EFB Chapter 18 The Leader
Chapter 18 The Leader
The final match is scheduled for the afternoon.
An hour of meditation was far from enough for Zheng Biao. Wu Tianxiong, with a gloomy face, stuffed another fragrant white pill into Zheng Biao's mouth.
"Use the Qi-stabilizing pill to suppress the injury, then go straight for the kill on stage and finish the job within ten moves."
Zheng Biao swallowed the medicine, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes: "Understood."
Zheng Biao looked at Liang Cheng, who was meditating with his eyes closed, and gritted his teeth. He couldn't lose; Zhennan Martial Arts School had to win first place!
"In the final match, Liang Cheng from Yangwei Martial Arts School will face Zheng Biao from Zhennan Martial Arts School!"
The sound of the gong drowned out all the noise.
Liang Cheng and Zheng Biao jumped onto the ring at the same time.
Zheng Biao's face was pale, but his eyes were filled with a fierce light: "You will regret standing on this stage."
Before he finished speaking, he had already moved close like a ghost, his right hand forming a claw as he aimed for Liang Cheng's vital point under his ribs. Liang Cheng twisted his waist and narrowly avoided it, but Zheng Biao's left palm was already slashing towards his neck.
Liang Cheng lowered his shoulder to block, but the hidden force penetrated his arm, causing it to go numb. He retreated in the process, but Zheng Biao followed closely, his fingers, palms, claws, and fists all aimed at vital points. He was cunning and ruthless, giving him no chance to gather strength to unleash his punches.
Liang Cheng remained calm and completely switched to a defensive stance, maximizing the "stability" of the Hunyuan stance. He avoided the onslaught of attacks with minimal effort, and for moves he couldn't avoid, he used non-vital parts to take the hits head-on.
"Clang!" "Pfft!" "Thump!"
The sounds of the two colliding continued.
On the sidelines, Yang Wei gripped the back of his chair tightly with both hands, Zhou Hu looked solemn, but Wu Tianxiong's lips were already curled up. Although Zheng Biao was not at his peak, his experience and ruthlessness far surpassed Wu Xiao's, and it was only a matter of time before Liang Cheng was defeated.
After thirty moves, Zheng Biao's breathing became noticeably heavy, and sweat appeared on his forehead. The effects of the Gu Yuan Dan were waning, and the swelling and pain in his meridians began to backfire.
He knew he couldn't delay any longer.
A fierce glint flashed in Zheng Biao's eyes. He took a deep breath, blocked Liang Cheng's attack with his left shoulder, and used the momentum to spin around, sweeping his right leg like a steel whip toward Liang Cheng's waist and abdomen!
This kick concentrated most of his remaining strength and even contained a trace of the "transformation" power at the threshold of the Transformation Realm, determined to break bones and shatter internal organs with a single blow.
But this was the moment Liang Cheng had been waiting for.
He suddenly tightened his waist and abdomen, neither dodging nor flinching, but even taking the initiative to meet the attack. He activated the Stone Armor Technique at full power, and his skin glowed with a grayish-white light.
"Bang!"
Zheng Biao instantly felt as if he had kicked a piece of raw iron. The recoil numbed his entire right leg, and excruciating pain shot straight to his head.
His face turned deathly pale instantly.
Liang Cheng withstood the blow head-on, and his right fist, which had been gathering momentum for a long time, was unleashed with the powerful force of a bull.
"Snap!"
A piercing sound of bones cracking rang out, and Zheng Biao spat out blood, flying backward off the stage like a ripped bag, curling up and convulsing, unable to get up again.
The entire room fell into a deathly silence.
All eyes were fixed on the young man in blue on the stage. His clothes were torn at the waist, revealing the firm, slightly reddened skin underneath.
"His hard skills have reached a high level... He actually withstood a full-force attack from someone at the threshold of the Transformation Realm?!"
After a brief silence, a deafening roar erupted.
The merchants went completely crazy.
Fatty Wang jumped up and shook his men violently, yelling, "Did you see that?! Mastery of hard skills! Internal strength cultivation! Sixteen years old! No matter how much money it costs, we have to get him!"
At this moment, Chen Bainian, a wealthy merchant from the three towns, put down his teacup, whispered a few words to the old servant behind him, and the old servant quickly left.
On the high platform, the city lord's special envoy rose and applauded: "The younger generation is truly formidable! I hereby announce that Liang Cheng of Yangwei Martial Arts Academy has won the championship of this year's Three Towns Grand Competition. Yangwei Martial Arts Academy's share of cooperation tasks next year will be increased by 30%, and the reward will be 500 taels of silver!"
"Thank you, Special Envoy!" Yang Wei clasped his hands in thanks, his voice filled with excitement.
The reward money isn't important; what matters is that the martial arts school's share of the missions has increased by 30%, something that has never happened before.
Liang Cheng's performance was just too eye-catching!
Liang Cheng slowly stepped off the stage, feeling a dull ache in his lower back and abdomen, but the injury was not serious, just a superficial wound.
At this moment, the young man was spirited and his eyes were bright.
The disciples of Yangwei Martial Arts School swarmed forward. Li Cheng and the others were so excited that they were incoherent. Yangwei patted him heavily on the shoulder, and everything was understood without words.
Although it's unclear where Liang Cheng learned his martial arts skills, it doesn't matter now. He's always been open-minded and fair in his rewards and punishments.
Not far away, Wu Tianxiong stared at Zheng Biao, who was being carried back barely breathing, his face ashen. His gaze swept over Liang Cheng like a venomous snake, then over Yang Wei, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
At this moment, the crowd automatically parted, and the city lord's special envoy walked up to Liang Cheng with a gentle smile on his face and some disbelief in his eyes.
"Congratulations, young friend Liang." The envoy's voice was not loud, but it instantly silenced the surroundings. "At sixteen years old, you have mastered the internal energy cultivation and achieved great success in hard skills. Looking at the entire Linwu City, you can be considered a young hero."
As he spoke, he took out a palm-sized black iron token from his bosom. The front of the token was engraved with the character "甲" (jia), and the back was the emblem of the city lord's mansion.
"A First-Class Guest Retainer's Order of the City Lord's Mansion." The special envoy handed the token to Liang Cheng. "With this order, you may freely enter and leave the City Lord's Mansion and receive a monthly stipend of thirty taels of silver. If you wish to serve in the mansion, you will be offered a high-ranking position and generous salary."
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and the wealthy merchants stared at Liang Cheng with growing fervor.
Order of First-Class Guest Retainer!
That was a certificate used by the city lord's mansion to treat distinguished guests. Nowadays, there are only a few people in the three towns combined who can get one. Thirty taels of silver a month is a considerable sum.
Liang Cheng didn't go to take it immediately, but looked at Yang Wei instead.
Yang Wei nodded almost imperceptibly.
Under the rule of the City Lord's Mansion, no martial arts school can bypass it. Once you have this token, you are considered one of the City Lord's "own people" and it will be more convenient for you to act in the future. It will also be able to deter villains.
Liang Cheng understood and accepted the token with both hands: "Thank you for your kindness, Special Envoy."
"No need for formalities," the envoy said with a smile. "You are still young, so cultivate diligently. You have a bright future ahead of you. If you encounter any difficulties, you can bring your token to the City Lord's Mansion to find me."
After speaking, the envoy turned and left, with his guards following closely behind.
Only then did the crowd dare to whisper among themselves.
"A first-class guest advisor order; the city lord's mansion is clearly planning to cultivate him as a key talent."
"Nonsense, a sixteen-year-old with mastered internal and external martial arts skills, wouldn't you try to win him over?"
"Now Yangwei Martial Arts School has truly established itself."
Wu Tianxiong stood not far away, his face ashen.
He had already planned his revenge: after the competition, he would find an opportunity to cripple Liang Cheng and then slowly suppress Yangwei Martial Arts School.
But once that first-class guest minister order was issued, all his thoughts had to be swallowed back.
To mess with Liang Cheng is to slap the City Lord's Mansion in the face.
He stared intently at the token in Liang Cheng's hand, his nails digging into his palms until blood seeped out. Finally, he let out a heavy snort, turned away, and ordered, "Carry Zheng Biao back to the headquarters!"
The people from Zhennan Martial Arts School slunk away, but no one cared at that moment.
Merchants and wealthy households immediately swarmed forward, but Yang Wei stopped them directly. If it weren't for the city lord's guest token, he would have allowed Liang Cheng to make contact, but now, things were different.
"Everyone, one of my disciples is injured and I have to rush back for treatment. If you have anything to discuss, please come to the martial arts school."
After saying that, Yang Wei ignored them and, with his disciples, carried Zhao Yuan onto the carriage and returned directly to the martial arts school.
This trip was a resounding success!