Free Web NovelChapter 46: Chapter 46: Three Axes Shake Panlong
Following Liu the Monk’s gesture, the eyes of most onlookers shifted to Xie Yuan, who stood in the center of the training ground.
Xie Yuan was tall and slender, with a face as handsome as carved jade. Even his coarse linen clothes couldn’t detract from his elegant, dashing air.
The only thing out of place was the logging axe he carried. Its blade glinted coldly, and its handle was wrapped in faded, yellowish cloth strips. He looked more like a veteran woodcutter than the refined gentleman his appearance suggested, creating a stark contrast.
’He should be wielding a Treasure Sword, not an axe.’
For some reason, this thought popped into many people’s minds.
But then they recalled his powerful, heavy fists and his torrential, storm-like assault...
’On second thought, the axe suits him just fine.’
Yu Jin held his short spear with both hands and offered a formal salute.
"Brother Xie, thank you for your mercy earlier. However, I am determined to walk my Martial Dao. I ask you to grant me another lesson!"
"This is the last time."
Xie Yuan scoffed, returning the salute with a lazy, half-hearted gesture.
’All talk and no substance. I won’t be giving him another chance.’
Yu Jin’s face flushed. He had mistaken Xie Yuan’s words for a sincere warning. His eyes fell on Xie Yuan’s axe, and he said hesitantly,
"Brother Xie, is that your weapon?"
"That’s right. It’s the tool of my trade."
Xie Yuan stroked his large axe with a touch of sentiment.
’This axe has witnessed my growth. I’ve grown attached to it.’
Seeing this, the members of the Divine Weapon Hall began to scoff and sneer.
To think someone would treasure such a dilapidated-looking logging axe. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Any one of their iron spears, decorated with a red tassel, looked far more imposing than that!
The members of the Ironclad Dojo felt their hearts sink. They had been pleasantly surprised when they saw Xie Yuan actually had a weapon. But now, seeing it was just an ordinary wood-chopping axe—especially those who knew his background—they couldn’t help but feel a sense of resignation.
’How could such a small axe stand against his opponent’s long spear, even if Yu Jin is only using a short one?’
Yu Jin also frowned.
"Brother Xie, my weapon may give me an unfair advantage. Why don’t you use a different one?"
"If you think you have an advantage, why don’t *you* switch? Or we could both not use one."
Xie Yuan scoffed. His opponent radiated arrogance. Even if Yu Jin observed the formalities, his fundamental attitude was the same, and it was irritating.
Seeing Yu Jin’s lips move without a sound, Xie Yuan shook his head. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Enough talk. Let’s see what you’ve really got."
At this, Yu Jin pressed his lips together, his gaze turning sharp and cold.
’I just lost to Xie Yuan, and for a moment, I doubted myself. Thankfully, Master gave me guidance.’
’You get back up where you fall. In this fight, I must defeat him cleanly and decisively to temper my heart as a Martial Artist.’
’Yes, in my eyes, the rules, this Xie Yuan... they are all just stepping stones for me to hone my Martial Dao. As the Closed-door Disciple of the Divine Weapon Hall’s master, reaching the Second Training is a certainty. I will charge into even higher realms, leading the Divine Weapon Hall into Yunzhao, and onto an even grander stage! Why would I falter at a level below the First Training?’
’A mere nominal disciple from the Ironclad Dojo. So what if he has some skill in unarmed combat? Once I raise my spear, he is destined to fall!’
The two men took up their weapons and faced each other in the center of the training ground. The dojo gradually fell silent.
Everyone knew this was the final battle. A palpable tension filled the air, with many in the crowd feeling even more nervous than the two combatants.
This was especially true for the Ironclad Dojo disciples. The outcome of this match would decide the very survival of their dojo. Many looked at Xie Yuan, their eyes a mixture of hope and trepidation.
In the heavy, frozen air, both men moved at once.
Yu Jin flicked his short spear, its tip tracing a flourish the size of a bowl as he thrust it directly at Xie Yuan’s face!
Xie Yuan’s eyes were locked on the tip of the spear. Boosted by the Spirit Fruit and the Body Nourishing Art, his senses were sharp and his reflexes keen. Focusing all his concentration, he tracked every minute movement of the short spear and swung his axe up to meet it.
CLANG! The axe struck the cold iron spearhead with pinpoint precision. An immense force surged through the weapon, and Yu Jin nearly lost his grip on the familiar short spear as it was knocked aside. He was horrified.
He quickly tightened his grip and leveled the weapon, bringing the fine iron shaft up to block Xie Yuan’s follow-up attack.
His reactions were swift, his Spear Skill masterful, his defense flawless. He was truly worthy of being a Closed-door Disciple.
However, in Xie Yuan’s eyes, Yu Jin’s short spear was no different from a brittle iron twig. It was as if Yu Jin was serving it up to him, holding it squarely in front of him with both hands.
’The battle is going exactly as expected. Now, it’s just muscle memory.’
A chop, a flick, a hack.
He unleashed his signature three strikes, the axe blade moving like a blur of wind.
A cold glint, like a flash of lightning, traced a zigzagging path through the air, dancing around the shaft of the short spear.
Yu Jin felt the spear in his hands grow heavy, then suddenly light, and then he couldn’t hold it at all.
His hands suddenly flew apart as the Fine Iron Short Spear’s shaft shattered into several pieces!
Yu Jin froze.
’My weapon... was destroyed?’
He was left clutching the butt of the spear in one hand and the broken shaft with its head in the other. The remaining pieces fell to the ground with a loud CLATTER.
Axe in hand, Xie Yuan strode over to the stunned and unresponsive Yu Jin. He reached out with his left hand, gently plucked the broken pieces of the spear from Yu Jin’s grasp, and casually tossed them to the floor.
"You’ve lost."
As if jolted by Xie Yuan’s words, Yu Jin seemed to snap back to his senses. He stared at the shattered spear on the floor, swayed, and slowly sank to the ground.
The dojo was utterly silent.
No one had expected this—not even the most optimistic of the Ironclad Dojo disciples like Tao Jelin, Hodar, and Cao Shan, nor Liu the Monk. Even in their wildest dreams, they hadn’t imagined this outcome.
The Closed-door Disciple of the Divine Weapon Hall... had his weapon destroyed in the very first clash?
An unremarkable logging axe had shattered a Fine Iron Short Spear?
Fang Wei slowly rose to his feet, his eyes glued to Xie Yuan. He asked, enunciating each word,
"What axe technique was that?"
Xie Yuan thought for a moment before replying,
"The Wood-Chopping Axe Technique."
"The Wood-Chopping Axe Technique..."
Fang Wei muttered to himself.
Of everyone present, he was the only one who had immersed himself in the dao of weaponry for a lifetime, a true grandmaster of the art.
He could see that Xie Yuan’s three strikes possessed a certain rhythm, a flavor of profound simplicity and perfection in subtlety. It was something he had pursued his entire life but had never been able to grasp.
And now, he was seeing it in a boy who was barely a teenager.
’How is this possible...’
Shock flickered in Fang Wei’s eyes, and he momentarily lost his composure.
He desperately wanted to ask how Xie Yuan had trained to achieve this, but he held his tongue. He knew Xie Yuan would never tell him. And even if he were willing, it was likely a concept that couldn’t be explained with mere words.
In a way, he was right.
Even if he had asked, Xie Yuan wouldn’t have known how to explain the spirit lots or his Golden Finger. He could only have given a cryptic reply:
"Once it’s on, it stays on."
Fang Wei gave Xie Yuan one last, deep look, then turned and walked away without a second glance at his Closed-door Disciple still on the ground.
The disciples of the Divine Weapon Hall scrambled to follow, filing out one after another. Seeing this, Wang Heihu could only press his lips into a thin line and lead his own men away as well.
In stark contrast to their boisterous arrival, their departure was utterly silent.
In a flash, the two dojos that had teamed up to bully them had retreated, practically with their tails between their legs.
Repelled by Xie Yuan alone.
A cheer erupted from within the Ironclad Dojo, so loud that half of Panlong Town could likely hear it. Xie Yuan’s name was mixed in the roar, causing the disciples from the other two dojos, now out on the street, to flinch, lower their heads, and walk away faster.
Ironically, in their attempt to completely destroy the Ironclad Dojo’s reputation, the two visiting dojos had intentionally blocked the entrance, preventing the doors from being closed.
As a result, the townspeople who had long since gathered outside, crowding several layers deep, had a clear view of everything that happened today.
Despite his injuries, Cao Shan, the dojo’s greeter, limped to the entrance and roared at the top of his lungs:
"The Ironclad Dojo’s nominal disciple, Xie Yuan! *cough, cough*... has defeated Core Disciples from both the Black Tiger Fist Hall and the Divine Weapon Hall! He then defeated a Direct Disciple of the Divine Weapon Hall! *cough, cough*...
"In this three-dojo tournament, our Ironclad Dojo, *cough*, has taken first place, relying on a single nominal disciple!
"Everyone, if you wish to learn martial arts, *cough, cough*... hurry and sign up at the Ironclad Dojo!!"
