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Chapter 248: Betting the Name of One’s Master
🕑 Added 2023-08-01 17:36:01 +0000 UTCThe restaurant went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. Jack met the man’s hard eyes and replied, “So what if I am?”
The other man may have been infuriated, but at the end of the day, he remained an immortal. He wasn’t an idiot.
They were thirty-seven levels apart. In his eyes, that was an insurmountable difference. Therefore, Jack must have had some trick up his sleeve.
But what could it be? Jack had just insulted him so hard that now they had to fight. For the muscular man, it was the perfect scenario; he could restore his honor and publicly humiliate a disciple of Elder Sophina in one go.
At the end of the day, no matter what trump cards Jack was hiding, there was no way he could overcome such a level difference against a true elite—or so the muscular man thought.
“Very well,” he said, his aura still radiating in waves. Actually killing other disciples was forbidden in the Exploding Sun, but anything else was fair play. “When I break your limbs, don’t say I wasn’t justified. I will show you the power of my Dao of the Fist.”
Now, it was Jack’s turn to be shocked. “Your Dao of the Fist?”
“That’s right. I cultivate the Dao of the Fist, and I will use it to brutally crush you.”
Jack was untouched by the other man’s bravado. He was too busy being impressed. Could there be such a coincidence in the world? Do we really cultivate the same Dao?
He was excited. In all his travels, this was only the second person with the Dao of the Fist he met. The first had been a woman Rufus Emberheart had killed in the Integration Tournament.
“What a coincidence,” he said. “I also cultivate the Dao of the Fist.”
The man’s anger was colored with surprise. “Really?”
“Really.”
Suddenly, the man laughed aloud. Jack had just presented him with the perfect opportunity to up the stakes and connect this conflict to the standing of their masters. “Excellent! Truly excellent! You really dug your own grave, kid! Let me witness the Dao of the Fist that Elder Sophina teaches, and see if it is better or worse than what Master Monsoon taught me. Let’s compare our masters’ ability in teaching!”
He was in a great mood now, as if he couldn’t believe his luck. He was overflowing with confidence. His anger had grown so intense that it now manifested as joy; as raucous, explosive laughter laced with expectation of the pain he was going to cause to Jack.
“In fact,” the man continued, “I propose something else. If I defeated you in a battle, people would say I was just bullying you. Victory would obviously go to me. However, since we share the same Dao, how about we compete in that instead?”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “I’m listening.”
“We’ll rise to the sky, and I will let you punch me. Your pure offensive power against my defenses. Then, I punch you, and we keep going until one of us becomes unable to continue. That way, my higher attributes won’t play that much of a role, and you have a chance of winning. I’ll even give you the first strike, since you’re young and stupid. What do you say?”
His smile was crooked. He had to be absolutely certain of himself, or he wouldn’t suggest such a thing.
The problem was, Jack possessed four Dao Roots and a perfect foundation. There was no way this guy’s understanding of the Dao was superior. He wouldn’t know what hit him.
Jack opened his mouth and laughed uproariously, floating out of his chair to stand into the air. “Very well!” he replied. “Let’s do that, but don’t complain when you lose. As for the first strike… I don’t want it. You should have it. That way, when I knock you unconscious in a single punch, my victory will be much more impressive.”
The muscular guy frowned. He did not doubt his victory in the slightest, so he probably assumed Jack was just trying to seem brave so his defeat didn’t impact his master’s reputation too hard.
“Don’t spout bullshit,” he replied. “You get the first strike.”
“No, you go first. In fact, let me add another rule: as long as you go first, you can use your entire strength to hit me without worrying about anything at all. Even if I die, I declare in front of all these witnesses that you will not be held accountable. It will just be the result of my own weakness.”
The muscular guy was about to retort, but he couldn’t believe his luck. In his eyes, Jack was just committing suicide at this point. If he could kill a disciple of Elder Sophina here, especially when said disciple was being completely stupid and reckless, the incident would spread across the planet. Sophina’s reputation would take a hard hit. This was so much better that it didn’t matter if he struck first. He just had to accept this offer.
It was almost too good to be true…but no matter how he racked his brain, he found no way for him to lose.
“Very well, kid,” he replied. His own chair flew back as he took to the air, staring Jack down with all his might. “But remember, you are the one who insisted on this. I cannot be held accountable for anything.”
“Don’t worry. You are too weak to harm me.”
Black lines ran over the muscular man’s forehead. In his eyes, Jack just didn’t know when to stop. “Come, if you dare.” He took to the sky, flying upward so fast that the air split and shrieked behind him.
Jack looked at Auburn and winked at her.
“You are an idiot,” she whispered, eyes tinkering with a smile, “but a brave one. Go get him. Don’t you dare lose.”
“Don’t worry; I won’t. See you in a bit.”
He then took to the sky as well, rising like a reverse comet. The muscular man was waiting two miles over the city, at a distance where they were barely visible.
Jack and the muscular man stood a hundred feet away from each other, their robes fluttering and their auras already wrestling for supremacy. “I never got your name,” said the muscular man.
“My name is Jack Rust. Engrave it deeply into your soul, for I am the man who will destroy your confidence and cut short your path of cultivation.”
“Heh. Bold words for someone about to die. I am Dan Bolon, the man who is going to kill you.”
“You can certainly try,” Jack replied with a smile.
The raging auras of immortals weren’t exactly discreet. By now, many people in the city had noticed their stand-off in the sky, and even more were realizing it by the second. A few people had even flown closer to observe the battle, keeping a respectful distance from Jack and Dan Bolon. Auburn was one of them, as was the woman accompanying Dan.
“Fellow cultivators of Stripe City!” Dan Bolon said, using his Dao to spread his voice over the entire city. “I am Dan Bolon, a disciple of Elder Monsoon, and the man across from me is Jack Rust, a disciple of Elder Sophina. Today, we have decided to fight for our honor. As we both follow the Dao of the Fist, we will compete by punching each other until one becomes unable to fight. We have also agreed to use our full strength; even if one of us dies, they can only blame their own weakness. Are my words true, Jack Rust?”
The entire city quietened down as they awaited Jack’s response.
Jack couldn’t help the grin on his face. This battle, this setup… Dan Bolon was trying to corner him, but he was cornering himself at the same time. He was cutting off all avenues of escape for both of them.
The truth was, Jack wasn’t completely certain he could win. He was confident, of course, but something could always go wrong. Maybe the other man was an ultimate prodigy. Even in a punching duel, the forty-level difference still played a part.
This uncertainty emphasized the fear of death inside Jack and made the stakes seem real—and it was exactly this feeling that roused his battle spirit from its slumber, letting him smother all other emotions and fully dive into the battle, risking everything just because he could.
It had been a while since he’d felt like that. He missed it.
“Your words are true, Dan Bolon,” Jack replied, also using his Dao to make his voice reverberate across the city. “However, why are you holding back? Say things as they are. We argued, we insulted each other’s honor, and now we will fight to resolve our differences. As we share the same Dao, this battle involves more than just us—it reflects our masters’ ability in selecting disciples and teaching them a Dao.”
Gasps came from everywhere. Jack had openly bet his master’s name on this battle—if he lost, it would be terrible. On the other hand, if he won, it would be great.
Dan Bolon laughed, unable to believe his luck. This was exactly what he wanted. He couldn’t say everything out loud or people would say he was a bully, but Jack was playing right into his game.
“Precisely!” he exclaimed. “Very well. Let us begin. On Jack Rust’s insistence, I will go first.”
Many surrounding immortals frowned or spoke in protest. Since Jack’s level was far lower than his opponent’s, it was proper that he went first, not Dan Bolon; but Bolon couldn’t care less. This little improperness was nothing before the massive stakes of this fight.
“Come,” Jack said, opening the upper part of his robes and letting it hang from his waist. He revealed a bare chest as if chiseled in marble, and muscles so compact that they triggered a sense of harmony.
Dan Bolon floated before him. At only three feet away, the intensity of his aura was staggering. However, Jack was unfazed. This was the first sign in Dan Bolon’s mind that something was wrong, but there was no use thinking about it now. All he could do was duel.
He clenched his hand, channeling his entire strength into it. His fist caught on fire. Yellow and orange flames blossomed around it, making it look like a sun in his palm. The heat was such that Jack began to sweat—if he was a normal person, he would have been immolated already. Only the supreme quality fabric prevented his robes from suffering the same fate.
Jack stared into his opponent’s eyes and saw pure, unadulterated strength. It felt like facing a wild animal—or a gun’s open barrel. His every instinct screamed at him to fight back or get away, but he used his iron will to push them down. He had agreed to take this attack. Even if it killed him, he would not back down.
For cultivators, defending against a full-force strike was difficult, but not too difficult. Jack focused on defense—he had Neutron Star Body, the Life Drop, and the Dao Root of Indomitable Will. He was confident in surviving even an all-out strike from himself, let alone this man, who hopefully had a shallower Dao understanding.
He hardened his eyes, glued them right onto the other man’s, and waited with his chest exposed.
“I told you you were courting death,” Dan Bolon said, in a normal voice this time. His fist was shaking from the accumulated power, and his eyes hid the intense desire to kill Jack. “You were asking for it. Now…die. Solar Punch!”
His fist shot forward at blinding speed. Jack did not move in the slightest. The punch impacted his chest, and instantly, it was like a sun had been born. Jack felt his ribcage cave in. He felt his skin turning into ash, felt the hot winds ride along his body and burn his face and back. It was like he had been placed inside an industrial oven.
He did not scream.
At the same time, the impact itself was strong enough to send him flying. The air boomed as his body broke the sound barrier, flying back and down until he crashed into one of the two mountains flanking Stripe City, creating a crater the size of a house.
Every eye in the city looked at the crater, waiting to see if Jack would emerge or not. Smoke and dust flew everywhere, obstructing the view.
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See you tomorrow for the next chapter!
In the meantime, if you like puzzles and robots, check out my newest DnD one-shot: Crazy Robot Dungeon! Even if you don't play DnD (yet,) the puzzles inside are all hand-made by me. They should be fun to read.
Quirky robots. Difficult puzzles. A challenging dungeon for the bravest of adventurers...
The renowned artificer Arichius died without an heir. His treasure and unorthodox techniques now lay in a hidden dungeon, waiting for the worthy to acquire them.
When a group of 3rd-level adventurers discovers the entrance to Arichius’s heritage, they know that only fools would let this chance slip. However, the dungeon is not empty. A team of little robots, innovative automatons, and high-tech traps will try to stop them—and, even if they can get through all that, they still have to face Mecha Arichius.
This adventure is designed for 3-5 players at Level 3, and it lasts 3-5 hours. What to expect:
- New, robotic monsters,
- Challenging puzzles,
- Roleplaying, exploration, and combat,
- A self-operating dungeon filled with surprises and secrets.
A self-contained dungeon that can be explored by itself or easily inserted into any campaign!
Story overview:
The adventure starts at the entrance of the “Vault of Arichius” dungeon, constructed by the master artificer Arichius to discover a worthy heir to his legacy. There are three test rooms in the dungeon, each with its own perilous puzzle to solve. However, there are also robot overseers secretly sabotaging the players. After solving all three puzzles or discovering the secret passages used by the robots, the players reach the vault’s main hall, where they fight the final boss, Mecha Arichius, to inherit the knowledge—and treasures—of Arichius.
Comments
IndyBart
Dao of the cliffhanger strikes again…
Monadologist
*end of fic*
