Two Consecutive Losses (Bonus Chapter Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

"He's too arrogant! I can't take it anymore, someone get out there and take him down!"

"To strike with such cruelty and then spout such nonsense—do they really think Kaishan Martial Hall is empty?"

"A mere Grade D-Upper aptitude daring to be this insolent? Is there no Grade C-Upper senior brother here to show him the gap in our levels?"

The outer-court disciples of Kaishan Martial Hall were in an uproar, filled with righteous indignation.

They were already displeased with Chen Yuan's character, and now that he was slapping all of them in the face in public, it instantly ignited collective fury.

Hong Tao narrowed his eyes slightly, a sense of dissatisfaction rising in his heart as well.

After weighing his options, he spoke up:

"Brother Chen Yuan, for a Grade D-Upper aptitude to reach this level in such a short time, your comprehension must be exceptionally high. Since that is the case, I shall have a Grade C-Lower disciple spar with you. He has only been practicing martial arts for a little over two months. What do you think?"

Chen Yuan had declared his aptitude and training duration, clearly setting limits so as not to face an opponent too strong for him.

But Hong Tao knew in his heart that they could not afford to lose this match, or it would damage the martial hall's morale.

He had no choice but to use the excuse of comprehension to send out a junior brother with a higher chance of victory; that way, it would at least be justifiable.

Chen Yuan cupped his hands slightly: "I have no objections to Senior Brother Hong Tao's arrangements."

"Good." Hong Tao nodded and beckoned a disciple over: "Hu Feng, you will conduct this match against Brother Chen Yuan."

As they brushed past each other, he whispered a few words: "Do not be careless. His Six Harmonies Mind Boxing is not weak. Use your qi and blood to suppress him; if you drag it out, you will surely win."

Hu Feng nodded heavily.

At this moment, amidst the deafening clamor, a figure with white whiskers slowly paced forward. His face was square, and he carried an air of natural authority.

It was none other than the current master of Kaishan Martial Hall, Shi Yue.

Hong Tao, possessing keen eyesight, was about to move to greet him, but was stopped by a single look.

He hadn't expected to disturb his master; he shook his head, hoping Hu Feng could win the fight.

Tao Ping's expression grew grave.

Although it was Chen Kai who had struck with cruelty in the first match, they were the ones who had come to challenge, and leaving a martial hall disciple beaten to the point of collapse or unconsciousness did carry a hint of provocation.

And Chen Yuan's arrogant and flamboyant warm-up remarks had undoubtedly provoked the dissatisfaction of the martial hall disciples.

Today's visit, I fear, will not end well.

In the long run, offending Kaishan Martial Hall would bring a hundred harms and perhaps not a single benefit to his martial path.

What puzzled him even more was that, given Chen Yuan's personality, he shouldn't have been capable of such high-profile behavior.

Could it be that, after all, it was just the impetuousness of youth, acting out once the occasion called for it?

Tao Ping shook his head and sighed inwardly.

In the arena, the sparring began once more.

Hu Feng was on high alert, going all out from the start. He unleashed his Stone-Splitting Palm, the sound of wind whistling with every strike.

It was completely different from the half-baked efforts of Chen Kai.

He grew more comfortable the longer he fought, and the passionate cheers of the martial hall disciples made his blood boil, driving him to fight with increasing ferocity.

He spent the entire match suppressing the arrogant Chen Yuan, eventually knocking him back with a punch. As the words "I concede" fell, he won the bout.

"I have learned much," Chen Yuan said, waving his sleeves and cupping his hands.

"You are too kind," Hu Feng said, holding his head high, the self-satisfaction in his eyes nearly overflowing.

To defeat an enemy who had come to provoke the martial hall in front of everyone, to avenge his junior brother, to raise the prestige of the hall, and to be admired by all—

At this moment, Hu Feng was in high spirits, feeling as if he were floating on air.

He had never felt this good; if only Master could see this...

Just as he thought this, he actually saw his master's figure behind the crowd, with disciples already bowing to greet him.

With the timing, the location, and the people all on his side, he felt absolutely heroic. He felt no different from the protagonist of a storybook!

The only regret was that he hadn't been able to beat Chen Yuan until he fell to the ground spitting blood, which would have been truly satisfying.

Yet, as soon as he thought of this, he noticed something was off...

He looked back sharply, only to see Chen Yuan sitting cross-legged and regulating his breath with a calm expression, showing not a hint of the frustration or anger that comes with defeat.

Tao Ping crossed his arms and shook his head with a faint smile, seemingly having understood something.

The breathing exercise ended.

Chen Yuan stood up to continue the challenge. Hong Tao gave him a meaningful look and arranged the next opponent.

This opponent was also of Grade C-Lower aptitude and had been practicing for just over two months.

However, he was slightly weaker than Hu Feng.

The battle began, and the opponent's offensive was fierce and relentless, leaving one breathless. Chen Yuan panted, retreating step by step, and after struggling to hold on, he helplessly conceded, losing the match.

The outer-court disciples of Kaishan Martial Hall were overjoyed! It was as if they were waving flags and shouting, celebrating their victory.

Two wins out of three—Kaishan Martial Hall had the upper hand!

Amidst the celebrations, there was naturally no shortage of mockery and ridicule directed at Chen Yuan.

Comments about him being nothing special, fragile, and needing to tuck his tail between his legs from now on were all thrown his way, venting all the pent-up frustration in their hearts.

Chen Yuan also displayed a timely expression of unwillingness and annoyance as he walked toward Hong Tao, sighing, "Senior Brother Hong Tao, your hall's Stone-Splitting Palm is truly fierce and unmatched. I, Chen Yuan, concede defeat. I must return to reflect and hone my skills, so I shall not disturb you further."

Hong Tao patted his shoulder, saying meaningfully, "Brother Chen Yuan is quite an interesting fellow. Let me see you out."

He had already realized that this kid had been acting during the last two matches.

Was he really here just to beat up Chen Kai?

It was truly a case of making a whole dumpling feast just for a saucer of vinegar.

However, he did not expose him; it was better this way for both sides.

Let the grudges be settled on the spot.

After seeing the two off, Hong Tao returned to report to his master, Shi Yue.

The two chatted as they walked.

"Master, what do you think the odds would be if Chen Yuan and Hu Feng really fought?" Hong Tao asked.

Although he knew Chen Yuan had intentionally conceded, he still had confidence in Hu Feng.

"Ten to zero," Shi Yue snorted with dissatisfaction. "If you can't even tell if your opponent is using their full strength, what kind of martial arts are you practicing?"

Hong Tao shook his head and chuckled.

That was true, but Junior Brother Hu had been under immense pressure at the time, so it was understandable; he should have realized something afterward.

"At such a young age, instead of learning what's good, he hides his strength. He has no sharpness at all," Shi Yue complained about Chen Yuan again.

"But for someone with Grade D-upper aptitude to train Huo Lin's Six Harmonies Mind Boxing to this level in a month and a half, even if Hu Feng could fight him to a draw now, he would still be the one who lost."

He then changed the subject to discuss other matters concerning the martial hall.

A Huo Academy disciple with Grade D-upper aptitude was not enough to capture his attention.

He had heard, however, that the old ghost Huo Lin had taken on a personal disciple with Grade B-upper aptitude—Xu Heng, was it?

On the way back to Huo Academy.

Tao Ping laughed, "Junior Brother Chen, I thought you were going to fight them to the death. I didn't expect you to have planned this all along."

One win and two losses were both acceptable outcomes.

Chen Yuan replied helplessly, "My skills were indeed inferior, and my status is low. I'm not foolish enough to show off on someone else's turf."

If he had won all three matches, he was certain he would have invited trouble and might not have even been able to walk out of the gates of Kaishan Martial Hall.

The two consecutive losses that followed were a strategy he had devised long ago.

In any case, he had only one goal: to cripple Chen Kai.

Breaking a few of his ribs meant he would inevitably be bedridden for some time.

This was enough for Chen Yuan to build up his strength and widen the gap.

Acting like he was just warming up and showing off was also a strategy; since defeating Chen Kai had already provoked that group of disciples, being high-profile meant they would feel more satisfied when he was defeated later, and they wouldn't take someone who left in defeat twice in a row seriously.

While it was impossible to have no impact at all, he had minimized it as much as possible.

Tao Ping gave a mocking smile, a flash of light in his eyes: "Junior Brother Chen, you are too modest. The progress you've made in the Six Harmonies Mind Boxing has truly surprised me."

Being able to retreat unscathed while facing the fierce, relentless attacks of two disciples practicing the Stone-Splitting Palm was enough to prove Chen Yuan's strength.