As her opponent falls on his knees, Anh Thư turns around to check her father.
Nidaime Mr. Karate and Kongtong Senior have exchanged over 50 moves, while Ryo's strikes are gradually rising in speed and ferocity, the Chinese man's face is turning pale and blood is spilling out of his mouth, nose, ears and eyes. The note of "7 Injuries Fist" is that "Before hurting someone, hurt yourself first", in order to master the martial art that inflict 7 types of damage on the opponent's body, the martial artists have to suffer those same injuries in their training. The punch of these Kongtong fighters are terrifying, however their biggest weakness is prolonged pressure on their bodies and internal energy. A fierce martial artist with supreme defensive prowess like Ryo Sakazaki is the hardest matchup for Lu Yingxiong.
Ryo suddenly stops his offense and hops backward, creating a safe distance between the him and the opponent. Lu throws 3 punches to the air before realizing the Karateka has disengaged. He suddenly puffs out an amount of blood and collapses on his knees. He has overexerted himself while fighting against the Karateka, he was only able to keep exchanging blows against Ryo thanks to the pressure of the battle making him forget the feeling of exhaustion. If their battle goes on, the Chinese man will certainly die. Now that Ryo has stopped fighting, Lu now can feel all the pain his body has been enduring. The Kongtong Senior cannot move or fight anymore.
"Thanks for your mercy.", Lu Yingxiong says, his voice is weak and interrupted by coughs.
"We will meet again.", Ryo replies to the fallen martial artist, then turns to his previous opponent. "Brother Ma, shall we continue our bout?"
As a mace user, the key to Ma Dariang's victory is to overwhelm the enemy with powerful and fierce attacks, pretty similar to Kongtong's "7 Injuries Fist". Having just witnessed "The Invincible Dragon" subduing a master of said martial art, as well as his arm is still shaking from the damage of Ryo's "Mouko Raijin Gou","Black Wind Tiger" has lost his confidence. If there is an excuse to withdraw from this bout, he would definitely take it.
"Chief Sakazaki, don't be such a sore loser.", Ma says. "Did you not run away from our fight just a moment ago? Why don't you admit defeat?"
Usually Ryo would not let someone get away with such nonsense, as "The Invincible Dragon" was the one forcing "Black Wind Tiger" to retreat before chasing Lu Yingxiong. However with his current situation, the less enemies the better. The Karateka says:
"I still have unsolved business with these gentlemen. If you don't want to fight me anymore, please don't interfere."
"We don't need to fight anymore.", Ma says. "However, as I was the winner of our bout, shouldn't the loser, specifically Chief Sakazaki, accept my demand?"
"You want me to commit suicide or what?", Ryo asks.
"No need.", Ma replies. "I want "Dragon Slaying Saber" as my trophy, and you to publicly announce to the martial art world that Taiwan's Black Tiger Kungfu school is superior to Kyokugen-ryu Karate."
"Nonsense!", Xue Shan suddenly shouts. "You were forced to retreat first. If the fight has ended after that exchange, then you are the one who lost."
These Chinese men gathering here have one common purpose, to defeat Nidaime Mr. Karate, revenge their schools and claim "Dragon Slaying Saber". Ma has irritated his companions enough by selfishly scheming a way out, but shamelessly claiming all glory and trophy for himself is intolerable. Especially when the rest of them are from reputed schools, Kunlun, Kongtong are among the biggest Kungfu sects of Chinese martial art community, Duan clan was once the ruling clan of a kingdom, Hung Ga Kuen is the most influencial school in South China, it would be embarrassing to let a petty martial artist from a small school in Taiwan be the only winner. Everyone of them is thinking of a way to deny this outcome, and Xue Shan is the first to raise his voice.
"Please excuse my rudeness, Junior Xue.", Ma calmly says. "I understand that young people usually mistake heroism with recklessness. Retreating one step to claim total victory is also a winning strategy."
Xue Shan is about to continue arguing, but Anh Thư has entered the discussion:
"Senior Ma, you are proud of your age and experience, but you are still very naive."
"Oh, I would like to hear some pointers from lady Sakazaki.", Ma says with a mockering tone. He thinks to himself: "Arguing against Duan Hung and his people may be a pain, but a child wanting to criticize me? More opportunity for me to embarrass your Kyokugen-ryu school."
Anh Thư replies:
"You probably know that you are antagonizing yourself. Look at your own condition. Your right arm is trembling, you probably cannot swing that mace in your right hand anymore. If my father wants to kill you so that you won't blab your mouth anymore, you are not talented enough to stop him and there is nobody here would stop him from doing so."
Ma Dariang slightly pulls his right foot back. He thinks for a moment, analyzing the situation, then replies with a shaking voice while slightly checking on Ryo:
"Chief Sakazaki is a martial artist with great status. He would not do something so shameless."
Anh Thư had been following her mother in assassin missions until half a year ago, she can sense fear from any change in others' action. And she knows Ma is feeling threatened. The girl continues:
"My father may not. However, the title of "The man who defeated Mr. Karate" certainly would attract lots of attention. Not to mention possessing "Dragon Slaying Saber", are you sure a small school like Black Tiger Kungfu can chase away all challengers from both righteus and unorthodox sects? Looking at your right arm, you will probably not be able to use it to fight for a few months, can you live until that time?"
Ma Dariang thought the girl was going to argue with him either about the outcome of his bout against Ryo or the honor of a martial artist, he did not expect she would try to threaten him. However, what she said was not without basis, "Black Wind Tiger" joined this battle to gain fame for himself and his school, and it backfired because of his greed. Black Tiger Kungfu school is no longer an ally of Chinese orthodox sects, if he claims the "Ultimate of all weapons" to himself, he will be the target of all Chinese martial art community. Shaolin, Wudang, Enmei, Kunlun, Mount Huo, Kongtong, each of them possesses a large amount of powerful martial artists, even 10% of their manpower can completely crush his school. Aside from them, there are countless smaller schools that would want to claim "Dragon Slaying Saber" to themselves. But the fame of the owner of this weapon is too tempting for a Chinese martial artist like Ma.
While Ma Dariang is still struggling between his greed and the safety of his life, Ryo pressuring him:
"Brother Ma, what will you do? If you still want to fight, then come. If not, you should leave immediately. I cannot guarantee your safety if you stay on the path of my fists."
As he finishes his speech, the Karateka slowly slides his left foot forward, his left palm points at "Black Wind Tiger" while his right fist is behind his hip. Ryo is already in his battle stance, he can launch an attack at any moment. What "The Invincible Dragon" said may not sound like a challenge, however it is clear that Ma would be his first target.
"We will meet again.", Ma Dariang finally announces his retreat. Considering that his former allies would not help him anymore, giving up before being defeated is his best option, at least he can still boast that their fight ended in a draw. "Black Wind Tiger" slowly walks backward until he has gotten out of Ryo and the other martial artists' striking range, then he turns his back and runs away
As Ma Dariang is no long in sight, Ryo turns to the Xue brothers and asks:
"I was in awe of Kunlun's sword skills. Do you mind showing me more of them?"
Xue Lien steps forward, the tip of his sword points to the ground as he raises his hands. This is a non-hostile posture in Chinese martial art community. Xue says:
"Your martial art skills are formidable. The sword formation that has been passed down to us from our forefathers was defeated by you. However, we have to avenge the humiliation of our school. Please forgive us for being so shameless, but we will not stop until all of us has fallen."
As he finishes the speech, Xue Lien turns the sword in his hand, pointing it toward the Karateka. Xue Shan flicks the wrist, making a whoosh sound as the blade in his hand cuts the wind quickly.
"Then come!", Ryo says.
Nidaime Mr. Karate's fighting style was influenced from his childhood, when he had to fight against adults who were bigger and stronger than him. Thanks to those experience, despite his ferocious techniques, Ryo's fighting style is a defense-oriented one, a Go No Sen specialist. Even if he is outnumbered, even if his opponents have the advantages of wielding sharp weapons, the Karateka prefers to wait for their attack to make a counter.
The Xue brothers have done a fair amount of research on their enemy, they know that their best chance would be to overwhelm him with attacks before he figures out that counter to their techniques. As one of the Kunlun members has fallen, their "Hundun Sword Formation" is no longer usable, the only thing they can do now is bringing the best of their training immediately.
Xue Lien shouts loudly as he charges forward, the tip of his sword still points at his opponent, targeting his throat while preventing the unarmed fighter to reach him. Ryo hits the flat side of the blade with the back of his left hand, performing a Shuto Uke that blowing the sword off its target. His first strike was neutralized, the swordsman retrieves his blade while launching a front kick to cover his retreat, if the Karateka tries to chase him, this kick will land on his stomach. Obviously, an experienced martial artist like "The Invincible Dragon" would not make such a mistake trying to pursuit his opponent. Instead, he waits for the moment the kick has fully extended, and as the swordsman attempts to retreat his kick, the Karateka raises his left leg and hooks his left foot to Xue's ankle. As the retreating momentum of his limb is stopped suddenly, Xue Lien loses his balance and is fully exposed for a counter attack.
Xue Shan sees that his brother is in danger. Standing on Ryo's left side, the swordsman swings his sword counterclockwise, attacking the opponent from a blindspot.
"As if the old man would fall for such a trick.", Anh Thư thinks as she witnesses the Kunlun disciple's attempt on defeating her father.
Indeed, there are multiple ways to handle that sequence from Xue Lien, but taking of Xue's balance by hooking his retreating leg with the foot would also limit Ryo's mobility as well, making it easier to attack him from behind and the right side. However, this opening is a bait for Xue Shan to commit to a strike. As he senses the sword approaching, "The Invincible Dragon" immediately lets himself fall on the ground, evading the strike, his right leg sweeps Xue Shan's stance fiercely. This is a technique from Unsu Kata. While the older swordsman is still confused about the situation, Ryo kicks the down Xue Shan in the face with his heel, knocking him out.
Xue Lien just reclaims his stance as he sees another of his brother being defeated. In desperation, the swordsman thrusts his sword down, attacking the opponent before he can stand up. Ryo rolls away before the blade reaches. Xue Lien immediately chases after him, he swings his sword up, hoping it can reach the retreating Karateka. However, Ryo has already crouched up, his right palm thrusts to the left while his left palm thrusts to the right, breaking the blade before it reaches him.
"This is over, Brother Xue.", Ryo says as he stands up.
"Not yet.", Xue Lien shouts as he pulls the broken sword back than stabs forward. Although it is broken, the blade is still sharp. The Kunlun martial artist uses it like a dagger.
"Fine.", Ryo roars fiercely as he parries the attack with a Uchi Uke using his left arm. "Let me witness the brilliance of Kunlun's dagger skills."
Xue Lien acts as if he does not hear what Ryo was saying, his broken sword moves back and forth, right and left, up and down. In an instant, he has performed 7 different moves. However, everytime the Chinese man's attack was about to reach, Ryo easily blew it away by striking Xue's arm with his left. Xue Lien's skills in dagger are not mediorce, however they are significantly inferior to Kunlun Swordsplay and "Hundun Sword Formation". Ryo was able to break "Hundun Formation" and won multiple exchanges when the Kunlun brothers were using their swords, dealing with Xue Lien's dagger skills is not a problem for him.
Obviously, Xue Lien also knows this, but as a proud martial artist on a revenging mission, he would rather go out on his shield than admitting defeat at this moment. Although the Kunlun fighters that Takuma Sakazaki murdered were already expelled of the school by their former master, having an outsider like the first Mr. Karate defeated 3 skilled martial artists of their style is still a humiliation they would not tolerate. Xue will not stop until he is completely defeated like his brothers. Meanwhile, as a martial art fanatic, Ryo also wants to see more of Kunlun Kungfu. Despite having multiple chances to finish the fight quickly, he only performs defensive techniques and has not thrown a counter yet.
From a distance, Lam Qian realizes that Xue Lien can no longer win this fight. He announces his entrance while charging forward:
"Lam Qian of Foshan's Hung Ga Kuen wishes to receive some pointers from Chief Sakazaki."
"Let's resume our battle.", Tan Fei shouts as he also joins the battle.
"Allow me!", Duan Hung is the last to jump in.
"You think I would let you gang up on my father?", Anh Thư says as she jumps in.
"Stay back, kid!", Ryo commands. Drunken by the thrill of the battle, the Karateka has forgotten all of their efforts to get rid of Ma Dariang peacefully. He roars fiercely: "All of you, come here!"
Lam Qian is approaching from Ryo's left side while Xue Lien thrusts his broken sword toward the Karateka's left shoulder. If "The Invincible Dragon" focuses on defending against the blade, his back will be exposed for attacks from the Hung Ga Kuen martial artist. While sweeping Xue's hand to the left with a Shuto Uke using his left arm, Ryo quickly slides his right foot to the side, with this movement he has made his body turn to face both Xue and Lam. Duan Hung uses that opportunity to approach the Karateka from the right, his fan points at a pressure point near the right knee. Ryo quickly pulls his right foot toward his left, the targetted pressure point is no longer within the range of Duan's "Yi Yang Finger". This hammer fist would land before Duan Hung can perform any other attack, the Chinese man has no choice but to retreat quickly.
At the same time, his right fist swings downward, attacking the Chinese man with a Kentsui Uchi (Hammer Fist). This is a technique from Heian Shodan kata. As his opponent is distracted, Lam Qian quickly closes the distance, his right fist thrusts forward fiercely, attacking the lower body. Ryo slides his right foot back to its initial position while swinging his left arm down, performing a Gedan Barai and parrying the strike.
"Be careful of his "Tenchi Haoh Ken" technique!", Tan Fei shouts as he circles to the Karateka's back. Lam Qian, Xue Lien and Duan Hung have heard that Ryo's "Tenchi Haoh Ken" is a strike so devastating that no opponent could stand after receiving it once, it is the embodiment of Karate's philosophy "Ichigeki Hitsatsu" - "1 Hit Kill". They immediately hop backward before "The Invincible Dragon" could make his counter.
"You have prepared well.", Ryo says as he turns to Tan Fei. "But you won't be able to defeat me if you don't commit to your attacks."
"Take this kick then!", the Tan Tui martial artist says as he launches himself to the air. As his feet are off the ground, Tan Fei swings his right leg forward, then left leg, then right leg, kicking Ryo 10 times in total. This technique is "Yuanyang Continuous Kicks". Ryo's right arm quickly moves up and down, sweeping all of them away flawlessly.
"My wife's "Surprise Rose" is faster and more powerful than this!", Ryo lets out a roar in excitement. "This is how you counter a flurry of flying kicks, remember it well, Thư!"
The Karateka suddenly stops parrying and his right foot takes a quick step backward. The 11th kick is not deflected like the previous strikes, however it still misses its target as Tan Fei did not expect his opponent would retreat. While the kick specialist is still confused about the situation, Ryo takes a big step forward, his right elbow swings outward to sweep Tan's leg away, making him completely exposed for a left hand Oi Tsuki. One step backward to break the opponent's timing and distance, one step forward to attack, this is a variation of "Kouhou Shippuu Ken".
As he watches the Chinese man fall, Ryo suddenly hears a familiar gentle voice:
"Oh, you still remember me?"
Everyone takes a step back to re-analyze the situation. Ryo turns to the direction of the voice as he is flustered with various conflicting emotions. In that direction, a short-hair beauty in Western suit appears. She is Ryo's wife, King, who he has been avoiding for half a year because of his sense of guilt. He is happy and excited to see his beloved wife again after such a long time, but the man is also worried and ashamed as he remembers the reason he ran away. "The Invincible Dragon" who fought fiercely a moment ago suddenly stands silently like a rock.
"What? Have nothing to say to your wife?", King teases her husband. "After all this time, you are still such a shy boy."
Ryo still does not know what to say to his wife. Fortunately, there is Duan Hung to break the awkward atmosphere between the couple:
"You must be Lady Sakazaki?"
"Yes, I am this brute's wife.", King says as she points to Ryo. "I see you have some bussiness with my husband."
Duan Hung is about to reply, however he is interrupted by Anh Thư's laughter. The girl mocks her father:
"Old man, why does every woman who is intimate with you call you a brute?"
Ryo is about to break his silence, but King has already raised her voice, her words are gentle yet strict:
"Don't be rude and interupt adults' conversation, girl."
"My father has not said a word, why are you lecturing me now?", Anh Thư argues.
"I see the child has learned some poor manners from you.", King says as if scolding her husband, then calmly replies to the girl. "You may not think highly of me because I am not your mother. However your father is my husband, that makes you my stepchid and my daughter's sister. As your father's wife, I also has the responsibility to educate you into a proper member of the Sakazaki household."
Duan Hung knows that Ryo has been hesitating to use Qi-implemented techniques because he was injured during the internal energy battle with Kunlun brothers' "Hundun Formation". The longer this conversation takes, the more time for him to recover and less hesitation to use his internal energy. The Chinese man says:
"I think it is not a good thing to settle your family dispute in front of outsiders. How about we finish our business with Chief Sakazaki quickly so that you can go home and discuss your family problems?"
"You call him Chief Sakazaki, so your business is with the Kyokugen-ryu Karate school I assume?", King asks.
In the martial art world, the way you address someone may reflect how you consider that person. For instance, if a person refers Ryo as Ryo, as Sakazaki, or "The Invincible Dragon", it is likely a personal business between them. If that person calls Ryo Sir Sakazaki, they probably have issue with the Sakazaki household. If they calls Ryo as Chief Sakazaki or Nidaime Mr. Karate, they are refering Ryo as the representative of the Kyokugen-ryu school.
"Indeed.", Duan Hung answers. "I have heard that although you are married to Chief Sakazaki, you are officially not a member of Kyokugen-ryu Karate school. I expect you to take a neutral stand on this matter."
King points to Anh Thư and asks Ryo:
"Did you accept her to be a Kyokugen-ryu member?"
Ryo slowly shakes his head, implying that the girl is not offically a member of his school.
The martial art community has lots of complicated rules, the most troublesome ones are about the membership of a person who practises multiple disciplines. Most martial artists would allow their disciples to train under different masters whose schools they trust, some even actively introduce their disciples to other masters. In the Southern Song period, although he was officially a disciple of "7 Freaks of Jiangnan", Guo Jing was also allowed to learn Quanzhen Sect's Qigong under Ma Yu and "18 Dragon Subduing Palms" from Beggar Clan leader's Hong Qigong.
However, a martial artist can only become an offical member of another school if their first masters allow them to, or that they are no longer a member of their previous sects. Qiao Feng's first master, Xuanku, was a Shaolin monk and Qiao only joined the Beggar Clan after his master allowed it; meanwhile Guo Jing trained under a lot of masters, however he was only the disciple of "7 Freaks of Jiangnan" and a member of "Peach Blossom Island", to Quanzhen Sect and Beggar Clan he was merely an acquaintance. King, Kasumi and many other martial artists have come and trained in the dojo of the Sakazakies, mostly to find a sparring partner, but none of them announces themselves as a Kyokugen-ryu Karateka.
Lots of blood have shed for breaking these rules, especially when martial artists try to join schools that have grudges against their previous ones.
In the case of Anh Thư, her first martial art master was Luan from the Hizoku clan. Although she allowed Ryo to take charge of the girl's training, Luan is still her master and she never said whether her daughter could join the Kyokugen-ryu Karate school. Anh Thư has learned a large amount of Kyokugen-ryu Karate techniques from Ryo and Takuma. She is technically Ryo's disciple, however without her mother's permission, she cannot be an official member of Kyokugen-ryu Karate. A few months ago, when Anh Thư fell ill and the only way to save her was to get rid of either the Ki she acquired from Hizoku training or the one from Karate training, Ryo prioritized the former so that when the time comes, she still has the option to return to her mother as a martial art disciple.
"As you can see, this girl is not a member of Kyokugen-ryu Karate school.", King says. "However, as she is the daughter of my husband, she is a member of the Sakazaki household. The fact that you fought 2 members of the Sakazaki family means that it is a matter of the Sakazaki family. As the wife of Ryo Sakazaki, I have the right to intervene."
Although Duan Hung knew it would not be easy to convince King not to join in the fight, he did not expect that she would deny the girl's Kyokugen-ryu membership. Now he understands why Anh Thư's fighting style was not purely Karate like her father, and why her style looked slightly similar to Yang Dazhong's Ancient Tomb sect. He wonders what is the reason for, as Yang claimed, the cruelty in her techniques, is it because of the influences from Kyokugen-ryu to the Ancient Tomb sect martial arts that she learned, or is it because of the adjustments made from her previous master.
Duan suddenly thinks of a counter argument, he says:
"Senior Zhao attacked your stepdaughter because she insulted him. Brother Yang fought her in order to figure out who taught her martial arts of Ancient Tomb sect. Chief Sakazaki never mentioned of Miss Sakazaki's school so we did not know that she was not a Kyokugen-ryu member. On behalf of Senior Zhao and Brother Yang, I apologize for our poor manners. We are only here to discuss with Chief Sakazaki."
Duan Hung was born from a noble family that used to be the royalties of Daili Kingdom, compared to Ma Dariang he is much more diplomatic. Although he was apologizing, he actually pointed all the blame on Zhao Butui, Yang Dazhong and even Ryo himself while cutting off King's excuse to interfere. Even though everyone here knows Duan's real intention, nobody can point anything unreasonable from his speech.
While King is still thinking of her next argument, Anh Thư suddenly raises her voice:
"Ma King, these people bullied me and Pa Ryo. Punish them for us!"
Unlike the honest and straight forward Ryo, Anh Thư is a cunning and mischievous girl. While Ryo was slightly injured during his internal battle against the Xue brothers' "Hundun Sword Formation", the father - daughter duo has defeated and chased away more than half of their opponents. Saying that they were bullied was an exaggeration. However, the girl wishes to see King fight, she wants to know between Ryo's wife and her mother, whose martial art is superior.
King does not know her intention. As a sister who has singlehandedly raised her own younger brother and a mother with an 10-month old daughter, the French woman is fond of kids. Hearing Anh Thư calling her "Ma", King suddenly forgets that the girl is not her biological child and her parental instinct kicks in. Lady Sakazaki says with great passion:
"You've heard the child. I can't let those who bully my kids to get away without any punishment, can I?"
She then turns to Ryo and says with a joyful smile:
"When was the last time we fight together, I wonder?"
"You women didn't even look at each other a moment ago, but now you are acting like mother and daughter all of a sudden. You just want to help your husband, don't you?", Lam Qian thinks as he says: "If Lady Sakazaki wants to interfere, we won't stand on ceremony. Take this fist!"
The Hung Ga Kuen martial artist swings his fists in the air ferociously as he charges forward the woman. Ryo intends to interfere, however as he is slightly distracted, Duan Hung suddenly attacks from the side, forcing him to stop and defend himself. This young man is not as fast or elusive as Luan from Hizoku clan, however his strikes are more powerful and complex, as expected from someone who learned "Yi Yang Finger" from its origin. Xue Lien also joins Duan to fight the Karateka. With a broken sword, he cannot ultilize all of his skills and can only help covering Duan's openings and distracting Ryo in a few occasions. Since Duan launched his first strike, Ryo has only defended without throwing any counter attack yet, however with the difference in skills, it is clear that it is only the matter of time before the Karateka breaks the Chineses' offense. Duan and Xue are trying their best to delay the final outcome, their only hope is that Lam Qian could defeat King and come to help them in time.
Lam Qian makes a big leap as he thrusts his fist forward. King immediately stops his advance with a teep. Teep is a technique developed through generations of Muay Thai fighters as a tool to manage distance, the perfect counter against ferocious aggression. Although she is a woman, King is as tall as a man, her kick reaches further than Lam's punch and is strong enough to interrupt his attack. As the Hung Ga Kuen martial artist is still confused about his strike not landing, King quickly throws a low kick with the other leg, breaking his balance, then another teep to push him back. While Lam Qian threw one punch and failed, King was able to land 3 kicks and force him back.
Lam Qian realizes he cannot win this fight with brute strength alone, he spreads his legs into a low and deep horse stance. Hung Ga Kuen's prowess is in its horse stance:
Stable Horse - Powerful Bridge
Long Bridge - Big Horse
Short Brigde - Small Horse
"Horse" indicates horse stance, "Bridge" indicates the martial artist's arm. Long and deep horse stance gives stability to support big and powerful punches. While narrow stance is more suitable for close ranged exchanges using fast and short strikes using elbows and shoulders. Lam Qian intends to slowly approach his opponent with a firm stance that cannot be break with teeps while overwhelming King with ferocious strikes until the distance is close enough for more options.
The Chinese martial artist stomps the ground fiercely as his right foot takes a step forward while his hands cover his advance, the right fist swings counterclockwise before the left fist thrusts forward. Although Lam's punches are intimidating, it cannot reach as far as a kick. King effortlessly stays out of range, conveviently attacks the outside of Lam's right leg with her left leg as she leans backward to evade the punches. As the first kick connects, King immediately raises her left leg up without retreating, another left kick to the head. Lam Qian cancels his offense and raises his right arm to block the kick. That kick does not land on target, however before her opponent can initiate another strike, King quickly switches stance and throws a right kick, this time to the inner side of Lam's right leg. The Hung Ga Kuen fighter remembers the double King threw at him a moment before, he lowers his right arm to cover his body and groin and raises left right arm to protect the head. However Lady Sakazaki's next target is not the head, body or groin, she continues attacking that right leg.
As Lam Qian has finally realized, teep is not King's only technique. Even among the elites of the Muay Thai world, King is known for her extraordinary speed and variety of kicks. And while the Kungfu martial artist focuses on stability, his legs become easy target for Muay Thai low kicks. As his fists hitting the air, King has landed 5 strikes to his right calf. At first, the Chinese martial artist did not feel pain, however after 3rd kick, his leg started to tremble. Before King launches the 6th kick, Lam Qian cancels his stance and jumps backward.
"Do you wish to continue?", King asks, although both of them have already known that Lam Qian did not even have a strategy to close the distance.
While the Chinese man is still wondering whether he should continue or admit defeat, Anh Thư suddenly raises her voice:
"Senior Lam, why don't you use Foshan's "Shadowless Kick"? Use it!"
As her stepchild is speaking in Chinese, King does not understand what the girl says. Foshan's "Shadowless Kick" is one of Master Huang Fei Hong's famous techniques, they say that these kicks were so fast that they left no shadow. It is the most feared kicking technique in all of Southern Kungfu. Anh Thư heard about this skill from her mother, as curious and mischievious as she is, the girl cannot miss this chance to see which one is more formidable, "Shadowless Kick" of Hung Ga Kwen, or King's Muay Thai kicks.
Lam Qian is out of option, his fists cannot reach a kicking specialist like King. The only technique he has not used is Foshan's "Shadowless Kick", fighting kicks with kicks, fighting speed with speed. The Hung Ga Kuen martial artist raises his right leg up as he makes a big and fast leap using his left leg. A quick jumping kick attack. This time King cannot ultilize the length of her leg to counter, she jumps to her left side to evade the strike. As the Muay Thai is confident that she is in Lam's blindspot, she suddenly senses an attack approaching. Although the kick has missed its target, Lam Qian is still able to changes the trajectory of his right foot, performing a hook kick at the moment nobody can expect.
"Southern Fist - Northern Kick". Foshan's "Shadowless Kick" is indeed fast. However, it is a technique of Southern Kungfu, logically speaking, it cannot rival the speed and power of Tan Tui, which is the most prominent Northern school of kicks. What makes these kicks "shadowless" is its variety of trajectories, making their trajectories, angles and moments of attack unpredictable. Even the slowest, most defendable attack can look fast if the victim does not see it in time.
However, King is an experienced fighter and a kicking specialist. She always has her hands high, and as soon as she notices the change in Lam Qian's posture, the Muay Thai fighter immediately covers herself, despite not knowing which technique her opponent is using. Lam Qian's kick lands on King's high guard, the kick pushes the woman a few step back but does not inflict any damage. Although being pushed back, with her brilliant kicking skills, Lady Sakazaki launches a left kick toward Lam's right leg in her retreat. This is the 6th kicks that landed on Lam Qian's right leg, the Chinese martial artist cannot endure that pain anymore. He crouches on the ground, his right hand covers the injured leg while the other hand points toward the opponent, trying to defend himself.
"You have lost, Mister.", King says in English. "Go away."
Lam Qian reluctantly pulls himself up. On his one healthy leg, the man slowly moves away from the battle, to a location nearby where he can watch the fight without getting stray hits. Although he has lost, as a martial artist, he still has to witness what he started.
Meanwhile, Duan Hung and Xue Lien are desperately trying to land a hit on Ryo. Duan clan's "Yi Yang Finger" is the most fearsome finger strike of all Chinese martial arts, Xue is wielding a sharp blade, even with the large skill gap, the chance to win this battle is not zero. However, so far the Karateka's defense has been flawless.
From his position, Ryo has seen King defeating Lam Qian. "The Invincible Dragon" suddenly becomes competitive, he roars loudly:
"Time to finish this!"
The sudden loud sound makes both Duan and Xue flinch, their combined attacks are interrupted. Ultilizing that moment of confusion, the Karateka takes a quick half step forward as he fiercely thrusts his hands which are in spear form, attacking the Solar Plexises of his opponents. The technique is a variation of "Morote Duki". Duan Hung and Xue Lien immediately fall, Karate's finger strikes may not be as deadly as "Yi Yang Finger", however a Yonhon Nukite to the Chudan Tanden is more than enough to immolized anyone.