Forge a path to success.

Chapter 293 Grand Sumo Duel

The masked monster's expression shifted like turning the pages of a book; one moment it was a patriotic hero, the next it was a fanatical collector. Staring at the calamity wrist, it exclaimed in admiration, "Where did you get this? The power of misfortune is extremely rare. Did you not visit the ancient battlefield and see the remnants of that great demon?"

He crossed his arms and pondered as he spoke: "No, no. A single remnant of power cannot condense this level of longing, and the craftsmanship used in its creation is quite remarkable... This is definitely worth studying."

Van der peeked out of his pocket, beaming, "That's right, this skill is one of a kind in the world."

"What kind of demon is this?" The masked man leaned closer for a closer look and whispered, "I'm telling you guys, once you're out of the fifth vein sequence, don't show yourselves. Be careful what you make of it..."

“Not a demon.” Vandal rolled his eyes.

"?? That doesn't seem right...?"

The masked man muttered to himself for a moment, then put the matter out of his mind and said eagerly, "Let's get back to the point! Young man, I have always loved rare and exotic weapons, and I long to collect all the world's most extraordinary treasures. How much would you like to sell me your prosthetic arm?"

Chu Hengkong was both amused and exasperated, thinking that this person was talking nonsense, like an exaggerated actor. He was already 23 after the New Year and was still being called a "young man"—even if he looked a bit young, there was no reason for him to be addressed like that.

He flatly refused: "This arm is not for sale."

The masked man remained unhurried: "Hehehe, don't jump to conclusions. To be honest, young man, I'm quite wealthy. As long as your demands aren't excessive, I'll take whatever price you ask for—hey, don't go!"

Chu Heng ignored him completely and turned to look at the exhibition. Fan De spoke up for him, saying, "If you really sell this arm, can you offer something better? I doubt it."

The masked man caught up with the agility of a sprinter: "Wait, wait! Young man, you don't understand. Your prosthetic arm, though powerful, carries an equal burden of karma. Even if your sword can suppress it, in the long run, it will inevitably—oh, oh, what is that sword?!"

It was only then that he noticed Shenzhan, and he jumped back three steps in shock. From the unpredictable look in his eyes, one could deduce the intense changes in expression beneath the mask.

"That aura... I can't quite understand it, but it's definitely impressive! This, this...!"

The masked man immediately collapsed in despair, pounding the ground and yelling, "Damn it, I can't afford this!"

Fan De burst out laughing on the spot, and even Chu Hengkong couldn't help but let out a disdainful twitch of the Divine Slash within its sheath.

At this moment, the masked man's flamboyant performance attracted a crowd of mercenaries. Chu Hengkong, not wanting to cause trouble, directly refused, saying, "I will not sell any of my weapons, nor will I exchange them for anything. Please leave."

"I won't covet the knife, but I'm determined to get the prosthetic arm!"

The masked man sprang to his feet, raising his fan-like hand: "We are both martial arts practitioners. Since the deal can't go through, why not resolve this through martial arts? Let's wager this as a duel and settle our dispute with a victory or defeat, how about it?"

Chu Hengkong had already turned and left: "I won't fight."

"How can you be so lacking in passion, young man! Hey, don't actually leave! I'll make a corresponding bet too. I have a lot of powerful relics!"

"No need."

Seeing Chu Hengkong walk several meters away, the masked man pondered for a while, then seemed to remember something and suddenly sighed.

"Sigh... I thought he would at least have some heroic spirit, but I never expected Ji Qiufeng's disciple to be such a boring man."

Ji Huaisu, who had been enjoying the spectacle, immediately covered her face upon hearing this. Li Ke, watching from the sidelines, exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, really? This level of provocation..."

"It will happen," Ji Huaisu said helplessly.

Chu Hengkong stopped, turned around, and suddenly smiled.

"What weapon are you using to bet on my prosthetic arm?"

The masked man patted his chest and laughed, "I can't produce any level 7 ones, but you can choose whatever you have!"

"I'm in need of a good gun."

"Alright~!" The masked man spun around on the spot, conjuring a large spear in his hand as he turned. The spear was about three and a half meters long, entirely silver and gleaming, with dragon patterns engraved on it. The dragon patterns spiraled from the spear shaft, culminating in a silver head sculpture at the top, its eyes radiating golden light, and a sharp spear blade protruding from its mouth. Its aura was extremely powerful and unstoppable.

Chu Hengkong's eyes lit up. The masked man planted the large spear in the ground like a flag and said smugly, "The spear is named 'Kanglong Qianzhen'. It was forged by the former Palace Master of Chenjun Palace with the remains of an ancient dragon, with the intention of unwavering determination and no return."

This gun has the essence of a level 6 weapon, but its output is reduced to level 5. It comes from a reputable manufacturer and has absolutely no hidden dangers. It's far more reliable than your prosthetic arm, which you dare not use often!

The mercenaries watching gasped in amazement. These were all seasoned veterans, their eyes gleaming at the sight of fine weapons more intensely than at the sight of beautiful women. Chu Hengkong readily nodded: "How will the competition proceed?"

The masked man stomped his foot, and the ground in the center of the exhibition rose up, forming a fighting ring. He leaped onto the ring, smugly saying, "We are both martial artists. When fellow practitioners spar, we should not kill or harm anyone. Why don't we have a match according to the rules of sumo wrestling?"

Chu Hengkong couldn't hold back for a moment: "What? Sumo wrestling?"

Vande explained, "This is a traditional ritual on Shura Island. In the past, the earliest group of Remnant Souls hunted the Cataclysm, fearing that its elemental form would transform and take their place in death. So they asked strong and powerful men to trample on the Cataclysm's corpse, forcing its power into the soil with their willpower. This served two purposes: first, to reduce the Cataclysm to ashes, preventing its resurrection; and second, to nourish Dust Island and promote a bountiful harvest."

This ritual of trampling demons is called "Yoku," and the one who performs the trampling is called a "wrestler." In modern times, wrestlers also engage in friendly strength contests in a ring, with the loser being the one who falls or exits the ring—this is the "Grand Sumo," a prestigious sport on Shura Island.

"Falling or going out of bounds means failure!" the masked man added. "I won't take advantage of you. You're a martial artist with a mass level of 3, and I'll only suppress all my power output techniques to level 3. How about that, is that fair?"

Chu Hengkong leisurely stepped onto the arena and casually tossed Fan De to Ji Huaisu: "Why don't you raise the mass point 4 before you fight me?"

"Heh heh heh, young man, don't be too arrogant." The masked man laughed and lowered his body. "Then, let's wager our cherished weapons—and settle this once and for all!"

Ji Huaisu made an ice whistle and blew it forcefully. At the same time the whistle blew, the audience below the stage saw a blur, and the masked man flashed to the opposite side of the stage with unbelievable speed, his fan-like palm strike hitting Chu Hengkong directly in the chest!
The force of that palm strike must have been immense, yet no loud thud was heard; Chu Hengkong was simply seen flying backward. Li Ke gasped, her teeth aching. From that single blow, she knew her opponent's martial arts were extremely high, because this meant all the impact had been channeled into Chu Hengkong's body, not a single ounce of force wasted. Taking such a blow head-on would be incredibly painful.

Chu Hengkong staggered backward, nearly falling off the stage, but managed to stop just at the edge. At the same moment, the masked man suddenly leaped, and the spot where he had been standing collapsed, sending a colorless torrent of water surging upwards. Ji Huaisu quickly erected an ice wall, otherwise the onlookers would have been blown away on the spot.

"Is this the Free Wind?" "A hidden weapon?" The mercenaries discussed among themselves.

“It’s deflecting the force.” Lico clicked her tongue. “That guy directly deflected the force of the impact into the ground, using it as a landmine attack… Both sides are the same kind of monster.”

The masked man's posture was flawless as he exclaimed, "Young man, your physique is even stronger than I expected."

"You're quite strong." Chu Hengkong cracked his neck. "Are you sure you want to use this for exertion? Or should we increase it a bit?"

"Hehehe, why bother with strength? The essence of martial arts in Dragon Township lies in technique!"

The burly man strode forward, the assassin charged ahead, and both rushed towards the center of the arena simultaneously. One threw a punch, the other clapped his hands. The speed of their attacks instantly increased, and the wind from their punches and palm strikes spread out like a storm. The spectators below were dazzled and couldn't tell what kind of martial arts were being used. They only felt that the power in the arena was terrifying, and that if they accidentally entered, they would die within moments.

The mercenaries knew that this exchange was merely a warm-up and a test for the two. Every martial artist who came out of seclusion possessed a secret technique, and these two hadn't even used a single one of their secret techniques, so they were far from being serious.

As expected, the two exchanged blows for less than half a minute before separating again, this time to demonstrate their true martial arts skills. The masked man flicked his hand, and a piece of white paper between his fingers magically produced bright red ink, transforming into a talisman. He slapped the talisman onto his arm and laughed, "Behold, the talisman of a solidified steel body!"

A cheer erupted from the audience, with even Li Ke and Ji Huaisu clapping. This move was a true display of skill that experienced practitioners could recognize; he was showcasing the talismanic techniques that the martial arts practitioners of Dragon Township were so proud of.

Martial arts talismans, powered by qi and blood, may lack the raw offensive power of elemental magic, but they offer a variety of benefits such as strengthening the body, training soldiers, and exorcising demons. For those on the Unification Path who lack offensive capabilities, this is an extremely useful skill. It should be noted that many relics from the Floating Light and Supreme Paths are only usable by those who have progressed to the corresponding path, and among mercenaries, the Unification Path is the most numerous, making these qi and blood-powered talismans the best auxiliary relics.

Drawing talismans is laborious and requires rare materials. Ordinary martial arts practitioners often have to set aside half a day to draw just a few talismans, and even then, they are hard to come by. A talisman like this Steel Body Talisman can only be drawn by a Heart Sword cultivator, which is why cultivators like Wu He who are skilled at making talismans are so popular.

This masked martial artist transformed his fists into a brush, his battles into paintings, infusing the principles of talismans into his very being, turning the act of fighting into a process of "drawing talismans." At the end of each exchange, the talismans were perfectly formed, embodying the essence of Longquan Township's dual cultivation of martial arts and literature, and its principle of using battle to sustain battle. This was undeniable, genuine skill, leaving the mercenaries no choice but to applaud.

The crowd below the stage looked on with anticipation, eager to see what skills Detective Chu would use to counter them.

Chu Hengkong didn't stand on ceremony. He transformed his wicked wrist into a long blade and stabbed himself right through the heart. Finally, he waved his hand and said, "Please."

The masked man slowly tilted his head, a large question mark appearing on his mask: "?"

Chu Hengkong was also confused: ?
(End of this chapter)