A Small Show of Skill

A Small Show of Skill

By evening, the scorching heat of the day had faded, and the cool night breeze brought a touch of relief.

Ye Yun pushed open his door and stepped into the courtyard, savoring the coolness in the air. After resting for several hours, the exhaustion from cultivating through the previous night had quietly faded away.

After loosening up for a while, Ye Yun changed clothes, shut his door, and prepared to head to the dining hall.

Along the way, outer disciples were coming and going, either on their way to eat or returning after a meal.

Just then, a burly figure blocked Ye Yun's path.

Ye Yun stopped and said to the newcomer, "Ironwood, what do you want?"

The newcomer was Ironwood, Iron Mountain's younger brother. Like Ye Yun, he had entered the sect as an outer disciple last year. However, before Ye Yun had dispersed his cultivation and started over, Ironwood's cultivation had been lower—roughly at the Body Tempering Initial Stage, with thirty acupoints opened. Still, it was said that he had been born with divine strength and specialized in toughening his body, giving him immense power.

Ye Yun had always been rather solitary and had barely exchanged more than a few words with most of the disciples who had entered alongside him.

However, when they had first joined the sect, a conflict had arisen between him and Ironwood, and neither had been able to stand the sight of the other.

Yet Ye Yun had been occupied with cultivation and had not encountered Ironwood for a long time, so the matter had gradually been left unresolved. Now that Ironwood had suddenly blocked his way, he clearly had not come with good intentions.

Ironwood laughed at his words. "Nothing so grand as advice. I merely heard that someone who didn't know his own limits actually went to challenge my brother, only to lose in fewer than five moves. I thought Ye Yun was something remarkable. Turns out you're just trash."

As expected, Ye Yun had guessed correctly—Ironwood had indeed come looking for trouble. He looked at him indifferently. "Are you finished? Then move aside."

"Heh heh, Ye Yun, you're still the same as when you first entered the sect—a stone from the latrine, smelly and hard. Today, I'd like to see what gives you the right to be so arrogant." Ironwood looked at Ye Yun with contempt.

"Is that so? Then tell me, what do you want?" Ye Yun was also provoked by Ironwood's overbearing tone.

"What do I want? Nothing much. I just want to teach you that a person should know his own worth. Admit in front of everyone today that you're trash, and we'll call this matter settled. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll be lying in bed for half a month." Ironwood stated his demand as he stared at Ye Yun.

"Hey, Ironwood, isn't that going too far? We're all fellow disciples. Why make things so difficult?" A passing disciple spoke up for Ye Yun.

Ironwood turned his head and glared viciously at him. "What, you have an opinion? How about the two of us have a fight first?"

At that moment, Ye Yun spoke. "So you don't intend to let me off easily. In that case, make your move."

Ye Yun assumed a defensive stance, his eyes fixed on Ironwood as he guarded against his attack.

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Since you're courting death, don't blame anyone else." Ironwood suddenly lunged forward. In just a few strides, he arrived before Ye Yun. His palm, several sizes larger than an ordinary person's and seemingly forged from iron, chopped down vertically, tearing through the air with a deep, powerful roar.

Facing the strength-filled attack, Ye Yun did not panic in the slightest. Without dodging or evading, he unleashed the first stance of Layered Waves Fist, Water Drop Pierces Stone, and met it head-on.

Bang!

A sound like wood crashing against stone rang out. Ye Yun retreated half a step, while the force of the impact made Ironwood's footing unsteady, exposing a gap in his defense.

Didn't he suffer serious injuries in his match with my brother? He took my Diamond Palm head-on—how is he acting like nothing happened? Ironwood had no time to mind the opening in his defense. His right hand formed a palm again and continued attacking Ye Yun.

In that instant, Ye Yun seized the flaw Ironwood had exposed. Before Ironwood's attack could arrive, his left hand clenched into a fist and slammed into Ironwood's chest with tyrannical force.

Ironwood staggered back several meters. Ye Yun did not let the opportunity slip away, launching a rainstorm of attacks at Ironwood.

Under Ye Yun's Layered Waves Fist, Ironwood was like a man trapped in a whirlpool. He could not evade and could only defend passively.

Ye Yun brought the characteristics of Layered Waves Fist fully into play, his fist force coming in an endless stream. Gradually, weariness appeared in Ironwood's defense. Ye Yun seized the chance, carrying the force he had just accumulated in his fist, and struck Ironwood beneath the jaw. Ironwood was sent flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth. He only came to a stop after crashing into the steps behind him.

The surrounding spectators were all stunned. They had never expected Ironwood, who was usually famed for his tremendous strength, to lose so easily to Ye Yun—and so miserably at that. It seemed as though he had possessed no power to fight back at all.

Only Ye Yun himself understood what had happened. Ironwood's strength was indeed astonishing, and the power of his attacks was indeed great. But he was not fast, and his defensive awareness was weak. Combined with the nature of Layered Waves Fist, once Ye Yun entangled him, if he could not break free in time, his prospects would be grim indeed.

Ye Yun did not look at Ironwood lying on the ground. Instead, he turned to thank the person who had just spoken up for him. "May I know how to address you, Senior Brother? Thank you for earlier."

"My name is Tian Gang. Junior Brother Ye, there's no need to be polite. I merely couldn't stand the way he used his brother's influence to bully others. Still, Junior Brother, you should be more careful lately. You injured Ironwood, and his brother Iron Mountain will not let the matter rest." Tian Gang lowered his voice to warn Ye Yun.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Tian. I'll be careful. I have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first. I'll treat you to a meal when there's a chance." Ye Yun clasped his hands in salute toward Tian Gang, then turned and left.

After Ye Yun had gone far away, the crowd finally began discussing the matter loudly.

"By all rights, they should have been evenly matched. How did Ironwood lose so badly?"

"Exactly. They were both using low-tier martial arts. Even if he lost, he shouldn't have lost that quickly!"

"I know. The reason is simple," said a disciple who appeared quite calm. "Ye Yun used a martial art called Layered Waves Fist. This fist technique emphasizes a needle hidden within cotton, its momentum flowing without end. Once Ironwood's attack was interrupted, he could only defend passively. He couldn't find a chance to break free, so Ye Yun seized his flaw and defeated him in one stroke."

No matter what others said, Ye Yun went to the dining hall for dinner, then headed toward the rear mountain. Tonight, he intended to press on in one burst of effort and restore his cultivation to the Body Tempering Intermediate Stage.

The bright moon hung high in the night sky. In a courtyard on Sunrise Peak, Ironwood lay on his bed, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at Iron Mountain before him. "Brother, you must avenge me. Cripple that little bastard who doesn't know his own limits."

Iron Mountain looked at his younger brother, who lay on the bed and had depended on him for survival. His eyes held both anger and heartache as he said irritably, "What am I supposed to say about you? Why did you go looking for trouble with Ye Yun? Did he provoke you?"

"Brother, I just couldn't stand that brat. He obviously couldn't beat you, yet he still refused to admit defeat. I only wanted to help you vent your anger," Ironwood lied, not daring to reveal the true reason.

"Bastard! Did I ask you to vent my anger for me? You spend all day flaunting my name outside and throwing your weight around. Why can't you cultivate properly?

"Ye Yun entered the sect the same year as you. His talent and resources are both inferior to yours, so why can he still defeat you so easily? Why don't you reflect on yourself properly?"

"Brother, I'm already like this, and you're still saying such things to me. Have you forgotten what you promised Mother? You said you would take good care of me. I don't care—you have to avenge me!" Ironwood pestered Iron Mountain.

Hearing Ironwood's words, Iron Mountain's heart could not help but soften. "This is the last time. After I help you get revenge this time, you must promise me that you'll cultivate properly.

"But I have something extremely important to do and must leave the sect soon. I'll return as quickly as possible, and then I'll help you avenge yourself!"

Seeing Iron Mountain agree, Ironwood continued, "Fine, I promise you everything. But, Brother, you have to cripple that brat. Otherwise, I won't be able to swallow this humiliation."

Iron Mountain had just been about to rebuke him, but after giving it some thought, he agreed to Ironwood's request.

He was also somewhat dissatisfied with Ye Yun. Ironwood was his younger brother, after all, yet Ye Yun had injured him so badly. Ye Yun deserved to be taught a lesson.