Chapter 57: The Battle of Dengfeng

Huo Yuanzhen opened his eyes and saw that the light spot was one step away from reaching the grand prize position, but it stopped at the Great Compassionate Palm.

He scratched his head, unable to describe the mixed feelings inside him.

The Great Compassionate Palm was undoubtedly a profound martial technique, but if he had a choice, he would have preferred to draw the Shaolin Arhat Fist.

The reason was simple—the Arhat Fist was powerful. When the fist was thrown, it was like the wind of a tiger. It was one of the basic techniques of Shaolin. On the other hand, the Great Compassionate Palm primarily involved techniques like entangling, twisting, pressing, pushing, and pulling, using borrowed force, which gave it a flavor somewhat similar to Tai Chi. Its lethality was not particularly strong, hence its association with compassion.

It seemed that the system really wanted him to play the role of a high monk and pursue compassion to the end!

Feeling somewhat frustrated, he accepted the reward. After all, it was his first martial skill, so he might as well practice it first.

The familiar mysterious power entered his mind again, and he gradually understood the method of executing the Great Compassionate Palm.

However, after Huo Yuanzhen had completed his training, he was pleasantly surprised to find that when combined with his Dragon Elephant Prajna Power, the Great Compassionate Palm had reached a terrifying level. Originally a very exquisite palm technique, it had become even more formidable with the huge boost in strength. Perhaps it was no longer so closely related to compassion anymore.

Half an hour later, after reaching the highest level of the Great Compassionate Palm, Huo Yuanzhen chuckled in the darkness. "Not bad, very good. Chen Ding, Li Xuan, once the arena begins tomorrow, I'll make sure you experience the compassionate methods of this monk."

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, with a cool autumn breeze, the streets of Dengfeng County were bustling with people, and the small stalls selling mooncakes were thriving in business.

Just as the mooncake vendors were doing well, so was the Dengfeng Arena, which had just begun today.

The arena measured five zhang long, three zhang wide, and three zhang high. It was supported by eight massive round wooden poles and draped with bright red silk ribbons, creating a festive atmosphere.

On the arena, there were couplets written by the County Magistrate of Dengfeng.

The upper couplet read: "Making friends with martial arts, striking the colorful tiger of Nanshan with fists."

The lower couplet read: "Stop at the point, kicking the mixed dragon of Beihai with feet."

The horizontal scroll in the middle read the bold words: "Dengfeng Arena".

The location was in the center of the Dengfeng County market, a spacious area already sealed off to prevent the passage of carts and horses.

Although the time hadn't arrived yet, the surrounding area was already packed with people, a crowd so dense that not a drop of water could escape.

In addition to the mooncake vendors, there were those selling tea, pastries, and snacks, all coming together to set up stalls. People could watch the arena battles and earn money at the same time.

There were also those who had set up booths to treat external injuries, hoping that if anyone was injured during the upcoming battle, they could help with their business.

Even people from the gambling houses were here, setting up odds where one could bet on who would win the final victory, or even on the outcome of individual battles.

The scene was chaotic.

It wasn't until around 8 AM that officials arrived to maintain order, since the arena event had been officially approved by the government, and order had to be preserved.

The officials cleared the area and prevented the crowd from approaching the arena within three zhang.

However, some of the officials looked slightly bruised, but no one knew exactly what had happened.

After maintaining order for a while, and clearing the outer crowd, Chen Ding's side arrived.

Next to the arena, there were two small pavilions where the participants in the match could rest, each on opposite sides.

When Chen Ding arrived, everyone made way for him, whispering and pointing at him.

Chen Ding had once been well-liked by the people in Dengfeng, and if it had been a match against other opponents, many would have supported him. However, this time it was different—he was about to face the Shaolin Temple in battle, and that had made him lose favor.

The Shaolin Temple was a sacred place blessed by the Buddha, and many believed that Chen Ding, a mere mortal, daring to challenge the Shaolin Temple would not end well.

Especially with the Abbot Yi Jie of Shaolin Temple, who was known for his great abilities, humble demeanor, and kind heart. Many people in Dengfeng considered him a living Buddha in private.

Moreover, Chen Ding had allied with the Law King Temple, which was notorious for harboring filth, and this only worsened his reputation.

So, even though Chen Ding smiled and greeted the villagers, not many returned his smile.

Among the group of more than twenty people, a middle-aged scholar wearing a white robe with a sword on his back walked in the center, with Chen Ding on his left and Li Xuan on his right.

Behind them were all sorts of martial artists, some tall, some short, some fat, some thin, in all shapes and sizes.

When they arrived at their pavilion, just as they were about to sit down, Li Xuan suddenly spoke: "Master Chen, I noticed that the pavilion over there seems to have a better location. Why don't we move there?"

Chen Ding hesitated for a moment. "But that's the Shaolin Temple's pavilion. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to go over?"

Li Xuan waved his hand. "What's the big deal? Both pavilions are the same. We'll go there, and they can come here instead."

Chen Ding glanced at the middle-aged scholar, who nodded with restrained elegance. "We're expecting some important guests soon. This place isn't ideal, let's move to that side."

"Yes, Master Uncle. But what if the Shaolin people...?"

The middle-aged scholar was Chen Ding's uncle, the renowned Broken Water Sword Chai Xian. Upon hearing Chen Ding's concern, he sneered. "Nephew, you're getting more and more timid. What if they come? Do you think that when our people arrive, Shaolin will still have a chance? From today onwards, Shaolin will be expelled from Mount Shaoshi. Don't worry about them."

"Yes, Master Uncle. Then, please lead the way!"

Chen Ding, chastised by his uncle, dared not say another word. He obediently led the way as they walked to the other pavilion.

Soon after they had settled in, the Shaolin Temple's people finally arrived.

The Shaolin group was also quite large. In addition to the monks specializing in Buddhist studies, almost everyone from Shaolin had come.

At the center of the group, surrounded by forty or so lay disciples, was Huo Yuanzhen. Beside him were Guan Shan Yue and Pu Hang, with Yi Jing and Pu Yin trailing behind, followed by Tie Niu and Yue Shan, two towering figures like black iron towers. Their imposing aura was much stronger than Chen Ding's group.

Seeing the Shaolin group arrive, the crowd erupted into applause and cheers.

"Master Yi Jie, best of luck! After you win, I'll go to Shaolin to fulfill my vow!"

"Abbot, go for it! Shaolin will win for sure!"

Hearing the cheers from the crowd, the Shaolin members waved back in acknowledgment.

As they slowly walked toward the pavilion, they noticed that Chen Ding's group had already taken the spot.

Huang Feihong, the first to step forward, said to Chen Ding's group, "Hey, you're in the wrong place. Your pavilion is over there."

Li Xuan, standing beside him, retorted with sarcasm, "There are too many mosquitoes over there. We can't stand it. You all go over there."

"Why? This is our spot, and it's already been reserved. You all get out!" Su Can added, also speaking up.

As soon as they spoke, the lay disciples of Shaolin chimed in, and soon Chen Ding's followers were not backing down either. They rolled up their sleeves and stood up, confronting the Shaolin disciples.

Before the official match even began, the atmosphere between the two sides was already extremely tense. A battle seemed imminent.

Once again, Li Xuan stepped forward and sneered at Huang Feihong and Su Can. "You two brats, daring to act up in front of the Buddha. Scram! You have no say here."

The Shaolin people had long been displeased with Li Xuan. Everything had been instigated by him, and now, with him insulting them, Huang Feihong and Su Can couldn't take it anymore.

Huang Feihong, known for his fiery temper, immediately threw a punch at Li Xuan.

Li Xuan sneered and thought to himself that Huang Feihong's martial arts were not enough to threaten him. He blocked the punch with one hand and swiftly struck back with a palm.

Before he could land his strike, Tie Niu suddenly lunged forward with a fist, smashing it toward Li Xuan's head.

Li Xuan hastily dodged, but a sudden sharp pain in his waist told him that Su Can had kicked him.

Just as Li Xuan was about to retaliate, another punch from Tie Niu came. Li Xuan had no choice but to dodge again, and in that instant, Huang Feihong seized the opportunity and slapped him loudly across the face.

"Slap!" The sound echoed, and Li Xuan's mouth immediately began to bleed.

Although he was skilled in martial arts, the three of them worked in perfect unison, and Li Xuan couldn't even put up a fight. He was injured, causing him to cry out in anger. "What are you all looking at? Get in here and help me!"

Several monks from the Law King Temple, who had been left behind with him, saw him being overwhelmed by the Shaolin disciples. They rushed forward to help.

Tie Niu, who loved this kind of scene, easily grabbed two monks, tossed them aside, and they crashed to the ground, knocking over a couple of tables in the process.

With the fallen monks not being a big deal, the tables were more of a problem. On the other side, Chai Xian and the others stood up swiftly.

As the situation escalated, more and more Shaolin disciples joined in, ready to fight. The arena hadn't even started yet, but it looked like the battle was about to erupt!