Chapter 7. Suppressive beating
A faint trace of golden light radiated from Wang Yigao's sword, and a piercing sound resounded for dozens of meters.
A Martial Skill!
Martial skills are methods of utilizing true essence to attack and kill the enemy. The opportunity to learn martial skills is something that only the aristocratic juniors of great families or disciples of martial houses could have. Once a Martial Skill is employed, those who did not learn any Martial Skills would find it difficult to endure.
When the surrounding people saw this scene, they all felt that the outcome had been determined.
As for Lin Xiaodong, he looked very uncertain. No matter how smart or talented Lin Xiang was, facing a Second Stage Martial Artist from an aristocratic family would be too much even for him… He feared for Lin Xiang's safety.
Meanwhile Lin Xiang's attention was fully focused upon Wang Yigao's incoming sword slash.
'Way too slow!' he thought.
Lin Ming in the novel was able to easily defeat Wang Yigao barehanded, so what could be said about Lin Xiang who was at the limit of the First Stage and practiced with the best pills?
In Lin Xiang's eyes, Wang Yigao's attack was nothing but a clown's performance.
At the moment when Wang Yigao's sword descended, Lin Xiang moved like wind. He didn't even use his knife, but moved to the side and easily dodged Wang Yigao's sword slash. Then he immediately raised his knee and drilled it into Wang Yigao's abdomen.
Bang!
"Ugh!" Wang Yigao exclaimed out loud after suffering from a knee-kick, his body wavering and then collapsing onto the ground. After his sword strike his core was rather relaxed and Lin Yue's kick landed on his unprotected and soft abdomen, causing him to get stunned and his organs to twist in pain.
Uhh, what happened?! The surrounding onlookers were shocked.
"Uuugh!..." Wang Yigao dropped to the ground and curled up like a shrimp, gasping for breath and moaning in pain. He held his abdomen with one hand, his sword already having escaped his grip.
The surrounding onlookers were all amazed. They stared in disbelief at the outcome of the exchange. How could this have happened?
"That child, his movement speed is faster than Wang Yigao's sword attack!" a martial artist who was observing the duel commented.
Lin Xiang's speed was indeed faster than Wang Yigao's sword. In fact, the disparity in speed was simply too great.
Lin Xiaodong's eyes opened wide. Lin Xiang… is actually that strong?
"You!" Wang Yigao was both shocked and furious. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot as he stared at Lin Xiang, struggling to get up from the floor due to the debilitating pain coming from his stomach.
Logically speaking, Lin Xiang knocking down Wang Yigao and then simply standing by his side waiting signified that he had won.
But, how could the enraged Wang Yigao admit his defeat? He hurriedly got up from the floor and picked up his sword, standing with a crooked posture.
Wang Yigao's face was boiling in rage as he stared daggers at Lin Xiang. He had actually been kicked! He was kicked and knocked down in a single move by someone with a lower cultivation level, in front of countless onlookers at that! For the prideful Wang Yigao, this was an unacceptable matter.
"I want you to die!" Wielding his sword, Wang Yigao once again aimed a slash at Lin Xiang!
Another martial skill was launched!
As for Lin Xiang, he was just like an experienced hunter, catching onto every weakness shown by a wild beast!
The scene from earlier replayed itself. Lin Xiang had already moved his knife to his left hand. He dodged Wang Yigao's sword strike and counterattacked with a slap, this time using a little bit more strength.
Slap!
A tight slap landed on Wang Yigao's face, forcefully sending his head rotating sideways. Wang Yigao tumbled two steps to the side and a bright red palm mark formed on his cheek.
Feeling the burning pain and his cheek smashed to the point he felt blood, Wang Yigao's expression turned savage. He stared at Lin Xiang with an expression of fury and indignance.
"Ah! Ahh!" Mad with fury, Wang Yigao roared. If he were unable to exact revenge, then he would have no face to remain in Sky Fortune City.
"Die!" Wang Yigao desperately poured true essence into his sword, causing it to emit an even brighter radiance than before. He slashed down onto Lin Xiang's head. If this strike were to connect, Lin Xiang would certainly end up dying.
This was Wang Yigao's final blow, backed with every last drop of his true essence.
At that moment Lin Xiang was ready to finish it. Earlier he had given Wang Yigao a chance to make three moves so that he could not complain that Lin Xiang had won by using tricks.
Lin Xiang kept his gaze onto Wang Yigao, his eyes locked on his opponent's blade. As the attack descended, Lin Xiang moved to the side and threw out a palm strike at Wang Yigao's chest.
Whether it was a punch or a palm strike, there was not much difference in it, but in the case of a palm strike the striking force is more dispersed thus less deadly.
Lin Xiang did not care about Wang Yigao's safety, but if he really killed him, then he would be in great trouble. He didn't have any high-level connections yet. In addition, he needed Wang Yigao to be able to repay him the money he bet!
This palm strike contained the majority of Lin Xiang's strength!
"Bam!"
With a muffled sound, Wang Yigao spat blood out of his mouth and flew out, then crashed against the ground like a dead pig.
Watching this scene, the surrounding onlookers could only sigh. Wang Yigao had threatened to cripple and even kill Lin Xiang, but he was completely crushed by him instead. Within the exchange of these three moves, each one had ended with Lin Xiang being victorious.
"Senior Liu, what is your opinion regarding this incident?" Amongst the onlookers, someone asked an elderly man.
In his younger days, this elder Liu had once attained the 5th Stage of Physical Training - the Bone Forging Stage. He was only one-step away from reaching the Pulse Condensation Stage; however, he had ultimately failed to break through.
Bone Forging stage martial artists have the same amount of lifespan as the common people. Naturally, their bodies could not withstand the ravages of time. Now that this Senior Liu's age had exceeded seventy, he no longer has any fighting strength. Yet, his perceptive eyes remained.
The elderly man pondered for a moment before replying, "That child is gifted with innate divine strength!"
The grade of a Martial Talent, be it 1st Grade Martial Talent or 2nd Grade, is simply the measure of the speed and ease with which their body can absorb true essence. The faster they could absorb true essence, the higher their Martial Talent would be.
However, the martial artist's body strength is not included in the measurement for Martial Talent. That is because most people have the equivalent amount of strength.
Occasionally though, some people would be born with innate divine strength. Some are born with ten times the strength of ordinary mortals, and others even more!
With greater strength they are also often faster, which naturally gives them an advantage in combat.
Yet, the number of these martial artists is small. In addition, not many of them are successful. After all, as martial cultivation progresses, true essence becomes more important and the effect of one's physical strength becomes correspondingly smaller.
"So that is how it is…" The surrounding observers nodded their heads. This explanation was very reasonable.
Lin Xiang crossed his arms and walked step by step towards Wang Yigao.
The current Wang Yigao was in a miserable state. Blood spilled from his mouth and his face was covered with dirt. He clutched his chest with eyes wide open in shock.
Wang Yigao wanted nothing more than to kill himself. He had completely lost his face in today's incident. He would likely become the laughing stock amongst his peers within Sky Fortune City.
Lin Xiang spoke up, "You lost. Two thousand gold taels."
Fuck!
Hearing those words, Wang Yigao literally spat out another mouthful of blood and started coughing.
"Fuck you!" Wang Yigao cursed with a twisted expression.
At those words, the crowd immediately reacted.
"Wang Yigao, didn't you agree to bet two thousand before the fight?"
"In a martial arts duel, what is agreed upon must be fulfilled - give him the two thousand gold taels!"
"With that lying mouth, you kiss your mother?"
Hearing all of these voices, Wang Yigao clenched his fists so tightly that they turned white.
Oh, what a son of a bitch am I?! Did I really have nothing better to do? Why did I have to find this guy and bet two thousand on a duel with him?
Today's incident was certainly the most miserable and unforgettable defeat in his entire life. With so many people bearing witness, Wang Yigao was unable to go back on his words.
Even though Wang Yigao is a child of a great family, taking out two thousand gold taels was a huge deal for him. Even a thousand gold taels would be no small matter!
After a while, Wang Yigao said, "I don't have two thousand on me."
"Then give me one thousand. You'll give me the rest tomorrow at the martial arts square," Lin Xiang said. He remembered that Wang Yigao's budget in the novel was about 800 gold taels, but he could also bring out his sword and flexible armor.
Wang Yigao was silent for a while and then turned to his men. He shouted, "Bring out the money!"
Today, he would have to admit his loss. But even though he was rich, he didn't have one thousand gold teals on him. Thus, he could only pool as much as he could through his men.
"Xiaodong, collect the money," Lin Xiang said.
From the moment Wang Yigao was kicked for the first time, Lin Xiaodong had been stunned. It was only after Lin Xiang had called him that he finally reacted: Oh, my God! He actually won!
Furthermore, they had won two thousand gold taels! Two thousand gold taels! All of Lin Xiaodong's wealth combined amounted to only a little more than two hundred gold taels. Buying up a single Golden Deer Pill took up almost all of it.
Lin Xiaodong collected the gold bills and looked at them within his hands. His expression was that of shock, then it turned into ecstasy, before turning into one of laughter. His eyes were never big to begin with. Now that he was smiling to such an extent, his eyes were almost unnoticeable.
"Haha, we are rich, we are rich! You are too kind, what can I say? Thank you so much for your generosity. Knowing that we are going to the fair, you seniors have chosen to gift us with some spending money, thank you!"
"Especially brother Gao Yi Wang, who will surely stay true to his word and give us the rest of the two thousand gold taels tomorrow. On behalf of the common people, I give you my thanks."
Hearing Lin Xiaodong's sarcastic words, 'Gao Yi Wang', who was already seriously injured, felt his mouth overflowing and spat out another mouthful of blood. Back then, he had said that if he could not cripple Lin Xiang today, then his name would be read upside down.
The crowd laughed as they saw this.
"Oh, is he so angry?" Some people mocked.
Lin Xiang was also stunned. Wang Yigao had really coughed up another mouthful of blood from anger. This was actually possible?
On the other hand, Wang Yigao furiously gritted his teeth and turned his gaze away. He felt that if he kept looking at Lin Xiaodong, then he would spit out blood again. In his heart he had already sentenced Lin Xiang to death!
As for the other lackeys, their faces were contorted to the extreme. As it so happened, Lin Xiaodong's fat face was not the attractive kind. To them, Lin Xiaodong's current face was so disgusting, it could kill.
After collecting the gold bills, Lin Xiaodong spit out some saliva onto his palms in an exaggerated manner and started counting the bills one by one.
"Twenty, thirty, fifty, hundred, hundred five, hundred seven…"
Lin Xiaodong counted the thick stack of gold bills three times, then said with a grin and squinted eyes, "Eight hundred and fifty gold taels, quite a bit short. I say, aren't you all men of wealth? How is it that you only coughed up that much?"
Hearing Lin Xiaodong's words, Wang Yigao nearly vomited blood yet again. His face sank deep. "I will give you the rest tomorrow. We are leaving!"
The six of them came to rob others, however, the end result was that they were robbed instead. This pathetic state was a first for Wang Yigao!
"Wait! Give me your sword!" Lin Xiang called out. He didn't know if Wang Yigao would really give him the rest or not, so he at least wanted to get
Wang Yigao turned around and was about to retort, but Lin Xiang continued: "I don't believe you that you will give me the rest later, so at least give me your sword."
Wang Yigao grinded his teeth. He shook his right hand and a "ding" could be heard. His long sword was embedded in the middle of the square. "Verdant Sharp Sword, it can be sold for two hundred gold liangs in any weapons shop."
He said nothing more and began to quickly stomp away.
"Eight hundred fifty, two hundred… You still owe me nine hundred fifty gold taels. We'll meet tomorrow at the martial arts square at noon, don't forget it!" Lin Xiang called out loudly as Wang Yigao was leaving, making sure everyone on the square heard it.
Wang Yigao gritted his teeth and hurriedly left. As for his lackeys, they follow, walking as if they were stepping on nails.
Lin Xiang coldly smiled as he picked up the sword. Every day he had to spend more than one hundred gold taels on Soul Gathering Pellets and healing medicine. With Wang Yigao's donation he would be able to continue practice without caring about the cost for quite a while.
Seeing the Verdant Sharp Sword, Lin Xiaodong grinned. He has some knowledge regarding weapons and the Verdant Sharp Sword is truly an extraordinary weapon. At the very least, it is far better than the one he was using.
"Brother Xiang, you sure are fearsome. I didn't know you're this strong," Lin Xiaodong said.
Even though Lin Xiang was said to be training in martial arts from a very young age, Lin Xiaodong had never witnessed him make a formal move. He believed that Lin Xiang's current level of strength is the result of his hard work.
"Beating Wang Yigao is nothing to be proud of," Lin Xiang plainly said. He then pulled out the Verdant Sharp Sword and observed the blade, swinging it around as he felt it in his hand. It was a very light longsword. With such light weight it was unable to complement his high strength and a lot of it was being wasted.
Lin Xiaodong smiled and casually said, "Brother Xiang, don't you use a spear as your main weapon? Do you plan to switch to a sword?"
Lin Xiang said, "Spear is my main weapon, but I'm also interested in swords."
Although Lin Xiang had practiced a lot with a spear by himself, he was also taught basic swordsmanship in the martial arts school. He was curious about what effect it would have if as a dual energy and body cultivator he also used a greatsword in certain situations.
Lin Xiang saw that Lin Xiaodong looked at the sword with longing, but he ignored it and sheathed it. He then received a stack of bills from Lin Xiaodong and said, "I will sell this sword. For now I need all the money I can get for a small business of mine. A dozen days from now I'll get you something good."
"That is fine. This gold was all earned by you," said Lin Xiaodong.
Lin Xiang faintly nodded. He said, "Okay, now let's go see the fair."
Lin Xiaodong snapped out. "You are right! Haha, I nearly forgot about it, the fair! Now we have the capital for it, one thousand taels in hand! Son of a bitch! This senior had never even laid eyes on such a huge sum of money before! This time, we'll be making a splash!"