As soon as Fulin finished speaking, the entire Man Qing Tower fell silent. Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Ba Fenghan were now at the peak of their fame in the martial world, especially after the three of them defeated Qu Ao together, forcing him to publicly declare his retirement.
Qu Ao was no ordinary figure—he was one of the top experts from beyond the borders, second only to Bi Xuan in reputation. Only a few, such as Zhao Dejan, the "Demon Marshal" of the Eastern Turks, and Yun Shuai, the national advisor of the Western Turks, could rival him. For such a figure to suffer a crushing defeat in the Central Plains caused a massive uproar.
Even though it was three against one, it did nothing to diminish the fame of Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Ba Fenghan. Among the younger generation, the three were highly revered. For Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, defeating Qu Ao was the moment they were truly taken seriously by the top figures in the martial world, rather than being seen as just a pair of lucky street thugs.
The origins of the Twin Dragons were easy to trace, unlike Daniel Davis's. Before they entered Luoyang, figures like Li Shimin, Daniel Davis, and Wan Wan believed that the Twin Dragons were merely lucky. Many smart people didn't even think the Twin Dragons knew the true secrets of the Yang Gong Treasure.
For example, Li Shimin, Daniel Davis, and Wan Wan—what was the first trait of a smart person? Confidence. In their eyes, Fu Junchuo was from Goguryeo and had come to assassinate Emperor Yang. It was impossible for her to reveal the secrets of the Yang Gong Treasure to the Twin Dragons.
That's why Li Shimin gave up on recruiting them after failing. If he had known that the Twin Dragons possessed the secrets of the Yang Gong Treasure, he would never have given up so easily. He might have even killed them outright. After all, for the Li Clan, if they couldn't obtain the Yang Gong Treasure, it was better to ensure no one else could.
In this era of warlords vying for supremacy, the Li Clan already held a significant advantage. Obtaining the Yang Gong Treasure would be the icing on the cake, but if another faction got it, it would be a game-changer.
Daniel Davis's situation was similar to Li Shimin's. Recruiting the Twin Dragons would be ideal, as unifying the world required talent. Even if they couldn't be recruited, the loss wouldn't be too great. That's why, when Daniel Davis made a bet with the Twin Dragons and Qin Shubao, she immediately went after Qin Shubao instead of the Twin Dragons. By the time she realized the threat posed by the Twin Dragons, it was too late.
Wan Wan's initial contact with the Twin Dragons was mainly because they had cultivated the Everlasting Life Skill, one of the Four Great Mystic Arts. After using the Everlasting Life Skill to break through, she didn't even confirm the Twin Dragons' survival before leaving.
It wasn't until the Twin Dragons and Ba Fenghan escaped Qu Ao and the Demon Sect's pursuit and entered Luoyang that Wan Wan truly changed her attitude.
The reason for this was simple: the Twin Dragons' origins were too humble, and they had missed the best time for cultivation. Even Song Lu, who was initially impressed by their talent, didn't recruit them.
"Haha, Prince Fulin, you might be disappointed. Brother Ba has already left. But since you're interested in a spar, I'll be happy to learn from you."
Fulin's words caused a glint of cold light to flash in Kou Zhong's eyes. For Kou Zhong, the one thing he couldn't tolerate was being looked down upon or underestimated. When the Li Clan tried to recruit them, the Twin Dragons were initially very interested, but the disdain from people like Chai Shao immediately made them reject the offer.
As he spoke, Kou Zhong picked up the Well Moon Saber and stepped out of the room, walking onto the corridor and locking eyes with Fulin across the courtyard.
The Man Qing Tower was essentially a massive courtyard surrounded by four three-story buildings. In the center was a courtyard nearly a hundred meters long and wide, filled with rockeries, wooden bridges, streams, and flower beds.
"Since Ba Fenghan isn't here, forget it."
Seeing only Kou Zhong step out, Fulin immediately lost interest in fighting. In Fulin's eyes, the main force behind the Twin Dragons and Ba Fenghan's victory over Qu Ao was clearly Ba Fenghan. Without having fought the Twin Dragons and witnessed their growth firsthand, it was hard to believe anyone could improve so quickly.
For Fulin, his trip to the Central Plains was meant to establish his reputation during the chaos. Qu Ao was his target. Tiele and Tuyuhun had been mortal enemies for years. If he could defeat or even kill Qu Ao, it would be a great opportunity for Tuyuhun.
Aside from establishing his reputation, Fulin's other goal was to see if he could find an opportunity to kill Pei Ju, the man who had caused chaos beyond the borders. For the higher-ups beyond the borders, Pei Ju was one of the most hated figures. With just a few words, he had plunged the region into decades of chaos, resulting in countless deaths.
Although, strictly speaking, the situation was primarily due to their own ambitions. If they had united, how could Shi Zhixuan have caused the Turks to split into Eastern and Western factions with just a few words?
This kind of division was something even Bi Xuan couldn't stop. Not only could he not prevent the split between the Eastern and Western Turks, but he also couldn't stop the infighting between Jieli and Tuli in the Eastern Turks. He could only suppress the situation to a certain extent, preventing complete chaos.
However, Fulin abandoned this idea after learning that Pei Ju was actually Shi Zhixuan. No matter how confident Fulin was, he couldn't muster the same confidence against the "Demonic King" Shi Zhixuan.
"In that case, allow me to learn from you, Prince Fulin."
As Kou Zhong spoke, he leaped from the corridor into the courtyard, his eyes fixed on Fulin. When he stepped out of the room, Kou Zhong had already decided: today, he would establish his reputation.
Daniel Davis's appearance had fundamentally changed many things. Originally, the Twin Dragons and Fulin had a good relationship, but now that relationship was gone. If Fulin weren't the prince of Tuyuhun, Daniel Davis might have considered keeping him here.
"Haha, since Brother Kou is interested, why not let me, Xing Yifei, spar with you?"
Before Fulin could respond, a lean young man in his twenties standing beside Fulin stepped forward. After receiving a slight nod from Fulin, he jumped into the courtyard with two sabers on his back. His movements revealed that he was no ordinary fighter.
Seeing that neither Fulin, Kou Zhong, nor even Fulin's subordinates paid any attention to him, the host Wang Bo's face darkened. However, there was nothing he could do to stop the situation.
Kou Zhong was backed by the Tang King, the ruler of Luoyang. Challenging him in Luoyang was simply asking for trouble. As for Fulin, as the prince of Tuyuhun, he naturally didn't care about Wang Bo, a mere figure in the Central Plains.
Wang Bo might have some reputation in the Central Plains, but beyond the borders? Not so much.
"Brother Kou, please."
Xing Yifei, holding two sabers, walked to the opposite side of the wooden bridge, about ten meters from Kou Zhong, and signaled that he was ready.
The entire Man Qing Tower fell silent. Whether it was the people in the first-floor hall or those in the third-floor private rooms, all eyes turned to the two in the courtyard. Many even stepped out of their rooms and onto the corridors to watch the fight.
Among them was Li Xiuning, disguised as a man, accompanied by Hong Fu and others. She stood on the corridor, her gaze complex as she looked down at Kou Zhong.
Li Xiuning's feelings toward Kou Zhong were complicated. She had noticed the look in Kou Zhong's eyes during their first meeting, but at the time, she hadn't paid much attention to him. After all, Kou Zhong hadn't shown anything extraordinary back then, even after obtaining the Dongming Sect's account books.
It wasn't until later, when Kou Zhong began to rise in fame, that Li Xiuning truly remembered him.
This was perfectly normal. Li Xiuning was the daughter of the Li Clan. Countless men admired her. Without a certain status or strength, one wouldn't even have the right to meet her, let alone pursue her.
In fact, even the Twin Dragons were the same. Their greatest wish had once been to visit the Tianxian Tower in Yangzhou. When they first met Susu, they were awestruck. Even someone like Yun Yuzhen had seemed out of their reach. But now? Yun Yuzhen was no longer in their league, and it was partly thanks to them that Daniel Davis treated Yun Yuzhen so well.
Now, the only women who caught their attention were those of exceptional beauty and talent.
"Brother Xing, be careful."
As he spoke, Kou Zhong's figure instantly crossed the wooden bridge, appearing in front of Xing Yifei. The Well Moon Saber flashed, its yellow blade light slicing through the air and appearing before Xing Yifei in an instant.
Xing Yifei, who had been confident just moments ago, suddenly paled. He crossed his two sabers in front of him to block the attack. As their blades clashed, a loud explosion echoed, and Xing Yifei was sent flying, blood spurting from his mouth. The two sabers in his hands were reduced to mere hilts.
Bang!
Xing Yifei flew nearly twenty meters before crashing heavily to the ground, creating a human-shaped crater. Blue crystals—ice—formed around the edges of the crater.
"Yifei!"
Seeing his top general defeated by a single strike from Kou Zhong, Fulin's expression changed. He immediately rushed to Xing Yifei's side, helping him up and channeling his energy to dispel the cold qi invading Xing Yifei's body.
However, as his energy entered Xing Yifei's body, Fulin's face darkened further. It took a long time for him to stabilize the chaotic energy within Xing Yifei.
"Your Highness, be careful."
Once he recovered, Xing Yifei immediately warned Fulin and explained in detail what had happened during Kou Zhong's strike.
As Fulin's top general, Xing Yifei's martial arts were not weak. Under normal circumstances, Kou Zhong was stronger, but defeating him in a single strike should have been impossible.
However, Xing Yifei had no knowledge of Kou Zhong's abilities. The strange energy from the Everlasting Life Skill and the unique spiral energy caught him completely off guard. Even Shi Zhixuan had suffered a minor setback when he first encountered the spiral energy of the Everlasting Life Skill.
Under Daniel Davis's guidance, the Twin Dragons had developed their energy attributes quite well. Kou Zhong's cold energy and Xu Ziling's scorching energy—given time, Xu Ziling could even use his scorching energy to counter Bi Xuan's Sunfire Skill.
Daniel Davis was very curious about the Twin Dragons' spiral energy, but he wasn't sure if it was a unique trait of theirs. After studying it for a few days and finding no clues, he gave up. While spiral energy was more powerful than ordinary energy, Daniel Davis didn't necessarily need to learn it.
"That was an excellent strike. You've now entered the ranks of top experts." Inside the private room, Wan Wan looked at Kou Zhong's strike with a complex expression, glancing at Kou Zhong in the courtyard and then at Xu Ziling beside her. Thinking back to their earlier days, even she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
"Prince Fulin, would you like to take a break?"
"That won't be necessary. I never expected Brother Kou's martial arts to have reached this level. I wonder how Ba Fenghan and Xu Ziling compare?"
After having his subordinates take Xing Yifei away, Fulin remained in the courtyard. The situation no longer allowed him to back down. If he retreated here, it wouldn't just damage his reputation—it would also create a psychological gap in his martial arts.
"They're about the same."
"In that case, please."
After seeing Kou Zhong's strength, Fulin began to deeply doubt the story of Qu Ao fighting three against one. If Xu Ziling and Ba Fenghan were on par with Kou Zhong, Qu Ao wouldn't have stood a chance even one-on-one, let alone three-on-one.
However, Fulin didn't ask about the details of the fight between the three and Qu Ao. The reason was simple: Fulin had fought Qu Ao before. Tiele and Tuyuhun were mortal enemies, locked in a life-and-death struggle. They had clashed countless times.
"Please."
As soon as the words left their mouths, Kou Zhong and Fulin attacked simultaneously. Their blades and fists collided mid-air, the powerful energy clash destroying the beautifully crafted wooden bridge in the courtyard.
Having learned about Kou Zhong's spiral energy and cold qi from Xing Yifei, Fulin had prepared a countermeasure.
If Kou Zhong's one-strike victory over Xing Yifei hadn't fully demonstrated his strength, the fight between Kou Zhong and Fulin left no doubt.
Each clash of their blades and fists caused massive destruction to the surroundings, turning the once picturesque courtyard into a chaotic mess.
Fulin's punches seemed unremarkable, but each one forced Kou Zhong to respond seriously. Similarly, Fulin had to be cautious with Kou Zhong's blade, making him regret not bringing a weapon.
"How is this possible?"
Hong Fu, standing beside Li Xiuning, watched the fight with shock. Although this was her first time seeing Kou Zhong in action, she had heard about the Twin Dragons from Li Jing.
To put it bluntly, if it hadn't been for Du Fuwei's pursuit, the Twin Dragons might have been recruited by the Li Clan. Li Jing's progress had been fast, but compared to Kou Zhong, it was nothing.
Li Xiuning, standing beside Hong Fu, looked at Kou Zhong, who was wielding the Well Moon Saber with boundless confidence, her expression complex. The Twin Dragons, having cultivated the Everlasting Life Skill, exuded a unique charm.
"Haha, this is exhilarating. Shall we call it a draw?"
After another clash of fists and blades, Kou Zhong and Fulin each took five steps back. Seeing the surrounding devastation, Fulin immediately proposed ending the fight. He and Kou Zhong had no enmity, and continuing would only risk unnecessary injury.
"Agreed." Kou Zhong glanced around and nodded.
(End of Chapter)
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