At the center of the collapsed bluestone slab, dust and the Cursed Energy exploded simultaneously, sending up clouds of smoke and dust.
[Earthshaking Technique] destroys the ground, causing Naoya Zenin to lose his footing. [Projection Sorcery] is interrupted and enters a 1-second stunned state.
Before he could even complete the next frame stack, he was struck in the face by a powerful punch imbued with Cursed Energy.
Naoya Zenin's body, like a kite with a broken string, traced a messy trajectory in mid-air before crashing straight into the crowd of onlookers.
He fell in the direction that was exactly where Lu Ping was standing.
Lu Ping did not dodge. He calmly took half a step forward, subconsciously reached out his left hand, pressed down on the other person's back, and pulled him backward to deflect the violent impact.
The violent kinetic energy traveled up his arm and into the ground, shattering the two bluestone slabs beneath his feet.
"Cough..." Naoya coughed twice, trying to steady himself.
He forced back the metallic taste that rose in his throat, only a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Out of consideration for the Zenin Clan's reputation, Kagami Meifu held back at the last moment and did not unleash all the power in his fist.
Lu Ping released his grip and glanced indifferently at Naoya beside him.
The manipulation of Cursed Energy was too crude.
If it had been a Grade 1 Sorcerer, Naobito Zenin, that attack would never have left him without a foothold or a way out.
Projection Sorcery took too long, giving the opponent the opportunity to fully unleash their Cursed Technique.
Naoya Zenin was defeated purely because he was not skilled enough in manipulating the Cursed Energy of the [Projection Sorcery], and he lacked practical combat experience and the adaptability honed on the brink of life and death.
If Naoya can also reach the same level of Jujutsu as Grade 1 Sorcerer, the outcome of today's match is truly uncertain.
"Brother Lu Ping..."
Naoya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and called out somewhat awkwardly.
He had initially looked down on this "future head of the family" who had only managed to subdue two Grade 2 Shikigami, but now that he had completely lost face at the door, he was the one who had helped him out.
Upon seeing the Kikyō Meifu standing beside him, the young master's eyes flashed with disdain, and he still showed no intention of admitting his mistake.
The Kagami Meifu also noticed the commotion behind the crowd.
Seeing his younger sister standing with the Zenin Clan, and the Maki sisters who had been playing with his sister at Lu Ping's feet, he immediately understood.
It turned out that the younger sister had rushed into the mansion to find someone to mediate the fight.
The "savior" they found was this young man in front of them.
But Jing knew in his heart that today's battle was not only to seek justice for his sister, but also to uphold the dignity of the entire Meifu Clan.
As a declining branch dependent on the Three Great Families, the "Meifu Clan" possesses extremely cruel Cursed Technique, which can only be truly awakened in the extreme despair following the death of a blood relative.
This self-destructive form of inheritance forces them to rely on marriage or having powerful foreign sorcerers marry into their families in order to barely maintain the fighting power of the next generation.
However, as the family's reputation declined, very few strong men were willing to marry into the family.
If this fragile clan chooses to remain silent instead of standing up for its members when they are humiliated, its situation will only become more marginalized.
Once their reputation is tarnished, the family's decline will only accelerate.
Seeing that Lu Ping had accepted Naoya's offer, Jing stepped forward, just about to find an excuse to back down.
But Chojuro Zenin, who was standing on the steps, was the first to laugh out loud.
"Oh, it's the young master."
This opportunistic old fox suddenly slapped his thigh and spoke loudly and exaggeratedly, his voice filled with undisguised admiration.
He looked around and raised his voice:
"Since the old patriarch is away and has not returned, the young patriarch's presence here naturally represents the family's stance. Young man from the Meifu Clan, Naoya you can defeat our future patriarch today, I will not stop you from apologizing. If you cannot, please leave."
This tactic of praising someone to death is extremely insidious.
With Naobito Zenin not around, Chōjurō couldn't wait to put Lu Ping on the fire to roast.
Although the two men's earlier fistfight was quite loud, no one witnessed the entire exchange.
He now intends to use the Meifu Clan's knife to test the true nature of the Zenin Clan's "future head," who has been recognized by the old patriarch.
"Indeed. Although Lu Ping is young, he is indeed a esteemed Ten Shadows Sorcerer. His intentions represent the intentions of our clan."
The Jinichi Zenin nearby crossed his arms and silently echoed his sentiments.
The feudal clansmen who were watching all nodded in agreement, their malicious gazes all falling on Lu Ping.
"Brother, no..."
Kikyō rushed forward and tugged at Kagami's haori, then turned to look at Lu Ping, her voice trembling with tears. "Big brother, your hand is injured, please don't hit me if you can avoid it."
Lu Ping looked at the Kagami Meifu opposite him.
My mind is made up.
Jing raised her hand to stop her sister, but her eyes remained fixed on Lu Ping, her expression grave.
He knew this was a trap set by the Zenin Clan, but for the sake of the reputation of the Meifu Clan behind him, this battle was unavoidable.
Naoya, ever outspoken, spat out a mouthful of blood and shouted at Lu Ping:
"Brother Lu Ping, you've only just been promoted to Semi-Grade 1, why are you standing up for me? It's fair to let Uncle Jinichi and the others fight!"
Although he looked down on those of unorthodox lineage, he felt it was even more humiliating to have someone weaker than himself stand up for him.
Lu Ping remained expressionless as he listened to everyone's words.
He knew exactly what Chōjurō and Jinichi were planning.
These old fogies simply want to use outsiders to suppress this newly emerging force in the Zenin Clan.
He silently calculated the cards he held in his hand.
The numerous attempts made in the Cursed Tool Vault to imprint the [Shadow Wolf] rune had consumed too much of my Cursed Energy.
Even though the awakened "Blood Corpse" fed back some of its Cursed Energy after consuming the [Blood-Eyed Curse], the remaining Cursed Energy in its body was only about 20% of its peak strength.
This also means that he will no longer be able to deliver the powerful punch that he barely managed to throw, which consumed 30% of his Cursed Energy, when he faced off against the Naobito Zenin.
Fortunately, the Cursed Energy fluctuations generated when the Kagami Meifu clashed with Naoya Zenin were far less than the impact that swept across the entire Zenin Clan when the old patriarch clashed with him earlier.
As long as that punch can be delivered again, the outcome will be decided.
Lu Ping doesn't need to completely defeat his opponent; he only needs to gain the upper hand.
The Zenin clan members around him, who were waiting to see him make a fool of himself, were now radiating negative emotions of jealousy, doubt, and xenophobia.
The "Three Corpses" within the body are quietly operating, greedily devouring these nutrients like a continuous feast, constantly filling the emptiness in the body.
Unbeknownst to him, the Cursed Energy within his body had recovered enough to support him in throwing that punch.
"Three moves."
The Kagami Meifu sensed that Lu Ping's condition was not at its peak, and proactively placed Binding Vow on him.
"Three moves to decide the outcome, I won't take advantage of you."