Competition

Chapter 19: Competition

Chapter 19: Competition

A muffled boom erupted from the field again. Zhu Hao's arms, locked around Wang Dongcheng's ankle, thrust forward and shook violently with the momentum!

Wang Dongcheng was hurled through the air by that powerful force. He barely adjusted his posture midair, landed unsteadily, then staggered back several steps before regaining his footing.

As the dust settled and the surrounding patrolmen looked again, they saw that the shoe and sock on one of his feet had been torn apart, while his ankle was swollen and red.

Wang Dongcheng's face alternated between green and white. At last, he let out a long sigh and cupped his fists. "Entangling Ape Fist—'fists connect to arms, arms connect to shoulders'; its force is long-reaching, its transformations unfathomable. Wang admits defeat wholeheartedly. If Master Zhu had not held back, this leg of mine might have been ruined."

"You flatter me, you flatter me." Zhu Hao also cupped his fists and said politely, "I merely got lucky."

Cheers erupted from the field. Lin Mo was greatly astonished as well. Actual combat and practice truly differed as vastly as heaven and earth.

"As expected of someone from the prefectural city. Wang Dongcheng was still a little lacking."

Li Zhiming nodded slightly. "That Entangling Ape Fist has already gained a fair bit of mastery."

A young patrolman nearby whispered, "I heard that even a guard employed by some small clan in the prefectural city earns no less than ten taels of silver a month. They're far better off than us in this little place..."

"But you need genuine skill to earn it. Out of twenty or thirty people, how many can be chosen?" Someone shook his head and sighed. "Zhu Hao has already defeated two men in a row, yet his breathing remains steady. Clearly, he has yet to exert his full strength."

Lin Mo was puzzled and asked from the side, "What is different about being a guard for a small clan in the prefectural city?"

After all, in Changhe County, a First Stage Perfected expert was more than qualified to become the head of a guard detail. Yet in a small clan of the prefectural city, it was difficult even to become an ordinary guard.

Li Zhiming patiently explained, "The wealth of small clans in the prefectural city is beyond anything this place can compare with. Once you get in, barring accidents, it is a livelihood that can support you until old age."

He added, "Precisely because of that stability, prefectural city guard positions place greater importance on potential, and they offer far higher pay as well. They have the capital to make an early investment!"

Lin Mo nodded in understanding. On second thought, it made sense. For small clans in the prefectural city to establish themselves, their histories stretched back more than a hundred years.

If their supply of talent ever ran dry, they would likely be eaten clean to the bone.

Li Zhiming smiled. "Zhu Hao is a good seedling. Wang Dongcheng is not bad either. After all, he is a seedling of Changhe Martial Arts School. Though there is a gap between them, he is still worth cultivating."

He stepped forward, swept his gaze around the area, and announced to the young patrolmen, "Wang Dongcheng will receive third-tier support from the Li family: an additional one tael of silver in monthly pay and twenty jin of meat."

"Zhu Hao will receive second-tier support from the Li family: an additional five taels of silver in monthly pay and one hundred jin of meat!"

There was even support available?

Lin Mo's eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together, genuinely eager to give it a try.

After practicing martial arts for so long, he had only truly fought head-on with the water ghost. A match like this could not only build experience, but he also had no idea what level his Minor Accomplishment fist technique actually ranked at!

Li Zhiming smiled. Seeing through his thoughts, he needed no further explanation; this was precisely what he had intended.

"This is Lin Mo, a newly arrived patrolman and also a seedling of Changhe Martial Arts School. Brother Zhu Hao, do you still have strength left?"

Zhu Hao, the lean, dark-skinned man in the field with long arms and a tall frame, smiled and cupped his fists. "I will follow Head Patrolman Li's arrangements."

Lin Mo walked to the center of the martial arts ground and greeted Zhu Hao. "I am Lin Mo, a Disciple of Martial Master Yang Yun. I practice the White Ape Eight Section Fist."

"Zhu Hao, practitioner of Entangling Ape Fist. Brother Lin, please enlighten me."

The two faced one another. Lin Mo looked Zhu Hao over and discerned a few of the methods of this Entangling Ape Fist expert. A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

Using the cover of firelight and the lingering glow of sunset, [Insightful Eye] opened wide.

This was his first time using [Insightful Eye] in battle!

When ordinary martial artists sparred, eyesight was of utmost importance. Those with keen eyes could tell a person's martial path simply from their build.

Those even more formidable could exchange only two or three sentences and, based on their words and unconscious muscle movements, guess the details of their fighting style.

Zhu Hao sank his waist and seated his hips, rooting his feet into the ground in the standard opening stance of Entangling Ape Fist.

As for Lin Mo, under the influence of [White Ape Momentum], though he held a fist stance, his body swayed like an ape. A trace of savage beast ferocity showed in his eyes.

"Brother Lin, be careful!"

After observing him twice without seeing through his depth, Zhu Hao chose to test him by opening a path with his fists. He gave a low shout, his momentum surging forth.

He stepped forward, leaving marks in the blue bricks of the martial arts ground. His right arm cracked like a whip and chopped straight toward Lin Mo's face.

This move was fierce and swift, bringing the Entangling Ape principle of "shoulders connected, arms connected, strength flowing through the fingertips" into full play.

"This Zhu Hao truly was no ordinary man!"

With [Insightful Eye] wide open, although that "whip-shadow" had slowed down, its long-reaching attack still made it difficult for Lin Mo to close in.

Lin Mo let out a sharp cry. Not daring to receive the blow head-on, he leaned backward like a startled ape while his right hand formed a claw.

Catching the instant gap in the whip-shadow, he twisted and hooked along the inside of Zhu Hao's forearm like lightning, striking directly at the numbing tendon in his elbow.

This was a variation Lin Mo had developed himself. With [Insightful Eye], he could seize this opportunity as well.

His reaction was that fast?!

Zhu Hao was startled. His long arm had already exhausted its momentum and was difficult to retract. A tremor passed through his fingertips and along his arm, leaving his body numb and tingling.

His blood and qi surged through his entire body, dispelling the numbness. Zhu Hao's gaze turned stern, and he no longer intended to hold back.

He sank his shoulder and dropped his elbow to steady himself. His left fist shot out like a venomous snake leaving its burrow, striking toward Lin Mo's chest with a speed of transition that ordinary people could scarcely withstand.

Golden light flared in Lin Mo's eyes. Under his focused gaze, the left fist rapidly slowed within his vision, and he desperately twisted his body.

Whoosh!

The left fist grazed his clothes. The biting gust of force instantly shredded the garment at Lin Mo's side, even scraping his flesh until it became a patch of bright red.

Lin Mo opened the distance and drew in a long breath of cold air, silently growing more vigilant. The surrounding patrolmen were all stunned.

After merely two or three exchanges, they finally realized how much Zhu Hao had been concealing. Lin Mo was even stranger—his reaction speed rivaled that of a second-stage martial artist, perhaps even surpassing one slightly!

"Brother Lin, you truly are a young talent." Zhu Hao sincerely praised him, putting away his contempt and facing him seriously.

With a shake of both arms, he completely dispelled the lingering numbness. Then he stepped forward in a charge. The instant he controlled the distance, his arms swung like long whips.

Amid the howling wind, this Entangling Ape Fist's "Encircling Snare Hand" carried a momentum that seemed capable of covering all directions. Lin Mo's fighting spirit rose at the sight of a worthy opponent, and his movements became elusive and unpredictable.

He darted left and right, sometimes scurrying close to the ground, sometimes leaping high and tumbling through the air, like a true mad ape.

Whip-shadows intertwined, yet Lin Mo navigated through them with ease. In only a few breaths' time, a bead of cold sweat seeped from Zhu Hao's forehead.

Strange... too strange. It was as though he could see through everything I did?

If Lin Mo had known what Zhu Hao was thinking, he would surely have praised him as an old hand of the martial world—his instincts truly were sharp.

At the beginning of the fight, Lin Mo had not yet grown accustomed to [Insightful Eye]'s assistance, and his body would always lag half a beat behind.

But using Zhu Hao to temper himself, weaving and shifting amid the whip-shadows, he gradually discovered the trick.

When a person launched an attack, they had to circulate their blood and qi, driving the muscles throughout their body. With those signs appearing beforehand, Lin Mo could actually achieve an effect akin to "foreknowledge."