Chapter 36 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Although a smithing workshop was not small, it was definitely not a place to compete with martial art skills.

When Ou Yangming brought Sui Hezhi and the others to his courtyard, they envied him as it was s.p.a.cious.

Nonetheless, they knew that only Military Fire Blacksmiths were given such treatment, which was similar to how captains were treated. A low-rank officer and normal soldiers like them could not compare.

Ou Yangming gave a fist salute after they entered the courtyard. “Brother Yan, please.”

Yan Haobo and his nephew were shocked. The moment Ou Yangming stood at the center of his courtyard, a forceful aura was sensed. He stood as straight as a javelin that was stuck to the ground, and did not bend at all.

It was not a mere form because it was the most standard stance for a fist art in the military.

Sui Hezhi widened his eyes as he was in disbelief.

He was the one who taught Ou Yangming the fist art and the blade technique, and it had only been roughly a month since. A normal person would be considered amazing to be able to match the techniques in some sense, but Ou Yangming who was solemn and upright at the moment did not seem like he had only practiced the fist art for only a month.

“Master Ou, be careful,” Yan Chengcai mentioned, then s.h.i.+fted his body to charge at Ou Yangming like a hunting leopard, and aimed a punch at his chest.

Instead of dodging him, Ou Yangming yelled and punched as well.

Their movements were somewhat equal since they performed the standard military drill.

The fist art was simple and straightforward, but was the most effective killing technique during the war.

“Boom—”

When the fists clashed, Yan Chengcai was forced to stop, and his fist hurt so much it was as if he had punched an iron plate.

On the other hand, Ou Yangming scoffed and staggered backward. His right hand swelled, and half of his body went numb.

One could easily tell the strong from the weak, and it was obvious that Ou Yangming was not a match for Yan Chengcai.

Despite that, Sui Hechi could not help but shout, “This, it’s impossible…”

Yan Chengcai and Ou Yangming turned a death ear to him as they focused on each other.

The former had practiced fist arts and blade techniques for over ten years, thus he already had the disposition. Nevertheless, Ou Yangming had also been training in the dense forest once every few days for a month, so he was different from before.

When the two young men looked at each other again, Yan Chengcai shouted and dashed again. This time, he did not underestimate his opponent at all, and was determined to suppress Ou Yangming by using stronger power.

On the opposite, Ou Yangming lowered himself to not go head-on against him, but instead got away from Yan Chengcai’s punch like a fish.

He was extremely familiar with the usage of the purple energy in his mind and the purple light was automatically activated the instant he was in danger, smithing weapons, or cultivating martial arts.

At the moment, his consciousness was already split into two. A part was controlling his body to resist Yan Chengcai, while the other was detached in an odd way that allowed him to watch the battle clearly from above.

Knowing that he was not as strong at his opponent, Ou Yangming stopped looking for trouble. He moved by performing the step technique taught by Sui Hezhi, and was able to dodge Yan Chengcai’s punches by swaying his body. Additionally, he waited for the right moment to sneak a few attacks, which truly made Yan Chengcai feel troubled.

As Ou Yangming’s purple energy increased, he had a better grasp of his surroundings.

The instant there was a movement from Yan Chengcai’s wrist, Ou Yangming identified his punching direction. In the beginning, he had been dodging in advance which meant that he dodged when Yan Chengcai had just started his. .h.i.ts. As such, Yan Chengcai was able to change his punching path halfway through to continue attacking.

After a few times, Ou Yangming learned his lesson. His consciousness watched Yan Chengcai’s every move from above, and when there were no new changes to Yan Chengcai’s punching sequences, he s.h.i.+fted his body to avoid being attacked.

While it seemed like a dangerous method, it was the best way for Ou Yangming to deal with his enemy as he had the advantage of watching as an outsider.

Eventually, he even became obsessed with the thrill of dodging at a crucial moment, and the battle against Yan Chengcai was no longer a difficult task to him as it became an enjoyable martial arts cultivation.

Only outstanding soldiers in the military could join the Guards led by Chen Yifan.

Though it was not compulsory for the soldiers from the Guards to be near the Yin Boundary like Sui Hezhi, they had to at least be in Force Grade Cla.s.s Five, only a step away from having hidden energy.

Yan Chengcai was confident about joining the Guards because he was already at that level.

Needless to say, the punches from a martial artist in Force Grade Cla.s.s Five could definitely suppress Ou Yangming who was only in Cla.s.s Three. However, Yan Chengcai realized from the exchange of blows after this that he could not get the upper hand at all.

Ou Yangming might not be as powerful as him, but his body technique definitely surpa.s.sed his.

Although he could tell that the body technique learned by Ou Yangming was the same as what he learned in the military, the effects were Heaven and Earth apart when they performed it.

Ou Yangming could somehow find the loopholes in Yan Chengcai’s punches, and was able to dodge the attacks by using the body technique. He was rather impatient in the beginning, but after finding a balance point, he became more composed.