The eighteen dragon-subduing palms of Shen Lang were developed by Shen Lang while hunting on Prisoner Dragon Mountain, observing the attack patterns of fierce beasts. The technique emphasized a three-by-three coordination, with three individuals forming a formation and one person responsible for central control.
The eighteen dragon-subduing palms were not an exceptionally complex martial art, but if mastered to perfection, Qin Long and his team would undoubtedly secure first place in team combat during this grand competition.
Shen Lang and Qin Long's group spent sixty hours in the primeval forest. Through this training, Qin Long and the others were filled with confidence for the upcoming grand competition.
The venue for the annual grand competition was always Nanling, and this year was no exception. After Shen Lang and his entourage returned home to rest for ten hours, they were summoned to the Martial Guard Department by a phone call from Song Shaodao.
"It seems your training has been effective; you all appear spirited and full of fighting will. Seeing you like this, I feel reassured."
Song Shaodao looked at Shen Lang and smiled, saying, "Shen Lang, perform well this time. You must bring the championship back to Nanling, so that no one will dare to call the Nanling Martial Guard Department a bunch of good-for-nothings who always come in last."
In reality, with Song Shaodao's own strength, if he had simply trained his subordinates casually, they wouldn't have consistently ranked last.
However, in recent years, Song Shaodao's focus had largely been on assisting his sister in finding her son, and he had adopted a more laissez-faire approach to other matters.
But this morning, the department heads from other cities had called Song Shaodao, their words laced with mockery and an arrogant presumption of victory, which had truly angered him.
Over the years, Song Shaodao had felt a deep sense of guilt towards Qin Long and the others because of their perennial last-place finishes in the grand competition, which had led to them being frequently ridiculed.
This time, Song Shaodao was determined to have Shen Lang lead Qin Long and the others to victory, to restore the lost dignity of the entire Nanling Martial Guard Department.
"Uncle, rest assured, I will definitely win the championship for you," Shen Lang said, looking at Song Shaodao. "If I fail to win, I will have no face to remain in the Martial Guard Department."
"Burning your bridges?"
Hearing Shen Lang's words, Song Shaodao chuckled, "Good, you are indeed my nephew and my subordinate. I like this spirit of yours. In any case, I'm counting on you."
Two hours later, the provincial grand competition officially commenced.
The Martial Guard Department's grand competition had been established forty years prior. Nanling had even constructed a special training ground for it. When Shen Lang led Qin Long and ten others into the training ground, he realized how formidable the venue was.
On the main rostrum of the training ground, Song Shaodao sat with over a dozen men in similar attire, while in the central seat of honor sat an elder, approximately sixty years old, with a head full of white hair, exuding an aura of profound weariness.
"Brother Qin, who is that elder?" Today's event was so significant that even Song Shaodao and his colleagues were seated on the sides, indicating the elder's extraordinary status.
"He is called Lei Shen, the director of the Jiang Province War God Hall. His rank is more than two levels higher than Old Song's," Qin Long said, his eyes filled with reverence as he looked at the white-haired elder. "Before your father rose to prominence, Lei Shen was the strongest person in Longguo, his Thunder Blade striking fear into countless foreign enemies. The previous generation's master of Yangguo martial arts, Miyamoto Genkyu, had secretly infiltrated Longguo and entered the mysterious Dunhuang. Not only did he steal numerous precious murals, but he also absconded with a priceless jade Buddha head."
"When the people of Longguo heard about this, they were furious. But the Yangguo people were so shameless; they insisted that the item in their museum was passed down by their ancestors and refused to acknowledge the theft. In his rage, Lei Shen took his blade to Yangguo. Not only did he retrieve all the stolen artifacts and the jade Buddha head, but he also brought back Miyamoto Genkyu's personal saber, Zhan Hun."
Qin Long smiled, "Zhan Hun was not only Miyamoto Genkyu's personal saber but also a symbol of the Yangguo warrior's spirit. Having lost Zhan Hun, Miyamoto Genkyu committed seppuku, thus paying the price for his thieving act."
"I see..." Shen Lang chuckled, "This Lei Shen is quite interesting. Did he lose to my father back then?"
"Yes, by one move," Qin Long nodded.
"Only lost by one move?" Shen Lang seemed very interested and continued to ask.
"No, he only managed to receive one move from your father." Qin Long sighed, "Although he blocked one move, it caused him to be severely injured and fall into a coma for a month. In the end, though he narrowly escaped death, it left him with severe after-effects. His black hair turned snow-white, and he aged by ten years."
"What?" Hearing Qin Long's words, Shen Lang's eyes widened in shock. "My father was that formidable when he was young?"
"Of course. When he made a fist, he was a King of Boxing; when he wielded a saber, he was an Emperor of Sabers; and when he held a sword, he was a Sword Saint. In his prime, no one in this world, apart from Old Song and your father's junior brother, could withstand even half a move from him."
"Therefore, the fact that Lei Shen could withstand one of your father's moves without dying was earth-shattering. At that time, your father represented invincibility."
Shen Lang fell into silence. He knew Shen Tianjun was not simple, but he never imagined he would be so overwhelmingly powerful.
"Wait a minute, Lei Shen suffered such a great loss at my father's hands. If he sees me now, won't he be furious? Will he deliberately target us during the competition?" Shen Lang asked Qin Long with a smile.
"You can rest assured about that; such a thing will absolutely not happen," Qin Long said with a smile. "Although Lei Shen has a grievance with your father, he is a man of great prestige and has always been fair and just."
"That's good, then I can be at ease," Shen Lang smiled. "Since the referee is not an issue, I can go all out."
The first segment of the grand competition was the individual competition, where each team selected one representative to compete on the arena in a knockout format.
Jiang Province had sixteen cities, with each city having a Martial Guard Department, so this was a contest among sixteen individuals, progressing from the top sixteen, to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finally the finals.
Shen Lang surveyed the other fifteen participating teams and noticed that their members appeared high-spirited and defiant, as if they already considered the championship theirs. This made Shen Lang feel quite uncomfortable.
At this moment, Lei Shen, seated on the rostrum, stood up and addressed the participating teams below. "Distinguished participants, the annual Jiang Province Martial Guard Department Grand Competition has arrived. I believe you have all prepared diligently this past year, so I will not waste further time. We will now proceed to the first segment: the individual ability competition."
"The first match: Long Feng of the Dongling Martial Guard Department versus Ma Feng of the Xiling Martial Guard Department. I declare the match officially open."
As soon as Lei Shen finished speaking, two figures emerged from the Dongling and Xiling Martial Guard Department teams and swiftly moved towards the arena.