Chapter 193 - 192: Fierce Accumulation, Fierce Release
Chapter 193: Chapter 192: Fierce Accumulation, Fierce Release
"Captain, you’ll be held accountable for attacking and injuring someone!"
Facing the imposing aura of Li Youtao, an expert of the Blood Coagulation Realm, as he lunged forward, Li Qi shouted with the last bit of air in his lungs, struggling under the immense pressure. He hoped to make Li Youtao see reason and back down.
After saying this, he was completely exhausted. His legs nearly gave out from under him, almost causing him to collapse.
But upon hearing this, Li Youtao just sneered, "Big deal. The worst they can do is post me on guard duty at the foot of the city walls!"
Li Qi: "..."
’Why is he trying to take my spot!’
In the time it took to speak, Li Youtao had closed the distance to less than five feet from Wu Chen, and his palm was now less than three feet from Wu Chen’s chest.
In another instant, his palm would strike Wu Chen’s chest and send him flying out the door.
Li Youtao was angry, but he didn’t dare to actually kill anyone. He just planned to teach this profligate young master named Wu Chen a lesson.
He wanted to make the boy understand that even within the Blood Coagulation Realm, there are vast differences in power!
He shouldn’t be so arrogant.
Thus, his palm strike was exceedingly plain and simple. There were no feints, no complex shifts in technique.
It was just a straightforward, powerful strike.
As long as his opponent wasn’t all for show and had even a bit of real skill, he should be able to react and block this palm.
The rest would come down to a contest of whose foundation was deeper and more condensed.
To forge iron, one must be strong oneself.
Since Li Youtao dared to make a move, he was naturally completely confident.
At just over forty, he was in his prime and had already reached the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. When it came to the depth of his foundation, he wasn’t afraid of anyone.
He was confident he could make this young master—who had reached the Perfection of the Blood Coagulation Realm by swallowing pills and soaking in medicinal baths—understand what true strength was, and what true talent was!
With this one palm, he would also make the boy completely give up on his arrogant notion of taking on A- and B-rank missions.
"..."
For a moment, the wind in the room seemed to howl.
Watching the palm cut through the air toward him, wrapped in a fierce gale, Wu Chen let out a soft sigh.
’So it still has to come to this in the end...’
He hadn’t expected that after all that talk, just to get a higher-level mission, he would still have to resort to a crude method like a contest of strength.
But he had to admit, this crude method was indeed the most efficient one.
An expert reveals their skill the moment they strike.
Once they exchanged blows, even with a simple exchange of fists and palms, everyone would know the other’s true strength.
’Looks like I have no choice but to accept this challenge.’
’If I do, it will make things more convenient for me later on.’
With that thought, Wu Chen raised his own palm and thrust it forward to meet the one aimed at his chest.
’The kid’s reaction isn’t half bad.’
Seeing Wu Chen raise his hand, Li Youtao gave a slight nod.
He had struck first from this distance, yet the boy had the reaction speed to raise his hand. Among a group of profligates, he would definitely rank at the very top. He wasn’t a complete waste, after all.
If he was this kind of person, Li Youtao would be quite willing to offer him some guidance during his career in the Demon Suppression Bureau, helping him further refine and perfect his Martial Arts.
But...
...looking at the fair, uncalloused hand Wu Chen extended, Li Youtao shook his head again, knowing this simple test was as good as over.
A hand like that had clearly never endured the harsh effort of practicing Martial Arts. No matter how strong such a person was, how strong could he really be?
Simply being able to react was already his limit.
Forget a contest of the depth of their internal foundations; in a simple clash of raw strength, the boy would suffer a miserable defeat at his hands!
BANG!—
Without another word, the coarse, sand-papery hand and the fair, almost delicate one slammed into each other.
The air in the room rippled from the compression, and a gale-force blast erupted from between their palms.
CRACK! CRACK!
POP! POP! POP!—
In an instant, the simple furnishings in the room were sent flying, smashing against the walls and shattering. The fragile, carved wooden window screens couldn’t bear the strain and exploded into pieces.
The commotion was astonishing.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion, but in reality, it was over in a flash.
The moment their palms met, the smug look on Li Youtao’s face instantly twisted into something unreadable.
As if his hand had been bitten by a venomous snake, he pulled back the instant they made contact, stumbling back several steps—THUD, THUD, THUD.
Finally, he had to leap back behind his desk to barely neutralize the brutal force that had surged through his body like a charging bull.
"You!"
Behind the desk, Li Youtao stared in horror at Wu Chen, who stood his ground, slowly lowering his hand. For a moment, he was speechless.
’He didn’t retreat a single step!’
’His body didn’t even tremble!’
’How is that possible!’
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, trying to suppress the terror in his heart.
He couldn’t utter a single word of what he wanted to say.
At that moment, the provisional guards outside heard the sound of things shattering and the window screens exploding within the room. Realizing something was wrong, they all swarmed over with a great clamor.
The group crowded the doorway of the small room. Seeing the mess inside, they didn’t know exactly what had happened but could guess the gist. They became instantly enraged and roared:
"This kid actually dared to attack the Captain! The nerve! Brothers, grab your weapons and kill him!"
"Damn it, these profligates are getting more and more arrogant! Let’s waste him! The worst that can happen is I end up on a wanted list!"
"..."
Amid the clamor, the massive crowd began to surge into the room.
Li Youtao treated them quite well, often giving them pointers on their Martial Arts, and the group had benefited greatly.
As a result, they all respected Li Youtao immensely.
Therefore, in their eyes, Wu Chen hadn’t just attacked the Captain; he had provoked every single one of them!
"Insolence! Who allowed you to come in!"
Behind his desk, Li Youtao stood with his hands behind his back, his cold gaze sweeping over the provisional guards.
His tone left no room for argument.
The guards who were about to rush in froze at his words. They dared only to stand in the doorway, not making another move, their hateful gazes fixed on Wu Chen.
Li Youtao’s gaze returned to Wu Chen. Looking at the young man’s figure, his throat felt inexplicably dry.
Over the years, he had fought many people. It wasn’t that he had never lost before.
But he had never faced an opponent who, like today, didn’t even take a single step back.
For a moment, everyone just stared at each other, wide-eyed and speechless.
After a long, heavy silence, Wu Chen was the first to speak, breaking the quiet:
"Captain Li, so, am I now qualified to select an A- or B-rank mission?"
Before Li Youtao could answer his question, the guards at the door grew anxious and erupted:
"Hah! Another incompetent fool trying to build a resume on his family’s name! With people like you in the Demon Suppression Bureau, I say it’s doomed to fail sooner or later! Captain Li, you absolutely cannot agree!"
"Captain Li, you mustn’t agree to this! Our lives are expendable, but we can’t die such a pathetic death!"
"..."
An incompetent general can lead an entire army to its doom. The provisional guards weren’t afraid of fighting to the death; otherwise, they never would have become provisional guards in the first place.
But they knew all too well what happened when you followed one of these disciples from a noble family. There were plenty of cautionary tales.
That was why everyone avoided these young masters like the plague.
If you were chosen by a noble’s son, forget about earning any merits or rewards from a mission; you’d be thanking your ancestors just to make it back alive.
Listening to the commotion at the door, Li Youtao waved his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet.
Seeing the Captain’s gesture, the provisional guards felt a sense of relief.
Based on their understanding of Captain Li and his habit of looking at these young masters like they were dog shit, there was no way he would agree to assign A- or B-rank missions to some wet-behind-the-ears pretty boy.
But Li Youtao’s next words left the entire group stunned into silence.
"You are, of course, qualified to take on these missions."
"As it happens, I have a ’High B-rank’ mission right here. It’s perfect for you."