The Six Immortals Chapter 20

 Number One Next up, was Bi Fan versus Li Shu for the first position, both fighters came onto the stage at the same time. “Bi Fan; pleased to meet you.” “Li Shu; pleased to meet you.” As the contest began, Li Shu was the first to launch his attack, his pace thunderous; his action, violent. Bi Fan had no intention of going head-on; he used ‘the dance of mist’ footwork, and conveniently dodged to the right side of his attacker. A Quinyang school senior exclaimed: “What great agility Bi Fan has, I have never seen anything like it!” “This really isn’t anything great, it’s only the most basic of footwork, but he’s practiced it very thoroughly, and that’s what’s making it so useful. He is using it to great effect, even if such a basic footwork is practiced to the highest extent, can prove to be very useful in achieving big things.” Ling Xin Ya commented. Li Shu couldn’t do anything about Bi Fan’s pace and agility, and he was running out breath. He was attacking with more urgency now, and even more desperation. After his fight with Zhou Feng, he had sustained several injuries. It was impossible to recover from them in one hour. Since Bi Fan’s opponent had given up without a fight, he was already at an advantage. Li Shu was fighting with desperation; he needed to end this quickly. The longer the fight wore on, the lesser his chance of winning. Bi Fan still had no intention of colliding with Li Shu, he was dodging Li Shu’s attacks. His agile footwork, made it look very easy. As Li Shu’s pace became slower, Bi Fan’s eyes resonated his opportunity. The time to strike was almost near. With Wan Zu fist boxing, he went straight for Li Shu’s body. Finally Bi Fan was launching a counter attack, and even though it was the most simplest of moves, his expertise and strength made it formidable. Li Shu was broken and hurt, and at this time, it looked as if he was being bullied around by Bi Fan. Li Shu side stepped Bi Fan, he wouldn’t dare to go head-on now. “AAARGH!!!” Li Shu didn’t even retreat as he charged straight back at Bi Fan, not allowing himself even a moment to catch his breath. Li Shu had slowed down, even looked tired, and could barely stand straight. In the end, Li Shu was unable to dodge Bi Fan’s next counter. Bi Fan was very skilled with Wan Zu boxing. Li Shu’s already injured body couldn’t withstand the hit, and he was immediately knocked onto the ground. An entire day of fighting had finally got to him. Bi Fan was declared winner, and the tournament ended. Xiaofeng shouted loudly: “Well done, Bi Fan! Good job!” The crowd cheered him on, not only had he had won the tournament, he had given an excellent performance, winning the support of many people and schools. Bi Fan stood in the ring, brimming with emotions; it seemed like yesterday when he was just a fragile orchard farmer, cursed to be bullied for the rest of his life. Today, not only had he been selected as a disciple, he had also won the tournament. This moment felt very unreal to him, almost as if it was a dream. It was a while before Bi Fan finally walked off the stage. He knew that this was just the beginning, he still had a long way to go, and he needed to look ahead. Bi Fan walked very slowly towards receiving the trophy; he knew he couldn’t let this get his head. He still had a long way to go. He hadn’t reached his destination; he still needed to work very hard. “The tournament has now ended, congratulations to the ones who ranked high, and those who didn’t, don’t despair, keep practicing.” Ling Xin Ya said. Soon, the prizes were awarded; Bi Fan was the last to receive his. First prize, a top grade magical instrument, ten ‘inner breath’ Dan pellets and three ‘inner organs’ Dan pellets. As Bi Fan held these generous rewards in his hands, a wave of emotions flurried through his body. “Bi Fan, would you like to enter the devil Jie (territory) for training?” Ling Xin Ya asked. “Enter the devil’s territory?” Bi Fan asked, alarmed. He had no idea what was going on. The devil’s territory was a region where experience martial artists would go for training. Some schools would send their younger disciples to the devil Jie to learn discipline and to train. Neimen School required their new recruits to undergo one month of training in devil’s territory.  If they survive this training, then they are officially accepted as students, and their status in society as well as the treatment they get would be greatly improved. Obviously, the only reason Ling Xin Ya would ask him this was because he wanted to accept Bi Fan as a student. Ling Xin Ya stated: “As long as you can survive in the devil’s periphery for a month, I’m willing to make an exception and accept you as a student at Neimen School. Think it over.” “I won’t let you down.” Bi Fan responded without any hesitation. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to think about. The choice was clear. To become a student of a man of Ling Xin Ya’s caliber was something Bi Fan had never imagined. If he became a student of Ling Xin Ya, then no one would ever suspect him for the death of Zhu San, when the time came. But right now, it was time to practice and learn; otherwise the road ahead could be rough. “Very well then. After you have passed one month in the devil’s territory, come and find me at the Yangshan summit.” Ling Xin Ya took out a golden token from his pocket and handed it to Bi Fan. Bi Fan took the token, bowed and said: “Thank you, deputy sir. I will pass the test you have set for me at any cost.” “Devil’s territory… no matter how dangerous it might be, I will survive in it at any cost.” Bi Fan told himself as he stepped down from the podium. It was getting late and the selection tournament was over, so the crowd had begun to disperse. Tomorrow, the student’s tournament would begin. “Bi Fan, that was very well done, you were amazing!” Xiaofeng congratulated Bi Fan as she smilingly patted him on the shoulders. Bi Fan was too excited to speak, so he just smiled back at her. Jing Feng strode over towards Bi Fan and said: “Congratulations Bi Fan for winning the first prize.” “Thank you Jing Feng.” Bi Fan smiled. Jing Feng’s females fan following was still lingering around him like wild animals, obsessed. Even Xiaofeng couldn’t help but stare at Jing Feng for a while, before she finally turned her head the other way. Jing Feng asked, “Bi Fan, did he just ask you to break through to the devil’s territory for training?” Bi Fan nodded as he asked: “Yes, how do you know that?” “Well, I guessed that after your astonishing display today, the deputy would never let you go to any other school. It would be very strange if he did.” Jing Feng laughed. Xiaofeng asked in a surprised tone: “Really Bi Fan, the deputy actually wants to take you as his student?” “Yes, but only if I pass a month in the devil’s territory.” Bi Fan replied. Xiaofeng laughed as she playfully said: “Bi Fan, this is amazing, you are going to have a very bright future. Don’t forget us, especially the girl who took care of you.” “Xiaofeng, I will never forget you. If Yunufeng hadn’t taken me in, taught me everything I know today, I would still be farming orchards.” Bi Fan replied back with all his heart. He really didn’t want to leave Yunufeng. He would never be able to forget the kindness that Yan Yu Si had shown him. Jing Feng started shaking his fan again, attracting even more attention from all the girls around. “Bi Fan, I will take your leave now. Remember to watch the tournament tomorrow. And hey, cheer for me.” “I will be here for you tomorrow, Jing Feng” Bi Fan said, touching his chin again. “Jing Feng, we will also be cheering for you….” The girls surrounding Jing Feng said as he tried to flee the scene, seemingly embarrassed by his female fan club. “He is literally a household name, then why does he get embarrassed so easily… ” Xiaofeng said as laughed. Even though she was making fun of Jing Feng, the smile on her face was proof enough that she only meant it as a compliment. Bi Fan could sense that Xiaofeng liked Jing Feng. A sinking feeling took over his heart.

Chapter end