Chương 85: Complete Defeat

The Song Manor. Seeing Song Que's dazed expression, Hui Wu hurriedly chose his words to comfort him:"Benefactor Song, you need not feel discouraged. Truthfully, your martial arts are excellent! Among those of your generation, you likely have few rivals. It is just that your experience in fighting other martial artists is lacking, and your techniques appear somewhat unrefined. Once you make up for these shortcomings, your future path will be limitless."

Taking a deep breath, Song Que looked up at Hui Wu and smiled:"Master, please rest assured. I am not so fragile that I cannot recover from a setback. I was merely contemplating the profoundness of your techniques just now and couldn't extricate myself. Master Hui Wu, let us try again."

"Benefactor Song, please." Being toyed with and defeated by Hui Wu so easily, it was impossible not to feel a blow. Whatever sense of accomplishment Song Que had in his heart had been shattered into pieces! But fortunately, having lived two lives and tasted all the sweetness and bitterness the world had to offer, Grandee Song's mental fortitude was quite resilient.

Furthermore, the opponent was the highly esteemed disciple of a Grandmaster, with cultivation far surpassing his own; he had anticipated this outcome beforehand. Although the reality was slightly harsh, it was acceptable. It wasn't the end of the world. The sky hadn't fallen yet. Quickly stepping out of the psychological shadow, Song Que's eyes once again burned with intense flames! Only by sparring with an expert like this could he truly learn!

Chopping down weak chickens every day will never make you a true expert! With his fighting spirit blazing, he ran to retrieve his saber and charged toward Hui Wu once again without hesitation! Learning from his previous mistake, this time he didn't just blindly attack with all his might. He held back thirty percent of his strength while secretly using his Domain to observe every single movement on Hui Wu's body, down to the most minuscule detail! The effect was distinct!

Through the Domain, Song Que could clearly perceive exactly when Hui Wu exerted force and which part of his body was preparing to launch an attack. From there, he could anticipate the opponent's moves and react accordingly! This time, Hui Wu was no longer as relaxed as before. His eyes turned serious as he paid attention to each of Song Que's techniques. His feet also began to move and dodge.

"Vibrate." Repeating his old trick, Song Que saw him use the same move from earlier and secretly withdrew his force. Feeling the twisting force transmitted from the blade, he immediately spun his body, following the momentum of the saber for a full rotation! The saber remained firmly in his grasp! Grandee Song was delighted! Seeing that he was able to parry it this time, Hui Wu also smiled. A glint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and he immediately stepped forward to launch his first attack!

It was a seemingly simple and unadorned punch, yet Song Que felt as if he were trapped in a net, unable to escape! It exerted immense pressure on him! He shouted and swung his saber head-on to block! Clang! The powerful force forced Song Que to take a step back, but Hui Wu didn't stop. His fists rained down on him like a torrential downpour! Clang! Clang!... Clang! Three consecutive punches! With the rebounding force growing stronger each time, even Song Que's robust physique couldn't withstand it!

The Black Iron Saber flew from his grasp once again! Clang... Not rushing to retrieve it, Song Que frowned, recalling the intense moments of the fight just now. It seemed he had been dragged into the opponent's rhythm! It was as if Hui Wu had anticipated his every action, while he remained completely oblivious, recklessly throwing himself into the trap! After a long while, having finally found a clue, he enthusiastically ran to pick up his saber and looked at Hui Wu with renewed fighting spirit!

The opponent had remained silent this entire time, smiling and observing him. Seeing Song Que look over, he nodded encouragingly.

"Master Hui Wu, one more time! You'll need to be careful this time!"

"Benefactor Song, please." This time, Song Que didn't clash head-on. Instead, like a cunning fox, he utilized his advantage of superior agility and reflexes, circling the opponent and searching for openings! Hui Wu also showed a rare expression of solemnity. Several times he found opportunities to attack, but Grandee Song had grown wise! He would only exchange a few feints before retreating, absolutely refusing to engage in an extended melee!

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The two exchanged hundreds of moves back and forth. In the center of the courtyard, saber lights and fist shadows flew everywhere! Standing on the side, Xiong Ba's eyes couldn't even keep up with their rhythm! The more Song Que fought, the fiercer he became!

Tireless as a human machine gun, he viciously and rapidly slashed the Black Iron Saber toward Hui Wu, forcing him into awkward defensive postures several times, disheveling his robes in the process!

"Haha, Benefactor Song, please be careful!" Hui Wu suddenly called out. He stood straight in the center of the yard; one hand formed a mudra while the other thrust a palm strike toward Song Que! The aura was vast and surging! The Light of Buddha Shines Everywhere! Song Que's hair stood on end, an extreme premonition of danger screaming in his heart! He felt as if a massive, brilliantly golden hand was charging toward him at an incredible speed, aiming to completely crush and obliterate him!

With no path of retreat, Song Que let out a roar and instantly entered his 'Super God' state! The Tesseract fired on all cylinders, burning energy into his cells! Gripping the Black Iron Saber with both hands, he didn't retreat but advanced, slashing fiercely forward! BOOM! A massive crater instantly exploded in the courtyard, kicking up a thick cloud of dust that lingered for a long time! Cough, cough... A moment later, as the dust settled, the scene in the center of the yard was revealed.

Hui Wu stood exactly as he was, unharmed, with everything behind him perfectly intact. On Song Que's side, however, things looked quite miserable! The ground looked as if a herd of buffalo had plowed through it, forming a long trench. At the very end of it, Song Que was half-kneeling, leaning on his saber, clutching his chest and coughing. Standing outside, Xiong Ba, who had been anxiously searching for him, saw this and immediately rushed over to support him.

"Young Master, are you alright?!"

"I'm fine. Just minor injuries." Only then did Xiong Ba shift his gaze. Glaring at Hui Wu with the ferocity of a wild beast, a low growl rumbled in his throat, startling the monk slightly.

"Xiong Ba, do not be insolent! We were merely sparring; the Master secretly withdrew his force!" Having caught his breath, Song Que turned to Xiong Ba and scolded him. Hui Wu had indeed pulled his punch earlier; the moment they clashed, he had secretly withdrawn his force! Otherwise, having taken that hit head-on, he wouldn't just be coughing and out of breath!

"Thank you, Master, for showing mercy."

"Most people, when facing a crisis, will seek a way to dodge or hide. But how can they know that when the Light of Buddha Shines Everywhere, there is no place to hide in this world? Only by facing the difficulty head-on can one find a sliver of life! This is the essence of the move The Light of Buddha Shines Everywhere."

"Benefactor Song truly possesses great wisdom and great courage! To have the bravery to sacrifice oneself to achieve enlightenment in a life-or-death moment... Excellent, excellent!"

"This junior is just a blind cat finding a dead mouse; I was lucky to escape disaster! The Master's martial arts are profound; this junior concedes defeat with complete sincerity."

"This humble monk is merely relying on a cultivation base that I have practiced for a few more years than Benefactor Song. In the future, Benefactor Song will certainly far surpass me." Although he knew the other party's words were primarily polite pleasantries, Song Que felt incredibly comfortable hearing them, and the slight annoyance in his heart vanished without a trace. Thinking back on facing that move head-on, he still felt a lingering fear! It felt just like experiencing a lightning strike all over again!

He didn't know if Hui Wu had executed it to test him or what his intentions were, but he wasn't sure if the opponent could have withdrawn his hand in time if he had lost his nerve and tried to retreat! Thinking back to a few days ago, when Brother Wu Yi had been played like a fiddle by Xiong Ba, suffering continuous dual blows to his body and soul... and today, it was his turn to face Hui Wu! This could be considered the cycle of karma! This meal... err, this match, could be described as a complete defeat!

It was his most painful defeat to date! The two were around the same age; Hui Wu couldn't be more than two years older than him. Yet, in the opponent's hands, he was like a toddler facing an adult—casually squeezed and manipulated without the slightest ability to fight back! Even using the Tesseract and exerting his full strength, if Hui Wu wanted to kill him, it wouldn't take more than ten moves! This broke Grandee Song's newly self-hypnotized heart, leaving him with a profound sense of failure!

But he wasn't sad about it; on the contrary, he was delighted by the bountiful harvest! This single battle today was enough for him to savor and contemplate for a long time! With a sparring partner like this, Song Que wished the man would come abuse him every day! Instructing Xiong Ba to clean up the courtyard, Song Que and Hui Wu returned to the reception room to chat.

"Benefactor Song, I see you possess profound roots of wisdom and have a great affinity with our Buddha. I wonder if you would be interested in joining Lingying Temple?" Hearing his question, Song Que's expression changed instantly, and he shook his head like a rattle-drum:"No, no! Thank you for your kind intentions, Master! But I haven't enjoyed the world enough yet! I still want to marry and have children in the future!"

"Sigh, it is all merely an illusory, fleeting dream that blinds the people of the world. If one day the Benefactor can attain enlightenment, you will realize that no matter how beautiful a woman is, she is ultimately nothing but pink flesh over a dry skeleton." Seeing him refuse, Hui Wu felt very regretful and wanted to offer a few more words of persuasion. But seeing Grandee Song's resolute attitude, he immediately changed the subject.

"Master, this junior's cultivation has been stuck at the peak of the Third Grade for a long time, but alas, I haven't been able to find the trick to An Jin. Therefore, I have been stagnating, unable to advance. I wonder if Master Hui Wu could perhaps explain the techniques of An Jin to me?" Afraid Hui Wu would continue trying to entice him into becoming a monk, Song Que hurriedly voiced the question that had been burning in his heart for so long. He was taking a gamble here.

After all, he had nothing to lose even if he was rejected! Besides, after contemplating it for a long time, he felt the chances of Hui Wu agreeing were still very high! Because ultimately, An Jin wasn't some secretly inherited martial art; it was simply a technique for exerting force! It was only in places like this, where people's cultivation levels were low, that it was hoarded like a treasure!

For someone like Hui Wu, who hailed from a prestigious sect, surrounded by senior and junior brothers, uncles, and masters who were all experts, the secrets of An Jin weren't really secrets at all! Just like how Wu Fan could generously guide Song Que on Ming Jin in the past, the principle was the same! Therefore, Song Que asked the opponent very casually, as if asking about something trivial. And sure enough, his gamble paid off!