Hook Scythe Leg, Copper Bridge Iron Horse

Hook Scythe Leg, Copper Bridge Iron Horse. "Senior Brother Li, please, make your move."

After taking his stance, Liu Xing spoke to Li Fei with a confident look on his face.

He deliberately stressed the words "senior brother."

Li Fei did not stand on ceremony. With a sudden lunge, he rushed forward.

Following the memories of the original owner of this body, he swept a low kick swiftly at Liu Xing's shin.

After landing the sweep, his foot hooked inward around the other man's calf, then he abruptly exerted force, like a sickle cutting grass.

This was Blue Hand's Hook Scythe Leg, designed specifically to break an opponent's lower stance and throw off their balance.

A boxing verse said: "Seventeen Hook Scythe Legs, cutting men down like grass."

It meant that once the Hook Scythe Leg had been mastered, one could kick seventeen times in succession. In a melee, one kick left, one kick right, and those struck would topple one after another like rice stalks cut down by a sickle.

The original owner had been best at this very Hook Scythe Leg, so Li Fei used it the moment he began.

Yet just as he hooked Liu Xing's calf and prepared to exert force, Liu Xing lowered his center of gravity, sank his qi into his Dantian, and drove force through his waist and hips at the same time. His knees bent inward, and not only did Li Fei's Hook Scythe Leg fail to break his balance, he stood firm as a rock.

Li Fei saw it clearly. His opponent had trained the art of uniting waist and stance to perfection; only then could he receive the Hook Scythe Leg so steadily.

When his first move failed, he immediately withdrew his leg and guarded himself. Liu Xing stepped forward, twisted his waist and turned his hips, exhaled with a shout, and smashed a fist toward him.

The fist was like a bronze hammer, carrying a howling gust. Li Fei's body had long developed instinctive reactions, and he subconsciously raised both hands to parry.

Bang! The other man wore gloves, reducing the impact, and the Myriad Blood Bead also shared the damage, greatly diminishing the force. To Li Fei, the punch was completely painless.

Still, he took a step back with the blow.

Liu Xing looked about the same size as him, and they were of similar age, yet the power Liu Xing unleashed was far greater than his own.

From the original owner's memories, he knew that Liu Xing practiced Blue Hand's Copper Bridge Iron Horse. Its defining trait was the unity of waist and stance, using whole-body force; its power was hard and fierce.

Seeing Li Fei driven back, Liu Xing's face showed delight. The corners of his mouth rose slightly as he once again exhaled with a shout, stepped forward, and smashed a punch at him.

Hands were the "bridges," legs were the "horses." Copper Bridge Iron Horse trained the lower body to be like an iron warhorse and both hands like bronze hammers. It was especially effective against moves like the Hook Scythe Leg.

Li Fei kept blocking and retreating, but the room was only so large. Soon, he had backed up against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat.

Excitement flashed across Liu Xing's face. He was certain Li Fei's hands had been battered by his "bronze fists" until they could barely be raised. And with Li Fei's back against the wall and no room to retreat, he was exactly like the wooden dummy Liu Xing used during practice—able only to stand there and take the blows.

Just as Liu Xing stepped in, ready to show this young master from a wealthy family what he was capable of, Li Fei suddenly turned sideways. His right foot kicked off the wall, borrowing its force to leap up, while his left leg flew toward Liu Xing's chest.

Liu Xing was greatly startled. Li Fei's responses until then had been stiff and wooden, and he had thought him a complete novice who could not fight at all. He had never expected Li Fei to adapt like this. He could not react in time and took Li Fei's kick squarely on the chest protector.

Bang! Liu Xing's body tilted backward. Li Fei was still in the air and followed with a consecutive kick, his right leg swiftly striking Liu Xing's chest again.

Liu Xing staggered back. His Copper Bridge Iron Horse was well-trained, and he quickly stabilized his center of gravity, about to counterattack while Li Fei had yet to find his footing.

"Enough."

Hao Yi suddenly spoke from the side.

"Mr. Hao?"

Liu Xing turned to look at him.

Hao Yi nodded approvingly at Li Fei. "Not bad. You won this round."

"Mr. Hao, I clearly—"

Liu Xing was thoroughly unconvinced. He clearly had not lost yet.

"What move did he use just now?"

Hao Yi asked.

Liu Xing froze. Then he seemed to realize something. His face went pale, and his voice lowered.

"It was Blue Hand's Flying Swallow Consecutive Kicks."

"If it had been a fight to the death, where should the second kick of Flying Swallow Consecutive Kicks have landed?"

"My throat or chin. Mr. Hao, I lost this round."

Liu Xing lowered his head and spoke unwillingly.

Flying Swallow Consecutive Kicks was a killing move of Blue Hand. It used borrowed force to execute two kicks in midair. The first kick broke through the opponent's defenses, while the second took the enemy's vital point, striking the throat or chin.

If Li Fei had directly kicked Liu Xing's chin or throat just now, Liu Xing would have been crippled even if he did not die.

Hao Yi looked at the calm-faced Li Fei. From the moment this kid discovered that his Hook Scythe Leg was being countered, he had been acting. He clearly had a good way to respond, yet he deliberately kept blocking and retreating, making himself look utterly helpless. Only after backing up to the wall had he suddenly launched his counterattack, catching Liu Xing completely off guard.

He had been able to think up a strategy so quickly, then lead someone step by step into the trap.

It seemed this student of his had a somewhat dark heart. He was not as upright and honest as he appeared.

"Continue."

He gestured for the two to resume their sparring.

"Yes!"

Liu Xing rallied his spirits and glared fiercely at Li Fei.

This time, he would absolutely not be careless again.

Li Fei watched Liu Xing calmly, took several steps forward, and once more assumed Blue Hand's opening stance.

His experiences in his previous life had taught him a profound truth: choice was more important than effort.

Only by fully understanding oneself and finding one's strengths could one make the most of one's advantages.

His best technique, the Hook Scythe Leg, was countered by his opponent's Copper Bridge Iron Horse. Then he had to change his approach and make use of his own strength—the Myriad Blood Bead's ability to share damage.

Every time Liu Xing's fists struck his body, most of the damage was instantly shared by the Myriad Blood Bead. The impact his body suffered was slight, and so was the pain he felt.

Thus, Li Fei quickly settled on a new fighting style.

The two clashed again in the room. This time, Li Fei neither retreated nor parried. Instead, he held his ground and went head-to-head with Liu Xing.

For every punch Liu Xing threw at him, he answered with a kick.

This style of fighting had originally been Liu Xing's favorite, because the Copper Bridge Iron Horse he practiced was suited for steady, solid fighting and direct confrontations.

Yet after exchanging seven or eight blows, Liu Xing began to feel that something was wrong.

Li Fei's body was clearly not as sturdy as his, but no matter how much force he used, he could not shake him in the slightest.

When he hit Li Fei, it was like striking a mountain!

Hao Yi, watching from the side, was secretly amazed as well.

Hao Yi could see that Li Fei had never practiced any body-hardening arts, yet he could clash head-on with Liu Xing like this. It could only mean that he had been born with extraordinary natural gifts. He was a genuine talent.

Bang! Liu Xing's fist slammed heavily into Li Fei's face. Li Fei's body did not even sway. Expressionless, he returned a punch, striking Liu Xing on the nose.

Pain shot through Liu Xing, and he finally began to panic.

Faced with an opponent he could neither move nor hurt, he did not know how to keep fighting.

Liu Xing could not help retreating, switching from attack to defense. Li Fei pressed his advantage and pursued, closing in step by step until he quickly forced his opponent into a corner.

What followed was almost entirely Li Fei's performance. He used every move he had learned, while Liu Xing became his human punching dummy.

This was originally the scene Liu Xing had imagined in his mind just moments ago. Only now, the roles had been reversed.

"Enough."

Hao Yi called a halt to the match, which no longer held any suspense.

He glanced at the calm-faced Li Fei, then turned to Liu Xing.

"You are no match for him. Go back."