Chapter Twenty-Six: A Clash of Titans
At this moment, the disciples below the stage were all aflame with excitement, their hearts pounding as if they themselves were displaying their skills upon the dueling platform.
“Senior Brother Zeng Hu’s giant axe truly isn’t something just anyone can handle.”
“That’s right, if it were me, I’d be done for after taking two blows from that thing.”
“Senior Sister Qin is really proving that women are no less than men—using softness to overcome hardness, she might actually succeed.”
“Senior Brother Li Chenglong isn’t doing too badly either. Even though he’s not gaining the upper hand, have you noticed? If his fighting style were paired with Senior Brother Zeng’s, they’d be two of a kind.”
“Senior Brother Shang and Senior Brother Lu are the real birds of a feather. If their opponent were a woman, let’s see if they’d still have the nerve for hand-to-hand combat.”
“Senior Brother Leng is as strong as ever. Looks like Senior Sister Chen Xue won’t hold out much longer.”
“Senior Sister Chu is my role model—calm and composed in the face of an enemy, and the way she wields those daggers is simply second nature.”
...
“What’s up with Fat Gu?”
“Why is he running around like that?”
“What? Did he just say he ate too much before coming on stage? Accidentally ate too much?”
“Didn’t Senior Sister Song almost get driven to tears from rage just now?”
“This is shameless.”
“He’s doing this on purpose.”
“Can we even have a proper match at this rate?”
...
At this moment, every disciple who noticed Fat Gu’s antics wore a look of utter disdain. What followed was a chorus of complaints, echoing one after another—a true rallying cry.
“Old Fifth, what’s your Fatty up to now?”
“Asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?”
“Your kid really is something... Jumping and clowning his way right into the finals, ha!”
...
Old Fifth Gu, forehead striped with black lines, was thoroughly exasperated. By all rights, having his grandson make it into the top ten should have been a source of immense pride. Yet, somehow, his old face had been so thoroughly disgraced. Especially when countless pairs of young eyes on the disciples’ platform kept glancing over, sometimes deliberately, sometimes not.
...
“Gu Changqing! No more running around! Get on with the match!”
From the floating grandstand, Master Nangong, who had been sitting calmly as if fishing, now found it hard to keep his composure as he looked at the restless disciples below. Feigning anger, he delivered a warning.
A warning as simple as that drew thunderous cheers of “The master is wise!” from the disciples.
...
On the dueling platform, Fat Gu, hearing these words, knew he had no choice but to face his opponent head-on. In truth, he couldn’t be fully blamed—his episodes of sudden hunger and overeating had happened many times before. Each time, he’d devour countless spirit plants and fruits, and fasting pills never had any effect on him.
Indeed, before coming on stage this time, he had overeaten once again.
“Fat Gu, the master has spoken. If you’ve got the guts, try running around again,” Senior Sister Song urged, a hint of borrowed authority in her tone.
“All right, senior sister, but this time I’ll get serious.”
“I’m warning you, when I get serious, even I’m afraid of myself.”
“Back in the day, I slew countless beasts...”
“Will you ever stop!” Senior Sister Song shouted, exasperated, and lunged straight at Fat Gu.
The Water-Splitting Dart, its central ring looped around the middle finger of her right hand, spun rapidly, sending flashes of silver light shooting toward Fat Gu.
Dodging her furious attack, Fat Gu swiftly drew the fiery rhinoceros horn he’d kept at his lower back since the start of the tournament.
For the first time in all his matches, Fat Gu was wielding a “weapon.”
Bending his body, he stomped hard on the ground. In a sudden leap, Fat Gu shifted from defense to offense, gripping the horn with both hands and swinging it at Senior Sister Song’s spinning dart.
A direct clash—point to point!
...