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"The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow."
- Unknown
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The air in the room crackled with tension as Xiao Long stepped forward, calmly placing himself between Vivi and the two Allied Crew members. The imposing figure of Vivi's bodyguard carried an aura of restrained power. He didn't reach for his weapon yet, keeping his hands relaxed at his sides, but there was a readiness in his posture, a deadly calm that hinted at his true skill.
"Stay back," Xiao Long said, his voice even. "You won't lay a finger on her."
Eli didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, his batons gripped firmly, his eyes fixed on the bodyguard. "I'll take him," he said to Daniel without turning around.
Daniel shrugged, leaning casually against a nearby crate. "Go ahead, man. Show him what you've got." His tone was light, even playful, as if he were watching a friendly spar instead of a life-or-death confrontation.
Eli moved in, his batons flashing through the air as he launched the first attack. His strikes came in rapid succession, aimed at Xiao Long's ribs and legs. The bodyguard sidestepped the initial blow with a smooth grace and parried the second strike with his forearm, deflecting the baton without flinching.
Xiao Long's movements were fluid, almost lazy, but there was an unmistakable precision behind them. He moved like a dancer performing a choreographed routine, his body effortlessly weaving between Eli's attacks. When he struck back, his fists moved as though wielding an invisible weapon, his hands tracing the patterns of Cheon Hohuigong. It was as if he was wielding his Guandao, but there was no weapon in his hands.
Eli gritted his teeth as he pressed the attack, switching his angles and increasing the tempo. He spun his batons, aiming for Xiao Long's shoulder, then faked a downward strike to transition into an upward swing at his opponent's jaw. But Xiao Long's reaction was immediate, he dodged the feint and stepped into Eli's guard, delivering a sharp elbow strike to Eli's ribs.
The blow knocked Eli back a step, the impact forcing him to tighten his grip on his batons to maintain control. Xiao Long didn't let up, pressing forward with a series of palm strikes and sweeping kicks that mirrored the movements of his Guandao. Eli deflected a palm strike aimed for his face, twisting his body to avoid a low kick, then countered with a quick jab of his baton aimed at Xiao Long's midsection.
The bodyguard absorbed the strike with a grunt, the force driving him back slightly but not breaking his flow. He spun into a roundhouse kick, forcing Eli to bring his batons up to block. The impact rattled Eli's arms, but he held his ground. The two fighters locked eyes for a brief moment, acknowledging the skill of the other.
Eli grinned, adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Not bad," he muttered, lunging forward again. He unleashed a flurry of strikes, his batons moving like extensions of his arms. His unlocked Technique Mastery showed as his movements became more refined, each swing and block executed with precision.
Xiao Long, however, met Eli's assault head-on. He moved with an uncanny ability to predict the direction of each strike, redirecting Eli's batons away with subtle shifts of his wrists and elbows. It was as if the space around his body was an invisible shield, molded by the techniques of Cheon Hohuigong. He countered with a swift backhanded strike aimed at Eli's temple, but Eli ducked beneath it and delivered a punishing blow to Xiao Long's knee.
The hit caused a slight buckle in Xiao Long's stance, and Eli followed up with a sweeping strike to the ribs, then a quick jab to the elbow joint. The sound of a dislocation echoed through the room, yet Xiao Long's expression remained stoic. He took a step back, his arm hanging at an odd angle, but his eyes still burned with intensity.
"Even with a dislocated elbow, you're still going?" Eli taunted, swinging his baton for another attack.
Xiao Long didn't reply. With a swift motion, he slammed his dislocated elbow into the nearest wall, forcing the joint back into place with a sickening crack. His face remained calm, even as a flicker of pain passed through his eyes. He resumed his stance as if nothing had happened.
Daniel whistled from the background, clapping his hands together in mock cheer. "Nice! That's some grit, I'll give you that!" he called out, grinning like a cheerleader watching the match. "C'mon, Eli! Make him eat those words!"
Eli snorted at Daniel's theatrics but didn't let himself get distracted. He rushed forward, his movements faster and sharper, his batons a blur of motion. He closed the distance with a double strike aimed at Xiao Long's chest, but the bodyguard countered by catching one of the batons with his bare hand. Eli's eyes widened in surprise as Xiao Long twisted the baton, forcing Eli to pivot to avoid having his wrist broken.
Xiao Long capitalized on the momentary opening, sweeping his leg under Eli and sending him stumbling. But Eli used the momentum to roll forward and spring back to his feet, delivering a backhanded strike aimed at Xiao Long's temple. The blow connected, staggering the bodyguard slightly, but he recovered almost immediately.
The two exchanged strikes in rapid succession, the sound of wood and flesh colliding reverberating through the room. Each time Eli landed a hit, Xiao Long retaliated with one of equal ferocity, even using the blades in his hair for unexpected attacks. A sudden downward slash caught Eli off guard, forcing him to parry with both batons.
The bodyguard's durability was astounding; despite the heavy blows to his torso and joints, he kept pushing forward. His endurance and determination matched Eli's aggression, creating a deadlock. Xiao Long's strikes grew heavier, more forceful, as if drawing strength from the pain. He landed a solid blow to Eli's shoulder, causing him to stagger back.
Daniel continued his commentary from the sidelines, his voice dripping with amusement. "C'mon, Eli! I thought you were going to finish him off by now!" he shouted, waving his arms. "Are you saving all your strength for me or something?"
"Shut up, Daniel!" Eli snapped, his voice tinged with irritation, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. He spun his batons again, adopting a lower stance as he prepared to close the gap.
The next exchange was fiercer than ever. Eli's movements became unpredictable; he switched angles and adjusted his rhythm to disrupt Xiao Long's counterattacks. He delivered a powerful downward strike, aiming to break through Xiao Long's defense, but the bodyguard managed to deflect it with his forearm, albeit at the cost of a painful-looking bruise.
Xiao Long retaliated with a sweeping arc of his arm, imitating the blade of a Guandao slicing through the air. Eli blocked it with crossed batons, but the force pushed him back several steps. The bodyguard then launched into a sequence of strikes that mirrored wielding an actual Guandao, utilizing his whole body to generate momentum as if the weapon were in his hands.
Eli narrowly dodged a lethal blow aimed at his throat and swung his baton at Xiao Long's legs. The impact swept his feet from under him, and for a split second, the bodyguard was airborne. Eli brought his other baton down with a crushing force toward Xiao Long's exposed side, but Xiao Long twisted in midair and caught the baton with his hand, using it as leverage to flip back onto his feet.
He stood there, panting slightly, his expression as composed as ever despite the bruises forming across his body. "You're skilled," Xiao Long admitted, a rare hint of respect in his voice. "But it will take more than that to defeat me."
Eli's grip tightened on his batons, his eyes narrowing with amusement. "Then I'll just have to hit you harder."
The fight resumed, both combatants pushing themselves to their limits. Eli's relentless aggression and Xiao Long's unyielding defense created a storm of clashing techniques. For every strike Eli landed, Xiao Long countered with one of his own, and even with one arm already injured, the bodyguard refused to back down.
Daniel watched from the sidelines, his gaze flicking between Eli and Xiao Long. Despite the playful cheers earlier, his expression now held a trace of seriousness. "Come on, Eli. End this already," he muttered to himself.
Just as Eli prepared for another assault, Xiao Long suddenly shifted his stance, bringing one hand behind his back while adopting a defensive position. It was a subtle change, but one that hinted at a dangerous technique, one that made Eli pause momentarily.
"Cheon Hohuigong…?" Eli murmured, his eyes narrowing as he prepared for whatever was about to come next.
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End of the chapter
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