nucmednet Chapter 68 Heroes Battle Blood Hand, Victory or No Victory
Chapter 68 Heroes Battle Blood Hand, Victory or No Victory
Ding Shiyuan's injuries were far more severe than Wan Tao's. He suffered multiple bone fractures and some internal organ displacements. It would take several months of recuperation for him to fully recover.
But he woke up earlier than Wan Tao, opening his eyes as soon as he was carried off the stage and laid on the stretcher.
Unlike Wan Taoxian, whose spirit was severely damaged, Ding Shiyuan's courage and composure were not broken in this confrontation.
Martial arts battles are inherently fraught with danger. The consequences of defeat, besides death, include not only the usual setbacks such as injury, poisoning, and loss of skill, but also the most terrifying thing: a loss of morale.
Without the backbone of fighting spirit, even the most skilled and powerful Qigong master can only bully weaker opponents of lower levels. They often suffer defeats against masters of the same level, and have no chance of winning against stronger opponents.
Losing a battle not only depletes one's strength but also shatters one's spirit. It's like falling abruptly from a glorious, perilous peak to a quagmire where everyone can bully you. Such a dramatic fall is enough to frighten anyone in the martial world. Hence the saying, "The older one gets in the martial world, the more timid one becomes."
Young heroes might have the courage to fight to the death for a beautiful woman, while established heroes and sect leaders would usually be polite and respectful when they met, creating a harmonious and amicable atmosphere. They would only resort to violence as a last resort, and if they did fight, they would try to let their disciples and juniors spar to avoid things getting out of control.
Therefore, although Ding Shiyuan's body appeared limp and lifeless, the one who was truly seriously injured and difficult to treat was Wan Taoxian.
"Brother Ding! How are you?" "Brother Ding, you have suffered a defeat, but you are still honorable. That Lin Xue Shou is truly vicious and cannot be defeated by ordinary people."
When he opened his eyes, he vaguely saw eager faces approaching him.
The patrons of the surrounding brothel, who should have been competitors, were now showing concern for each other, as if they were a group of true friends.
"I, Ding, have failed to live up to everyone's expectations. I would also like to advise you all... that you are all heroes and valiant men, so why not preserve your lives and not... fight with him? We have no chance of winning whatsoever."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked saddened.
Although the Hidden Dragon Ranking is sometimes criticized as an unofficial ranking, it is still very authoritative most of the time. Ding Shiyuan's ranking is earned through his performance in each match, making it highly valuable.
Even he was defeated so decisively, without even touching the hem of his opponent's clothes. Who else present could stand against him?
No. Lin Zhuo is already the strongest in the competition, and there is no doubt that the throne of fame and fortune in the ten-zhang martial arts arena tonight has already been claimed.
After whispering amongst themselves for a while, the crowd put pressure on the people in the Golden Pavilion, demanding that they immediately find a way to bring down Lei Yin Blood Hand and stop this scoundrel from continuing to dominate the arena.
"Congratulations, Young Master Lin, on winning another victory. You displayed your prowess just now, and you must be exhausted. Why don't you come with me to escort Young Master Ding off the stage, and you can sit down and rest for a while?" The martial arts master bowed to Lin Zhuo again, his tone even more respectful and proper.
He really wanted to get this terrifying guy off the stage, because the other patrons were already seething with resentment.
Lin Zhuo returned the greeting with clasped hands, but said nothing.
He knew, of course, that he would continue to win every match. If he couldn't win and didn't earn any experience points or disaster coins, he wouldn't bother fighting.
Since you've already decided to be a slave to points, just show your true colors and pretend you're deaf when you hear things like that.
As for the fatigue mentioned by the martial artist, it mainly refers to the depletion of his spiritual energy.
The powerful and fierce technique of "Dragon's Fall" requires a large amount of internal energy to propel it. Even though his internal strength is profound and his foundation is strong, he has not accumulated enough power in the long run and his power has not yet reached the level of being as vast as the ocean. He also needs to replenish his energy after continuous battles.
He has his own way of dealing with this.
In the team channel, Shu Yuliu, who had been watching the live stream the whole time, happily cheered and congratulated them.
[Mingxiao Drum]: Second Senior Brother is so powerful! (Fireworks) (Fireworks)
[Ephemeral Yue]: Thank you.
[Mingxiao Drum]: Please keep fighting! I still want to rack up disaster coins and experience (cheers) (clasped hands)
[Fuyou Yue]: I want to keep playing, but I'm a little hungry now.
As the saying goes, "Nothing is more important than eating," Lin Zhuo's words, "I'm hungry," instantly energized his teammates.
[Mingxiao Drum]: Senior brother, look, this is all the herbs I recently collected [picture]. My eldest brother said these can all be used in cooking and are great for replenishing vital energy!
[Hero Loves Noodles]: I actually work part-time as a chef, why not give my cooking a try?
[Mayfly Yue]: I'm really looking forward to it!
[Mingxiao Drum]: Me too!
[Knocks on a gong]: Cats are the same!
[The Hero Loves Noodles]: You just wait and see.
At this moment, hundreds of miles away from Anzhou City, on the northern foothills of the Yunduan Mountains within the territory of Tiantuo Prefecture, under the starry night, three tents were pitched on the banks of a babbling brook in a secluded valley.
A small, black-and-white boy emerged from the largest and most spacious tent, lit a campfire, set up a stew pot, laid out a small table and cutting board, and began preparing the food with nimble hands and feet.
Shu Yuliu emerged from the second largest tent, dressed in a simple white dress. She was neatly dressed but without makeup or contouring. Despite the fatigue from her journey and searching for medicinal herbs, her face still radiated health. Her lips were rosy, her eyelashes were thick and long, and her fair cheeks were spotless. She had a blessed appearance, a small miracle resulting from her successful internal cultivation.
She was the first of the three newcomers to perfect her internal energy cultivation. In contrast, Lin Zhuo and Jin Xiaohu had been fighting all the way, which delayed their cultivation, so they were still a little far from breaking through the final bottleneck in their internal energy cultivation.
Shu Yuliu helped out, and although she admitted that her cooking skills were only at a home-style level, her knife skills were surprisingly good, which showed that she had practiced hard.
Once the oil was hot, the pieces of game meat that had been hunted were put into the pan and lightly fried. The hissing smoke rose up, and the exciting little noises in the pan kept the inhabitants of the third tent tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Why aren't these two sleeping at night? And what are they cooking?
Fang Qinghan, a disciple of the Undying Valley, huddled in the smallest tent, which was like a coffin and could only fit a sleeping bag. So she first crawled out of the quilt, put on her outer clothes, put on her veil, and then tidied herself up. It took her a lot of effort before she finally poked her head out of the tent flap.
"Gentlemen, please allow me to remind you that eating at midnight damages the spleen and stomach, easily leading to stagnation, and even producing phlegm and dampness, which is detrimental to health." Fang Qinghan's voice was gentle, but her breath was cold, giving the impression of being unapproachable.
"Let's grab something to eat!" Shu Yuliu waved happily. "My senior brother's cooking skills are truly exceptional!"
Fang Qinghan's face, hidden behind the veil, wrinkled up as she solemnly reiterated the doctor's orders, expressing her strong disapproval of her two temporary companions' actions that violated healthy habits.
"Oh dear, you old-fashioned folk don't understand. You have to have a late-night snack while watching the game live." Shu Yuliu hummed a cheerful little tune, looking smug. "If you don't want to eat, you should just go to sleep."
Fang Qinghan indeed pulled her head back in.
With her eyes closed, she could still smell the alluring scents wafting in from outside the tent. With her keen sense of smell, she could easily distinguish each ingredient, but the more she smelled, the more she frowned and the angrier she became.
Zhu Baixuan made a medicinal soup, putting all sorts of rare herbs he had collected in the Yunduan Mountains into the pot.
"This soup contains ginseng, deer bone, polygonatum, poria cocos, cowherb seed, and calamus."
"Wow, that sounds really nourishing."
"Not only that, but it also includes century-old aconite, human-shaped he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum), heart-breaking grass, and antihistamine..."
"Will this work?"
"Nothing is impossible. Whether it's medicine or poison, just put it in a pot and boil it. With my culinary skills, I can turn it into a great tonic."
"That's enough!"
A sharp, angry shout interrupted their banter. Fang Qinghan, a disciple of the Undying Valley and a healer who saves lives, angrily wriggled out of the tent, arms crossed, glaring at them.
"Are you preparing to commit suicide? Drinking this stuff will not only kill you, it will be a agonizing death!"
Shu Yuliu mimicked the cute, goofy grin of a giant panda, raising his hand in response: "Hehe, I believe in Senior Brother."
"Your senior brother is clearly just a child! He doesn't understand anything!"
"My two senior brothers are both very skilled. By the way, my second senior brother is currently fighting in the arena in Anzhou City. It's a pity you can't see it, it's really exciting! There's a swordsman named Ding Shiyuan who was sent flying by my second senior brother!"
Fang Qinghan's eyes, visible through her veil, were originally cold and serious, but upon hearing these words, they couldn't help but soften with pity and helplessness. She murmured self-reproach, "How come I didn't realize before that these two were madmen whose minds were clouded by phlegm? Were they too good at pretending, or have my medical skills deteriorated too much?"
Zhu Baixuan chuckled and put the lid on the pot. The luxurious stew pot, which was dark gold in color and shaped like a precious cauldron, sealed off all the smells. He pressed his palm against the cauldron and silently channeled his inner energy to speed up the cooking process. After a few breaths, he reopened the lid.
A milky white mist rose from the mouth of the cauldron, and bright light burst forth from the pot, making the white mist appear as colorful and beautiful as auspicious clouds.
The strong, intense aroma of medicinal herbs and food bombarded the nasal cavity like cannon fire, causing all the olfactory receptors to become numb and temporarily malfunction.
Shu Yuliu began to swallow, and Fang Qinghan, who was there to interrogate her, opened her mouth slightly. They were all speechless, overwhelmed by the shocking aroma.
Zhu Baixuan picked up a long-handled ladle, slurped up a mouthful of hot soup, savored it, nodded, then added a handful of salt for seasoning. He turned around and said with a smile, "Dinner's ready."
When Fang Qinghan came to her senses, she was already sitting by the fire, enjoying a late-night snack with her two crazy companions. She had completely lost her memory of what had happened before; she was probably sleepwalking. The human body cannot resist such a delicious soup.
Every bite is hot and spicy, and the bitterness and tingling of the medicine are transformed into a novel and interesting flavor.
After swallowing it, the energy in the whole body surged and boiled, the sea of qi churned, and the vital energy soared.
"Is it good?" Zhu Baixuan asked with a smile. Fang Qinghan lowered her head and stammered an apology in a low voice.
The giant panda took out a water bottle, filled it with soup, put it into the storage ring that Lin Zhuo had given it, and then traded the ring back.
In this way, Jin Xiaohu and Lin Zhuo, who are hundreds of miles away, can also drink fresh hot soup.
Lei Yin Xue Shou, who had been somewhat tired on the stage, was now full of energy again after a couple of sips of soup, ready to meet any challenge.
He waited there, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive, like dark clouds obscuring the sun. Any other young martial artists who refused to accept defeat and were unwilling to slink away from the competition were destined to ascend the platform and face this insurmountable opponent.
So, will these people give up? Quite a few did voluntarily withdraw, but many more couldn't bring themselves to do it in front of the vast Anju audience, and couldn't bear the stigma of being a coward.
"With so many of us working together, I don't believe he can defeat us all before he runs out of energy."
"That's right, so who wants to go first?"
After he said that, no one answered.
"What kind of behavior is this, cowering like that? I know my own limitations; I can't compete with you bunch of geniuses. So I'll just go and wear down Lin Xueshou for you. Those of you who still want to make a name for yourselves in the martial world, line up one by one and don't embarrass yourselves!"
"Brother Li, you are mighty!" "Farewell, brave warrior!"
From the moment this straightforward and impulsive martial artist surnamed Li jumped onto the ring, tonight's gauntlet match truly began.
The challenge they left Lin Zhuo with were dozens of opponents of varying quality, each of whom knew they would lose, yet still chose to fight him.
Winning or losing isn't important; what's important is bringing down the arrogant Lin Xueshou.
And so the clumsy dragon fell from the earth and reappeared, and tonight the wind and thunder continue to rage.