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Chapter 420 - 387: Not Playing by the Rules

Chapter 420: Chapter 387: Not Playing by the Rules

Uehashi Yoichi felt increasingly pressured by Wu Li’s assaults.

At this point, Wu Li’s Divine Value had soared to 137, and his Fist Intent’s Realm had broken through to the Spirit level, with ’Borrowing Momentum’ in every move and form. Compared to his previous Fist Intent, there was now an additional sense of grandeur in his punches.

If Wu Li’s past Fist Intent was like an Iron Cavalry Charge, with Heavy Cavalry rushing forward, then now it felt as though an entire army was bearing down on you!

In a clash between masters, aside from physical strength and technical skills, the mental battle is also crucial; it was as though Wu Li wasn’t overpowering Uehashi Yoichi in terms of strength, nor was he gaining any advantage in techniques. Yet, Uehashi Yoichi felt oppressed because Wu Li’s Fist Intent left him feeling breathless.

When one falls behind mentally, it inevitably leads to changes in one’s movements. In the midst of combat, if one’s heart is not aligned, the power might weaken. This was why Kamino Kei had not been able to keep up with Wu Li’s relentless attacks earlier; it was not due to physical exhaustion but rather a deficiency in mental fortitude. As Wu Li’s Fist Intent continued to rise, Kamino Kei felt that he would collapse first if the fight continued, so he opted to use Receiving Body Skill to change his strategy, hoping to alter the tide of the battle.

Now Uehashi Yoichi experienced the same sensation as Kamino, and he too wanted to proactively change his moves to shift the battle dynamic, but his strength was not quite on par with Kamino’s. Kamino could deceive Wu Li with moves like the Receiving Body Skill, even striking back, but Uehashi Yoichi couldn’t manage that.

Bang!

Taking another punch from Wu Li, Uehashi Yoichi stepped forward intentionally, ignoring Wu Li’s second punch, and his right fist aimed straight for Wu Li’s chest.

"Planning to switch punches?"

Wu Li saw Uehashi Yoichi’s intent. The opponent wanted to exchange punches. In a match where deadly strikes to vital points were prohibited, such exchanges were fairly common.

Without any hesitation, Wu Li chose to exchange.

He possessed Master Level Golden Bell Shield and the Passive Iron Body, with his Resistance To Hits value being above Uehashi Yoichi’s, so this switch favored him and would swiftly conclude the battle.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two men exchanged a series of fierce blows. Although they were swapping punches, they still managed to avoid or deflect those aimed at the head as much as possible, but they totally disregarded punches to the chest, abdomen, arms, and shoulders—they just kept on with their own attacks.

This fighting style aimed for speed, leaving no room for hesitation nor enough time to accumulate power, as they could be easily interrupted; in three seconds, the two exchanged nine punches, almost leaving afterimages, and they were accelerating, getting faster and faster!

Neither Wu Li nor Uehashi Yoichi was stepping back at this moment—it was pure endurance!

Both Master Level Martial Artists currently looked like barbarians brawling with no visible technique, but to the truly knowledgeable, their fighting was actually very methodical and not just a mindless flailing of fists.

With each punch Wu Li threw, his arms spread wide, his latissimus dorsi muscles bulged prominently, and the tendons in his arms vibrated like bowstrings being drawn. This was the ’Chaotic Arrow Strike’ from Baji Fist paired with the power launching of the Xingyi Swallow Form Back Strike; meanwhile, although his legs seemed stationary, they were in fact constantly moving up and down, driving the power through from the Horse Form into his legs and torso.

Uehashi Yoichi’s punches were tightly focused along the central line of his body, punching and retracting in straight lines, continuously hitting and retracting, with a low rumble from his chest cavity, his breathing rate changing along with the speed of his punches—this was the application of ’Rock Crane’ and ’Iron Cavalry’ interchanges from the Matsutani Style’s twenty-seven forms.

After each hit, in order to maintain their stance and not be pushed back, both employed sophisticated methods of dissipating force, ensuring that their own power delivery wouldn’t be interrupted when taking a punch—another indication of advanced skills. What might appear as simple and direct blows were not something just anyone could carry out and withstand.

By the fifth second, Uehashi Yoichi had already taken seventeen punches; his entire body was in excruciating pain. A flash of ferocity in his eyes, and the left hand aimed at Wu Li’s shoulder suddenly changed direction—the left hand formed into the shape of a crane’s beak, stabbing towards Wu Li’s eye!

This change came abruptly, because after five seconds of such a barrage, both men had developed physical and mental inertia, making it difficult to immediately react to Uehashi Yoichi’s surprise move.

Uehashi Yoichi’s intent to kill was crystal clear; he had already decided that even at the risk of disqualification, he would cripple Wu Li!

He knew very well that if the fight continued according to the official rules, he was likely to lose to Wu Li, which was something he couldn’t accept at all.

Ooshima Kawahira, Kamino Kei, and him—they were all significant figures in the Island Country Martial Arts World, especially Kamino Kei, who was one of the top masters there! For three such people to take turns entering the ring and still not be able to defeat Wu Li would be a huge blow to their reputation if word got out!

Kamino Kei had previously chosen to break the rules intentionally, trying to save face. Now, Uehashi Yoichi faced an even tougher situation than Kamino Kei because Wu Li had already fought two matches, and had even been injured by Kamino Kei. If Uehashi Yoichi still lost under these circumstances, his reputation wouldn’t just be damaged—it would be completely ruined.

Therefore, Uehashi Yoichi decided to disregard the rules and swiftly strike at Wu Li’s vital points, aiming to disable him with one blow! After all, he could later claim it was an accident, a not uncommon excuse in fighting matches. Once Wu Li was incapacitated, arguing about it afterward would be pointless.

Swoosh!

Confronted with Uehashi Yoichi’s sudden left hand jab, Wu Li squinted his eyes and aggressively thrust his forehead forward, smashing it hard against Uehashi Yoichi’s fingers.

Bang!

Wu Li’s forehead turned bright red, the skin punctured and bleeding, but he counterattacked with a punch aimed at Uehashi Yoichi’s neck.

"Fuck! I knew these islanders couldn’t be trusted!"

Wu Li cursed under his breath. Ever since Kamino Kei had deliberately fouled at the final moment of the last round, Wu Li had grown more cautious. If Kamino Kei could intentionally break the rules, who could guarantee that the remaining martial artists would play fair?

It was precisely because of his wariness that Wu Li managed to react promptly to Uehashi Yoichi’s sudden attack.

Seeing his strike miss and Wu Li’s counterattack aiming for his vitals without restraint, Uehashi Yoichi’s murderous intent and malice finally erupted. He deflected Wu Li’s punch with a palm and then raised his right knee, thrusting it toward Wu Li’s groin.

Unable to win by the rules and refusing to lose and tarnish his reputation, he opted for unlawful tactics!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Uehashi Yoichi chose to go for the kill, each move targeting vital points. As a martial artist practiced in real combat, this method of fighting was what he was most familiar with.

And Wu Li, afraid of him? In terms of real combat experience, no one present could match him! Yet he did not immediately fight back, instead parrying Uehashi Yoichi’s attacks while retreating.

The two exchanged a rapid succession of five moves, and only then did the nearby referee realize something was amiss.

The exchange had been too fast, and even when the punches and kicks aimed at unusual targets, the referee hadn’t noticed at first. But now, with Uehashi Yoichi’s attacks clearly headed for vital points, the referee would be remiss not to see it.

"STOP!" the referee shouted.

Uehashi Yoichi, hearing this, slowed his movements. His plan was to wait for the referee to call a halt so that he would merely be penalized for a foul, not a loss, retaining a chance to salvage his reputation.

Wu Li noticed Uehashi Yoichi’s intention to halt and a fierce light flashed in his eyes.

"Act recklessly then just decide to stop on a whim?"

"Can’t always let you have your way!"

Wu Li exploded with power!

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