Chapter 146: The Capital! A Hundred Years Ago, Yang the Invincible! A Hundred Years Later, Wang the Undefeated! (Sixth) (1/2)

Chapter 146: The Capital! A Hundred Years Ago, Yang the Invincible! A Hundred Years Later, Wang the Undefeated! (Sixth)

“It is nice to meet you all. The names of the masters here are all truly well known ones.”

After hearing Ma Huajun’s introduction, Wang Chao’s face had flickered to display an insincere smile. From his mouth came a series of words that seemed quite nutritionless in value.

For there to be so many experts gathered within a tiny dojo, Wang Chao had no doubts that they were here for some tea and a discussion on improving their own martial arts. While the expression in these experts eyes didn’t betray any clear indications of hostility, it wasn’t friendly either.

“Now now, we aren’t as well known as master Wang says we are. In the past few years, your name has been like a tornado. Each fight you have managed to claim the other person’s life, and you’ve even burnt the roots of your opponent’s family. The smaller a chili pepper, the hotter it is. How fierce. Those of us who have practiced the fist for many years, we pale in comparison to you.”

A master with a small beard and wearing blue robes came forward. He was shorter than Wang Chao by a small modicum, but his body was well built. In the two steps forward, Wang Chao could feel an indomitable strength coming at him like a great gale of wind.

At a glance, this was the master Xu Benliang of the Wudang Wuji Sect Ma Huajun had introduced earlier.

“Burning the roots? Sinister methods? A Wudang master who has the last name of Xu? Could he have some sort of relationship with the Daoist monk Xu from Zhang Wei’s homeland?”

When he had gone to Zhang Wei’s home village in Guangdong, Chaozhou, he had came across Zhang Wei’s elder martial brother, Leung Jingmen and another Daoist monk with the last name of Xu.

“I am from a village in the Xiangfan prefecture in Hubei. A Chinese professor from the American University of Pennsylvania, I’ve only just returned back home.” Xu Benliang stared impassively at Wang Chao as he gave his greetings. Suddenly, his voice grew serious, “A few years ago, you arrived at the Da Hong village and tossed down my cousin into the waters. Even then, you ridiculed him, saying he was unfit for actual combat. He fell gravely ill from that, and even now, he has yet to recover. This is a debt that I cannot forego. Why don’t we press hands today?”

“This is a professor of a well-known school overseas? He didn’t seem like one. Pressing hands, does he wish to challenge me?”

Wang Chao knew that as the tallest tree, he was bound to be hit by the wind the most. His head was far too big to hold down anymore. This Xu Benliang had a problem with him, and had definitely wished to fight him here and now and deal with the consequences later. So, without declining, Wang Chao waved his hand, “Professor Xu, this is a private dispute then. If you wish to press hands, then please.”

“Very well.” Xu Benliang spoke seriously. Walking two steps to the center of the courtyard, the atmosphere began to still.

Wang Chao was young, but he wasn’t some nameless youth of the younger generation. Instead, he had a terrifying but brilliant name as a master who claimed the lives of almost all his opponents.

Xu Benliang held a brilliant level of martial arts honed by the combat experienced he had gained in the States. But even in front of this youngster, he would not drop his guard and instead began to release all of his strength.

“Ha!” Waiting for Wang Chao to grow still, Xu Benliang’s trousers began to ripple as if to show the intense surge of muscles underneath. With a crashing sound, it seemed as if someone had shot a rubber band.

In the instant after his muscles had bulged, a gale of wind flew forth away from his body, scattering the loose leaves on the ground. Xu Benliang’s left hand formed a blade and jabbed for the two eyes of Wang Chao.

Xu Benliang had mustered up so much strength in this jab that even Wang Chao was able to clearly see the energy. Taking in a violent breath through his lungs, the breath escaped from his throat and out from his lips like a flying dagger.

An expert of martial arts who studied the principle of “From exhaling comes the fist” would take in a deep breath and expel it when striking at a person. A single breath would come up from the lungs and follow the fist in its path. Thus, the muscles and joints were capable of instantly releasing an amount of force that would surprise any single person.

In a close combat situation most particularly, the expulsion of breath could cause the enemy to involuntarily shut their eyes for a moment. It only took that single loss of sight for the outcome to become predictable.

Sure enough, before Wang Chao could see the blade hand of Xu Benliang pop towards his eyes, Wang Chao felt a minute but sharp gust of wind shoot painfully at his eyes like an arrow.

The Wudang placed special emphasis on breathing. Swallow the air and strengthen the internal organs. Inversely, exhaling the air would become stronger as well. After the point of “Inner Sight” was achieved with the dantian, then one could blow out a candle over six meters away with their breath.

Xu Benliang’s breath that accompanied his fist was not strong enough to kill, but it was more than capable of irritating the weak eyes of a man to the point of shedding tears.

Only, Wang Chao’s hand at martial arts had already achieved a great height–perfect almost even. With a single step and sway, he had naturally avoided losing the upper hand.

In the moment before Xu Benliang had made his move, Wang Chao’s left hand had bent down near his stomach. Bending all five fingers at their knuckle joints, his hand had formed the claw of a tiger. Lifting up his hand in the manner of the “Tiger’s Swipe”, he swiped outwards at his enemy’s wrist joint. If his opponent wasn’t careful, then this swipe would be enough to dislocate the wrist, and even the entire arm at the joints.

Xu Benliang’s fierce jab with his blade hand had suddenly diverted its force into a softer approach, his five fingers softly expanding like an orchid. In a gentle turn, he had dodged the “Tiger’s Swipe” while at the same time, his right foot lifted upwards daintily to step towards the back of Wang Chao’s foot.

Before his force had been focused on his blade hand, but then it had trickled down to his feet in a flash. A false move that allowed him to alter his circulation of Jin–it was stunningly perfect.

The blade hand that had jabbed in between his eyebrows had been a feint, an illusion of the concept of “When fighting, first strike at their courage. To strike at their courage, first strike at their eyes”. The real killing move was in the step.

There was a trick to this move of his, the move called “Lion Stepping on Ball”

In the traditional lion dance, the performer would have to blink the eyes of the lion rapidly in order to attract the attention of the audience. But the true skill was in the way they stepped with the ball down below. Dazzle the eye up above, and step in a continuous motion around a person. One step forward, second step around. A single breath to strike fiercely, like the continuous rolling of a ball.

Bang! Instead of moving away to dodge the step of his opponent, Wang Chao’s toe curled inwards like the rooster’s feet. Lifting his knee slightly, he moved to strike at the tibia with the “Rooster Ruffling Feathers”.

Seeing the first move fail to land, Xu Benliang’s second foot immediately came down like planting a tree with his sole to meet force to force with Wang Chao.