Chapter 1197: Pah Pah Pah!
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
“That bamboo fly swatter is delicate and powerless, and yet, he intends to use it to deal with Ling Xuan’s Bolt Lightning Palm?”
“Is there something wrong with that fellow’s head?”
“Jiao Tan is the number one genius of the Martial Arts Division, and his comprehension of battle techniques has reached an incredible height as well. In normal circ.u.mstances, even if he is no match for Ling Xuan, he would at least be able to put up a spectacular fight. But to walk up with a fly swatter in hand… is he out of his mind?”
Seeing how Jiao Tan was acting, everyone was dumbfounded. Hall Master Xing and Division Head Liao felt so crazed that they wanted to tear out all their hair on the spot.
They had placed so much hope in Jiao Tan, and yet, after a few days of undergoing Zhang Xuan’s training regime, he was suddenly off his rockers!
It would have been tolerable if Jiao Tan had chosen to wield an ordinary sword, a chair, or even a brick! A fly swatter was flexible and fragile, making it unsuitable to exert strength through it. To face Ling Xuan with such a weapon was practically committing suicide!
Thinking that Jiao Tan was making light of him, Ling Xuan’s face reddened in fury. “Are you sure you want to face me with that?”
Even though it was just a friendly spar, it was still a formal event. It should have been a solemn and dignified occasion, and yet, the other party was actually insulting him by facing him with a fly swatter. That was blatant humiliation toward him!
Jiao Tan nodded earnestly. “Un. If you think that you are disadvantaged, you can wield a weapon if you want. There’s no need to hold back!”
“You…” Jiao Tan’s words caused a mini explosion in Ling Xuan’s mind, and he clenched his jaws so tightly together that his teeth nearly chipped. Waving his hands furiously, he harrumphed. “There’s no need for that! I’ll use my palms to teach you a lesson and make your Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall understand the gap between us! No matter how hard you work, you will never be able to catch up to us!”
Huala!
Right after saying those words, with a thunderous roar, his palm shot forth with a speed as swift as a streak of lightning. In the blink of an eye, his lightning-like aura permeated the entire dueling platform. It felt as if the slightest wrong move would bring a crus.h.i.+ng blow, seemingly forcing Jiao Tan into a cornered situation.
“I’ll look forward to it then,” Jiao Tan replied leisurely before raising the fly swatter in his hand. With a swift motion, he struck the lightning before his eyes.
“You’re seeking death!” Seeing that the other party obstinately wanted to face him with a fly swatter, Ling Xuan gritted his teeth furiously as his palm flew toward Jiao Tan.
He was going to use his full strength to inflict a crus.h.i.+ng defeat upon the other party so as to let the other party understand what a true expert was!
Hall Master Zhao Yi shook his head and said, “There’s no need to watch any further. The victor has already been decided.”
“Indeed. An aura suffused with lightning, a palm overflowing with strength. Even though Ling Xuan is only a Saint 2-dan cultivator, his might is more than sufficient to overwhelm any Saint 3-dan cultivator. Even a Half-Saint weapon could be crushed into pieces before his Bolt Lightning Palm! There is no way that fellow will be able to match Ling Xuan with just a bamboo fly swatter!” Hall Master Liu Qinshan sighed.
“From the looks of it, it seems like the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall won’t be able to obtain a single slot…” Hall Master Wei Qianshu sneered coldly. However, before he could finish his words, a ‘pah!’ suddenly echoed resoundingly throughout the training hall.
“Hmm?”
Taken aback, the three hall masters quickly turned their gazes back to the dueling platform, only to see that before Ling Xuan’s Bolt Lightning Palm could reach Jiao Tan, a fly swatter had struck his face squarely, leaving a dense congregation of red lines in its wake.
“Ahhh, I’ll kill you!” Ling Xuan had clearly not expected the other party’s fly swatter to move so swiftly as to slap him right before everyone else. Seething with rage, he dashed forward and thrust another palm forward.
Pah!
But again, before his palm could connect, another crisp echo sounded throughout the entire training hall. Once more, the fly swatter had struck his face.
“I…” At this moment, Ling Xuan really felt as if his mind would blow up.
With a swift step, his silhouette flickered, and five illusory figures appeared on the dueling platform, making it difficult for one to discern which was true and which was false.
As a combat master, he had been through plenty of battles. Even though he felt humiliated by the two consecutive slaps, he knew better than to allow his emotions to dictate his actions. While his opponent was dressed in a bizarre get up, it was apparent at this point that he possessed superior fighting prowess. Thus, he immediately executed his strongest movement technique.
Artful Steps of Seven Specter!
It was a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, and if perfectly executed, it could generate seven lifelike illusions of one to confound one’s opponent.
While its power was beneath that of the Bolt Lightning Palm, its reputation far exceeded the latter. Ever since he successfully mastered the technique, there had been none who had been able to break his Artful Steps of Seven Specter through skill.
“Five illusions! He has already refined his Artful Steps of Seven Specter to an incredible level, such that even I can’t accurately discern his true figure within the illusions…” Hall Master Zhao Yi remarked while stroking his beard.
But once again, before he could finish his words, ‘pah!’.
And once again, the fly swatter struck Ling Xuan’s face squarely.
” Ahhh! ” Flying into a frenzy, Ling Xuan hastened his footsteps, making his movements even more indiscernible to the eye.
Pah! Pah! Pah!
But even so, three consecutive strikes still landed accurately on Ling Xuan’s face. It was as if Jiao Tan could see right through the illusions!
Seeing how his comrade was being slapped time and time again without laying a single finger on his opponent’s body, a combat master from Chongyuan Empire could not hold himself back any longer and shouted, “Ling Xuan, since he is using a weapon, use your sword too!”
“Alright!” Knowing that the fellow before him was a tough nut to crack, Ling Xuan flicked his wrist and whipped out a Saint low-tier sword. Flicking the sword furiously, a relentless barrage of sword qi burst forth, instantly covering the entire dueling platform.
“Freezing Rain Sword Intent… That’s the unique Sword Intent that Ling Xuan comprehended while standing under the winter rain when he was 23. No one has ever succeeded in dodging it before…” Hall Master Zhao Yi commented proudly, but once again, before he could finish his words, Jiao Tan, who was surrounded by the barrage of sword qi, raised his fly swatter nonchalantly and…
Pah! Pah! Pah!
Yet another three consecutive slaps. At this point, Ling Xuan’s face was already swollen red from all the slapping.
Huala!
Furious, Ling Xuan drove his sword forward and sent sword arts of all kinds toward Jiao Tan.
However, Jiao Tan easily avoided all of Ling Xuan’s attacks as if a b.u.t.terfly flitting through a field of flowers. And more importantly, his fly swatter never stopped moving throughout.
Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah!
It was a steady and rhythmic melody, sounding surprisingly like an orchestra.
“This…”
The three hall masters widened their eyes in disbelief, unable to believe what they were seeing. Even Hall Master Xing, Division Head Liao, and the others could not process what exactly was going on.
They had witnessed Zhang Xuan’s training regime with their own eyes, and they had nearly been convinced that it was a prank. And yet… how could Jiao Tan undergo such a huge change, as if a caterpillar metamorphosed into a b.u.t.terfly?
“Incredible, I never thought that fly swatters would make such powerful weapon!”
“That’s only because of Jiao Tan’s exceptional control. I saw him hunting down flies inside the toilet, and he could even accurately strike a fly’s front legs without hurting the rest of its body!”
“What? Is that true? Given how small and nimble flies are, is it really possible to do it to such an extent?”
“If that’s really true, the precision of his control is truly frightening!”
A couple of Qingyuan combat masters discussed as they watched the duel.
Hearing the conversation among the combat masters, Division Head Liao smacked his thigh and exclaimed in realization, “Ah, I get it now!”
Division Head Wei turned his head and asked, “What did you get?”
“Jiao Tan is a genius of our Martial Arts Division,” Division Head Liao explained, “but due to the huge variety of battle techniques he has cultivated, he isn’t focused in any of them, and this has prevented him from drawing out his full fighting prowess…
“It might seem nonsensical for Princ.i.p.al Zhang to have instructed him to hunt down flies, but there’s actually a deeper meaning behind it! Every single fly moves in a unique trajectory, and in order to strike it accurately, one has to closely observe its movements and predict it in advance.
“More importantly, this training served to enhance his focus and rid his recklessness. With greater focus, he is now able to immerse himself into the battle technique he is executing and bring forth its maximum strength.”
“This…” Division Head Wei fell into deep thought.
That did seem to make sense.
As a genius of the Martial Arts School, Jiao Tan was an extremely proud individual. He would surely find hunting down flies to be a deeply demeaning and unengaging task. However, if he could overcome this part of himself, his state of mind could be elevated to greater heights, and this would be beneficial in his execution of battle techniques as well.
It was due to his incredible focus that no matter how Ling Xuan altered his movements, he was unable to escape Jiao Tan’s swatter. Since he was even able to accurately strike a fly’s legs, there was no reason he could not evade and strike something as big as a human!
Pah pah pah pah!
The sound gradually crescendoed.
“Stop! I admit defeat!”
It did not take long before Ling Xuan had used all of his battle techniques, and yet, he did not even manage to nick the other party’s body. Realizing that it was impossible for him to win, he could only surrender miserably.
At this moment, his face resembled nothing like a human’s. It was swollen so badly that it resembled a doughnut.
“Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall’s Jiao Tan is the victor!” Since Ling Xuan had already admitted defeat, the referee could only award the victory to Jiao Tan.
Huala!
A well-built young man leaped onto the stage.
“I am Bai Xun from the Qianyun Empire Combat Master Hall. My cultivation is at Saint 2-dan primary stage, and I would like to challenge the experts of the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall as well!”
“My cultivation is at Saint 2-dan primary stage as well. I’ll be your opponent,” s.h.i.+ Hao said as he walked onto the stage.
“Bai Xun is the genius of Qianyun Empire Combat Master Hall’s Fist Division. His steel fists are known to be invincible among his peers. I don’t think that cleaner stands much of a chance against him.”
“Cough cough, he’s not a cleaner. He’s actually the genius of our Inner Breath Division, s.h.i.+ Hao!”
…
As the duo walked up the stage, the combat masters of both Combat Master Halls could not help but clench their fists nervously.
“Hall Master Xing, how is the strength of this combat master of yours?” Hall Master Liu Qinshan asked curiously.
Just a moment ago, everyone had thought that the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall had already given up on themselves, but the overwhelming prowess that Jiao Tan had displayed had really opened their eyes. At this point, it would have been truly foolish of them to continue underestimating the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall.
“I… I don’t know either!” Hall Master Xing shook his head.
Princ.i.p.al Zhang’s training regime was simply too bizarre! Even someone as experienced in combat as him could not comprehend the rationale behind it at all!
To instruct the proud genius of the Inner Breath Hall to clean the toilet bowls throughout the Inner Breath Division… If things went wrong, s.h.i.+ Hao’s fighting prowess might even decline instead!
“It’s impossible for that lad to beat Bai Xun!” the head of the Qianyun Empire Combat Master Hall, Wei Qianshu, remarked proudly. “I have absolute confidence in him! He’s my direct disciple, and there has never been anyone who could match him in the field of fist arts. There’s just no way your combat master will be able to win against him!”
Hu hu!
While the hall masters were chatting, the battle on the dueling platform had already begun.
With the opportunity to train in the Sword Lagoon of the Qianchong Empire on the line, Bai Xun had no intention of holding back at all.
From the very start, he threw out a fist with his full strength harnessed in it.
Just as the fist was about to strike s.h.i.+ Hao, the latter suddenly raised his hand and sc.r.a.ped the other party’s face forcefully, reminiscent of how he had sc.r.a.ped the toilet bowls with his feather duster throughout the Combat Master Hall over the past three days.
“You!” Seeing this, flames of fury lit up in Bai Xun’s eyes.
With a furious roar, he sent another powerful fist forward.
The fist wielded astounding might that caused a deafening sonic boom. However, before it could reach s.h.i.+ Hao, the latter raised his hand once more and swiped s.h.i.+ Hao’s face forcefully, digging out a huge lump of dirt while doing it.
“You… How long has it been since you last washed your face?” s.h.i.+ Hao disdainfully wiped his hand on his s.h.i.+rt.
“…” Bai Xun.
With a livid expression, Bai Xun swiftly stepped back and equipped his knuckleduster before charging forward once more. “You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, I’ll kill you!”
The combat masters of the Fist Division relied on knuckledusters to draw forth greater strength from their fist arts.
On the other hand, seeing that his opponent had drawn his weapon, s.h.i.+ Hao also unhesitatingly flicked his wrist, and a feather duster appeared in his hand.
“Glacier Smas.h.i.+ng Fist!” With a furious bellow, a brilliant light flashed from the knuckleduster, and Bai Xun thrust his fist forward furiously, seemingly intending to utterly destroy the figure before him.
But just as the fist was shooting forward, still a distance away from connecting, Bai Xun suddenly saw something flying toward him with a speed reminiscent of a streak of lightning. Before he could process what was going on, a feather duster had already been stuffed into his mouth before swis.h.i.+ng around.
In an instant, a harmony of indescribable flavors filled his mouth.