Chapter Sixty-Five: Testing Each Other-Legend of the Netherworld Youth(Master of Cucumbers)

Xiao Chou weaved around Qin Xiaochuan, swaying his body as he circled him in the center of the stage. His drunken footwork carried a rhythm that alternated between evasion and aggression, as if he were probing for an opening before darting away again, moving as swiftly as lightning, impossible to predict or defend against. Qin Xiaochuan, rather than following Xiao Chou’s movements, simply closed his eyes, relying on his heightened senses to perceive the demon energy surrounding his body, discerning Xiao Chou’s position and movement patterns. The two found themselves locked in a tense stalemate, one constantly in motion, the other perfectly still. Even the audience, awestruck by Xiao Chou’s nimble and ethereal technique, fell silent; the entire arena quieted in anticipation of what was about to unfold.

Several times, Xiao Chou seemed on the verge of launching an attack as he circled the motionless Qin Xiaochuan, but each time he held back, sensing the moment was not right. Yet, as he passed behind Qin Xiaochuan once more, he suddenly surged forward, raising his right hand in a knife-edge strike aimed at Qin Xiaochuan’s neck. It was as if he had detected a fleeting lapse in Qin Xiaochuan’s concentration and seized the initiative to attack. His hand moved with blinding speed, and had the strike landed, Qin Xiaochuan’s slender neck would have been severed, just like the two teammates Xiao Chou had killed moments before.

Sensing the deadly threat at his back, Qin Xiaochuan blocked the lightning-fast chop with his left elbow. Fearing his left arm alone would not suffice, he pressed his right hand against his left arm for added support, successfully fending off Xiao Chou’s lethal strike. Xiao Chou’s attack was not only swift but carried tremendous force—so much so that even after Qin Xiaochuan’s brutal training, he needed both arms to withstand it.

“So fast!” Even the usually composed, masked fighter in the crowd could not help but exclaim inwardly as he witnessed the speed of Xiao Chou’s hand. Clearly, Xiao Chou’s attack surpassed all his expectations, far faster than he had anticipated.

Undeterred by his blocked strike, Xiao Chou’s left fist followed immediately, his movements fluid as flowing water, without a moment’s pause—offering Qin Xiaochuan no chance to defend. The blow landed square in Qin Xiaochuan’s abdomen, sending him flying.

“One punch and he’s airborne!” Zhang Yang shouted in astonishment as he watched Qin Xiaochuan hurled through the air.

“It wasn’t one punch... it was five.” Feiyan shot a sideways glance at the stunned Zhang Yang. Xiao Chou’s assault was not a single blow, but five rapid punches in succession. The immense force sent Qin Xiaochuan’s body flying, the power of the strikes passing through him and bursting out his back—so fierce that his back bulged outward from the impact. Clearly, Qin Xiaochuan had taken a serious beating.

As Qin Xiaochuan’s body flew through the air, Xiao Chou gave him no respite. He charged in, sweeping a kick across Qin Xiaochuan’s abdomen and sending him spinning toward the edge of the ring. Following up in a blur, Xiao Chou caught up, raised his right arm, and drove an elbow into Qin Xiaochuan’s stomach, slamming him to the ground again. Without pause, he hammered a fist down onto Qin Xiaochuan’s back as he landed. His movements were as fast as lightning, leaving the audience breathless—this technique was almost supernatural. Every motion flowed seamlessly into the next, offering his opponent not a second to recover or defend. Was this truly the same drunken brawler from earlier? He was astonishing.

Qin Xiaochuan, battered by Xiao Chou’s relentless assault, barely had time to think. Slammed to the ground, he pushed off with both arms, using the rebound from the floor to vanish from the spot in an instant—just in time to evade Xiao Chou’s killing blow. Although Xiao Chou’s fist missed, the force of the punch shattered the arena floor, sending debris flying and leaving a gaping crater. Had Qin Xiaochuan taken that punch, even his recently recovered body would have been destroyed.

“Too fast! There’s no way to dodge!” Zhang Yang finally understood why his spiritual senses had warned him about this dangerous opponent. Xiao Chou’s footwork, speed, and raw power made him a veritable killing machine in human form. It wasn’t just a matter of fighting him—even with all the special training he and Bai Ying had undergone, they wouldn’t last three rounds against this man; perhaps not even one. Staring at the deep pit left in the arena, Zhang Yang broke out in a cold sweat—he might not even withstand a single exchange. Yan, by comparison, was nothing.

Dodging the fatal blow, Qin Xiaochuan flashed behind Xiao Chou and, seizing the opening, punched at the back of his head, his fist whistling through the air. Xiao Chou, sensing the attack, ducked his head and twisted aside, slipping past Qin Xiaochuan’s sneak attack. With a light step, he drifted to Qin Xiaochuan’s right, glancing at him with disdain—as if the attempted ambush was beneath him. In one fluid motion, Xiao Chou raised his right leg and kicked hard at Qin Xiaochuan’s waist, seemingly just a bit more forceful than before.

Realizing he had no time to dodge, Qin Xiaochuan’s grueling death training paid off. He twisted his body slightly, raising a single elbow to shield his chest, blocking Xiao Chou’s heavy kick to the waist. Had that blow landed, Xiao Chou would have kicked a kidney right out of him. Even with both arms braced, Qin Xiaochuan was still hurled backward by the immense force, his body propelled off the stage and skidding across the ground below. With a thunderous crash, he slammed into the concrete wall in front of the first row of seats, shattering it before coming to a stop, buried beneath a pile of rubble. He didn’t move. Xiao Chou’s sweeping kick was devastating—nobody could tell if Qin Xiaochuan had been knocked unconscious or killed outright.

“Kill him!”

...

Seeing Qin Xiaochuan lying motionless in the stands, the audience erupted once more in a chorus of cheers. Watching him being pummeled by Xiao Chou seemed to excite them even more than his death. Some spectators, overcome with excitement, threw streamers and cheering sticks, turning the arena into a scene of wild festivity.

“Wow! That was spectacular!” Miss Lingling finally found a chance to speak as Qin Xiaochuan was knocked out of bounds. Watching Xiao Chou stand leisurely on one leg, the same leg that had struck Qin Xiaochuan, she shouted to the crowd, “That dazzling attack was so fast, I barely had time to comment! Under Xiao Chou’s relentless assault, Qin Xiaochuan had no chance to fight back and was sent flying into the stands. The Six Demons’ substitute, Xiao Chou, is truly formidable! Can Qin Xiaochuan stand again after such a ferocious hit? Let’s wait and see!”

“What’s wrong, Qin Xiaochuan? Didn’t you want to see my secret technique?” Xiao Chou seemed uninterested in the crowd’s cheers. He gazed at the pile of rubble where Qin Xiaochuan lay. That last move was just a warm-up, he thought. Though a bit heavy-handed, it wasn’t enough to truly hurt you—I just wanted to wake you up. Hurry up and come out so we can continue our fight. “That was just a taste. Are you really going to hide under the rubble and not come out?”

“The power in that man’s legs is terrifying!” Zhang Yang stared, mouth agape, at the shattered debris in the stands. “That kick carried ten thousand times the force of a spirit bind—if it landed on me, I’d be...”

“My apologies, everyone!” Miss Lingling suddenly realized she’d been so caught up in commentating she’d forgotten to start the countdown for a ring-out. She rushed to the edge of the stage and called to the pile of rubble, “I was distracted and forgot to count! Since Qin Xiaochuan is out of bounds, I’ll begin the count now... One...”

Just as she counted “one,” a figure leapt up from the rubble, dusting himself off. With a tap of his toes, he sprang back onto the stage. Seeing her son rise, Susu, sitting in the stands, shouted excitedly, “That’s amazing, son! Show him your unbeatable endurance! Knock him flat for me!”

Despite taking such a brutal blow, Qin Xiaochuan appeared utterly unfazed, swinging his arms as he walked, as if that kick had been nothing but invigorating. Apart from his clothes being a bit more tattered, he had not a single scratch on his body—he had completely dissipated the force of Xiao Chou’s kick.

Standing at the center of the ring, Qin Xiaochuan licked his lips, his eyes blazing with excitement. That kick had truly awakened something inside him. Staring at Xiao Chou across from him, Qin Xiaochuan spoke with exhilaration, “How should I put this? That was incredibly thrilling—absolutely exhilarating, don’t you think? You feel it too, right?”

“Of course—I’m a battle maniac, after all!” Seeing Qin Xiaochuan unharmed, Xiao Chou lowered his leg and fixed him with the same wild excitement in his eyes. “How’d you like my Drunken God footwork just now? That’s my most formidable technique—neither drunk nor sober, always catching you off-guard and striking at your weakest moment. Impressive, right?”

“Incredible, incredible!” Qin Xiaochuan licked his lips, responding eagerly.

Both men seemed equally stunned and exhilarated by each other’s strength, their spirits burning with anticipation. Seeing how formidable Xiao Chou was, Qin Xiaochuan pointed his right hand at him, forming a spirit orb as if ready to unleash it. “This is my Spirit Orb,” he declared.