ushernet Chapter 244 - A Single Hit Each
Chapter 244 - A Single Hit Each
Chapter 244 - A Single Hit Each
Lance and Aro exchanged glances. Lance stepped forward and repeated, "Sect Master Justin, there's no need to play dumb anymore. When I was walking through Evil Eye Fist's estate earlier, I happened to see a combat artist with blond hair, black eyes, and delicate features who looked quite young. I assume this is the trump card you've been nurturing in secret. Why not let him show himself openly?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about..." Justin was befuddled. When had Evil Eye Fist trained a new combat artist, and why didn't he, as the sect master, know about it? Lance and Aro, however, looked quite certain.
Justin thought carefully before replying, "Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding. Evil Eye Fist is a powerful sect in Wenxia County, and our disciples are quite capable. However, even our most talented disciple has only recently reached the peak of pugilist. How could there possibly be a newly advanced combat artist?"
Aro turned to glance at Lance. Lance frowned and said, "There's no mistake. I locked eyes with a combat artist who looked like a blonde youth. The place was halfway between the estate's entrance and the arena, by the white three-story building. I stopped there for a moment..."
"A three-story building? Isn't that where the reception area is?" Justin muttered.
He suddenly remembered that a disciple had mentioned to him that someone had come to challenge the Great Elder when he had been discussing matters with Wenxia County's Covert Martial Arts representatives in the conference room.
Since Justin had been busy at the time, he had instructed the disciple to leave that person in the reception area. Could it be him?
Tap, tap, tap,...
Out of nowhere, a figure slowly walked around the corner of the marble corridor leading to the arena's entrance. Everyone looked over and saw a 1.7 meter tall young man with blonde hair. There was a faint cross-shaped indentation on his forehead that glowed slightly red.
For some reason, the man gave off an aura that irresistibly drew others' attention. It was an eerie magnetism combined with an odd sense of approachability.
Lance turned his head and glanced at Justin. "Sect Master Justin, hiding things won't do any good. It's better to just reveal him openly, as you've just done."
Aro was even more direct. He immediately stepped out from the crowd, his competitive spirit ignited by Cassius's youthful appearance. "I want to challenge you..."
His gaze burned with fervor as his hands curled into fists. However, he was completely ignored as Cassius walked right past him. Since he had already reached the realm of combat artist, sparring with a pugilist held no value for Cassius. A pugilist couldn’t defeat him even if he fell back to the peak of pugilist, let alone in his current combat artist form.
Anger flashed in Aro's eyes at the blatant disregard. As one of the Eastern Three Stars alongside Lance of the Soul-Breaking Sword Path, he had spent months challenging sect masters and elders across an entire county. He had only lost once in the beginning, but he had remained undefeated since.
His Qi had skyrocketed in the last half month, and he believed he was on the verge of breaking through to combat artist. Even if he couldn’t win, he was confident in his ability to hold his own against a combat artist for several exchanges.
Yet he had been utterly ignored! Aro's anger surged. If Cassius was going to ignore him, then Aro would make him unable to! He stomped on the ground, his whole body trembling as his muscles swelled. His clothes and bandages strained as they struggled to contain his powerful physique.
"Star Ring Fist!" A fierce Qi erupted around him as he gestured.
Aro roared as he charged forward like an arrow, leaving a trail of afterimages behind. His right hand shot toward Cassius's back like a spear.
Swoosh!
Aro's fist sped toward its target, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. As his vision blurred at the edges, only Cassius's back remained clear in front of him.
"Are you still ignoring me?! Secret Technique, Third Moon!"
Aro's frustration grew into a burning rage, and he unleashed the Ring Fist's Secret Technique: Sun, Moon, and Stars. The Third Moon technique boosted his speed, allowing his punch to triple in speed for a short period. It could be activated during or after throwing a punch, meaning a seemingly slow punch could suddenly accelerate and catch opponents off guard.
Aro's punch had already been fast, but with Third Moon enhancing it, it turned into a bolt of lightning. His right hand became a black shadow as he streaked through the air.
But just as his fist was about to make contact with Cassius's clothes...
Whoosh!
A palm sliced audibly through the air. Cassius's arm blurred as he gracefully stepped backward and to the side, effortlessly dodging Aro's high-speed punch and stepping right into the latter’s space. The palm that had been cutting through the air seemed to be slow, but was actually incredibly fast. It drew a compact arc through the air as it impacted Aro’s chin.
Bang!
"Aro!"
"We need the medics here, now!"
The sect members from both Lance and Aro's sects finally snapped out of their shock, and ran over to their fallen first core disciple. They began using emergency bandages, medicine, and pills to assess and treat their injuries.
Some of them cast nervous glances at Cassius, their faces filled with fear. Lance and Aro had been the strongest members of their respective parties. None of the others were nowhere near their level. The silver-haired girl with a thin sword at her waist, who was part of Lance's sect, looked especially anxious.
"Senior brother, senior brother. Huh? His chest is all swollen..."
"Luckily, his bones are fine. He lost five teeth, though, and his jaw is a bit misaligned, but it can be fixed with treatment..."
On Aro's side, a professional medic confirmed his condition after a quick examination.
Meanwhile, the Covert Martial Arts representatives of Wenxia County were merely watching the situation unfold. Some of the injured elders felt a bit of schadenfreude when they saw Aro and Lance in worse shape than they were. However, their amusement was soon overshadowed by the realization that Evil Eye Fist had gained another combat artist.
Shute, the sect master of Bright Plate Martial Dao, and Luen, the sect master of Red Falcon Fist, looked especially grim. Luen, in particular, felt as if a great weight had settled in his heart.
Evil Eye Fist had gained yet another combat artist, and a young and powerful one at that. With three combat artists under one roof, how could Wenxia County's Covert Martial Arts scene possibly resist the Eastern Alliance?
Even if Luen brought his father back from Death Canyon in a few days, it likely wouldn't be enough to change the course of events. His father was an aging Blood Fist master whose vitality was waning. Moreover, he had fallen into madness due to his inner demons. It would be nearly impossible for him to face three combat artists alone...
"Sigh..."
Luen let out a deep breath but glanced at Cassius once again. The sound Cassius made when attacking had been strangely similar in tone to the Red Falcon Fist's technique that sounded like a raptor’s shriek.
He shook his head immediately. What was he thinking? How could this blond combat artist possibly know Red Falcon Fist's techniques? How utterly far-fetched...
Ding!
Cassius let his right hand drop naturally, dropping the broken rapier tip between his fingers. The metal clinked on the marble floor as it bounced away. He glanced at the two fighters he had just effortlessly defeated.
Their strength isn't bad. They can seize opportunities and have the courage to challenge a combat artist. Not bad, but I suggest they don't try to ambush me next time.
Cassius' gaze shifted toward Justin, who was standing by the black railing. He was one of Cassius's targets for the day. As Feng Liusi had once told him in Death Canyon, quickly improving the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist meant honing it through battle.
Cassius had consecutively challenged two combat artists from Wenxia County in the last two days. He had already broken through two meridian points after absorbing the experiences.
The red mist vortex was the initial form of Qi within his body, which was growing increasingly stronger. Cassius was just a step away from manifesting the Will of the Red Falcon Fist. Since there were two combat artists at Evil Eye Fist, a series of battles might just be the key to his breakthrough.
Opposite him, Justin's expression grew increasingly sour as he watched Lance and Aro being treated. The two Eastern Three Stars had been humiliated at Evil Eye Fist by an unknown combat artist. Soul-Breaking Sword Path and Star Ring Fist might hold Evil Eye Fist accountable for this, even if only partially, which could damage their relationship. Offending two of the top sects in the Eastern Nine Sects would be disastrous for Evil Eye Fist.
The most urgent task was to distance Evil Eye Fist from the incident. Justin took a step forward as he stared at Cassius. "I don't know which sect you belong to, but coming to Evil Eye Fist and injuring others is hardly the conduct befitting a combat artist."
"Heh..." Cassius couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't care about Justin's words in the slightest; he just wanted to test Justin's fists.
Whoosh!
A wave of Qi radiated out from Cassius, causing the air to ripple like water. Red mist began rising from his entire body and formed a slowly rotating vortex above his head. The silhouette of a fierce, menacing bird with gleaming blood-red eyes started to coalesce within it.
Screech!
The piercing screech of the bird echoed through the arena.
Cassius took a step forward. "I am Cassius of the Wind Elephant Sect, and I have come today to challenge Evil Eye Fist!"