Chapter 61: Xiao Fang vs. Yun Han

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Xiao Fang does not miss the nod Wu Yan gives Yun Han, and he fights the urge to scoff at the smile that tugs at Yun Han’s lips.

They think they are being so clever.

The pill Liu Jin had given him rests comfortably under his tongue. Liu Jin had been of the idea that he take it before the match and had argued with him quite fiercely on the matter. The fool. Had he done that, this whole thing would have been pointless. Gifted in many ways, Liu Jin may be, but he still fails to grasp the importance of showmanship.

That isn’t to say Liu Jin is incapable of showmanship, just that he does it entirely by circumstance rather than by design.

Besides, Liu Jin is not in any position to argue with anyone about safety. His fight with Yun Han helped their goals, but it hadn’t been entirely necessary. They could have managed just fine without Liu Jin putting himself at such high risk.

“We have been rivals for a long time,” Yun Han says, shifting into a stance. “For as long as I can remember, you have always kept pace with me.”

A lie, clearly. Though perhaps it is one Yun Han has deluded himself into believing. The truth, after all, is usually a too heavy burden for those who are weak of mind and spirit.

“My, my,” Xiao Fang says, shaking his head. “To think you’d say such bold words to me.”

As far back as Xiao Fang can remember, he has always been one step ahead of Yun Han. In fact, saying he has only been one step ahead of Yun Han is being too kind. In matters of cultivation, Yun Han has never been his match. Just as the Xiao Sect has always been superior to the Yun Sect, so too has Xiao Fang been superior to Yun Han.

Yun Han, of course, has repeatedly tried to close the gap between them. However, regardless of how much he pushed himself, a time when the heir of the Yun Sect could be called Xiao Fang’s equal has simply never existed.

Until about a year ago, that is.

The thought almost pushes through the condescending smile on Xiao Fang’s face. Almost. Xiao Fang is too good to allow such a thing to happen. Just as he is too good to ever allow Yun Han to close the gap between them even though that is precisely what happened.

As far as those watching are concerned, they are equals. They are both in the Fifth Level of the Nascent Realm.

It is galling.

That someone like Yun Han can now be called his equal by those who do not know better is nothing other than shameful, and that he let it happen is even worse.

Why did he let it happen?

A tiny part of him blames Liu Jin. The rest of him knows better.

Certainly, Liu Jin’s presence had been a constant thorn on his side. That he was to marry his sister had left Xiao Fang rattled. It had thrown his mind and spirit into chaos, becoming an anchor around his neck, a source of disorder in his carefully balanced psyche. During that time, his cultivation had stalled, allowing Yun Han to finally catch up to him for the first time in his entire life.

It isn’t Liu Jin’s fault that happened. If anyone is to blame, it is Xiao Fang’s own weak mind that allowed Liu Jin’s existence to hold so much power over him. That is something Xiao Fang instinctively grasps without anyone needing to tell him.

He’s not about to admit it to anyone, though. Heaven and Earth will have to switch places before that happens.

“It seems you have forgotten our respective positions,” Xiao Fang continues, being careful not to show his anger. At that moment, it is not Yun Han he is angry at.

Xiao Fang is angry at himself.

“From the moment you were born, you were meant to stare at my back. For someone born into the second-best Sect in Eastern Port City, such a fate is only natural. The eternal number two should always follow the eternal number one. Anything else is a perversion of the natural order.”

Yun Han just happens to be a convenient outlet.

“Always so arrogant!” Predictably, Yun Han’s face is flushed with anger. He really is too easy. “Your Xiao Sect has always been looking down on our Yun Sect, but that changes today. In this ring, there is only the two of us. Neither your father nor your cousin is here to help you! We will fight, and only the strongest one will walk away!”

Xiao Fang cannot stop the tensing of his facial muscles that follows Yun Han’s words. He cannot control the way his teeth gnash against each other. Yun Han’s words just now were aimed at just the right spot.

For many years, it has been his cousin and father who have upheld the Xiao Sect’s reputation as the strongest in the city. His father has always been the strongest cultivator in the city, and his cousin has always been the strongest one among the younger generation. They shine so dazzlingly no one can ever question the Xiao Sect’s strength.

Xiao Fang could never equal them.

However, Xiao Nan is not the one representing the Xiao Sect right now. Xiao Fang is. The reputation of the sect will be upheld by his own merits. If he fails…

No, that type of thought is unneeded.

“You finally said something good,” Xiao Fang says, settling into a stance. “The strongest one will win, but do not be afraid. I will try to leave you with the ability to walk.”

He finishes with a taunting smirk, which is just enough to push Yun Han into action. There is no point in pretending for this match. Yun Han will be coming at Xiao Fang with his full power from the very first moment of the fight.

Yun Han dashes with speed that Liu Jin would have barely been able to react to. Against any other contestant in the tournament, a full-power blow from Yun Han would most assuredly grant him victory.

Xiao Fang is the exception.

His speed matches Yun Han, one arm moving to block, the other one hones in on Yun Han’s unprotected left. In a fraction of a second, Yun Han’s eyes narrow. He twists, pivoting on his heel, his long leg suddenly comes down on Xiao Fang.

A shockwave rings across the arena. Those who are in the lower seats use their arms to shield themselves from the sudden wave of force that is generated by the two fighters. All the dust and dirt lying on the ring is blown away instantly.

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One blow.

That is all it took to create that shockwave. Just one blow. Yun Han and Xiao Fang’s eyes meet. The latter managed to raise his hands in time to block Yun Han’s attack.

A pause. A lull in the action that lasts no more than a heartbeat.

The storm hits next.

The ring becomes alive with motion as Yun Han and Xiao Fang’s bodies blur all over its surface, dozens of shockwaves left in their wake as fists and kicks fly. It is a fight on a completely different level from all the other fights so far.

For the first time in the tournament, the two have found an equal.

Yun Han moves to the side to avoid Xiao Fang’s strike, his punch whistling through the air. He is not so lucky with the next one. His brain is sent rattling against his skull, his body almost lifted off his feet by a textbook uppercut.

A twist. A feint. Xiao Fang leaps back as Yun Han comes crashing down, his fists tearing the ring to pieces, sending the rubble flying in all directions. Xiao Fang flinches when Yun Han kicks the largest one towards him, and he fails to dodge in time.

Yun Han’s eyes widen as Xiao Fang catches him by his sleeve before he can use a movement technique and yanks him close. A flurry of quick strikes come his way almost immediately, all of them perfectly aimed at vital spots. His mind subconsciously recognizes how pointless trying to retreat would be, so he closes in instead.

At such a close range, Yun Han is not the only one who is in no position to block.

A punch lands on Xiao Fang’s throat

A stomp stops Yun Han from moving in time to block a blow to his liver.

A crack echoes across the arena as Xiao Fang’s arm is twisted. Then another one, as Xiao Fang twists it again in time to punch Yun Han in the face.

It is a vicious war that mesmerizes everyone in the audience. The heirs of the two strongest Sects in Eastern Port City are fighting with everything they have. It is fast. It is brutal, and they cannot look away.

For a moment, it looks as if neither is going to back down until someone falls.

Then, as if by some unspoken agreement, the two fighters leap back at the same time.