Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"Honglu, what are you saying? It's too abrupt and rude!" Zhang Lvjiu's face darkened. "They've just arrived and haven't even had a proper rest yet. How can they have time to play around with your nonsense?"

“You’re wrong, Green Wine. Our ‘big brother’ here is quite strong.” Zhang Honglu cracked his neck and shoulders. “I could feel it when we made contact just now. His internal energy was steady, his pulse was strong, and he showed no signs of fatigue.”

Zhang Honglu's lips curled into a slight smile, and his slanted eyes revealed a look of high spirits and great excitement.

"Even if we fight for dozens more rounds..."

He grabbed his well-tailored suit, ripped it off like paper, and tossed it aside, saying, "It doesn't matter at all!!"

----

Having said all that, Zhang Fulin was essentially placed in that position.

After a moment's thought, his gaze swept quickly over everyone present, finally settling on the wolf. He then strode up to her, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and softly inquired, "Auntie, is it alright?"

Seeing that he was willing to consult his birth mother before taking action, Zhang Wusheng had mixed feelings, but he did not dislike him.

"Um……"

Looking around, Wolf suddenly realized that she was actually the highest-ranking elder here, and couldn't help but chuckle. Deep down, a significant part of her was still immature, like a girl pretending to be an adult.

But she also pretended to be flawless, clearing her throat, "A competition is fine, but there are ancient rules. When competing with fellow disciples, one should hold back but not hold back, and one should have martial ethics."

"The one who taught Honglu martial arts was your own father. But the one who taught Fulin martial arts was Zhu Kuilong. He and your father were from the same school. From this perspective, Fulin and Honglu, you are not only blood brothers, but also fellow disciples from the same school. Don't ruin this friendship because of a fight over pride."

"It's a bit cramped here, and there are too many tents. If we're going to fight, let's go to a more open place, spread out our forces, and have a proper contest."

----

"Ms. Nymeria, isn't this... a little too much..."

Zhang Lvjiu looked somewhat hesitant, but the two of them were already in an open space, each occupying one side and getting ready. He knew that it would be useless to object, so he could only sigh helplessly.

"What's the big deal? Back when your father, Senior Brother Zhu, Senior Sister He, and I were still living together, we would fight every single day after we finished practicing our skills."

Recalling those bright and happy years, the corners of Wolf's mouth unconsciously turned up, revealing a smile. "Martial arts, after all, are meant to be practiced in real combat. It's best to practice against opponents of different styles, learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses, in order to make progress."

“Your father’s skill level is far below yours. There’s no chance of a back-and-forth battle with him, so you two brothers can only practice on each other and won’t make much progress. In my opinion, Fulin’s arrival today is actually a good opportunity.”

"Why?" Zhang Lvjiu asked curiously. "Could it be that what he's practicing isn't Qi Hard Kung Fu?"

……

Zhang Wusheng, leaning on his cane, stood beside the two men, watching the duel from afar.

Normally, he would avoid such training or martial arts demonstrations altogether.

Seeing the two brothers perform martial arts, in particular, stirred up his emotions, making him feel the injustices of fate. Their punches and kicks were earth-shattering and incredibly exciting, attracting a crowd. But he himself was out of breath after just a few steps.

Such a comparison is enough to make one feel frustrated and irritable, so one might as well simply not look at it.

But today, for no apparent reason, he felt a surge of interest and wanted to watch this competition between fellow disciples and compatriots closely.

And deep down, he hoped Zhang Fulin would win.

Chapter 933: Always Just a Little Bit More

"I was too excited just now and forgot to ask," Zhang Honglu suddenly remembered. "What weapon are you good with?"

“Weapons… I don’t think that’s necessary.” Zhang Fulin stood sideways with his feet in a T-shape, his posture as upright as a pine tree. “We are just sparring, focusing only on our fist and foot skills, and we’ll stop when we’ve made our point. If we really resort to weapons, wouldn’t that damage our harmony?”

"Ha, that's even better." Zhang Honglu chuckled, kicking a small pebble far away. "The only things we can find here are wooden swords and sticks soaked in tung oil. You want me to fight with those flimsy pieces of wood..."

"This is so disappointing!!"

"Thump—!!"

With a light touch of his toes, Zhang Honglu's body shot out like an arrow from a taut bowstring, moving in a straight line. Dust billowed behind him, and although he was unarmed, the lethality of his punches and kicks was in no way inferior, heading straight for Zhang Fulin's face.

He and Zhang Lvjiu used the same set of teaching materials and received their education from the same teacher.

The saying goes, "Don't bite off more than you can chew," so Zhang Renfeng didn't cram all his unparalleled martial arts skills into his children at once. Instead, he started with what he considered the most basic Qigong, practicing it day after day. In the end, he trained two monsters with innate superhuman strength.

The advantage of doing this is that it allows for comparison of martial arts progress, and also provides a way to verify each other's progress.

However… when these brothers spar, they often find themselves in the awkward situation of “being taught by the same master, yet unable to break each other’s moves.” Furthermore, brothers often have a deep understanding and connection. They don’t even need to actually fight; just standing there, they know exactly how to attack and how to defend. They may not seem to have moved an inch, but in reality, they’ve already mentally rehearsed dozens of moves.

This is also why Zhang Honglu is so eager; he especially wants to know if someone trained according to a completely different system can spark something special with him. Therefore, as soon as he makes a move, he completely forgets the wolf's instructions. This punch already uses seven or eight tenths of its power, showing little restraint.

He clenched his fist with his five fingers, his middle finger slightly protruding, and then used a twisting force on his wrist to aim straight for the bridge of his nose!

"boom----!!"

The fist struck, the force of the blow brushing his face and ruffling his hair.

"..."

“How could this be…?” Zhang Honglu frowned deeply.

The fist stopped just an inch short of his face, without touching his skin.

Zhang Fulin's humble and amiable smile vanished, replaced by a blank expression. His gaze seemed to pierce through the fist hovering in front of him, looking directly into his eyes, making Zhang Honglu feel uneasy. Zhang Honglu couldn't understand it at all; maintaining proper distance should be a fundamental skill.

These are things that I've practiced day and night until I couldn't practice them any more, and I'm sure I wouldn't make a mistake. How come they're an inch short?

Was it a mistake?

In a flash, with no time to think, and knowing that doubt would slow him down, Zhang Honglu gritted his teeth, gave a soft shout, and thrust his hips forward, his supple body suddenly shifting speed. A fierce and swift high kick struck towards his neck!

……

"boom--!!"

A gust of wind was stirred up by his toes.

It's an inch shorter.

The semi-circle drawn by his right leg just barely grazed past Zhang Fulin's Adam's apple.

----

"..."

Zhang Lüjiu, who was watching from the sidelines, had already figured out some of the tricks, and his expression became serious. "Ms. Namelia, may I ask... what kind of kung fu is this? It doesn't seem to be the same kind as what my father taught us."

"You figured it out?" Wolf was not surprised by the result at all, and explained with a smile, "Your eldest brother is a disciple of Zhu Kuilong, and he learned his [Wild Goose Skill]. It was originally a secret of Wudang Mountain. Unlike the Qi Hard Skill that emphasizes hard confrontation, the Wild Goose Skill is extremely demanding on body movement. It is a lightness skill."

"Once mastered, one's movements become graceful, leaving no trace on the snow, and one can even walk on water. I've also heard that after reaching the pinnacle of the Wild Goose Technique, one can even ride the wind and stand in mid-air like an immortal!"

"So amazing..." After hearing about the wonders of the Wild Goose Skill, Zhang Wusheng was secretly impressed. He looked down at his own legs and said with a wry smile, "Others can fly, but I can't even walk properly without limping."

"So, this Wild Goose Skill can't actually be converted into combat power." Zhang Lvjiu analyzed the weakness of the Wild Goose Skill from the side. "Although the lightness skill is powerful, it doesn't have much of an advantage when it comes to fighting with fists and feet."

"That's not right." Wolf shook her head. Once the topic of martial arts came up, she would become extremely serious, even forgetting that she was talking to her junior. "Have you not heard that among all martial arts, none is invincible... except for speed?"

"Your father's Qi Hardness Kung Fu could be considered to have reached its pinnacle, right? But 14 years ago, when he encountered the even more powerful Dragon Elephant Prajna Kung Fu, it was forcibly broken. Similarly, after your father comprehended the Lesser Formless Kung Fu, the opponent's 'Qi Hardness Kung Fu plus Golden Bell Shield' defense mode was also broken by your father in return."

"From this it can be seen that there is nothing in the world that is strong and solid that cannot be broken... and so it is with you."

……

The commentary continued while the fight raged on the other side, Zhang Honglu's movements becoming increasingly exaggerated, kicking up clouds of dust. But so far, he hadn't landed a single blow. This feeling of always falling just short was like a carrot dangling in front of his eyes—no matter how much he jumped, he could never reach it.

He transformed his punches and kicks into an impenetrable net, but his opponent, by tumbling and leaping left and right, rendered all his attacks ineffective.

Zhang Honglu was secretly shocked. He had previously thought that lightness skill was simply running, jumping, and rolling around after landing. In his life, he had never seen any masters of lightness skill. Only after exchanging blows today did he realize that good lightness skill could make him feel as if he were punching cotton.

The frustration of throwing punches but missing nothing undoubtedly amplifies inner anxiety.

"Tsk..."

He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, finally deciding to go all out, and all the constraints he had placed before the fight were now thrown to the winds.

"Boom-!!"

Zhang Honglu exerted all his strength, stomping his foot on the ground. The grass roots beneath his feet were quickly crushed, squeezing out juice that mixed with the soil and then flew up. This stomp gave him initial speed comparable to the Wild Goose Kung Fu. His fist technique changed again, concealed within his blurred figure, thrusting towards Zhang Fulin's center line!

"what……"

Before his fist even touched his opponent, Zhang Honglu burst into laughter.

This attack was unavoidable for his opponent, forcing him to confront him head-on. He was confident that he could defeat his opponent directly through sheer force and hardness!

……

Zhang Fulin, who remained expressionless throughout, watched the impending punch...

Laughed.

"?!"

Zhang Honglu suddenly felt a chill down his back, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

Not right.

By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

His vision suddenly went black, and he couldn't see anything.

Chapter 934: Filial Piety and Brotherly Love

"?!"

By this point in the fight, Wolf finally showed a shocked expression. Although she had always known that Zhang Fulin's strength among his peers was quite solid, she hadn't expected that someone only a year older could be so far ahead.

A person who can fight may not be able to teach. In this light, this statement is indeed a profound truth.

In terms of skill, Zhang Renfeng was naturally superior to Zhu Kuilong, but in terms of the disciples he had taught, Zhang Fulin was a level above Zhang Honglu.

Just as the punch was about to strike his torso, his body seemed to "melt" away like liquid. In a fraction of a second, his entire body entered a state of transcendence, collapsing limply. Only just before hitting the ground did his lower limbs suddenly spring into action, the force shifting from soft to hard, leaving a blur in the air as he dodged the punch and circled to Zhang Honglu's side, but without striking him.

Instead, she reached out her left hand and covered his eyes.

……

"What……"

Zhang Honglu was stunned for a moment before realizing that his eyes were covered. He shook his head violently, but the hand was like a leech, stuck to his face and he couldn't shake it off. He had never experienced this feeling in a duel before, and he immediately roared and punched Zhang Fulin's arm, pushing his left hand away.

"Boom!!"

One punch passed.

Zhang Fulin naturally withdrew his left hand, moved with lightning speed, circled around halfway, and almost at the same time as his fist landed, extended his right hand to cover his eyes.

The same trick had been used twice, which felt rather like a mockery. Seeing that his full-force attack had failed to hit him, Zhang Honglu grew increasingly frustrated and tried the same trick again, pushing his hand away once more. But he couldn't see anyone in his field of vision; as if by magic, the other person had briefly disappeared from his "front."

"……Eh?"

A hint of confusion appeared on his handsome face.

Just then, a cold touch pressed against his neck—Zhang Fulin, taking advantage of the two opportunities to distract him, had already silently moved to his side. His right fist was slowly raised and pressed against his neck.

"?!"

Zhang Honglu was terrified. Almost instinctively, he leaped up and delivered a vicious aerial kick to the man's chest.

"Thump—!!"

The latter took a solid kick, flying through the air in an arc before crashing into the mud with a thud. He rolled several times, covered in mud from head to toe. Zhang Fulin lay in the small crater he had created for a while before slowly getting up and brushing the mud off himself. He smiled at Zhang Honglu, who was still waiting in the distance.

"Don't be so nervous, Red Furnace, I lost." He spread his hands. "You won."

"..." Zhang Honglu looked at him with suspicion.

“My lightness skill can dodge for a while, but it eventually runs out of steam. As for hard skills, I’m no match for you.” Zhang Fulin pointed to the footprints on his clothes and said with certainty, “Lightness skill is something that is both strenuous and thankless. I can dodge you a hundred times, but as long as I get hit once, I will lose to your hard skills.”

“But you clearly still have the strength,” Zhang Honglu frowned. “If you keep fighting, you still have a chance, don’t you?”

“We’ve been fighting with our fists and feet, and I haven’t found a way to break through your Qi Hardness Technique. If this continues and we remain locked in a stalemate, my defeat will only be a matter of time.”

"The outcome is already so clear, why continue fighting?"

----

"Sigh...this child..."

The wolf sighed inwardly.

While she might not be particularly adept at reading people's minds, she was an absolute expert in martial arts. Even after a hundred more rounds, she wouldn't believe that Zhang Fulin's martial arts were inferior to Zhang Honglu's. Therefore, only one possibility remained.

Despite the warm conversation about blood ties and lineage just now, to the brothers here, Zhang Fulin is just an outsider. At least, that's how he sees himself, which is why he deliberately held back and conceded defeat during the duel.

The fact that a fifteen-year-old child could have such an accident made the wolf feel both gratified and heartbroken.