Free Web NovelChapter 97: Chapter 97: Clash of the Strong, One Good Show After Another
Commander Li frowned. The Black Mountain Ghost was truly insidious.
With a single sentence, he had put Tang Wen and the other two in an awkward position.
If they went down now, it would look like they were afraid of Black Mountain Camp and afraid of Black Blade.
But if they didn’t go down, it would seem disrespectful to all the other factions.
"What should we do?"
He exchanged a look with Qian Sanduo.
Qian Sanduo had no good ideas at the moment, so he could only look down at the Zheng Family.
He hoped they would mediate and give them a graceful way out, allowing them to go down.
After all, it wasn’t a good idea to offend so many people.
But the Zheng Family seemed to want to establish their authority, or perhaps they were dissatisfied that no one from Flame Camp was competing.
They actually said nothing.
The air grew tense. The two sides were locked in a stalemate.
Suddenly, a clear voice rang out, "You there, brute! If you want us to come down, it’s simple. Stand right there and take one move from me. If you can take it, I’ll come down and apologize to you!"
The speaker was, naturally, Tang Wen.
Qian Sanduo and Commander Li exchanged a glance. That broke the deadlock.
With that one sentence, Tang Wen had seized the initiative.
Black Blade was a contestant; if he didn’t dare to accept the challenge, he would look like a coward.
And if he did dare to accept... heheh, could he really take the blow?
"HAHAHA!" Black Blade roared with laughter, then suddenly stopped, his voice turning icy. "Kid from Flame Camp! What’s ten moves to me!"
"Fine!" Tang Wen grabbed the chopstick holder on the table and said calmly, "Everyone, please move away from him. This move of mine is a continuous attack, so be careful!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Tang Wen snatched up three chopsticks with lightning speed.
Contemplation Method—activated!
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
The chopsticks tore through the air with a terrifying whistle, blurring into a series of afterimages.
The hard jujube-wood chopsticks glowed from the intense friction with the air, reaching Black Blade in an instant like menacing rockets.
Everyone present paled in shock.
Clearly, the power of this move had startled them!
Meanwhile, Tang Wen, putting immense force behind each flick, unleashed a continuous barrage.
"Break!"
With a furious roar, the projectiles collided with his fists.
Exploding into a shower of sparks.
The jujube-wood chopsticks flew everywhere as Black Blade, his expression grim, met the projectiles head-on with a rapid burst of power, unleashing his Night Divine Fist.
"Night Divine Fist—Night Battle Eight Directions!"
Commander Qian used his body to shield his movements, refilling the chopstick container in Tang Wen’s hand.
This was a restaurant, after all. There were plenty of chopsticks.
Seeing that his opponent was a tough one, Tang Wen simply stood up, his hands never stopping as he fired volleys of three or five chopsticks, aiming for either his opponent’s head or his lower body!
The crowd began to exclaim in admiration.
To the commoners, Martial Disciples, and Martial Artists, the two were fighting beautifully; it was a spectacular sight.
But the Martial Artists present all wore grave expressions.
They watched Tang Wen, then Black Blade.
’If I were in either of their shoes,’ they wondered, ’could I handle it?’
The more they thought about it, the graver their expressions became.
The Patriarchs from Five Families City who were present were also inwardly amazed. ’What a brilliant hidden weapon technique! The one attacking seems so young!’
In an instant, Tang Wen had unleashed his Ten Consecutive Explosions!
Chopsticks were piled up in front of him, and his hands never ceased their motion.
The SWISH of chopsticks splitting the air was incessant.
After the Thirteen Consecutive Explosions, his right hand suddenly darted to his lower back. WHIR!
A smooth pebble shot downward like a cannonball.
BANG!
Black Blade didn’t have time to dodge and took the hit with his fist. His previously mountain-steady figure staggered, and the second stone was already upon him.
"You son of a bitch, you cheated!"
After shouting, his figure flashed to the side, dodging the Flying Stone by a hair’s breadth.
BANG!
A large crater was blasted into the stone-paved ground!
"Flame Camp, are you sore losers? You call that one move?" Although Black Blade was furious, he was more wary than anything else.
Even though he was burning with rage, he didn’t dare charge into the restaurant.
He had no doubt that if he dared to charge up, the three people inside would dare to kill him!
That Commander Qian from Flame Camp was already trouble enough. Where did this insidious brat pop out from?
The corners of Tang Wen’s mouth curled up. "My move is called Wooden Stone Storage. You have a problem with that?"
’Wooden Stone Storage?’
Commanders Qian and Li almost burst out laughing.
On the high platform, Zheng Nanzhu watched him, her beautiful eyes glittering with a peculiar light.
’Mysterious, suave, powerful, and with such a casual tone... a real devil-may-care attitude.’
"Alright! Our friends from Black Mountain Camp and Flame Camp have treated us to a spectacular martial contest! And now, the tournament for marriage will begin!"
A member of the Zheng Family made the announcement.
Tang Wen put down the pebble he hadn’t yet thrown.
Black Blade shot Tang Wen a look, snorted coldly, dusted himself off, and returned to his spot.
The other three Martial Artists were secretly worried. ’Surely Tang Wen isn’t going to participate in the marriage tournament, is he?’
’If he does, it would be best to have him face Black Blade. Let them wear each other out first!’
"Let’s go down and watch."
Tang Wen and the other two went downstairs, making their way into the crowd.
The crowd gave them strange looks, because the trio had walked right into the throng, looking just like spectators.
"Aren’t you competing?"
A member of one of the surrounding Five Great Clans voiced the question on everyone’s mind.
’That’s right!’
’He’s so powerful, why isn’t he competing?’
Many people looked at Tang Wen, waiting for his answer.
Some, however, were secretly thinking: ’This kid’s face is covered with a black scarf. Could it be he’s too ugly to show his face?’
Tang Wen answered casually, "I’m not competing."
"Why not?"
"Does there have to be a reason for everything?"
"Erk!" The man’s words caught in his throat. ’That’s our young miss, the most beautiful woman in Five Families City, and you don’t even want to try to marry her?’
The Zheng Family Patriarch glanced at Tang Wen, but seeing that he had no intention of stepping forward, he didn’t call out to him either.
He announced the official start of the tournament for marriage.
The first to take the stage were more than twenty Martial Artists, but their fights were largely unimpressive.
In a world fraught with peril, these strangers held nothing back, resorting to Killing Moves from the very start.
Their techniques were brutally direct, with little to no artistry.
After the first round, only twelve remained.
The next round would begin in an hour. The winners all went down to rest.
Next up was the clash between the four main Martial Artists.
"Everyone, fall back! Further back!"
A duel between Martial Artists required a sufficiently large arena.
The spectators, including Tang Wen, retreated several dozen meters.
The first match began:
Seventh Master of the Six Mountains and Eighteen Villages, Mr. Tie Shan, versus a scion of the Direct Lineage of Five Families City, Young Master Lin—Lin Wanqing.
Mr. Tie Shan wielded an Iron Fan over half a meter long.
Lin Wanqing used a saber.
As they stepped onto the platform, their auras collided.
CLANG!
They erupted with power and struck at the same instant.
Their first clash was a draw.
Without a second thought, Lin Wanqing unleashed a continuous series of power bursts.
Mr. Tie Shan chose to dodge and weave, searching for an opening!
The two fought across the entire stage, their weapons clashing and sending fierce winds howling.
After several explosive clashes, they had gauged each other’s strength.
Lin Wanqing began to retreat across the stage, waiting for an opportunity.
Mr. Tie Shan, on the other hand, became the aggressor.
"Young Master Lin! Young Master Lin, hold on!"
"Young Master Lin, beat him!"
The more impatient members of the crowd began to cheer Lin Wanqing on.
Commander Li stood beside Tang Wen and murmured, "I just heard that this Young Master Lin has a taste for the nightlife. Although his Talent is decent, his strength is only at the level of a Second-class Martial Artist."
He couldn’t resist adding, "If you were to compete, Brother Tang, you’d actually have a real shot."
Tang Wen shot him a look, and the commander waved his hand with a smile. "Never mind, never mind."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
After a few more fierce exchanges, the difference in their strength became clear.
Mr. Tie Shan was now chasing Young Master Lin across the stage.
Young Master Lin was barely holding on, struggling to defend himself.
A few moves later, Mr. Tie Shan seized an opportunity. With a continuous burst of power, his Iron Fan swept across Young Master Lin’s shoulder.
Lin Wanqing was sent flying backward.
"Young Master!"
"Young Master Lin!"
Someone rushed forward to catch him.
Mr. Tie Shan cupped his fist in his palm. "I was merely fortunate."
"First match: Mr. Tie Shan is the victor!"
"Second match: Wang Jintong versus Black Blade. Prepare yourselves."
Black Blade gave a cold smile and walked to the center of the arena.
Wang Jintong, a slim and short man with an expressionless face, came to stand opposite him.
"Young Master Wang is stronger! He’ll definitely win."
"Yes, he’s sure to win."
"Victory to Young Master Wang!"
The cheers from the people of Five Families City grew even louder.
Tang Wen and his companions exchanged a look, sensing the lack of conviction behind the cheers.
’Can this Young Master Wang really defeat Black Blade?’
’Perhaps the Zheng family’s daughter will end up marrying an outsider after all?’
’Now, this is going to be a good show!’
