"I'll do it!"
Yue Wenwu stepped forward. According to the previously set match order, Yue Wenwu was the first to fight, Li Shuyun the second, and if both sides won one match, their master, Yue Jiawei, would fight last, to have a final showdown with Jiang Yuanichiro!
"Mitisaka Kenichi."
Jiang Yuanichiro turned and gestured to Mitsusaka Kenichi, who had a green belt, beside him. Kenichi immediately stepped out and faced Yue Wenwu. The Karate practitioners began shouting in their native tongue, "Win!"
"Senior Brother, go for it, defeat him..."
The numerous students and disciples of Xingyiquan also cheered Yue Wenwu on.
"There are no eyes in the ring; victory and defeat are determined by fate!"
Zhang Tonghe stepped forward. He was not only there to cheer Yue Jiawei on but also as one of the referees.
Jiang Yuanichiro had also invited professional referees. The two referees watched Yue Wenwu and Mitsusaka Kenichi, who were facing each other. As the professional referee shouted "Begin," the two immediately took their stances.
Yue Wenwu assumed the Xingyiquan stance, facing Mitsusaka Kenichi, who had adopted a Karate stance. Yue Wenwu glared, seized the initiative, and with a shout, attacked Mitsusaka Kenichi with a drill punch aimed directly at his chest...
However, Mitsusaka Kenichi was not one to be trifled with. He reacted swiftly, dodging Yue Wenwu's punch by turning his body. He then brought down a palm strike, but Yue Wenwu was equally quick, twisting to evade it.
He then countered with a punch aimed at Mitsusaka Kenichi's chest. With such a difficult angle, Kenichi could not dodge and could only raise his hand to block. He was immediately sent staggering back several steps by Yue Wenwu's punch...
"Good! Senior Brother's punch is excellent..."
The Xingyiquan students and disciples erupted in cheers. The Karate practitioners exchanged whispers. Jiang Yuanichiro and his group, however, remained calm, as it was only the beginning.
Yue Wenwu, pleased with his successful strike, once again assumed his stance and advanced on Mitsusaka Kenichi...
"Hey, who do you think will win?"
Niu Qiuling, who was leaning against a pillar watching the spectacle, turned to Wan Yunting, who stood with his arms crossed beside her.
Watching Yue Wenwu and Mitsusaka Kenichi trade blows, Wan Yunting turned and smiled, "I think he will lose!"
"Who?"
Niu Qiuling didn't know who he was referring to.
"Of course, one of their people."
Wan Yunting pointed to Li Shuyun, who stood beside Yue Jiawei, and smiled.
His voice was not loud, but the Xingyiquan students and Li Shuyun heard it. Yue Jiawei, seated on a chair, also heard and turned to look at Wan Yunting and Niu Qiuling leaning against the pillar. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who are they, and why are they here?"
Li Shuyun bowed her head and replied, "Master, they are my friends. I brought them to watch."
Hearing they were his beloved disciple's friends, Yue Jiawei nodded and didn't press Wan Yunting further, continuing to watch his son's fight...
Yue Wenwu once again pushed Mitsusaka Kenichi back with a punch, and the Xingyiquan students and disciples cheered again. Yue Jiawei nodded with satisfaction, confident his son would win.
"Did you misjudge?" Niu Qiuling didn't understand why the man thought Yue Wenwu would lose.
Wan Yunting shrugged dismissively and smiled, "Let's watch."
Yue Wenwu straightened his back, facing Mitsusaka Kenichi, and a condescending smile appeared in his eyes, "What is Karate? Nothing special."
"That's right! Their Karate originated from our China," a Chinese disciple shouted loudly.
"Senior Brother, defeat him..."
The Xingyiquan disciples cheered enthusiastically. Seeing that he had suppressed Mitsusaka Kenichi twice, Yue Wenwu's confidence grew. He once again lunged forward, confidently declaring, "Take this punch..."
Mitsusaka Kenichi's eyes widened. He seemed to have seen through Yue Wenwu's moves. He immediately turned and unleashed a powerful push with his right hand, striking Yue Wenwu's waist fiercely...
"Senior Brother..."
Yue Wenwu fell to the ground with a thud, clutching his waist and crying out in pain. The Xingyiquan disciples cried out in shock. Even Yue Jiawei put down his teacup and stood up, staring at Yue Wenwu, who was slowly getting up from the ground. He waved his hand, "I'm fine, I can still fight..."
"See, he got careless,"
Wan Yunting, who was watching the spectacle, pointed at Yue Wenwu and said triumphantly to Niu Qiuling.
Li Shuyun looked directly at him, and Niu Qiuling immediately nudged Wan Yunting, "Watch what you say."
Seeing Li Shuyun looking at him, Wan Yunting smiled indifferently.
Yue Wenwu stood up, rubbing his aching waist, and glared angrily at Mitsusaka Kenichi. He hadn't expected to be caught. "Damn it, again..."
Mitsusaka Kenichi sneered. This time, he attacked first, his moves ruthless. Each strike targeted vital areas. After all, this was a challenge, not a formal competition with rules preventing strikes to critical areas.
Ah...
Due to the injury to his waist and Yue Wenwu's arrogance and frustration leading to emotional escalation, he was once again caught by Mitsusaka Kenichi. His neck was struck heavily, and he fell to the ground with a thud. At the same time, Mitsusaka Kenichi did not hold back, raising his foot and fiercely kicking Yue Wenwu in the abdomen, sending him flying out...
"Hey, what are you doing..."
Seeing Mitsusaka Kenichi land another kick enraged the Xingyiquan students and disciples. They rushed forward to protect Yue Wenwu and shouted at Mitsusaka Kenichi.
Yue Jiawei could no longer sit still. He stepped forward to check his son's injuries. Yue Wenwu moaned, holding his stomach and neck, and his waist injury had worsened, making him unable to continue.
"You win this round."
Yue Jiawei's face darkened. He glared fiercely at Mitsusaka Kenichi and snorted.
Jiang Yuanichiro sneered, met the returning Mitsusaka Kenichi, and nodded in praise.
"Shuyun, you fight the second round."
After having his son carried away for treatment, Yue Jiawei said to Li Shuyun, "You cannot lose this one."
"Mm."
Li Shuyun's pretty face turned solemn, and she nodded as she stepped forward.
Jiang Yuanichiro knew she would fight and had already arranged an opponent. "Matsunai Shota, you go!"
"Yes."
A man of medium build named Matsunai Shota, also a green belt in Karate, stepped out. Facing the cold-faced Li Shuyun, Matsunai Shota bowed politely, and Li Shuyun returned the gesture with a clasped fist, and then they officially took their stances.
"Senior Sister Shuyun, defeat him, defeat the little devil..."
A Chinese disciple shouted loudly in Chinese.
Other local disciples and foreign apprentices also shouted. Jiang Yuanichiro, having won the first round, was very confident and calm.
In contrast, Yue Jiawei was far from calm. His son Yue Wenwu's careless defeat had left him with a dark face, seething with anger, knowing he had underestimated the opponent this time.
Ever since Jiang Yuanichiro had delivered a challenge, Yue Jiawei hadn't taken him seriously. After all, he had been a dominant force in the Malaysian Chinese martial arts community for over twenty years, overcoming countless challengers. Naturally, he hadn't thought much of Jiang Yuanichiro.
Now, to his surprise, his son Yue Wenwu had lost the first match, leaving Yue Jiawei to place his hopes on his proud disciple, Li Shuyun.
"Ha..."
This time, Matsunai Shota attacked first, lunging forward with a palm strike. Li Shuyun's eyes were cold. Although she was a woman, her reaction speed was extremely fast. With a slight turn of her left foot, she evaded Matsunai Shota's palm strike. She attacked with both hands, her movements swift. Within a few exchanges, she had pushed Matsunai Shota back several steps. Her techniques were much faster than Yue Wenwu's earlier...
"Well fought..."
The Xingyiquan martial arts school students and disciples were immediately invigorated and cheered.
"Shuyun is amazing."
Niu Qiuling, leaning against the pillar with Wan Yunting to watch the spectacle, exclaimed in surprise as soon as she saw Li Shuyun push Matsunai Shota back in their first encounter.