Chapter 4485 — Certain Defeat?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Nor was he alone. Zhao Shanying of the Mystic Eagle Escort Agency in the distance, and Qi Mingyuan, Hai Wuliang, and the others seated in the judges' panel—each was a person of exceptional discernment. In this deadlock that seemed so evenly matched, the superior and inferior were already clearly decided. Though it was not very obvious, there was no doubt that Wei Zhao had been under Cheng Haonan's heel the entire time!
As worry showed on Qi Mingyuan's face, the corners of Hai Wuliang's mouth curved upward once more. So long as Cheng Haonan could successfully dispose of Wei Zhao, the plan would return to its originally anticipated track, everything would remain firmly in hand, and his Four Seas Escort Agency would still have its chance to laugh last.
Wei Zhao's disadvantage had not been obvious at first, but as the pace of attack and defense on both sides grew ever faster, the flaw was suddenly laid bare.
Though the jade pendant's space was a powerful backstop, and Wei Zhao feared no depletion of true qi, the problem was that even the most convenient martial skill required a period of qi gathering in the course of its execution; only the length of that gathering differed.
Using one powerful martial skill after another allowed Wei Zhao to maintain immense pressure on Cheng Haonan while also, imperceptibly, exposing an unavoidable flaw—his rhythm.
Every martial skill required qi gathering, which doomed Wei Zhao's rhythm of attack and defense to remain slow; a pause for recovery was inevitable in between. However briefly Wei Zhao compressed that interval, it could not be avoided in the end. By contrast, Cheng Haonan, using only ordinary punches and kicks, had no such concern at all.
Cheng Haonan had clearly seized upon this flaw, and so he did everything in his power to hasten the rhythm. Once the tempo exceeded Wei Zhao's upper limit, the man would fall entirely under his control.
The present situation was plainly tilting rapidly in that direction. More and more people were beginning to realize that Cheng Haonan had been holding the upper hand all along—and that his advantage was still swiftly widening!
Bang! Once again his prized Mad Fire Eight Trigrams Palm was blocked by his opponent's ordinary punches and kicks, and seeing Cheng Haonan utterly unharmed, Wei Zhao's heart sank.
This was the Mad Fire Eight Trigrams Palm's thirty forms; its power was by no means trifling. Even Cheng Haonan had not dared to meet it head-on a moment earlier—yet now he handled it so lightly and casually. This was the gap in rhythm.
That rhythm had now far exceeded Wei Zhao's upper limit. With no time to gather qi, powerful martial skills like the Mad Fire Eight Trigrams Palm had lost their original might. This was a most dangerous sign.
At the start of the duel, the aura around Cheng Haonan had been deeply restrained, like a savage beast sheathing its claws. But now Wei Zhao distinctly felt the oppressive force radiating from his opponent growing ever stronger, that aura of extreme danger ever more pronounced. The savage beast was about to bare its fangs.
No—he had to break free of this rhythm at once, or defeat was certain.
Wei Zhao was no fool; he could not possibly cling to his original strategy in such a situation. This was plainly a dead end, and so circumstances now forced him to change—to stake his life and fortune and fight with all his might!
Striking with both hands at once, Wei Zhao raised his palms and unleashed two Mad Fire Eight Trigrams Palms in succession. This sudden change startled Cheng Haonan, who was instantly driven back several zhang! (Chapter 8 update!) (To be continued...)