Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 39: Overcoming Hardness with Softness
There were a total of one hundred twenty-eight youths between the ages of thirteen and sixteen in the Zhaang Mansion. Two days later, the first round of the competition came to an end, and the top sixty-four contestants were decided. Next, the Zhaang Family would hold a draw to let these sixty-four youths determine their opponents by lot.
Zhaang Ye had spent the past two days continuing his Cultivation with Body Tempering Pills and Body Refining Pills, so he arrived rather late. By the time he got to the training grounds for the draw, it was already almost over.
Zhaang Ye casually drew a lot and glanced at it. He saw two large words written on it: "Match Seven."
Zhaang Ye walked over to the Steward’s station with the wooden slip, just about to ask who his opponent was when a coarse voice boomed out, "Zhaang Ye, don’t bother looking. You drew Match Seven, and I drew Match Seven, too. In other words, your opponent is me."
Following the voice, a tall figure walked over.
Zhaang Ye looked over and saw that the person walking toward him, though still a teenager, was a full two sizes larger than he was. One of his arms was as thick as Zhaang Ye’s thigh, his exposed muscles bulged, and the blue veins on them were as thick as fingers.
What caught Zhaang Ye’s attention the most was that this enormous person actually also had a Martial Arts Third Layer Cultivation.
You see, enormous people were typically all brawn and no brains. This type of person could bully ordinary people, but because their minds couldn’t keep up, they generally achieved little on the Martial Dao. For this person to be so large yet manage to reach the Martial Arts Third Layer of Cultivation by the age of sixteen, Zhaang Ye had no choice but to take him seriously.
"Heh heh. You probably don’t know who I am, right? Fine, I’ll tell you. I am Zhaang Yun, Zhaang Shui’s big brother." The powerfully built youth pointed a thick finger at Zhaang Ye. "I don’t know what underhanded trick you used to beat my brother in the last match. But no matter what, I’m here to get revenge for him. Kid, you’d better watch out. Don’t make me smash your balls until the yolk comes out, HAHA...!"
"Zhaang Yun?"
Hearing the name, Zhaang Ye recalled the words of his mother, Liuu Suqing, and Zhaang Qing. ’Both of them mentioned Zhaang Yun. Zhaang Qing, who thinks so highly of himself, even listed Zhaang Yun as one of his true rivals.’
’To be mentioned by people one after another, he must have some real skill. So, what is this Zhaang Yun’s specialty?’ Zhaang Ye’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He ignored Zhaang Yun’s taunts and ridicule, silently sizing him up.
Seeing Zhaang Ye remain silent, Zhaang Yun laughed. "What? Are you scared?"
Zhaang Yun’s voice was very loud, and just one or two sentences were enough to draw the attention of many people. Some of those on good terms with Zhaang Shui and Zhaang Yun saw Zhaang Yun mocking Zhaang Ye and laughed along in agreement.
"Heh, he’s obviously scared. Look at his thighs, they’re not even as thick as Zhaang Yun’s arms. Once they’re on the Martial Arts Arena, a light tap from Zhaang Yun will probably snap him in two..."
"Yeah, yeah, let’s hope Zhaang Yun doesn’t go too far and really smash his yolk out, heh heh..."
"The yolk thing probably won’t happen. No matter what, Zhaang Ye still has the strength of the Martial Arts Third Layer..."
"Not necessarily. Zhaang Yun has already cultivated his Wild Bull Force to the Minor Achievement Realm. His whole body is practically impervious to blades and spears, and his attacks are terrifying to the extreme. If Zhaang Ye gets hit even once, it’s over..."
Perhaps intending for Zhaang Ye to hear, these people spoke very loudly, allowing half the people in the training grounds to hear them clearly.
A smirk played on Zhaang Yun’s lips as he watched Zhaang Ye, waiting for him to lash out. But to his surprise, after hearing so many ugly words, Zhaang Ye remained completely unmoved, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Zhaang Yun’s eyes darted about, and he laughed as he said to Zhaang Ye, "Since we’re going to be opponents later, let’s get acquainted now." As he spoke, he extended a massive palm, actually intending to shake Zhaang Ye’s hand.
The people nearby saw Zhaang Yun’s move and all wore mischievous smiles. They knew Zhaang Yun was now determined to make Zhaang Ye look like a fool.
Zhaang Yun was exceptionally gifted; his physique was much larger than the average person’s, and his strength far surpassed that of his peers. His parents had always held high hopes for him, selecting a Cultivation Technique called Wild Bull Force for him to practice from a young age. After all this time, Zhaang Yun had cultivated his Wild Bull Force to the Minor Achievement Realm. His every move contained thousands of pounds of force, making him incredibly formidable.
Now, Zhaang Yun was offering a handshake, clearly intending to bully Zhaang Ye with his strength. If Zhaang Ye agreed to shake, he would be in for a world of pain. But if he refused, he would seem petty and lose the psychological battle before even stepping onto the Martial Arts Arena. freēwebnovel.com
Ever since his memories had awakened, Zhaang Ye’s mind was far more mature than his peers. Seeing Zhaang Yun’s action, he immediately understood his intention. He sneered inwardly and, without a hint of hesitation, extended his own hand.
"Huh?!"
The onlookers, not expecting Zhaang Ye to actually dare shake Zhaang Yun’s hand, let out a collective gasp of surprise. Someone whispered, "This Zhaang Ye probably doesn’t know how strong Zhaang Yun is, does he? Zhaang Yun can crush rocks with his bare hands. Shaking hands with him, his bones will probably be shattered into dozens of pieces!"
Everyone nodded, their faces showing their agreement. One could only truly understand Zhaang Yun’s frightening strength by experiencing it firsthand.
Under everyone’s gaze, Zhaang Ye’s palm met Zhaang Yun’s.
Zhaang Ye’s palm was a full half the size of Zhaang Yun’s, and Zhaang Yun easily enveloped it with his own. A triumphant smile appeared on his lips. Just as he was about to exert his strength and crush Zhaang Ye’s hand, he suddenly felt Zhaang Ye’s palm shift slightly. Zhaang Ye’s hand had suddenly changed, becoming like a snake!
"Hm? Trying to use softness to overcome hardness and neutralize my force?" Zhaang Yun sneered and twisted his large hand with all his might!
Softness can overcome hardness, but conversely, hardness can also overcome softness. The force behind Zhaang Yun’s twist was incredible; even a soft towel would have been torn to shreds by it.
Unfortunately for him, Zhaang Ye’s hand was not a towel. In the past few days, Zhaang Ye had been engrossed in comprehending the Lingbo Triple Extremes. Although he couldn’t fully grasp this Mid-Level Martial Arts Secret Manual, by combining it with the meaning of "The highest virtue is like water" that he had gleaned from the Tao Te Ching, he had glimpsed the mystery of the Water Soft Power and developed his own unique understanding of hardness and softness. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Sensing Zhaang Yun exert his strength, Zhaang Ye’s hand shifted slightly again. The True Qi in his body was released in a mysterious way, naturally spreading across his palm and making it even more slippery than a snake. At the same time, his five fingers suddenly began to twist. With a tremble and a pull, his hand had already escaped the immense force of Zhaang Yun’s grip.
WHAP! Just before breaking free from Zhaang Yun’s grasp, Zhaang Ye’s little finger whipped back like a python, striking Zhaang Yun squarely on the pressure point of his wrist. The wrist was the most vulnerable part of the hand. Although Zhaang Ye’s counter-strike wasn’t forceful, it was enough to make Zhaang Yun’s entire arm go numb, making it difficult to even lift a finger.
"This... Using softness to overcome hardness, you actually did it!" Zhaang Yun stared at the red fingerprint on his wrist. The thought of how easily Zhaang Ye had not only escaped his immense strength but also skillfully counterattacked and made him suffer a small loss left him completely horrified.
"Ah, what is..."
"Ah, what’s going on?"
"Yeah, for Zhaang Ye to be able to escape Zhaang Yun’s grip so easily, isn’t that just incredible?"
The crowd had been ready to enjoy the sight of Zhaang Ye’s suffering. They never expected him to escape so easily and even leave Zhaang Yun’s wrist red. They were utterly shocked and burst into discussion, no longer looking down on Zhaang Ye as they had before.
"Don’t think you’ve won just because you could slip out of my hand," Zhaang Yun said grimly to Zhaang Ye, unable to stomach the loss of face. "You can use tricks for something like this, but you can’t use tricks on the Martial Arts Arena. Just prepare yourself for a miserable defeat!"
Zhaang Ye said nothing, his face still holding that same impassive expression. But based on the skill he had just shown in easily escaping Zhaang Yun’s grasp, no one present dared to look down on him anymore. Those who had been mocking and ridiculing Zhaang Ye earlier quietly slipped away, not wanting to make fools of themselves.
