Martial Arts Master Chapter 206

Chapter 206: A Double Bluff

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“First round, Lou Cheng wins!”
As the referee’s voice echoed inside the arena, Guo Qing, Lin Hua, and the others in the away team’s seats cheered excitedly in celebration of Lou Cheng’s triumphant first round.
“All that remains now is to see how far Cheng can push Zhou Zhengquan!” Sun Jian said with joy and expectation.
Li Mao nodded and agreed, “Yeah… ”
To them, Lou Cheng was famous for his superhuman stamina. Therefore, they assumed that attrition warfare was completely useless against him. As long as Lou Cheng could defeat Hou Yue smoothly without any surprises, he would be able to face the Eighth-Pin Dan stage fighter, Zhou Zhengquan, in his peak form.
Sensing her teammates’ high spirits, Yan Zheke chewed her lower lip without saying anything.
While the others believed that Cheng would be able to face every opponent in perfect form as if it was the first round, as long as he wasn’t defeated, she knew clearly that even Cheng had his own limit.
After Lou Cheng used Tremor force to give her a message during the Ranking Event, Yan Zheke used this opportunity to ask him about his abnormal stamina and got a positive response. According to Cheng, his stamina was ten times or even dozens of times what normal people had. However, his energy and spirit, which were also greatly improved through meditation, were quite normal, and still far weaker than his stamina since they were only three or four times what the other fighters of the same rank had.
In fact, after the fierce battle just now, he didn’t feel as relaxed as he appeared to be!
Scenes of past events appeared in Yan Zheke’s mind, one by one. Lou Cheng’s persistence while struggling to knead her aching muscles with Tremor force, his exhaustion and how he almost fell asleep the moment he touched the pillow, which moved her and let her ache for him and then the kiss between them under that warm and impassioned situation. While all those memories filled Yan Zheke with tender feelings, she still couldn’t help worrying about Cheng’s safety, with tears were shining in her eyes.
…
“Come on, Lou Cheng! Come on, Lou Cheng!”
On the other side, Cai Zongming, Zhang Jingye, and the others were still cheering triumphantly to relieve their own tension, regardless of the hostility they sensed from the eyes of the other fighters and the audience.
It wasn’t until Zhou Zhengquan was about to reach the arena that they stopped to catch their breath.
“An Eighth-Pin fighter at Dan stage… Can Lou Cheng defeat him?” Wu Qian asked worriedly, with a sweating forehead and flushing face, after shouting for a long time.
Though she seldom practiced martial arts, she knew the common sense of rank clearly as a college student growing up in modern society.
Zhang Jingye put on a big smile and said, “Don’t worry. Haven’t I told you that Cheng has the superhuman stamina? Now his state is just like in the first round. Though he will most likely be defeated by the Eight-Pin fighter at the Dan stage, he will at least cause great trouble to his opponent, facilitating Lin Que’s performance in the next round.”
Cai Zongming nodded with the others, making the girls in their dorm even more excited.
…
“What a game we have here today… ” As a busybody who liked getting in on the excitement, Ye Youting turned to look at the arena with great enthusiasm.
Though, on the one hand, Lou Cheng had left her with a deep impression from the failed competition and sense of frustration, as she was not a genius as she had believed, on the other hand, Zhou Zhengquan was her senior brother and friend. Ye Youting was still looking forward to an exciting competition beyond everyone’s expectation. She wanted to see the two fighters be well-matched in strength and thus end the match with a fierce hand-to-hand battle.
Jiang Lan smiled, sighed, and then said,
“Considering Lou Cheng’s stamina, it won’t be easy for little brother Zhou to defeat him…”
What a pity that Lou Cheng hadn’t reached the peak of body refining state yet. Otherwise, he might be able to reach the rank Professional Eighth Pin this time, since it wouldn’t be impossible for him to defeat an Eighth-Pin fighter at Dan stage. Especially when considering his martial arts strength, Core Force of Ice Sect based on supernatural ability, and his continuous use of Tremor Punch.
While anyone who was at the Dan stage would naturally be ranked Eighth Pin, some Eighth-Pin fighters hadn’t reached the Dan stage yet!
…
Unparalleled Dragon King had just made a post in the forum of Lou Cheng’s fans,
“Lou Cheng’s performance was a little weird. It was like he was trying to hit a mosquito with a 1000 kilogram hammer… ”
Eternal Nightfall Yan Xiaoling replied with an emoji whose mouth looked like the logo of Nike, “So what? He still won the round, and he had enough stamina to waste.”
“I just said it without thinking. According to his previous performances, Lou Cheng had a talent for fighting. So, he shouldn’t have made such a mistake.” Though being choked off by the little girl, Unparalleled Dragon King found it hard to get annoyed with her.
“I don’t care. Anyway, he won the first round!” Yan Xiaoling replied without any doubt.
Brahman, who had been watching the match with full attention, also popped in and said, “Precisely. We all have moments of poor on-the-spot performance! Besides, his coach is really a tough cookie, who should be helping with his analysis and summary after the match!”
Unparalleled Dragon King sent an “I’m too helpless to say anything” emoji.
“Small dragon, small dragon, how fierce do you think the battle between my idol and this Zhou will be,” Brahman asked without too many considerations.
Unparalleled Dragon King thought for a while and then answered, “With Lou Cheng’s stamina, needless to say, he must still be at his peak. Though he might not defeat an Eighth-Pin fighter at the Dan stage, it is also difficult for his opponent to win the match, which would cost him a lot. Besides, the longer they fight, the more benefits Lou Cheng will get!”
“Ha ha, little dragon, you are such a nice guy!” Brahman praised him generously.
…
In the area of Wensheng School, Zhuo Yanjun couldn’t help sighing when she saw Hou Yue, who came back while being supported by others.
“What a pity, little monkey… ”
Li Shengnan echoed, “Alas, if it were not Lou Cheng, who had abnormal stamina, but Lin Que, you might have won the match.”
He could pin down his opponent with Monkey-like Movement and thus trick him into using killer moves frequently, which would consume his stamina rapidly. It was a good way to defeat those at the peak of Professional Ninth Pin!
“Not necessarily,” Hou Yue shook his head with a wry smile and said, “Though I can influence someone’s mood with my supernatural ability, I’m unable to change their thoughts. So, however annoyed and impatient a Ninth-Pin fighter might be, it’s not necessary for him to keep using such stamina demanding movements… ”
After saying that, he suddenly recalled Lou Cheng’s performance and felt that Lou Cheng was like a bottomless ocean. regardless of how much effort Hou Yue put forth, Lou Cheng was still energetic, without any trace of exhaustion. Even at the last moment, he could still throw a series of Tremor Punch’s at him like a furious storm. What a horrible guy!
…
In the arena, Lou Cheng took a deep breath to slightly refresh his tired mind.
Seeing Zhou Zhengquan coming up the stone steps leisurely, Lou Cheng quickly thought about the way he would fight in the next round.
He had discussed Zhou Zhengquan’s kung fu, strength, and fighting style with Yan Zheke many times, so he was not nervous. He knew what to expect and that all the key points would soon appear in his mind as long as he wanted them.
In view of this, Lou Cheng decided to analyze his opponent’s opinion of him, based on Zhou Zhengquan’s condition.
The deepest impression I’ve left him must be the power of flame and frost, while the latter helped me to master a core force of the Ice Sect and obtain abnormal stamina. As a result, I’m not afraid of attrition warfare and able to use Tremor Punch continuously… wait…
Thinking about it, Lou Cheng suddenly noticed something of key importance.
Though he couldn’t keep using Tremor Punch because of limited energy, it was still a secret that only Zheke and himself knew. Even his master didn’t completely understand his limits.
In other words, he was not tired at all and would never feel tired!
Maybe he could make an empty show of strength as a double bluff, and thus create an opportunity to use Frost Force?
It was unfortunate that even though he had just reached the door of Severe Warning, he was still unable to use it in actual combat. Otherwise, it was likely that he could perform a miracle.
Of course, he got a new understanding of Zhou Zhengquan through fighting with Hou Yue. While there were some movements of the Water Sect that required one to gather strength first and then make a powerful eruption, the Dan stage would help him to compress all his Force and finally make an outbreak of strength. Thus, the combination of these two methods could probably bring him something unexpected.
Zhou Zhengquan hadn’t fought against Dan-stage fighters in the past half year because all of his opponents were of Professional Ninth Pin. Even though Lou Cheng hadn’t seen this fighting style in his fighting videos, it was a possibility Lou Cheng must watch out for.
While Lou Cheng was still lost in thought, Zhou Zhengquan, in a consistent gentleman gesture, stopped in front of his opponent, patted his black martial arts suit, and then slightly bent his knee to take the Fighting Stance of Fly Fall, during which process he was always relaxed.
Withdrawing his thoughts, Lou Cheng once again showed his perfect body condition.
It was his first fight against a real Eighth-Pin fighter!
The referee raised his hand up in the air. Then, he took a glance at each of them and suddenly waved his hand down.
“Begin!”
In order to confuse his opponent, pretending he was not tired at all, Lou Cheng bent his back like a bow, exerted force against the floor with both feet, and then pounced at Zhou Zhengquan as a forestalled attack without any hesitation.
Zhou Zhengquan’s eyelid slightly twitched as he stood still with a relaxed expression.
He should have Absolute Reaction, as a mighty one at Dan-stage, but this time, he didn’t sense Lou Cheng’s attempt at launching an attack.
As soon as he approached Zhou Zhengquan, Lou Cheng swung his center of gravity, making a sliding step with a flying-immortal movement, after which he flashed to the side of his opponent.
Straightening his back and waist, Lou Cheng got ready, raised his right hand, and made a Downward Cut with his fist.
Zhou Zhengquan did not seem to be worried at all as he stretched out his right arm to ward off Lou Cheng’s blow while taking a step to the right at the same time.
At this moment, Lou Cheng wriggled his backbone and once again swung his center of gravity, pulling his body back to its original position before taking another sliding step. Then, he landed hard on the ground, switched his waist to activate all his tendons and muscles, and punched at Zhou Zhengquan with his bomb-like right fist.
However, Zhou Zhengquan’s back muscle bulged as he straightened and wriggled his back, also pulling himself back with mercurial balance. Then, he gathered strength purely with his abdomen muscle and stretched his right arm out with lightning speed.
This was known as “Continuation” from Fly Fall Punch!
I can easily tell when you are trying to use a feint. Don’t try to cheat me!
How funny is it, that you dare to compare with me in terms of mercurial balance? Don’t you know that you are showing off your incompetence in the presence of an expert?
Not only did Lou Cheng’s Mercurial Balance influence the release of power, it also required a range of motion to swing his center of gravity again. But for a Dan-stage fighter, Mercurial Balance was based on uniting of all his Force, which had already turned into an instinct for his physical body. He could come into or out of Mercurial Balance at any time since he needn’t consider how to connect it with other movements.
Bang! As their fists collided with each other, the two fighters reeled to show they were tied in the first round of attacks!
While Lou Cheng gathered strength with his feet, Zhou Zhengquan only used relevant muscles!
This is the gap between Lou Cheng’s present level and the Eighth-Pin Dan stage!
Seeing his first blow work as expected, Zhou Zhengquan immediately made a series of attacks which were much quicker and more compact than Hou Yue. Besides, since he was still putting all his Force together perfectly, each of his blows was as powerful as what Lou Cheng made with both feet.
Releasing power with his back muscles, bulging his abdomen, exploding with energy, stretching his tendons and fighting hand-to-hand with the abrupt explosive force of his joints… Zhou Zhengquan kept accelerating his movements while attacking Lou Cheng fiercely and continuously, leaving him no time to tighten and compress his muscles. Daring not to release power with both feet, Lou Cheng could only follow Zhou Zhengquan’s movements and block his attacks using his abdomen, back, joints, and tendons. As a result, his stance was almost broken after a few blows while he was also in danger.
However, Lou Cheng was not scared, for he had already foreseen the present situation in the beginning when he made a forestalled attack.
He was actually repeating his previous battle with Wei Shengtian. Though he had no time to compress his muscles and make a Tremor Punch, he could make Zhou Zhengquan’s oppression and strength his, and thus complete the movement step by step.
After exchanging a few blows with Zhou Zhengquan, he had secretly tightened the right side of his upper body.
When the thunder cloud began exploding in his mind, Lou Cheng swung his waist and back, suddenly bouncing back with a blow from his right fist under the attack of Zhou Zhengyun’s Continuous Flood.
The first blow of Thunder Roar Zen!