Xu Qing stood at the edge of the platform, his heels less than three inches from the brink.
The wind blew past, making the hem of his clothes snap and flutter.
He looked at Cheng Hong, drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out. White vapor drifted from his mouth like mist, vanishing in an instant.
"You're right," Xu Qing said calmly. "I haven't practiced martial arts for very long."
Cheng Hong froze, his brow furrowing.
"But this much time is enough to defeat you."
Xu Qing did not speak loudly, yet to Cheng Hong, his words exploded like thunder.
He was Cheng Hong, the number one Bright Force martial artist of Rushing Thunder Martial Academy! No—the number one Bright Force martial artist in Qinghe County! A genius who had been pressing against the threshold of Dark Force for three months! He had always been the one looking down on others. No one had ever dared to look down on him.
Yet today, a fisherman's boy who had trained in martial arts for less than three months stood on the platform before him and said, "This much time is enough to defeat you."
Cheng Hong's gaze changed completely. A blaze of rage, impossible to restrain after his pride had been pierced, surged forth.
Since beginning martial arts, this was the first time anyone had underestimated him. The first time he had tasted the sting of mockery.
He moved.
He would make Xu Qing understand the gap between them. He would make Xu Qing regret those words.
But Xu Qing was faster.
He did not counterattack—he seized the initiative. After more than fifty exchanges, Xu Qing had already figured out Cheng Hong's entire fighting style.
A Crushing Fist shot straight for Cheng Hong's face. The fist wind howled, carrying ten