You Still Say You Don't Know Martial Arts?

That day.

The weather was clear, with not a cloud in sight for miles.

At a breakfast stall, Shen Zhou ate while asking, "A Dai, which place are we hitting today?"

A Dai had just downed a mouthful of spicy soup. He looked up, thought for a moment, and said, "The Mad Lion Martial Hall. That's the only one left in the south side we haven't kicked yet."

Shen Zhou finished his food in a few bites, stood up, wiped his mouth, and said, "Alright, since they're all south-side martial halls, we should treat them equally—leave none behind, keep it neat and tidy. Let's go grant them that honor. Move out!"

A Dai: "..."

What a "neat and tidy" indeed!

Inside the Mad Lion Martial Hall.

Tie Zhan sat with eyes closed at the head of the hall, already conserving his energy.

Beside him, the other twelve hall masters sat at the guest table, each with solemn expressions and cold, sharp gazes.

Today was a battle for the south side's honor. If even the Mad Lion Martial Hall lost, the south side's reputation in White Sheep County's martial arts circles would be utterly humiliated. In the future, whenever it came up, the east, west, and north side halls would mock them without mercy.

So this fight was about the south side's face. All twelve halls had to be present to show support.

They also wanted to see for themselves—when Tie Zhan dodged that sword strike according to plan, what would happen next?

And what expression would that brat have on his face then?

Just imagining that scene made them almost eager.

"He's here! The man's here!"

Suddenly, a disciple who had been watching at the door rushed in and shouted.

In an instant, Mad Lion opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within.

The other hall masters also shot to their feet, glaring toward the entrance.

Under the gaze of all eyes.

A figure stepped through the door first, three wooden swords hanging at his waist, followed closely by the three little ones.

Seeing the former, some gritted their teeth, some shook their heads and sighed, some sneered coldly to themselves... expressions varied.

"Oh? Why so many people?"

"Are you lot planning a group fight?"

The moment Shen Zhou entered and saw all twelve hall masters present, each looking at him with unfriendly eyes, he immediately grew alert and pulled out a wooden sword, gripping it in his hand.

As long as he had a sword in hand, he had the confidence to face any situation.

At that moment, Tie Zhan stepped forward and said, "You jest, young master. The hall masters have only come to support me and bear witness. They mean no harm."

Shen Zhou shrugged indifferently. "It's just one sword strike anyway. What's there to witness? Whatever, if they want to watch, let them watch. I'm in a hurry, so let's start now!"

These words drew angry glares from many disciples in the hall, all feeling Shen Zhou was far too arrogant!

On the other hand, Ma Hong and the other hall masters secretly rejoiced.

The more arrogant Shen Zhou was, the easier it would be for him to let his guard down. That would make it easier for Tie Zhan to succeed when they clashed.

Tie Zhan said nothing more, only made a "please" gesture. The two then took their positions on the training ground of the hall.

Behind him, A Dai, San Mazi, and Xi Mei had been following Shen Zhou for several days of hall-kicking by now. They could already watch his challenges calmly, no longer as nervous as the first time.

After all, as Shen Zhou himself said, it was just one sword strike.

Both sides were ready. Without anyone shouting a signal, the match naturally began.

In an instant, Tie Zhan's gaze sharpened. He struck first.

His blood energy exploded, his body burst into motion, and with a stomp of his foot, he shot toward Shen Zhou like an arrow.

Tie Zhan's plan was simple: close the distance, dodge that sword strike, then seize the opponent and win.

The most critical part of this was dodging that sword strike!

On the other side, Shen Zhou saw Tie Zhan move but paid it no mind.

He was already a "veteran hall-kicker." Based on his experience from kicking the previous twelve halls, as long as he swung his sword with enough range and enough killing power to leave no room for dodging, the opponent would have only one choice: muster all their blood energy to withstand the strike, then fall defeated and admit loss.

This trick had never failed.

So this time, Shen Zhou did the same. "Fall!"

Sword Qi slashed out horizontally, unmatched in sharpness, its aura nearly filling the entire training ground.

In that moment, the twelve hall masters clenched their fists involuntarily, tense. "Here it comes!"

The other disciples, seeing this, were struck speechless with awe.

This sword strike was too powerful!

Dodge left, and you couldn't. Dodge right, and you couldn't avoid it. There seemed to be no choice but to face it head-on.

And if you faced it head-on, you would definitely be severely injured and forced to surrender!

Just as all the disciples thought defeat was certain, Tie Zhan, at the critical moment, made a move that no one expected.

Just as the Sword Qi was about to strike, Tie Zhan suddenly threw himself to the ground, flattening out like a giant toad hugging the earth.

Though the move was inelegant, it let him narrowly dodge the Sword Qi whizzing overhead.

"He dodged it!"

"A perfect chance!"

"Quick, now!"

Seeing Tie Zhan truly evade that sword strike, the twelve hall masters who had been tense with worry burst into excited shouts, as if they themselves were the ones in the arena.

Shen Zhou stared blankly at Tie Zhan, who had dodged the sword by lying flat on the ground.

Can't find the book title? Try searching the author—maybe it just got renamed!

There's actually a trick like this?

The sound of a wooden sword breaking followed.

Then a wave of unease washed over him.

Sensing something was wrong, Shen Zhou's face changed. "Damn, not good!"

In the blink of an eye.

Just as Shen Zhou reached for the second wooden sword at his waist, Tie Zhan seized the moment. Like a bird taking flight, he leaped up, then lunged forward. Once in front of Shen Zhou, he instantly grabbed the latter's right hand, twisted it behind his back, and locked it tight with a small joint-lock technique.

Tie Zhan's face lit up with excitement. "I've got you!"

"..."

At that moment, A Dai, San Mazi, and Xi Mei finally changed expressions.

This was the first time they had ever seen anyone dodge Shen Zhou's wooden sword and actually capture the sword's owner!

This is bad!

Shen Zhou's right hand was locked, and panic stirred in his heart—this was the first time such a thing had happened. But luckily, he kept his wits amid the chaos. With his right hand trapped, he used his left to reach for the wooden sword at his waist.

If he could draw it with his left hand, he'd still be invincible.

But the moment his left hand touched the hilt, Ma Hong's voice rang out urgently from off the field. "Watch out—don't let him draw the sword with his left hand!"

Warned, Tie Zhan's heart jumped. He quickly grabbed Shen Zhou's left arm, pinning it so he couldn't move.

And ever since he had caught Shen Zhou, he could clearly feel that the terrifying aura that had surged from Shen Zhou earlier had completely vanished, as if he were holding nothing more than an ordinary youth.

"So you really only have that one sword technique. Now that you're caught, won't you admit defeat?"

Tie Zhan's eyes blazed with joy.

Think about it—all twelve hall masters south of the city lost to this kid. It's the talk of the whole town.

And now, I've beaten him. What a spotlight this will be!

Tie Zhan could already imagine that after this battle, the Mad Lion Martial Hall would become famous throughout White Sheep County, perhaps even overshadowing the three second-rate martial halls in the county seat for a time.

But before Tie Zhan could bask in the glory for two seconds, a warrior's instinct made him sense something off.

At some point, the youth in his grasp had stopped struggling. Yet the aura from when he had drawn the wooden sword suddenly flared up again—and this time, it was even more terrifying than before.

"How can this be..."

Tie Zhan frowned, a bad feeling creeping in.

At that moment, Shen Zhou, whose arm was still locked but whose left hand had already grasped the wooden sword, turned his head and grinned at Tie Zhan behind him. With a calm like watching clouds drift across the sky, he said, "Actually, I should thank you. If you hadn't pulled that sneak attack, I wouldn't have realized that the so-called 'invincible with a sword' means that as long as I have a sword in hand, I'm unmatched in the world!

Whether it's the right hand or the left...

Or even—as long as the sword is in my hand, I don't need to swing it, I don't need to use it. I am already 'invincible'!"

Just as Tie Zhan was pondering what that meant, Shen Zhou's aura exploded outward, its momentum like a fierce, unstoppable tiger.

Tie Zhan was instantly blasted backward by the overwhelming force.

"What?"

"How?"

"How is this possible?"

Seeing Shen Zhou, who had just been subdued but now broke free in an instant, the twelve hall masters were stunned.

How could a sure victory turn around so suddenly?

Someone in the crowd seemed to realize something and said, "No, we were wrong. Since his Sword Qi is that strong, he must be a 'Transformation Realm' expert. Even if he doesn't draw his sword, his sheer formidable Yuan power alone isn't something we can easily withstand. We were all fooled into thinking he only had that one sword technique—that stopping him from drawing would turn the tables.

Sigh, in the end, it's a gap in strength. What can we do?"

The others' faces turned complicated.

Had we been ants trying to shake a tree from the very start?

By then, Tie Zhan had steadied himself. His face flushed red and white, and his internal energy churned. That last move from Shen Zhou was only meant to break free, so it hadn't done him much harm.

He composed himself, unwilling to give in. "No, I won't admit defeat. This martial hall is my life's work. As long as I'm still standing, I can't surrender. And even if he's 'Transformation Realm,' so what? He has no real combat experience. I dodged his first sword, I can dodge his second, his third... Just give me one more chance, and this time, I won't leave him any opening!"

The battle had shifted several times, everything happening too fast.

By this point, Shen Zhou had already extricated himself. As he looked back at the expressions of everyone in the hall, he understood everything in an instant.

These hall masters hadn't come to serve as witnesses at all—they had clearly conspired together to devise this ambush, then wanted to watch with their own eyes how he would be defeated.

But unfortunately, they had ultimately underestimated the power of the 'Trait.'

With that thought, Shen Zhou swept his gaze over Tie Zhan and the twelve hall masters, then gave a faint smile. "So you all thought that my previous victories over you relied solely on the strength of one sword strike. My fault—I was too lazy before and didn't let you see my true capabilities. Well then, now I'll show you my real power!"

These words sent a jolt through every hall master present.

Then, everyone saw Shen Zhou suddenly put his left hand—the one holding the sword—behind his back, and face Tie Zhan with his right palm.

The latter's expression stiffened.

No sword?

He then focused completely, muscles tensed, searching for an opening.

But the next moment, Shen Zhou let out a soft shout. "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms!"

Ooo...

In an instant, the room was filled with dragon roars, and dragon shadows were everywhere.

Everyone inside was horrified. "There is actually such a miraculous palm technique in this world?"

The three little ones also stared wide-eyed at Shen Zhou.