Fists and Feet Refuse to Yield

"Good!"

Below, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers once more.

Zhou Bai's display was visually more impressive than Li Yan's.

Monkey training, dog teasing, pole climbing, and tightrope walking were all skills the common folk had seen street performers demonstrate at temple fairs.

However, this ability to scale walls and traverse rooftops was something they found novel. Especially the way Zhou Bai left a trail of claw marks on the thick wooden planks wherever he went, which further amazed them.

Of course, the ignorant watched for the spectacle, while the knowledgeable observed the skill.

Only true martial artists understood the astonishing foundation Li Yan had showcased with his previous move.

These, naturally, were merely intermissions.

All attention soon shifted back to the arena.

There was a certain art to watching a spectacle.

Take, for example, a condemned prisoner at an execution. If they were simply beheaded without a word, it might send a chill down one's spine, but afterward, it would feel rather dull.

But if they cursed the Imperial Court, the corrupt officials, and the dog emperor while on the execution ground, perhaps even singing a song and proclaiming they'd be a hero again in eighteen years, that would be truly engaging.

Similarly, a martial arts bout required pre-fight taunts between the combatants.

It was like modern fighting matches, where the two rivals had to be put together, shoved a bit, to build up the atmosphere.

Therefore, the common folk held their breath, eyes wide, eager to see how the two would trade insults, ideally with some dramatic flair like in a play, perhaps even singing a few lines.

However, the stage disappointed them.

Li Yan and Zhou Bai merely sized each other up, their gazes cold and silent.

At this point, having stepped onto the Life and Death Arena, there was nothing left to say.

In Zhou Bai's eyes, this was just a country bumpkin who didn't know his place, using his father's reputation to try and gain fame by challenging the Zhou Family.

Li Yan, on the other hand, knew this debt with the Zhou Family could never be settled.

Setting aside past grievances, his father's death was also connected to Zhou Pan.

Even if the opponent wasn't the murderer, he was at least an accomplice.

The two men studied each other, searching for weaknesses.

Both were martial artists. Though young, they had trained rigorously since childhood and possessed an intimate understanding of the human body, able to discern from subtle signs if the other had recently sustained a serious injury.

A martial artist's body was as precious as gold.

It required not only training and fighting but also careful nurturing. A single misstep could halt their progress permanently, unless they found an unconventional path, like mastering a deadly technique such as the lone-arm saber.

The Life and Death Arena showed no mercy.

If an opponent's injury was detected, they were to be attacked relentlessly.

Seeing no obvious signs of injury, Zhou Bai saw no reason to wait any longer. He gave a slight bow and said coldly, "I've heard you're skilled in Red Fist?"

"Come, let's spar. Let's see how many guts you have to come to Xianyang and provoke my Zhou Family!"

As soon as he spoke, Zhou PeiDe, one of the Eight Great Vajras, his face changed drastically, and he slammed the table fiercely, "Nonsense!"

At this moment, everyone could see Zhou Bai's intention.

The Zhou Family's Monkey Fist was a sub-style of Red Fist. However, Zhou Pan had comprehended the Through-the-Back Monkey Fist, absorbing the strengths of both styles to forge his own formidable reputation.

As the parent style, Red Fist was naturally also practiced with great depth.

The arrogance of youth led him to abandon his advantage and attempt to suppress Li Yan with Red Fist.

This was completely different from the original plan.

A flicker of anger flashed in Yuan Qu's eyes, but he forcibly suppressed it and smiled, "Senior disciple brother, don't be angry. Zhou Bai has also put considerable effort into Red Fist. With his talent, defeating the opponent will be extremely easy."

"This is the Life and Death Arena! He's desperate to become famous!"

Zhou PeiDe remained furious and said angrily, "After we return, I will definitely put him under house arrest. And you, stop involving him in gang matters and stay away from Zhou Bai!"

He held himself in high regard. Although nominally fellow disciples with Yuan Qu and Zheng HeiBei, he looked down on them from the bottom of his heart, considering them mere subordinates of the Zhou Family.

His current outburst was naturally unrestrained.

"Yes, Senior disciple brother's reprimand is correct."

Yuan Qu quickly bowed, concealing the venom in his eyes.

Meanwhile, above, Zhou Bai had already launched his attack.

The ten-meter arena was not large. He exerted force with his feet, twisting his body to close the distance with Li Yan. His left palm flickered, and his right hand plunged directly towards Li Yan's face.

This move, White Tiger Washing Face, was derived from the Six Harmonies Spear, a style within Red Fist.

His arm moved like a spear flourish, creating mere blurs of motion. The attack aimed to catch the opponent off guard, striking directly at the eyes and the vital point of the brow.

This was the essence of Red Fist, martial arts derived from the battlefield, with every move designed to draw blood.

It was better to have one killer move than a hundred mediocre ones.

If this move was mastered, raising one's hand would be like a thunderous spear flourish, leaving the enemy no time to react. With blurred vision, they would meet their death.

However, Li Yan was already prepared.

He didn't dodge at all. With his left hand, he blocked and caught Zhou Bai's arm. Then, shifting his stance and twisting his body, he used the power of his waist and abdomen to bring his right fist down like a hammer from the air, aiming directly at Zhou Bai's Baihui acupoint on his head.

Red Fist's opening move: Intercepting Hammer!

It looked like Wild Fists, but it was a technique that defended and attacked simultaneously, neutralizing and striking in one motion.

If it hit, one punch could shatter the opponent's skull.

On the other hand, Zhou Bai, who had been sparred with by many masters since childhood, had more experience than Li Yan. With a slight sidestep, he twisted his body and shifted his stance. At the same time, he raised his arms, forming a cross with his fists, and locked onto Li Yan's right wrist.

"Not bad!"

Zhou PeiDe, watching from a distant restaurant, relaxed his expression.

Red Fist techniques originated from the battlefield, and this wrist lock was extremely important.

During battlefield combat, when both sides were in close quarters, a master only needed to gently guide the opponent's hand to make them lose balance and become an easy target.

The wrist lock worked similarly.

As long as the wrist was locked, various follow-up moves could be used to defeat the enemy.

As expected, while locking Li Yan's right wrist, Zhou Bai executed a side-kicking Groin Sweeping Kick, which was incredibly vicious.

Li Yan reacted just as quickly, countering with a side-thrust kick that pushed back the opponent's lower leg.

But the moment they made contact, he knew something was wrong.

Zhou Bai's kick was weak and lacked power, merely a feint.

As he raised his leg to counter, he was already standing on one leg, his balance compromised.

As anticipated, Zhou Bai smoothly sidestepped and bent down, directly grabbing Li Yan's knee pit. With his hands intertwined, he exerted sudden force.

Sword-Hanging Leg!

This move was fierce and could directly cause an enemy to lose their balance and fall, followed by a fatal blow.

It was precisely to defend against this move that Zhang ShiTong was sent flying by his Flower Hidden Beneath the Leaves.

Without any surprise, Li Yan fell backward.

Zhou Bai's follow-up move was swift, a spinning side kick, timed perfectly. Just as Li Yan's head was about to hit the ground, he would be kicked in the temple.

In this moment of crisis, Li Yan's extraordinary fundamental skills came into play.

He twisted his waist in mid-air, dodging Zhou Bai's side kick, and simultaneously used a scissor lock to trap the opponent's waist.

This time, the force was applied mid-air, making it impossible to lift and throw the opponent as he had at the Zhang Clan Martial Hall.

However, Red Fist had a specialized counter-attack for when one was on the ground, the "Nine Rolls Eighteen Falls."

Using Zhou Bai's waist for balance, Li Yan pushed off the ground with his left hand and executed a horizontal "Rabbit Kicking the Eagle," kicking Zhou Bai's leg.

Zhou Bai's experience in countering moves was rich, but perhaps due to overly strict training from childhood, his adaptability was lacking, making him somewhat rigid.

He didn't react to Li Yan's move and lost his balance.

Li Yan, with his left hand on the ground, his legs landing, and his body bent and exerting force, lunged forward.

This move was called Forcefully Pushing Mount Tai.

Like a fierce tiger pouncing, Li Yan grabbed Zhou Bai's waist, took a few steps, and then slammed the opponent to the ground, straddling his waist.

His fists rained down like a barrage of firecrackers.

What was worse, due to the narrowness of the arena, Li Yan's move pushed Zhou Bai to the edge of the platform, with his chest suspended in the air, making it difficult for him to exert force with his waist.

Facing this barrage of punches, Zhou Bai desperately protected his head, but even so, he took several hits, his vision blurring and blood gushing from his nose.

Li Yan's attacks were equally ruthless.

This series of rapid punches, if any one of them hit a vital spot, could break the opponent's neck.

Having fallen into a disadvantage in an instant, Zhou Bai desperately defended himself, a sense of fear rising within him, but more than that, anger.

He had intended to defeat the opponent with Red Fist, but he never expected Li Yan, who was younger than him, to have such seasoned and vicious techniques, causing him such humiliation in front of everyone.

Martial artists naturally possessed a fierce aura.

Zhou Bai, who practiced Monkey Fist, had a wild streak.

Anger mixed with pain caused him to disregard everything. He grabbed Li Yan's clothes and flipped over, causing both of them to roll off the arena.

Many of the onlookers gasped.

The previous flurry of attacks had left almost no room for maneuver. It was a head-on collision, fast as light, leaving them dazzled.

Unexpectedly, the situation had turned around in an instant.

A three-zhang high arena, wouldn't they be half-dead if they fell?

Of course, the martial artists in the crowd weren't worried.

Martial artists practiced basic skills from a young age, and rolling to dissipate force was a fundamental technique. Even falling from five zhang, they could roll and land safely.

Some masters, skilled in this art, even dared to jump from city walls.

They frowned because the rule of the arena was that falling off meant losing. Could it be that this match would end in a draw?

However, things took an unexpected turn.

Just as Zhou Bai fell, he shrank his body, revealing a monkey-like form. Then, with a grip of his claws, he managed to stop himself on the wooden wall at the side of the arena.

Li Yan's claw techniques weren't as good as his opponent's, but he had his own way of dealing with it.

He flicked his left hand, punched through the wooden plank, and grabbed the crack to stop himself. He looked at Zhou Bai opposite him, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

"What's up, wanna go back up and fight?"

"Fight my ass!"

Zhou Bai roared, and his body shot forward, pouncing like an ape