Facing Off Against Thunder Hand

The moon had risen high, yet the practice hall still rang with a steady stream of noise. Footsteps and the sound of fists cutting through the air blended together, while shouts burst like thunder.

Clearly, even this late at night, someone was still diligently practicing the Liu family's ancestral martial art, Thunder Hand.

And it was obvious who that person was—the one and only Liu Zhengde.

"Is that my nephew, Liu Tian?" Liu Tian hadn't made any effort to quiet his footsteps, so Liu Zhengde easily recognized him. "It's so late. Why aren't you asleep?"

"Martial artists are full of energy. It's not time for me to sleep yet." Liu Tian pushed open the door and entered. Liu Zhengde wore a blue practice uniform, soaked through with sweat and clinging to his clearly defined muscles. He looked as though he'd been practicing for quite some time.

"Oh, I forgot—you're aiming to become the greatest under heaven, nephew?" Liu Zhengde said with a smile. "That's certainly an ambitious goal."

"Not the greatest under heaven." Liu Tian waved the door shut and walked farther inside. "I want to be the greatest in the heavens, too."

"Care to spar?" Seeing Liu Tian close the door, Liu Zhengde invited him with the vigor of a man who was old but still full of life. "It's been a long time since I've fought anyone."

"Second Uncle, you're no match for me. If we fight, you'll definitely lose." Liu Tian gave his assessment calmly, not sparing his uncle's feelings just because they were family.

When it came to martial arts, Liu Tian had learned from Tian Dao that one was one and two was two. If someone wasn't a match, then he wasn't a match.

After all, if he was merely being polite and Second Uncle misjudged his strength, the damage he took might end up being worse.

"Quite the confidence. Then let's see whether you really have the strength to back it up, nephew."

Before Liu Tian could answer, Liu Zhengde stepped forward and threw a punch. It came like rolling thunder, fast as lightning—three times faster than Liu Tian's own strike.

But greater speed didn't mean anything by itself!

Facing this probing attack, Liu Tian seemed to have anticipated it. He took a light step back and raised a palm. Though he was much slower than Liu Zhengde, he lifted the incoming fist at exactly the right moment. Then he bent his knee and raised his leg, neatly intercepting Liu Zhengde's side kick.

Bang!!!

Before Liu Zhengde could react, Liu Tian—whose body had long since developed reflexes from being beaten by Tian Dao—instinctively seized the opening. Using both hands and feet, he immediately threw Liu Zhengde off balance for the second time, finishing with a perfect shoulder throw.

"I told you, Second Uncle—you'd lose." Liu Tian shrugged as he looked at Liu Zhengde, who had been "gently" tossed to the ground.

He'd been instantly defeated by Liu Tian, whom he'd just met, all because he'd underestimated him. Though Liu Tian had held back at the last moment, leaving him unharmed, Liu Zhengde's pride had taken a bit of a hit.

That was exactly why Liu Zhengde got serious. He took a deep breath, then shook his whole body. The beads of sweat that had covered his skin flew off at once, shooting toward the floor like arrows. A tiny lightning-shaped mark appeared on his forehead—the unmistakable sign of a fighter.

A battle crest!

"I didn't expect you to have some real skill, nephew. You've already become a Martial Artist, haven't you? But your uncle is a fighter." Liu Zhengde's expression turned solemn as he assumed a fighting stance. "That first round didn't count. Let's go again."

"The result will be the same." Liu Tian shrugged. Thanks to the teachings of his father, Liu Yun, and his master, Tian Dao, he'd already grasped the essence of Thunder Hand during their brief exchange. "Thunder Hand isn't some top-tier Secret Martial Art to begin with. It's far below the martial arts I practice. You're a fighter, Second Uncle, so your attacks are definitely faster and heavier than mine. But in every other way, you're too slow. And it seems like you haven't fought anyone in a long time. Your moves are too predictable."

"I've never practiced Thunder Hand, but Father taught me some of it. So before you even make a move, I already know what you're going to do."

"Just like before. When you were about to lift your leg, I already knew you'd throw a left punch and kick with your right. In that situation, you can't beat me."

"Enough talk. Your uncle just let his guard down, that's all." Liu Zhengde's face reddened as he spoke. "How could a fighter like me lose to a kid like you? Again!"

"Sure." Though Liu Zhengde was still a whole realm above him, Liu Tian stayed alert. Who knew? Maybe his uncle had some trump card.

Besides, showing how strong he was would make him more persuasive later.

A weak person's roar only made others lament how difficult it was for people to understand one another. But a strong person's quiet words were enough to make countless people ponder—and shake the world.

"Thunder Hand, Liu Zhengde!" Now that they were about to fight for real, Liu Zhengde set aside his role as Liu Tian's uncle and treated him as an opponent. He introduced himself seriously, retaining a trace of a martial artist's pure spirit. "Fighter."

"Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, Liu Tian." Liu Tian didn't use his father's preferred name for him, Liu Wentian. He took up a stance as well. "The 'Tian' in 'greatest under heaven.' Almost a fighter."

Without stopping to wonder why Liu Tian hadn't followed the family genealogy when choosing his name, Liu Zhengde focused on just one thought: knock Liu Tian down and reestablish his dignity as his uncle! Everything else could wait until after the fight!

But would things go as he wished?

Liu Zhengde didn't consider the possibility of losing. The instant he saw what he thought was an opening, he let out a shout and attacked!

Though Tian Dao had rated Thunder Hand as third-rate, it had still caught his eye and served as the Liu family's ancestral Secret Martial Art for a reason.

This time, Liu Zhengde's attack was clearly different. His speed, already superior to Liu Tian's, increased even further. His shout rang out like thunder, seizing the initiative before his fist even landed.

Having trained Thunder Hand to the fighter level, Liu Zhengde displayed its essence perfectly: charging like thunder, swift as lightning. The sound of his punches drove his movements faster, his cries grew louder, and his imposing presence became more forceful.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Liu Zhengde's fist was already in front of Liu Tian's face. Its weight and speed lived up to the thunder in its name.

But just as Liu Tian had said, Liu Zhengde's moves were too predictable. Before he even raised his hand, Liu Tian already knew what he was thinking.

Liu Zhengde had gotten serious and displayed a punch speed far beyond Liu Tian's, but it still wasn't fast enough to keep Liu Tian from reacting.

Facing the attack, Liu Tian simply leaned aside at just the right moment. The fist grazed his cheek. He resisted the urge to knock Liu Zhengde down with a single Heart Severing Path move, raised his shoulder to lift Liu Zhengde's fist, then threw a punch.

Heavenly Martial Killing Dao: Twin Divine Dragons.

He didn't need to punch faster than Liu Zhengde. He only needed to move faster than Liu Zhengde could retreat. Liu Tian had already built up his power, and his strike landed at once, knocking Liu Zhengde away.

"See, Second Uncle? I told you it wouldn't work." Liu Tian even had enough breath to talk during the fight.

"Ha!" Liu Zhengde had no interest in replying. Since Heart Severing Path hadn't interrupted his recovery, he let out a shout and attacked again.

Liu Tian hadn't managed to bait Liu Zhengde into a conversation, but he didn't get discouraged. Relying on his faster overall movement, better coordination, and familiarity with Thunder Hand, he intercepted Liu Zhengde's fist midway once more.

But this time was different. Liu Zhengde took a hit and forced a punch-for-punch exchange with Liu Tian. Then, before he'd even regained his stance, he charged in again with a shout.

They fought fire with fire, trading blows more than ten times in a short span. Their fists grew faster and faster, colliding again and again.

After only a couple of exchanges, Liu Zhengde realized that Liu Tian hadn't been exaggerating. If they fought head-on with room to maneuver, he wasn't Liu Tian's match. But since they were already fighting, Liu Zhengde wanted to win!

And how could he win? Once he ruled out his quick-draw revolver technique, he could think of only one way: exploit his higher realm, faster punches, and greater striking power to hurt Liu Tian, who didn't want to hit him too hard. He'd force Liu Tian into a direct exchange, build an advantage, exploit an opening, and secure victory.

Liu Zhengde didn't think he was bullying Liu Tian by relying on his advantages. He was simply making sensible use of them. Thunder Hand was meant to be used with firearms and other tools, after all. With the right equipment, his combat power would at least triple.

If he used the quick-draw revolver technique he knew so well, Liu Zhengde was confident he could empty the cylinder in 0.1 seconds and send Liu Tian straight to the floor.

The fact that he hadn't used a firearm already meant he was going easy on Liu Tian. In that case, taking a little advantage as the older man was only fair.

But did heavier, faster punches necessarily mean you'd win in a punching match? What kind of logic was that?

Boom, boom, boom! Bang, bang, bang!

The sound of fists and palms colliding rang through the training hall. As time passed, Liu Zhengde realized that his fists were gradually going numb. Before he knew it, he'd fallen behind.

This wasn't going according to plan at all.

Though Liu Tian hadn't broken through to become a fighter, the comprehensive growth he'd gained from practicing the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao had made his fists harder and his recovery faster. He repeatedly struck first despite moving second, intercepting Liu Zhengde's attacks midway. He wasn't afraid of trading blows at all.

Before Liu Zhengde could think of a solution, nearly a hundred exchanges had passed. Spotting an opening, Liu Tian unleashed If I Were Emperor. He raised his left hand to knock aside Liu Zhengde's numbed, slowed fist, then turned his right hand from a palm into a fist and struck Liu Zhengde's vital point.

"Fall!"

"Ugh!" Liu Zhengde's shout was cut off in his throat by the punch. With a cry, he flew backward and crashed heavily to the ground.

Liu Tian stood motionless as a strange inspiration surfaced in his mind. It was as though he'd moved a little closer to some unknown boundary.

He hadn't used Heart Severing Path or even Heavenly Martial Killing Dao. Instead, he'd defeated Liu Zhengde with the Heavenly Martial Fist, and that had unexpectedly given him a flash of insight, bringing him one step closer to becoming a fighter.

Liu Tian suddenly understood. If he had another two or three hundred fights like this, he might break through naturally, without having to work too hard.

Damn it.

He shook his head, driving the absurd thought from his mind. Time was short. Two or three hundred fights would take at least two years, and with that much time, he could break through on his own.

Fighting was just too slow a way to improve...