CHAPTER 404: CHAPTER 173: SKYROCKETING!_3

"You’re all acting like mutes! If any of you had been able to see through that old man’s flaws and point them out to me, I could have won that fight easily!" He spoke in a heavily accented Great Xia dialect, mixed with some Thai.

Ban Han watched the Japanese youth curse and mutter, venting his frustration.

But when the Japanese youth saw Ban Han, a clear loser, not only failing to reflect on his loss but also ranting wildly and defiantly, he felt he was losing face. With a sneer, the youth gave a sharp "TCH!" and was about to argue with Ban Han.

But before he could start, an aged arm reached out, rested on his shoulder, and stopped him.

Noticing this, the Japanese youth turned his head and saw a sleazy-looking old man, merely 1.6 meters tall, standing beside him.

Seeing the Japanese youth turn his head, the sleazy-looking old man shook his head at him. "Ryu Hana, stay calm. We are united now; this isn’t the time for internal conflict. Don’t forget, the enemy is right in front of us. Don’t let anger cloud your judgment!"

Hearing the old man’s words and feeling the terrifying strength in the grip on his shoulder, the youth known as Ryu Hana found his gaze clearing considerably.

He bowed respectfully to the old man and said, "Yes, Master. I understand. My cultivation is not yet sufficient; I have disgraced you!"

"Mm. As a saying in Great Xia goes, ’To know one’s errors and be able to change is the greatest virtue.’ Alright, everyone, let the past failures be bygones. We won’t speak of them again. What we need to discuss now is what to do next!"

Casually brushing the matter aside, the old man didn’t spare Ban Han a single glance from beginning to end. In his eyes, Ban Han was a loser, and losers weren’t worthy of his attention!

Ban Han fumed inwardly but dared not voice his anger. The reason was that this seemingly sleazy old man was Mei Yougui from Neon, a Shadow Ninja. In Great Xia’s Martial Artist rankings, he was a Grandmaster! He was one of only two Grandmasters from Japan.

As one of the most powerful individuals present, Mei Yougui’s words immediately garnered the agreement of the others. They gathered to discuss, summarizing the reasons for Ban Han’s failure. The reason was simple: Ban Han had been careless, and Zhang Beixing’s meddling from the sidelines had exacerbated the situation, leading to his defeat.

"Brother Mei, this Zhang Beixing... how should we deal with him?" a Grandmaster from Korea asked Mei Yougui. "Should we lodge a joint protest to prohibit outside assistance?"

Zhang Beixing’s role in helping Master Wang defeat Ban Han made it clear that despite his tendency to boast, he possessed genuine strength. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint Ban Han’s weaknesses so precisely.

Mei Yougui had naturally considered this. After a moment of contemplation, he said, to everyone’s surprise, "I believe there’s no need to address it!"

"Why not?" the Korean Grandmaster asked, puzzled.

Mei Yougui explained, "Because I feel this time it was merely their good luck. Ban Han’s skill wasn’t up to par, as evident from his defeat. The man who spoke up earlier likely saw Ban Han’s problem beforehand. Since he also masters Bajiquan, he was able to offer suitable advice and turn the tide of the battle.

"I ask you, he’s proficient in Bajiquan, but can he possibly be proficient in other Martial Arts as well?

"That’s clearly impossible!

"That’s why I say there’s no need to address it. Besides, not addressing it benefits us too—it means we can also offer guidance from the sidelines!"

That last sentence revealed Mei Yougui’s true intentions!

It might sound a bit unseemly, but whether it was Neon, Korea, San, or the ladyboys, their Martial Arts all shared a common characteristic: there were few of them. This was especially true for arts that could be cultivated to an advanced level. Across their entire nations, only a handful of such arts existed. Even if these Grandmasters hadn’t personally trained in all of them, by virtue of their positions, they would have had at least some exposure.

Therefore, when it came to offering guidance, they stood to be the biggest beneficiaries!

Hearing his words, the other Grandmasters had a moment of realization and voiced their understanding. They then began to arrange for a contender for the next match.

They had been careless in the first match; they hadn’t expected Ban Han to perform so poorly, nor had they anticipated Zhang Beixing arriving to offer advice. That’s how Great Xia had managed to take the early lead. Now that they were prepared, they absolutely had to settle the score in the second battle!

"Grandmaster Park, let your disciple take this next fight. I’ve long heard that your Aikido is immensely powerful, with exquisite grappling and throwing techniques. Surely, with your guidance as well, he can secure victory for us!" Mei Yougui said, looking at Grandmaster Park from Korea.

Grandmaster Park nodded, indicating there was no issue. He then selected from among the disciples he had brought, finally choosing a Pseudo Grandmaster disciple in his forties to go up and fight.

On Great Xia’s side of the martial arts world, the perilous first fight, where they had suffered a disadvantage, served as a harsh lesson. They now understood that below the Pseudo Grandmaster level, age was a significant factor in determining victory or defeat.

So, after some consultation, they sent up a Pseudo Grandmaster of similar age who specialized in Taizu Long Fist to meet the challenge.

In this fight, Great Xia held the advantage!

Even if the opponent had mastered the intricacies of Aikido, they were now faced with Taizu Long Fist, renowned as the ’Mother of Ten Thousand Fists.’