Chapter 64: Duanlang vs. Bu Jingyun

"Hmph! Am I afraid of you?!" Seeing Bu Jingyun's cocky attitude and bold first move, Duanlang snorted coldly, yanking out his wooden sword and charging to meet him.

If Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun's fates seemed to click, then Bu Jingyun and Duanlang were like oil and water, always at odds.

Duanlang had been itching to prove himself, eager to show the world that Xiongba's choice to snub him as a disciple was a blind mistake. Now, with Bu Jingyun throwing the first punch, it was the perfect chance to take him down.

"Just a wooden sword? You think this is some kind of game?"

Seeing Duanlang wielding only a plain wooden sword, Bu Jingyun scoffed inwardly. He unleashed his Cloud-Dispelling Palm, aiming to snap the flimsy weapon in two.

Swish!

But Duanlang countered with his family's Eclipse Blade Arts, swinging the wooden sword with a flourish. Armament Haki coated the blade, boosting its strength to an uncanny degree.

Though the force of the Cloud-Dispelling Palm pushed Duanlang back a few steps, Bu Jingyun's palm was sliced open, blood trickling down.

Clutching his wounded hand, Bu Jingyun stared at the wooden sword in Duanlang's grip, shock and fury in his eyes.

A mere wooden sword—how could it cut him? What was going on?

"Hmph…" Duanlang, though startled by Bu Jingyun's fierce inner strength, flashed a smug grin when he saw the injury.

Bu Jingyun's pride couldn't take that smug look. Without a word, he raised his palm again and charged forward.

This time, he didn't dare underestimate the wooden sword, and the two clashed fiercely for a while.

The gang members of Divine Martial Hall stood frozen, jaws dropped.

Duanlang and Bu Jingyun were just teens, but their fight was ferocious, making many gang members feel they'd be no match.

It was no wonder these kids were disciples of the gang leader and hall master, they thought.

"We'd better report this to the hall master and gang leader fast." The gang members didn't dare step into the heated duel between Bu Jingyun and Duanlang. After a quick huddle, some rushed off to alert Alex and Xiongba.

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While the two young hotheads were brawling over Kong Ci, a mere girl, Alex had already reached the World's Peak Tower. Xiongba had given him a mission: deliver a challenge letter to Jiansheng.

"Jue Wushen's off in Japan, Wuming and the First Evil Emperor are hidden away, their whereabouts unknown. Only Jiansheng is trackable. This time, you must get that challenge letter to him…" Xiongba declared, his presence commanding, every gesture brimming with unshakable confidence.

"This guy's getting way too full of himself," Alex thought, his mouth twitching slightly as he watched Xiongba, who even dared to dream of challenging Wuming.

It seemed the Clay Buddha's prophecy had inflated Xiongba's ego to epic proportions.

Could he even stand up to Jiansheng right now? If the Sword Saint showed up, he'd probably hand Xiongba a humbling defeat, right?

Still, none of that was Alex's problem. He nodded, accepting the task without a fuss.

"Boss, over at Divine Martial Hall, Master Yun and Duanlang are fighting…" Just then, a gang member rushed in, breathless, and reported.

"Oh? Yun'er and Duanlang are fighting? What's the cause?" Xiongba's brow lifted, caught off guard.

"I heard it's over a maid. Master Yun stormed to Divine Martial Hall to chew out Duanlang, and they started fighting. Master Yun's palm got cut." The gang member bowed his head, quickly spilling the details of the Divine Martial Hall showdown.

Bu Jingyun had trained in Cloud-Dispelling Palm for six months, and Xiongba knew his skill level well.

A squabble between kids wasn't worth his worry, but hearing Bu Jingyun was injured surprised him. Duanlang could actually wound Bu Jingyun?

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Back at Divine Martial Hall, Duanlang and Bu Jingyun's fight had erupted into heated fury. With the Eclipse Blade Arts, Duanlang's wooden sword was razor-sharp, and with Armament Haki's boost, it felt like that wooden blade could slice through steel.

Bu Jingyun, meanwhile, had learned to respect the wooden sword's power. He pushed his Cloud-Dispelling Palm to its limit, clouds of energy surging with heavy force. His palms now dodged the sword's edge.

But his palm strikes kept Duanlang on guard, too.

After clashing for a while, Duanlang was battered and bruised, having taken several of Bu Jingyun's palm hits. Luckily, his tougher-than-average physique and Armament Haki's defense kept him in the fight. An ordinary kid would've collapsed by now.

Bu Jingyun, though, looked worse. He'd been slashed five or six times, blood soaking his clothes, painting a grim picture.

Swish!

As their battle hit a critical peak, with lives potentially at stake, a blur flashed before everyone's eyes. Alex used Shave, his figure zipping between the two as if teleporting.

He reached out, grabbing Duanlang and Bu Jingyun by the wrists.

After six months of intense training, Alex had not only pushed his crystal points past 170 but also honed his physique, Haki, and swordsmanship to new heights.

"Alright, kids brawling is fine, but let's call it quits for today!" Alex restrained both with ease and said firmly.

"Yes, Master!" Duanlang, still fuming, lowered his head and complied, unwilling to defy Alex.

"Hmph!" Bu Jingyun's eyes burned with a fierce, untamed glare, locked on Duanlang.

But he didn't make another move. He knew with Alex there, the fight was over.

Meeting Bu Jingyun's stare, Duanlang glared right back, unflinching. The air between them crackled with tension.

"Yun'er, head back," Xiongba arrived and said calmly.

As his disciple, Bu Jingyun losing to Alex's student stung Xiongba's pride a bit, and he planned to drill Bu Jingyun harder later.

But seeing the fire in Bu Jingyun's eyes, Xiongba knew he'd train relentlessly without prompting, so he held his tongue.

On second thought, a rival pushing Bu Jingyun to improve might do more good than harm.

Still, noting the sword wounds on Bu Jingyun and seeing Duanlang's mere wooden sword, Xiongba's eyes glinted with curiosity.

"Alex, you've done well with this one," Xiongba turned to Alex, his tone laced with praise.

"You're too kind, boss. It's mostly Duanlang's natural talent and hard work," Alex replied, shaking his head, giving credit to Duanlang's progress.

Alex's words warmed Duanlang's heart, and he shot a glance at Xiongba.

Xiongba had passed him over that day—would he regret it now?

But Duanlang's hopes were dashed. Xiongba didn't even glance his way.

For Xiongba, taking Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun was all about the Clay Buddha's prophecy. Why would he regret missing out on Duanlang's potential?