Chapter 543: Chapter 176: Swords Across Tian Nan and Southern Lands, A Martial Fool’s Pure Heart

A meal is just a meal, I’ll defeat him afterward. The Mirror Flower Water Moon Palace strikes aren’t swift; to unleash a powerful attack always takes time. Being defeated by this simpleton is quite normal.

"That’s settled then!" said Yuan Zongzi, landing swiftly.

Li Yuan followed and landed as well.

Tie Sha, as always, maintained composure. Even when the other disciples were still looking at him with amused faces, Tie Sha hurriedly saluted and respectfully said, "Senior Dian, please."

Having said that, he did nothing extra and simply retreated amongst the disciples.

After entering the tavern, the other disciples took their seats, seemingly unimpressed by this rough and honest bald man. Even if he is Fifth Grade, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Yuan Zongzi didn’t pay much attention, just watching the simpleton sitting alone. With a sidelong glance, he said, "Tie Sha, you’re tactful, go and keep him company."

"Yes," Tie Sha responded respectfully.

Then, he went over to Li Yuan’s side very considerately, pulling out a chair for him, cleaning the somewhat dirty table in front of him, ordering drinks, introducing wines, and also ordering food.

From the next table came laughter, faintly saying, "Old Tie must be an oddball in the Earth Fire Travel Technique, with that temper, hahaha..."

Yuan Zongzi commented, "What do you know, that’s precisely what’s good about Old Tie."

A moment later...

In front of Li Yuan and Tie Sha were already more than a dozen empty jars stacked up.

Li Yuan chuckled and said, "You’re quite nice, when I return to Cloud Mountain Path, come and find me to play."

A statement others treated as a joke, Tie Sha, however, solemnly saluted and asked, "How would I find you, Senior?"

Li Yuan replied, "I’m Dian Wei, from Jiubao County on Cloud Mountain Path. Just ask for directions."

He would notify the Tang Sect in advance that if anyone asked for Dian Wei in Jiubao County, they should inform him, whether it’s Old Tie he would naturally know.

Finding Tie Sha wasn’t to recruit a subordinate, but just because it’s enjoyable to drink with an old friend.

After all, Old Tie is quite interesting.

At this moment, Yuan Zongzi’s voice came from the neighboring table.

"Are you ready for a fight after eating and drinking?"

"My mother said when I was a kid, you need to sleep after eating to be able to move, or you’ll hurt your stomach."

"You’re already Fifth Grade, such things wouldn’t happen!"

"Don’t lie to me."

"I’m not lying to you."

"Since it won’t hurt my stomach, then let’s spar!"

Li Yuan’s eyes sparkled with excitement, displaying the true nature of a Martial Fool. He grabbed the long blade beside him and soared into the sky, standing broadly amidst the clouds.

Then, a streak of purple light shot skyward.

Without any preamble, a fiery blaze suddenly surged towards Li Yuan like a venomous snake, rearing its head to bite...

This tactic in the social world would be considered a sneak attack, a cowardly move.

But this was precisely Yuan Zongzi’s battle technique.

A long red gleam flashed past like a half-moon, but as it reached Li Yuan.

Li Yuan appeared to dodge hastily and barely avoided it.

Yuan Zongzi’s blade strike wasn’t finished; a few inches away from Li Yuan, it darted back suddenly like a swift flying swallow and slashed at Li Yuan’s back.

Fifth Grade is difficult to kill, even if cleaved in two it’s no matter.

Li Yuan, like dancing the twist, twisted his waist and hips mid-air.

Yet this twisting allowed him to evade Yuan Zongzi’s various extraordinarily agile slashes.

Li Yuan wasn’t skilled in body skill, so... at this moment, he was merely struggling to dodge.

To use one’s weaknesses against an enemy’s strengths; isn’t this also a form of sparring?

After a long while...

Finally...

Yuan Zongzi stopped his hand, breathlessly watching the bald brute still maintaining the dance’s momentum, his eyes flickering with disbelief.

Li Yuan excitedly shouted, "Come on, I’m not done yet."

Yuan Zongzi said, "Come to my Holy Fire Palace, there’s good food and drink every day!"

Li Yuan internally spat, feeling the person was not sincere enough, and ceased his dance, saying, "The fight was just getting fun, why say such dull things? If you won’t fight, I will!"

Having said that, he raised his blade.

Others might not feel anything, but Yuan Zongzi, as a fellow Fifth Grade elder who also wielded a blade, sensed something was amiss.

It was an indescribably peculiar feeling.

This feeling made Yuan Zongzi feel a strange excitement and anticipation from his core.

He unconsciously imagined this strike, anticipated this strike, which was different from his perception of the brute in front of him.

"This blade is used to beat my house Ah Huang, be careful." Li Yuan kindly reminded.

"Who is Ah Huang?" Yuan Zongzi curiously asked.

Li Yuan said mournfully, "A dog, unfortunately, it was beaten to death by me..."

Yuan Zongzi, angered, drew his blade immediately, and with a flash of flame, dashed towards Li Yuan.

Li Yuan’s blade also surged out; this blade was nothing much, it merely employed a bit of Bursting Power.

Boom!!!

The peculiar Fifth Grade elder was blown away like a ball hit by a "home run," landing with a crash on the ground, creating a deep pit.

Dust dispersed, Black Rock splattered upwards, spreading everywhere...

At the pit’s center, Yuan Zongzi’s hand was numbed, hot Shadow Blood flowing from his hand, emanating steam.

He lay on the cracked dirt, gazing blankly at the sky, recalling the recent scene.

A crowd of disciples rushed over. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Yuan Zongzi was pulled from the pit and, looking up, saw the bald brute had disappeared.

He couldn’t help but mutter, "Strange, too strange."

"What’s the matter, Elder?" a disciple couldn’t help but ask.

Yuan Zongzi said, "Inception like natural heaven and earth, conclusion like Linxiang Mammoth’s fierce power, one with finesse, one with brutality... like an Immortal with a weird head, like a peerless beauty wielding a heavy axe."

Linxiang, a legendary Great Demon Beast in the Sunset Rainforest of the South.