On this day, as the morning sun just peeked out, Zhao Yuxuan and Lin Yaxuan got up early. Zhao Yuxuan, as usual, put on his distinctive Miao ethnic clothes. The fabric of the clothes clung to his body, and the corners of the clothes swayed gently with his movements. Lin Yaxuan had also finished her dressing. However, today she was dressed very plainly, not at all as glamorous as when she was fully dressed up last time. Judging from her attire, it seemed that she had no intention of going to the antiphonal singing again.
After packing their dry rations, the two set off towards the town at the foot of the mountain. Along the way, Lin Yaxuan soon noticed the great changes in Zhao Yuxuan over the past three years. She deliberately quickened her pace, trying to widen the distance from Zhao Yuxuan. But no matter how fast she walked, Zhao Yuxuan could always keep up unhurriedly. There was not a trace of blush on his face, and his breath was as steady as usual. At this time, Zhao Yuxuan had completely lost his former naivete. His always - smiling face, now in Lin Yaxuan's eyes, only made her feel disgusted. She secretly thought in her heart that she really hoped that in the upcoming "Black Hawk Warriors" competition, Zhao Qiang could teach Zhao Yuxuan a good lesson so that he would not be so complacent in front of her. Moreover, she was unwilling to call this annoying Zhao Yuxuan "elder brother." Just thinking of this title made her feel even more uncomfortable.
Arriving at the scene of the Eighteen - Village Assembly, there was nothing special here compared to last time. The place was crowded with people, and the lively scene was like boiling water. The noise of the crowd and the music of various performances intertwined, filling the entire space. The various performance items were also much the same as those in memory. Zhao Yuxuan was walking through the crowd when suddenly he saw the middle - aged man who had once performed "Climbing the Blade - Mountain and Entering the Sea of Fire" again. His heart skipped a beat, and he walked up and had a pleasant chat with the man for a while. However, this time it was the middle - aged man's son who was performing this item. Zhao Yuxuan curiously reached out and touched the blade. Sure enough, he felt that the blade was much duller. He thought to himself that even though the blade was dull, if it were him to perform, he still couldn't do it. After all, although the toughness of his hands had surpassed that of this middle - aged man, his feet had not been smeared with that magical "Jiayi Bug." Although his skin was no longer as delicate as in the past three years, it was still difficult for him to stand on those sharp blades.
Lin Yaxuan did not go to the antiphonal singing venue but went to the "Black Hawk Warriors" competition site together with Zhao Yuxuan. Zhao Qiang had long known that Lin Yaxuan was coming and, full of anticipation, had been waiting there early. He had also carefully prepared many small gifts bought from all over the country. These gifts were carefully packaged, full of his love for Lin Yaxuan. When Lin Yaxuan appeared, Zhao Qiang quickly went up to her and handed the gifts to her. Lin Yaxuan saw these gifts, smiled, and accepted them. However, Zhao Yuxuan, who was standing by, keenly noticed that there was still a subtle distance between Lin Yaxuan and Zhao Qiang, as if there was an invisible thin veil between them. Zhao Yuxuan thought to himself that it seemed that Zhao Qiang's ability in courting girls was indeed not as good as his fighting skills.
Hearing that Zhao Yuxuan was also going to participate in the competition and compete with him for the honor of "Black Hawk Warrior," Zhao Qiang didn't seem to care at all. When he fought with Zhao Yuxuan last time, Zhao Qiang found that the other party's fighting skills were beyond his expectation. He also clearly saw that Zhao Yuxuan's fists were extremely hard and that he could also use a rather powerful set of boxing techniques. However, Zhao Qiang also noticed Zhao Yuxuan's obvious shortcomings. He was very lacking in combat experience with the enemy and had a relatively narrow grasp of fighting techniques. Therefore, Zhao Qiang was fully confident in his heart. He felt that in this encounter, he could easily defeat Zhao Yuxuan in a much shorter time than last time. Moreover, just now, Lin Yaxuan had secretly ordered him in a commanding tone not to lose to Zhao Yuxuan, otherwise she would never talk to him again.
For Zhao Qiang, who was deeply in love with Lin Yaxuan while Lin Yaxuan's attitude towards him was lukewarm, this was undoubtedly an extremely serious threat. Zhao Qiang thought in his heart that for his own honor, he had been fighting hard in the fighting arena for years, and he couldn't let this honor be easily taken away by others; for the girl he loved, her words were like an imperial edict, and he must obey. So, in this competition, he could neither lose nor afford to lose.
No one would doubt Zhao Qiang's strength. His position in the Miao martial arts community was recognized by everyone. Therefore, he still directly entered the final as the last finalist, while Zhao Yuxuan had to start from the first round.
Zhao Qiang stood aside, quietly observing Zhao Yuxuan who was competing. Soon, a look of surprise appeared on his face. Because he found that Zhao Yuxuan was making progress, and the speed of progress was astonishingly fast. Whether it was combat experience or the fighting techniques he had mastered, there had been a great improvement. Zhao Qiang could hardly imagine that in just eight months, Zhao Yuxuan had changed so much.
However, although surprised, Zhao Qiang was still very confident in his heart. He said to himself that Zhao Yuxuan was not his opponent, definitely not. With Zhao Yuxuan's current skills, perhaps he could achieve good results in provincial competitions, but it would be very difficult to enter national - level competitions. He felt that compared with Zhao Yuxuan, there was still a gap in their levels, and he was sure to win this competition without a doubt.
Apart from Zhao Qiang, all the Miao martial arts masters in the Eighteen - Village were no longer opponents of Zhao Yuxuan. From morning to afternoon, Zhao Yuxuan participated in four consecutive competitions. His fists were like two extremely powerful hammers. As soon as they made contact, his opponents were intimidated by the powerful force, and no one dared to fight him head - on. This gave Zhao Yuxuan a lot of opportunities. He was like aćéç hunter, seizing these opportunities one by one. In each competition, he won cleanly and beautifully, and his wonderful performance won rounds of cheers. The cheers were like surging waves, one after another, echoing over the arena.
As the sun gradually set in the west, its afterglow shone on the arena, casting a golden glow over the entire venue. At this time, the final between Zhao Yuxuan and Zhao Qiang finally arrived. Hearing that a young master had emerged, there were more onlookers today than last time. Everyone was asking about the situation of this young master. After some inquiries, they learned that this young man with a delicate appearance and not a tall stature was an enrolled disciple of Wizard Li Yuexuan in Tianwang Fort, and he was also a Han Chinese. After learning this, almost everyone began to shout Zhao Qiang's name and cheer for him. In the hearts of these Miao people, the honor of the Miao warrior was extremely sacred, and they were unwilling to see this honor being taken away by the Han Chinese.
Zhao Yuxuan and Zhao Qiang stood in the middle of the arena, facing each other. Then, according to the rules of the competition, they respectfully saluted each other. With the referee's loud shout, the competition officially began.
The two men confronted each other for a while, like two beasts about to fight, testing each other's strength. Immediately afterwards, they simultaneously made their moves. At this time, Zhao Yuxuan's boxing style became sharp and practical, and his hands seemed to have some peculiarities, making his attacks more threatening. Zhao Qiang, as an experienced competitor, had already thought of a way to deal with Zhao Yuxuan. He did not intend to fight hard against Zhao Yuxuan's fists. Instead, while trying his best to chop at his arms to disrupt his rhythm, he also displayed his superb footwork skills, "far - kick," "lift - kick," "whirlwind - kick," all kinds of moves flowing like clouds and water without a moment's pause, which made it difficult for Zhao Yuxuan to get close to him.
After such intense fighting for about twenty minutes, Zhao Yuxuan seemed to care a great deal about the outcome of this competition, and his expression became a little impatient. His eyes were tightly fixed on Zhao Qiang, and all he could think about was finding an opportunity to get close to Zhao Qiang and then use his powerful iron fists. Several times, he rashly approached because he was too eager, and was almost hit by Zhao Qiang's sharp kicks. The thrilling scenes made the onlookers gasp in surprise.
Seeing Zhao Yuxuan like this, Zhao Qiang was secretly happy. He thought to himself that he just wanted to make Zhao Yuxuan flustered. As long as the other party's mind was in chaos, his boxing style would also become chaotic. Then there would be flaws in the offense and defense. Once there were flaws, that would be his chance. With just one move, he could restrain Zhao Yuxuan and end this competition.
At this time, Zhao Qiang couldn't help but look in the direction where Lin Yaxuan was. He saw Lin Yaxuan shouting and cheering for him non - stop. Her voice was clear and loud, standing out among the crowd. A warm current immediately surged in Zhao Qiang's heart, and a feeling of elation arose spontaneously. He secretly thought that Zhao Yuxuan was Lin Yaxuan's junior fellow apprentice, but she favored him. The deep meaning in this was worth savoring for several days. Although Lin Yaxuan was usually lukewarm towards him, Zhao Qiang knew in his heart that it was mostly because Wizard Li Yuexuan still didn't quite agree to this marriage. He thought in his heart that if it weren't for the many legends about Wizard Li Yuexuan, those legends were like chains, making him very afraid in his heart. He would have sneaked into Lin Yaxuan's boudoir on a moonless and windy night long ago according to the Miao people's custom, confided his feelings to her, and then eloped with her. However, Zhao Qiang also knew that all good things come to those who wait. He firmly believed that Lin Yaxuan would eventually belong to him. He silently said to himself that among the Miao people in this western Hunan area, besides himself, who else could be worthy of this girl as beautiful as a fairy? Whenever he thought of Lin Yaxuan's beauty, he couldn't help but take two deep breaths, as if he could draw her beauty into his heart in this way.