Chapter 15: Battle Against Li Shou

After the three Martial Masters' duels concluded, the contest between the Martial Artists finally began.

For Martial Artists, compared to the shock of watching Martial Masters strike, the matches between Martial Artists of the same rank perhaps held more reference value—

at the very least, they could understand the movements and thinking of their peers, and learn certain lessons.

But for Martial Masters, watching the Martial Artists' "noobs pecking at each other," full of openings, truly became wearisome.

In Feng Zi's perception, Li Shou in the distance had long since closed his eyes, unsure whether he was resting them or had already fallen asleep.

And Lu Hanwen, sitting beside him, had long since held a scroll in his hands, paying no attention whatsoever to the Martial Artists' matches on the field.

Feng Zi naturally understood that for these two, the contests between Martial Artists no longer held any value worth studying.

But for a Martial Master like him, who had previously only buried himself in practicing his fists and never exchanged ideas with other schools, the matches between Martial Artists were still quite interesting:

after subconsciously correcting the flaws in those movements, Feng Zi had already summarized the essence of cultivating different weapons in his heart.

Although, because he had not yet practiced other techniques, this was not reflected in his 【Diligence Compensates for Clumsiness】 talent, it was still an extremely precious asset.

He naturally understood that his comprehension might be quite shallow, but it was of tremendous help in getting started with other techniques!

Therefore, aside from the constable hosting the martial meet, the one who observed most carefully and attentively... was perhaps Feng Zi.

And so, as the Martial Artists sweated and bled on the arena, the sun unknowingly rose to the very center of the sky.

One Martial Artist, after numerous challenges, had barely advanced to the semifinals.

Although everyone knew this Martial Artist could only stop at the semifinals, the officials and the powerful spectators watching still noted this person in their hearts.

Then, after a simple drawing of lots, the semifinal matchups were set:

Lu Hanwen would face that Martial Artist, while Feng Zi would face Li Shou.

Lu Hanwen's match held nothing noteworthy: within three rounds, that Martial Artist was defeated by him with absolute strength.

And when Feng Zi and Li Shou leapt onto the field from opposite sides, everyone instinctively looked toward the arena—

Contrary to everyone's imagination, the atmosphere between the two was not overly tense, but rather excessively calm.

"Li Shou, please instruct me." Li Shou gripped his long staff tightly, yet took the initiative to assume a stance, saying coldly.

"Feng Zi, please show mercy, Brother Li." Although Feng Zi replied with a witty remark, he did not dare to relax in the slightest.

They did not trade trash talk with each other, because both understood that after enduring the ordeal of Broken Bone Rebirth, ordinary words could not affect a Martial Master's state of mind.

But from the moment the two stepped onto the field, all their senses had locked onto each other.

Before the constable's words "the match begins" had even faded, the two figures immediately moved—

In just one exchange, Li Shou fully leveraged his weapon's advantage, and the long staff in his hand had already thrust before Feng Zi!

Feng Zi naturally would not sit and wait for death; his body tilted slightly, and he narrowly dodged this strike.

Immediately, his right hand seized the long staff, his upper body leaned forward, and his left elbow was already attacking toward Li Shou's chin!

Unlike the Martial Artists' flashy matches, the two's movements contained not a single superfluous action; every strike went straight for the opponent's vital point.

When one strike failed, Li Shou leaned his body back and dodged Feng Zi's attack.

At the same time, the opponent exerted force with both hands, and the long staff actually produced slight undulations like a snake.

To others, this movement held no threat; Feng Zi had also made a similar misjudgment before:

in the hands of other disciples of the Li Family Martial Arts Hall, this move used hidden force, primarily employed to entangle with the opponent, rendering them unable to parry.

But the force transmitted through that long staff was so overbearing that it numbed his arm!

Feng Zi immediately understood that he had still suffered from empiricism:

In his understanding of the Li Family Spear Technique, Li Shou had long since reached the realm of Peak Perfection—how could he rigidly adhere to those dogmas?

Therefore, a decision immediately formed in his heart: he could not clash head-on with the opponent; he should temporarily avoid the sharp edge.

But just as this thought emerged from his heart, a fierce spirit also ignited within him—"Why should I avoid his sharp edge!"

That's right, why should he avoid it?

Certainly, during his advancement to Martial Master, the 【Diligence Compensates for Clumsiness】 talent had played an enormous role.

But being able to advance to Martial Master in just seven days—wasn't it precisely because of his fearlessness of hardship, injury, and even death, his drive and ruthlessness?!

Could it be... that just because he had advanced to Martial Master, he had to cast aside all this decisiveness and resolve?

He immediately let out a great shout, released his right hand, withdrew his left arm, and—paying no heed whatsoever—threw several consecutive punches toward Li Shou's chest!

How could Li Shou have expected that, facing this mutually destructive situation, Feng Zi would not only fail to seek another opportunity, but would even choose a fighting style of trading injury for injury?

In a duel between experts, a difference of a hair's breadth is enough to decide victory or defeat—

Li Shou hesitated only briefly, and could no longer retract the long staff in his hands.

The opponent had no choice but to grit his teeth, harden his heart, and toss aside the long staff, engaging Feng Zi with fists and feet.

And when the situation developed to this point, anyone could see:

using one's weakness to attack the opponent's strength—Li Shou's defeat was already certain!

Facts proved exactly so: after the two exchanged over a dozen rounds of fist and foot combat, Li Shou finally could not withstand Feng Zi's continuous offensive, retreating to the edge of the field covered in wounds.

At this point, Li Shou had no means of counterattack left, and could only helplessly concede defeat.

When the constable announced "Feng Zi wins," the Martial Artists present erupted, shouting the names of Feng Zi and Li Shou in unison:

Although the exchange between the two was very brief, lasting no more than twenty rounds, every Martial Artist could see this was an extremely thrilling duel!

This was an extremely high-level contest, and almost every Martial Artist could gain their own insight from it—

"Senior Brother's 'Coiling Snake Spear' move was actually so fierce and overbearing; it shows that Master's daily teachings are absolutely right—one must not confine a technique to just one possibility."

"Never thought the Zhao Family Fist Technique had such wonderful uses: used as a defensive measure it can actively attack, and its entanglement methods can also be supremely fierce and strong."

"I originally thought Feng Zi would temporarily avoid the sharp edge, but he did the opposite... but this is also correct—only by taking the initiative to attack can one find an opening!"

"These two were evenly matched, yet victory was decided by a single move's difference; it shows one must continue to cultivate one's fundamentals."

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Feng Zi merely slowly closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air:

Finally... just one more battle to claim the championship of the martial meet!