Cloud-Soothing Hand

Lin Jie saw this and wore a bitter smile, utterly helpless.

Judging from the strength and archery trials, the Flag Commander position was already beyond his reach. He was forty-eight this year and would retire in two years. He hadn't managed to leave his descendants a Flag Commander's post, and the thought filled him with regret.

The martial trial's rules were simple: contestants faced off in pairs on the platform. They couldn't use weapons, only fists and feet. The match ended when one side conceded or was knocked off the platform. Killing blows were strictly forbidden; anyone who broke the rule would be punished under military law for murdering a fellow soldier and beheaded on the spot.

How could they let the contestants kill one another during the trial?

The contestants and match order weren't fixed this time. Instead, everything was decided by a completely random draw.

By an incredible coincidence, the first person Lin Xuan drew was his second granduncle, Lin Jie.

"Third match: Lin Jie versus Lin Xuan!" the military officer shouted, his voice ringing across the platform.

"What? They're both surnamed Lin. Could they be from the same family?" The crowd below broke into chatter.

On the platform, Lin Xuan and Lin Jie faced each other.

Lin Jie said nothing. He simply prepared himself for the match.

"Are you going to let me knock you down, or will you get down yourself?" Lin Xuan thought helplessly as he watched Lin Jie refuse to surrender and even raise his hands into a fighting stance.

Does he have no idea how outmatched he is? My strength trial score was twice his. What's he got to be so confident about?

Lin Jie shook his head. "For my descendants' sake, so I can leave them a Flag Commander's position, I want to give it a try."

Lin Xuan shook his head. "Come on, don't say you're doing this for your descendants. If you really cared about them, why didn't you go to the battlefield and fight the enemy yourself? My family had three men conscripted. I expect your family did too.

"If you really care about them, why didn't you go north to fight the Qiangqu and earn military merit?"

Lin Jie lunged forward and shouted angrily, "Enough talk!"

Lin Xuan raised his hand and used Grand Ancestor Long Fist. His force was steady and balanced, but thanks to his overwhelming strength, Lin Jie felt the pain after their very first exchange.

His arm throbbed from the blow, but he gritted his teeth and held on.

Lin Xuan didn't want to waste any more time on him. The instant Lin Jie winced after their fists met, Lin Xuan grabbed his clothes and flung him straight off the platform.

He even threw him toward Lin Lu.

Lin Jie fell from the platform. Lin Lu hurried to catch him, only to be knocked flat beneath him, lying on his back as his vision spun.

Lin Xuan dusted off his hands. When he heard "Lin Xuan wins," he calmly stepped down from the platform.

In the matches that followed, he used Grand Ancestor Long Fist again to defeat his opponents.

He hadn't expended much strength. After he won his second match, his remaining opponents surrendered as soon as they stepped onto the platform.

They simply couldn't beat him. The gap was so vast it left them despairing.

While Lin Xuan waited below, he quietly watched Zhang Quan, hoping to see what moves he used in a fight so he could prepare in advance.

But the reality disappointed him. Zhang Quan's opponents also surrendered one after another. No one wanted to fight him. If even Lin Xuan, whose strength was slightly inferior to Zhang Quan's, was so difficult to deal with, they had even less chance against Zhang Quan.

Watching the Squad Leaders surrender one after another, the leather-armored officer gritted his teeth. "Bunch of good-for-nothings! This is only a sparring match, and no one's going to die or get hurt. They don't even have the guts to fight him!"

Soon, only Lin Xuan and Zhang Quan remained in this group of candidates for Flag Commander.

Everyone eagerly awaited their match. They wanted to see which of these two prodigies would come out on top!

The two stepped onto the platform and stood facing each other.

Lin Xuan's heartbeat quickened slightly. He steadied himself and assumed his starting stance.

At the military officer's signal, the red flag rose above his head, then swung down. The final match began.

Zhang Quan struck first, launching an attack on Lin Xuan. He swung a fist at Lin Xuan's face. Lin Xuan had barely raised an arm to block when Zhang Quan's next punch came crashing in.

Lin Xuan's arm throbbed. After all, they were both prodigies with over five hundred pounds of strength. It would've been strange if a close-range blow didn't hurt.

As Lin Xuan blocked again, he raised his knee to attack Zhang Quan's lower body. Zhang Quan reacted quickly and raised his own knee to meet Lin Xuan's, neutralizing the move.

In only a short time, they had exchanged several blows. Zhang Quan couldn't defeat Lin Xuan quickly or knock him off the platform.

But Lin Xuan's inferior strength put him at a slight disadvantage. He wasn't being completely overwhelmed, but he had no advantage at all.

What should I do? Grand Ancestor Long Fist has been around for hundreds of years. It's a little outdated in actual combat. It's impossible to beat him with this style. He's got me completely countered. After all, everyone in the military knows this basic fist technique, and figuring out how to counter it is a piece of cake.

From Lin Xuan's perspective, Zhang Quan was actually a little slow on the uptake.

If Grand Ancestor Long Fist is a little inferior, then I'll learn your fist technique. Let's see how you counter it! Lin Xuan's mind raced. With Sharp Eyes, he could observe Zhang Quan's movements in greater detail. Martial Prodigy let him learn moves faster, and Eidetic Memory let him remember the way Zhang Quan threw his punches.

A moment later, Lin Xuan threw a punch mimicking Zhang Quan's style. Zhang Quan hurriedly blocked it, but didn't notice anything amiss at first. Only when Lin Xuan threw another punch identical to one he had used earlier did Zhang Quan realize in horror that Lin Xuan was learning his fist technique—the Cloud-Soothing Hand!

The technique still looked a little rough, though.

But as they fought, Zhang Quan noticed something astonishing: Lin Xuan's imitation of his moves was growing more and more polished. He had even mastered the way Zhang Quan generated force, matching him exactly. Zhang Quan drew in a sharp breath.

He wasn't the only one who noticed. The Garrison's Thousand-Household Commander, the Hundred-Household Commanders, and the Flag Commanders had all seen it too.

Thousand-Household Commander Su couldn't stay seated any longer. He stood up and moved closer to the pair so he could watch them more carefully.

After watching for half the match, he couldn't help exclaiming, "Excellent, excellent! Learning an opponent's fist technique in the middle of a fight—I've never heard of anything like it. How could his martial talent be so incredible?"

Zhang Quan had no choice. If they kept stalemating, he wouldn't be able to win. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his breathing grew increasingly ragged.

Lin Xuan, by contrast, didn't seem tired. His breathing and steps were steady, and he showed no sign of being close to his limit.

This gave Zhang Quan a terrible headache. If he kept fighting, he might run out of strength. If he used the Cloud-Soothing Hand, Lin Xuan might learn his family's technique before Zhang Quan could defeat him.

What should I do? I'm caught between a rock and a hard place! His mind raced, but he still couldn't come up with a good solution.

His opponent's moves didn't stiffen, and his strength didn't falter. He looked as if he were on the verge of reaching the Breath-Connecting Realm.

In the end, Zhang Quan gritted his teeth and chose to use the final forms of the Cloud-Soothing Hand. He would end the fight quickly, catching Lin Xuan off guard and taking him down at once!