted as they walked.
"Master, what do you think Chen Yuan’s real strength is? If they fought for real, what are the odds between him and Hu Feng?" Hongtao asked. Even though he knew Chen Yuan had intentionally held back, he still had confidence in Hu Feng.
"Ten to zero," Shi Yue snorted in dissatisfaction. "He didn’t even realize his opponent wasn’t fighting with his full strength. Why is he even practicing martial arts?"
Hongtao shook his head and chuckled. That was true, but Junior Brother Hu had been under a lot of pressure at the time, making it somewhat understandable. He probably realized something was amiss afterward.
"Such a young age, yet instead of learning good habits, he plays dumb and hides his strength. He has no sharp edge at all," Shi Yue complained about Chen Yuan. "However, to practice Huo Lin’s Xin Yi Liu He Fist to such a level in just a month and a half with an Upper-D Grade aptitude... even if Hu Feng could fight him to a draw right now, it would still count as a loss."
Then, changing the subject, they began discussing other matters concerning the Martial Arts Hall. A Huo Courtyard disciple with an Upper-D Grade aptitude wasn’t enough for him to take to heart. Rather, he had heard that old ghost Huo Lin had taken in a Direct Disciple with an Upper-B Grade aptitude. Was his name Xu Heng?
On the way back to the Huo Courtyard.
Tao Ping laughed. "Junior Brother Chen, I thought you were going to fight them to the bitter end. I didn’t expect you to be so well-prepared."
One win and two losses was an acceptable outcome.
Chen Yuan replied helplessly, "My skills truly are inferior to theirs. Besides, my status is low, and I’m not stupid enough to throw my weight around on someone else’s turf."
He was certain that if he had won all three matches, he would have stirred up major trouble and might not have even been able to walk out the front doors of the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall. Losing the next two matches consecutively had been his strategy all along. Anyway, he only had one goal, and that was to cripple Chen Kai. Having broken several of Chen Kai’s ribs this time, the guy would inevitably have to lie in bed for a while. This would give Chen Yuan enough time to accumulate his strength and widen the gap between them.
Acting tough and claiming he was just warming up was also part of the strategy. Defeating Chen Kai had already provoked that group of disciples. By maintaining a high profile, they would feel much more satisfied when they eventually defeated him, and they wouldn’t take a guy who suffered two consecutive losses and left in disgrace seriously. Although it was impossible to avoid any repercussions entirely, he had minimized the impact as much as possible.
Tao Ping chuckled, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Junior Brother Chen, you’re being modest. Your progress in the Xin Yi Liu He Fist has truly surprised me."
Being able to retreat unscathed against the fierce onslaught of two disciples practicing the Monument-Breaking Palm was enough to prove Chen Yuan’s true strength.