Chapter 209: Chapter 116: Old Limp, Demon Suppression Guard, White Snake Demon

But in the face of this fierce attack, Chu Fan merely shifted his feet. His body swayed like a phantom, effortlessly dodging the powerful whip kick by a hair’s breadth.

At the same time, he casually extended his right hand.

Though it looked slow, his hand arrived first, landing squarely on Li Xingxuan’s chest.

"THUMP!"

A muffled thud.

With no way to brace himself in mid-air, Li Xingxuan grunted as he crashed heavily to the ground, smashing a small crater into the floor!

The entire Martial Arts Arena fell instantly silent.

Some had clenched their fists and forgotten to release them.

Others stared with mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

Even the few who had been cheering the loudest just moments ago were frozen in place, their eyes bulging from their sockets...

Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they had just seen.

’It’s over?’

’The Little Overlord, Li Xingxuan—whom Cao Yiyi of the Bone Tempering Realm could only barely suppress despite her prolonged attacks—was taken down by Chu Fan with a single, casual slap?’

After a brief silence, a tide of whispers began to spread.

"We’re done for. The Little Overlord has never been humiliated like this. He won’t stop until he cripples Chu Fan!"

"In this entire Sub-Branch, who besides Senior Sister Qingxue would dare to attack him like that?"

"This Chu Fan... he’s just too strong, isn’t he? I heard he defeated an expert from out of town, someone at the Bone Marrow Forging Realm, with a single punch. I didn’t believe it then, but now..."

"He casually did what even Cao Yiyi couldn’t. What Realm is he in, exactly?"

All eyes were fixed on Li Xingxuan as he scrambled to his feet.

They waited for the expected explosion of rage and a fierce counterattack.

A few Li Family disciples had already shifted quietly, moving to surround him, ready to grab Li Xingxuan and hold him back at a moment’s notice.

However, to everyone’s surprise—

Li Xingxuan picked himself up, his face dark.

Just when everyone expected him to fly into a rage, he simply stared up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, completely silent.

His figure projected a certain loneliness.

It was the kind of helplessness you feel when you’re walking down the street and can’t find a bathroom.

Heartbreaking, really.

Then, without so much as a glance at Chu Fan, he turned as if nothing had happened and charged back toward the equally stunned Cao Yiyi!

It was as if the previous exchange had never happened!

...

The Martial Arts Arena was dead silent.

Everyone was stunned by this stunt from Li Xingxuan.

The Little Overlord was a textbook example of "bully the weak, fear the strong."

’He seems... terrified of Chu Fan?’

’Did he lose all courage to even try again?’

’Or did that single slap make him realize the gap between them was insurmountable?’

Back on the platform, the fight between Li Xingxuan and Cao Yiyi resumed, but the atmosphere had turned bizarre.

The audience was no longer focused on the fight. They kept stealing glances at Chu Fan, some pointing curiously while others huddled together, murmuring.

Before long, Li Xingxuan could no longer hold out and was defeated.

He turned and walked toward Chu Fan, looking as if he wanted to complain.

But then they heard Chu Fan say, "Li Xingxuan’s defeat was narrow, his tiger’s might undiminished. Cao Yiyi’s victory was a bitter one, her decline now obvious."

"Not bad, not bad."

Everyone was stunned.

’A loss is a loss, and a win is a win...’

’How could someone praise the loser to high heaven while scorning the winner?’

"Those words... I have to remember those!"

Li Xingxuan’s eyes lit up, and he broke into a wide grin.

He looked at Chu Fan, liking him more and more. For the first time, he felt that this Chu Fan fellow wasn’t so bad after all.

Li Qingxue’s attention returned to Chu Fan.

It was a look filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and a touch of... unfulfilled longing.

She wanted to hear him continue humming that wonderful melody.

The tune seemed to possess some kind of Magic Power, and it had tugged at her heartstrings.

But because of Li Xingxuan’s reckless kick, Chu Fan had stopped humming.

’How infuriating...’

Li Qingxue pursed her cherry-red lips, a strange sense of annoyance welling up inside her.

She wanted to ask Chu Fan to hum it again, but her sense of propriety and her status made her hesitate to speak up.

As she hesitated, she saw Chu Fan seemed to lose all interest in the proceedings.

He lightly dusted off his sleeves and turned to walk out of the crowd.

Suddenly, a slightly urgent voice called out from the crowd, "Junior Brother Chu Fan, please wait!"

Chu Fan turned to see a kind-faced young man in Cao Family attire walking briskly toward him. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He recognized the man. His name was Cao Ning, a Cao Family disciple whom Cao Feng had introduced. They had met twice before.

Though they weren’t well-acquainted, the man had always been friendly.

"Senior Brother Cao Ning." Chu Fan stopped and gave a slight nod.

Cao Ning approached with a bright smile. "I’m the Instructor on duty today, in charge of guiding everyone in the Twelve Forms Fist. Just now... heh, that was some impressive skill, Junior Brother."

After the compliment, he got straight to the point, his tone earnest. "To be honest, Junior Brother, my Second Uncle has mentioned you many times. He says your Twelve Forms Fist has reached a Realm that is unattainable for the likes of us."

"This is a rare opportunity. I was wondering if you would deign to give some pointers to these hopeless guys?"

As he spoke, Cao Ning’s gaze swept over the surrounding disciples from the Cao and Li Families.

Many of them still looked at Chu Fan with complicated expressions. Some lowered their heads and fiddled with the hems of their robes, unable to hide the defiance in their eyes.

Others stole glances at him, only to quickly look away, the tips of their ears turning red.

Cao Ning lowered his voice, a hint of frustration in his tone. "Some of the Cao Family members... they’ve practiced for years, but their Twelve Forms Fist is still a complete mess. It infuriates me to watch!"

"And there are always those in both families who lack foresight and can’t understand why Second Uncle holds you in such high regard."

"Take this chance, Junior Brother. Show them a thing or two. It’ll be a good wake-up call for those who are too blind to see."

As soon as he finished speaking, several elders from the Cao and Li Families strolled over from a short distance away.

They had been observing the match between Li Xingxuan and Cao Yiyi. As they approached, they first exchanged a few words with Li Qingxue before their gazes fell in unison upon Chu Fan.