Chapter 67: With Just One Punch
The outer disciples of Drizzle Peak were crestfallen. After three humiliating defeats, Wurth had finally earned them a victory. However, that had been shortlived.
When the short man that defeated Wurth challenged the remaining disciples from Drizzle Peak, none accepted. It was indeed sad that from all the disciples at Drizzle Peak, none were suitable for the challenge.
When Zen said he was going to fight, his voice was not loud. But it was penetrating so that all the people could hear him.
“What? Zen wants to fight with them on behalf of Drizzle Peak?”
“No, he can't. He did beat Leo, but Leo was only ranked 30th from among Drizzle Peak's outer disciples. What makes Zen think that he's qualified to fight disciples from Vulture Peak?”
“Goodness, We are done for. We are about to lose this challenge. I will not get the elixir next month. How will I cultivate then?”
The outer disciples of Drizzle Peak bemoaned their situation.
The short man in the battle ring stared at Zen. When he heard the comments from the crowd, the jeering expression on his face intensified. “You? A guy at the marrow refining level? Haha... Well, I'll take on your challenge. But don't expect me to show any mercy!”
Challenges between peaks were common. To ensure that each peak had a fair chance to win, usually the top 30 ranked outer disciples, namely each peak's most elite students, were selected to fight.
It was rare to see a disciple within the top 30 ranks who was not even half-step into the nature level!
Now a guy at the marrow refining level was going to represent Drizzle Peak against them, which undoubtedly surprised the disciples from Vulture Peak.
“Hey, Drizzle Peak, did you give up so soon? Are you going to let a guy at the marrow refining level fight against us?”
“I bet it's going to be a big joke at Cloud Sect. I was worried that Drizzle Peak would send Henry to fight. Now, it seems that I worried needlessly.”
“Your concerns were certainly superfluous. Even if Henry was not cultivating in seclusion, would Jesse Liu lose to him? How is that possible?”
Not many people from Vulture Peak had come to watch the contests. As few as they might be, the disciples from Vulture Peak now looked arrogant because they believed that Drizzle Peak had no disciples who could match their skills. And now, a disciple at the marrow refining level was offering to battle with them.
The disciples from Vulture Peak were not the only ones to think it was ridiculous. Many outer disciples from Drizzle Peak also felt that way.
Unfortunately, there really was no suitable disciple from Drizzle Peak who could compete in the ring.
Henry Hao, who was ranked first, was refining in seclusion, and the disciples who were ranked higher than Wurth did not dare to go into the battle ring.
Their concern was not the short man who defeated Wurth. No, they were confident that they would be able to parry with him successfully. What worried them were the contestants from Vulture Peak that would come after they vanquished the short man.
If they fought indiscriminately, they would not only humiliate themselves after their defeat, but they might also be seriously injured, which was even worse.
This was why the top few disciples were now silent and cowering in the corner. They felt that they had no choice even if Zen failed. Drizzle Peak had lost most of the competitions anyway, and they didn't mind losing another if it meant that they would not sustain any injuries.
They were afraid even before the battle!
Zen slowly and deliberately walked to the ring. Then he stared at the short man standing opposite him.
Zen had witnessed the man's fight with Wurth. His best feature was his incredible speed. Zen figured that he might not be able to compete with this man in terms of speed, but when it came to strength...
With a confident smile on his face, Zen made a slight bow to his opponent and said, “You just told Wurth that we could only learn your name when we beat you.”
The short man let out a shrill laugh and cried wildly, “I'm afraid you'll never know my name!”
Zen shook his head and replied, “You never know until we fight.”
“Hum, Drizzle Peak is strange! How dare a boy at the marrow refining level talk to me like that? I was going to teach you a lesson by kicking you out of the ring directly. Now, I have changed my mind. I'll show you how significant the difference is between the marrow refining level and half-step into the nature level!”
No sooner had the short man said this than his figure disappeared from the spot and sprang at Zen, like a gust of wind.
“Boom!”
Zen took a step forward just as his opponent was halfway through the sprint, and his fist hit the short man in the face with great precision.
At this point, the seven dragon scales in Zen's mind were radiating green light, and a tremendous amount of power was transferred to Zen. Combined with Zen's strength, it converged at his fist. His punch carried a terrifying amount of power!
The short man was shot back more than a hundred feet. His body collided with the battle ring's sidewall with such force that half the bricks exploded and fell over him. Everyone present was uncertain of whether he survived the blow.
“I also want to know what the difference is between the marrow refining level and half-step into the nature level... And I'm not really interested in knowing your name... ” Zen stated while flexing his wrist with a deadpan expression.
As these words were spoken, a deathly silence hung in the ring and its surrounding areas.
No one was talking around the ring whereas before, it had been noisy. Everyone's mouth gaped open as if they could swallow a basin.
Nory's eyes sparkled. Although he was excited about the strength Zen was going to show before the fight, and he was convinced that Zen could win against the short man, he had no idea that Zen would do so with just one punch.
It had taken Zen only one punch to defeat a man who was half-step into the nature level!
All eyes reflected horror.
Even the black-robed inner disciples of Drizzle Peak, who had come to watch the battle, looked astonished.
“Glenn, what do you think of his strength?” asked a black-robed disciple.
“He has shown such power, and he's only at the marrow refining level,” analyzed Glenn cautiously, who was also dressed in a black robe. “Then it won't be long before he is promoted to an inner disciple...” He then paused briefly before correcting himself. He said, “No, not only that. If he becomes a nature creature, Ronald Su would probably lose his Number one rank among the inner disciples to him... ”
“He is so awesome?!” cried the black-robed disciple, his eyes widening.
Glenn shook his head and replied, “I can't judge his strength with this one blow. But I dare say that's just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe... You and I are no match for him.”
“We're no match for him?” echoed the other black-robed disciple. His expression conveyed the bewilderment he was feeling. “We are nature creatures now. We can take advantage of our vitality to manipulate our energy into weapons. Our means of attack far exceed those of a man at the marrow refining level. How come he... ”
“I don't know,” Glenn interrupted with a shake of his head. “I just feel that way.”
“Wow... ”
After a while, all the outer disciples of Drizzle Peak recovered from the shock and began to cheer.
Zen had demonstrated more power than they imagined he had.
However, these outer disciples were aware that this victory did not mean that Zen would win the whole challenge.
After all, Zen had to battle with three other strong disciples from Vulture Peak later, and presumably, each would be more powerful than the previous contestant.
It didn't matter. Zen had saved Drizzle Peak's reputation! Although Drizzle Peak ranked last from among the 33 peaks, everybody who was its disciple, valued the collective honor of the peak.
It took a lot of courage for Zen to stand up for Drizzle Peak at such times.
The faces of the twenty or so disciples who had come from Vulture Peak, darkened.
They sent four men through the crowd to drag the short man out of the rubble, and carry him back to their side. But the disciples of Drizzle Peak took advantage of the situation and caused trouble. Mischief glinted in their eyes as they jostled each other so that the disciples from Vulture Peak had a hard time getting the short man back.
Zen walked along the edge of the ring to the people from Vulture Peak and shouted, “Vulture Peak, who else wants to fight me?”
Who else wanted to fight him?
Zen put this question in a flat tone of voice, but what he said actually was subtly aggressive.
His words implied that he had already defeated one person and that his next opponent would also meet the same fate.
This sentence was more pernicious than Tan's and the short man's rambling sarcasm!
His question was like a hard slap to his enemies' faces.
“Humph, you, a guy at the marrow refining level, how dare you be so arrogant? I'll challenge you!”
A man stepped out from the disciples of Vulture Peak. He was big and burly, and his white robe bulged with his taut muscles.
The strong man sprang to his feet and fell on the ring like an iron tower. When his feet touched the ring, he deliberately launched his life energy, which resulted in a depression in the ring. This was quite shocking to see as the ring was made of refined iron. All of a sudden, the entire battle ring shook and thundered with tremendous momentum. It was clear that he was trying to show off.
“I'm Keith Hu, ranked ninth at Vulture Peak!” The strong man, though keen to show his force, was upright, and not sarcastic like the short man had been.
Since Keith Hu was polite, Zen cupped his hands toward him in return. “I'm Zen Luo, no ranking at Drizzle Peak,” he introduced himself briefly.
“No ranking?” Keith Hu paused for a moment and then realized that Zen had been recently admitted to Drizzle Peak. If that was the case, then it was normal for him to have no ranking. “Well, let's start now!” he exclaimed.
Keith Hu then roared and channeled his life energy. The result was clear—his muscles doubled in size.
Then came the sound of cloth tearing.
His snow-white robe representing his identity as an outer disciple was torn because of his expanding muscles. Standing in the ring, he looked like a giant, and his horrifying explosive power could be seen from his size.
Seeing this scene, the outer disciples of Drizzle Peak felt anxious for Zen.
Vulture Peak was indeed much stronger than Drizzle Peak.
Zen had just beaten one guy, and here stood another who looked more powerful than the last. Keith Hu was only ranked ninth at Vulture Peak. The disciples from Drizzle Peak wondered how formidable their top-ranked outer disciple would be.
“I have no other merit but great strength. If I lose control of my force, your body might be smashed to a pulp. You'd better think again. I will accept if you surrender now!” said Keith Hu with a serious look.
Zen observed his face and realized that Keith Hu was sincere. It was for Zen's sake that he asked Zen to surrender.
“No, thank you anyway,” Zen refused with a laugh.
“Then, be careful!” Keith Hu took a deep breath and charged at Zen, like a wild, ancient beast.
“Thump, thump, thump...”
a deafening sound accompanied each step taken by Keith Hu.
As the saying goes, a man of great strength can defeat ten men of martial arts. Keith Hu's attacks did not involve tricks or false moves, because he wanted to surpass Zen based on his power alone.