Chapter 267: True Hardness in Softness

The West Asian recruit dove at Qin Fen yet again. But this time, his eyes were flickering with a little bit of doubt along with the hatred he had for him. Why has his strength fallen instead of risen at this moment? His four-star strength has receded to three-star!?

At the distant, the recruits of various continents with a strong perception for aura had their eyes light up at the same time even more so. What does this East Asian recruit want to do? Three-star versus four-star?

In between Yang Lie’s dashing eyebrows, a “井” character had appeared as he furrowed his brow unconsciously. The disunity in Qin Fen’s Tai Chi moves had thoroughly disappeared and had been replaced by incomparable smoothness, as natural and smooth as floating clouds and flowing water. Is this guy using the West Asian recruit to practice?

Qin Fen relaxed his waist and sunk his hips as the speed of true energy circulating in his body took a dive. His star-class also fell from four-star to three-star. Using the White Crane Spreading Its Wings, he gently touched the Iron Sand Palms at his wrists. Immediately, the West Asian recruit felt that a high-speed gyroscope had appeared at the back of his hand, throwing his attack off-course.

BOOM!

The West Asian recruit charged too forcefully, and so, when his palm was diverted off the course, it struck the reinforced concrete, splattering pieces of stone everywhere.

CRACK…

The crisp sound of bones breaking was fed into the loudspeaker through the mike. Through the projection screen, the audience immediately noticed the facial muscles of the West Asian recruit twitching.

Usually, the Iron Sand Palm could break bricks but it needed a support point. Which was completely different from directly hitting the ground.

The reinforced concrete was completely cemented with the ground. The Iron Sand Palm with the strength of four-stars was somewhat fragile in front of it.

“Oh? The three-star East Asian recruit can actually fend off the four-star West Asian recruit?”

“Yeah, this East Asian recruit always gives a surprise every time he fights.”

“This East Asian recruit is surprisingly strong!”

The three commentators spoke one after another, making many spectators, who had not discovered the drop in Qin Fen’s star class, exclaim in marvel.

The West Asian recruit’s face flushed red. It was hard to tell whether it was because he was angered from the embarrassment or if it was because of the pain. But sweat could already be seen on his forehead.

Qin Fen heaved a soft sigh. Looking at his hands, he shook his head, again and again. It seems that the control of my strength needs to be improved. Although three-star can surpass four-star, I am unable to control the footsteps and strength of my opponent like the Vile King. I have yet to reach the step where I can completely control the battle.

Unable to control even a second-rate West Asian recruit? Qin Fen moved his ten fingers. It seems I have not truly mastered this Twenty-Four Simplified Tai Chi Fist completely. I’ve only understood a part of it, that’s all.

Sighing, shaking his head, moving his fingers. At the sight of these three simple actions, the West Asian recruit’s eyes burned with anger. This Qin Fen is truly going too far in bullying others. Not only is it an insult by fighting using lower-class strength, he actually shows such a disdainful attitude.

“Qin Fen, I won’t rest until you are dead…”

The West Asian recruit roared, almost ripping out his vocal cords. His roar echoed in the entire stadium as it was transmitted into the loudspeakers through the mikes in the surrounding.

Before the West Asian recruit’s voice faded away, Qin Fen’s strength dropped once more from three-star to two-star!

“What? Two-star!?”

“Oh my God, has the East Asian recruit gone crazy?”

“He couldn’t believe that the opponent would injure his arm, so, he is looking down at his opponent!? There is too big of a gap between these two.”

Before the West Asian recruit could fly into a rage, the three commentators rushed to inform the audience of this shocking information.

“Two-star!?”

“Two-star!? True or false?”

As the commentators’ shouted, the audience immediately broke into an uproar. Some even stood up and rubbed their eyes, wondering whether they were dreaming or if the East Asian recruit had truly lost his mind.

“Two-star!?”

Yang Lie straightened his back once more as the “井” shaped frown between his eyebrow eased off completely. His eyes flickered with a glimmer of insight. “Sure enough, he is using his opponent to hone himself. Practicing in here, so daring, so courageous. I hope, more and more, that I will be able to fight against you in the semi-finals.”

“East Asian recruit…” Caesar interlaced his fingers as he looked at Qin Fen, spellbound. “You can defeat Little Dragon King – Yang Lie, right? I want to fight you more than I want to fight Yang Lie. Someone who can practice Twenty-Four Simplified Tai Chi Fist to this level, I want to know what kind of strength you can unleash when you will truly cast your finishing move!”

“Two-star!?”

Suddenly, blood rushed to the West Asian recruit’s head and chest as he spewed out a mouthful of blood. His eyes were bulging so wide in anger that they were ready to pop out anytime.

“Come.”

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Qin Fen himself was infected by the calmness of Tai Chi. His tone was incomparably peaceful; there wasn’t any aggression in his voice, not even the slightest. His voice was as calm as if he was talking to martial artists whose star-class was lower than himself.

Before the West Asian recruit could make his move, Qin Fen slowly closed his eyes. He was as calm as a blind man.

“Oh my God! How many tricks is this East Asian recruit going to play in his first match?”

“Closing his eyes? Is he going to rely on the airflow to judge?”

“Two-star against four-star martial artists, and with his eyes closed? This is simply madness!”

The three commentators clucked their tongue again and again. They have given commentary to over a hundred matches, yet they have never seen a scene like the one that was in front of them today. Arrogant! Arrogant to the extreme!

The West Asian recruit felt as if he was struck by a hammer in the chest. He continuously retreated several steps, gazing at Qin Fen in a daze. At this moment, the glory of West Asia Military Region was being trampled upon in front of tens of thousands of people. Even if he had to die for it, this humiliation needed to be washed off.

“In Tai Chi, the entire human body is full of eyes.” Qin Fen silently took the stance of Playing Pipa. “The fine hair on the human body from top to bottom can feel everything…”

Before Qin Fen could finish speaking, the West Asian recruit suddenly took a step forward, narrowing the distance within a radius of one meter before drawing out his left hand from the right side of his waist, making a swish sound as his hand cut through the air! The outburst of his anger could not be ignored.

It was the neo karate’s Cutting Water technique that was derived from Japanese Battojutsu!*

The fine hair of Qin Fen’s body stood erect as his arms using White Crane Spreading Its Wings pressed downwards, drawing out the strength of heaven and earth before crashing into the Cutting Water. The long sleeves of the two men made crisp flapping sounds simultaneously.

Being forced to contend with the strength of heaven and earth, the forearm of Cutting Water suddenly drew in on the inside. His iron-like elbow made a violent crack as it smashed ruthlessly towards Qin Fen’s temple.

“In front of two-star strength, any level of four-star strength is indeed very firm and fierce.” With a flash of thought, Qin Fen’s arms in White Crane Spreads Its Wings stance changed to Cloud Hands. His left hand smashed upon the iron elbow while his feet slid horizontally as if there was ice underneath his feet.

Since the beginning of the match, the West Asian recruit finally gained the upper hand. How would he be willing to give up this upper hand? He immediately rushed forward as his bent forearm shot out like a switchblade. The Cutting Water reappeared!

All the spectators gasped a breath of cold air at the same time, nervously staring at Qin Fen. They wanted to know if this excessively conceited and arrogant young man who had only been using two-star strength would be the first to fall in this tournament against an easy opponent.

Yet, Qin Fen didn’t open his eyes. The fine hairs on his body, like countless high-power radar, felt everything around him. Even now, Qin Fen maintained his strength at the two-star level. And while his feet were slipping out, his arms reverted back to the White Crane Spreads Its Wings stance as his right arm pressed down once more.

BOOM!

As the two clashed with each other, Qin Fen’s body quivered as the scene of his feet skating on ice reappeared. He skidded over several meters at once.

“He still hasn’t raised his star-class!?”

“The East Asian recruit is playing with fire.”

“You two, are you interested in betting whether this East Asian recruit would raise his strength to three-star or not?”

The three commentators spoke one after another, piquing the curiosity of tens of thousands of spectators, making them speculated when Qin Fen would raise his strength to three-star level.

“Qin Fen…” Song Jia tightly clenched her fists; panic was clearly visible in her eyes.

Lin Liqiang shook his head. “Jia Jia, you have truly become confused due to your concern. With your experience, if you look at it from an objective point of view, can’t you see whether Old Qin is at an advantage or a disadvantage?”

Song Jia was stunned for a moment before the nervousness in her eyes was suddenly replaced by a bright gleam. Her snow-white cheeks glowed red in embarrassment. She blamed herself for being too nervous to the point where she even lost the ability to make the most basic judgment.

While everyone was discussing, the West Asian recruit on the field carried a fierce onslaught on Qin Fen like he had been possessed by a devil. After each impact, Qin Fen’s body would slide back a couple of meters, as if he was sliding on ice, while he continued to maintain the Playing Pipa or White Crane Spreads Its Wings stances.

Yang Lie was watching the match with undivided attention. Qin Fen was like a big rubber ball that was filled with gas. Every time he was attacked by a strong external force, his body would be shot back but it seems as if it was impossible to make him burst.

Rubber ball, is there really no way to blow it up?

No! Yang Lie gradually shook his head. If the external force was strong enough, then it was quite possible to burst an elastic ball.

Only, this West Asian recruit? Yang Lie heaved a sigh. Qin Fen has already comprehended too many things from Simplified Tai Chi. And this West Asian recruit has very poor control over his true energy, with power that’s insufficient — he could never blow it up.

Bang bang bang…

After dozens of clashes, Qin Fen’s body suddenly trembled as the soft energy turned into rigid energy. Now, using the same chop from Cloud Arms on West Asian recruit’s back arm, Qin Fen remained still, like his feet were rooted there. In contrast, the West Asian recruit’s arm slightly quivered. In an instant, the place where he was chopped by Cloud Arms felt like he was cut by a steel knife. The muscles underneath his skin seemed to have been flipped over.

Having successfully attacked, Qin Fen stepped in before the West Asian recruit’s chest and turned around, slamming his back into his opponent’s chest.

Fitness exercise technique, Arhat Fist – Twistin Single Mountain Thrust!

Hardness in softness! Softness in hardness! The instance Qin Fen crashed into the chest of the West Asian recruit, a bright gleam flashed past his mind. The so-called hardness in softness didn’t refer to hardness in the Tai Chi Fist but rather, refers to the strength generated when the Tai Chi Fist transforms into a rigid and fierce fist technique. That’s the true hardness in softness.

Looking at the West Asian recruit as he was sent flying with his sternum collapsed and giving out crisp sounds of bones breaking, Qin Fen slowly withdrew his stance as he stood up. The instant his soft fist transformed into a hard fist, the two forces boosted each other, stimulating the most firm and fierce strength.

BANG…

The West Asian recruit heavily crashed to the ground as his body skidded away several meters just as Qin Fen did before. The only difference was that one side was standing before while the other was lying on the ground.

Qin Fen, looking up at the loudspeaker that was announcing his victory, Qin Fen heaved a heavy sigh once more as he mumbled to himself, “Unfortunately, I only got to experience it for a moment. I have only touched the surface of the mystery of hardness in softness.”