Chapter 44: Thunder Moves, Waves Rise

Early morning, the sky was not yet bright.

Sha Lifei had long returned to the side room, sleeping on the bed with his clothes on, still holding the wine jar in his arms, sprawled out, snoring like thunder.

In the opposite room, Wang Daoxuan sat cross-legged, closing his eyes and storing his spirit.

In the small courtyard, it was dark and dim, a piece of silence.

Li Yan was still in a horse stance, standing beside the war drum.

Not sleeping or resting yesterday, practicing all night, he finally mastered the rhythm, and the drum vibration and the after-waves of the mantra in his mouth were fused just right.

But this was just the foundation of practice.

Only by using oneself as a drum and emitting the Cloud-Lei Yin can one be considered to have entered the door.

And this step, he was slow to take.

A whole day of full concentration and self-forgetful realization had exhausted Li Yan's spirit to the limit, his head dizzy and tired to death.

His eyes were half-open and half-closed, as if he had already fallen asleep.

His body had also reached its limit, plus the cold in the second half of the night, his two legs were stiff and numb, swaying, as if he would fall at any time.

However, Li Yan didn't use the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen.

He had experienced this situation many times.

Whether it is disk work or move-hitting methods, the hardest part is crossing that hurdle.

It's like long-distance running, only by surpassing the limit time and time again can one be smooth sailing.

If he used the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen at this time, it would naturally eliminate the bad state of the body, but it would be equivalent to giving up halfway and starting over.

So he is waiting for an opportunity now.

Finally, a fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.

The morning light broke the darkness, dividing the sky into green and black colors.

This ray of light caused a change in his dizzy consciousness.

It's now!

Without the slightest hesitation, taking advantage of this change, Li Yan was completely self-forgetful, his hands slapped down suddenly, and at the same time his abdominal muscles bulged, using the force of his chest and diaphragm, he spat out his voice:

"Hum——!"

Boom!

The drum sound and the mantra combined, like thunder.

The war drum below boomed and vibrated, splitting directly.

Li Yan only felt his chest cavity trembling, his whole person like a drum, from fascia and muscles to internal organs, all trembling with it, and a numb feeling pierced his whole body.

Divine Drum Cloud-Lei Yin, finally practiced!

However, he was already at the end of his rope, how could he withstand this force reaching his internal organs? He only felt a tightness in his chest, his throat sweet, and he fell straight to the ground.

This drum sound was like a thunderbolt, waking everyone within a hundred meters.

"Ouch!"

Sha Lifei, who was sleeping soundly, was startled, dancing with his hands and feet, holding the wine jar, and fell off the bed with a bang.

Wang Daoxuan was also stunned, his spirit-storing almost out of control.

"What's wrong! Did the earth dragon turn over?"

Sha Lifei rushed out of the door in a hurry.

Wang Daoxuan also calmed his mind and came to the small courtyard to investigate.

Seeing Li Yan fainting and falling to the ground, Sha Lifei hurried forward to help, while Wang Daoxuan bent down, trying to take his pulse.

"I'm fine."

But at this moment, Li Yan had already slowly regained consciousness. He waved his hand, a smile appearing on his face, "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving to death..."

While speaking, the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen was already operating.

The slight internal injuries disappeared quickly, and the fatigue in his body was swept away.

…………

"Yo, still in the mood to eat?"

When Zhang Shitong arrived at the Ask-Dao Hall, Li Yan was still eating, holding a large bowl of oil-splashed noodles, eating with cold-mixed beef, squatting on the threshold and burying his head in eating.

This guy didn't seem to know how to speak properly, tutting, "Also, life and death are unpredictable tomorrow, maybe eating one meal means one less."

"Keep it for yourself!"

Before Li Yan could speak, Sha Lifei on the side mocked, "If you don't know how to speak, speak less. Have you not brushed your teeth for three years?"

"Hehe, each to their own."

Zhang Shitong gave a cold snort and slowly rolled up his sleeves.

Looking at these two living treasures, Li Yan only felt a headache, directly interrupting and asking, "The location is set, where is it?"

"Shen hour, intersection of Pailou Street."

Zhang Shitong still knew the importance, his face straightened and he said, "It's close to the ferry wharf, all brothels, gambling houses, and carriage shops, with many people of the Jianghu."

"It seems the Zhou family is very confident, wanting to kill you in public to vent this evil breath."

Li Yan didn't commit himself, "What are the arena rules?"

Zhang Shitong said in a deep voice, "A three-zhang-high wooden arena, no weapons allowed, no sorcery allowed, only fists and feet. Death or falling off the arena counts as a loss."

"How big?"

"Ten-meter square arena."

Li Yan sneered after hearing this, "Red Fist is known for flexibility, and the Monkey Fist is one of the best. Making such a small arena, Zhou Bai wants to fight hard?"

Zhang Shitong nodded, "My father guessed the same. Zhou Bai stepped into Dark Energy last year, how could he be worse than you."

"If both sides go back and forth, dodging with body techniques, this scene is not what Zhou Pan wants. I'm afraid that as soon as Zhou Bai comes up, he will suppress people with force!"

"Father's meaning is to avoid his edge first. His skill is still shallow, it's impossible for every move to be Dark Energy. Wait until he is tired, then explode and strike, only then will there be a chance of victory."

"Hmm, thank Senior Zhang for me."

Li Yan's face didn't change, and his eyes were very calm…

…………

After Zhang Shitong delivered the news, he left in a hurry.

This duel had long changed its flavor, carrying more things.

The grievances between the Li family and the Zhou family, the dissatisfaction within the Divine Fist Association with Zhou Pan, and even the infighting in Changan… In Xianyang City, there are plenty of people who want to see the Zhou family suffer.

These things, Zhang Shitong wouldn't say.

Li Yan had lived two lives, naturally he could see it, and even these situations were within his expectations.

That day's life-and-death arena appointment was not a temporary brain fever.

When his father was alive, he often mentioned to him that walking the Jianghu and having a reputation is very important, not just for that bit of false fame.

In this world, there is no so-called spiritual energy, and no one has practiced in the deep mountains for many years, sweeping the world once they come out.

Characters like the Sweeping Monk do not exist. No matter how well you practice kung fu, if your combat experience is not enough, you will still be tricked to death by old oil-slicked veterans.

According to Wang Daoxuan, people of the Mystic Sect are the same.

No matter how good your talent is, you need to see the world and see all living beings before you can see yourself.

There is another benefit to the arena duel.

!.

In this Jianghu, fame can sometimes bring trouble, but in a sense, it is also a protective talisman.

Of course, the premise of all this is that he can win.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Inside the small courtyard, the drum sound rang out again.

But unlike yesterday, Li Yan had already mastered the Divine Drum Cloud-Lei Yin.

The drum sound and the thunder sound combined, the chest cavity and the war drum resonated, each sound was magnificent. Every time it rang, that vibration force reached the fascia and internal organs, numb and tingling, like a thunder strike.

He controlled the force, practicing gradually.

First, he was afraid that the remaining drums would also be broken.

Second, this method is fierce. If the degree is not controlled well, the fascia will be repeatedly injured, and can only be repaired with the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen.

No matter how good the treasure is, it can't withstand such squandering.

The growth of Dark Energy is not a matter of one day or one night. Only with the effort of dripping water piercing stone, plus the changes in the body over time, can one control it at will and turn it a thousand times.

What Li Yan wants to do is to improve his skills as much as possible before tomorrow's duel, so that he can use them at critical moments.

"Suppress me with force?"

"Can you suppress it!"

After another round of practice, Li Yan thought of the Zhou family's plan and sneered in his heart. He turned his body sideways and struck out with his right palm diagonally.

Thirty-Six Row Hands: Overlord Leisure.

Rumble…

The stone trough filled with water was struck by his palm, moving half a meter horizontally.

After stopping, the water in the stone trough surged up.

"Ouch, my fish!"

Wang Daoxuan immediately looked distressed.

But when he ran over to check, he was surprised to find that the few red fish in the stone trough were swimming happily and were not affected at all……

Outside the door, deep in the old alley.

A short man squatted in the corner, listening to the drum sound for a long time, finally looking impatient, and hurried away……

…………

"Beating the drum?"

In the elegant room of the Yuhe Tea House, Yuan Qu raised his eyebrows.

"That's right, always beating the drum."

The one speaking was the man who had been eavesdropping just now. He smiled fawningly, "How would I dare to lie to Gang Leader Yuan? According to the neighbors around, he has been beating it since yesterday until today, and I don't know what kind of madness that brat has."

"Alright, alright, get lost!"

A tall man beside him waved his hand impatiently.

He had dark skin, wore a red robe, and had a hairpin on his small hat. He was the leader of the Iron Saber Gang, Zheng Heibei.

After sending away the man who was scouting, Zheng Heibei glanced at Yuan Qu sideways and said in a deep voice, "Yuan, what do you think that brat is playing at?"

"Heard he followed a famous sorcerer, could he want to play God-Hitting?"

"Hehe, are you afraid?"

Yuan Qu drank tea and said neither yin nor yang.

Although they were from the same sect, they were gangs occupying the east and west of Xianyang City. They fought a lot on weekdays, plus their personalities, they didn't like each other.

Hearing Yuan Qu's mockery, Zheng Heibei was immediately angry, "What am I afraid of? The one who caused trouble is clearly that melon-headed Meng Haicheng. If he had told me earlier, I would have slaughtered that brat directly, where would there be these troubles now."

"If you ask me, don't fight the arena tomorrow. I'll invite a sorcerer to cast a spell tonight and curse him to death!"

The words were reckless, but Zheng Heibei's eyes were extremely calm, always watching Yuan Qu, seemingly wanting to see something.

Yuan Qu glanced at him and sneered, "What are you testing me for? Do you really think the Jiangzuo sorcerer you hid in your nest is unknown to anyone?"

"The few things you did, how could you hide them from an expert? It's just that others are giving face to the Master and turning a blind eye."

"And the beggars in the mass grave, why provoke them? Since the matter has already reached the arena, doing any small actions is just adding chaos……"

"Don't need you to lecture me!"

Zheng Heibei choked back directly.

Seeing him like this, a fire rose in Yuan Qu's eyes, "Zheng, don't you dare add chaos at this time. I'm not helping you."

As he spoke, he stood up and walked to the window, looking outside with his hands behind his back, muttering:

"Remember, if that old thing falls, neither of us will have a good time!"

"The water in this Xianyang City is deep……"

Below, it was exactly the intersection of Pailou Old Street.

It was already dusk, a pile of carpenters were busy, the high arena had already taken shape, and the nosy idlers surrounded it three layers inside and three layers outside.

Two fools were laughing in the crowd:

"Old San, who do you think will win tomorrow?"

"Pah, who cares who wins, as long as it's lively."

"Right, best to beat the brains out…"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 45 =====