Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 266: Chapter 172: Complete Integration! The Avatar Takes Shape

”Last time was last time,” Wan Ze said.

”Alright.” Zhai Jia grinned. ”Then let me see just how far you’ve come.”

The two locked eyes and threw their punches simultaneously.

”THUD!”

Their fists collided in mid-air.

The moment their knuckles met, a dull thud echoed out, like two rocks smashing together.

The very air around them seemed to tremble from the force of the impact.

Zhai Jia’s eyes flew wide. ”Holy crap, Ah Ze, you really have Innate Divine Power!”

His own Cultivation had seen a small boost recently, but he hadn’t expected Wan Ze’s Power to still be enough to make his arm go numb.

It was like getting hit head-on by an iron pillar; his entire arm, from wrist to shoulder, was tingling numbly.

Wan Ze didn’t give him a chance to breathe, smiling as he said, ”Less talk, more action. Use your full strength.”

With that, he stomped hard on the ground and shot toward Zhai Jia like a tiger uncaged.

”Alright, alright, alright!”

Zhai Jia’s gaze sharpened. The smile vanished from his face as he bent his knees slightly, lowered his center of gravity, and raised his arms in a guard.

Wan Ze’s fists arrived in an instant.

He unleashed a combination of punches like a string of firecrackers.

His right fist shot toward Zhai Jia’s face, followed immediately by a left hook to the abdomen. As his right fist retracted, he brought his elbow down in a strike from above, while his left leg swept low toward Zhai Jia’s supporting leg.

Every move was a genuine killing blow, with no flashy or wasted movements.

But Zhai Jia was no pushover.

He blocked with both arms, his Step Technique nimble. Each time, just as Wan Ze’s fist was about to land, he would dodge half a body’s length away.

Blocking, dodging, countering... he displayed all the professionalism of a veteran artist of the Martial Dao.

”BAM! BAM! BAM!”

The sound of fist meeting flesh echoed across the training ground.

Their figures moved swiftly around the field. One attacked ferociously, the other defended with unbreachable stability.

Wan Ze’s assault was like a sudden storm, each punch heavier than the last, each kick more vicious.

Zhai Jia’s defense, however, was like a wall of steel. Every block was impossibly steady, and his occasional counter-punches came from such devious angles they were nearly impossible to guard against.

Watching from the side, Tan Xiao was completely dumbfounded.

’H-Holy crap????’

’I must be seeing things!!!’

...

The two went back and forth for nearly ten minutes.

Finally, during a brief lull in Wan Ze’s assault, Zhai Jia suddenly switched from defense to offense. He stomped on Wan Ze’s front foot and, with his right hand, landed a back-handed elbow strike squarely on Wan Ze’s chest.

”THUD!”

Wan Ze stumbled back two steps, a dull ache spreading through his chest.

He pivoted on his heel to steady himself, then looked up at Zhai Jia.

Zhai Jia was looking back at him, both his arms bright red and his forehead drenched in sweat, but his expression was one of pure, unrestrained exhilaration.

”Damn it!” He shook out his numb arms and grinned. ”If my technique wasn’t a notch above yours, you would’ve wiped the floor with me.”

”Cut it out. You haven’t been slacking off these past few days either,” Wan Ze said, also shaking his numb arms. His chest still throbbed with a faint pain.

He could feel that Zhai Jia was only a single step away from Refining Force.

’But... I’m not catching up to him slowly, either.’

”Of course! If I don’t hurry up, a kid like you is going to completely own me,” Zhai Jia laughed.

Nearby, however, Tan Xiao was still completely floored.

He stood frozen on the sidelines, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes wide, looking like a statue.

He had always thought the gap between him and Wan Ze wasn’t that large.

Truly, not large at all.

He had trained for so long and made so much progress. He could shatter ten bricks with a single punch, and his Step Technique was far more agile than before.

From the very beginning, Tan Xiao had felt that although Wan Ze was strong, if he just tried hard enough, he should be able to hold his own in a fight.

And the result?

Just now, Wan Ze had him on the defensive for three minutes, and he couldn’t even touch the corner of his clothes.

Meanwhile, Zhai Jia had fought Wan Ze for ten minutes. And although he had won, both his arms were beaten red, and he was still shaking them out after the fight.

What did that mean?

It meant the gap between him and Wan Ze was even greater than the gap between Wan Ze and Zhai Jia!

And just a moment ago, he had dared to tell Wan Ze, ”Remember to call me if anything fun comes up”...

Tan Xiao’s face flushed crimson in an instant. He lowered his head, staring at the ground, wishing he could find a crack to crawl into.

”Um... Junior Brother Wan...”

Wan Ze turned to look at him.

Tan Xiao’s face grew even redder. His lips moved, and after a long moment, he finally managed to squeeze out, ”What I said earlier... just pretend I was talking out of my ass.”

Wan Ze froze for a second, then didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Zhai Jia walked over, clapped Tan Xiao on the shoulder, and laughed. ”What’s wrong? Scared off?”

”It’s not that I’m scared...” Tan Xiao scratched the back of his head, his expression a mixture of shame and embarrassment. ”I just feel... at my current level, if I go out with Junior Brother Wan to see the world, wouldn’t I just be holding you guys back?”

He looked up at Wan Ze, his eyes filled with shame.

He felt utterly pathetic. Now he wouldn’t dare ask Wan Ze to take him out to ”see the world” again. He was ashamed, feeling he didn’t have the right.

”Brother Jia, Junior Brother Wan, I’ll be taking my leave.”

Tan Xiao let out a breath as if a great weight had been lifted, then turned and left, scurrying off to go train.

Zhai Jia stood beside Wan Ze, watching Tan Xiao’s retreating back with a smile. ”That kid is making progress. Recognizing the gap is a good thing. The only thing to fear is not knowing it exists.”

As he spoke, however, Zhai Jia suddenly turned his head to look at Wan Ze and asked, ”Ah Ze, I get the feeling... did you have another breakthrough?”

Wan Ze thought for a moment, then shook his head. ”Not a breakthrough. I just... found some new things.”

Zhai Jia stared at him for a long time before finally shaking his head with a wry smile. ”Ah Ze, I’m truly impressed by that brain of yours. Other people rely on their masters to learn the Martial Dao, but you learn by thinking for yourself. A genius is a genius. There’s just no comparison.”

”Stop trying to flatter me.” Wan Ze smiled and changed the subject. ”Regarding that person’s matter, how are the preparations coming along?”