Chapter 119: Sparring

Chapter 119: A Friendly Spar

The yao race loves to fight, and it's all about using fists to compete for resources.

Large clans have ample manpower and naturally have nothing to fear, but smaller races don't want to just get beaten without fighting back, so gradually various alliances have formed.

A gambling den put together by several clans is one of the common forms among the yao race.

On one hand, they earn spirit stones through gambling operations, and on the other, they train their own fighters.

Tie Hou was a fighter raised at great expense by the gambling den. However, unlike other participants, he wasn't there to fight to the death; according to the rules, you could just surrender to him.

Bringing him out was just the den's way of avoiding paying out too many spirit stones, but at the same time, it was also a way to acknowledge and recruit strong fighters.

If you beat Tie Hou, you'd get famous in the den and even across the whole city. When you next participated, the cut and prizes would be way better.

Afterward, if you were willing to accompany the den to other yao cultivator cities for matches, you'd be treated as an off-the-books enforcer of the den's backing forces. Even if you lost, you'd receive generous rewards, and the den would give free pills and basic training supplies.

If the den really liked someone and recognized their potential, they'd spare no resources in training them.

Weaker ones were like sect disciples in the human cultivation world, while the strong were like guest elders.

Bringing out Tie Hou this fast shows how much the den likes and expects from Shang Yunduo.

But Shang Yunduo understood none of this; it had nothing to do with him. He stood near the stands and sent a telepathic message to Pei Jie.

"Senior, he looks really strong!" It wasn't just spiritual power, body shape, or killing intent, but a crazy intense vitality of blood and qi.

"The Iron Marquis Clan has rare physical talent among the yao. They are not skilled in spells and rely solely on body techniques to crush cultivators of the same rank."

"Mm-hmm!" The closest he'd felt to this was when he ran into a Golden Core cultivator from the Heavenly Martial Sect in Golden Armor City.

The difference was that the Golden Core guy's aura was contained, making him seem unfathomable, while this Iron Marquis yao was the outward-pressure type, putting strong pressure on him just with his presence.

Of all demonic beasts he'd faced, only the Dark Armor Ox fought like that, liking to clash head-on and rely on pure force.

He had some experience in how to win against such opponents. If he wanted to win, the best method was to use soft to beat hard, take out his qin to throw off the opponent, and first break their momentum.

But to maintain his yao cultivator persona, he couldn't take out a qin. No matter how awesome a tiger yao is, they don't play the qin.

A sneak attack with his new rocket-cluster skill might also work, but this wasn't a deathmatch, and they had no beef, so there was no need to use such a deadly move.

To be honest, if he didn't use the qin or sneak attacks, their fighting styles were somewhat similar. Shang Yunduo also liked going head-on and letting his strength do the talking.

Can't win? No big deal.

Just losing some spirit stones he got for free anyway.

He finally met an opponent like this.

Sure enough, Pei Jie also thought the same: "Why not try fighting him, just using body techniques, and go all out. The experience you get from a real fight can't be gained by just training hard. Relax. Tie Hou's body-tempering skill is top-notch among all yao body techniques. He is already much stronger than you. You don't need to seek victory. You decide how far to push it. If you can't take it, just give up."

Shang Yunduo: "Mm! I'm getting a master class lesson!"

Master class? Pei Jie was momentarily stunned, then chuckled, "Alright."

Before the match began, Shang Yunduo clenched his fists to pump himself up. If you can't win, you take the hits. Body techniques and martial arts—you master them by getting beat up!

"Ha!" Shang Yunduo assumed a stance, sinking his qi into his dantian. "I'm ready, friend. Come on!"

The Iron Marquis yao was stunned for a second but then imitated his starting pose. The drumming stopped, and the two moved together, rapidly closing in, starting a pure body technique match, blow for blow.

The audience was surprised, and even the den staff were surprised.

The Iron Marquis yao himself was a little surprised. He had expected Shang Yunduo to use his formidable fire and had prepared to guard against it. He never expected Shang Yunduo to actually go body-to-body with him!

Since that was the case...

Exactly what he wanted!

Ever since he left his clan, he never got a chance to have a good fistfight with anyone.

Gradually, Lie Qi and the others in the stands couldn't figure out what was going on.

When Shang Yunduo had previously fought Hua Huang and other human cultivators, he mainly used body techniques, but his style was fast, sharp, with clean moves and lots of combos that dazzled the eyes. Why had he suddenly slowed down against Tie Hou?

"This won't do!"

"You can't beat the Iron Marquis by playing their game!"

"Brother Baiyun, speed up your moves!"

"Make his head spin!"

Other audience members also shouted, "Red-haired tiger, fight faster!"

You have to use speed to control the fight and exploit openings—that was the only way to possibly win!

Shang Yunduo knew that.

But he didn't want to win by being clever. The more he fought, the more he enjoyed this kind of head-on, strength-based contest.

It hurt way more than when Pei Jie trained with him and struck him. Each hit felt like getting rammed by a Dark Armor Ox.

To avoid being sent flying, he rooted his stance deep and locked his lower body, fighting steadily. Naturally, his style changed.

Also, this guy's hide was super thick!!

When he hit it, his arm went numb from the shock, but the other guy didn't even flinch.

If not for the arm guard protecting him, his arm might have been broken.

The Iron Marquis yao was loving the fight too. Seizing the moment, he struck Shang Yunduo and sent him flying. Shang Yunduo's feet slid dozens of meters, nearly hitting the wall before he managed to stop. The Iron Marquis actually laughed, and instead of pressing the attack, he withdrew and reset his stance, waiting. When Shang Yunduo steadied himself, he beckoned, "Again!"

Shang Yunduo rubbed his shoulder, which had gone numb, bounced in place, and once feeling returned, he ran back to engage: "Coming!"

Was this about winning or losing?

This was a pure spar—rarely seen even on martial platforms or throughout the entire yao world. It left everyone momentarily disoriented.

But gradually, the audience, who had initially been eager to see a decisive victory, began to get drawn in.

Almost every yao cultivator had some understanding of body techniques. Once they patiently watched, they could appreciate the skill of the bout. Many people on the stands started mimicking the moves and discussing techniques.

"How many exchanges?"

"Over a hundred."

"Probably a hundred and fifty by now."

"Truly formidable!" Lie Qi and the others, putting themselves in his place, couldn't help but marvel—how many blows from Tie Hou could their own hard-trained physiques withstand?

There were some who once thought it was only a matter of time before Hua Huang could challenge Tie Hou, but now, watching this, no—they had oversimplified the Iron Marquis Clan.

No wonder they were known as the clan that could shake the earth and move iron mountains among the Sacred Clans.

The bout continued until dusk approached, when Pei Jie sent a voice transmission to Shang Yunduo: "That's enough. Concede."

Shang Yunduo was a bit reluctant to stop, his spirit still high, but after putting up a fight for two more moves, he finally conceded.

The arena erupted in loud cheers and all kinds of whistles. Hearing people shouting praise at him, Shang Yunduo waved back at the crowd.

Instantly, that group of spectators who had begun to appreciate him waved and yelled back, anyone who didn't know would think he'd won.

Tie Hou took a healing pill and said to Shang Yunduo, "Train a bit more, and we'll fight again."

Shang Yunduo: "Good! If I get the chance, I'll definitely come find you again!"

He stepped down from the platform, and when he tried to leap up to the stands, he suddenly realized his legs were trembling so much he couldn't even lift them.

Shang Yunduo stood there dazed for a moment, then took out a Vitality Pill and consumed it. As he listened to the casino staff who had chased after him explain how many spirit stones his cut came to and where to collect the rewards, he quietly cycled his energy to calm his breathing. Only after a while did he manage to jump back up to the stands to find Pei Jie.

Lie Qi and the others cheered and surrounded the great hero who had brought glory back to the Tiger Clan today, leading him to collect his spirit stones and cash out the bets they had placed.

"We're rich!"

"Ohhh! We're rich!"

Shang Yunduo was rich too, claiming several chests of spirit stones—huge ones at that—and he was completely dazed.

Added to Pei Jie's winning bets, they had struck it rich today!

So many spirit stones!

He hadn't seen a mountain of spirit stones like this in forever!

He couldn't help but act like a bumpkin who had never seen the world, rushing over to stuff them in.

To avoid losing them, he gave most to Pei Jie to carry. Now, whatever Pei Jie wanted to buy, they could buy whatever they wanted!

The excited Tiger Clan members, still having a great time and not ready to part, decided to go out for a meal together.

Shang Yunduo, flush with today's fortune, waved his hand and treated them all!

They hit the most popular eatery near the casino to eat the freshest demon beast meat.

He had been fighting all day and should have been starving, but perhaps it was because he had taken too many pills today, or was too tired, or the sight of the bloody meat platters was off-putting. He showed everyone the "unique eating method of the Fire Armor Clan," roasting the meat to three-, five-, seven-, and fully cooked. As everyone kept shouting "Delicious!" he didn't actually eat much.

"It's fine. You always feel like this after a fight, completely drained," Lie Qi said with experience, sharing a wine he really liked with Shang Yunduo. "Drink some of this, get a good night's sleep, and you'll be fine tomorrow. Then tomorrow, we'll eat those human cultivators together!"

Shang Yunduo sprayed out a mouthful of wine laced with blood.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, cough cough, just took too big a gulp and choked." Shang Yunduo waved his hand. He had forgotten about the pile of human cultivator spoils.

"This wine is best drunk in big gulps."

"But drink slowly."

Shang Yunduo nodded.

Actually, as long as he didn't think about the blood in it, the wine tasted pretty good.

Spicy and stimulating, but with a rich flavor, and not too much of a bloody taste.

Just think of it as blood sausage!

Shang Yunduo took another gulp.

The Tiger Clan members kept excitedly talking about the spoils. "I've never eaten a human cultivator before. Wonder what they taste like."

"I've heard they're tender."

"They look more tender than demon beast meat."

"Hahaha!!!"

Shang Yunduo took another drink and thought to himself, Now this is way beyond me—he didn't eat people!

On the way back, Shang Yunduo dropped his professional, enthusiastic smile and his face screwed up like a bitter melon. "Senior, what should we do?"

Pei Jie: "Hm?"

Shang Yunduo: "Those humans!"

Pei Jie: "You're still thinking about saving them?"

Shang Yunduo: "Since I've already rescued them, I might as well see it through. Otherwise, I got beaten up for nothing."

Pei Jie: "They wouldn't have been captured if they hadn't come here on their own. Since they dared to come, they should be prepared to die."

Shang Yunduo: "That's true, but well, good thing they ran into us."

As he spoke, he looked at Pei Jie with pleading eyes.

Pei Jie couldn't help smiling: "Let's go check out the location first."

The place where the human cultivators were imprisoned was easy to find. They went straight back to the casino, and Shang Yunduo sneaked in using the excuse that he had forgotten to pick up his spoils.

Shang Yunduo: "They're not dead, right? I want them fresh—don't let them die on me."

The Civet host, who hadn't left yet, accompanied them to see the spoils: "Fresh, fresh. They're all still alive. One isn't doing too well—you want to take him and eat him now?"

Shang Yunduo shook his head, rubbed his stomach, and said, "I've had too many pills today. I'm stuffed."

The Civet nodded, thinking, That's for sure—he didn't even eat fruit as recklessly as Shang Yunduo ate pills. Recalling what he'd heard at the end of the event, he asked curiously, "I heard you're an Alchemy Cultivator?"

Shang Yunduo: "Yeah!"

He nodded proudly. "Where else would I get that many pills?"

The Civet rubbed his hands together. "Heh, can you sell me some?"

Shang Yunduo: "How many do you want?"

The Civet's eyes darted. "How about this: you sell these human cultivators back to the casino, and I'll give you a fair price."

Shang Yunduo thought, No way! That'd be wasted effort! "No deal. I already told my clan brothers that we'll eat them together tomorrow. Not selling."

As he spoke, the Civet unlocked the door and led Shang Yunduo and Pei Jie into the cell.

Pei Jie subtly surveyed the dungeon.

There weren't many guards, and the defenses were loose.

But there was a device for detecting spiritual energy, similar to the ones the humans use to detect Demonic Qi, though it looked cruder.

The Civet and Shang Yunduo walked in one after the other. Pei Jie quietly examined the device embedded in the wall. Shang Yunduo stepped onto the steps, but the device didn't go off—apparently, it wasn't that sensitive.

Pei Jie silently tucked away the bird-bone needle, as the Civet and Shang Yunduo continued discussing the elixir pills.

Civet: "Well, about that... I don't exactly have it on hand right now, hehe..."

Shang Yunduo: "You don't have any spirit stones?"

The Civet gave an awkward smile.

Shang Yunduo: "It just so happens that I've run out of my medicine too. Give me two days, let me finish eating them tomorrow, then I'll go buy some more herbs. How many bottles do you want?"

Civet: "Three... no, five!"

Shang Yunduo: "Fine."

As he descended the last step, Shang Yunduo wrinkled his nose and fanned away the musty smell, unable to resist adding, "What's with this stench? Don't let them die on me—I want them fresh. We'll slaughter them alive tomorrow!"

Civet: "Rest assured!"

The cultivators sitting cross-legged meditating glared at them furiously.

Spotting the older and younger Ou brothers, whom he had knocked out with a single punch during the daytime fight, Shang Yunduo bared his teeth at them.

Tiger fangs.

The prisoners in the dungeon: "..."

Shang Yunduo laughed heartily, proudly raising his tiger claw. "I'll eat you, and you, and you—I'll devour you all tomorrow!"

Pei Jie: "..."

After strutting around smugly, having finished his inspection and "ordered his dishes," Shang Yunduo swaggered back to the inn with Pei Jie, discussing as they walked whether they tasted better raw, roasted, or boiled.

The moment the door closed, Shang Yunduo asked, "Senior, how are we going to save them? Should we find help? Or just barge in?"

Author's note:

Yunduo: (shows fangs)

Pei Jie: Where did you learn that?

Yunduo: As a graduate of the Academy of Arts, I've got to have some performance skills, right? What do you think of my acting?

Pei Jie: (shocked) (confused) Is that what your school teaches?

The Academy, its reputation unfairly damaged: No! That was all his own improvisation! Our school doesn't teach that!