Chapter 18: If I Do Not Speak First, No One Would Dare to Utter a Word

Qiu Yunshang and the others were very relieved that Fang Che had drawn Mo Ganyun.

In their eyes, Mo Ganyun was definitely a stern obstacle in their plight to claim the top spot.

The two of them stepped onto the platform together, with Fang Che moving with the light grace and elegance of a cloud, while Mo Ganyun walked with the might and weight of a mountain, presenting a stark contrast.

Fang Che could see that Mo Ganyun possessed a pair of pure and clear eyes, and his experience from his past life told him that those with eyes like Mo Ganyun's were generally upstanding and righteous people.

Hence, Fang Che was certain that Mo Ganyun was aligned with the Protectionists.

Mo Ganyun was also struck by the same feeling as he looked back at Fang Che, and both of them felt it rather unfortunate that they had to face each other in battle.

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, then heaved a sigh in unison.

The spectators: ???

What's going on? Why are they sighing at each other instead of fighting?

***

"I've heard much about you, Brother Mo," Fang Che said with a warm smile.

Mo Ganyun also smiled as he replied, "Likewise."

"You have a very interesting name, Brother Mo," Fang Che remarked.

"When my father named me, his greatest hope was for me to become the type of man where if I didn't speak first, no one would dare to utter a word," Mo Ganyun chuckled.[1]

"I thought so," Fang Che chuckled. "Surely you wouldn't have been named that because you didn't dare to speak!"

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"I'm afraid I don't really live up to that name," Mo Ganyun said. "People are still speaking whenever they like around me."

"You'll get there one day, I'm certain of it!" Fang Che said in an earnest manner.

"Thanks for the kind words," Mo Ganyun replied with a smile. "How do you want to do this, Brother Fang?"

"I have something in mind, but I want to hear what you think first to see if our thoughts align," Fang Che said.

"In that case, how about we go for some hand-to-hand combat with no weapons?" Mo Ganyun proposed.

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Fang Che replied as he clapped his hands together.

Mo Ganyun burst into laughter, and even though this was their first meeting, he felt as if they were old friends.

Sometimes, lifelong friends could be forged in an instant simply because two people liked the look of one another.

Both of them were wearing black cloaks, and they exchanged a smile with one another, then tossed away their cloaks in perfect synchronicity.

Both of their figures were exceptionally proportionate, but one was significantly more physically imposing than the other.

"Please enlighten me!"

"Please enlighten me!"

In the blink of an eye, it was as if both of them had transformed into hunting predators that were prowling through a forest.

In the next instant, both of them sprang into action, with Mo Ganyuan backtracking by seven steps, while Fang Che sprang back with his arms spread wide like a bird in flight.

In the instant that his foot came into contact with the ground, he launched himself forward, propelling himself toward Mo Ganyun like a spinning torpedo with both fists extended forward.

Mo Ganyun crouched down slightly, then met Fang Che's fists with his own in the most basic and direct clash of punches.

A dull thump rang out as the four fists clashed, and the two of them separated again.

Fang Che rushed forward, then sank down into a horse stance before thrusting his right fist forward.

Mo Ganyun adopted the same pose before throwing a punch of his own, and their fists clashed once again.

From there, the two of them each began unleashing a ferocious barrage of punches, and their fists clashed over and over again, speeding up in tempo with each clash!

A continuous string of thumps rang out, and the two of them were solely clashing fists as if this were some type of training drill.

All of the spectators were looking on in a stunned silence.

Hand-to-hand combat was nothing special, but it was certainly not normally carried out in this fashion!

It was perfectly understandable for Mo Ganyun to choose such an approach, but never had anyone imagined that Fang Che would play along!

It appeared that retreat wasn't even an option of consideration for either party, and even after exchanging five hundred punches in succession, neither of them had backed down in the slightest.

All of a sudden, both of them took a step back, then kicked out with one leg in unison.

After putting their fists through the wringer, it was now time for their legs to get some exercises.

They clashed over and over again like a pair of steel pipes, and all of the spectators couldn't help but wince.

Even though it was only a battle between a pair of Warrior Masters, it was like watching two celestial bodies clashing against one another!

Does that not hurt?

All of the spectators were getting sore shins just from watching.

Many of the female students were gawking at Fang Che with flabbergasted expressions, stunned that their idol could match Mo Ganyun in such a manly exchange of blows.

Meanwhile, all of the male students were wondering how the legs of the two combatants hadn't snapped yet.

It was like watching a pair of apex predators throwing themselves at each other over and over again, and even Ding Jieran, Qiu Yunshang, Huo Churan, and Xie Gongping were looking on with stunned expressions.

At the same time, they were collectively thinking to themselves,

Thank goodness that's not me up there!

It was the most barbaric fighting style imaginable, yet somehow, they were pulling it off!

Even the two referees overseeing the battle were involuntarily grimacing at what they were seeing.

They imagined themselves exchanging blows like this with an opponent of the same cultivation base as themselves, and just the mere thought was enough to make them shudder.

It was very rare to witness such a direct and brutal battle in the academy, or anywhere else, for that matter.

***

After exchanging over three hundred kicks, the two combatants both sprang back in unison, then closed in on each other again before resuming their clashes, this time with their left legs as opposed to their right.

Some of the spectators were counting the kicks aloud.

"378! 379! ......"

More and more people began to join in.

"451... 457..."

Through this spectacular display of straightforward brutality, the two of them had earned the respect and admiration of the entire academy.

Setting aside their cultivation bases, such a manly way of battle was truly a rare sight.

All of the spectators were warriors themselves, and they knew just how painful these clashes had to be. The average person would have to change tact after just a few of these exchanges, let alone over four hundred!

In everyone's eyes, these two would surely make great comrades on a battlefield. Anyone who could fight like this had to be extremely reliable and possess immense mental fortitude.

The clashes on the platform continued, as did the counting from the spectators, and before long, the count had reached 763!

Right at this moment, both of them let loose a loud roar before springing back in retreat.

This time, the two of them opened up quite a large distance between each other, and Fang Che stumbled slightly before steadying himself.

As for Mo Ganyun, he also stumbled slightly, and he fell to one knee before immediately standing back up.

The two of them exchanged a smile through gritted teeth.

Fang Che's smile was very warm and friendly, and he asked, "Did that feel good?"

It was quite jarring to see such a warm smile on someone that had just put on such a ferocious and barbaric display.

"It felt great!" Mo Ganyun chortled with glee, then turned to the referee as he declared, "I concede!"

"Why?" Fang Che exclaimed.

The same question was echoed by everyone.

The two of them had clearly been evenly matched!

"I know when I've lost, and I'm not too much of a sore loser to accept defeat," Mo Ganyun said. "I know how much work I've put into my hand-to-hand combat, but you clearly have more than just that up your sleeve. Also, if we keep going like this, neither of us will be able to win the tournament, so I'm bowing out now to conserve some energy for you."

"You're a pretty smart guy," Fang Che chuckled.

"Of course!" Mo Ganyun replied with a smile. "Besides, I still have to learn from you in the future, so I can't get on your bad side now."

Fang Che instantly understood what Mo Ganyun was referring to, and he couldn't help but be impressed by the latter's keen eye. "Alright, you have yourself a deal!"

He made no attempt at modesty, but Mo Ganyun wasn't bothered in the slightest.

Instead, his eyes lit up with excitement as he said, "I'll hold you to that!"

With that, Mo Ganyun jumped down from the platform, but upon his landing, his legs almost gave out from under him.

He pulled up a pant leg to reveal that the entire leg was one massive, bloody bruise, and he massaged it tenderly as he grimaced, "Fuck, that hurts so much! Fang Che, you're a fucking animal!"

1. Mo Ganyun (莫敢云) translates literally to "not dare speak." ☜