Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Sparring
The Good Fortune and Righteous Heart Sutra was profound and mysterious. From Jiang Ran’s limited perspective, this Inner Energy technique had to originate from the orthodox lineage of a Daoist mystical school.
But he couldn’t discern its specific origins.
He only knew that in his current practice, his Inner Strength advanced with every completed Grand Circulation.
While not as exaggerated as making a thousand miles of progress in a single day, the improvement was not to be underestimated.
But... he had crossed palms with Zhang Dongxuan and exchanged blows with Dao Zhen, and he had never felt a similar Inner Strength from either of them.
This left Jiang Ran a little bewildered, wondering if his recent epiphany was right or wrong.
But he didn’t dwell on it for long.
’If someone knows about the Good Fortune and Righteous Heart Sutra, it won’t be hard to inquire about it later. And even if I can’t find out, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like it affects my ability to use it.’
He mentally reviewed the Thirteen Mad Demon Claws of the Kun Trigram once more.
Jiang Ran stood up, spread his fingers, and slowly began to practice.
Just as the name of the martial art suggested.
"Kun" represented the earth.
The Earth’s nature is receptive; the superior man supports the world with his great virtue.
The foundation of this claw technique was the ground itself. As long as one’s feet were planted on the earth, its power was boundless.
It consisted of thirteen moves, each one dangerously unpredictable.
To perform it, one had to be like a madman or a demon—frenzied and ruthless.
It was a peerless art that forsook all defense, using pure offense as its shield.
As Jiang Ran practiced in his room, he felt his understanding of the technique deepen with every move he made.
After running through the entire set, he still felt wanting.
’If only I had someone to spar with...’
Jiang Ran smacked his lips, glanced outside the door, and suddenly smiled.
’Since you’re following me anyway, helping me practice a few moves shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?’
He walked to the door and pulled it open. Leaning against the wall with arms crossed, like an unbending blade, stood Li Tianxin. He glanced up at Jiang Ran and snorted.
"What now?"
"Come on."
Jiang Ran said, "We’re going to find a deserted place."
Li Tianxin froze, his usually placid face showing a flicker of shock.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Less talk."
Jiang Ran shot out a hand to grab him. Li Tianxin’s shoulder dipped, and he seemed to have perfectly dodged the claw-hand. But then Jiang Ran’s fingers extended, seeming to lengthen out of thin air. They opened and closed like the jaws of a beast, seizing Li Tianxin’s shoulder.
Li Tianxin’s expression changed as he felt a powerful force overwhelm him. Jiang Ran dragged him toward the inn’s rear courtyard.
After much pulling and struggling, they finally reached a secluded spot.
Only then did Jiang Ran fling him away.
Li Tianxin rubbed his shoulder.
"What in the world do you want?"
His voice and eyes were wary. Seeing Jiang Ran walk toward him, he quickly added:
"Don’t think you can do whatever you please just because you have me under your thumb. If you’ve got the nerve, kill me now. See if I so much as flinch."
"Cut the crap. Here I come!"
Jiang Ran didn’t bother with further talk. He stepped forward and lashed out with a claw-hand.
A flash of astonishment crossed Li Tianxin’s mind before he employed his footwork to evade the attack. At the same time, his hand went to his saber. With a low hum, a flash of steel shot toward Jiang Ran’s left shoulder.
Jiang Ran smiled, took three quick steps, and thrust out both claw-hands, aiming for vital points.
Li Tianxin no longer hesitated. He now understood that Jiang Ran simply wanted to spar.
He immediately focused his full attention, trading and countering blows.
Jiang Ran’s attacks were measured. As for this Thirteen Mad Demon Claws of the Kun Trigram... even if the system reward insisted it was equivalent to twenty-six years of practice...
...in Jiang Ran’s hands, there was still a process of moving from unfamiliarity to mastery.
And the person who experienced this process most profoundly was Li Tianxin.
Jiang Ran’s claw technique was incredibly dangerous. At first, although the moves were masterful, there were often openings between them that allowed Li Tianxin to exploit.
But as the fight wore on, the gaps between moves vanished, and the ruthlessness became ever more pronounced.
His five-fingered claws targeted the internal organs, the eyes, the throat, and even... the groin.
The air ripped and tore around them. The sharp gale kicked up by the claws, the fierce and unending moves, were like a crazed demon. Once caught in the whirlwind, there was no chance for a reprieve.
He strained to dodge another blow and brought his saber up.
Just as he swung his blade, he felt it seize. Looking down, he saw that Jiang Ran had caught the back of the blade with a single hand.
In the next instant, Jiang Ran’s other hand was at his throat.
A simple flex of those fingers, and he would meet a violent end.
"Good. Again!"
Jiang Ran withdrew his hand and beckoned to Li Tianxin.
After a moment of silence, Li Tianxin stepped forward. The sharp edge of his blade followed, striking straight for the vital point on Jiang Ran’s chest.
The two of them fought for the better part of half a day.
By the end, Li Tianxin was ready to curse his own mother.
Jiang Ran’s process of mastering the technique went from raw, to proficient, to frenzied, and finally to complete control.
Throughout this process, Li Tianxin was only able to put up a fight at the very beginning.
After that, he was utterly on the defensive, used as a living target by Jiang Ran, beaten so thoroughly he couldn’t retaliate.
Under such circumstances, even with Jiang Ran holding back, Li Tianxin was inevitably covered in cuts and bruises.
Li Tianxin didn’t beg for mercy. Facing the demonic onslaught, he gritted his teeth, his eyes glaring so fiercely they looked ready to bleed.
He stared at Jiang Ran, wishing he could flay him alive, but he was utterly helpless.
Jiang Ran paid no mind to Li Tianxin’s state, focusing only on his growing appreciation for the new technique.
Its internal method for circulating energy was vastly different from other martial arts.
As long as his feet were planted on the ground, the ferocity of his attacks was endless.
’If I had let that Tu Wulang touch the ground yesterday, it’s not that I couldn’t have killed him... but it certainly wouldn’t have been so easy.’
A sense of satisfaction washed over him at the thought.
He glanced up at Li Tianxin, only to find the man glaring daggers at him, simmering with rage but holding his tongue.
Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Ran saw that Li Tianxin had noticed him looking.
The next moment, Li Tianxin whipped his head around, and it looked like he wiped at his face.
Jiang Ran stared blankly.
"Are you crying?"
"...No!!"
Li Tianxin roared, then turned and stalked off.
’...He totally was. A grown man, crying over a few scratches? What’s with all the whimpering?’
Jiang Ran pursed his lips. If not for Li Tianxin’s Adam’s apple and flat chest, he really would have mistaken him for a woman.
He didn’t think much of it and returned to his room, hands clasped behind his back.
He was thoroughly satisfied with the day’s gains. He planned to get a good night’s rest and then set out for the Wan family compound tomorrow.
「Meanwhile, in a small courtyard within the Government Office.」
CRACK! A large bowl hit the floor, scattering rice and meat broth everywhere.
The Prefect, however, paid it no mind. He simply stared at the letter before him, his eyes filled with utter bewilderment.
"How could this be?"
