Chapter 67
Mind and Nature
Duan Xuan bit the flesh on both sides of her lips.
It's one thing to be caught up in the gossip, but how did this fire manage to escalate?
"Ah, yes, yes, senior brothers, you're right. Black Wolf is all about strategy; I'm no match for him!"
"Brother Duan, there's no need to be so modest. You were able to kill Jiang Meng, the ruthless seven-crown expert who defeated Chu Feng. Your combat skills are already stronger than ours. You'll definitely be able to hold your own against Black Wolf for seven or five moves!" Zhang Chen chuckled.
These words caught the attention of four of her friends, including Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu.
Although the twin sisters have been at the martial arts school for the past few months, they have rarely seen Duan Xuan make a move.
However, as long as it saves face for the martial arts school, they are still willing to believe that Duan Xuan can hold his own against Black Wolf.
"As the year draws to a close, merchants in the county town will organize a hunting trip into the mountains."
"That black wolf roams deep in the mountains, we might even see it!" Zhang Chen thought of the annual hunting festival held by the Chamber of Commerce and couldn't help but feel a little sad.
He participated in the past two years, and although he didn't get any rankings or awards from the Chamber of Commerce, he gained valuable experience in the mountains and caught many valuable prey.
It would be a considerable sum of money if converted into silver.
Ordinary martial artists rely on meat and silver to stabilize their qi and blood, don't they?
This year, however, he has entered the Dark Force realm and will no longer be able to participate in the grand event.
"Senior Brother Zhang Chen, take good care of your injuries."
Once your bones have fully healed, resume your training and prepare for next year's martial arts exam.
"Good luck will be on your side then!" Chen Jingyun comforted her.
Chen Jingshu nodded slightly. She was naturally happy to hear that the Black Wolf might appear.
But the people in front of her were her own fellow disciples, and the depth of their bond was beyond question, so she could only suppress her joy and join her junior sister in comforting the two of them.
Just as the group was talking, Liu Mingze on the stage went berserk, his blood and qi suddenly erupting.
He directly blasted Liu Ping, who was wielding the Butterfly Palm, and Qiu Gang, who was using the Butterfly Legs to float on water, away without showing any mercy or stopping.
"Who else..." Liu Mingze was extremely arrogant.
His gaze swept across the martial arts school, and to his surprise, no disciple dared to step forward to fight.
Everyone understood that the powerful and domineering move Liu Mingze had just used was not the Poshan Fist of the Poshan Martial Arts School at all.
It was a martial art technique that none of them had ever seen before.
Even a fool could understand that this was something he brought out from the Dragon Elephant Academy.
This made Chen Feng's face darken, and he felt very unhappy.
This is no different from other martial arts school disciples dominating their own school's elite disciples.
"Liu Mingze is indeed an arrogant, unruly, and hot-blooded martial artist."
Although he had only recently entered the late stage of Dark Force, he possessed considerable skill in both martial arts techniques and combat experience.
These are far beyond the capabilities of ordinary late-stage internal energy martial artists.
"This is exactly the kind of talent my Wang family needs!" Zhang Zhuanghe praised on behalf of the third wife, Zhang Bihuan.
This left Chen Feng stuck on the table, unable to go up or down.
"Junior Brother Liu Mingze, why don't you let Lin Hu show off his skills while you rest for a bit?" Chen Feng's wife noticed his hesitation and spoke up, ending the match.
When she said this, she neither forced anyone nor showed any inclination to compete with the third wife of the Wang family for the right to speak.
Having offended neither side, Chen Feng glanced at his wife out of the corner of his eye and smiled with satisfaction.
As the saying goes, having a virtuous wife is like finding a treasure.
"Yes!" Liu Mingze naturally couldn't refuse his master's wife, so he clasped his hands and jumped off the stage.
Seeing the timid Lin Hu step onto the stage, the martial arts disciples seemed to see hope again and eagerly stepped up to challenge him.
"Isn't Lin Hu's strength a bit far-fetched?" Zhang Bihuan couldn't help but feel that the martial arts scholars like Lin Hu were overrated and too lucky.
Zhang Zhuanghe denied it, saying, "That's not the case, Madam, please look carefully."
Lin Hu's fists were covered with a thick layer of calluses. These weren't the result of practicing martial arts or boxing, but rather from numerous sparring matches.
I asked some test takers, and they mentioned it.
Lin Zhennan, the eldest disciple of the Scaled Python Martial Arts School, along with his second disciple Xiao Xiangbei and several other martial arts schools, attacked the two brothers, yet managed to get them out unscathed.
Furthermore, they severely injured seven Ming Jin martial artists and two An Jin martial artists.
The one they dealt with most often was Lin Hu; his seemingly weak demeanor was nothing more than a treacherous disguise!
Zhang Bihuan's fingers twitched slightly, and she immediately realized that the two men were indeed extraordinary. She glanced at Huang Zhen and his companion on the opposite side and sneered inwardly, "No wonder they're just direct disciples; they're so obsessed with beauty and have absolutely no foresight."
Seeing that the eyes of the Huang brothers, Huang Zhen and Huang Liang, were completely fixed on the female disciples, Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu, they noticed that Huang Zhen and Huang Liang were looking at them.
Zhang Bihuan knew then that winning over these two talents was a sure thing.
"You're just a manager, why are you testing that kid?"
"This old servant has just gathered information about Poshan Martial Arts School and the surrounding martial arts schools."
According to reliable sources, Lin Hu and Duan Xuan have always been at odds at the martial arts school.
Given his cunning nature, he would definitely challenge Duan Xuan to a duel on the arena.
At Duan Xuan's current age, this is precisely the time for him to be competitive and aggressive.
How could one not want to show off in front of everyone?
Even if he loses, he can still win the attention of those two exceptionally beautiful senior sisters! Zhang Zhuanghe has a keen understanding of human nature and a unique ability to judge martial artists of all ages.
But just as he looked up, his expression changed drastically: "Huh? Where's Duan Xuan? He was just here a moment ago!"
……
Lin Hu had just stepped onto the arena when he looked around at the disciples of the martial arts schools: "Disciples from other martial arts schools may come up and challenge."
Disciples from Poshan Martial Arts School are also welcome; after all, we're all fellow disciples, and sparring is encouraged.
His little scheme was laid bare, and those who knew about his feud with Duan Xuan understood what it meant.
Lin Hu searched around several times but couldn't find Duan Xuan. Duan Xuan was standing next to Chen Jingyun and the other senior sisters before going on stage, so how could he have disappeared in the blink of an eye?
Zhang Zhuanghe on the other side was also so angry that he stood up.
The two looked at each other, completely bewildered.
……
Duan Xuan pushed Zhang Chen, Zhou Ye, and Liu Tie to the dormitory area.
"Junior brother, you and Lin Hu have never gotten along. He'll definitely call you up on stage later. You should take this opportunity to beat him up. Why did you leave instead?"
Zhang Chen had long disliked Lin Hu, but unfortunately, even in his prime, he couldn't defeat him.
But he had witnessed Duan Xuan's strength firsthand.
Zhou Ye and Liu Tie were also very curious. Both of them had been severely humiliated by Lin Hu. If they had the strength, they would love to skin Lin Hu alive and make him a laughing stock in the martial arts school.
Duan Xuan said calmly, "My strength is average. I can handle fighting Jiang Meng normally, but fighting Lin Hu would be pointless."
Moreover, I am utterly powerless.
"You're so weak you can't even kill a chicken... Listen to this, Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Brother Zhou, is this human language?"
Duan Xuan didn't respond; instead, he swallowed a pale red pill the size of a candy bean.
He then took out two small boxes from his pocket and gave them to Zhang Chen and Zhou Ye respectively.
"Junior brother, what's wrong with you...?"
"Two Qi and Blood Pills, picked up... No, never mind then."
"Hey hey hey! We shouldn't miss out on this good stuff!" Zhang Chen and Zhou Ye grabbed Duan Xuan from either side, both tacitly refraining from asking where it came from.
"Senior brother, then I..." Liu Tie looked on longingly, quite envious.
Duan Xuan waved his hand and threw a packet of Qi and Blood Powder over.
"Thank you, senior brother, but why is there only half a pack? Waaah..."
Brush brush.
Before he could finish speaking, a figure shot towards Zhang Chen in his wheelchair like an arrow.
"Oh no! Someone's trying to steal my tricycle!"
It's one thing to be caught up in the gossip, but how did this fire manage to escalate?
"Ah, yes, yes, senior brothers, you're right. Black Wolf is all about strategy; I'm no match for him!"
"Brother Duan, there's no need to be so modest. You were able to kill Jiang Meng, the ruthless seven-crown expert who defeated Chu Feng. Your combat skills are already stronger than ours. You'll definitely be able to hold your own against Black Wolf for seven or five moves!" Zhang Chen chuckled.
These words caught the attention of four of her friends, including Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu.
Although the twin sisters have been at the martial arts school for the past few months, they have rarely seen Duan Xuan make a move.
However, as long as it saves face for the martial arts school, they are still willing to believe that Duan Xuan can hold his own against Black Wolf.
"As the year draws to a close, merchants in the county town will organize a hunting trip into the mountains."
"That black wolf roams deep in the mountains, we might even see it!" Zhang Chen thought of the annual hunting festival held by the Chamber of Commerce and couldn't help but feel a little sad.
He participated in the past two years, and although he didn't get any rankings or awards from the Chamber of Commerce, he gained valuable experience in the mountains and caught many valuable prey.
It would be a considerable sum of money if converted into silver.
Ordinary martial artists rely on meat and silver to stabilize their qi and blood, don't they?
This year, however, he has entered the Dark Force realm and will no longer be able to participate in the grand event.
"Senior Brother Zhang Chen, take good care of your injuries."
Once your bones have fully healed, resume your training and prepare for next year's martial arts exam.
"Good luck will be on your side then!" Chen Jingyun comforted her.
Chen Jingshu nodded slightly. She was naturally happy to hear that the Black Wolf might appear.
But the people in front of her were her own fellow disciples, and the depth of their bond was beyond question, so she could only suppress her joy and join her junior sister in comforting the two of them.
Just as the group was talking, Liu Mingze on the stage went berserk, his blood and qi suddenly erupting.
He directly blasted Liu Ping, who was wielding the Butterfly Palm, and Qiu Gang, who was using the Butterfly Legs to float on water, away without showing any mercy or stopping.
"Who else..." Liu Mingze was extremely arrogant.
His gaze swept across the martial arts school, and to his surprise, no disciple dared to step forward to fight.
Everyone understood that the powerful and domineering move Liu Mingze had just used was not the Poshan Fist of the Poshan Martial Arts School at all.
It was a martial art technique that none of them had ever seen before.
Even a fool could understand that this was something he brought out from the Dragon Elephant Academy.
This made Chen Feng's face darken, and he felt very unhappy.
This is no different from other martial arts school disciples dominating their own school's elite disciples.
"Liu Mingze is indeed an arrogant, unruly, and hot-blooded martial artist."
Although he had only recently entered the late stage of Dark Force, he possessed considerable skill in both martial arts techniques and combat experience.
These are far beyond the capabilities of ordinary late-stage internal energy martial artists.
"This is exactly the kind of talent my Wang family needs!" Zhang Zhuanghe praised on behalf of the third wife, Zhang Bihuan.
This left Chen Feng stuck on the table, unable to go up or down.
"Junior Brother Liu Mingze, why don't you let Lin Hu show off his skills while you rest for a bit?" Chen Feng's wife noticed his hesitation and spoke up, ending the match.
When she said this, she neither forced anyone nor showed any inclination to compete with the third wife of the Wang family for the right to speak.
Having offended neither side, Chen Feng glanced at his wife out of the corner of his eye and smiled with satisfaction.
As the saying goes, having a virtuous wife is like finding a treasure.
"Yes!" Liu Mingze naturally couldn't refuse his master's wife, so he clasped his hands and jumped off the stage.
Seeing the timid Lin Hu step onto the stage, the martial arts disciples seemed to see hope again and eagerly stepped up to challenge him.
"Isn't Lin Hu's strength a bit far-fetched?" Zhang Bihuan couldn't help but feel that the martial arts scholars like Lin Hu were overrated and too lucky.
Zhang Zhuanghe denied it, saying, "That's not the case, Madam, please look carefully."
Lin Hu's fists were covered with a thick layer of calluses. These weren't the result of practicing martial arts or boxing, but rather from numerous sparring matches.
I asked some test takers, and they mentioned it.
Lin Zhennan, the eldest disciple of the Scaled Python Martial Arts School, along with his second disciple Xiao Xiangbei and several other martial arts schools, attacked the two brothers, yet managed to get them out unscathed.
Furthermore, they severely injured seven Ming Jin martial artists and two An Jin martial artists.
The one they dealt with most often was Lin Hu; his seemingly weak demeanor was nothing more than a treacherous disguise!
Zhang Bihuan's fingers twitched slightly, and she immediately realized that the two men were indeed extraordinary. She glanced at Huang Zhen and his companion on the opposite side and sneered inwardly, "No wonder they're just direct disciples; they're so obsessed with beauty and have absolutely no foresight."
Seeing that the eyes of the Huang brothers, Huang Zhen and Huang Liang, were completely fixed on the female disciples, Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu, they noticed that Huang Zhen and Huang Liang were looking at them.
Zhang Bihuan knew then that winning over these two talents was a sure thing.
"You're just a manager, why are you testing that kid?"
"This old servant has just gathered information about Poshan Martial Arts School and the surrounding martial arts schools."
According to reliable sources, Lin Hu and Duan Xuan have always been at odds at the martial arts school.
Given his cunning nature, he would definitely challenge Duan Xuan to a duel on the arena.
At Duan Xuan's current age, this is precisely the time for him to be competitive and aggressive.
How could one not want to show off in front of everyone?
Even if he loses, he can still win the attention of those two exceptionally beautiful senior sisters! Zhang Zhuanghe has a keen understanding of human nature and a unique ability to judge martial artists of all ages.
But just as he looked up, his expression changed drastically: "Huh? Where's Duan Xuan? He was just here a moment ago!"
……
Lin Hu had just stepped onto the arena when he looked around at the disciples of the martial arts schools: "Disciples from other martial arts schools may come up and challenge."
Disciples from Poshan Martial Arts School are also welcome; after all, we're all fellow disciples, and sparring is encouraged.
His little scheme was laid bare, and those who knew about his feud with Duan Xuan understood what it meant.
Lin Hu searched around several times but couldn't find Duan Xuan. Duan Xuan was standing next to Chen Jingyun and the other senior sisters before going on stage, so how could he have disappeared in the blink of an eye?
Zhang Zhuanghe on the other side was also so angry that he stood up.
The two looked at each other, completely bewildered.
……
Duan Xuan pushed Zhang Chen, Zhou Ye, and Liu Tie to the dormitory area.
"Junior brother, you and Lin Hu have never gotten along. He'll definitely call you up on stage later. You should take this opportunity to beat him up. Why did you leave instead?"
Zhang Chen had long disliked Lin Hu, but unfortunately, even in his prime, he couldn't defeat him.
But he had witnessed Duan Xuan's strength firsthand.
Zhou Ye and Liu Tie were also very curious. Both of them had been severely humiliated by Lin Hu. If they had the strength, they would love to skin Lin Hu alive and make him a laughing stock in the martial arts school.
Duan Xuan said calmly, "My strength is average. I can handle fighting Jiang Meng normally, but fighting Lin Hu would be pointless."
Moreover, I am utterly powerless.
"You're so weak you can't even kill a chicken... Listen to this, Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Brother Zhou, is this human language?"
Duan Xuan didn't respond; instead, he swallowed a pale red pill the size of a candy bean.
He then took out two small boxes from his pocket and gave them to Zhang Chen and Zhou Ye respectively.
"Junior brother, what's wrong with you...?"
"Two Qi and Blood Pills, picked up... No, never mind then."
"Hey hey hey! We shouldn't miss out on this good stuff!" Zhang Chen and Zhou Ye grabbed Duan Xuan from either side, both tacitly refraining from asking where it came from.
"Senior brother, then I..." Liu Tie looked on longingly, quite envious.
Duan Xuan waved his hand and threw a packet of Qi and Blood Powder over.
"Thank you, senior brother, but why is there only half a pack? Waaah..."
Brush brush.
Before he could finish speaking, a figure shot towards Zhang Chen in his wheelchair like an arrow.
"Oh no! Someone's trying to steal my tricycle!"