One Move

Chen Yue turned his head and met Zhou Qi's bloodshot, hate-filled eyes.

Zhou Qi practically ground the words out between his teeth, making no effort to hide his menace. "Kid, you've got some nerve. Instead of staying out at sea, diving for mussels and harvesting pearls, you actually dared come here. Who gave you the gall?"

Chen Yue furrowed his brow but didn't get angry. He merely replied coolly, "The court opened the Martial Examination to recruit talent from all walks of life. It never expressly forbade Pearl Households from taking part. I signed up according to the rules. What's there to call audacious?"

"The rules?"

Zhou Qi looked as if he'd heard a joke. His mouth twisted into a crooked grin, and paired with his cold gaze, it made him look especially savage. "In Hepu, the rules for you Pearl Folk are simple: you do as you're told!

"You want to talk to me about the court's rules? After today's County Examination, I'll go back and have the gang teach you a good lesson about rules! Then we'll see whether that mouth of yours is harder than your bones!"

Zhou Qi paused and leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "Or maybe... that pair of old fossils at home have bones as hard as yours? Hm?"

Crack!

Chen Yue's hand, hanging at his side, clenched so hard that his knuckles gave a sharp pop. He whipped around and fixed his gaze on Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi met Chen Yue's stare with a feral grin, his eyes alight with vengeful glee and wild hatred. "What? You want to fight? When you killed my brother, did you ever think that I, his little brother, would tear your whole family apart and feed you to the fish?"

Chen Yue forcibly suppressed the churning blood in his veins and took a deep breath. His voice was low as he said, "Your brother's death had nothing to do with me. I didn't even know him, and I have no idea what happened that night!"

"Heh!"

Zhou Qi sneered, his gaze venomous. "I don't need you to admit it. I suspect you, and that's enough! So cherish what little time you have left to prance around on the arena. Once you leave this place, I'll have plenty of ways to make you remember what you ought to remember."

Chen Yue said nothing, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Zhou Qi sized up Chen Yue's taut body and sneered. "Or you could wait until the County Examination ends, then take that pair of old fossils—your parents—and run as far as you can. We'll see whether your legs are faster or the Sea Shark Gang's blades are. Want to try?"

Chen Yue no longer responded to Zhou Qi's provocation. He knew that any words would be futile now.

He forced himself to focus once more on the arena ahead, but Zhou Qi's threat against his parents pricked at his heart like a poisonous thorn. The chill within him deepened, and his desire to grow stronger and his resolve to deal with this threat once and for all surged wildly.

When Zhou Qi saw that Chen Yue wasn't answering, he snorted and said no more. But like a shadow that wouldn't leave, he remained close by, glaring at Chen Yue with a snake's venomous stare.

The matches in the practice yard continued one after another. Some were drawn-out struggles between evenly matched opponents; others ended quickly in one-sided defeats. The sounds of fists and feet colliding, shouts, bodies hitting the ground, and the Official of Records announcing decisions rose and fell in succession.

About half an hour later, the Official of Records called out again:

"Hand-to-hand match: Chen Yue, Number Five of the Wu Division, versus Zhao Kui, Number Nine of the Geng Division! Enter the arena!"

Chen Yue's gaze sharpened. He parted the crowd and strode toward the designated arena.

His opponent was a burly man already waiting on the platform. Nearly eight feet tall, he stood more than a head above most people, with broad shoulders, a thick back, and a face full of coarse flesh. He looked imposing enough to frighten anyone.

He watched Chen Yue step onto the platform and took in the difference in their builds. A contemptuous smile spread across his face as he squeezed his fists, each as large as a ceramic wine jar. His knuckles crackled loudly.

On the arena, Chen Yue stood opposite the burly Zhao Kui.

Yet Chen Yue's attention wasn't entirely on his opponent. His gaze first swept the area below the platform, where it met Zhou Qi's eyes, full of malice and watchful intent.

Then the corner of Chen Yue's eye drifted, almost involuntarily, toward the other side of the practice yard, where the Iron Mountain Hall members stood.

Yu Kan and Ma Jun were looking this way, and the composed, middle-aged man before them seemed to be watching too.

That middle-aged man... Yu Kan and Ma Jun are so respectful to him. He might be Zhou Jingfeng, the master of Iron Mountain Hall. The thought flashed through Chen Yue's mind.

"Begin!"

The Official of Records had barely finished shouting when Zhao Kui, already primed to attack, saw that Chen Yue seemed distracted. Delighted, he charged forward with his massive frame like a wild bull, his right leg kicking out with a fierce gust of wind toward Chen Yue's chest.

Someone below the arena gasped, as if already picturing Chen Yue being kicked off the platform.

But just as the forceful kick was about to land, Chen Yue's head, which had seemed turned elsewhere, snapped back.

His steps skimmed over the ground like ripples across water. With a light shift in that narrow space, the essence of Roaming Mountains and Rivers' Flow with the Current moved through him naturally.

Zhao Kui's seemingly sure-footed kick brushed past Chen Yue's clothes and missed. His tremendous force found nowhere to land, driving him even farther forward and leaving his center wide open.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Yue didn't retreat. Instead, he borrowed the force of Zhao Kui's charge, twisting at the waist and sliding into his embrace. It was Roaming Mountains and Rivers' close-in footwork, designed to press in and strike at close quarters. In an instant, the two were nearly face to face.

Zhao Kui's vision blurred. His opponent had already slipped inside his guard. In alarm, he instinctively tried to clamp his arms around Chen Yue and seize him.

But Chen Yue was faster. He held his right hand flat like a blade and gently pressed his palm against the center of Zhao Kui's heavily muscled chest.

Thump!

A strangely muffled impact rang out. Zhao Kui felt an irresistible force pierce into him from his chest. His massive body, still surging forward, abruptly halted, then completely lost its balance and toppled helplessly backward.

Chen Yue didn't withdraw his hand. Instead, he followed the momentum of Zhao Kui's fall, pressing down and pushing him away.

Boom!

Zhao Kui's weighty body, over two hundred pounds, crashed onto the arena's hardwood floor like a toppled earthen wall. The heavy impact shook the entire platform, and dust flew into the air.

Zhao Kui's chest felt so tight from the fall that he nearly lost his breath. Golden stars danced before his eyes. He struggled to lift his upper body and looked up at Chen Yue, who stood right in front of him. His eyes were full of shock and bewilderment.

What had happened? How had he ended up on his back? Had his opponent merely given him a light pat? Then what was that irresistible force?

It was precisely because he had no idea how he'd been defeated that Zhao Kui felt so horrified.

If his opponent had wanted to kill him, that palm could have landed on his throat or heart... He shuddered and didn't dare think any further.

"I concede!" Zhao Kui shouted.

"You were merciful!" Chen Yue stepped back and gave a slight fist-and-palm salute.

After a brief silence, a suppressed wave of gasps and chatter erupted below the arena.