Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms

"Eight Trigrams Two Palms!"

"Eight Trigrams Four Palms!"

Shouts rose and fell one after another. The fighting in the arena was not particularly intense, but each cry was more imposing than the last.

The chakra in their palms flickered unreliably, like a lightbulb in a faulty circuit.

Before long, all that remained was wild, flailing punches.

Just as Neji was getting engrossed in watching, the elder tossed both boys out of the arena.

"Next group!" the elder called with a dark expression.

The chubby boy fought properly and methodically. When his Eight Trigrams Palm reached sixteen palms, his opponent surrendered.

Some color finally returned to the elder's face.

"Brother Neji, it's your turn! Good luck! Knock him flat!"

The victorious chubby boy waddled over, his face brimming with excitement.

Neji nodded, walked up with his opponent, struck with one palm, then walked back down.

The crying youth on the platform was carried down by the elder because Neji's single palm strike had sealed several major acupoints on his chest.

Neji saw the Branch House elder's face finally bloom, trembling like a chrysanthemum.

"Brother Neji, you're incredible! How did you do that?"

The chubby boy seemed to have only just come back to his senses and cried out in shock. Whispers also began to rise behind Neji.

"So strong. I'm no match for him!"

"Who is he? I didn't even see how he attacked!"

"I didn't see it either. He's Neji from the Branch House of the clan head's line! Some time ago... and then..."

"How pitiful..."

Neji turned his cold gaze toward them, and the voices abruptly stopped.

Only the chubby boy continued chattering away.

"Enough, stop making noise. I'll teach you when I have time," Neji said helplessly to Zong Zhi.

"Alright, no problem!" The chubby boy's face flushed red with excitement. He hurriedly agreed and even covered his mouth with both hands.

Neji could do nothing about this living treasure.

In the stands, Hinata Hyuga saw Neji defeat his opponent so cleanly and decisively that she could not help jumping up in delight.

"Sit properly! Mind your status!" Hiashi Hyuga turned and rebuked her.

Hinata's expression stiffened, and she lowered her head before quietly sitting back down.

"Has his understanding of the Eight Trigrams Palm already reached this level? Hizashi, you truly have a fine son!"

Hiashi watched Neji seal several of his opponent's major acupoints with one palm, his expression grim as he sighed.

"Kosuke, I never expected the Branch House to produce such a genius this year. His understanding of the Gentle Fist is no weaker than yours. Be careful during the challenge later. Do not be careless," the Main House Grand Elder instructed the Main House youth seated beside him.

"Yes, Grandpa. I understand. I'll be careful!"

The arrogant youth's face suddenly darkened as he spoke.

"Hyuga Neji, victory!"

The Branch House elder watched Neji finish his final match with great satisfaction and promptly announced the final winner.

"Wait!" A childish voice shattered the silence. Kosuke Hyuga rose and leaped down from the stands, the gold-patterned belt of the five-year-old Main House heir glaring slightly beneath the sunlight.

"You are qualified to be my opponent. From now on, you will be my sparring partner. You will not lack benefits!"

The boy looked down at Neji arrogantly, speaking as though he were bestowing charity.

"If you want me to be your dog, beat me first."

Neji stepped onto the platform. His tone was icy, though his face remained expressionless.

"You dare! If you do not want to be a dog, then I'll cripple you."

The youth's face suddenly turned sinister. This boy, who had never been rejected by anyone since childhood, was abruptly filled with boundless rage.

In his mind, those of the Branch House were no different from servants and would never refuse him. Yet he had hit a wall with Neji.

At the same time, as he looked at Neji's moonlike handsome face and tall, composed figure, his expression suddenly twisted viciously.

"Bastard, blame yourself for getting too close to Lady Hinata."

Kosuke Hyuga suddenly muttered something so softly it was nearly inaudible. Neji was standing close enough to hear it for no apparent reason.

"She is destined to be my bride. For someone as lowly as you, even approaching her is an unforgivable sin!"

After saying that, he attacked fiercely without giving Neji a chance to recover his chakra.

"Byakugan, activate!"

Both of them activated their Byakugan at the same time.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

They struck simultaneously. Their pale blue chakra-wreathed palms collided in rapid succession as their feet traced dazzling steps. Dust swirled beneath them, rising and falling around their bodies.

"The Life Gate in the Exchange position lies in the Tiger!" Neji spun and struck, scattering the incoming chakra needles before stepping along the positions of the earthly branches and evading Kosuke Hyuga's chain of attacks.

Their Eight Trigrams Domains intertwined. Though they were only intangible movement diagrams, Kosuke was shocked to discover that Neji's footwork was even more refined than his own.

"How is this possible? You lowly Branch House scum actually know such exquisite footwork? Where did you get it?"

The disbelief in his voice made the veins around the Main House youth's eyes bulge more fiercely.

"Hahaha... good, very good. No matter where you got it from, it will all be mine anyway."

The greed at the corner of his mouth disgusted Neji.

I thought he was just a brat lacking proper affection and guidance. Turns out he's rotten to the core. How the hell did I end up with such a disgusting little freak? I don't want to spend until the end of the story killing and being killed by you.

Neji's gaze sharpened, and killing intent rose within him.

"Metal Exchange, Fire Shift!"

Neji's stance changed abruptly. He stepped as if wading through mud, his hands tracing circles into Tai Chi as he redirected Kosuke Hyuga's berserk Eight Trigrams Palm force into the ground.

The bluestones exploded with a deafening crash. Amid the dust, both of Neji's sleeves shattered, revealing the knotted silver meridians on his forearms.

The laughter of the Main House children was cut off as though by a blade, and the stands fell into dead silence. They seemed unable to believe that someone from the Branch House possessed such strength.

The Branch House youths held their breath as well, their eyes shining with excitement.

Xiao Xi sat in a corner of the stands, nervously twisting her hands together.

"Young Master Neji... please don't get hurt."

Bang!

With the final palm strike, their entangled bodies suddenly separated.

Both of them panted as they stared at each other. After a full set of Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, neither had managed to gain the upper hand.

"Good, very good. I truly underestimated you. Few Branch House members can reach this level, but this ends here. Watch my One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms."

Beneath his twisted expression, the Main House heir's voice became somewhat shrill.

As Kosuke Hyuga finished speaking, the bluestones beneath Neji's feet suddenly collapsed.

Kosuke's palm shadows became a sky full of falling snow, each strike carrying the crisp crack of shattering ice crystals. This was not merely the Gentle Fist—it was a killing move that condensed chakra into tangible form!

Neji crossed his arms and forcibly blocked three palm strikes, and a teeth-grating scraping sound came from the bones in his forearms.

"Eighty-Six Palms!" Kosuke's figure suddenly blurred. Countless ice spikes exploded before Neji's eyes, and his left shoulder was pierced through in an instant. He staggered as he tried to deflect the force with his palm wind, only to discover that his spinning chakra was being drawn in by some kind of suction—the binding force produced by the Eight Trigrams Palm's unbroken chain of dense strikes.

"One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!" Kosuke's furious roar overlapped with the cheers from the stands. Neji's vision suddenly flipped upside down. He saw the droplets of blood spraying from his mouth freeze into ice crystals in midair, each one reflecting the twisted smiles of the Main House members.

When his spine slammed into the railing, Neji heard the crisp crack of his ribs breaking. Kosuke's toe pressed against his chest. "A Caged Bird should lie in the dust."

Bright chakra gathered at the boy's fingertips as he aimed them at Neji's right eye. With a hint of madness, he said, "These eyes of yours—the Main House will take them back."