"I, Murong Fu, swear before all the heroes of the jianghu that if I lose to Chief Li, I will pay him twelve million three hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver. I will complete this payment within my lifetime. If I break this oath, may heaven strike me down with lightning and all heroes of the world spit on me." Murong Fu raised one hand solemnly and declared loudly to the gathered martial artists.
Instantly, even more gazes of admiration turned toward him. This made him straighten his back a little more.
Li Daoqiang revealed a smile, his demeanor friendly. "Good, Young Master Murong is generous. This bet is settled."
Murong Fu returned the smile with a slight nod. "Agreed."
As his voice fell, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. The smiles on Li Daoqiang and Murong Fu's faces vanished, and an intangible aura surged, colliding between them.
The surrounding crowd naturally noticed this and immediately retreated. Anticipation and tension rose in their hearts.
A battle between two grandmaster experts—and both young grandmasters at that. This was sure to become a legendary fight known throughout the world. To witness it firsthand now, they could hardly remain calm. Even Deng Baichuan and the others couldn't help but grow tense.
"Please," Murong Fu said softly.
"Please," Li Daoqiang replied without hesitation, his body suddenly lifting into the air and soaring upward.
Murong Fu followed, his body seemingly weightless as he rose swiftly.
"Boom!"
In an instant, rumbling echoed through the void. The innate experts' expressions shifted as they felt the surrounding heavenly energy suddenly manipulated by a powerful force, cutting off their connection to it. An overwhelming pressure bore down on them.
This pressure was felt by nearly everyone in the jianghu. In shock, they hurriedly retreated further.
"Bang!"
At that moment, a golden light and a blue light collided fiercely in midair. The lights exploded, sending ripples through the void and a wave of residual energy spreading outward. An irresistible pressure surged again, forcing countless onlookers to widen their eyes and retreat further.
In the sky, the two glowing figures separated. Li Daoqiang looked at his opponent, a smile forming on his face. Murong Fu's eyes flickered with surprise; beneath his sleeve, his palm trembled slightly. That probing strike—so strong! He had underestimated Li Daoqiang a little. Yet, his confidence remained largely intact. With a graceful laugh, he said, "Chief Li has impressive palm strength."
Li Daoqiang played along, smiling. "Then, Young Master Murong, be careful." With that, he gestured with his hand, and the boundless heavenly energy seemed to stir, converging wildly. From several zhang away, he struck out with a palm.
"Roar~!"
A faint dragon's cry and elephant's trumpet rose, an unmatched, indomitable force that seemed to shatter everything in its path.
Murong Fu's eyes narrowed. Such ferocious power—even he felt a sense of pressure. Then, a subtle smile crept onto his face. Unfortunately, he had met his match. Around him, star-like nebulae appeared, with stars moving and the mysteries of heaven and earth swirling within. An endless sense of profundity spread.
In an instant, the palm force struck the nebula, like a mountain crashing into the sea, causing a massive disturbance. But then, as if the stars shifted and the cosmos turned, the palm force trembled, drawn by a mysterious power, spinning in a small arc. Pushed by another force, it surged back at Li Daoqiang with undiminished power.
This wondrous scene drew countless gazes, sparkling with admiration. Even Li Daoqiang's eyes lit up, silently praising the Star-Shifting technique. Not intending to take the blow head-on, he had prepared for this and sidestepped, dodging the attack. The palm force shot past like a falling meteor, speeding into the distance.
"Boom!"
A mountain hundreds of zhang away shook, sending countless rocks flying as if an earth-dragon had turned over.
Below, Deng Baichuan and the others breathed a sigh of relief. "Haha, good. This Li Daoqiang's palm is fierce, clearly a rigid style. But he's met the young master—his perfect counter," Gongzhi Qian transmitted with a laugh.
Deng Baichuan, much more at ease, smiled. "Right. Li Daoqiang's age means his skill can't be far from the young master's. So, he'll never break through the Star-Shifting technique. And in other areas, the young master is versed in a hundred martial arts, with unparalleled exquisite techniques. Li Daoqiang is doomed to lose."
The other jianghu folk, though less knowledgeable, began to cheer for that miraculous move. Shouts of approval shook the wilderness.
Li Daoqiang paid no mind to the voices that seemed meant to annoy him. Looking at Murong Fu, he praised sincerely, "A fine Star-Shifting technique. Truly living up to its reputation." He meant it; the technique had its merits—returning an opponent's power intact with little personal cost. For a peer-level expert, it was a sharp weapon, especially against rigid styles, almost a natural counter. To overcome it, one needed overwhelming force, or something like the Six Meridians Divine Sword's razor-sharp剑气, or close combat with exquisite moves and rich experience. No wonder Murong Fu dabbled in a hundred martial arts—to cover his weaknesses. And no wonder he could match Qiao Feng early on; to some extent, he countered rigid styles like the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. But later, as Qiao Feng's power grew and his combat experience and techniques sharpened, and with knowledge of Murong Fu's situation, the gap widened.
Murong Fu smiled modestly, replying politely, "You flatter me, Chief. Your palm's ferocity is unmatched in my experience."
Li Daoqiang was pleased—money coming his way, and such courteous, pleasant words. Truly rare. But business was business. His expression turned serious, and he kindly warned, "Then, Young Master Murong, be careful."
"Please, Chief." Murong Fu, full of confidence, gestured.
Li Daoqiang narrowed his eyes, stepped forward, and shot toward Murong Fu like a meteor. Murong Fu wasn't surprised; without drawing his sword, he raised both palms to meet him.
In an instant, the two figures closed in. On their four palms, power was compressed to its peak. Li Daoqiang struck out, and Murong Fu, unafraid, channeled his Star-Shifting power to meet it head-on, his other hand ready to defend.
As their palms were about to connect, in a flash, Li Daoqiang's hand turned into a claw, following a mysterious trajectory, breaking through the blue glow and seizing Murong Fu's wrist.
In that split second, shock surged through Murong Fu. How could he withdraw his palm power so instantly? How could his meridians withstand it? More importantly, how had he so easily dispersed the power in his palm? No time to think—his palm's power weakened as it was broken into. Then, a tremendous force yanked hard, pulling him forward. The power he had gathered was disrupted by the pull, and a palm, as if waiting there, slammed into his chest.
"Thud!"
A soft sound, golden light flared. Murong Fu felt his strength scatter, his mind went blank, and blood sprayed from his mouth. But it didn't end. Li Daoqiang held his wrist tightly and struck three more palms in quick succession. Palm force capable of shattering mountains landed solidly on his chest. Murong Fu coughed up more blood, his consciousness fading, held only by a deep sense of humiliation.
I lost!
"Young master!!"
Two anguished cries rose from below as two figures flew upward. Li Daoqiang's face turned cold, splattered with blood. He struck Murong Fu once more, then waved his hand back. A burst of golden light descended, pressing down.
"Boom!!"
"Pfft!!"
Two spits of blood, and Deng Baichuan and the other collapsed to the ground. Li Daoqiang, holding Murong Fu with one hand, walked down unhurriedly.
By then, the entire scene was dead silent. Countless eyes were frozen, mouths agape. It had happened too fast—too fast for them to react. The Murong Fu who had just displayed that miraculous move had lost! Lost inexplicably, utterly crushed. Lost in a way that shook them, hard to accept. Even the Blood Saber Old Ancestor stared wide-eyed at this newly acknowledged chief, disbelief in his gaze.
Was the chief this fierce?
(Thank you for your support.) ······