Chapter 016

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‘ ‘ for thoughts.

“ “ for speech.

<> for non-verbal communication like telepathy

Please point out any mistakes/inconsistencies you find and feel free to comment on anything regarding this FF.

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Warning: May contain mature content (18+) of an adult nature. Read at your own risk.

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Note:

Although the full name mentioned here are Chinese style, (example: Fang Hao, surname Fang first then given name Hao), the names clubbed with descriptions are description and then given name instead of description and surname (example Fatty Hao and not Fatty Fang).

Btw, I read all your comments, but may not reply to each and every one separately.

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Fang Hao cleared the 2nd, 3rd and 4th round of the competition with ease. His plan was similar; smash their weapon with his club, jarring them, followed by an armpit punch or an open palm on the solar plexus, and then he sat on them like a lord over his serfs…and slapped them till they admitted defeat. He had to do it only once, on the 2nd round. The 3rd and 4th round opponents had an ugly look on their face as they immediately admitted defeat. They were supposed to be cultivators! How could anyone lack even a shred of face to sit on their opponents like street hooligans… not to say anything about the humiliation of being on the receiving end.

Out of his clique Fatty Ning, who was at the 4th layer of Qi Gathering, advanced to the 2nd round. Surprisingly Fatty Lin the one with the slowest cultivation speed, who had barely reached the 3rd layer a week before, fought with an uncommon viciousness and managed to advance to the 3rd round. He unfortunately met the stocky youth with a swarthy face, who as usual, showed skillful spear play and managed to exhaust fatty Lin.

Next was the 5th and last match, where Fang Hao - No.1, fought vs the swarthy spear wielder - No.21. Old man Zhu levitated them onto the stage. When asked for weapons, the swarthy youth selected a spear… but Fang Hao selected a staff. ‘I don’t know any spear techniques, so it is better to take a staff. It is just a long stick and I won’t require anything too fancy to make it work at this level. I will just try to deflect the spear and beat him in close quarters.’ thought Fang Hao as he made the choice of his weapon. Old Man Zhu began the fight, and Fang Hao dashed at his opponent.

Fang Hao held the staff in both hands and bashed at the spear hoping to jar him and close the distance. But despite his superior strength and speed, he failed at his planned move as the swarthy teen stepped backwards and flicked his wrist. He used the flat of the spear blade to whack Fang Hao’s knees, unbalancing him. Fang Hao was forced to halt as he regained his balance and considered his move. ‘Damn it this swarthy turtle has good technique! Well fuck you… this daddy here will go all out!’ fumed Fang Hao as he started to quickly execute a flurry of blows.

The twinkle in the swarthy teen’s eye disappeared as he frowned a bit. He tried to side-step, parry, dodge and generally avoid or redirect all the blows…but he could at most avoid or deflect 3 out of 4 blows. Though most of the blows that connected were glancing blows, he felt some of the impact pass through. ‘Damn this shameless fatty. He is overwhelming my technique with brute force. At least aim somewhere consistent so that I can deflect your blows, you fatass! No? Hmm, I refuse to believe that you can last longer than me. I am using far less stamina than you. Let us see who can endure longer!’ the swarthy youth thought in irritation as he redirected one blow…but was forced to block the other feeling some feedback through his weapon.

But Fatty Hao had a physique that was comparable to an average 7th layer Qi Gathering layer disciple. How could he get tired so quickly? The stalemate lasted for a little over 10 minutes. Fang Hao was starting to feel fatigued as his arms were tiring and beads of sweat were falling from his forehead. But from the looks of it, the swarthy youth wasn’t too better off. All the transmitted shock was accumulating. ‘Damn it. I went overboard and lost my cool. My performance so far is already impressive. I reckon I can last for another 2 to 5 minutes before I am too exhausted to continue… but I shouldn’t drag this on any longer. If he doesn’t get tired in the next 3 blows, I will admit defeat. I should be more cautious in the future.’ thought Fang Hao as his irritation at the swarthy turtle and the hot-blooded urge to compete finally subsided at the onset of exhaustion.

‘This, this shameless fatty! Did he get fat gorging on the meat of spirit beasts? I am barely able to defend now, another minute of those flurries and I will be disarmed. Better give up now, and avoid the disgrace of being disarmed.’ The swarthy youth had a grudging respect for Fang Hao’s stamina, as he thought about his course of action for the battle. The next instant, both of them lunged backwards and declared simultaneously “I admit defeat.” Old man Zhu snorted. “One of you has to win. I can’t have both the finalists in a draw. Let me think of something special.” he said as he had a benign smile on his face glancing at both the participants.

In his interaction with old man Zhu, Fang Hao had learned to recognize that benign smile. When he smiled like that…someone was going to be in trouble. Fang Hao decisively cupped his hands and addressed his opponent. “Fellow Apprentice Brother, your weapon techniques are clearly superior. If this was a true life and death battle with real weapons, you could have long fatally stabbed my throat and won. Please accept your victory… I am too tired to continue anyway.”

The swarthy youth was surprised. He clearly knew that the fatty’s strength and stamina were extraordinary for his cultivation and estimated that the fatty still had enough fight in him to overwhelm him.

He hesitated a bit, then finally cupped his hand and said sincerely, “Fellow Apprentice Brother, you let me win. I will accept your kind intentions with gratitude. I am called Yu Li.” “Brother Li, I am called as Fang Hao, but most call me Fatty Hao.” Old man Zhu had a clearly disappointed look on his face as he sighed “Since you juniors agreed, No. – 21 wins. The next phase of the competition will be in 28 days exactly. I will send someone with the specifics the day before it. But good performance nevertheless little fatty! How about you drop by tomorrow at dusk and have some wine with this old man?”

Fang Hao was cautious at this invitation, but smiled outwardly and said, “This junior will gladly give company to Senior Martial Uncle, even though he is unworthy.” ‘Damn it. Did he discover my secret? But how can I refuse his public invitation? And this fight is recorded… next time I should be cautious. Well I do have a couple of excuses ready… but still more caution is required.’