David looked at the man in front of him, a puzzled expression on his face.
This person appeared to have a bit of strangeness about them. While it wasn't impossible to defeat an opponent with a greater level of martial cultivation, such a feat usually necessitated exceptional talent and the finest teachings from renowned masters.
And here was Sam, a modest young guy whose current level of strength was already a significant accomplishment considering his unimpressive talent. Did he honestly feel he could triumph? David couldn't help but wonder if the youngster had skipped a good night's sleep or was experiencing an unusual sleepwalking experience.
With a sly grin, David inquired, "What is it that you desire?"
Sam didn't hesitate, responding firmly, "If I win, I will request a two hundred-year-old Blood Gift and five hundred golds."
The gathered crowd fell momentarily silent, their astonishment palpable. This young man was undoubtedly high-maintenance, demanding an item as rare as a two hundred-year-old Blood Gift, which alone could fetch up to three hundred golds, and an additional five hundred golds in coins.
The total sum amounted to a staggering eight hundred golds, a princely fortune by any standard. Yet, it wasn't lost on the spectators that one had to be alive to enjoy such wealth.
"Eight hundred golds?" David scoffed disdainfully. "Do you truly believe you warrant such a price? Are your limbs worth that much?"
A noble's life was significantly more valuable than a commoner's in Starlight Haven Kingdom. Even if David were to murder a commoner, the punishment would most likely be a time of house imprisonment followed by a compensation payment of two hundred golds.
Sam's expression remained impassive as he calmly countered, "For a martial artist, their limbs are indeed priceless. However, if you find the price too steep, you can always break your own tendons."
Incensed, David retorted, "You insolent brat! You're asking for your own death!"
He drew the longsword hanging at his side, his rage evident in his eyes.
Sam pressed on, undeterred. "You haven't answered my question."
"Hmph! A mere eight hundred golds?" David snorted derisively.
"I'll offer you a thousand golds, but do you think you'll survive long enough to claim it? I'll cripple you. If you manage to endure three moves, I'll have my name written backward!"
David's agitation only served to amuse Sam, who saw this as an opportunity for even greater gains.
"Very well, a thousand golds it is."
Before the agreement could fully settle, David's sword descended with a swiftness that defied expectation.
A faint, golden light radiated from the blade as it sliced through the air, producing a sharp, resounding note that echoed for yards around.
It was a martial technique.
Such tactics used primal energies to defeat opponents, and when David boldly said he could defeat Sam in three moves, he wasn't just boasting. He possessed a strong martial technique, one that had been passed down solely to descendants of renowned martial houses or noble families.
As the martial technique unfurled, it became painfully evident that Sam had no such mastery. He could only resort to basic techniques in response to David's attack.
Among the onlookers, apprehension hung heavy in the air. All eyes were trained on Sam, and young Alex, his heart heavy with concern, wondered how his older brother would fend off this formidable adversary.
Sam, however, fixed his gaze on David's sword, his newfound perception honed through days of practicing the 'True Primal Chaos Formula' from the 'Infinite Chaos Battle Forms' offering him a newfound clarity. To Sam, David was akin to a wild beast closing in for the kill.
In the preceding days, Sam had meticulously dissected the bodies of countless wild beasts. While they had been deceased, the experience had sharpened his ability to identify the minute gaps between bone and flesh. Each strike he executed was swift, precise, and unrelenting.
And so, as David's sword bore down on him, Sam's knife struck out, driven not by calculation but by instinct. It found its mark in the chinks of David's attack, slicing upwards at a subtle angle.
Despite wielding a gleaming sword against an ostensibly common knife, the outcome defied all expectations. Sam shifted slightly, narrowly avoiding David's sword. Simultaneously, his knife, with uncanny accuracy, plunged into David's ribcage.
A resounding "Ping!" rang out as David cried out, his body crumpling to the ground.
The bystanders were struck dumb, their collective astonishment at this turn of events palpable.
A small hole, about a foot in length, had appeared in David's clothing, traversing from chest to rib cage. Oddly, no blood spilled forth, but rather something silver gleamed through the tear.
"Flexible armor?" Sam mused to himself. It appeared that David had been wearing a suit of flexible armor beneath his garments. Without it, Sam's strike would have grievously injured David, if not worse.
"You!" David seethed, a mélange of shock and fury contorting his features. He had been struck by someone whose martial cultivation level lagged behind his, and it had occurred in front of a throng of witnesses. For the prideful David, this was an utterly intolerable outcome.
"I'll make you pay!"
In logical terms, David's defeat seemed imminent. Yet, how could a man so consumed by anger admit to defeat? Brandishing his sword, he launched another attack at Sam, this time with an even more refined martial technique.
Meanwhile, Sam, like a seasoned hunter, seized upon every vulnerability in his adversary's stance.
Another resounding "Ping!" echoed through the air as Sam's knife rented a hole in David's clothing, converting it into a makeshift waistcoat.
Spectators remained dumbfounded. How was this possible? David's sword boasted superior reach, and he possessed martial arts techniques, not to mention a higher martial cultivation level. Yet, he had been struck twice by what seemed to be a simple maneuver.
"The boy," remarked a seasoned martial artist among the onlookers, "his speed, both in body and blade, surpasses David's!"
Indeed, Sam's speed dwarfed David's, an advantage magnified significantly since he had begun practicing the 'Infinite Chaos Battle Forms' Prior to this training, Sam's knife skills had been astute and precise, but lacking in the power and swiftness required to challenge David, a practitioner at the Second Stage of Physical Training.
But with the 'Infinite Chaos Battle Forms' enhancing his speed and strength, the tables had turned dramatically.
Infuriated beyond reason, David tore off his outer attire, revealing the glimmering silver flexible armor beneath. He had lost to a mere First Stage Physical Training brat and, unless he avenged this affront, he'd be too ashamed to remain in Starlight Haven City.
"I will end you!" David bellowed, unleashing every ounce of primal energy within him, causing his sword to blaze with a brilliance even more radiant than before.
He swung it down towards Sam with a singular intent – death.
In that critical moment, Sam made a decision that baffled all onlookers. He cast aside his knife and faced his opponent with bare hands.
The audience watched, bewildered. David's final strike was a culmination of all his power. Why, then, was this teenager discarding his weapon at this pivotal juncture? Surely, a knife was mightier than a fist, and could serve as a defense against a sword.