Chapter 026 【Showdown Between Masters】

A sea breeze blew, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks especially piercing in the pitch-black night.

In the distance, two of A-Long's subordinates saw that he was about to spar with Gu Feng and immediately walked over.

Under the moonlight, Gu Feng and A-Long locked eyes. It was like starlight converging. Just from their gazes, both understood that the fight was on. Any distraction or noise that could still affect them on the dueling ground would just prove them unworthy of being there.

A-Long's body weaved slightly from side to side, his feet maintaining agile movement. Judging by his speed and footwork alone, he was clearly a first-rate combat expert.

Noticing this, a flicker of excitement appeared in Gu Feng's originally calm eyes. However, he didn't move, just settled into his fighting stance, waiting for A-Long to launch the attack.

Perhaps Gu Feng's calm posture provoked A-Long. Without a word, A-Long stepped forward with his left foot, snapping off a straight punch that whistled toward Gu Feng's face. A-Long's punch was fast, the wind from his fist hissing as it cut through the air.

Gu Feng shifted his body sideways, tilting his head to easily dodge the punch.

This punch from A-Long was merely a probe. Seeing Gu Feng dodge it effortlessly, he quickly unleashed a flurry of follow-ups.

Perhaps because it had been a long time since he'd encountered a worthy opponent, Gu Feng didn't launch any attacks himself, instead weaving and dodging A-Long's assaults.

However, the more Gu Feng dodged, the more vicious A-Long's attacks became. Clearly, for A-Long, Gu Feng's ease in evading his strikes had stoked his competitive fire.

After over a dozen exchanges, Gu Feng had already forced A-Long to use his full strength.

"Roar~~" With a loud shout, A-Long lashed out with a fierce roundhouse kick toward Gu Feng. This kick carried immense power and lightning speed.

Gu Feng quickly extended his leg to block. Their legs collided fiercely with a dull *thud*. A wince of pain flashed across A-Long's face as he instinctively took a step back. In contrast, Gu Feng's expression remained much more relaxed.

Soon, A-Long shook it off and came back, launching a powerful knee strike straight at Gu Feng. Gu Feng brought his hands together, blocking the knee. Before Gu Feng could counterattack, A-Long's right hook was already arcing toward him. Gu Feng swiftly lowered his head while simultaneously contracting his waist, shooting his left knee upward with force.

A-Long's expression changed instantly. Dodging was no longer possible, so he could only contract his waist as much as possible to lessen the impact. Despite making the best choice available, Gu Feng's knee still slammed hard into his chest. He staggered back several steps in pain, though his last-second tuck and dodge had protected his ribs. Otherwise, with the force of Gu Feng's knee, it would've snapped his ribs easily.

"Teacher Gu is really amazing!" Beside them, Ling Wei, seeing Gu Feng's single strike force A-Long back several steps, excitedly shouted.

A-Long was now completely immersed in the joy of combat, not even hearing what Ling Wei said. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his chest, he let out another shout and charged forward again.

For a moment, their fists and feet clashed, the sounds of physical contact ringing out continuously. Ling Wei, watching from the sidelines, was utterly captivated, forgetting even to cheer. Even A-Long's two subordinates widened their eyes, wearing expressions of disbelief. As A-Long's subordinates, they knew his skills were exceptional. In all their time following him, they had never seen anyone who could match him on the combat field.

"Thwack!" When Gu Feng used a flawless "twisting body kick" to send A-Long flying, both Ling Wei and A-Long's two subordinates were stunned.

A-Long lay on the ground, gasping for air. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, struggled to his feet, and prepared to continue the assault.

A-Long's tenacity and fighting spirit slightly surprised Gu Feng. However, Gu Feng had no intention of continuing the fight. Seeing A-Long about to charge again, he spoke up, "You're not my match. Let's end the spar here."

Hearing Gu Feng's words, A-Long's expression shifted slightly, showing a hint of disappointment. But soon, a happy smile appeared on his face. "I'm indeed not your match. May I ask presumptuously, how much of your true strength did you use just now?"

As a first-rate combat expert, A-Long could naturally tell Gu Feng hadn't used his full power.

Gu Feng smiled slightly, sidestepping the question, "Your combat level and experience are both good. You're just missing one thing."

"What thing?" A-Long asked curiously.

"A fearless, do-or-die spirit," Gu Feng said, looking at A-Long as if remembering something, he couldn't help adding, "When facing an opponent, you lack that desperate, all-out spirit. Every time you launch an attack, you always want to leave yourself a way out. Little do you know, this reduces the power of your offense."

Hearing Gu Feng's words, A-Long stood frozen for a few seconds before a look of sudden understanding dawned on his face. "Thank you for the reminder. If you don't mind, let's spar a few more times in the future."

Before Gu Feng could respond to A-Long, Ling Wei rushed over to Gu Feng's side, knelt on the ground, and said with utmost sincerity, "Teacher Gu, please accept me as your disciple!" As he spoke, Ling Wei looked at Gu Feng with eager anticipation.

Having practiced martial arts since childhood, Ling Wei knew that martial artists had very strict rituals for accepting disciples. So he chose to kneel on the spot to show his sincerity.

Ling Wei's words slightly startled A-Long. He asked curiously, "Young Master Ling, he's your teacher?"

Ling Wei nodded somewhat awkwardly. "This afternoon, I discovered my teacher is a combat expert. So I lied to you, saying he hit me and wanted to challenge you. Actually, I just wanted to see which of you was stronger."

Hearing Ling Wei's explanation, Gu Feng and A-Long exchanged a glance, both revealing a helpless smile.

"Young Master Ling has loved martial arts since he was a child and has some foundation in it. His physical fitness is also good. He's been learning Kung Fu from me since he was little, but I'm usually too busy to teach him properly. Your skills are so good, why not teach him combat?" A-Long suggested.

"That's right, Teacher Gu, please accept me as your disciple! As long as you're willing to teach me Kung Fu, I'll listen to you in everything from now on!" Ling Wei pledged earnestly.

Looking at Ling Wei's sincere expression, Gu Feng thought for a moment and said, "Forget about accepting you as a formal disciple. I can teach you Kung Fu, but you must keep your word."

Hearing that Gu Feng was willing to teach him Kung Fu, Ling Wei immediately stood up and promised, "Teacher Gu, don't worry, I'll absolutely do as I say!"

P: The second update is here. Friends who enjoy it, please bookmark and vote. The excitement will continue!