Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 35: Counter

"He accepted the challenge."

The taller of the two men nodded and said.

"Good. Given his personality and ambition, it was unlikely he would refuse my challenge. But just in case, we should spread this news throughout the Martial Arts Realm to cut off his escape route."

Qin Baisheng said, his expression calm.

"I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?"

The shorter young man couldn’t help but ask in confusion.

"You are my trusted confidants, so there are some things I need to make clear to you. You’re unaware of the turmoil in the national Martial Arts Realm, but I have some inside information. This is a vortex, and I’m afraid no famous Great Master of Fist Techniques will be able to escape it. All we can do is fight for that sliver of a chance to survive."

"From the looks of it, the Tianji Sword Sect’s ambitions are not small. It’s not just that Huang Shuwen wants to be the new ’Number One in Tianlu.’ The Tianji Sword Sect also wants to use this opportunity to bring the entire Tianlu Prefecture Martial Arts Realm under its complete control. Not long ago, the Bishui Boxing King, Wang Qingyun, was defeated and injured. The Tianji Group used this opening to launch a massive assault on the Bishui Sect’s businesses."

"Now, they’ve issued a challenge to Xu Yunhe of the White Snake Fist. Once Xu Yunhe is defeated, there will be very few Martial Artists or schools left in all of Tianlu Prefecture who pose a threat to them."

"You should know that the Chunlei Martial Arts Academy is what it is today entirely because of the reputation I’ve fought for. If I were to lose, how many of those who come here seeking our name would remain? And how many of our businesses would be left after the Tianji Group is done devouring them?"

"Therefore, I cannot lose. At least, I cannot lose publicly. Otherwise, this entire enterprise will collapse in an instant."

Qin Baisheng said calmly.

"So you’re taking the initiative to seize control, using Zhou Yuanjue to sharpen your confidence, and ultimately defeat Huang Shuwen to become ’Tianlu’s Number One’?"

The tall man asked, his expression grave.

"Wrong. After watching the match between Huang Shuwen and the Bishui Boxing King, Wang Qingyun... as much as I hate to admit it, I’m afraid I’m no match for him."

Qin Baisheng said, shaking his head.

"What’s so extraordinary about this Huang Shuwen?"

Hearing Qin Baisheng actually admit he was inferior, the faces of the two men changed.

’Their master was a monster capable of dodging bullets on open ground. Just how strong was someone that even he admitted was superior?!’

"His state of mind is ethereal. His Martial Arts have reached a state of seamless perfection, no longer bound by rigid forms. Combined with the Tianji Sword Sect’s ’Tianji Inner View,’ his every move seems born of nature itself, with no openings to be found. Even I would have difficulty predicting and dodging his attacks. Against him, my greatest advantage is completely nullified. This is a matter of one Fist Technique countering another. It would be very difficult for me to defeat him."

"Becoming Tianlu’s Number One is impossible for now. What I want is to preserve the foundation of the Chunlei Martial Arts Academy and then plan my next move. To do that, I need a fight that will allow me to avoid Huang Shuwen."

"This fight must be sufficiently intense, and my opponent must have considerable skill and fame. In the end, I must win—either a complete victory or one that comes at a small price. Afterward, however, I will publicly claim to be injured. This will give me a legitimate reason to refuse the Tianji Sword Sect’s challenge without damaging my reputation or that of the Chunlei Martial Arts Academy. Meanwhile, being secretly unharmed, I can use the Chunlei Martial Arts Academy’s connections in Changlong City to resist the Tianji Sword Sect’s takeover attempts, buying myself some breathing room."

"Therefore, I need a suitable opponent: famous, strong, and someone I have a high degree of confidence in defeating. Previously, I had selected Yan Hao of the Lanhai Society. I looked into him. Although he has exceptional Talent and great fame, his Fist Technique is sloppy, which made him a perfect opponent."

"However, before I could make my move, he was defeated by Zhou Yuanjue. Fortunately, Zhou Yuanjue is also a suitable opponent—even more suitable than Yan Hao. After defeating Yan Hao, his fame in the Tianlu Martial Arts Realm is even greater. Most importantly, his Fist Technique is countered by mine."

Qin Baisheng said calmly, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

"The Thunderbolt Rushing Palm is the nemesis of all Assassination Fists!!"

Upon hearing this, both the tall and the short man were shaken to the core.

"Master, what are your next steps?"

The two men asked in a serious tone.

"This is why I’ve told you everything. The domestic Martial Arts Realm is about to undergo a great reshuffling. If we stay, we’ll be like a small boat in a storm. Therefore, after I win the match, I plan to use the buffer period to transfer our assets."

"You two need to depart for East Luoni immediately and scout things out."

...

...

「Meanwhile, at the Tianji Group.」

Thanks to Qin Baisheng’s deliberate leaks, the news that the Chunlei Martial Arts Academy had issued a challenge to Zhou Yuanjue of the Red Falcon Fist quickly spread throughout the Tianlu Martial Arts Realm. Naturally, it also reached the ears of the Tianji Sword Sect’s upper echelons.

As old foxes with years of experience, both Zhao Zhengxuan and Luo Yongli vaguely understood Qin Baisheng’s scheme the moment they heard the news.

However, they didn’t care. From a certain perspective, Qin Baisheng’s move was a form of compromise in itself. While it might create some minor trouble for their unification of the Tianlu Martial Arts Realm, from another angle, Qin Baisheng’s voluntary withdrawal would make Huang Shuwen’s path to becoming Tianlu’s Number One even smoother.

"Do you think Qin Baisheng can defeat Zhou Yuanjue?"

Luo Yongli asked Zhao Zhengxuan, chuckling softly as he took a sip of the fine tea on the table.

"It’s hard to say. This Zhou Yuanjue came out of nowhere, and I’ve never seen him fight in person. However, it’s said that when he defeated Yan Hao, he layered over twenty attacks onto five specific acupoints, ultimately breaking through Yan Hao’s ’Elephant Armor’ defense. From this, we can see that this man’s Martial Arts Techniques have truly reached a state of Great Success. His movements have the Divine Travel Mechanism, and his control is exquisitely precise."

"But the very fact that he had to go to such lengths to break his opponent’s defense also indicates that his own Physical Talent isn’t that strong. Furthermore, there’s another crucial point: the Red Falcon Fist is, after all, only a second-rate Assassination Fist. In terms of its forms, variations, core concepts, and Secret Training Techniques, it simply can’t compare to a true First Grade Fist Technique. This is a flaw in the Fist Technique itself. His Physical Talent and his Fist Technique are Zhou Yuanjue’s greatest weaknesses."

"On the other hand, although Qin Baisheng came from humble beginnings and built his empire from scratch, the Thunderbolt Rushing Palm is a bona fide First Grade Fist Technique. Its secret methods for training intuition, eyesight, and Spirit have already transcended the realm of ordinary techniques. It is renowned for its speed, reflexes, attack prediction, and ability to sense malicious intent. For an Assassination Fist, it is a fatal counter. Add to that the fact that Qin Baisheng’s own Martial Arts Techniques are extremely refined... so, all things considered, Qin Baisheng’s chances of winning should be higher."

Zhao Zhengxuan said with a smile.

"Is that so? That’s true, though. If he didn’t have a certain degree of confidence, I doubt Qin Baisheng would have issued the challenge in the first place."

Luo Yongli said with a nod.

"So? Interested in going to watch the match? I’ve met this Qin Baisheng before. I’m quite curious to see what kind of person this Zhou Yuanjue is."

Zhao Zhengxuan said. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Isn’t the match between Huang Shuwen and Xu Yunhe around the same time? You’re not going to watch it?"

Luo Yongli asked.

"There’s no need to watch it. That match holds no suspense."

Zhao Zhengxuan said flatly.