Long Xiao strode onto the stage, glancing at the referee, then at Li Yufei.
"Referee, I don't want to bully the lady. How about letting the beauty rest for a while before we fight?" Long Xiao asked the referee.
Whether to rest or not depended on the fighter. Since Long Xiao had proposed it, the referee immediately sought Li Yufei's opinion.
Li Yufei didn't feel tired. She shook her head and said, "No need. It should be over soon."
Long Xiao had been deliberately acting arrogant. This way, those familiar with Long Xiao wouldn't suspect that Hu Lei and Long Xiao were the same person.
Unexpectedly, Li Yufei was even more audacious. After defeating three opponents in a row, she intended to fight the fourth without a break.
"Heh heh, Miss Li, I'm a man who cherishes the fairer sex. I'm giving you a chance to rest. If you don't take it, don't blame me. After I defeat you, don't say I took advantage of you."
Being told by a man that he would take advantage of her, Li Yufei's face blushed involuntarily, and she said with a furious expression, "Don't talk nonsense. This is a fighting stage; we compete with skills, not with mouths."
Long Xiao smacked his lips, flicked his tongue, and said, "My verbal skills are also very impressive. Do you want to give them a try?"
This time, Li Yufei was completely enraged. "You dare to flirt with me? I'll smash that stinking mouth of yours."
The referee couldn't stand it any longer. "Stop bickering and begin."
The referee announced the start and then retreated.
Li Yufei lifted her leg in a 'Chicken Stare Step' and kicked towards Long Xiao's chest. Her leg techniques were fast and fierce, as if each kick could kill a person.
Long Xiao used the 'Gui Xuan' footwork to leisurely dodge, smiling and saying, "Miss Li, shall I let you have ten moves first?"
"I don't need you to let me. This is a fighting stage; talking doesn't help."
With that, Li Yufei unleashed a rapid series of kicks, aiming to defeat Long Xiao in one go.
Long Xiao continued to use the 'Gui Xuan' footwork to swiftly evade, showing no intention of retaliating.
After dodging over a dozen moves, Li Yufei asked, "Why aren't you fighting back?"
"Heh heh, I'm a man who cherishes the fairer sex. I'm afraid you'll lose face if I defeat you with the Nine Roads Tan Legs."
"Nine Roads Tan Legs is our Li family's unique skill. You couldn't possibly know it."
As soon as Li Yufei finished speaking, Long Xiao launched three consecutive kicks with his right leg, attacking Li Yufei's lower, middle, and upper sections.
This was a standard attack sequence of the Nine Roads Tan Legs, emphasizing speed and ferocity.
Long Xiao didn't use much force in his kicks; he was imitating the Nine Roads Tan Legs. If he used too much power, his speed would decrease.
Those unfamiliar with the Nine Roads Tan Legs only saw that Long Xiao had started his attack. But Li Yufei was inwardly shocked. She realized Long Xiao hadn't lied; he genuinely knew the Nine Roads Tan Legs.
Just as Li Yufei dodged Long Xiao's three kicks, he followed up with a sweeping leg and then a sidekick.
Long Xiao's attack speed increased with each move. Li Yufei found that her Nine Roads Tan Legs, which she had practiced for over twenty years, were no match for Long Xiao's speed.
After unleashing over a dozen kicks, Li Yufei was struck on the shoulder by Long Xiao.
Since Long Xiao hadn't used much force, she only retreated five or six steps before regaining her balance.
This time, not only Li Yufei was shocked, but all the martial arts experts present were stunned. None of them had expected another master of the Nine Roads Tan Legs to emerge.
Li Yufei's father, the chairman of the Liaodong Province Martial Arts Alliance, looked at Long Xiao on the stage with surprise.
This young man's mastery of the Nine Roads Tan Legs was no less than his own. In China, besides the Li family, were there other inheritors of the Nine Roads Tan Legs? How had he not known?
This time, Long Xiao had not hidden much of his strength, except for the Five Elements Qi. Everyone who knew Hu Lei was shocked. Zheng Dongyang and those sitting with him stared at Long Xiao in a daze.
Ming Tianya wore a beaming smile. He was proud of himself for accurately identifying such a talent as Long Xiao this time.
In a small mountain village in the northern suburbs of Beijing, an elder watching the live broadcast also wore a wide smile.
"Sir, this Hu Lei is truly a remarkable talent," the butler said.
The elder nodded. "He is not just talented; he is a genius. His Nine Roads Tan Legs were learned on the spot, and yet he is more skillful than the Li family members who have practiced for decades."
"Sir, how is this possible? To have such skill after learning Nine Roads Tan Legs on the spot, is he even human?" The butler couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed them and looked at Long Xiao on the television again.
"Such a genius must be given a crucial position in our Martial Arts Alliance. It is a fortune for the Alliance and for China."
"Sir, what position do you plan to give him?" the butler asked.
"The Enforcement Elder has been missing for many years. It's time for our Martial Arts Alliance to have a new Enforcement Elder."
The Martial Arts Alliance had five chairmen and four elders. The four elders only answered to the General Chairman and were on par with the vice-chairmen, sometimes even wielding more authority.
The Enforcement Elder was the head of the four elders. If the four vice-chairmen or the other three elders made a mistake, the Enforcement Elder had the right to enforce the law.
Li Yufei rubbed her arm, finding it hard to believe what she was seeing.
With a look of disbelief, she asked, "Who are you? How do you know the Nine Roads Tan Legs?"
"I am Hu Lei, an ordinary migrant worker. The Nine Roads Tan Legs have been passed down in my family for generations."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Only our Li family in China possesses the legacy of the Nine Roads Tan Legs."
After speaking, Long Xiao unleashed another series of kicks, attacking Li Yufei's lower, middle, and upper sections. His two feet moved like a storm, making it impossible to follow.
The Storm Kick was the last and most difficult stage of the Nine Roads Tan Legs. Li Hao had practiced for decades but had never reached its pinnacle.
Under everyone's shocked gaze, Li Yufei was kicked off the stage by Long Xiao.
Li Yufei landed steadily and looked dazedly at Long Xiao on the stage.
Although Long Xiao had defeated her, he had saved her face by not injuring her or making her appear overly embarrassed.
After more than ten seconds of silence in the arena, a roar of cheers erupted from the stands. The referee stepped forward to announce Long Xiao's victory, and the host began to lavish praise on him, hailing him as a prodigy of the Chinese martial arts world and the biggest dark horse of the year.
Long Xiao returned to his seat. The people in the stands were all speculating whether Long Xiao could become the champion in tomorrow's finals. Many people began comparing Long Xiao with Zhu Kai, analyzing their respective strengths.
The擂主 (leitai master) for the last group was Zhu Kai, who stood like an iron tower, his muscles bulging as if about to burst through his skin.
Only two matches were fought before no one else dared to step up. This was the fastest group to finish.
The referee announced Zhu Kai's victory, and the cheers were even louder than before.
"Long Xiao, what are your thoughts on this Zhu Kai?" Zheng Dongyang asked.
"This fellow can take a beating. It looks like one punch won't take him down; I'll need to land a few more."
"Hu Lei, can you dodge Zhu Kai's attacks using the 'Gui Xuan' footwork?" Mei Xiaotian asked.
Long Xiao nodded casually and said, "No problem. Last time I fought you, my 'Gui Xuan' footwork hadn't truly displayed its full power."
Long Xiao's words made Mei Xiaotian feel uncomfortable, but he didn't know how to retort.
Before Mei Xiaotian could speak, Long Xiao added, "Your 'Gui Xuan' footwork is probably only at the beginner level. Tomorrow, you'll see what intermediate 'Gui Xuan' footwork looks like."
There were very few people who had mastered the intermediate 'Gui Xuan' footwork in the Luo family. This wasn't because the Luo family didn't teach it, but rather because the technique was incomplete. To master it required immense comprehension.
The missing parts of the intermediate 'Gui Xuan' footwork had to be figured out through self-comprehension. Therefore, even those who could perform intermediate 'Gui Xuan' footwork practiced it differently, and no one could definitively say who had the correct version.