On the Martial Combat Platform, Lu Chen and Su Changmei stood fifty feet apart.
Though Su Changmei was a man, his features were gentle and refined, and several pale, ink-wash plum branches were embroidered on his cuffs. If not for the pronounced joints of his hands, no one would have imagined that this seemingly scholarly senior disciple of the Mystic Strategy Academy excelled at the "Branch-Breaking Hand," a technique that snapped tendons and bones.
"Begin!"
The moment the elder's voice fell, Su Changmei moved first.
His steps were soundless, his blue robes skimming across the platform like a light breeze through a forest. One moment, he was fifty feet away; the next, two fingers had already settled on Lu Chen's wrist.
The fist Lu Chen had just raised veered involuntarily off course.
His Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist brushed past Su Changmei's shoulder, its wind blasting into the distance and making the railing tremble.
Su Changmei turned his wrist with the momentum, his palm gliding up Lu Chen's forearm.
Wrist, elbow, shoulder.
In an instant, all three joints fell under his control.
"Junior Brother Lu, what is rigid breaks easily."
His voice sounded right beside Lu Chen's ear.
Before he finished speaking, his hands had already crossed and exerted force.
Crack!
A faint crack came from Lu Chen's shoulder.
The nine-burial jade bone markings flashed beneath his skin. His entire arm became like a flawless piece of natural jade, forcibly withstanding that bone-breaking force.
Lu Chen turned his shoulder, stepped forward, and sank his elbow.
A tremendous force surged along his spine.
Su Changmei did not contest his strength. He simply released his grip and retreated.
His blue robes fluttered past; they separated as soon as they touched.
Lu Chen followed close behind, thrusting a palm across.
The palm strike was