Useless Trash

The moment Chen Wang was knocked off the platform, Xu Qing had already rushed over.

Chen Wang lay on the ground, his face deathly pale, his lips utterly bloodless.

He clutched his chest and gasped in great heaving breaths, his breathing rasping like a bellows. There was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth—not much, but glaringly conspicuous.

Xu Qing crouched down. His hand reached halfway out, then stopped. He did not know where to touch, afraid of pressing an injury and hurting Chen Wang.

Self-reproach flashed through his eyes. He regretted not stopping Chen Wang. When Chen Wang had tugged at his sleeve just now, he should have said, "I'll go," right away instead of hesitating for that instant. In that single instant, Chen Wang had gone onto the platform and taken that punch.

Ning Yun came over as well.

He crouched on Chen Wang's other side, gently pressed his fingers against Chen Wang's chest, then checked his pulse, his movements exceedingly light.

He closed his eyes and sensed it for a few breaths. When he opened them, he let out a sigh of relief. Though the pulse was disordered, it had roots beneath it, deep and strong. No bones were broken, and the internal organs should not have suffered any serious harm either.

Ning Yun nodded slightly at Xu Qing. "It's not a serious injury. Don't worry."

Chen Wang coughed twice and spat out a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva. He forced out a smile uglier than tears. "I... I'm fine. Junior Brother Xu, don't go up. You can't beat him..."

Xu Qing said nothing, merely helped him up.

He glanced at Xue Guang, the constable maintaining order. Xue Guang understood and turned to fetch a bench from the side room. Together, the two helped Chen Wang sit down.

Xu Qing released him and straightened up. There was no expression on his face. Ignoring Chen Wang and Ning Yun's attempts to dissuade him, he simply turned toward the square platform and walked over, one step at a time.

The mocking laughter from upstairs and downstairs continued.

Those voices buzzed like flies, swarming in from every direction. Some were shrill, some low; some carried laughter, others concealed barbs.

"Does the Zhao Family Martial Hall have anyone who can fight? Two went up, and each was weaker than the last. The Zhao Family Martial Hall truly has no one left!"

"Who's this guy? He looks unfamiliar."

"Who cares who he is? If he can take one punch without falling, he'll count as impressive. The Zhao Family Martial Hall's face today is probably impossible to pick back up."

At the main table on the second floor, Lu Chuan held a teacup, his gaze settling on Xu Qing. His eyes shifted slightly—not in surprise, but more like... a reassessment.

County Magistrate Lin Hanshan noticed Lu Chuan's change. He gave Xu Qing a glance, found him unfamiliar, and frowned as he turned toward Yu Tai, seated below him.

Yu Tai hurriedly leaned over, lowering his voice as he spoke quickly. "My lord, this man is named Xu Qing, Zhao Yan's newly accepted personal disciple."

He knew everything about his mortal enemy's affairs. Leaning closer, he lowered his voice further. "Zhao Yan claims to the public that he has middling-to-poor bone structure, yet accepted him as a personal disciple. It's plainly a case of hiding silver underground with no three hundred taels here."

Curling his lip, he added, "Zhao Yan struck it lucky and netted a good seedling. This Xu Qing broke through to Bright Force in twenty days."

Lin Hanshan's eyes widened slightly. Yu Tai hurriedly added, "Rest assured, my lord. Even if he is a good seedling, he has trained in martial arts for only a very short time."

"At most, a little over two months. He is no more than Bright Force Minor Accomplishment now." Yu Tai lowered his voice again, so low that only the county magistrate could hear. "He has some talent, but if he cannot grow, he is nothing. I have already instructed my disciples—"

He did not finish, but Lin Hanshan already understood.

Lin Hanshan's frown eased. Raising his teacup, he took a light sip, his gaze passing over its rim as he gave Zhao Yan a look full of interest.

That look held some gloating, some lofty pity, and some anticipation for a good show.

When Zhao Yan saw Xu Qing walking toward the platform, his eyes flew wide open. He opened his mouth to tell Xu Qing to stop, the word "stop" already at his throat.

But Xu Qing suddenly turned back at that moment.

Separated by more than a dozen zhang, by the clamor and uproar filling the entire venue, their eyes met.

Zhao Yan saw Xu Qing's eyes. There was no bravado in them, no panic, none of that stubbornness that said, "I know I can't win, but I'll force myself to endure."

What he saw was confidence. Certainty.

Zhao Yan swallowed his words back down.

He did not think Xu Qing would win. Bright Force Minor Accomplishment against Bright Force Perfected—the gap was right there. Yet Xu Qing's gaze at that moment made him feel unexpectedly at ease.

He chose to trust Xu Qing.

The young noblemen at the second-floor table began laughing again. "The Zhao Family Martial Hall has no one left, huh? This man is called Xu Qing, right? I heard his bone structure is middling-to-poor."

"What? They even sent up someone with middling-to-poor bone structure? Does the Zhao Family Martial Hall truly have no one left? Or have they already smashed the jar because it was broken anyway?"

"I have heard of this Xu Qing. His physique is suited to Five Elements Fist, and he reached Bright Force in twenty days. But—"

Another man burst out laughing and immediately took over. "But he has trained for barely over two months. Even if he really is a genius, at most he is Bright Force Minor Accomplishment."

"Bright Force Minor Accomplishment against Bright Force Perfected? I rather admire his courage. His courage is commendable, but I wonder whether he can bear the consequences."

"Brother Li, Li Chong is from your Li Family's second branch, isn't he? Li Chong has won two consecutive matches. He has really brought glory to your Li Family."

"Hey, everyone, shall we bet? I wager Xu Qing can't take even one of Li Chong's punches!"

"I bet he can't take one punch either! Brother Li, your cousin is about to win three straight. Your Li Family is really basking in glory today!"

"Hahahaha—"

Another burst of mocking laughter rang out.

The people aligned with the Su Clan looked rather grim.

Su Mingkong frowned. Su Changhe gulped down a mouthful of tea. Shen Zhao sighed. Wu Mingyu shook his head...

Ning Yun's face turned slightly pale. Though Xu Qing had given him a look that said "don't worry," he was still concerned. Chen Wang grew anxious as well.

Wu Mingyuan, standing beside them, was the one whose complexion finally looked a little better.

Ever since he had been knocked off the platform, his face had looked as though someone had stepped on it, shifting from green to purple. He had lost face, Chen Wang had lost face, and now it was finally Xu Qing's turn.

The corners of Wu Mingyuan's mouth curled up slightly, and he could not hide his smile at all.

Xu Qing stood on the platform, looked at Li Chong, and calmly said, "Zhao Family Martial Hall, Xu Qing. Please."

Seeing that Xu Qing was the one who had stepped onto the platform, Li Chong narrowed his eyes. He did not attack at once, instead sizing him up from head to toe.

He had heard Xu Qing's name long ago. During the recent matter of taking a post at the yamen, Xu Qing had injured Han Bao of their martial hall with one punch.

Not only had Han Bao failed to obtain the post, he had also disgraced the Rushing Thunder Martial Academy.

This matter had enraged Yu Tai, who had spent time investigating Xu Qing's background.

A lowly fisherman from Blackwater Bay. He had broken through to Bright Force in twenty days and been accepted by Zhao Yan as a personal disciple. The Zhao Family Martial Hall told the public that he had middling-to-poor bone structure, while Yu Tai inferred that he had excellent bone structure.

Li Chong calculated inwardly: If Xu Qing had trained for as long as he had, he truly would have been somewhat afraid of him. But reality had no ifs! He, Li Chong, had trained in martial arts for a full year and was Bright Force Perfected.

How long had Xu Qing trained? A little over two months. At best, Bright Force Minor Accomplishment.

Today, he would smash the Zhao Family Martial Hall's face to pieces before everyone. He would let all of them know that Zhao Yan's so-called personal disciple was no hidden genius, but useless trash.

The thought of personally crippling a genius before he could grow up made his heart stir.

The corners of Li Chong's mouth lifted. His eyes held contempt, smugness, and a trace of cruelty. "You're Xu Qing? I thought that old fool would hide you away like treasure. After all these years, he still hasn't learned his lesson!"

Xu Qing's gaze turned cold. Originally, he had only intended to teach Li Chong a lesson.

Now, he changed his mind.

"Today! I will let everyone see clearly—" Li Chong deliberately raised his voice so that every person below the platform and upstairs could hear him, "all the disciples of your Zhao Family Martial Hall are trash!"

Before his words had faded, he moved. He stomped down hard, and with a crack, the pine boards of the square platform split beneath his foot, wood chips flying everywhere. Like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, he launched a Rushing Thunder Fist straight at Xu Qing's face.

He put all his strength into this punch.

The fist wind howled, as though it would tear the very air apart.

He did not merely want to win. He wanted to cripple Xu Qing! Break his nose, shatter his cheekbones, leave him crawling on the platform unable to rise, and make the Zhao Family Martial Hall lose every shred of face before everyone.

Xu Qing did not move.

His gaze fell on Li Chong's fist, watching it grow larger and larger in his vision, closer and closer.

He could even make out the veins on the fist, the calluses on its knuckles, and the two characters "Rushing Thunder," embroidered on the cuff in silver thread.

Then he moved.

Also with a punch.

The most ordinary Crushing Fist—no flourishes, no variations, exactly the same as the first move he had learned at the martial hall.

Yet this punch contained ten layers of force.

His fist moved later, yet arrived first.

The instant the two fists met, a dull sound rang out. Not a crisp slap, but a crack, as if something had shattered.

Li Chong's fist felt as if it had struck an iron wall. First came agonizing pain shooting up from his finger bones, then his palm bones, wrist bones, ulna, radius... Layer upon layer of force crashed into him like ten surging waves, grinding his entire arm from fingertips to shoulder into pieces, joint by joint.

It was not broken. It was crushed.

His arm dangled limply like a snapped tree branch. His shoulder blade gave a crisp crack, and the immense force sent his entire body flying. He flipped once through the air, smashed heavily onto the platform, bounced once, slid three or four feet, and fell from the square platform!

Li Chong sprawled on the ground, blood spilling from his mouth, his right arm twisted at an impossible angle. His mouth hung open as he tried to scream, but no sound came out. Only a string of muffled, hoarse "huh-huh" sounds escaped his throat.

A deathly silence fell over the Martial Arts Arena!