Martial God Conqueror

Chapter 02 Challenge

One Move Defeat

Silver light of dawn washed the sky, shining down on the city .

In front of Du Clan’s main entrance, a large crowd had been gathering since early morning . The air buzzed with excitement, nosy neighbors converging to join in the fun . Today is Du Clan’s guard tryout day, there’s already a long queue of people in front of the stage, each one roaring to go .

Even those not participating came to watch, after all this type of lively event is rare .

Du Clan’s main entrance, a lot of family members were present, in addition there are a lot of guards around thus deterring anyone looking for trouble .

“Isn’t that Du Clan’s fool young master? Still like an idiot on that barren hill . ”

“How strange, that stone tablet is not there anymore . ”

Onlookers crowded outside Du Clan’s main entrance, many looked to the distant barren hill through the side door . On that barren hill, a purple robe youth seemed to be fiddling with something in his hands . Residents within the city all know that apart from the infamous fool young master of the Du Clan, there won’t be a second person on that barren hill .

These ten years’ time, the nick named fool and Young Master Du Shaofu goes hand-in-hand, it been well-known all around and is a staple topic for gossip among Stone City folks .

Mentioning Du Shaofu, as a young master of the Du Clan, in Stone City can be counted as having a privileged background, unfortunately when he was tested for martial veins at six, it was determined that his veins are innately broken unable to practice martials arts .

In this world where affluence and respect relates directly to strength, the sorrow of being unable to practice martial arts can only be imagined . However, with Du Clan’s prestige in Stone City, though unable to practice martial arts, living a normal life is not an issue .

But making matters worse, after the test result were made known, young master Du’s mentality was unstable, somehow ended up in front of the stone tablet on the barren hill in the midst of a violent storm . Lightning strikes landed on the stone tablet and the poor young master whom was right in front of it suffered an unexpected misfortune, going into coma for three days and three nights .

Since then, the young master often stand before that stone tablet . In the beginning it was only for a few hours, as time passes the duration gradually began getting longer and longer, till there’s a crazed look in his eyes, acting weird, and sometimes even making manic gestures .

In the beginning, Du Clan hired healers to heal him but none has any effects whatsoever, towards the end they can only give up .

In the span of ten years, the nickname fool young master spread from the Du Clan’s compound to the entire Stone City, everyone knows that amongst the Du juniors there is one fool young master .

“If Du Clan’s juniors are like him, then today will be so much easier . ”

An unshaven, slightly dark skin, tall man looking at the distant figure on the barren hill whispered lightly .

“Du Clan juniors’ came out . ”

“It is said that this round, among the juniors, Du Yu and Du Xue are quite strong, fifth grade martial pulse talent, fourteen years old Houtian sixth layer . Probably enter Xiantian by seventeen or eighteen, a seventeen or eighteen year old Xiantian, that’s almost one in a million”

As several young girls and boys step out from Du Clan’s inner compound standing neatly in a line on the stage . Though age-wise they are on the smaller side but the atmosphere around them almost instantly ceased the crowd to silence as gazes fell one by one upon them .

Du Qi took the stage and announced “Guards tryout begins now, undefeated within three moves are eligible to be Du Clan’s guard . ”

“Om!”

A muffled bell sounded, one after another strong-looking men already leaping on to the stage and started sparring with those young girls and boys .

“Clang Clang!”

“Pop!”

At the same time, various sounds of metals clashing, palm fist colliding, coupled with the occasional shouts and cheers, the liveliness could be heard from afar .

With all attention directed towards the stage, no one paid further notice to the youth on the barren hill .

“Why did the stone tablet crumbled, after the first style there should be a second style ah . ”

On the hill, Du Shaofu delved into a pile of powdered rubble, raising a large dust screen in the air, originally clean purple robe is now covered with dust, his dusty face only managed to further emphasize his already pearly white teeth even brighter .

“Well, it seems there is really no second style in here . ”

Du Shao Fu patted down his body to clear away the dust and sands, on the resolute face, bright eyes with a hint of a sparkle deep within, nothing in his face that shows he is the infamous fool that the whole city gossips about .

“Boom”

Congealing a handprint within his palm, a stream of yellowish qi rushed out, causing his purple robe aflutter and the surrounding space fluctuating as if about to be shattered . The qi flow inexplicably adding an overbearing aura to Du Shaofu; “Successful cultivated the first style, my martial pulse should be comparable to others normal second grade pulse“

Perceiving the changes in his body after spending ten years to comprehend the first stone tablet, Du Shaofu revealed a satisfied smile . The mysterious stone tablet first style were as if specifically created for those with broken martial veins, it actually was able to restore broken veins, allowing a wasted martial pulse to be able to practice martial arts .

The dense cracks and grooves on the stone tablet were somehow related to martial practice and martial pulse . Du Shaofu is born into an old martial family, thus he could estimate the strength in his body is comparable to a general second grade pulse, but Du Shaofu also noticed that there is something special about his martial pulse . Though it is similar to the general second grade martial pulse, however it is definitely not something a general second grade martial pulse can be compared to .

Successfully cultivating the first style enable broken martial veins to be restored till comparable to others second grade martial pulse, in the future, if able to locate the second style stone tablet, and the third then what degree can his martial pulse achieved . This made Du Shaofu’s looked forward with anticipation .

“At least, I’m able to practice now, but firstly must find a way to ‘pluck off’ the fool nick name”

Du Shaofu retrieved his handprint, xuanqi[1] slowly dissipated within his palm, and a glint crossed his eyes . He is well-known throughout the city as a fool all these years that everyone truly believes that he is a true idiot .

Du Shaofu did not mind being called a fool all these years, even welcomed it as it allows him to comprehend the stone tablet without any disturbance .

But now since he reached minor completion[2] practicing the ancient stone tablets’ first style, a fool practicing martial arts will not receive the family’s resources support and at the moment he really needs resources . Not to mention being taken as a fool daily for the past ten years is definitely not a pleasant thing . Things taken these ten years, Du Shaofu feels he start getting it back .

“Pop! Pop!”

On the stage in front of Du Clan’s main entrance, a dozen of Du Clan’s thirteen to fourteen years old girls and boys either with bared fist or a sword in hand sparring against challengers older than them .

These Du Clan’s juniors though young but handles those men with ease, one move or two strokes at the most were used to defeats these men rendering the onlookers secretly astonished and even more respectful towards Du Clan .

“Isn’t it just withstanding three moves, fight ah . ”

“This time we must become Du Clan’s guard, fight ah . ”

Looking at the strength of these young girls and boys, each man on stage gets more fervent, if they have the opportunity to enter Du Clan and manage to learn a skill or two, they will also become stronger!

Unfortunately, of those burly men rushing up in excitement only scarce few managed to remain undefeated after three moves, and in less than an hour, a total of two to three hundred people had eagerly rushed up to the stage and subsequently being thrown back down the stage one by one, however it is also obvious by their heavy breathing that the dozen juniors are at their limit .

Finally, there are twenty people who barely managed to withstand three moves, most of them are injured but nevertheless excited as they managed to stay on the stage .

No one noticed Du Shaofu coming down from the barren hill as everyone’s focus was on the stage .

Du Shaofu squeezed himself into the crowd to join in the liveliness, looking at those so-called cousins’ movements, sometimes scowling, sometimes pondering, hands moving under the long-sleeves .

“Why is there so many flaws with Du Clan’s martial arts, or maybe it is me that overthinking . ”

Mouthing lightly, in the crowd Du Shaofu gets increasingly confused, he has seen people within the family practice martial art previously, however at that time he didn’t understand anything, and after comprehending the stone tablet, re-analyzing Du Clan’s martial art, he feels like he’s beginning to understand some .

And now, looking at these Du Clan martial arts skills, Du Shaofu feels there is too many weakness and full of flaws .

“Stop, twenty quotas is filled, tryout ends here . ”

When the last person, at the expenses of spitting a mouthful of blood to withstand the third move, Du Qi who was at the corner of the stage went up to the man and said: “Congratulations, after this you will be joining Du Clan’s guard, those with injuries will receive free treatment at Du Clan’s medicine courtyard . ”

“Thank you, Deputy Commander . ”

Twenty strong men nodded happily, as Du Clan’s guard, the treatment given are definitely not the same .

“Ai, quota already filled, today’s a trip in vain . ”

“Du Clan’s junior are really strong even though they are still so young!”

When Du Qi announced the results, many of those whom were still waiting beside the stage had their stomachs churning full of regret . If they had known, they would have come earlier to wait in line . As the crowd began to disperse the buzz of excitement began to wane .

Du Clan’s juniors were about to leave, today for them was just a preliminary test; it is not the same with the usual stricter testing within the clan .

“Slow down . ”

At this time, in the midst of the twenty men that managed to withstand three moves, an unshaven, slightly dark skin, tall man jumped out and took a step forward, slightly salute, then looked at Du Qi, gathered up courage and ask: “Deputy Commander, is it correct that as long one can defeat or tie with a direct descendant of Du Clan’s junior, one can become captain of the guards?”

Notes:

Xuanqi – type/name of qi Minor completion- a minimum grasp of a skill/technique/law/method; usually followed by ‘major completion success-