Chapter 150: [A Single Arrow]
“...It is nothing, Uncle, please make your move.”
Tang Mubai smiled and returned the courtesy, the corners of his mouth twitching imperceptibly.
“Good!”
The plump middle-aged man clapped his hands at the words, squatted his thick thighs slightly, and assumed a combat stance. “Then be careful, Drifting Dragon Palm!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Airs of force surged, phantom afterimages overlapping.
The plump middle-aged man swung both hands simultaneously, constantly launching attacks against Tang Mubai as his body moved swiftly.
Swish!
Tang Mubai stepped back, evading the attack.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The plump middle-aged man moved with rapid footsteps, continuing to close in.
Swoosh!
Tang Mubai retreated once again, and the plump middle-aged man pressed forward once more, his speed growing increasingly frantic.
Yet, no matter how he accelerated, he simply could not catch up to Tang Mubai, failing even to brush the hem of Tang Mubai’s clothes.
Without even being able to make contact with his opponent, how could he hope to win?
Before long, the plump middle-aged man was left panting heavily.
In contrast, Tang Mubai remained utterly relaxed, strolling leisurely across the martial arts ring as if taking a walk in a garden.
The two of them—one retreating, the other pursuing—drew jeers and whistles from the live audience.
Gradually, the plump middle-aged man’s face flushed bright red, overwhelmed with shame and anger.
Just as he was about to unleash his trump card—
Whoosh!
A gust of fierce wind suddenly struck from behind.
“Not good!”
A jolt went through the plump middle-aged man’s heart. He tried to dodge, but it was already a step too late.
Bang!
With a dull thud, the plump middle-aged man was struck squarely in his large, fleshy buttocks, and the immense force propelled him staggering forward.
The plump middle-aged man stumbled, desperately trying to control his balance and steady himself.
Bang!
Tang Mubai did not give him the chance, delivering another kick straight to his rear, sending the plump middle-aged man tumbling completely out of the ring and crashing into the sand pit.
“Nice!”
“Damn it, he could have knocked him flying ages ago!”
“Exactly, wasting so much time, weren't you tired?”
“...”
The audience members offered various sarcastic remarks.
Crouched in the sand pit, the plump middle-aged man felt his ears burn with shame and fury.
Tang Mubai on the stage acted as if he had noticed nothing. Once the referee announced the match result, he calmly walked down from the ring.
Meanwhile, families sitting at home watching television across the East District gasped in astonishment.
“What's Tang Mubai’s background? Even Fatty He is no match for him.”
“Indeed. Fatty He is a professional ninth-grade martial artist. Although his movement technique isn’t very high-tier, he has reached the Great Accomplishment realm. Paired with the tier-three martial art *Drifting Dragon Palm*, he can even hold his own against newly advanced professional martial artists. Yet from start to finish, he couldn't even touch the hem of Tang Mubai’s clothes once!”
“Investigate Tang Mubai’s origins. I want detailed information.”
“The Martial Arts Association has achieved its goal. The competition has only just begun, and already a promising young expert has emerged!”
“...”
Outside the venue, discussions surrounding Tang Mubai arose from time to time.
Having returned to the spectator seats, Tang Mubai remained unaware of this.
Even if he had known, he would not have felt much.
To be precise, from the moment he decided to enter the tournament, he had already prepared himself.
The adult division had twice as many contestants in the advancement matches as the youth division.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Tang Mubai only had a single chance to take the stage.
It was worth noting that Tang Mubai was not the only youth participating in both divisions simultaneously.
A young man named Han Li had defeated a professional eighth-grade middle-aged man in seconds during the final match at nine o'clock that evening.
Unlike Tang Mubai, who had worn his opponent out completely before kicking him out of the ring, Han Li had blasted his opponent away with a direct punch, drawing gasps of awe from the entire crowd.
Consequently, his popularity surpassed that of Tang Mubai.
When Tang Mubai returned home that evening, he was subjected to a joint interrogation by Xu Dalu, Fang Shuixian, and his young cousin.
Meanwhile, the young man named Han Li had sparked a massive trend across online forums.
Many predicted him to be the champion of the East District youth division and among the top ten in the adult division.
Tang Mubai did not browse the internet and remained oblivious to all of this.
When the matches resumed the next day, not only Xu Dalu, Fang Shuixian, and his cousin, but also Yang Kai, Mi Wu, Mili, Lin Huafeng, and familiar members of the Madman Mercenary Corps were present at the venue.
Regrettably, throughout the entire day, Tang Mubai’s turn to fight never came.
Both morning and afternoon were merely repetitions of the previous day.
On the third day, his turn still did not come. Neither did it on the fourth day.
It was not until the fifth day, during the East District Top 30 knockout matches, that he finally stepped onto the stage once again.
His opponent was a genius from a martial arts academy named Peng Xuezhou, who wielded twin sabers.
Right from the start, Peng Xuezhou launched an immediate offensive, swinging two unsharpened alloy battle sabers to chop out arcs of forceful energy in an attempt to box Tang Mubai in.
However, Tang Mubai effortlessly shattered the incoming attacks, widened the distance between them, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow.
Swoosh!
Lacking any infused battle qi, the headless arrow shot toward Peng Xuezhou like lightning. As it detonated, it shattered Peng Xuezhou’s twin-saber defense and struck him squarely in the chest.
“Clang! Clang!”
Struck by a wave of intense pain in his chest, Peng Xuezhou felt his hands go numb as his two alloy battle sabers dropped to the ground.
He staggered backward uncontrollably, barely managing to halt himself right at the edge of the ring.
Even so, his face had turned pale, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
“How...”
Swish!
With a flash of movement, Tang Mubai appeared right before him and delivered a kick.
Bang!
Peng Xuezhou felt a sharp pain in his chest and his vision blurred as his body lifted into the air uncontrollably, flying backward out of the ring to land flat on his back in the sand pit.
“The winner is Tang Mubai!”
The referee’s booming voice echoed across the arena.
The stunned crowd snapped back to reality, erupting into cheers and applause.
“Such formidable archery!”
“Tang Mubai’s mastery of archery has definitely reached the Great Accomplishment realm!”
“Great Accomplishment? I’d say it has reached the Realm of Perfection! That arrow just now left no trace at all. To call it consummate and superb would be entirely justified.”
“His lightness and movement techniques are peerless, and his archery is sublime. What is Tang Mubai’s background? He’s only eighteen years old, isn't he? To be so young and yet so terrifyingly powerful!”
“...”
The audience at the scene expressed either amazement or awe.
...
“A genius!”
On an elevated platform set up near the outer edge of the ring, the head of the Martial Arts Association stared intently at Tang Mubai, speaking in a low voice.
“Indeed. That kid’s archery has actually reached the Realm of Perfection. An eighteen-year-old master of the archery path truly deserves to be called a genius.”
The head of the Governor’s Mansion agreed with a sigh.
“No, not the Realm of Perfection—it’s consummation!”
The head of the Martial Arts Association snapped in a low voice.
“What?”
The head of the Governor’s Mansion was startled. He straightened up and asked in shock, “Are you saying his mastery of archery isn't just at the Realm of Perfection, but has reached absolute completion?”
“Of course. I have honed my archery for decades. While I wouldn't claim a hundred percent understanding of the path of archery, I am ninety-nine percent certain.”
The head of the Martial Arts Association said gravely, “Although Tang Mubai disguised it well just now, that momentary wholeness and fusion of arrow and qi was unquestionably the state of absolute consummation!”
The head of the Governor’s Mansion fell silent.
...
At the same time.
In a certain corner of the spectator seats, Han Li’s expression was as dark as water.
A young man beside him watched Tang Mubai walking down from the stage and suddenly asked in a low voice, “Could you block that arrow from just now?”
Han Li did not reply; his expression remained grim as his gaze flickered continuously.
After waiting a moment for a response, the young man spoke again in a low voice, “Don't worry, I’ll deal with him.”
“If he doesn't agree, cripple one of his hands and one of his legs!”
Han Li blurted out abruptly, his voice chillingly cold.
“No problem!”