Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter Nineteen Crisis

Compared to Xiao Tianhu's resentment stemming from his disappointment, Xiao Banqiu's resentment towards Xiao Chong was far stronger. Xiao Tianhu had merely failed to receive the attention he deserved, while Xiao Banqiu had lost real cultivation resources.

When Huang Tianhua, who had been beaten to the point of near death by Supervisor Xiao Fangzheng the day before, was carried home, his father quickly sent someone to tell Xiao Banqiu that if Xiao Chong, the instigator of this incident, was not punished, the Huang family would reduce all of Xiao Banqiu's supplies by half in the future. If Huang Tianhua really got into trouble, he could forget about getting any benefits from the Huang family in the future.

It's no wonder the Huang family is heartless. Originally, the Huang family sent their son to the Xiao family's ancestral school in order to gain the Xiao family's protection. Now that this has happened, what's the point of supporting Xiao Banqiu anymore?

Therefore, Xiao Banqiu arrived even earlier than Xiao Tianhu, reaching the martial arts training ground almost at midnight.

Xiao Chong's absence from training yesterday afternoon disappointed him. But as the saying goes, "You can't hide forever," and Xiao Banqiu thought to himself, "You'll have to come eventually. As long as you dare to come, I have a thousand ways to make you wish you were dead."

Seeing his two arch-rivals whispering amongst themselves in the training ground, looking rather furtive, Xiao Chong had a bad feeling. But since he was already here, not going in wasn't an option. Besides, as long as he remained at the Xiao family academy, there were many things he couldn't avoid.

The first bell had already rung, and almost all the disciples who had come to class had arrived. Xiao Chong had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow them into the training ground.

"Whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll get stabbed anyway, so what's there to be afraid of? You know, I'm not fighting alone right now."

"If they don't cause trouble today, fine. But if they really think I'm a fool, then I'll let them experience what I'm capable of."

"The only way now is to go against the current and catch them off guard before they reveal their true colors, so as to make the clan take me seriously."

"Fortunately, the clan chief was very satisfied with my performance yesterday. As long as I get through this hurdle safely and catch the clan chief's eye, they will have no choice but to be wary of me."

Thinking of the clan chief's eager gaze, Xiao Chong felt much more at ease, and the third chime of the bell didn't sound as jarring as before.

The three chimes signaled the start of lessons—an unshakeable rule at the sect academy. Xiao Banqiu glanced at the hundred-odd disciples before him, coughed lightly, and strode to the front of the group.

"Two disciples passed the body tempering test yesterday. This is a good thing, a blessing for them personally, and a blessing for the family as well."

"Disciples who failed the test should take these two as role models and cultivate diligently, while the two disciples who passed the test should work even harder to strive for further progress and must not become complacent."

"Therefore, today's lesson is a competitive training exercise, the purpose of which is to help you identify your weaknesses and improve quickly."

"This first confrontation will be between two disciples who have just completed their body tempering. The other disciples should watch carefully and try to understand the situation."

"Xiao Chong, Xiao Tianhu, step forward!"

Finally, Xiao Banqiu let out a loud shout, his voice filled with murderous intent, his eyes fixed on Xiao Chong as if he were a demon ready to devour him.

"They've arrived really quickly. They're not even going to bother with formalities anymore? It seems they couldn't wait any longer." Xiao Chong stepped out of the ranks and arrived at an open space reserved for disciples to spar.

Although Xiao Tianhu was a few months younger than him, he was very burly and a head taller than him. Judging from the undisguised ferocity in the other man's eyes, once he succeeded, he would not let him go easily.

The Xiao family's martial arts school places great emphasis on practical combat when training its disciples. In these one-on-one sparring sessions, injuries are common, but martial arts instructors generally take into full account the combat strength of both sides before arranging sparring training, trying to avoid a large gap between them. Therefore, deaths are extremely rare.

However, anything can happen, especially in martial arts training. If someone accidentally kills their opponent in a real fight, the family won't investigate further; they'll just give them a warning and that's it. As for the instructors who made poor arrangements, they'll only be fined one month's salary.

"please!"

"please!"

The two disciples bowed to each other.

This is the proper etiquette for disciples of the same sect when they engage in friendly competition. Since it's not a matter of life and death, necessary etiquette should still be observed when disciples of the same sect are exchanging pointers.

According to custom, after the two disciples exchange greetings, they will take three steps back, assume a fighting stance, and then begin their fight.

But today, it seemed unnecessary. The atmosphere was unfriendly from the start, and neither side had any good intentions. Therefore, Xiao Chong completely disregarded any conventional practices.

Strike first and you'll prevail; strike later and you'll suffer the consequences. This is an age-old truth.

"In the world of martial arts, speed is the only way to break through defenses," is a famous saying of the legendary master, Fire Cloud Evil God.

Before the other party could look up, Xiao Chong launched a flying kick straight at Xiao Tianhu's face.

Xiao Tianhu was secretly plotting his revenge when he was caught off guard and took a kick to the face. He staggered back two steps, his nose stung, and tears streamed down his face.

He wiped his face with his hand and saw the blood that had flowed from his mouth and nose on his hand, which only fueled Xiao Tianhu's ferocity.

"Die!" With a furious shout, Xiao Tianhu took a step forward and rushed to Xiao Chong's side in one stride. He raised his fist, which was as big as a large bowl, and smashed it down on the other's head.

Seeing the fierce punch coming, Xiao Chong dared not take it head-on. He slid to the side and dodged it like a fish in the blink of an eye.

Both of them had just completed their body tempering, and what they usually learned were some basic techniques from the Xiao family, so they were originally quite similar. However, due to the difference in their physical strength, they took different paths.

Xiao Tianhu's advantage lay in his great strength, making his punches and kicks fierce and imposing. Xiao Chong, on the other hand, suffered from malnutrition and was physically weak, relying instead on more delicate and agile techniques.

When the fighting got heated, Xiao Tianhu's punches and kicks were accompanied by fierce winds, aiming for Xiao Chong's vital points. Helpless, Xiao Chong had no choice but to use his own strengths and his familiarity with basic techniques to fight back.

Xiao Tianhu was about to hit Xiao Chong several times, but he always missed by a hair's breadth, and the other party avoided him, so he knew that the direction of his attack had been predicted in advance.

"It seems I have to use my trump card, otherwise this fight will never end." With that thought, Xiao Tianhu's fist technique suddenly changed.

This set of boxing techniques was not the Xiao family's basic boxing style, but rather something that his family had secretly acquired, called "Fierce Tiger Fist." This style of boxing was not particularly sophisticated, but its strength lay in its fierce and powerful punches, which was perfect for someone as tall and strong as himself.

When Xiao Tianhu changed his fist technique, and it wasn't even taught by the Xiao family, but rather a low-level martial art used by ordinary martial artists, Xiao Banqiu's face immediately darkened.

Instead of using the family's traditional techniques, you're using this kind of unorthodox method. Even if you win, it won't look honorable. And even if you do win, wouldn't that make the Xiao family's techniques seem inferior to those of outsiders? It seems I can't escape the blame for my poor teaching.

But upon closer reflection, a glimmer of hope arose in Xiao Banqiu's heart. He hoped that Xiao Tianhu's "Fierce Tiger Fist" would truly be effective and defeat Xiao Chong in one fell swoop, or better yet, kill him.

As expected, Xiao Tianhu unleashed his "Fierce Tiger Fist," leaving Xiao Chong struggling to defend himself.

Seeing that his opponent was about to punch him in the chest again, Xiao Chong had no time to dodge and could only cross his arms to block the punch in front of his chest.

"Bang!" The punch landed squarely on Xiao Chong's arm.

Xiao Chong felt a powerful force strike him, and his arm, unable to withstand it, slammed into his chest, aggravating the injuries in his lungs that were not yet fully healed.

His foot slipped, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and a mouthful of blood surged up. Xiao Chong fell backward.

A rare opportunity!

Xiao Tianhu pushed off with his feet, leaping into the air. His fist hissed as it smashed down on Xiao Chong's head!