Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

If the young man in the bamboo hat really was from Xuelao City, then Xuanyuan Po would not mind paying everything, even his own life, to stop him.

This was what he had decided.

The young man was unaffected by this statement, his visage remaining serene.

It was the feeling that he gave everyone: to him, everything was routine, even life and death.

Both sides had already expressed their stances, so now it was time to prove them.

Xuanyuan Po knew that his opponent was very strong, at least much stronger than him, so he chose to strike first.

From the morning two days ago when he stood on the crude fighting platform in the Pine Paths, his nine consecutive victories, up to now, this was his first time striking first.

The ground thudded as his fur shoes struck the hard stone ground.

The chilly air in front of the Imperial City suddenly began to pop.

These popping sounds were not very loud, but they were extremely clear.

This was the sound of air being struck and, not having time to compress, being blasted apart.

One could imagine just how fast Xuanyuan Po was. The surrounding spectators simply could not see him, only a faint blur.

Behind the blur was a trail of dust, its target the young man in the bamboo hat.

Xuanyuan Po's left fist flew through the air, howling with the unimaginable strength and power of a thunderstorm.

Before the fist arrived, dust rose, shrouding the area like dark clouds.

The young man walked out of the dust.

And then, he placed his left hand behind him.

With this movement, his Qi changed.

……

……

Xiaode had withdrawn from the Heavenly Selection, but he had still come to see the match.

He had brought ten-some subordinates with him, their group standing on a slope near Heavensguard Pavilion. He silently watched the events taking place in front of the Imperial City, seemingly thinking of something.

Neither the young man appearing like a lonely mountain nor Xuanyuan Po's determined and forceful declaration had caused a single change in his expression.

But when he saw the young man walk out of the dust and place his left hand behind his back, Xiaode's expression suddenly changed, his complexion somewhat paling.

This made him recall that sight in Mount Han from many years ago.

The middle-aged scholar in front of the forest had held his hands in the same way.

The middle-aged scholar had had his back to him and Liu Qing, attentively observing the fruit.

A demi-human expert and the world's number-one assassin?

When he turned around, the darkness shrouded all one thousand li of Mount Han.

Everything in the world was naturally just routine, not even worth mentioning.

……

……

The young man walked out of the dust.

He was still not the middle-aged scholar of Mount Han, so the sky over White Emperor City did not suddenly dim.

But when he raised his right hand to meet Xuanyuan Po's left fist, the darkness still came as usual.

The darkness could shroud the thousand li of Mount Han, could obscure the entire sky, could contain or swallow all things. It could naturally block a fist.

Without any sound, Xuanyuan Po's fist was gripped in his palm.

Nothing happened afterward.

To grip was to capture, leaving one powerless to leave, not unless the morning light fell upon the earth once more, the world instantly advancing to the dawn of the next day.

At this sight, both the spectating populace and the important personages watching from a distance were shocked speechless.

Two days ago, in the lower city districts, Xuanyuan Po's fist had exhibited an unimaginable strength and momentum in the fighting platform matches, each punch able to tear open the sky and crack the earth. After winning nine matches in a row, he really did manage to fight out an impressive reputation for himself. He had even become regarded as a god by the impoverished demi-humans.

But today, Xuanyuan Po's fist seemed incredibly weak, not even able to escape his opponent's palm!

Just how powerful was this young man!

The atmosphere became abnormally tense, the air seeming to freeze. The faces of the crowd were covered in shock and concern.

Xuanyuan Po's expression remained unchanged. It could be called dull-witted, but it could also be described as composed.

It was just like it was a moment ago, a day ago, a few years ago.

He did not panic, as he had long since confirmed that the young man was far stronger than he was.

More importantly, he had still not used his strongest move.

Whether it was in the nine battles two days ago or the last several years of conflicts in the small tavern and in the Pine Paths, he had never used this sort of move.

Even if one went back as far as the capital and the Orthodox Academy, he had still never truly used this sort of move.

His strongest move was still his fist.

But rather than his pristine left fist, it was… that withered, crippled right fist.

Xuanyuan Po raised his right fist and swung it forward.

His right arm had once been severely injured, all of its meridians snapped by Tianhai Ya'er. Later on, Chen Changsheng's treatment almost completely cured it. But as he began to learn a certain technique, not only did his right arm not fully recover, its condition began to worsen, particularly in the last few years, in which it had greatly atrophied.

Right now, his arm was extremely thin, like a tree branch or the arm of a child. When compared to the rest of his stalwart body, it looked even more pitiful.

In the small tavern by the river, this was the primary reason for the jeers aimed at him.

Today, no one dared to jeer at him, only sympathize with and pity him.

He was clearly no match but refused to give up. In the eyes of the crowd, Xuanyuan Po was very brave, but this sort of bravery made their hearts ache.

Xuanyuan Po paid no attention to the sighs from around him. With great focus, he silently swung his arm to smash at his opponent's face.

It was a smash rather than a punch, because his hand was clenched in a fist and swinging from up to down, using the bottom of his fist instead of the sturdiest part, the front.

This was somewhat like somebody slapping the table in dismay, but more like striking the filthy water in the washing basin out of anger.

In truth, it was most similar to a falling hammer.

……

……

In the forest next to Heavensguard Pavilion, Xiaode's expression suddenly changed and he took a step forward.

On the observation platform, the Xiang clan leader suddenly opened his eyes.

Within the stone hall, Madam Mu's slender brows rose like swords.

In this scene, the ordinary people could only see dejection and despair, but they could see more.

For instance, when Xuanyuan Po swung his fist, the Qi of the Wildfire emanated by the distant Celestial Trees suddenly began to surge out!

A massive black bear appeared in the sky!

It stretched out its sharp claws, tearing open the darkness over the Imperial City!

Rain clouds emerged from this darkness, lightning crackling deep within them!

The plaza in front of the Imperial City was illuminated in a dazzling light.

Within the blinding light, Xuanyuan Po's right arm flew forward, rapidly expanding.

His fist multiplied in size, a metal hammer in the hand of a god.

His fist descended like a hammer.

The bolt of lightning descended with it.

Boom!

Fist and lightning struck the young man at the same time.