Chapter 218: Fist Fight

At the main seat, Wang Chao and Elder Hong Hao stared at each other.

"Bai Chao is good at boxing; Liu Yang... shouldn't be a match, right?"

Wang Chao hesitated, his own words lacking confidence.

The previous few had been so sure they would win, but... they all lost miserably.

This Bai Chao, according to earlier thoughts, should have won easily, but... Zhang Xuan's students were too strange; consecutive wrong guesses had shaken his confidence.

"I also think... he should... be able to win..."

Elder Hong Hao looked equally distressed.

He had so wanted Teacher Zhang to lose face and be slapped hard, but now it seemed the slapping was off the table; the most important thing now was to prevent being slapped himself...

"Bai Chao, don't hesitate. Throw your strongest punch right away; don't give him any opening!"

Gritting his teeth, Wang Chao shouted at Bai Chao on the stage.

There was no turning back now. If they lost this match, the last one wouldn't even need to be fought. The only option now was to stake everything on a single throw, burning their boats.

Bai Chao was good at boxing, so he should use his strongest attack from the start to crush the opponent.

Otherwise, coming full of hope only to return defeated...

How could this friend of his still become a disciple of the three masters? How could he become an apprentice?

"Mm!"

Bai Chao nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes narrowing.

He had watched all three previous matches and knew that although Teacher Zhang's students had low cultivation, each was formidable.

He couldn't afford any hesitation or indecision.

Otherwise, he would surely repeat the mistakes of those before him.

...

"Patriarch Wang Hong, do you think Bai Chao can win?"

In the stands, Patriarch Bai Ming looked at Wang Hong nearby.

Both were patriarchs of great families, overlords of their domains, and both were Tongxuan realm experts, so their opinions carried weight.

"I don't think so. Teacher Zhang has two wins and a draw, establishing momentum. As long as Liu Yang isn't too bad, it's hard for him to turn things around."

Wang Hong shook his head.

The competition was more than half over, and Teacher Lu's students had been suppressed all along; winning again wouldn't be easy.

Besides, his own daughter was under Teacher Zhang and knew how astonishing his theories were; otherwise, that silly girl wouldn't have kicked Du Lei, a Martial Artist third layer, flying.

If even she was that strong, Liu Yang surely wouldn't be weak.

"I disagree!" Patriarch Bai Ming's eyes flashed like lightning.

"Oh?" Wang Hong looked over in confusion.

"This Bai Chao is from my Bai family, but a very distant branch. I didn't know before. Just now I had someone investigate, and he actually practices the Iron Armor Art!"

Patriarch Bai Ming's tone seemed incredulous.

"Iron Armor Art? Could it be..."

Patriarch Wang Hong was startled, then his pupils contracted: "Could it be the technique practiced by the Iron Armor Elder seventy years ago? Wasn't it lost long ago? How does your clansman know it?"

Few knew of the Iron Armor Art, but many, even among the younger generation, knew of the Iron Armor Elder.

He was a notorious bandit from seventy years ago.

He committed rape and plunder, stopping at nothing; many paled at his name, and he ranked among the top in the history of Tianxuan Kingdom.

Because he was too arrogant, the kingdom and the people sent many experts to hunt him down, but all returned in defeat; in fact, as many as went, as many died.

Finally, his whereabouts were exposed, and he was trapped in a valley by dozens of experts. Knowing his skills were formidable, they didn't approach but shot from a distance with crossbows. To their astonishment, a layer like animal scales appeared on his body, making even arrows unable to pierce.

In other words, crossbows and arrows were useless against him.

With no choice, they charged in for close combat. The scales on his body were nearly invincible, and even swords couldn't pierce them. That battle was a bloodbath, darkening the sun and moon.

In the end, though the righteous side won, they lost at least thirty Tongxuan realm experts, causing the overall strength of Tianxuan Kingdom to drop significantly, barely recovering.

Legend has it that the ultimate move of covering the body with scales was the Iron Armor Art!

Seventy years ago, with the death of the Iron Armor Elder, wasn't it lost long ago? How did this Bai Chao know it?

"The Iron Armor Art is lost. What he practices isn't the authentic version either." Bai Ming's face was calm.

"Then..." Patriarch Wang Hong blinked.

"The authentic Iron Armor Art covers the whole body with scales, making defense invincible. But he has only cultivated it to his fists, meaning that once he activates the technique, his fists become as terrifying as steel, even usable as weapons!"

Patriarch Bai Ming revealed all the information he knew, finally giving the reason for his earlier statement: "Liu Yang's right hand is already injured, while this guy's fists are invincible in defense and astonishingly powerful. Who do you think will win?"

"This... If it really is the Iron Armor Art, it will indeed be hard to win..."

Patriarch Wang Hong's face darkened.

Knowing that history and the power of the Iron Armor Elder, one couldn't help but know the terror of the Iron Armor Art.

This was no longer human; it was defense and strength like a savage beast.

With such an attack, even if Liu Yang had never been injured, how could he possibly defeat it?

"Actually... if Liu Yang isn't foolish enough to trade punches with him and instead uses hit-and-run tactics, he might not be completely defeated."

After a moment of thought, Patriarch Wang Hong said.

The opponent's fists were formidable, but there was a weakness.

That was that his defense and attack elsewhere were relatively low. So, as long as he avoided direct confrontation and used hit-and-run tactics, he might not lose.

"I hope so, but... I'm afraid Liu Yang doesn't know and will fall into his trap." Patriarch Bai Ming smiled bitterly.

Although this Bai Chao was his clansman, he had no feelings for him; in essence, he still hoped Alchemist Zhang Xuan would win.

"This..."

Just as he was about to argue, Patriarch Wang Hong heard the conversation between the two youths on the stage, ringing out clearly.

"Liu Yang, I know your right hand's meridians were damaged before, but I suppose, like Wang Ying, Teacher Zhang has healed you, right?" Bai Chao looked over.

"Indeed, Teacher Zhang saw the problem and personally went to the Alchemist Guild to get a Warm Meridian Pill. Now my right arm is fully recovered." Liu Yang nodded.

Speaking of this, he was full of pride and admiration.

Only a selfless person like Teacher Zhang would go to such lengths for his students, regardless of gain or loss.

"Since it's healed, I have a proposal. Are you interested... Let's skip the fancy moves and just trade punches. Whoever can't take it loses." Bai Chao sneered. "Don't tell me you're afraid, unless... your Teacher Zhang didn't really heal your arm, and you were just bragging."

"Trade punches? Who's afraid of who?" Hearing the doubt about Teacher Zhang, Liu Yang flew into a rage and waved his hand grandly.

"This fool..."

Seeing that his fear had come true and the guy had indeed fallen for it, Patriarch Wang Hong's face changed.

The opponent practiced the Iron Armor Art; agreeing to trade punches was suicide!

"Go tell Teacher Zhang that Bai Chao practices the Iron Armor Art, his fists are extremely hard; he must not let Liu Yang trade punches..."

He quickly turned and instructed a guard behind him.

The guard nodded, hurried to Zhang Xuan, and relayed the message.

"Teacher Zhang, I've heard of the Iron Armor Art. It was the secret technique of the Iron Armor Elder. From childhood, one soaks both hands in the blood of Iron Armor Beasts. Over time, the palms become as hard as steel, but they also lose the softness of normal palms, making it hard to distinguish things by touch."

Zhao Ya seemed to know a lot about the Iron Armor Art and spoke up.

"As hard as steel? What's the difference from wearing iron gloves?"

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

Cultivation was about evolving one's life level. The higher the expert, the higher the demands on the hands, and the more sensitive they needed to be.

This guy, on the contrary, trained his hands into steel, even losing basic touch and sensation. No matter how powerful the technique, it was useless.

He really wondered what kind of freak came up with such a freakish technique.

"Teacher Zhang, the patriarch told me to tell you to dissuade Liu Yang from trading punches..."

Seeing the two still in the mood to discuss the Iron Armor Art, the guard quickly interjected.

"Don't trade punches? Why?" Zhang Xuan looked at him strangely. "I think Liu Yang's agreement is very good. Bai Chao is at Martial Artist third layer, with true energy enhancement. He's faster and more reactive than Liu Yang. If Liu Yang runs away, they might never settle it in a day. Standing still and trading punches just covers up Liu Yang's many disadvantages. Why dissuade him?"

It was just like the first match between Yuan Tao and Kong Jie.

The fact that Liu Yang and the others had lower cultivation than their opponents was unchangeable. If the opponent used fancy moves, they'd have no way out. Since they chose to stand still and fight, wasn't that exactly what he wanted?

"This..."

The guard was exasperated.

That wasn't the point at all!

Hadn't he just said it?

The opponent practiced the Iron Armor Art, with fists comparable to steel; trading punches couldn't lead to victory...

Just as he was about to explain further, he saw figures moving on the stage; the fight had already begun.

Even if he wanted to dissuade them now, it was too late.

...

"Since you agreed, let's begin!"

Seeing Liu Yang fall for the trap, Bai Chao roared excitedly, stepped forward, and threw a punch.

Boom!

The fist compressed the air, creating a sonic boom. As promised, its surface was covered with fine scales, like a savage beast's claw, giving an unusual pressure.

"Good!"

Liu Yang raised his eyebrows and raised his fist to meet it.

...

"It's over!"

Not expecting that even after sending a guard, he couldn't stop the two from trading punches, Patriarch Wang Hong's face turned pale, and his body involuntarily swayed twice.

How could a human fist contend with the opponent's beast-like fist, especially when the strength was far inferior?

Closing his eyes and sighing, just as he was about to lament that Liu Yang would soon have his hand bones broken and be defeated, he heard Patriarch Bai Ming beside him gasp, "Ah!" in surprise.

"This... this..."