Chapter 79: Loss

Xiao Changhe was just a spoiled second-generation kid with a bit of money and some martial arts skills, which made him act willfully and self-centered, never understanding the meaning of restraint.

A character like this would normally not make Zuo Qingcang angry, or even worth his attention. If he had time, he might just find an opportunity to secretly eliminate him.

But right now, he was not Zuo Qingcang. He was playing the role of a young man named Zuo Zhicheng. A poor, ordinary youth with a bit of talent, standing up for his senior sister and confronting a senior from another martial arts school. If such a young man acted too calm and rational on the stage, without any anger or the arrogance of youth, it would be truly strange and would draw attention from those who were observant.

So Zuo Zhicheng directly slapped Xiao Changhe across the face. This slap not only made him seem more normal in the eyes of others but also angered Xiao Changhe, causing him to expose his flaws.

After being slapped, Xiao Changhe was momentarily stunned, unable to believe what had happened. But this stunned state lasted only a few seconds before turning into overwhelming rage.

“I’ll kill you!” he roared. The muscles on his back vibrated violently, like wings flapping, and he lunged at the retreating Zuo Zhicheng like a fierce eagle from the sky.

Facing the frenzied Xiao Changhe, Zuo Zhicheng had no intention of fighting head-on. He just kept dodging and repositioning, avoiding the brunt of the attacks. Of course, he didn’t avoid everything; occasionally, he was struck once or twice by the opponent’s claws, mostly blocking with his arms.

Below the stage, Yao Youwei watched the fight and shook his head, commenting, “Interesting. This Zuo Zhicheng seems very familiar with the Eagle Claw Technique?”

Beside him, Qingyue Qiu, who rarely spoke, said, “He must have trained specifically for it beforehand. He’s familiar with all the moves of the Eagle Claw Technique. Moreover, his reactions are a bit faster than Xiao Changhe’s.”

“Indeed, but his strength and speed are no match for Xiao Changhe. It seems his cultivation of Innate Primordial Breath isn’t as advanced as Changhe’s. This match is still somewhat interesting.” Yao Youwei glanced at Zuo Zhicheng, whose space to maneuver was shrinking on the stage, and said, “But this kid is still too inexperienced. If not for his quick reactions, he would have been knocked down already.”

A person’s reaction speed is closely related to their innate qualities and their familiarity with what they are reacting to. To the more experienced martial artists below the stage, Zuo Zhicheng was younger than Xiao Changhe, had quicker reactions, and seemed to have been specifically trained to counter the Eagle Claw Technique, which was why he could withstand Xiao Changhe’s storm-like attacks.

On the stage, Xiao Changhe’s eagle claws whistled through the air, carrying overwhelming pressure as they continuously struck at Zuo Zhicheng.

Xiao Jingyang looked at the red mark on his son’s face, his eyes growing darker. Even if they won this match, the fact that Zuo Zhicheng had slapped Xiao Changhe in the face would surely spread. Thinking of this, his gaze toward Jiang Tianzheng grew even more hostile.

In his view, Jiang Tianzheng had specifically trained Zuo Zhicheng to counter the Eagle Claw Technique and sent him up to humiliate them. What he hadn’t expected was that Zuo Zhicheng had also cultivated Innate Primordial Breath. Although he didn’t have Spiritual Energy Vision, he could tell from the young man’s speed and strength that these were qualities only possible with Innate Primordial Breath.

As he was thinking this, another slap echoed from the stage. Xiao Jingyang turned back in disbelief, staring at his son’s cheek. His son had been slapped again by Zuo Zhicheng in the same spot.

“Ah!” This time, Xiao Changhe’s eyes turned bloodshot, and he looked like a rabid tiger, attacking Zuo Zhicheng’s vital points with every move. It seemed he would not stop until one of them was dead.

Below the stage, the crowd watched as Zuo Zhicheng continuously dodged and blocked under Xiao Changhe’s attacks, never being defeated. Their eyes grew increasingly surprised as they looked at Zuo Zhicheng.

On the side of Haoran Martial Hall, Jiang Tianzheng was already smiling with satisfaction. His training for Zuo Zhicheng had not been in vain. Knowing there was a significant gap in their foundations, over the past three months, he had focused Zuo Zhicheng’s training on two things: using Heaven’s Gate Boxing to cultivate Innate Primordial Breath and practicing various defenses and dodges specifically against Chaoyang Martial Hall’s Eagle Claw Technique.

That’s right—purely dodging, and only defending when absolutely necessary. Jiang Tianzheng’s combat strategy was to let the opponent expose their flaws through continuous evasion.

Of course, to achieve this goal, the opponent had to be provoked. But he hadn’t expected…

“To actually slap him in the face like that… Now the grudge with Chaoyang Martial Hall has deepened.” Though he said this, a faint smile still showed in Jiang Tianzheng’s eyes.

On the stage, having been slapped twice, Xiao Changhe was consumed by rage. His eyes fixed on Zuo Zhicheng like a mad dog, he pursued him relentlessly.

But Zuo Zhicheng’s dodging skills grew more and more polished. His previously unsteady steps became increasingly stable and skillful, as if he were walking a tightrope—seeming as though he might be hit at any moment, yet each time, Xiao Changhe’s hands just barely missed him.

In contrast, Xiao Changhe, after his furious onslaught, was already panting heavily, his steps disordered.

Seeing this, Xiao Jingyang’s eyes widened below the stage, and he thought to himself, This is bad.

On the other side, Yao Youwei smiled and said, “If Xiao Changhe had fought steadily, using his stamina advantage to gradually pressure Zuo Zhicheng, Zuo Zhicheng wouldn’t have had any chance at all.

It’s a pity that two slaps drove him into such a state. It just shows his temperament isn’t steady enough.”

Meanwhile, Qingyue Qiu, watching Xiao Changhe on the verge of defeat, said nothing. But her gaze toward Zuo Zhicheng held a trace of confusion, as if something puzzling was hard to explain.

On the stage, Xiao Changhe once again clawed at Zuo Zhicheng’s shoulder, but Zuo Zhicheng expertly dodged, swiftly closing in and crashing into Xiao Changhe’s chest, as if they had rehearsed it hundreds or thousands of times.

In truth, given Zuo Zhicheng’s actual abilities, dodging Xiao Changhe’s attacks was far too easy. Combined with the new function of his left eye, which allowed him to clearly see the flow of energy in others, he could often predict what Xiao Changhe was going to do even before he moved. This made it even harder for Xiao Changhe to land a hit and allowed Zuo Zhicheng to act more naturally.

Seeing Xiao Changhe being forced into Zuo Zhicheng’s embrace, both Xiao Jingyang and Jiang Tianzheng stood up from opposite sides of the stage, their eyes fixed on the unfolding situation.

Cornered like this, Xiao Changhe knew it was time to decide the outcome. His claws emitted a sharp, vibrating sound as they clamped down firmly on Zuo Zhicheng’s shoulders.

Zuo Zhicheng, on the other hand, paid no heed. After closing in, he directly struck Xiao Changhe’s chest with both fists, his whole body crashing into Xiao Changhe like the “Close Mountain Lean” move from Eight Extremities Boxing.

With a loud thud, Xiao Changhe, already unsteady on his feet, was violently shaken by the impact. He staggered backward and fell off the stage.

Zuo Zhicheng’s shoulders emitted a tearing sound as two wounds were ripped open by the eagle claws, blood flowing from the injuries.

But no one cared about that now, because no matter what injuries Zuo Zhicheng had suffered, Xiao Changhe had been knocked straight off the stage.

The outcome was decided, and the winner was clear.

Xiao Changhe, clutching his still-painful chest, looked up in disbelief at Zuo Zhicheng’s figure on the stage and tried to climb back up.

“I don’t accept this!”

“I haven’t lost yet!”

Xiao Jingyang snorted coldly, his iron claws pressing five finger marks into the table beside him. He icily ordered the disciples next to him, “Drag him down already, before he embarrasses us further.”

Struggling against the pull of five or six burly men, Xiao Changhe continued to thrash, trying to scramble back onto the stage.

His face flushed red as he roared, “Let me go! I don’t accept this! Let me fight him again!”

“Zuo Zhicheng! That round didn’t count! If you have the guts, fight me again!”