Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Wang Xiao, Elysium Earth Immortal.
One of the main figures on Earth responsible for converging the finances of Elysium. His appearance was very ordinary, and he was only one point seven two meters in height. He was the kind of person that couldn’t be distinguished in a crowd.
If it wasn’t for his gravity-defying slow descent from high altitude, with the wind blowing the light green robes that he was wearing, showing the strength of a martial dao master, it would have been hard to believe that this ordinary-looking, elegant, yet arrogant man was not some weak scholar, but a master of the martial dao world.
Descending from the skies, sand scattered on the ground, and the resulting airflow gathered the dust and cement together to form a huge chrysanthemum shape to surround it.
“Elysium, Wang Xiao.”
Wang Xiao flicked back his long sleeves, his body standing proudly like a mountain. The corner of his lips and eyes were covered with cold frost. The chrysanthemum’s aura of elegance and arrogance were deeply embedded into his martial dao and his existence. If it wasn’t for all the blood stench, Qin Fen even suspected that he could smell the faint chrysanthemum fragrance from the air.
With a simple declaration of who he was and a simple flick of a wrist, Wang Xiao had declared his entry with a powerful aura. The aura of a martial dao master left Manager He stunned and speechless.
Qin Fen took a step forward casually, and flicked his wrist toward the mess on the ground, “Master Wang, my furniture, my transportation fee, the medical expenses of my porters, and my travel costs for returning in such a hurry. I think you should reimburse me.”
Wang Xiao looked at Qin Fen with a faint hint of disgust. The perennial cultivation of the Chrysanthemum Divine Art had caused him to comprehend the arrogance and elegance of the chrysanthemum, which gave him a characteristic that regarded money as dirt.
This characteristic was also why Elysium send him to Earth to handle financial convergence as they wouldn’t need to worry about him being involved in corruption for his personal gain.
“You’re a martial dao master, yet you care about such materialistic things.” Wang Xiao breathed in a cold breath, and his chin was slightly raised in a proud manner. In a chiding tone, he said, “With such mentality, how can you reach the true extreme peak state of martial dao? You’re young and yet you wish to not participate in the clash of the Divine Beast martial artists but instead fight others over materialistic gains, such a disappointment. Bae Seong-Joon and Kyokushin Kouten, were they really killed by you?”
Qin Fen looked at Wang Xiao’s reprimanding look and he laughed in his heart. This person could become such a character because of the cultivation of Zeng Yicheng’s martial dao. I wonder if Vile King saw such a situation, would his eyeballs pop out from shock?
It was the cultivation of the vile Chrysanthemum Divine Art yet arrogance and elegance were cultivated instead. Qin Fen couldn’t help but laugh when he thought about it, and his lips formed a small smile.
“You’re smiling?” Wang Xiao’s eyebrows raised, those thin alluring lips stretched quickly to both sides, “Is that a taunt?”
Qin Fen nodded twice, although his taunt of a smile was more self-deprecating – his lips had betrayed him. The other party had seen it, so there was no need to cover up anything.
Wang Xiao silently swept his eyes across the ground and looked at Liu Wenjun, whose crown was shattered by Kyokushin Genichi. His cold gaze suddenly became colder. The chrysanthemums composed of sand and dust around him exploded with a “bang” as it turned into dust and fell to the ground again.
“You killed my disciple, mocked my martial arts technique, and ruined Elysium’s business.”
Wang Xiao’s tone became more ghastly. He didn’t even look at Qin Fen and Hashimoto. He just said, nodding to himself. “According to the rules, any of the three things you did should’ve cost you your life. Now I’ll give you two options. First, abolish your own martial arts and let me kill you. Second, acknowledge me as your master into Elysium, and I’ll let you off the hook for killing my disciple, mocking my martial arts and ruining Elysium’s business.”
Manager He heard the words and he cursed the misfortune in his heart. How could either of the two martial arts masters bow down to one another? Even as an outsider he could understand these things. Could he really have the ability to protect himself if combat occurred?
Qin Fen and Hashimoto were not surprised. As fellow martial dao masters, being ridiculed by the younger generation for wrongful cultivation was a hard pill to swallow for anyone.
Martial dao had so many paths, with each person having their own. A martial dao master could lose to another martial dao master of the same caliber, but they could not accept having their own martial dao path pointed out as a wrong path by others.
On the path of their respective martial dao, only the person who cultivated that particular martial art could be considered the real authority of his own path.
Qin Fen’s first sentence after he opened his mouth claimed that his cultivation of martial arts technique was fundamentally wrong. To any martial dao master, this was the most direct and insulting form of mockery.
Wang Xiao, who cultivated the Chrysanthemum Divine Art, was someone whose presence was full of arrogance and elegance. It could be said that he was similar to the ancient scholars who would rather die than surrender. After seeing his fellow member dead, the mission given to him by Elysium was scrapped. The killing intent had already seeped into every cell of his body.
“As for killing your disciple, I admit that. Ruining Elysium’s business, I also admit that.” Qin Fen’s shoulders expanded slightly, “A gentleman loves money, but he obtains it through proper means. Since you have committed atrocities, you should be aware of this outcome.”
Wang Xiao’s pupils suddenly contracted. From the moment he landed, he had recognized this person since a photo of Qin Fen had circulated in their circle. Any martial dao master who hadn’t been away from society could obtain information about Qin Fen’s figure and also some general information about his martial dao path.
At this moment, Wang Xiao felt for the first time that there was a tremendous aura gushing out from Qin Fen’s body. With his reasonable speech, the aura instantly surpassed the highest point in the field.
“As for saying that your martial dao is wrong…” Qin Fen smiled and shook his head, “I don’t think I said anything wrong, your martial dao and the Chrysanthemum Divine Art you cultivated, it defeats the purpose of one another. The fact that you can achieve this level today is already an exception.”
Hashimoto Nagashiro and Wang Xiao were stunned at the same time. They found it difficult to understand how Qin Fen could speak such words, yet be full of such confidence.
This act of making statements that denied other people’s martial dao’s compatibility with their martial arts was considered a huge taboo in the realm of martial dao master and above.
Get it right, and you won’t get any real benefit, you’ll only gain an angry martial dao master as an enemy. Get it wrong, it won’t be just an angry martial dao master turning into an enemy, but also, your reputation in the martial dao world would be greatly damaged, and you will be often used as a laughing stock.
Wang Xiao’s look was covered with layers of frost. Manager He looked at him and he shivered, as if his blood had frozen at this moment.
As a martial dao master, even if facing a martial dao Grandmaster, one should still have his own perseverance. Being criticized by a fellow martial dao master, how could Wang Xiao endure the rookie who had just entered the martial dao master class for a few days giving him “guidance” again and again?
“Good, good, good! You said that I was wrong?”
Wang Xiao lifted his foot and stepped on the ground, flicked his long sleeves, and his fists were shaped like a chrysanthemum bud that was about to bloom. His eyes gave a ghastly stare to Qin Fen, “Today, please give me a good lesson. Let me see how incompatible my martial arts is with my martial dao.”
Qin Fen pointed to the mess on the ground and did not retract his hand, his tone still as plain as before, “Your men broke my furniture and hurt my personnel. The financial matter has not been settled. If I kill you, how will I get my money?”
Wang Xiao was stunned once again, his silent anger reached the apex and he smiled instead, “Ever since my debut, I have seen arrogant men, but none as arrogant as you. Where will you get your money if you kill me? Good, very good! Let me see, how are you going to kill me?!”
The moment Manager He heard this, Wang Xiao’s calf suddenly moved. His body twisted again and again, like the posture of a chrysanthemum that had bloomed; his legs became tens of thousands of steps. His figure appeared erratically around Qin Fen’s body, and his ten extended fingers in the air moved again and again, as though two blooming chrysanthemums headed straight towards Qin Fen’s brain.
Chrysanthemum Fist, Ten Million Sky Enveloping Petals! Wang Xiao’s Chrysanthemum steps were extremely fast, so fast that even Hashimoto, who was also a martial dao master, was left in awe and admiration. He left behind a number of seemingly illusory figures on the battlefield, making it impossible for a person to distinguish the real Wang Xiao.
Qin Fen was taken aback, it was unexpected that even though Wang Xiao cultivated the Chrysanthemum Divine Art in an incompatible way, he still cultivated it to this level. At the same time, he understood one thing: this incompatible cultivation could not become any stronger. If the strength shown today was the same as when he was at Hallasan against Kyokushin Kouten, the winner should’ve definitely been Kyokushin Kouten.
In the time it takes for a spark to fly off a flint, Qin Fen had understood everything. Wang Xiao’s martial arts technique strength was stagnant for a long time in the past because of the wrong method of cultivation. The victory against Kyokushin Kouten the other day was probably a fluke, as Kyokushin Kouten had just entered the ranks of martial arts masters, and his foundation was still unstable.
Qin Fen understood everything in an instant. Qin Fen looked at Wang Xiao’s foot executing the Chrysanthemum Step. His fists were executing chrysanthemum fists. The body movement was like a real chrysanthemum, enveloping everything in full bloom. The veins on his forehead pulsed constantly. Qin Fen could sense his opponent’s location clearly.
The damage of Air Splitting Palm exchange by martial artists of the same level was too small. Wang Xiao’s Chrysanthemum Fist True Energy perfusion hands never stopped, yet his fist pressure was the first to hit as the wind crackled like that of roaring thunder. The fist pressure felt remarkably similar to that of the Air Splitting Palm.
This kind of thunderous fist pressure was due to too many punches released in a complicated manner. Chrysanthemum Fist with countless permutation had caused the air being gathered to not scattered as it changed its shape, forming an impression that was similar to the bombardment of Air Splitting Palm.
Wang Xiao’s Chrysanthemum Divine Art was like ten million chrysanthemums. In conjunction with his Chrysanthemum Steps, mixed with his anger, every move went all out without any reservation. He tried to shroud Qin Fen to death with each Chrysanthemum, as it was the only way to shed his hatred.
This attack was carried out by Wang Xiao full of hatred. Even if Kyokushin Kouten of Hallasan had encountered him, facing against this sudden attack would certainly cause one to fall into the lower hand. Even defeat was not impossible.
It was a pity that today, Wang Xiao was matched up against Qin Fen, who once saw thousands of fist techniques in the Sky Battle Net. Qin Fen had personally experienced it many times in the arena. And finally, as someone who even got taught by Vile King, Zeng Yicheng first-hand and personally about the Vile martial dao! Qin Fen understood the true meaning of the Chrysanthemum Divine Art.
Just as the Ten Million Sky Enveloping Petals were about to cover over the forehead of Qin Fen, Wang Xiao suddenly felt that the object under his arm suddenly disappeared, and the dust and sand floating in front of him suddenly bloomed into a huge chrysanthemum!
That’s right! Wang Xiao did not see it wrong, the dust in his own sight, instantly burst into a bunch of chrysanthemums! This could only be achieved by the unique use of the Chrysanthemum Steps.
Qin Fen took a move out of the Chrysanthemum Step and thoroughly understood that in the previous dream space, the essence of the Chrysanthemum Steps was a part of the footwork essences taught by Zeng Yicheng.
Hashimoto Nagashiro’s jaw instantly dropped, surprised to see Qin Fen, who moved like a phantom. This resembled nothing like the rough, crude, unbeatable Divine Boxing that Qin Fen usually used!
The same Chrysanthemum Steps, when used by Qin Fen, made Hashimoto Nagashiro eyelids flutter as he watched. Why does this look so sneaky?
Wang Xiao quickly released a gush of palm pressure and smashed the chrysanthemum dust that Qin Fen formed. He felt Qin Fen suddenly appear behind him. A sharp, air splitting aura was locked in the weakest position behind him.
That’s right! The position where one excreted waste from the body! Wang Xiao was shocked, and cold sweat immediately covered him. This Qin Fen battles completely differently than the Qin Fen from the rumors he had heard. Although such a blow was also a trick to defeat the enemy, it was too dirty… no! It was too vile!
Wang Xiao couldn’t think too much, his legs moved with his waist and spun sharply. At the same time as when the two dust chrysanthemums formed, his body, as though a blooming chrysanthemum, swayed dozens of meters and made various evasive movements.
Hashimoto Nagashiro didn’t have time to give praise to Wang Xiao’s reaction under the danger, because he saw Qin Fen going after him as if he had bitten Wang Xiao. No matter how the other party’s Chrysanthemum Steps technique changed, he always followed. His raised right foot never stopped moving forward, and the target was still the key position of Wang Xiao’s back.
“Not good!” Wang Xiaoxin shrieked in his heart, the original step stepping forward suddenly turned into a roll on the ground, rolling like a chrysanthemum bud that fell to the ground before it bloomed, forcefully avoiding Qin Fen’s kick that followed him closely.
Chichi…
With two air splitting sounds of true energy finger pressure, Wang Xiao’s lower body manly spots suddenly felt locked on.
It’s hard to seriously damage master martial artists of the same level with the Air Splitting Palm, but it’s not completely impossible. There were many ways, such as attacking the weak spots of the human body. Those places would still be weak unless they cultivate the protection secret art to the limit, otherwise, it would still be a weak spot.
Wang Xiao didn’t even have the time to curse at Qin Fin in his heart. Both his palms held the ground and his body continuously flipped. The spot where he just moved away from had two three-inch deep holes and his killing intent in his heart rose by a margin. He flipped his wrist and three blue glimpses of metal shot out from the long sleeves!
Hidden weapon with great toxin! Wang Xiao was able to acquire his martial arts at this point not because he had reverse cultivated his Chrysanthemum martial dao. It was actually because although he regarded money as dirt, he was not a true gentleman. He had the characteristics of a hypocrite, and it was because of this clash between his hypocrisy and gentlemen demeanor, his Chrysanthemum Divine Art was able to be cultivated to the master level realm.
Not a gentleman, but yet forcibly pretending to be a gentleman, and turning the arrogant, frosty temperament of the chrysanthemum into neither fish nor fowl! An edge was seen within Wang Xiao’s sleeves, and the Million Chrysanthemums bloomed again. The silhouette of his quick palms covered Qin Fen. At this moment, his frosty arrogance was gone, and the palm silhouettes were full of cold, vicious, murderous intent.
“That’s not how you execute the Million Chrysanthemums.”
Qin Fen’s toes turned one after another, and the body moved forward half a meter every time. Little chrysanthemums bloomed on the ground, as if the ground gave birth to a bunch of chrysanthemums that sent him toward Wang Xiao.
The same Million Chrysanthemums was executed by the hands of Qin Fen. At that moment, his palm silhouettes were ten times more than that of Wang Xiao’s!
How can this be? Wang Xiao took a blow to his heart when faced with ten times more palm silhouettes from Qin Fen’s Million Chrysanthemums. Qin Fen violently disappeared in the climax of the Million Chrysanthemums. Before Wang Xiao responded, he felt that there was another Million Chrysanthemums behind him!
However, this time, the number of Million Chrysanthemums was not as great as before, but rather the same as Wang Xiao’s own Million Chrysanthemums.
Is it fake!? The thought quickly flashed over Wang Xiao’s mind. Qin Fen’s first Million Chrysanthemums was a fake lie! There was no real power in all the palms! It was just made to look very prominent and powerful. Now, this real Million Chrysanthemums was completely shrouded in every weak point behind the body. The path of execution was even more uncanny, and the weak points of the lower back body were locked on constantly, as though a needle cone had penetrated it.
Wang Xiao’s body’s true energy no longer revolved, he simply changed it to successive energy blasts, without giving any concern of injury to his meridians. Only the power of the explosions of true energy could assist him in performing stronger evasive maneuvers. His legs spewed blood instantly under the explosion of true energy. His body forcefully traversed horizontally one meter as his ankle turned again, in hope of using the force of the true energy blast to move behind Qin Fen and turn his own tricks against him.
The stenchy golden-blue armor pierced Qin Fen’s body, and Wang Xiao was shocked again! This piercing feeling seemed wrong! Not the feeling of flesh, but an afterimage!
Million Chrysanthemums rose again behind Wang Xiao, only then he completely understood that Qin Fen’s second hit was also a fake… liar!
The last thought of life flashed in Wang Xiao’s mind. Qin Fen’s Million Chrysanthemums easily broke through Wang Xiao’s body protecting true energy.
Bam bam bam…
The sound of palms hitting like a rainstorm filled the entire battlefield. Hashimoto looked at it all with a stunned expression. Is this the same Qin Fen that releases a tremendous momentum with each move? When did Qin Fen progress so quickly? During the last battle of Hallasan, even when Qin Fen was at his top form against Bae Seong-Joon, it still wasn’t such an easy fight!
The corpse of Wang Xiao, split into pieces, fell to the ground. Qin Fen shook his wrist gently. Against opponents who wanted to kill him, he must not show any mercy. He could forcefully change the hypocritical aura into that of a true gentleman.
Qin Fen didn’t believe that if he had mercy, Wang Xiao would appreciate him, discuss martial dao and become true friends with him.
Qin Fen believed that if he taught the true essence of the Chrysanthemum Divine Fist to the opponent, then when he had cultivated it, he would definitely find him to have revenge on the shame of defeat today.
To cherish a snake in one’s bosom[1]? Since Qin Fen had experienced similar things, he had repeatedly warned himself that he must be vicious when it comes to life or death battles, or it would be him that would die.
“Kid… only a few days? And you’ve become so strong?” Hashimoto looked at Qin Fen with his eyes wide open, “The martial arts technique you just used… why does it look so… so vile? Not just the position of the movements, the overall feel was vile. Your eyes, your movements…. they were all very vile.”
“Gotten stronger?” Qin Fen smiled and said, “I did become stronger. But I don’t think it is as strong as Brother Hashimoto imagines. Although this battle is of the same class, he is slightly weaker than Kyokushin Kouten. Plus in this battle, I have the advantage because I understand him, yet he does not understand me at all. It is naturally easy to win given the state of one with eyes against one who is blind. As for the vileness, the Chrysanthemum Divine Art is an extremely vile martial art in the first place. He had instead cultivated it with arrogance and elegance, naturally, going down the wrong path. So of course it cannot be stronger than my genuine martial arts technique, right?”
“Chrysanthemum… chrysanthemum…” Hashimoto squinted at Qin Fen for a long time and asked awkwardly, “Is this ‘chrysanthemum’ not your ‘chrysanthemum'[2]…?”
Qin Fen felt the strange look of Hashimoto. He also awkwardly smiled twice and gently nodded, “Yes, the true meaning of this Chrysanthemum Divine Art has another meaning.”
