Martial Arts Secret Realm: Only I Can Know the Plot?

Sun Fan did not go out the day before the competition.

From the morning onwards, he sat alone in the practice room of the villa, eyes closed, motionless.

He sat from morning to noon, from noon to afternoon, and from afternoon to evening.

It doesn't eat, drink, or move.

Dong Dahai came twice, stood at the door for a moment, and then left.

Red Wolf came once and tried to go in, but Dong Dahai stopped him.

Mu Xue'er came once, stood at the door for a long time, and finally left without saying anything.

Du Ming didn't come.

He did one last thing outside—keep an eye on the inn.

Du Ming returned in the evening.

"Squad leader, everything is normal at the inn. Yan Gaotian practiced his skills in the courtyard all day and didn't go out."

The door to the practice room opened.

Sun Fan came out, dressed in a clean white robe, his hair neatly combed, and the new sword hanging at his waist.

His face was calm, as calm as a stagnant pool.

But Dong Dahai noticed that Sun Fan's eyes looked different.

It's not that his eyes have changed, but that there's something new in them—an indescribable light, like the cold glint of a sword blade, cold and sharp.

"Squad leader, you—" Dong Dahai opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Sun Fan glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "What's wrong?"

You seem... different.

Sun Fan smiled but offered no explanation.

He walked into the courtyard, stood by the stone table, and looked at the moon in the sky.

The moon was round and bright, like a silver mirror.

He looked into Dong Dahai's eyes and said, "The more you think during a fight, the faster you'll lose."

Dong Dahai nodded thoughtfully.

"So, your sword is faster than his?"

"It's not fast," Sun Fan said, "it's natural."

He turned around and looked at the moon in the sky.

"It's as natural as breathing. You don't need to think about how to breathe; your body will breathe on its own. My sword is the same—I don't need to think about how to draw the sword; my body will draw it on its own."

Dong Dahai fell silent.

"Squad leader, are you really sure you can win tomorrow?"

Sun Fan did not answer immediately.

He walked to the edge of the pond and looked at the moon reflected in the water.

"Ocean, have you ever heard this saying?"

"What did you say?"

"Put yourself in a desperate situation, and you will survive."

Dong Dahai was taken aback.

"I've blocked all escape routes," Sun Fan said. "Hua Tiegan is gone, the Shen family won't interfere, and the garrison won't come. Tomorrow on the arena, it'll just be him and me."

He turned around and looked at Dong Dahai: "If there's no way out, you won't think about it. If you don't think about it, you won't be distracted. If you're not distracted, you can give it your all."

He walked back and patted Dong Dahai on the shoulder.

"Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."

Dong Dahai opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just nodded, turned around and left.

Sun Fan was the only one left in the courtyard.

He stood by the stone table, looking at the moon in the sky, and remained motionless for a very long time.

Sun Fan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

Silent all night.

The weather was great on the day of the competition.

The sun rose from the east, turning the city walls of Jingzhou into a golden-red hue. On the open ground outside the city, a fighting arena was erected—not very high, about three feet high, and about five zhang in circumference, constructed of thick wooden stakes and planks, making it very sturdy.

The arena was surrounded by people.

The Shen family came, the garrison troops came, the people of the city came, and even martial arts practitioners from the surrounding counties came.

The news spread quickly—a young man brought by Hua Tiegan of the Hua family in Jiangnan wanted to have a duel with a young scholar protected by the Shen family in Jingzhou, regardless of life or death.

Who wouldn't want to see such a lively scene?

When Sun Fan arrived, there were already hundreds of people surrounding the arena.

He wore a long white robe, with the new sword hanging at his waist. His hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin. His expression was calm, and his steps were steady. Dong Dahai, Honglang, Du Ming, and Mu Xueer followed behind him, all four of them looking rather grim.

"Class monitor," Mu Xue'er suddenly called out to him.

Sun Fan stopped and turned around.

Mu Xue'er opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she only said, "Be careful."

Sun Fan nodded and turned to walk towards the arena.

Yan Gaotian had already arrived on the other side of the arena.

He was dressed in a black outfit, with no weapons at his waist. His "Tiger Claw Severing Hand" technique meant that his hands themselves were weapons.

His face was cold, and his eyes were deep, like a drawn sword, sharp and menacing.

The two men stepped onto the ring at the same time.

They stood face to face, three zhang apart.

A morning breeze swept across the arena, stirring up a few fallen leaves. Hundreds of eyes below the stage were fixed on the platform, utterly silent.

Yan Gaotian spoke first.

"Sun Fan, you really did come." His voice wasn't loud, but with his inner strength, everyone in the room could hear him clearly. "I thought you would use those despicable methods again to find someone else to take the blame for you."

Sun Fan did not respond.

Yan Gaotian sneered, "Hua Tiegan is gone, and the Shen family is standing below the stage. The garrison won't make a move. What trump cards do you have left?"

He took two steps forward, his tiger claws slightly open, his knuckles white.

"You think you can bridge the gap in strength with those underhanded schemes? You think that by sending Hua Tiegan away, I can't do anything to you?"

His voice suddenly rose: "You're wrong!"

"The gap in strength cannot be bridged by underhanded tactics. You, a mere Qi Gathering Realm cultivator, fighting me is like an ant trying to outmuscle an elephant. Your petty cleverness is utterly worthless in the face of absolute power!"

Someone in the audience gasped.

Opening the meridians is a whole realm apart from gathering qi. In martial arts, this is almost an insurmountable gap.

Yan Gaotian looked at Sun Fan with disdain in his eyes: "You killed my brother in the Dark Martial Arts School by chance. You stirred up trouble in Jingzhou City by the power of the Shen family. Everything you've done has been about using someone else's strength against them; you've never relied on your own abilities."

He raised his right hand, his tiger claw loosely clenched, and the joints of his five fingers made a cracking sound.

"Today, Hua Tiegan is gone. The Shen family won't help you, and the garrison won't lift a finger. None of your underhanded tactics will be of any use."

"Now, what do you have left?"

The arena fell silent for a moment.

Sun Fan finally spoke.

"Yan Gaotian, are you finished?"

His voice was calm, as if he were asking about the weather today.

Yan Gaotian frowned slightly.

Sun Fan looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "You say I rely on underhanded tactics and using someone else's strength against them. Then let me ask you a question."

"What's the problem?"

"If you're truly not afraid of me, why did you bring Hua Tiegan to Jingzhou?"

Yan Gaotian's pupils contracted slightly.

Sun Fan continued, "You traveled from Jiangnan to Jingzhou in five days at full speed. You brought Hua Tiegan and twenty Hua family guards, arriving in a grand procession. Did you come here to compete in martial arts, or to show off?"

He took two steps forward and looked into Yan Gaotian's eyes.