Chapter 22: Mass Brawling Is a Skill
All of the onlookers were of the opinion that Qi Ying had bitten off more than he could chew, with the exception of Duan Renshan. No matter how strong Strength Martial Stage warriors were, they could only use their physical bodies during battles. In contrast, Energy Martial Stage cultivators possessed battle techniques that could inflict damage from afar. The two were simply on different levels.
Whoosh!
Everyone looked on as the fist projection and palm projections hurtled toward Qi Ying, and they all observed a moment of silence.
That was the price he had to pay for his cockiness!
However, what happened next gave all the onlookers a massive surprise.
In the face of the two battle technique attacks, Qi Ying leaped into the air like a spring. His powerful legs propelled him over ten feet high in the blink an eye, and he performed a somersault to evade both of the oncoming attacks. His body had virtually skimmed the Gale Monarch Fist Projection, and if he had been even half a second off with his timing, he would have been struck.
If that hadn’t been sheer luck, then his anticipation had to have been frighteningly accurate!
But there were more surprises to come. Following his somersault, Qi Ying was somehow able to fly over ten feet through the air, hovering directly over Duan Yuan’s head. His leg lashed out, and the tip of his foot struck Duan Yuan’s chin!
Clack!
The crisp sound of teeth clashing together erupted, and Duan Yuan almost bit off his own tongue as he was sent flying again. At that moment, Qi Ying had also landed on the ground before immediately springing toward Duan Jin.
In contrast with the taller Duan Yuan, Duan Jin was even shorter than Qi Ying, despite the fact that he was already nineteen years old. Duan Jin had already come to his senses following his initial moment of shock. Golden True Energy converged to form a fist projection as a tiger’s roar erupted.
Yellow Tier Low-Rank battle technique, Tiger Roar Fist!
However, he didn’t even get a chance to unleash his Tiger Roar Fist before Qi Ying stuck out his left hand and grabbed his wrist. The hairs on Duan Jin’s arm stood on end as the cold silver hand closed in. Qi Ying made a violent pulling motion, and Duan Jin was hoisted into the air. He was then swung around like a windmill many times before being hurled into the distance.
Bam!
Duan Jin’s body struck a wall with a dull thump, almost creating an indentation that matched the shape of his body.
“Gasp…”
Everyone drew sharp breaths upon seeing this. Some of the disciples with longer reflex arcs didn’t even manage to see what had happened before Duan Yuan began to howl with pain as he clutched his chin, while Duan Jin slid and fell from the wall, onto the ground.
Holy sh*t!
What had just happened? The Second Energy Martial Stage Duan Jin, and the Third Energy Martial Stage Duan Yuan had just been beaten senseless by Qi Ying in less than twenty seconds!
Was this a dream?!
Meanwhile, some of the disciples with keener eyes had come to a realization: Qi Ying was not only insanely strong, but also a master in martial arts! His cultivation base wasn’t all that impressive, and he hadn’t mastered any battle techniques, but his judgment and decisiveness, as well as the diversity of his attacks, were all far superior to Duan Jin and Duan Yuan’s. The two brothers held an overwhelming cultivation base advantage, but they were defeated before they even had a chance to utilize it.
Martial arts were a skill separate from cultivation. In fact, the vast majority of martial arts masters weren’t even at the Energy Martial Stage.
Martial arts were extremely profound, and Miracle Working Stage martial arts grandmasters were unfathomably powerful beings. Some had no cultivation base at all, but they could kill with the unlikeliest of weapons, and even Spirit Martial Stage warriors had to be wary of them.
The main downside to martial arts was that exceptional aptitude was required for success. All martial arts masters were one-in-a-hundred rarities, while martial arts grandmasters were like mythical beings. Even the simplest of martial arts techniques required many years of practice to become effective in battle. Furthermore, all martial arts practitioners had to cultivate in internal and external strength from a very young age; how were they supposed to have time to simultaneously study martial arts techniques? It was quite a common occurrence for martial arts practitioners, especially the younger ones, to make minimal progress even after many years of training.
Thus, none of the onlooking disciples were all that surprised that Duan Jin and Duan Yuan were defeated by Qi Ying. What they were most surprised by, however, was that the fifteen-year-old Qi Ying was a martial arts master! Countless people had dabbled in martial arts for decades without getting to his level.
Many disciples were beginning to see Qi Ying through new eyes.
Cocky brats who bit off more than they could chew were idiots.
But those who could back up their cockiness with skill were badass individuals!
“That should teach you a lesson! Don’t mess with me and I won’t mess with you!”
Qi Ying warned in a cold voice.
He had exposed enough for today.
The fact that he was able to defeat two Energy Martial Stage disciples would undoubtedly garner much attention.
But fortunately, all he had to hide was his rapidly increasing cultivation base. That was why he decided to defeat the Duan brothers through the use of martial arts alone. Even if others were to learn that he was a martial arts master, it wouldn’t really matter.
Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were in so much pain that they were incapable of speech. Duan Tianshan was absolutely fuming upon seeing this.
How could this Qi Ying be so powerful?!
The Duan brothers were the ones who had been beaten, but Duan Tianshan felt like Qi Ying had slapped him in the face!
“Duan Yuan, Duan Jin… Absolutely useless! Everyone, beat the crap out of this kid! Our Duan family will back you up if anything happens! If you guys can beat Qi Ying to the point of disability, I’ll reward everyone with a vial of Energy Containment Pills… No, Energy Explosion Pills!”
Duan Tianshan was growing increasingly desperate.
His words were mainly directed at those who were affiliated with the Duan family, as normal disciples wouldn’t dare to get involved, even with such an alluring reward as an incentive.
After hearing Duan Tianshan’s words, all of the disciples who were guarding the gate immediately deserted their posts before swarming toward Qi Ying. There were about twenty of them, and their cultivation bases ranged from the Eighth Strength Martial Stage to the Second Energy Martial Stage!
No matter how powerful Qi Ying was, he was just one person. How would he be able to survive a mass brawl?
With the Duan family as their backer, what was there to be scared of?
Thus, Qi Ying became the public enemy in the blink of an eye.
“Idiots.”
Qi Ying spat through gritted teeth.
The best way to deal with idiots like those… was to beat them into submission!
Qi Ying sprang into action. He rushed forward like an agile rabbit before thumping a heavy punch into the body of a Strength Martial Stage disciple. He then threw a vicious roundhouse kick into another Energy Martial Stage disciple’s stomach… A series of dull thumps erupted alongside howls of agony. Disciples fell, one after the other. Against the fast and insanely strong Qi Ying, most of them couldn’t even last one attack before they fell to the ground…
Mere moments later, there were about twenty figures rolling on the ground.
At the center of the drill ground, Qi Ying stood expressionlessly as he dusted himself off and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Even mass brawls required skill. Retards like those who rushed forward without any technique or plan were like sitting ducks for martial arts warriors. They were all full of openings, and constantly got in one another’s way, making it even easier to face them than to face two or three people at once.