Chapter 168 — Two Bodies, One Platform

CHAPTER 168

Two Bodies, One Platform

The fists met above the platform's centre mark.

A heavy crack echoed through the stands. Xiahou Lie's bronze protection shuddered, and his whole body stopped despite the force of his charge.

Shi Feng's arm bent slightly because he allowed it to bend.

His golden bones weren't damaged. The strength beneath them was far beyond what this ordinary body art could overcome. He'd chosen enough force to stop the charge without showing how easily he could end it.

Xiahou Lie felt the difference before the audience understood it.

His grin faded. He twisted his shoulders to bring the second fist across, but Shi Feng's free hand caught the elbow.

The body cultivator's stance opened.

Shi Feng pushed.

Xiahou Lie staggered backward three steps. The bronze light around his arm flickered where the elbow moved out of line with his shoulder.

Before he could settle again, Shi Feng struck the same point with a short palm.

The protection broke.

A sharp pain shot through Xiahou Lie's forearm. He pulled it close, shocked to find that he could no longer lift it properly.

Shi Feng stopped attacking.

“Enough?” Shi Feng asked.

Xiahou Lie looked at his injured arm. His expression was so disappointed that several spectators thought he might insist on continuing.

Then he laughed.

“That's enough,” Xiahou Lie said. “I surrender.”

Lu Yong entered between them at once and checked the injury. The bone was damaged, but it wasn't shattered beyond repair. Proper medicine and rest would handle it.

The official looked at Shi Feng's unmarked hands.

“You stopped the next strike,” Lu Yong said.

“He surrendered,” Shi Feng replied.

“He would've needed carrying otherwise,” Lu Yong said.

Xiahou Lie looked offended.

“I can walk!” Xiahou Lie protested.

“Then walk to the physician,” Lu Yong replied.

The crowd finally found its voice.

“He broke the Iron Buddha guard!”

“Mid Foundation Establishment against late Foundation Establishment!”

“His own arm isn't even swollen!”

“Xiahou Lie's still laughing!”

The body cultivator raised his good hand toward the stands, delighted to confirm that last observation.

Shi Feng retrieved his sword from the entrance. The edge remained safe in its scabbard, which was more useful than having it bent against reinforced flesh.

Xiahou Lie followed him with the injured arm supported by his opposite hand.

“Rematch,” Xiahou Lie said.

“Healing first,” Shi Feng replied.

“After healing,” Xiahou Lie said. “And more practice. I need a better way to turn when someone catches the elbow.”

“Move your feet before you throw the second punch,” Shi Feng replied.

Xiahou Lie tried the small shift with his good arm and immediately became serious.

“So that's where I lost it,” Xiahou Lie said.

“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.

The body cultivator nodded as though the defeat had become useful at last.

“Don't become impossible to find,” Xiahou Lie said. “I dislike chasing people just to get hit.”

“You could stop asking for it,” Shi Feng replied.

Xiahou Lie laughed and went toward the treatment rooms. He didn't offer an oath of brotherhood or promise to follow Shi Feng into whichever sect he chose.

He wanted another fight. That was simple enough to respect.

Duan Yichen waited by the passage with Sima Lan. The princess looked at Shi Feng's hands, then toward Xiahou Lie's retreating back.

“His arm,” Sima Lan said.

“Will heal,” Shi Feng replied.

“I meant yours,” Sima Lan said.

Shi Feng opened and closed one hand.

“Still attached,” Shi Feng replied.

Duan Yichen laughed. Sima Lan gave him a cold look before turning toward the board.

The first semi-final place now carried Shi Feng's name.

Under the sect awning, He Zhen set his brush down and flexed his own fingers thoughtfully.

Mu Shuyun noticed.

“You're not entering the next match,” Mu Shuyun said.

“I was thinking about the angle,” He Zhen replied.

“Everyone saw the angle,” Wei Chengyuan said. “The strength behind it matters more.”

He Zhen didn't argue. The Martial Palace delegate was right about that much. A clever turn wouldn't stop Xiahou Lie unless the hand applying it could hold the body cultivator in place.

Shi Feng's visible mid Foundation Establishment cultivation wasn't the whole explanation.

That didn't mean He Zhen understood what else supported it. He simply wrote that the young man controlled his strength well.

A useful observation was better than inventing a divine physique from one match.

Wei Chengyuan looked toward Shi Feng's passage for a long moment. The young man already refused to answer an early invitation. Each victory would make the final answer harder to force.

That irritated him.

Shi Feng ate in the waiting courtyard while the platform was cleaned. Duan Yichen sat opposite him and complained that the tournament meals had fewer vegetables than the inn's.

“Then buy some,” Shi Feng said.

“The stall outside charges more today,” Duan Yichen replied.

“Become a champion. Complain afterward,” Shi Feng said.

“Ninth is the best I can do,” Duan Yichen answered.

Shi Feng looked at the sabre user's grin and felt his own mood ease a little. Duan Yichen wasn't pretending disappointment over a place he'd fought hard to earn.

That was good company.

Before standing, Shi Feng swallowed a pill from his own bottle. The medicinal force settled into his foundation cleanly. He wasn't injured, but the steady accumulation still mattered. His foundation needed far more than one tournament afternoon could provide, and he wasn't going to waste the official rest period arguing about other people's opinions.

He still noticed the empty seat beside them when a passing woman wore violet. The feeling lasted only a moment, but it remained sharp.

Ling Qingzhu was on her way to a new teacher. He hoped the journey was safe.

He didn't reach for paper to ask.

A bell sounded from the arena. The next quarter-final would begin shortly.

Duan Yichen finished the last bite and stood.

“Gongsun Ce's puppets first,” Duan Yichen said. “Then the swordswoman. Gu Zhan's been asking whether they can hurry.”

Shi Feng rose and adjusted the sword at his waist.

“Someone should tell him the others want to win too,” Shi Feng said.

“He knows,” Duan Yichen replied. “That's what he likes.”

They returned to the passage as the next names rang across the stands.