105: Lou Cheng, After the Winter Break

Chapter 105: Lou Cheng, After the Winter Break

Translator: TransNEditor: TransN

He pulled himself to the side of Lin Que and avoided the aggressive Half-step Burst Fist. Lou Cheng did not rush to attack. Instead, he readjusted his balance and tried to move elsewhere.

This life and death fight with the Dark Sect Ninth Pin helped him to understand a logic - killer moves often do not appear alone, they are executed one after the other, never giving the opponent a chance to retaliate. Just like how the "Poison Sting Force" followed immediately after the mind aura secret discipline.

No experts would relax after one killer move and not make any other preparations. If this was the case, it meant that Lin Que was sure that Lou Cheng would not be able to avoid his continuous shower of attacks?

After avoiding that one time, how would he react, what other moves had he prepared?

With such a gap in our abilities, I can't afford to act thoughtlessly. I've to be careful.

Just as such a thought flashed through Lou Cheng's mind, his body already instinctively made a move. His back bounced, his spine curved, and with a tap of his foot on the ground, he bounced and moved behind Lin Que in ghostly speed.

A whish of wind whipped through where Lou Cheng had moved away from. Lin Que's right leg struck silently and anyone could hear the sharp whishing of his pants as he kicked.

The hidden killer move, Silent Leg!

Such a leg move gave Lou Cheng the chills. There would be no hint or sign where the legs would go next, so if he were not careful about where he moved to, the next time he saw the leg, he would take an unavoidable hit.

During the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament, he used the Condensation Stance to lift his senses. Through the fine sound and movement of Jin Tao's thighs against his pant, Lou Cheng could predict where the "Tiger Tail Kicking Tactic" would land next, so he managed to block each move.

But now, there was no movement or sign before each silent kick. It was almost like the moves were paced randomly. If they were paced randomly, the energy bursts should follow the abrupt explosive force, tearing through like the wind, crushing through the air, giving off short but loud whishes. It was nothing like that. The moves were so silent that even the normal sounds of any move could not be heard, and there was nothing Lou Cheng could do about it!

Regardless of the skills and tactics Lin Que choose to use, they were all intricately linked to his powerful control of his body. This was not possible if he was not near achieving a Dan stage.

In a flash, Lou Cheng found the opportunity for himself. He moved first and was already behind Lin Que by the time Lin Que made his Silent Leg move. Thus Lin Que fell into an awkward position, neither able to avoid Lou Cheng's attack nor able to exert his force!

Since this was a chance, how could he let it go!

Lou Cheng lowered his weight and steadied his legs. With this fleeting chance, he visualized majestic snow capped mountain peaks and lightning striking the heavy snow.

Boom!

The heavy layers of snow started to crumble. The snow came tumbling down like ferocious white waves. With a move of Lou Cheng's spine, he shifted his right leg and kicked the floor so hard, sending the Lightning and Fire Stance and Mega Avalanche towards the arena.

Any movement on the arena would result in a crazy violent rebound. Lou Cheng's leg bounced off the floor, and like a dragon, his spine curved. In a flash, the strength from the legs was transformed into a force of the hand, pulling every strength of the body together!

The aggressive palm strikes and punches were not on the upper body. They were between the legs!

After the grueling practices of the winter break, after the reflections of his problems through the Challenge Tournament, after the surreal life and death duels, Lou Cheng definitely improved quite a bit. Though he could not say that he no longer had any weaknesses, more importantly, he now knew how to release forces, how to use his surroundings to support his every move. Even more, he had gained a deeper and more in-depth understanding. Although there was not much change in the body's strength, his aura was stronger than it was during the Challenge Tournament. Even though he was not up to the level of Professional Ninth Pin, he had the strength and level to fight with one.

With a mad gush of strength from his back, he clenched his right fist. A downward cut with his fist smashed into the back of Lin Que's back. With the crisp and loud thud, he used the rebound force and kicked against the limestone surface. Little bits of the limestone cracked off and puffed up in the air.

Chen Changhua, Sun Jian, Li Mao and the rest were all shocked after seeing how the low profile and usually quiet Lou Cheng managed to avoid Lin Que's attacks with mysterious steps, and even found the opportunity to attack. Their eyes were all wide with shock. Even Cai Zongming, the buddy who had watched his match clips, was taken aback and took a deep breath.

No matter how powerful the Professional Ninth Pins were in the video clips, they were just on screens. This fight with Lin Que, someone whom they see and practice with everyday, was another story. The feeling of battling him and being able to beat Lin Que was completely different from a stranger holding a Professional Ninth Pin!

Yan Zheke had seen how Lou Cheng had grown. She also "experienced" the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament with him. Nonetheless, she only saw the actual match through video recordings after it happened, so she already knew his next steps and had a clear idea where he was heading. This time, it was different. Nobody knew who was going to win, she could not predict what was going to happen next. With a bubbling curiosity, she watched the match attentively.

When she saw how Lou Cheng grabbed the chance to retaliate, she did not seem relieved or happy. In fact, signs of worry flashed across her face.

Pam!

Just as Lou Cheng made his fist move, Lin Que retracted his leg. Lin Que's back was facing his rival and he clearly did not have any time to make another move.

Suddenly, Lin Que's body stiffened and he sprung to the left. Right in front of Lou Cheng's eyes, Lin Que avoided the fist strike on his neck, and with a shake of his shoulders and head, explosive forces burst from Lin Que and went head on with Lou Cheng's fist.

Bam!

When the two came into contact with each other, Lou Cheng felt that Lin Que used his stance to absorb his force, then he went with the flow of the force, slanted downwards and fidgeted. Lou Cheng's fist seemed to have hit a wad of cotton.

This is no good... Lou Cheng suddenly realized what was happening. He tried to readjust his balance and returned to his previous stance. Lin Que gave him no chance to do so. Like a long pole, with one end lowered while the other end lifted—as he leaned backward, the force traveled through his spine, his thighs tightened, and his left leg stretched out, giving a kick.

Lou Cheng was not in time to move away. So he lowered himself again, and his left hand was thrown into action. He held on to Lin Que's leg like it was a chick being caught by an eagle.

Bam!

His ice cold heart took a shocking blow. The strength of Lin Que's feet was greater than he imagined. It was surging with energy. Its strength was probably greater than Ye Youting's bursts. Ye Youting was known to have extraordinary strength. It almost felt like two Professional Ninth Pins giving a kick at the same time.

Would it be possible to borrow strength?

He absorbed half of my force earlier and reused it?

Such a horrifying and threatening borrowing skill!

Within a split second, Lou Cheng flew backward and lost his balance. His left hand went numb with pain. He could only fall backward, without any stance, without any footwork.

Lin Que would definitely not let this chance slip away. For sure, he would strike when the iron is hot and continue to attacks in quick succession, just like how he beat Chen Changhua previously. Once Lou Cheng recovered from his shock, his Heart Lake also got back its icy cold state. Without much thought, based on his experience, he gave up on adjusting his balance and immediately lay backward. Riding on the momentum of his body, he kicked his left leg.

Iron Bridge Moves! Dragon Turning Over Moves!

Lin Que just got closer, and saw the leg striking him. Unfazed and without giving Lou Cheng any chance to borrow his strength, his spine arched like a dragon flying in the sky and bounced off to the side. That was a move that was impossible given his current position. The muscles of his right leg tightened again and were all ready to strike out one more time.

When Lou Cheng's kick missed its target, his stomach turned a little and his chest tightened. He decided to give up on the strategy on borrowing strength. He curled up into a ball, and instead of retreating, he went full force ahead towards where Lin Que was standing.

As he got closer, as Lin Que's was about to do a whip kick, Lou Cheng's left hand hit and pressed against the cold hard ground. Bouncing back, he let the force travel through his hand and his back to his right hand. His right hand swooshed, throwing the Rocket-like Punch, going straight towards Lin Que's package between his legs!

He learned this from the Dark Sect Ninth Pin. He could not forget its impact and decided to replicate it, hoping that it will give him a chance to win.

Since it would not result in death or life-threatening injury, he did not consider that much before striking. He will leave it to the referee to decide!

This was a Challenge Tournament, not a performance! No time for hesitation!

As he released his Rocket-like Punch, anyone could feel its force and it drew gasps from the audience. There was a hint of hesitation in Lin Que's eyes, but he did not choose to kick Lou Cheng's temples. That would have put Lou Cheng in the fine line between life and death. Instead, he took a small step back and aimed for Lou Cheng's fist, tearing through the air.

Bam! The two fighters hit. The moment they did, Lou Cheng adjusted his muscles to feel and absorb the strength. He straightened his back and in no time he was up. He swung his left fist towards Lin Que's chest with the force of the Mega Avalanche.

Lin Que also borrowed some strength and turned his body to one side. His right hand did a hook and pounded against Lou Cheng's fist.

Bam!

Lou Cheng's left fist was swung back due to the force, but with a shake of his wrist, his fist made a nice curve and looped back to grab Lin Que's right wrist.

This was a move from the Big or Small Hand Wrap!

I don't believe that you have reached the same meditation level, and have seen such powerful Listening Skills!

He had just grabbed Lin Que's wrist, Lin Que's body and shoulders twitched. With a shake of his left arm, he exploded with energy and shook off Lou Cheng's left hand. Like it was a slippery snake, Lin Que stretched and tried to do a Reverse Catch of Lou Cheng's fist.

Within inches, the hands of the two fighters continued to exchange blows. Every time they separated they tried to listen to each other's forces, and adjusted their moves accordingly. Their joints and ribs were often subjected to tug and pull. There was no time at all to use the other arm or their legs.

After a few rounds, Lou Cheng used his superior Listening Skill and successfully caught Lin Que's wrist.

Just as he was about to apply force, Lin Que took a deep breath suddenly. The skin pores of his wrists closed and opened, and his skin seemed to have expanded. It did not only lightly pushed Lou Cheng's fingers away, they also stopped him from using his Listening Skill.

At this moment, Lin Que's temples swelled, his left arm pulled lightly and within an extremely short distance, bam, a Forward Punch flew forward at lightning speed. His body looked like it just grew bigger in that few seconds!

Lou Cheng could not move away in time and also could not use his Listening Skill. All he could do was lean forward and quickly duck.

Bam!

Lou Cheng was hit! He felt the force through and through, all the way to his bones. He felt like he was bombed and his body, shaken. From the blood vessels to the tendons and ligaments, from blood to joints, every molecule was in shock. In that very moment where qi and blood were all churning, there was nowhere to draw energy and force to retaliate.

Lin Que saw the chance. He stepped forward and used his shoulder to hit Lou Cheng's Danzhong.

Geezer Shi coughed and said,

"Lin Que wins. "

Although Lin Que won, every other witness of this fight, like Li Mao, Guo Qing and Chen Changhua thought they saw a monster. They saw a miracle and were speechless.

The Lou Cheng they saw was not only professional-to-be level, but he fought just like a Professional Ninth Pin!

He just started practicing martial arts half a year ago, half a year...

Lin Que panted and looked at Lou Cheng coldly. For the first time in the day, he nodded his head and said,

"Not bad. "

Near the bottom of the stage, Yan Zheke covered her face with both hands and looked at Lou Cheng with teary but proud eyes.