Chapter 59: Iron Bull vs. Li Xuan

The county magistrate of Dengfeng was a short, plump man who staggered to the arena, nearly cursing in frustration.

The design of this arena was rather cruel, as there were no steps—just nine wooden stakes standing on the ground. Each stake was about three feet higher than the last. To get onto the stage, one had to climb these stakes. For clumsy individuals, it was almost impossible to get up.

This was a hallmark of the martial arts world. If you wanted to get on the stage to fight, you first had to prove you were stronger than the average person. If you couldn't even climb onto the platform, how could you possibly fight?

For the true masters, these stakes were just decoration. Real experts would disdain using steps, ladders, or wooden stakes, instead simply "flying" up with ease, which gave them the proper face.

However, for the county magistrate, this was quite a challenge. He couldn't possibly climb up on his own.

With no time to set up a ladder, the magistrate reluctantly had to call over a constable from the county office, someone with a bit of skill, who managed to climb up and announce the start of the Dengfeng arena match.

"After approval from the Dengfeng County government, we are hereby hosting the Dengfeng arena. Shaolin Temple and the Law King Temple have signed a death pact—kill without regret. The losing side must leave Shaoshi Mountain, and any properties, including Chen Ding's tavern, silk shop, and blacksmith shop, will count as a wager for the Law King Temple. Nine matches will be held. The side that wins five matches will be declared the victor. Each participant may only compete once. The match begins now!"

Exhausted from climbing, the constable muttered this and then carefully descended.

As he reached the bottom of the arena, he remembered there was one more thing to announce, but couldn't climb back up, so he shouted, "Because it was the Law King Temple that initiated the challenge, they will send their first fighter onto the stage. For the next match, Shaolin Temple will send their fighter."

After shouting, the constable disappeared into the crowd.

This rule was fairly reasonable, considering the Law King Temple initiated the challenge. The first fighter was at a disadvantage, as the opponent could adjust their strategy based on the first fighter's abilities, increasing their chances of victory.

With the rules established, the crowd awaited the first fighter from Chen Ding's side. Hu Yuan really wasn't in a hurry, leisurely observing from the sidelines.

Amid the thousands of spectators, Chen Ding's side hadn't sent anyone up yet, possibly demoralized by Hu Yuan's previous display.

Gradually, the crowd began to murmur discontent.

"Hey, Law King Temple, how dare you challenge us and not send anyone out?"

"If you can't fight, just admit defeat. Losing to Shaolin Temple isn't something to be ashamed of."

Mocking voices filled the air, and finally, Chen Ding's side couldn't take the pressure and sent someone to the stage.

Hu Yuan's eyes lit up. The first person was none other than Li Xuan, the monk.

Li Xuan leapt onto the stage, effortlessly jumping from one wooden stake to another with ease, landing on the third, then the seventh, and finally onto the platform.

His lightness skills were decent, though most common folk still applauded him, as this was no small feat.

Li Xuan was a bitter enemy of Shaolin Temple. Hu Yuan had destroyed the Law King Temple, and Li Xuan harbored deep resentment. Even with the Law King Temple in decline, he refused to chart a new path and insisted on a deadly confrontation with Shaolin.

During the earlier chaos, Li Xuan had suffered a setback, but he quickly recovered, showing just how deep his hatred for Shaolin ran.

Hu Yuan glanced around. Li Xuan was at the peak of the middle stage of the acquired realm. Aside from himself, the only ones on his side who could possibly contend with Li Xuan were Guan Shanyue, Yue Shan, and Pu Hang Pu Yin. Even Iron Bull couldn't be sure of winning against him.

After Li Xuan took the stage, he arrogantly declared, "One戒! You fake compassionate Buddhist traitor, a villain who has committed all kinds of evil. You've brought my Law King Temple to its current state. Come, I'll settle things with you today!"

Hu Yuan didn't even look at him. Li Xuan wasn't worth his attention anymore.

Just as Hu Yuan was considering who to send up, Iron Bull stepped forward and said, "Abbot, I fought this monk earlier and couldn't land a hit. Now I want to go up and finish things."

Hu Yuan hesitated. He could tell Iron Bull possessed great physical strength and some martial arts skills. Although Iron Bull hadn't shown off his skills, it was clear he had a solid foundation.

Even without inner power, Iron Bull's innate strength was enough to challenge an internal martial artist, but against someone at the peak of the middle stage of the acquired realm, Hu Yuan wasn't certain Iron Bull could win. It wasn't a guaranteed victory.

Just as Hu Yuan was pondering, a sweet, clear voice suddenly reached his ears: "Abbot, let Iron Bull try. I believe he can defeat that old monk!"

The voice sounded familiar.

Hu Yuan turned towards the sound and saw a white-clad woman sitting in a carriage not far away. Her figure was slender, and she wore a white veil, making it difficult to see her face.

Though veiled, Hu Yuan recognized her immediately—Ning Wan Jun!

Beside her sat her maid, Xiao Cui.

Although vehicles were banned in this area, a few still managed to get through, and anyone who could bring a carriage here was no ordinary person.

Hu Yuan glanced at Ning Wan Jun and gave a distant salute, wondering what had brought her here.

Ning Wan Jun also returned a respectful gesture and then disappeared into the carriage, peering out through the curtain. After all, she and Xiao Cui were both young, beautiful women, and staying outside wasn't ideal.

Hu Yuan didn't know Ning Wan Jun's identity and wasn't particularly curious, but he was interested in her motives. Why had she insisted on Iron Bull staying at Shaolin Temple? What was her real purpose?

However, Ning Wan Jun didn't appear again, and when Hu Yuan asked Iron Bull, he got no answers. It was unclear why she had left the matter a mystery.

Now that Shaolin Temple was about to face the Law King Temple in a contest, she reappeared and requested Iron Bull's participation. After some thought, Hu Yuan decided it was a good idea.

This would also allow him to gauge her true intentions by observing Iron Bull's abilities. Though Hu Yuan didn't know much about the martial world, Guan Shanyue and Yue Shan, being experienced, should be able to discern the truth.

Hu Yuan turned to Iron Bull and said, "Go ahead, be cautious, and use your strengths. Don't engage too long, and watch out for his inner strength."

Iron Bull nodded and stepped towards the stage.

Iron Bull's lightness skills weren't great, but his long legs and powerful strides allowed him to quickly ascend the platform, hopping from stake to stake with surprising speed and force.

While his technique wasn't as graceful as Li Xuan's, his sheer strength and presence were far more intimidating.

The crowd erupted in applause. The large man looked imposing, like a small mountain, and his size alone made him appear to weigh at least 400 pounds.

Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat upon seeing Iron Bull. This was the same large man whose attack had caused him trouble earlier. He had been caught off guard then, and now, Iron Bull was back on the stage.

Iron Bull's strength was overwhelming, but Li Xuan felt he could still handle it. If he stayed cautious and used his internal power strategically, he could win by striking at Iron Bull's unprotected abdomen.

With that thought, the two opponents faced each other without a word, and the battle began.

Their strikes collided like thunder, shaking the arena with each blow.

Most of the spectators were clueless about the intricacies of martial arts, so they only saw the sheer power of Iron Bull's fists as they came down like hammers, but also noticed how Li Xuan kept dodging and defending, holding his ground.

In the midst of the clash, Hu Yuan and his companions were taken aback. Was Li Xuan really only this strong? Under Iron Bull's relentless attacks, he seemed only able to defend, with little chance to counterattack.

But Hu Yuan wasn't convinced that Li Xuan, at his peak stage, was simply helpless. After all, there had to be some hidden strength he hadn't revealed yet.

Sure enough, after enduring several more blows from Iron Bull, Li Xuan could take it no longer. He jumped out of the fight and shouted, "You big fool, enough! Today, the Buddha will send you on your way!"

Li Xuan's hands now had a strange, bluish-black hue—something was clearly different.

"Iron Sand Palm!"

Guan Shanyue, watching from the sidelines, looked serious and muttered, "This is bad."

Hu Yuan knew of the Iron Sand Palm—it was a powerful strike, one that could be deadly when combined with internal power. Now, Iron Bull was in real danger.

Indeed, Li Xuan's true strength was about to surface.