Chapter 248: Betting the Name of One’s Master

Chapter 248: Betting the Name of One’s Master

The restaurant went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. Jack met the mans hard eyes and replied, So what if I am?

The other man may have been infuriated, but at the end of the day, he remained an immortal. He wasnt an idiot.

They were thirty-seven levels apart. In his eyes, that was an insurmountable difference. Therefore, Jack must have had some trick up his sleeve.

But what could it be? Jack had just insulted him so hard that now they had to fight. For the muscular man, it was the perfect scenario; he could restore his honor and publicly humiliate a disciple of Elder Huali in one go.

At the end of the day, no matter what trump cards Jack was hiding, there was no way he could overcome such a level difference against a true eliteor so the muscular man thought.

Very well, he said, his aura still radiating in waves. Actually killing other disciples was forbidden in the Exploding Sun, but anything else was fair play. When I break your limbs, dont say I wasnt justified. I will show you the power of my Dao of the Fist.

Now, it was Jacks turn to be shocked. Your Dao of the Fist?

Thats right. I cultivate the Dao of the Fist, and I will use it to brutally crush you.

Jack was untouched by the other mans bravado. He was too busy being impressed. Could there be such a coincidence in the world?Do we really cultivate the same Dao?

He was excited. In all his travels, this was only the second person with the Dao of the Fist he met. The first had been a woman Rufus Emberheart had killed in the Integration Tournament.

What a coincidence, he said. I also cultivate the Dao of the Fist.

The mans anger was colored with surprise. Really?

Really.

Suddenly, the man laughed aloud. Jack had just presented him with the perfect opportunity to up the stakes and connect this conflict to the standing of their masters. Excellent! Truly excellent! You really dug your own grave, kid! Let me witness the Dao of the Fist that Elder Huali teaches, and see if it is better or worse than what Master Monsoon taught me. Lets compare our masters ability in teaching!

He was in a great mood now, as if he couldnt believe his luck. He was overflowing with confidence. His anger had grown so intense that it now manifested as joy; as raucous, explosive laughter laced with expectation of the pain he was going to cause to Jack.

In fact, the man continued, I propose something else. If I defeated you in a battle, people would say I was just bullying you. Victory would obviously go to me. However, since we share the same Dao, how about we compete in that instead?

Jack narrowed his eyes. Im listening.

Well rise to the sky, and I will let you punch me. Your pure offensive power against my defenses. Then, I punch you, and we keep going until one of us becomes unable to continue. That way, my higher attributes wont play that much of a role, and you have a chance of winning. Ill even give you the first strike, since youre young and stupid. What do you say?

His smile was crooked. He had to be absolutely certain of himself, or he wouldnt suggest such a thing.

The problem was, Jack possessed four Dao Roots and a perfect foundation. There was no way this guys understanding of the Dao was superior. He wouldnt know what hit him.

Jack couldnt help the grin on his face. This battle, this setup Dan Bolon was trying to corner him, but he was cornering himself at the same time. He was cutting off all avenues of escape for both of them.

The truth was, Jack wasnt completely certain he could win. He was confident, of course, but something could always go wrong. Maybe the other man was an ultimate prodigy. Even in a punching duel, the forty-level difference still played a part.

This uncertainty emphasized the fear of death inside Jack and made the stakes seem realand it was exactly this feeling that roused his battle spirit from its slumber, letting him smother all other emotions and fully dive into the battle, risking everything just because he could.

It had been a while since hed felt like that. He missed it.

Your words are true, Dan Bolon, Jack replied, also using his Dao to make his voice reverberate across the city. However, why are you holding back? Say things as they are. We argued, we insulted each others honor, and now we will fight to resolve our differences. As we share the same Dao, this battle involves more than just usit reflects our masters ability in selecting disciples and teaching them a Dao.

Gasps came from everywhere. Jack had openly bet his masters name on this battleif he lost, it would be terrible. On the other hand, if he won, it would be great.

Dan Bolon laughed, unable to believe his luck. This was exactly what he wanted. He couldnt say everything out loud or people would say he was a bully, but Jack was playing right into his game.

Precisely! he exclaimed. Very well. Let us begin. On Jack Rusts insistence, I will go first.

Many surrounding immortals frowned or spoke in protest. Since Jacks level was far lower than his opponents, it was proper that he went first, not Dan Bolon; but Bolon couldnt care less. This little improperness was nothing before the massive stakes of this fight.

Come, Jack said, opening the upper part of his robes and letting it hang from his waist. He revealed a bare chest as if chiseled in marble, and muscles so compact that they triggered a sense of harmony.

Dan Bolon floated before him. At only three feet away, the intensity of his aura was staggering. However, Jack was unfazed. This was the first sign in Dan Bolons mind that something was wrong, but there was no use thinking about it now. All he could do was duel.

He clenched his hand, channeling his entire strength into it. His fist caught on fire. Yellow and orange flames blossomed around it, making it look like a sun in his palm. The heat was such that Jack began to sweatif he was a normal person, he would have been immolated already. Only the supreme quality fabric prevented his robes from suffering the same fate.

Jack stared into his opponents eyes and saw pure, unadulterated strength. It felt like facing a wild animalor a guns open barrel. His every instinct screamed at him to fight back or get away, but he used his iron will to push them down. He had agreed to take this attack. Even if it killed him, he would not back down.

For cultivators, defending against a full-force strike was difficult, but not too difficult. Jack focused on defensehe had Neutron Star Body, the Life Drop, and the Dao Root of Indomitable Will. He was confident in surviving even an all-out strike from himself, let alone this man, who hopefully had a shallower Dao understanding.

He hardened his eyes, glued them right onto the other mans, and waited with his chest exposed.

I told you you were courting death, Dan Bolon said, in a normal voice this time. His fist was shaking from the accumulated power, and his eyes hid the intense desire to kill Jack. You were asking for it. Nowdie. Solar Punch!

His fist shot forward at blinding speed. Jack did not move in the slightest. The punch impacted his chest, and instantly, it was like a sun had been born. Jack felt his ribcage cave in. He felt his skin turning into ash, felt the hot winds ride along his body and burn his face and back. It was like he had been placed inside an industrial oven.

He did not scream.

At the same time, the impact itself was strong enough to send him flying. The air boomed as his body broke the sound barrier, flying back and down until he crashed into one of the two mountains flanking Stripe City, creating a crater the size of a house.

Every eye in the city looked at the crater, waiting to see if Jack would emerge or not. Smoke and dust flew everywhere, obstructing the view.