A Single Palm

Four Seas Martial Arts Hall. Tianhong Zai chuckled. "These are fish balls too, just better quality. They're left over from when I cultivated on the second floor. There are three pills left, so take them—call it your reward for last time." "I couldn't possibly." Li Xiuwen waved his hands frantically. He wasn't particularly close to Tianhong Zai, and a favor like this was no small thing; sooner or later, debts had to be repaid. Tianhong Zai laughed. "What's with the courtesy? Whenever I come by the hall for holidays and festivals, I give good things away on a whim all the time. You just arrived late, so you didn't know, that's all." Huang Sihai spoke up, saying, "Ah Wen, just take them... If they sit any longer, they'll expire anyway, and that'd be a waste." Since their master had spoken, Li Xiuwen accepted them. To refuse now would be denying Tianhong Zai face. Watching this, the others could hardly contain their envy. Their eyes flashed red and green like traffic lights. Liu Chun remained silent, his expression blank and his fists clenched tight. He didn't care about three fish balls. What mattered far more was that Li Xiuwen had earned the favor of one of the Three Paragons. This meant the Three Paragons might be interested in pulling Li Xiuwen into their circle. It meant higher horizons, higher status, and broader connections. After two months of bitter cultivation and a substantial expenditure of family wealth, Liu Chun was certain of victory. He had vowed to defeat everyone today in one fell swoop and step onto the second floor. Huang Sihai said, "Everyone is here, so let this year's first-floor tournament begin. I specifically invited your eldest senior brother from the Academy, so show him what you can do." Xiao Tianhong smiled. "Junior brothers and sisters, don't feel pressured. Just make sure you leave no regrets. There's always next year." The tournament rules were simple. All participating first-floor disciples would spar in pairs through a round-robin, and the one with the most victories would win. A total of twelve people had signed up, but everyone knew there were only three seeded contestants: The first seed was Liu Chun. He had entered the Black Membrane stage months ago, his fighting techniques had long reached major success, and his wealthy background made him the absolute ceiling of the first floor's strength. The second seed was Li Xiuwen. He had kept a low profile previously, but his comprehension was sharp, his fighting techniques had advanced at an astonishing speed, and he had made a name for himself in the challenge visit. The third seed was Cheng Kuiqiang, blessed with innate divine strength. In the eyes of many, he was roughly on the same tier as Li Xiuwen, promising a fierce struggle between dragon and tiger. Everyone else, including Ah Zhen, was merely there to make up the numbers. Li Xiuwen looked toward the ring where the matches had already started, watching with calm composure. To prevent any unforeseen slipups, he had sparred with every first-floor disciple over the past few days, verifying that no one was hiding their strength the way he was. "Ah Wen, do you fancy your chances?" Old Chen took a sip of tea and asked. "No idea. I'll only know once we fight," Li Xiuwen replied with a smile. Old Chen patted Li Xiuwen on the shoulder and chuckled. "You took a master later than he did, and your financial means can't match Liu Chun's. It pays to be mentally prepared." It was clear that even Old Chen, who was closest to Li Xiuwen, didn't favor him to win. "Thanks for the reminder, Brother Chen. By the way... do you know anything about the martial schools around Mount Qianfo in Qizhou Prefecture?" Li Xiuwen asked casually. Old Chen muttered, "The Lu Region, Mount Qianfo... Not really. I've only heard that Buddhist and Daoist lineages flourish there, with grandmasters as plentiful as clouds." Li Xiuwen didn't press further. In the end, Old Chen wasn't omniscient; there were bound to be things he didn't know. Li Xiuwen would just have to investigate in person if the chance arose. Suddenly, the disciples began cheering Liu Chun's name—Liu Chun was stepping up to the ring. His opponent was Ah Zhen. "Senior Brother Chun, take it easy on me. I'm just a girl," Ah Zhen joked. Liu Chun nodded and declared with supreme confidence, "Ah Zhen, I'll give you ten moves. If you can land even a single palm on me, I concede." The young man was brimming with youthful vigor. Having suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Gaojiao Qi before, he naturally wanted to show off as much as possible to win back his face. Ah Zhen smiled sweetly. "You said it yourself." On the stage, the two clashed. Ah Zhen's palm techniques were soft and continuous, clearly having attained minor success. Unfortunately, Liu Chun's footwork was light and nimble, making him as slippery as a loach. Ah Zhen attacked for ten moves without grazing him once. "Pardon me!" Liu Chun pressed forward, sending out a palm that pressed gently against Ah Zhen's lower abdomen. Unable to hold her ground, Ah Zhen was pushed out of the ring. Ah Zhen smiled. "What impressive footwork! Senior Brother Liu Chun learned a movement technique too... It really is great to have money." She couldn't help grumbling internally. Master Huang's claim that only second-floor disciples could learn movement techniques was pure nonsense. As long as the money was right, you could learn whatever you wanted. Seeing that Liu Chun had also mastered a movement technique, the disciples inwardly mourned for the other seeded contenders. "Liu Chun is invincible on the first floor." "No suspense left. The match is already decided. I was thinking Ah Wen might use his movement technique to contend with Liu Chun and overcome the odds." "With banknote power, you can do whatever you want in Xianghai." ... The tournament carried on. When Li Xiuwen took the ring, he held back slightly, taking a dozen or so exchanges to defeat each of his opponents. Even though victory was already assured, he was still aiming to lull Liu Chun into complacency and take him by surprise. Watching Li Xiuwen's performance, Liu Chun felt a faint sense of relief. The weaklings Li Xiuwen faced were opponents he himself could resolve with a single palm. Only a few second-floor disciples, along with Huang Sihai and Xiao Tianhong, faintly caught on to the truth. Xiao Tianhong whispered in Huang Sihai's ear, "Ah Wen looks like he's fighting slowly, but every move is completely effortless. Has he reached Black Membrane already?" Huang Sihai smiled faintly. "Yes, he's holding a hand in reserve, probably hoping to ambush Liu Chun... After all, his overall strength is a notch lower, so he has to rely on clever little tricks." "Oh... a notch lower, is he?" A strange gleam flickered in Xiao Tianhong's eyes. He smiled faintly and said nothing more. ... In the blink of an eye, half the day slipped by. On the scoreboard, Liu Chun, Cheng Kuiqiang, and Ah Wen were far ahead of the rest. At last, the three were paired against one another. The first bout was Li Xiuwen versus Liu Chun. The lazy look in Li Xiuwen's eyes sharpened into solemnity as he stepped onto the ring with a smile. Liu Chun took the stage as well and said, "Ah Wen, I'm sorry, but I really need this spot on the second floor. You'll have to wait until next year." This was the first time he had spoken to Li Xiuwen in two months. Li Xiuwen smiled. "Then let our hands reveal the truth." Both men moved at once. Liu Chun deployed his Thousand Waves Drifting Light movement technique, aiming to defeat Li Xiuwen within thirty moves. Li Xiuwen, however, charged straight ahead. He stamped his right foot, drawing power up from the ground. The force rippled through skin, membrane, muscle, and sinew in spiraling waves before reaching his right palm. Startled Shark Fleeting Shadow! *With his level of cultivation, he dares to meet me head-on?! I thought he would use his movement technique to dance around me!* For a moment, Liu Chun was caught between shock and doubt. There was no time to think. A calloused palm shot from his sleeve as he unleashed the Rigid-Gentle Palm as well. *If that's how it is, I'll crush you head-on!* Fierce gusts crossed; flesh palms collided! A shockwave rolled back in all directions. Li Xiuwen was pushed back three steps. Liu Chun, on the other hand, felt a terrifying force no less ferocious than Gaojiao Qi's surge through his palm and tear into his entire body. *Crack-crack-crack!* His muscles and bones popped like roasted beans, and his blood-and-breath energy churned violently. He staggered back over a dozen paces, barely steadying himself at the very edge of the ring. He opened his mouth and spat a large mouthful of blood, his eyes wide in shock. Giving Liu Chun no time to catch his breath, Li Xiuwen charged in a second time, raising his palm as a gust of wind swept forward. Liu Chun closed his eyes, his body trembling, his face overcome with despair. Li Xiuwen halted. His palm stopped three inches from Liu Chun's face, refusing to fall. After a brief pause, Li Xiuwen smiled. "Victory by restraint. You lost. Don't be discouraged—you're still young, so reaching the second floor next year won't be too late." He pulled his palm back, turned around, and half-joked, "I'm an old man; I have to make every minute count."