Chapter 309: You Can Only Lose, Not Win

"Little Brother..." Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai spoke almost in unison, both plainly intending to stop him.

Niu Youdao abruptly raised a hand, cutting them off. "It's only a contest, not a fight to the death. Mr. Kun, wouldn't you agree?"

Kunlin Shu smiled faintly and slowly descended the steps. Pointing toward Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai, he said, "If you don't want this to become a contest of numbers, move aside!"

Feng Entai's expression turned ugly. He regretted revealing himself at a time like this. He understood perfectly well that if anything happened to Kunlin Shu and Tianhuo Sect lost face because of it, Tianhuo Sect would never allow the joke to linger. They would put an end to it swiftly. How could they possibly spare Niu Youdao? Feng Entai belonged to a sect himself, so he understood the logic. He could not help looking toward Linghu Qiu beside him.

If Linghu Qiu had not been here, Feng Entai would never have shown himself. He likewise did not believe Linghu Qiu had accompanied Niu Youdao because of some deep brotherly affection. Linghu Qiu had probably come only because he believed nothing serious would happen. Linghu Qiu's expression was no better. That was exactly what he had thought.

If he had expected trouble, he would certainly have stayed far away. Who could have imagined something like this would suddenly happen? What madness had seized Kunlin Shu?

Since Kunlin Shu dared issue the challenge, both men assumed he must possess confidence in his own ability and that Niu Youdao was very likely to lose. Yet neither of them knew exactly how Niu Youdao had killed Zhuo Chao. That uncertainty left them deeply uneasy.

Niu Youdao had indeed humbled himself repeatedly just now, but who could truly say what this fellow might do?

Back when he was still merely a Shangqing Sect disciple, he had dared kill Song Jiuming's grandson. Later, he had killed an envoy of Yan. Once this man lost his temper, there was no guaranteeing he would not do something irrational.

If anything happened to Kunlin Shu, everyone present had already seen how close Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai were to Niu Youdao. There was no telling whether Tianhuo Sect might vent its anger on them as well.

Ordered by Kunlin Shu to move aside, Linghu Qiu passed close to Niu Youdao and rapidly whispered, "You can only lose. You cannot win!"

"Little Brother, you can only lose. Don't win!" Feng Entai likewise warned him.

Both men instructed him with all the earnestness they could muster. Niu Youdao showed no reaction. Neither knew whether he had listened. The two withdrew. The spectators near the cliff also backed away and opened a space. The matter did not concern them, so everyone settled in to watch the excitement. Clouds rolled across the sky and covered the sun. The light over Moon Island abruptly dimmed, as though foreshadowing some sudden change.

Kunlin Shu stopped opposite Niu Youdao and asked, "Are you ready?"

Niu Youdao said, "How does Mr. Kun want to compete?"

"Fight without holding back!"

Niu Youdao nodded slightly and looked him up and down. "Mr. Kun won't be using a weapon?"

Kunlin Shu said, "Tianhuo Sect disciples never use weapons. The body itself is the finest weapon!"

Niu Youdao reached to his waist, unfastened his sword, and casually tossed it aside. Linghu Qiu caught it with one hand. Niu Youdao slowly retreated, putting some distance between himself and Kunlin Shu and leaving enough room to charge. Only then did he stop. Their eyes locked. They faced one another in silence. Kunlin Shu's expression gradually grew solemn. Since the other man had dared accept the fight, Kunlin Shu did not truly underestimate him.

He had become the outstanding disciple of Tianhuo Sect's generation for a reason. Proud though he was, disdainful though he might appear, he never took an opponent lightly once a fight actually began. Against anyone, he brought out twelve parts of concentration.

"You've bullied me this far. Let me see what you're actually capable of!" Niu Youdao suddenly roared.

His body moved. He attacked first, one fist blasting toward Kunlin Shu. Kunlin Shu answered instantly with a palm strike. Fist and palm collided.

Boom!

A violent report erupted. A gale burst from Niu Youdao's body, and he flew backward like a kite with its string cut. The spectators were startled. None had expected Kunlin Shu's palm to carry such terrifying force. With one strike, he had effortlessly blasted Niu Youdao away. The collapsing shockwave around Niu Youdao's body seemed proof enough. No one had imagined the difference between their strength would be so enormous. No wonder Kunlin Shu had been so confident in issuing the challenge.

Tianhuo Sect truly lived up to its reputation. Even Qin Yong and the others watching from the pavilion showed traces of surprise. Kunlin Shu's strength exceeded what they had imagined. Even Fire Phoenix was stunned. She had never known her senior brother was hiding power this formidable. Niu Youdao crashed to the ground with a thud.

"Pfft!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood. One hand braced against the ground while the other clutched his chest. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Everyone looked at one another. One move. Niu Youdao had lost after only one move. It seemed there truly had been something suspicious about his supposed killing of Zhuo Chao.

"Little Brother! Third Brother!"

Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai flashed over from either side, caught Niu Youdao by the arms, and helped him upright.

Both anxiously asked, "How are you?"

They appeared concerned. Inside, both men released a breath of relief. Losing was good. It was best that he had lost.

"Peh!" Niu Youdao spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

Breathing heavily, he looked toward Kunlin Shu.

"Mr. Kun's strength is extraordinary. My skill is inferior. I concede wholeheartedly. Please raise your hand and spare my life!"

Kunlin Shu still stood there with one palm raised. He had gone blank. Hearing those words, he finally returned to himself. His cheeks tightened. Anger began to smolder in his eyes.

When their fist and palm had collided just now, Kunlin Shu had deliberately met the blow head-on because he wanted to weigh Niu Youdao's foundation. The instant they made contact, however, he had nearly been frightened. His palm had struck Niu Youdao as though hitting a bundle of rotten cotton. The force he poured into the other man's body vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea. One thought had flashed through Kunlin Shu's mind immediately. He had encountered an expert!

Kunlin Shu had already prepared himself to counterattack with everything he had. Yet Niu Youdao never gave him the chance. This expert had somehow been blown away by a single palm!

What was going on?

Kunlin Shu's palm force had found no purchase at all. How could it possibly have blasted Niu Youdao backward? How could it have struck him hard enough to make him vomit blood? Kunlin Shu had never encountered anything so bizarre. For a moment, he genuinely could not understand what had happened. Then Niu Youdao admitted defeat with absurd neatness. Kunlin Shu understood at once. The other man had never been knocked down by him. Niu Youdao had secretly let him win.

He had deliberately thrown the fight. A man as proud as Kunlin Shu had his reasons for being proud.

From the first day he entered Tianhuo Sect, every contest he had ever won had been won openly and honorably. When had he ever needed to steal a victory like a thief? What enraged him even more was Niu Youdao's performance.

At the beginning, the man had shouted, "You've bullied me this far. Let me see what you're actually capable of!"

He had looked ready to fight with everything he had. Then Kunlin Shu struck him once, and Niu Youdao went flying. He even collapsed and spat blood afterward. Kunlin Shu badly wanted to ask him one question. Why the hell are you a cultivator? Why don't you go become an actor?

To Kunlin Shu, this was no different from treating him like an idiot and playing him for a fool. It was a profound humiliation.

If anyone present had noticed the truth, or if the real story spread one day, and Kunlin Shu now pretended he had genuinely won, would he not become an enormous joke? Kunlin Shu trembled with fury. He pointed at Niu Youdao.

"You really are an expert. An expert at acting!"

"Show me your true strength, or you will not leave this place alive today!"

Everyone froze.

What did that mean?

Still supported by Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai, Niu Youdao was wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. He slowly raised his head and looked toward Kunlin Shu. Yes. He had lost deliberately. He was not a fool. He had not needed Linghu Qiu or Feng Entai to remind him. He knew perfectly well that he could not win. He could only lose. Otherwise, if Tianhuo Sect came after him afterward, the consequences would never end. So he had lost in a single move.

He had let himself be blasted away in one strike. He had even used his own spiritual power to force up a mouthful of blood.

In short, he wanted to prove before everyone that his skill truly was inferior and give Kunlin Shu all the face he could possibly want.

You want face?

I'll give it to you. You want to step on me and make your name? I'll let you. During that first exchange, Niu Youdao had also deliberately allowed Kunlin Shu to sense the depth between them. He wanted Kunlin Shu to understand that defeating him would not actually be so easy. He wanted the man to realize that Niu Youdao was giving him face. Niu Youdao had admitted defeat too.

If Kunlin Shu possessed any sense at all, he should have understood the favor and let him go. Who would have imagined Kunlin Shu would refuse to appreciate it and actually expose the truth himself? The problem was that Niu Youdao knew almost nothing about Kunlin Shu. Had he understood the man's personality, he would never have put on this performance and provoked him. Now that Kunlin Shu had torn the disguise away himself, the play no longer seemed possible to continue.

The crowd remained confused. Even Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai, one on either side of Niu Youdao, were studying him suspiciously. At that moment, Kunlin Shu slowly spread both arms. The air stirred. The temperature around him abruptly surged. Then he turned both palms toward the sky. Flames burst from each palm. With a slight tremor of his arms, the two flames exploded outward and swallowed him in an instant. He stood amid roaring fire like a heavenly deity. The scene was fantastical beyond words.

God or immortal, it was enough to make ordinary people bow in worship. Niu Youdao's pupils contracted sharply. For the first time, he witnessed one of the myriad wondrous cultivation arts with his own eyes. Fire summoned from empty air and brought under direct control. Kunlin Shu lifted one burning arm and pointed toward Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai.

"None of this concerns you. If you don't want to die, get the hell away from him!"

The words "none of this concerns you" were enough.

Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai exchanged a glance. Slowly, both released Niu Youdao's arms. Then they quickly retreated. By now, anyone could see that Kunlin Shu was genuinely furious. Still standing inside the flames, Kunlin Shu pointed toward Niu Youdao again.

"I'll say it one more time. Show me your true strength, or you will not leave here alive today!"

Niu Youdao said heavily, "Mr. Kun, I have already lost. I've admitted my skill is inferior and conceded defeat. Why must you continue pressing me?"

"You still dare play stubborn? You're courting death!" Kunlin Shu shouted in shame and fury.

"Let's see how long you can keep hiding!"

He swept both arms outward. Two fire dragons took shape and coiled beside him, poised to strike Niu Youdao.

"Wait!" Niu Youdao abruptly thrust out a palm and shouted for him to stop.

"If you truly want to fight, then first state the rules clearly."

"Without rules set down, I can only concede defeat!"

The fire dragons paused before attacking. They began circling Kunlin Shu like living serpents while waves of heat rolled outward.

Standing amid the flames, Kunlin Shu said coldly, "If you have something to say, say it. If you have a fart to let out, let it out. Stop wasting time!"

Niu Youdao's temper suddenly exploded.

"You shameless bastard! I've given you face and you refuse to take it. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

His voice was enormous, hard and ringing. The furious roar struck the gathering like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Everyone's heart jolted. With that sudden eruption, the atmosphere changed instantly. They stared at Niu Youdao's furious face.

Compared with the man who had spent all this time bowing and scraping, he seemed like a completely different person. Only now did everyone truly realize it. His defeat just now really had been deliberate. He had acted the part so convincingly that no one had seen through it.

[End of Chapter 309]