A Night of Desperation

Chapter 292: Neibi 2

"One battle settled it all, and soon, it was time for the second round of selection battles, where all the winners from the Golden Jade Class would continue to fight each other to decide the final top three.

Guo Shangdong admitted defeat helplessly after being kicked in the abdomen by a female Disciple who looked pitifully delicate in the first round.

Afterward, he kept insisting that he let her win because he was swayed by her beauty and fell victim to the Illusion Technique.

He claimed that her Daoist Skills were too strong, scaring him stiff, and soon after he went to ask the girl for her contact information.

Yu Hong had no comment to that.

After a few uninteresting fights, Yu Hong entered his second match, deliberately slowing down his pace, waiting for his opponent to get ready before making a move.

But he was still accused of sneak attacking, simply because, even at a slower pace, he was still much faster than the opponent, instantly running behind them and kicking, ending the battle in a flash, utterly lacking any spectacle.

"When you slowed down you were still a bit too fast," Guo Shangdong couldn’t help but finally speak out when Yu Hong came off the stage.

"These are dead muscles; the speed of burst is also dead, not good," Yu Hong shook his head, sighing.

Not far away, Yu Mo, who was next to Xun Yang, lowered her head and couldn’t help but shrug her shoulders a few times, seemingly laughing.

Obviously, she had heard their conversation.

But after only a few chuckles, she was stopped by Yu Mo. Yu Mo looked at Yu Hong, but her expression remained unchanged and quite calm.

The ranking of the Golden Jade Class was quickly determined.

Yu Hong deservedly ranked first, as he finished his fights the fastest and won every match.

The ones who followed were Ding Zhong and Ding Yun.

Ding Zhong was the person who had fought him in the beginning, another muscular man; while Ding Yun looked like a tomboyish short-haired girl, with military-like vigor in every move of her fists.

"Next, after settling the ranks of the Golden Jade Class, we will begin with the top three challenging the four Dao Seeds of the Dao Seed Class, starting with the fourth Dao Seed, Zheng Hong. Will the three challengers take the challenge?"

"Yes," Yu Hong nodded firmly.

He had long been wanting to see for himself just how strong these Daoist Sect elites, raised from a young age, really were.

After all, this is the same world that has always suppressed the Black Disaster from erupting, and in this respect, it might be much stronger than Yiyi’s side.

Therefore, he was also very curious about the strength of these elites.

After confirming the battle, there was a break in the middle of the venue.

The three Taoists, including Yu Mo, also started discussing quietly.

"Ding Rou must have trained well in combat sports, strong and pretty impressive when moving. Pure combat skills give her an advantage," Yu Mo whispered.

"But just being good at combat is not enough. You have to express the Essence Qi and mental strength of Seven Feather Fist, and your willpower, otherwise, facing evil resentful marks, no matter how capable you are, you might be possessed and turned into a puppet," Yu Fang, the Taoist next to her, gently shook his head.

"Indeed, and Zheng Hong from the Dao Seed Class has also undergone specialized training. His physical fitness is strong, and he has engaged in practical battles against resentful marks. His moves are in a different league from the others; this time, Ding Rou will likely lose quickly," Yu Zhong, another Taoist, analyzed.

"Indeed, sparring is not just mere fighting, but also about mastering Seven Feather Fist. If the mastery is poor, you’ll be intimidated before throwing a punch, creating a heart of fear. By then, you may only be able to exert half of your full strength," Yu Mo nodded in agreement.

He felt that he was not wrong; Yu Hong was just lucky at the beginning with a good timing for a sneak attack, those muscles were indeed dead, very strong but not flexible. Once he encounters an opponent that’s sufficiently agile, their shortcomings will be fully revealed.

On the other side, the three from the Dao Seed Class also started discussing quietly.

"Ding Rou indeed has some skills, not sure if Zheng Hong can finish the battle quickly as always," a female Disciple whispered.

"No need to worry, Ding Rou’s muscles are big but they are rigid. He is strong in a straight line, but with a slight redirection, his weaknesses will be exposed. With Zheng Hong’s strength, all he needs is a slight dodge to easily defeat him," Zheng Ming, currently the top of the Dao Seed Class, also gave his comments.

"That makes sense."

"Big brother still has a keen insight, instantly spotting the biggest difference between the two," the other two kept agreeing.

At this moment, Yu Hong and the other side’s Zheng Hong have started to enter the stage.

Daoist Zheng Hong had a well-proportioned body with clear muscle lines, and his steps were light and powerful, exuding a clear and lofty temperament like high mountains and flowing water, naturally appealing to others.

Yu Hong, on the other hand, was a massive man two meters tall. His muscles stretched the Daoist robe tight over his body, his face not as handsome as his opponent’s, with a freshly-buzzed crew cut and a face full of tough flesh, exuding a suffocating aura like a raw, muscular devil.

Both stood at their respective positions, waiting for the Taoist announcing the fight to introduce them.

"Like you, spending so much time and effort in the gym to build up muscles, it’s actually pointless," Zheng Hong said to Yu Hong.

"As for us who practice diligently every day, training all over the body with pile standing skills to make the muscles groups flexible, and having the agility to create distance, only then can we unleash greater destructive power when the distance allows us to accelerate. Today, since everyone is here and the teacher has also asked me to demonstrate to the Golden Jade Class the proper way to practice and fight with true Seven Feather Fist."

"....." Yu Hong.

Seeing that Yu Hong didn’t react, Zheng Hong paused and continued.

"Looking at your previous moves, they were straightforward. Fast, yet lacking in fluidity and the agility of a bird soaring, if you don’t believe it, let’s test it now."

He beckoned to Yu Hong.

"The gap between us is actually much bigger than you think. So, to demonstrate the difference in level, I’ll stand right here, you throw a punch at me with all your might, and do you believe that I can defuse that punch and then easily bump you flying out?"

"This... Could this be too dangerous..." Yu Hong wanted to say more but hesitated.

"Don’t worry, let alone you beginners, once when I was in a state of deep contemplation and movement, I went to a nearby boxing gym to have some fun. I encountered a provincial champion from 2009. I let him punch me with all his might, and he agreed. As a result, when he threw the punch, I caught it single-handed in mid-air and stopped it before he could even finish the punch," Zheng Hong said confidently.

"Then punch after punch, they were all intercepted just like that. Afterwards, he was convinced. He kneeled on the spot and wanted to become my disciple, to learn the orthodox Seven Feather Fist. I didn’t agree. After all, our Taoist Sect’s secret fist technique requires a serious and sincere trial, to become a disciple and exhibit enough sincerity."

"Alright, we can start now. Zheng Hong, be mindful to restrain your strength; don’t injure Disciple Ding Rou. When disciples spar, they should stop at a touch," Yu Mo spoke indifferently.

"Yes, Master, no need to worry," Zheng Hong nodded, "Previously, a wrestler bigger than Disciple Ding Rou tried to throw me, but I could stand on one leg and remain unmoved. As for the Disciple’s strength and speed, they are far from that wrestler. It’s probably difficult for him even to make me take a step back."

He pondered for a moment.

"Given the huge gap in our strength and the worry of bullying the weak, I’ll just stand still. If Disciple can make me take one step back, I’ll count it as a loss. How about that?"

"...." Yu Hong didn’t know what to say.

"The contest officially begins."

The Taoist’s voice rang out loudly.

Inside the big room.

Zheng Hong stood tall and motionless, his hands hanging down, his knees slightly bent, and his eyes seemingly closed, quietly standing in place.

"Come on, Disciple, throw a punch at my chest; don’t worry about accidents," he said calmly and forcefully, with a convincing quality to his voice.

"Then... I won’t hold back?" Yu Hong hesitated for a moment but decided to trust the other party, thinking that being able to resist Black Disaster for so long meant that he must have some substantial skills.

"Don’t worry..."

Bang!!

A shadow flashed, and Zheng Hong fell backwards.

His body heavily hit the floor, bounced once, and then completely lay flat, unresponsive.

Both eyes wide open, limbs sprawled out, not moving, with pupils dilated showing he was knocked out.

Silence.

A quiet silence.

Yu Hong slowly withdrew his fist... staring at the fallen opponent; for a moment, he was a bit stunned. Did he just knock out his opponent with a single punch?!

Outside the big room, the spectating Golden Jade Class, Dao Seed Class, and three teachers from the Yu Generation were all staring wide-eyed at this scene.

Not only them, even the onlookers who were there for the excitement had their chatter cease suddenly at this point.

Everyone was completely unprepared for the situation to develop in such a... such a dramatic manner...

"It’s not my fault; he told me to punch!" Yu Hong said speechlessly.

He really, truly only used a tiny bit of strength, just the amount he would use when scrubbing off dead skin in a bath...

Thinking to test the waters first, then gradually apply more force, but...

"Quick, save him!!"

"Brother Zheng Hong!"

"He seems to be not breathing!"

"And more, quickly perform CPR, press on the chest!! Hurry, emergency resuscitation!"

"Quick, grab a hot towel, call for emergency services, what are you waiting for?"

A bunch of people hurriedly scrambled into the room, surrounding Zheng Hong with various operations.

Yu Mo and the three other teachers from the Yu Generation watched Zheng Hong for a while, then turned their gaze to Yu Hong, who wore a helpless face.

"What’s... what’s all this about!" Yu Mo banged on the armrest of his chair, his face showing a headache.

"Disciple Ding Rou’s physique, is it really that strong? Just one punch and the person is knocked out...?" One of the Taoists, Yu Fang, couldn’t help saying.

"Isn’t it? I’ve seen Zheng Hong in action before, his strength is actually one of the best among the disciples. It’s just that... I didn’t expect him to encounter someone this tough this time," the third Taoist, Yu Zhong, agreed, his face also full of speechlessness.

"Looking at it, Golden Jade Class still has some substance. Although the overall quality is not as good as Dao Seed Class, occasionally there is a good seedling like Ding Rou," Yu Fang nodded. It seemed incredible to him that Golden Jade Class could produce a seed that could knock down someone from Dao Seed Class.

"Sigh...It can’t be said that way, it should be that Zheng Hong was careless and didn’t use his powers, the true strength and quality of Dao Seed Class hasn’t been shown," Yu Mo quickly gave face to Dao Seed Class.

As he said that, he also glanced at Yu Hong, not expecting the young man to move so fast. Zheng Hong didn’t even get the chance to use his skills before being hit.

Logically speaking, with those bulky muscles, he shouldn’t be so agile, right?

He was dumbfounded.

Zheng Ming and the other three from Dao Seed Class were even more dumbstruck by that punch.

Watching the hectic rescue scene on the field, the three were dazed for a moment.

"Zheng Hong, what happened!?" Zheng Ming said with an ugly expression, "Could it be that he was not careful with his Essence Qi, and got the wind knocked out of him temporarily? His Seven Feather Fist has reached the Feather Robe Realm capable of naturally dodging and deflecting, how could he be knocked out with one punch..."