The trapped White Flood Dragon felt that there was something wrong with Lin Fan.
Not with his character.
But with his head. Absolutely something wrong with his head.
The opponent is not bad?
Has he not grasped the reality of the situation?
That guy hasn't taken him seriously at all, offering him drinks only as a prelude to sending him on his way.
Truly foolish.
A long while later.
Several empty wine jars piled up in front of Lin Fan.
"Not bad, you can hold your liquor. If you weren't so unqualified, I might actually acknowledge you, native." Zheng Tu spoke arrogantly, his eyes domineering and contemptuous. From the beginning, Lin Fan held no status in his eyes, nothing more than a weakling.
His words were truly infuriating.
And provocative.
Yet, Lin Fan didn't show any anger. He simply thought that Zheng Tu was not a bad person, and such a personality was understandable.
Lin Fan smiled. "Actually, I can drink quite a bit more. But since this is our first meeting, I'd feel bad drinking too much of your wine."
As he spoke,
He appeared genuinely embarrassed.
It must be said, his words and actions had completely derailed the atmosphere, which should have been tense, to a frightening degree.
Zheng Tu took a deep breath.
He didn't want to say more.
Trying to attract his attention with peculiar behavior?
Thinking too much.
"Before we spar, I still don't know your name. I wish to know the name of an opponent I can respect," Lin Fan said.
Zheng Tu glanced coldly at Lin Fan, offering no reply.
The indifferent look gave Lin Fan a misconception. He thought that he must perform well later. The other party's disregard stemmed from him not displaying his true strength, leading Zheng Tu to believe he wasn't worthy of attention.
He wasn't angered by the contempt.
Lin Fan cupped his hands. "I am Lin Fan. Please instruct me."
"Please!"
After speaking, Zheng Tu extended a single hand, fingers together, waiting for Lin Fan to make the first move.
Zheng Tu faced him calmly, then vanished in an instant. In a split second, he appeared before Lin Fan, sweeping out a leg with astonishing force. A terrifying gale tore at Lin Fan's flesh.
An ordinary person facing this kick would undoubtedly be torn to shreds.
"Such terrifying power! You are a true expert," Lin Fan praised, his expression filled with shock. Such awe he had never displayed before, and now… he bestowed this expression upon Zheng Tu.
Lin Fan raised a hand, effortlessly blocking the fierce sweep.
The simplest of movements against the fiercest of attacks.
The words spoken moments ago painted a picture of terrifying power, yet the result… was this a joke?
"Hmm?"
Zheng Tu's expression changed, but he remained unfazed. He shifted his stance, a fist blasting towards Lin Fan's chest. The force behind this punch was immense; if it connected, it could easily pierce a bloody hole through his body.
"So strong! This is the strongest punch I've encountered, though slightly weaker than the Demon Lord's."
Lin Fan thought of the Demon Lord he met in his dreams. That one was truly powerful, but his evil aura was too intense. Lin Fan didn't like that aura at all; the Demon Lord wasn't even qualified to be a respected opponent.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Zheng Tu roared, clearly enraged by Lin Fan's incessant chatter.
What realm was this guy?
Above Three Radiance Realm?
Unity?
Saint?
Damn it!
Regardless of the realm, Zheng Tu was determined to suppress this kid.
"I'm not spouting nonsense. I'm genuinely praising you," Lin Fan said innocently. He felt like Zheng Tu had a problem with him. He couldn't help but reflect: Am I really that annoying?
Probably not.
Old Zhang likes to hang out with me, and so does Little Bao. Everyone likes me. If many people disliked being around me, then it would definitely be my problem. But now, it's only him, so it means the problem lies with him, not me.
Having figured this out,
Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't his problem, everything was fine.
"Take this!"
Zheng Tu roared, his feet hitting the ground with a boom. The ground cracked, powerful forces crisscrossing. The force was so strong that ordinary earth couldn't withstand it.
His fist glowed fiery red, like a scorching sun. Having failed to gain any advantage in the previous exchanges, he couldn't tolerate it any longer. He wanted Lin Fan to kneel.
"Such dense power, a scorching heat, such a terrifying fist! Only a true expert can possess such might," Lin Fan praised.
But such praise, in Zheng Tu's ears, was incredibly jarring, an outright humiliation.
The force behind this punch was terrifying.
Before the fist even arrived,
The surrounding vegetation had already been destroyed by the sharp force.
Boom!
The strongest punch landed directly on Lin Fan.
For Lin Fan, the force of Zheng Tu's punch was indeed impressive. He could have easily dodged it, but he didn't. He wanted Zheng Tu to know that he was truly strong, truly qualified to be his opponent. He wasn't angry at the earlier disdain, taking it as Zheng Tu's misunderstanding of him.
Now… he would make Zheng Tu understand him thoroughly.
"You're courting death!"
Seeing Lin Fan not even attempting to dodge, Zheng Tu became even more furious, the force of his punch intensifying.
My hand…
Zheng Tu frowned. His fist, upon hitting Lin Fan, felt like it had struck a steel plate. No… even a steel plate would have been shattered by his punch.
"Good, impressive. Now watch mine."
Lin Fan decided it was time. He had let Zheng Tu have a few moves, which was enough. Continuing like this would only give Zheng Tu a false impression.
That he, Lin Fan, was truly weak and could only endure the attacks without retaliating.
It was at this moment that Zheng Tu realized the situation wasn't as he had imagined.
The opponent's strength seemed to be more than meets the eye.
Immediately after,
He heard Lin Fan's voice.
"Watch yours?"
"Watch what?"
For the first time, he felt such confusion. Soon, a sense of danger surged through him. Then, he saw Lin Fan's fist coming towards his face.
Before the fist arrived, the force behind it distorted his features.
Zheng Tu's pupils reflected the approaching fist, growing larger and larger. It seemed like an ordinary punch, yet it gave him the feeling that there was nowhere to dodge, nowhere to escape.
Boom!
His contemplation lasted only a moment. What was to happen had happened. When the fist landed on his face, Zheng Tu felt his features explode, the fist sinking deep into his flesh.
A long while later.
The silence of the scene contrasted sharply with the earlier commotion.
The followers were dumbfounded, frozen in place, unable to believe the scene before them, as if it were a dream.
"Phew!"
Lin Fan let out a breath. His performance just now was quite good. He walked over to Zheng Tu, who lay on the ground, face up. Although his features were twisted and swollen, it didn't diminish his status in Lin Fan's eyes – a worthy opponent.
He extended a hand towards Zheng Tu.
"Can you get up?"
"Your strength is quite impressive. You are a respectable opponent."
He was imitating scenes from movies, defeating the opponent and then extending a hand to help them up, saying some nice words to lift their spirits and make them forget the outcome of the fight, while simultaneously being moved by his commendable martial virtue.
Zheng Tu didn't move, his mind in turmoil. The fight had been intense, a back-and-forth exchange of punches and kicks, incredibly fierce. Yet, he had a strange feeling.
Everything had been under the opponent's control.
His attacks were probably a joke. The opponent had him figured out from the start, and everything he did was just to lead him into despair from his arrogance.
The thought kept surfacing in his mind: How could he be so strong?
What did the hand extended towards him mean?
Was it mockery?
Or disdain?
In this short moment, many thoughts raced through Zheng Tu's mind.
"I didn't use too much force. For you, these superficial injuries shouldn't be a problem. Can you stand up? Take my hand, I'll pull you up," Lin Fan said with a smile.
Zheng Tu was stunned. He doesn't want to take my life, but instead wants to pull me up? What is he trying to do? Could it be that he wants to toy with my emotions like I did earlier?
He had a natural fear of death. Although he had never experienced it, it didn't mean he wasn't afraid. When death truly approached, he was truly terrified.
Just as Lin Fan said,
Zheng Tu's condition was relatively fine. He wasn't beaten to a pulp, and naturally, his life wasn't in danger.
Finally,
He took Lin Fan's hand and stood up, no longer arrogant, but rather subdued, even somewhat silent and sullen.
"My strength is decent, right?" Lin Fan asked. He just wanted to get some acknowledgement from Zheng Tu.
If it were before the fight, Zheng Tu would definitely have retorted:
"Hmph! No matter how strong you are, in my eyes, you'll always be an ant."
Zheng Tu said, "Impressive."
Lin Fan smiled. "Of course. I never lie. And if I were truly weak, I wouldn't have主动 come to spar with you. After all, that would be a waste of your time."
See? Our Lin Fan is such a polite young man.
"Thanks for the wine. It was really good. Where did you buy it?" Lin Fan asked curiously. Such delicious wine must be expensive. He was thinking that if he knew where to buy it, he could save up some money and buy some himself.
Zheng Tu replied amicably, "I brew it myself."
"Wow, that's amazing! I love meeting talented people, like my good friend Old Zhang. His acupuncture skills are amazing, and he's self-taught."
Lin Fan liked to praise Old Zhang, hoping others would know he had such a friend. He would be very happy to hear others praise his friend.
Zheng Tu forced himself to relax. Calm down, he must remain calm, he couldn't be impulsive. The enemy was strong, he was weak. Only by playing it safe could he survive.
"He's truly impressive," Zheng Tu praised.
Lin Fan laughed heartily. "Right? I've always thought Old Zhang is amazing. You believed me without even meeting him, which means you're a good person."
"Let's have a drink. Come to my place later, and I'll treat you to dinner."