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Chapter 36: Chinese Style Is the Most Badass

“What?” Shao Linlin instantly tensed up and looked uneasily toward the ring.

She saw Xu Feng closing in step by step, his rising and sweeping kicks forcing Lu Li into a corner.

“He can’t dodge; your little sweetheart will have to meet the attack head-on,” Shao Kang sighed, shaking his head.

He felt pessimistic about Lu Li’s situation and analyzed, “Xu Feng’s Wadō-ryū Karate is broad and explosive and can exert maximum power in a confined space; once Xu Feng gets him in a clinch, defeat is certain.”

“Then it’s over!” Shao Linlin glanced at Lu Li in worry.

Up on the platform, Xu Feng had the fight in hand; he sneered as he approached Lu Li, “Time to finish this!”

Lu Li stayed calm and again adopted Taiji’s Slanted Step.

Xu Feng snorted, “Still playing that worthless Taiji? Traditional martial arts declined long ago; your flowery show punches are nothing before my Wadō-ryū Karate.”

He rolled his wrists, lifted his chin arrogantly, and said, “Frankly, I don’t need a martial-arts instructor; traditional styles are antiques that can’t keep up with the times, and I can’t be bothered to learn them. Go ahead and use your flowery fists… I’d like to see if you can even land a hit on me.”

Unmoved, Lu Li raised his eyes and said coolly, “You must not have heard the saying.”

“What saying?” Xu Feng blurted.

Lu Li spoke in a low voice, “Traditional style is the most badass!”

Before Xu Feng could react, Lu Li erupted and took the initiative.

The Taiji Plowing Hand shot straight toward Xu Feng’s chest and abdomen!

“Hmph, overestimating yourself,” Xu Feng instantly raised his arms to block.

Lu Li had already predicted Xu Feng’s move; he turned a real attack into a feint, stepped in and slipped to the side, and struck Xu Feng’s back with the Plowing Hand, sending him stumbling several steps.

Rubbing his back, Xu Feng was both surprised and furious, his eyes burning with anger.

He had just said Lu Li couldn’t touch him, yet Lu Li hit his back; the strike felt like a rabbit biting a lion, making his face burn with shame.

Lu Li did not celebrate the hit; he kept pacing with Taiji’s Slanted Step as if strolling through a garden.

The unhurried posture was pure provocation; Xu Feng flew into a rage, shuffled forward, and unleashed his kicking technique.

He did not change the combination: a middle-level front kick with the left leg, a high sweeping kick with the right, a turning back kick with the left, and an angle-changing high kick, the same four-kick series as before.

Last time Lu Li had been forced to block the third kick and took a small loss; this time he no longer dodged and met Xu Feng’s very first kick with both hands.

He lightly caught the striking surface with the inside of his palms, guided the incoming force outward, and, at the moment of release, issued power to dismantle Xu Feng’s stance while throwing him off to the side.

Xu Feng felt the strength in his leg first being caught, then dissolving like mud into the sea, and finally being redirected back out.

All four kicks landed, yet each one was deformed to some degree, as though he were kicking himself, and their power was cut in half.

What kind of strange technique was this? Being toyed with infuriated Xu Feng even more, so when kicks failed he switched to palms.

“You don’t even understand receiving, neutralizing, and emitting, yet you dare mock traditional arts!” Lu Li launched Taiji Push Hands and met Xu Feng palm to palm.

After all, Xu Feng was a professional fighter; he quickly realized that Lu Li’s strength and speed were far inferior, so he began to vary his routines, every palm heavy and forceful, and Lu Li could only struggle to cope…

“Yes! Dad, you said Lu Li would lose, but didn’t he hit Xu Feng? They’re trading blows evenly now! Turns out Xu Feng is all show… calls himself a pro, but he’s no match for Lu Li,” Shao Linlin clapped excitedly.

“He just caught him off guard; that doesn’t mean he’s in control. I never said your little lover was weak, but he’ll still be the one who loses in the end.”

“Why?”

Shao Kang analyzed calmly, “Because his physical attributes are poor; his condition will decline rapidly as the fight drags on, and the longer it goes, the worse it is for him.”

“Dad, you mean they’re competing in constitution now, in endurance?” Shao Linlin extracted the key point from his words.

Shao Kang nodded, “Exactly; from his match with Shen Huan yesterday I could tell his stamina is very poor. If he kited and ran he might have a tiny chance, but trading blows head-on guarantees defeat.”

“His stamina is very poor?” Shao Linlin put the towel aside, picked up the well-behaved Little White cat squatting nearby, and wondered, “Doesn’t seem that bad.”

Remembering how Lu Li had run 1,000 meters in one go without dizziness or gasping, she scratched the cat’s head and muttered.

“I still think he’ll win,” Shao Linlin retorted.

“Heh, your old man may be too aged to fight these youngsters, but when it comes to judging eyes, if I’m second, no one dares claim first! Don’t forget, back in the day I discovered a teenage prodigy who defeated talents nationwide,” Shao Kang boasted as he reminisced.

Shao Linlin whispered, “I recall that brother was already amazing when he joined our club; what did that have to do with you, Dad…”

“Little White, am I right?” she stroked the kitten’s head.

“Meow~~” Little White rubbed her palm and mewed softly, as if answering her.

By coincidence, that teenage prodigy had also kept a gentle little white cat that seemed almost human.

Shao Linlin had wanted such a cat too and kept pestering Shao Kang to get one.

That wish had finally come true only in the past 2 years.

“Who says it had nothing to do with me? The fact I saw his potential proves how sharp my eyes are!” Shao Kang declared righteously. “I say Lu Li will lose in a moment, so he will definitely lose!”

“I say he’ll win!” Shao Linlin huffed.

Shao Kang produced the red envelope he had confiscated from Lu Li and said, “Humph, if he wins, the ¥4,000 in here will be yours!”

Shao Linlin’s eyes lit up.

Before she could reach for it, Shao Kang added, “If he loses, your allowance for the next 2 months is gone.”

“How can that be?” Shao Linlin’s little face fell.

“Are you betting or not?” Shao Kang slanted a look at her.

Shao Linlin hesitated, unable to decide; she wanted to support Lu Li, yet she trusted her father’s judgment deep down.

“Heh, don’t you like Lu Li? You won’t even risk 2 months of allowance… some fan you are,” Shao Kang taunted.

As expected, Shao Linlin took the bait: “Hmph! Bet it is! Lu Li will definitely win!”

Shao Kang smiled faintly; what a gullible girl… no allowance to pay for 2 months, and I can buy myself some liquor.

It wasn’t just Shao Kang who doubted Lu Li; the other club members were even more skeptical.

“Heh, that high-school kid has a couple of tricks, but not many; look, he attacked twice at first, and now he’s only defending.”

“Exactly! See how hard he’s struggling to block; I bet he’ll lose within 10 rounds!”

“Senior Xu, go for it! Knock out that high-schooler! A little brat wants to be our martial-arts instructor? Get out of the club!”

The fight on stage was at its climax; Xu Feng had gained complete dominance, and after Lu Li’s initial moves he had been reduced to wearily taking each attack.

Although things looked great for him, Xu Feng felt a twinge of doubt because Lu Li seemed like a hungry fledgling waiting to be fed, never striking even when he deliberately exposed openings.

What was this… treating me like a wooden dummy for practice?

Ridiculous! I’ll have you crawling in 10 moves!

Xu Feng had concluded that with Lu Li’s current speed and strength, beating him was impossible.

Unless Lu Li could suddenly break through his limits in speed and power… but how could that happen?

What is this, a fantasy novel where the protagonist levels up mid-fight?

Unbeknownst to him, Lu Li calmly opened his dating game mentally, looked at the attribute panel, and waited for a notification.

[Congratulations, player: Martial Arts Proficiency maxed; Martial Arts Minor Accomplishment (1/10) → Martial Arts Minor Accomplishment (2/10).]

The corner of Lu Li’s mouth lifted. “Time to end this.”

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