CHAPTER 281: CHAPTER 281: SECT LEADER, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU_1

"You said it!"

Su Xuan no longer crossed his arms, but pushed them straight out!

Along with his arms, he also unleashed the force he had accumulated from Du Zilong!

"Holy shit!"

Startled, Du Zilong felt as if a mountain was crashing into him. He quickly resorted to the neutralizing techniques of Du’s Tai Chi to dispel the mountainous force, but to little avail. His body was sent flying backward!

"Wow!"

"The Sect Leader is flying!"

The followers of Du’s Tai Chi fixed their eyes on Du Zilong, watching as his body traced an arc through the air before landing with a splash in the courtyard’s pond!

Luckily, he fell into the pond. If he had landed on the hard ground, he might have been crippled.

"Brother Su Xuan is so awesome!"

"It was like a train hit that man and sent him flying!"

The young siblings couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. They had always assumed Su Xuan needed their protection, but now it was clear he didn’t need it at all.

Having seen Su Xuan knock away Lady Bai’s bodyguard in the bookstore, Wang Xuehan knew how formidable he was in a fight. She simply smiled, covering her mouth, but the pride on her pretty face was impossible to hide.

Trying to bully my Su Xuan? You’re not worthy!

"Old Liu, would you say I’ve truly graduated now?" Su Xuan asked with a smile, turning to look at Butler Liu.

"You’ve graduated! You’ve absolutely graduated!"

Butler Liu, snapping out of his shock, nodded repeatedly, nearly bringing tears to his eyes. It felt so good, so very good, to be protected by his own student.

He wished he could return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors again, to proudly tell them that Ruyi Tai Chi truly had a successor—and such an outstanding one at that!

"Quick, save the Sect Leader!"

"I don’t think he can swim!"

The members of Du’s Tai Chi immediately ran toward the pond.

They dared not underestimate Su Xuan any longer!

If Du Zilong was no match for Su Xuan, they stood even less of a chance.

"Ouch!"

"Ouch!"

When Du Zilong was hauled out of the pond by his disciples, his face was a picture of panic. Just moments ago, while suspended in mid-air, he thought he was done for. He had never been sent flying by anyone before; today was a first.

"Sect Leader Du, you’ve lost," Su Xuan said, walking over and squatting down beside the drenched Du Zilong.

"Yes." Du Zilong wiped the water from his face. "This time, I’ve lost."

"Huh?"

Su Xuan furrowed his brow. What did he mean, ’this time’? Weren’t they only supposed to have one match?

"Next, let’s compete with weapons."

As expected, Du Zilong immediately continued, "Actually, I am most skilled with the Tai Chi sword. In the realm of Tai Chi swordsmanship, if I claim to be second, no one dares claim to be first. If you can defeat my Tai Chi sword, I will concede completely!"

"Du Zilong!" Butler Liu walked over, his face grim. "A loss is a loss. Why are you demanding a sword fight now?"

Although Ruyi Tai Chi could be used to wield weapons—and at a master level, one could use anything as a weapon—it was clear that Su Xuan hadn’t reached that stage yet. He still needed a lot of time to internalize those skills and was in no condition to face Du Zilong in a weapons duel.

"Sect Leader Du, even if I agree to your demand, I don’t have a sword!" Su Xuan said.

"No matter!" Sect Leader Du declared, eyeing Su Xuan. "Among the various schools of Tai Chi, many weapons are used: single swords, single sabers, spears, long poles... Just use whatever you’re comfortable with. You don’t have to use a sword."

"He hasn’t used any of them!" Butler Liu protested, still very displeased.

Du Zilong is just like his father. Both are sore losers!

"Old Liu, since he’s insisting, we might as well satisfy his request!" Su Xuan rubbed his chin, glanced toward his room, and then said to Du Zilong, "How about an iron rod? Will that do?"

When he had obtained that iron rod in the stone temple inside the fissure on Zhuilong Mountain, he had been itching to test its power and see if he could be as imposing as the man in white. Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?

"That would be the Tai Chi Staff," Du Zilong said. "Of course, you can use it."

"Then I’ll use the Tai Chi Staff."

"Good, hurry and get it!"

Du Zilong was ecstatic. Su Xuan’s behavior clearly showed he was unfamiliar with weapons, and Butler Liu had also confirmed it. Wasn’t victory now guaranteed?

"Master, there’s really no need for a weapons duel," Butler Liu pleaded, trying to dissuade Su Xuan. "Blades are blind. What if you get hurt?"

"It’s nothing to worry about, Old Liu." Su Xuan lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Just you watch!"

With that, Su Xuan ran into his house and brought out the rusty iron rod.

"Hahaha, he calls that a weapon?"

"Is that a piece of junk he picked from a trash heap?"

"I doubt even a scrap collector would want that!"

The members of Du’s Tai Chi burst into mocking laughter at the sight of the iron rod in Su Xuan’s hand. Its appearance was just too pathetic!

The junior sister, Ji Xiaoxuan, also thought Su Xuan was treating this too much like a game. She had a good impression of him, as she could tell he sincerely wanted to resolve the feud between their families peacefully.

"Shall we start now?" Su Xuan asked, seeing Du Zilong shake the water off himself and take a sword from one of his disciples. "Don’t you want to rest?"

"No need for a break! I was just careless before. I’m not injured at all!" Du Zilong held the sword horizontally before him. "You can make the first move this time!"

He had suffered a great loss by attacking rashly earlier. This time, he intended to counter movement with stillness!

The art of the Tai Chi sword also emphasized countering movement with stillness, adapting to every attack as it came.

"Alright!"

Su Xuan gripped the iron rod with both hands. With no discernible stance, he simply lifted it over his head and asked, "Just like this? Straight at you?"

"Bring it on!" Du Zilong stared intently at Su Xuan’s hands, trying to predict the trajectory of his attack.

"Here I come!"

Su Xuan smashed the iron rod down toward Du Zilong’s head!

"Tai Chi Entwining Force!"

Du Zilong flicked his Tai Chi sword, and the blade writhed like a nimble snake as it coiled around the iron rod.

But then, something unexpected happened!

The iron rod was like a cold, aloof goddess; the moment it made contact with the Tai Chi sword, it unleashed a repulsive force that sent the sword flying back!

Of course, Du Zilong didn’t want his sword to be repelled. He immediately poured his Tai Chi force into the blade, causing it to instantly shift from flexible to rigid. But this proved to be a fatal mistake. With a sharp SNAP, the Tai Chi sword instantly broke in two!

THUD!

The iron rod struck Du Zilong squarely on the head!

A strange gurgle escaped Du Zilong’s throat. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed backward onto the ground. A moment later, blood began to gush from the top of his head.

"Sect Leader! What’s wrong with you, Sect Leader!"

"Did you throw the fight?"

"How did he hit you on the head so easily?"

The members of Du’s Tai Chi hurriedly gathered around Du Zilong and began pinching the pressure point under his nose to revive him.

They couldn’t comprehend the subtleties of the exchange. In their eyes, it looked as if Du Zilong hadn’t moved an inch and had simply let Su Xuan hit him on the head!

Su Xuan stood holding the iron rod and murmured, "I think I understand now..."