pertwk Chapter 14 The Challenge from Lu Jin
Chapter 14 The Challenge from Lu Jin
The main hall fell silent for a moment.
Zhuge Zhao's chopsticks stopped in mid-air, Zhuge Ming's mouth opened slightly, and Zhuge Yunhui held the wine bowl to his lips without drinking.
Lu Jin's gaze was fixed on Zhuge Yan's face, and a frank smile appeared on his lips.
"I have been cultivating in the Sanyi Sect for many years. Today, I am fortunate to be traveling with my master and have met a senior brother from the Wuhou Sect. Therefore, I would like to ask him for some guidance."
His tone wasn't aggressive, but it wasn't polite either.
It wasn't a provocation; I genuinely just wanted to experience the esoteric magic of the Wuhou School.
Lu Jin is forthright and loyal, but deep down he possesses the most basic instincts of a martial artist.
I heard there were some experts, so I wanted to try it out for myself.
He didn't come to cause trouble; he came to learn from his experience.
Zhuge Duan frowned slightly, his gaze unconsciously sweeping towards Zuo Ruotong.
According to etiquette, if a disciple challenges another disciple without permission in such a situation, the master should intervene to restrain him.
But Zuo Ruotong didn't move. He held a cup of tea, his gaze fixed on the surface of the tea, and the faint smile on his lips remained.
Not stopping it is tantamount to condoning it.
Upon seeing this, Zhuge Duan turned his gaze back to Zhuge Yan.
There was no command in that gaze, only one meaning—you decide for yourself.
Zhuge Yan put down his wine bowl.
He stood up from the last seat.
The eleven-year-old boy had grown taller than he had been three years ago. Standing under the lights in the main hall, the lines of his shoulders and back were forged by the three years of recoil from the Qian character technique, creating a thin yet dense muscle outline.
His face was expressionless, but those who knew him well could read a faint trace of helplessness in the way he picked up the wine bowl and then put it down.
Zhuge Yan originally did not want to make a move tonight.
He had fifteen bowls of rice in his stomach, which he forcibly suppressed with his Qi, and dared not eat freely.
Playing on an empty stomach means you're not in the best condition.
The problem is that Lu Jin has already stood up, and judging from the way Zuo Menchang is acting, it's clear that he doesn't intend to stop her and is deliberately letting Lu Jin compete with him.
Zhuge Yan couldn't be sure what Zuo Ruotong was really planning, but since they had already come to challenge him at his doorstep, there was no reason for him to back down!
Thinking of this, Zhuge Yan also stepped out of the last seat and stood in the open space in the center of the main hall.
"Zhuge Yan".
He gave his name.
"Sanyi Sect, Lu Jin."
Lu Jin also gave her name.
Lu Jin did not report his cultivation level because Zuo Ruotong was present, and he did not need to mention the title of Reverse Life Level 3.
Zhuge Yan did not report it, because his very presence represented the pinnacle of the younger generation of the Marquis of Wu's faction.
As a gentle breeze blew by, Lu Jin threw a punch.
The first punch was a straight punch, without any fancy moves. He took a half step forward with his right foot, twisted his waist and hips, and his fist cut through the air, aiming straight for Zhuge Yan's chest.
This is not the power of the dragon and tiger in reverse three stages, but pure martial arts.
Although the Sanyi Sect is famous for its reverse-life triple rebirth, its basic martial arts skills have never been neglected. The speed and power of Lu Jin's punch are already considered solid among ordinary superhumans.
Zhuge Yan did not retreat.
He took a half step back with his left foot to the right, and turned his body slightly to the side, letting Lu Jin's fist graz his clothes.
Half a step, no more, no less, just enough to let the fist pass.
The moment she landed, the central palace was already settled.
The core of Wuhou Qimen lies in seizing the opportune moment and favorable location by navigating the directions and seeking auspicious and inauspicious omens within the Qimen formation he has set up.
The caster sets the central palace and guides the opponent into an inauspicious position within the formation, seizing the initiative in the battle.
Upon seeing this scene, Zuo Ruotong's eyes lit up slightly.
He had naturally experienced the esoteric arts of the Wuhou School, but the young man's planning skills gave him a pleasant surprise right from the start.
With just that one moment, Zuo Ruotong knew in her heart that her foolish disciple had probably met his match today...
Lu Jin's punch missed its mark, but he didn't pause.
Before he could retract his right fist, his left foot followed, and his left fist slashed upwards from his waist, aiming straight for Zhuge Yan's chin.
Zhuge Yan took a step forward with his right foot, landing on the Zhen Palace – which belongs to wood and governs growth.
His body leaned forward naturally with his steps, and Lu Jin's left fist grazed past his ear.
Lu Jin's third punch followed immediately.
He threw punches with both fists, one after another, at an ever-increasing speed.
Zhuge Yan moved amidst the shadows of fists, his steps never fast.
It doesn't feel like dodging; it's more like practicing footwork in a martial arts arena.
But each time he landed, he landed precisely in the gaps in Lu Jin's fist strikes.
He didn't use any magic, but simply kept himself in an "auspicious" position. However, every time Lu Jin pursued him, he was unknowingly led to an "inauspicious" position.
An unlucky location is not necessarily fatal.
In Qimen Dunjia divination, the role of an inauspicious position is merely to make the opponent's "momentum" stagnate.
Ordinary people may not believe in fortune, but in the world of sorcerers, it truly exists in the unseen realm!
Under the influence of luck, the angle of the punch will be slightly off, the timing of the foot landing will be half a beat slower, and the rhythm of breathing will be out of sync with the movement.
These effects are insignificant and even difficult to detect.
However, all the subtle influences combined can subtly diminish a person's abilities.
Lu Jin gradually realized it as well.
His punches were clearly faster and stronger than Zhuge Yan's, but each punch felt like hitting cotton.
It wasn't blocked, it wasn't dodged, it was "almost"!
Every punch was just a little short!
This feeling of "almost" is more frustrating than being blocked out completely.
When Zhuge Yan took his seventh step, his brain had already completed the first full deduction of Lu Jin's boxing style.
After three years of training in "Mystery," although he had always kept his overclocking within safe limits, his normal computing power had already far surpassed that of ordinary sorcerers.
Lu Jin's boxing style is based on the basic boxing form of the Sanyi School, which is simple, direct, and does not emphasize fancy techniques.
The boxing style is mainly based on straight-line thrusts, with attacks from both sides and steady footwork, but the variations are relatively limited.
Once the rhythm and angle preference of his punches were figured out, and through simple divination, the trajectory of each of his punches was already laid out in Zhuge Yan's mind before it was even thrown.
Step 8.
Zhuge Yan stepped on the Qian Palace – which belongs to the metal element and represents sharpness.
At this moment, he stopped backing down.
Lu Jin's right fist came straight at him.
Zhuge Yan lowered his body slightly, raised his right arm from his waist with his elbow pointing forward, and shifted his weight from his back foot to his front foot in an instant.
Bajiquan, Dingxin Elbow.
His elbow struck Lu Jin's fist.
The lights in the main hall flickered all at once.
Lu Jin's punch was directly shattered by this elbow strike.
It wasn't a block, it was a collision.
The essence of Bajiquan is "Benghan Suji" (崩撼突击), which uses force to counter force.
Zhuge Yan's three years of external martial arts training, with nine golden swords striking each other day after day, forged his muscles and bones into iron.
The elbow strike sent numbness through Lu Jin's right arm, from his fist to his shoulder.