Chapter 167: Battle Of Minds
“Lu Yun was able to defeat Xie Bo by relying on the profound palm technique and superior battle tactic.” The Saintess heard this and gently shook her head. The words she spoke were exactly the same as those of Miss Xiahou.
“I understand the profound palm technique. Lu Xian’s unique skill is, of course, extraordinary.” The little maidservant asked puzzledly, “However, what does Miss mean by superior battle tactic? I saw him getting beaten all along, then he threw one punch and sent Xie Bo flying. Is that also called a superior battle tactic?”
“Although the Great Central Supreme Fist is profound, it is not invincible. The Sect Leader said that this fist must not only hit flesh, but also strike above the opponent’s heart to instantly shatter their true qi.” The Saintess and the little maidservant strolled deeper into the dense forest while casually explaining, “Perhaps Lu Xian can ignore the enemy and resolve the battle with one punch, but Lu Yun absolutely cannot. Otherwise, why would he bother passively taking hits? One punch right at the start would have ended it.”
“That’s true.” The little maidservant nodded in agreement and asked curiously, “Then how did Lu Yun do it?”
“Lu Yun is the hope of the Lu Clan. Before the competition, the elders in the clan must have explained the Five Virtues Five Elements Technique to him in detail. The Lu Clan must have also helped him understand Xie Bo’s situation clearly long ago. So before the competition, Lu Yun already knew that Xie Bo would infuse the Five Virtues Five Elements Qi into his five viscera, greatly increasing his own strength several times in a short time, even enough to battle a grandmaster.
Wisdom shone in the Saintess’s eyes as she spoke in a voice like an oriole emerging from the valley, “So Lu Yun knew from the start that if he didn’t use strategy and just fought head-on, he absolutely wouldn’t be Xie Bo’s opponent. Therefore, he decided from the beginning that he must exploit Xie Bo’s weakness and win through wisdom.”
“What weakness does Xie Bo have?” the little maidservant pursued.
“Xie Bo has two weaknesses. One that Lu Yun should have known long ago is that his cultivation method is incomplete; he has only cultivated the Four Virtues Four Elements, lacking the Righteousness Virtue Fire Element Qi. The heart belongs to fire. Without the Righteousness Virtue Fire Element Qi infused, Xie Bo’s heart is the weakest point in his entire body. That’s why Lu Yun learned the Great Central Supreme Fist from Lu Xian. If he lands a strike, he can achieve victory over the strong with weakness.”
“Oh, I see…” the little maidservant said softly.
“But Lu Yun only had one chance. Once he misses the strike, with Xie Bo on guard, how could he expose his heart vital point again?” The Saintess continued, “So Lu Yun had to make Xie Bo show a flaw and then deliver that one and only punch when he was most unguarded. I estimate that his tardy arrival was to make the opponent impetuous. After arriving, he keenly noticed that Xie Bo was under great pressure from Xie Tian and struggling inwardly. That is Xie Bo’s second weakness.”
“So Lu Yun showed sincerity to the opponent everywhere, deliberately pointing out the defect in Xie Bo’s cultivation method and expressing that he shared the same status and empathized, all to make Xie Bo even more conflicted inwardly.” A maple leaf drifted down from the tree. The Saintess caught it casually, twirling it as she said softly, “In contests between experts, often it’s a competition of whose mind is more complete. Once one side’s mind shows a flaw, the other will desperately attack that flaw, throwing them into disarray. They can’t bring out even half of their full strength, and victory or defeat is immediately clear.”
“Miss means that all of Lu Yun’s words and actions were to make that Xie Bo lose his composure?” The little maidservant said in shock, “I didn’t see it at all. I even thought he was too weak and easy to bully…”
“That’s his brilliance. Once the opponent sees him as weak, he deliberately reinforces that impression, letting the opponent’s emotions amplify continuously. Saying things like ‘If defeating me can fulfill your long-cherished wish, Older Brother Xie, come at me!’ The Saintess chuckled and said, “How would you feel if you were Xie Bo hearing that? How could he bring himself to strike? With Xie Tian shouting beside him, it’d be strange if he didn’t panic!”
“So Xie Bo’s prolonged failure to take down Lu Yun was due to his inner struggle. Finally, when he decided to violate his conscience and strike Lu Yun poisonously for the complete cultivation method, his negative emotions peaked. At that moment, all his mind was focused on suppressing his emotions, so he naturally couldn’t attend to controlling his body and protecting his heart vital point…”
“At that time, the moment for Lu Yun to strike arrived…” The Saintess sighed softly and shattered the fallen leaf in her hand.
The little maidservant stared blankly as the leaf turned to red powder, scattering from the Saintess’s white jade-like palm. After a long while, she swallowed and said, “Does Lu Yun have such deep schemes? He’s only sixteen or seventeen years old…”
“You haven’t seen him in Yongqiu County. This kid has always been like this.” The Saintess said wistfully, “I really can’t figure him out. What kind of experiences create such a freak?”
‘See, what Miss cares about is still him as a person…’ The little maidservant muttered inwardly.
“Forget it, no more talk of him.” The Saintess patted the remaining red powder from her hands, as if setting aside a worry, and said, “Since Miss Xiahou has spoken, Xie Tian shouldn’t dare trouble Lu Yun anymore, and I don’t need to worry.” She then asked the little maidservant, “Lately, what movements from those few clans?”
“Lately, following Miss’s instructions, we’ve been keeping a low profile.” When it came to serious matters, the little maidservant restrained her smile and answered solemnly, “But the various clans’ reactions have been very subdued, with no sign of urgency.”
“Everyone knows this is a long-term deal. If they’re not anxious, we’re even less so.” The Saintess said slowly, “However, it’s somewhat unexpected that both the Xiahou Clan and the Initial Emperor can stay so calm.”
“The Initial Emperor took out Gao Guangning, achieving the effect of knocking the mountain to shake the tiger. He probably won’t act again for a while, to avoid overdoing it.” The little maidservant guessed, “As for the Xiahou Clan, has the Initial Emperor’s warning worked, making them not dare act rashly?”
“It’s easy to change rivers and mountains, but hard to change one’s nature.” The Saintess shook her head with contempt, “If they were so easily tamed, they wouldn’t be the Xiahou Clan.”
“Then we don’t know what tricks they’re up to.” The little maidservant sighed.
“Then we’ll wait and see. The fox will always show its tail.” The Saintess said softly, “Besides, the Sect Leader will arrive in Luojing City in a few days.”
“Yes, Miss can rest assured. If there’s any news, this servant will report it immediately.” The little maidservant said respectfully.
The Saintess nodded, then parted ways with the little maidservant. One headed east, the other west, both disappearing into the mountains of red leaves.
.
As soon as Lu Yun exited the Maple Forest, he saw Lu Bai and the other two waiting eagerly on the hillside. Behind them was a carriage from the Lu Clan.
Seeing Lu Yun come out, the three hurried over. Lu Song shouted loudly, “How did it go? Did you win?”
“Do we need to ask!” Lu Lin said gruffly, “Look at him bouncing around lively. He must have won.”
“Didn’t we agree no one would come?” Lu Yun smiled and punched Lu Lin’s chest, nodding to confirm his guess.
“Great!” Lu Bai let out a long breath and said, “We were on edge at home too, so we simply came here to wait.”
“If you lost, we could carry you back.” Lu Song chuckled, but then showed an admiring expression and said, “That Xie Bo is extremely formidable. We thought even if you won, it’d be a pyrrhic victory. Unexpectedly, you won so easily.”
“Kid, how much strength are you hiding?” Lu Lin sized up Lu Yun. He had always wanted to fight Lu Yun, but was increasingly having second thoughts.
“His strength far exceeds my current level.” Lu Yun shook his head, telling the truth, “But this time, the competition wasn’t his intention, so a flaw appeared in his mind, allowing me to seize the opportunity and turn defeat into victory.” He sighed with some guilt, “To be honest, it was really an unfair victory.”
“What are you talking about?” The usually most serious Lu Bai shook his head firmly upon hearing this, “For warriors, battling minds comes first, battling with soldiers second. In showdowns between evenly matched experts, the clash of minds decides victory or defeat. For Fourth Brother to already apply mind battles in actual combat is truly exceptional talent. How could it be an unfair victory?”
