Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 119: On-site Questioning, Sent Flying by a Shoulder and Struck Like a Ball

"It’s Senior Brother Pan!"

Seeing the name on the big screen, the members of the Dexing Martial Arts Club all looked astonished.

They never would have thought that Pan Hexuan would actually be drawn to compete in the very first match.

"Going first is bound to be a little nerve-wracking, right? This is not a good draw!"

"Yeah, with such a big crowd, and not being familiar with the competition’s flow, going first is definitely a ton of pressure."

A few students chattered amongst themselves.

"Don’t worry. Senior Brother Pan is calm and level-headed. Something this small won’t affect him. Everyone, let’s cheer loudly for him in a bit!" Shen Jiayue said with a smile.

"Okay!"

Everyone nodded, and some of the female students even took out fan signs from their backpacks, getting ready to cheer for him.

At the same time, everyone was also extremely curious. Who exactly was Pan Hexuan’s opponent?

Yang Mutong? That sounds like a woman’s name?

It was only then that the crowd remembered that this competition not only ignored weight classes, but it didn’t even separate fighters by gender.

This was simply unprecedented.

It was an indisputable fact that women were naturally at a disadvantage to men when it came to combat. They had no idea what the organizing committee was thinking.

If his opponent really was a woman, Pan Hexuan’s match would probably be relatively easy.

Meanwhile, Yang Mutong, who was standing behind Yi Beidou, was also slightly taken aback.

There were quite a few participants in this first round of tryouts.

Wencheng was a relatively large second-tier city with a population of over seven million. Even with the surrounding towns and a strict registration and review process, the number of participants in this first round of tryouts was still a full 60 people.

She truly hadn’t expected to be drawn for the very first match.

"Go get ready."

Yi Beidou’s voice sounded in her ear.

"Yes."

Yang Mutong nodded and turned to walk toward the backstage area.

About five minutes later, the two opponents entered from opposite tunnels and stood facing each other in the center of the spacious arena, ten paces apart.

Pan Hexuan was a tall young man. He wore a black Martial Arts Uniform, was handsome and bright-looking, and had a very composed expression, lacking the typical restlessness of youth.

His breaths were in sync with his internal organs, and his every move had a unique rhythm. Despite being only twenty-two or twenty-three, he had actually already reached the Tonghui Internalization stage of the Martial Arts Dao.

He had practiced his family’s hereditary White Crane Fist since childhood and possessed considerable talent. Among his ancestors, very few had reached his level at such a young age. He was by no means all talk and no substance.

In fact, his performance at school was already quite restrained. Otherwise, who knows how many jaws would have dropped.

He had resolutely entered the Martial Hero Conference this time, partly to promote his family’s Fist Technique, and partly to meet the masters of the world and see if he had room for further improvement.

’The Realm of Mighty Spirit, Soul Capturing and Soul Stealing, and even...’

What he hadn’t expected, however, was that his opponent in the first round of the tryouts would be a beautiful girl who looked even younger than him.

But he wasn’t the only one who was surprised; so was the audience.

"That’s Senior Brother Pan’s opponent?! Isn’t that the girl who was standing behind that young judge? She’s a contestant too?" Jiang Yiyang couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. Shen Jiayue and the others also had astonished looks on their faces.

"Can that girl even fight? With such a pretty face and fair skin, it’d be more believable if you said she was a dancer. Didn’t they say that everyone who successfully registered for these tryouts went through a strict selection process?"

"Didn’t you see her standing behind that young judge earlier? If you ask me, she probably got in through connections."

"They’re pulling this kind of stuff in the tryouts? Don’t tell me all the matches are actually fixed? Just like those reality TV talent shows where the results are predetermined, all to prop up one or two stars. They’ll call her the ’Kung Fu Goddess’ and then she’ll debut, riding a huge wave of publicity?"

"Damn, now that you mention it, that’s totally possible. This isn’t more false advertising, is it? Are we getting played for suckers again?! No way. If that’s really what’s happening, I’m going to raise hell online and demand a refund!"

"..."

The audience was in an uproar. Many had already been skeptical of the Martial Hero Conference’s claims of featuring the most authentic martial arts combat, and now Yang Mutong’s appearance had completely detonated those doubts.

No matter how you looked at her, such a beautiful woman didn’t seem like a martial artist. It’d be a miracle if she could actually fight.

"You don’t think that girl really got in through connections, do you? Wouldn’t that be terrible for Senior Brother Pan? The ref might make a bad call against him!" a student from the Dechang University Martial Arts Club contingent couldn’t help but say.

"Let’s wait and see. If they really dare to make a biased call, we’ll rally the other spectators and cause a scene. We’ll see if they can even continue the competition then!" Shen Jiayue said in a low voice. With so many people in the audience already feeling suspicious, it would only take a single spark to set them off.

They weren’t afraid to make trouble.

The others nodded heavily.

At the same time, the announcer declared the official start of the first match. Along with the sound of a gong that vibrated throughout the entire arena, the big screen focused completely on the two contestants.

"Pan Hexuan of the White Crane Fist. Please enlighten me," Pan Hexuan said, cupping his fist. His expression was not relaxed.

Many in the audience were just ordinary citizens or amateur enthusiasts from the community who couldn’t see the subtleties. But he, after all, was already an expert. He could feel an extremely powerful pressure naturally radiating from the ridiculously beautiful girl before him. She was not to be underestimated.

At this moment, Yang Mutong’s brow furrowed even more deeply.

She had heard the various discussions coming from within the arena.

She didn’t care about the slanderous words, whether they called her a decorative vase or someone who got in through connections.

But many of the comments also questioned Yi Beidou’s status, using some rather unfriendly terms.

Although she knew that the Master wouldn’t care at all about what outsiders said, she couldn’t allow him to be slandered because of her.

This was something she could not tolerate.

"Yang Mutong of the Peacock Fist. My apologies in advance; the situation has changed. I won’t be holding back," Yang Mutong said to Pan Hexuan before her, offering a fist-and-palm salute.

Originally, she had planned to use the tryouts to properly experience the atmosphere of a ring match.

"There’s no need to hold back. Let me see what you’re really made of," Pan Hexuan said in a deep voice.

FWOOSH!!

He adjusted his breathing and took his stance. His arms spread like a white crane’s wings, and he gathered his Qi to lighten his body, seeming to float as if about to take flight.

Hah!

The next moment, Pan Hexuan took a sudden step forward, his figure shooting out at an incredible speed. The sound of his low shout echoed through the arena.

His palms formed into hook hands as he suddenly struck out at Yang Mutong. His fists and clothes tore through the air, creating a sonic boom.

But at that very moment.

SKREEE!!

The cry of a peacock seemed to ring in his ears. The young woman before him was suddenly enveloped by the form of a peacock—one that could devour men, swallow dragons, and peck phoenixes. It was incredibly fierce, its Evil Qi soaring to the heavens.

’This is... the ability of Fist Intent Soul Capturing?!’

’This girl, younger than me, has actually reached a realm that I’m still desperately striving for?!’

In an instant, his mind was completely seized by Yang Mutong’s Fist Intent.

Yang Mutong was exceptionally gifted. During her tests at the Purple Cloud Research Institute, her Mana Value had even reached "5". How could her Fist Intent be something an ordinary person could withstand?

SWISH!!

In the instant Pan Hexuan’s focus wavered, Yang Mutong had already stepped forward, evading his attack and breaking through the opening in his defense at his chest and abdomen.

She didn’t just slam into Pan Hexuan’s chest and stomach.

While that would have been the fastest way to end the fight, how would the onlookers understand what had really happened? It would only make the audience even more certain that the duel was fixed, bringing slander upon the Master.

Therefore, she decided to use a more spectacular method.

A method that everyone could clearly understand.

Yang Mutong ducked down, using her forward momentum to completely unbalance Pan Hexuan and hoist his body onto her shoulders.

Then, her bent legs suddenly exploded with power. Pushing up with her arms at the same time, she used the combined force of her entire body to launch him upwards with a mighty heave.

Shoulder-Carrying Tai Mountain!

Pan Hexuan, who weighed at least eighty kilograms, was tossed about three meters into the air by Yang Mutong’s lift and heave.

In mid-air, the now-lucid Pan Hexuan was completely unable to dodge. Fortunately, he possessed genuine skill. At the critical moment, he sharply contracted his core, protected his chest with his hands, and curled into a ball as much as possible to shield his vital points.

HAH!!

Just as Pan Hexuan’s body was falling back down, Yang Mutong bent her knees into a horse stance, gave a low shout, and blasted a palm forward.

BANG!!

Under the force of Yang Mutong’s Palm Force, Pan Hexuan’s body flew backward like a giant basketball swatted out of the air.