"You..."
Xiao Se saw it clearly: Xu Tong simply hadn't thrown that punch. Otherwise, he would never have been able to dodge it.
Xu Tong had moved almost the instant the flames' backlash struck.
"Why didn't you strike?"
Xu Tong smiled. "There was no need. There isn't any deep-seated hatred between us. You suffered a backlash. If I'd punched you then, you would have been beyond salvation!"
"How exactly did you do it?" Xiao Se asked.
Xu Tong had no qualms about telling him. "I told you, water has no fixed form. Although my technique doesn't attack on its own, once you make a move, it can flow like water into every inch of your territory!"
"You mean..." Xiao Se's eyes widened. "Your water was in every corner, so you could extinguish the flames that quickly?"
"Exactly!" Xu Tong replied. "And counterattack at the same time."
"But, Senior, that backlash was a bit excessive. I extinguished your flames, but that shouldn't have caused a backlash, should it?"
Xiao Se sighed helplessly. "I'm old. The instant I noticed something was wrong, I wanted to respond to the change. But I hadn't withdrawn the first move, and the next hadn't gone out yet. My energy fell into disorder, and with my technique broken as well, I..."
"I understand!" Xu Tong said. "That explains it. Your strength should amount to more than this, Senior. Someone who can fight above his level couldn't have only this much ability."
"My victory wasn't fair. I concede this match."
Xiao Se was stunned. "You... you clearly won."
"But it really wasn't a particularly honorable victory. If not for your physical condition, you said yourself that you could have responded. Who would have brought down the stag was still anyone's guess," Xu Tong said.
This wasn't flattery. Xu