Although they were unhappy, martial artists value their word above all else. Since they had already acknowledged Chen Xu as their leader, they naturally had to obey him.
Chen Xu sneered and said, "A tiny country like yours, a bunch of trash bookmakers, dare to talk so big? Very well, since you want to die, I'll grant your wish. Let's have a duel today, instead of sneaking around to find newbies to farm points in various channels. Hmph, when it comes to guerrilla warfare, we're your ancestors!"
Upon seeing the translation, JION couldn't help but twitch her lips violently a few times.
What Koreans find most taboo is when Chinese people mention seniority in front of them. This is because the Korean people have no history; everything they know comes from China. This deep-seated inferiority complex makes them afraid to face reality. Chen Xu's words, though unintentional, inadvertently struck a nerve with these Koreans.
JION quickly typed, "How do you want to duel?!"
"It's very simple. We'll use the standard P system, with each side sending five people to fight one by one, and each fight being a best-of-three series. Of course, if it's 2-0, there's no need for a third match. The last person to win is the victor. How about that?"
This is a very fair way to play, and many esports games now use this method in team battles. So JION replied, "Very good, which five players will you send?"
Chen Xu smiled and generously announced the list of performers.
Chen Xu was ranked first, followed by Bajiquan, the squad leader, An Yi, and a Tongbeiquan master.
But in reality, the order of the last four is completely meaningless. Because Chen Xu has already made up his mind to single-handedly take down all five of them!
Looking at the lineup, FLY next to him said, "Boss, this kind of play doesn't fit our original plan."
The others nodded in agreement, because this style of play was purely head-on, which did not conform to their previously established principle of "choosing the weak to rack up points and trying their best to challenge the opponent's experts."
Because in the channel where you're racking up points, the opponents' skill levels vary greatly, creating a good opportunity to slip through the cracks. But in a head-on challenge, it's all about skill, and the chances of losing are quite high. JION said, "We have no choice, because didn't you see they're fully prepared? If we can defeat them in this battle, then it's a complete victory. Have faith in our strength!"
After thinking it over, the group realized that they had been training for a long time and had a significant advantage in this area, so there was nothing to be afraid of, and they became very confident.
JION analyzed the situation and said, "I guess they couldn't hold on any longer. Letting us farm points in the channel would only make them look worse, so they're going all in. This is good, though. Farming points won't create a buzz in the long run anyway, but now is our perfect opportunity to become famous!" He then smiled smugly, pointed to the list, and said, "These Chinese people still believe in that ignorant Confucian culture, and they actually submitted their own list first! Ha! Doesn't this give us a perfect chance?"
The Koreans burst into laughter. Indeed, in formal competitions, both sides submit their rosters to the organizing committee together; neither side knows the other's roster beforehand.
In formal competitions, both sides will definitely study each other's players, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. If they know the opponent's lineup in advance, it's easy to develop a targeted strategy. Since the five Chinese players have all faced them before, they are familiar with their characteristics. Therefore, JION and his team discussed the situation and immediately arranged a targeted lineup. The first player from the Korean side was named WOOD. He's a very aggressive player, and he's even defeated Chen Xu. He's confident he can take down ICE first, and maybe even defeat Bajiquan. If he can take down two of them, the rest of the match will be much easier.
The Korean lineup consists of WOOD, BIRD, FLY, RAIN, and JION.
Judging from their strength, aside from WOOD and BIRD being roughly equal, the ranking follows a progressive order. JIO being placed last is clearly a safety net, a precaution against any unexpected events. This also shows that the Koreans are being very cautious; otherwise, they would have placed JIO first and easily defeated the Chinese team 5-0!
Seeing the Korean lineup, Chen Xu smiled. Unlike the Koreans who gathered together, all five of them had been communicating online and had set up a professional video conference room. Chen Xu laughed, "It seems they're being cautious, but that's better. It'll get more challenging as the game goes on, so they won't get discouraged after a couple of fun rounds."
The squad leader said, "ICE, you need to be careful. Don't be careless. I've fought that WOOD before. He's very strong and his attack speed is very fast. He's a formidable opponent."
The man in the video is almost thirty, but he looks very young. I don't know if he was born that way or if he takes good care of himself. If he was born that way, that's fine, but if he took good care of himself... well, it's disgusting.
Chen Xu chuckled and said, "Even if they are stronger than you?"
This was a subtle way of flattering them, and An Yi chuckled, saying, "Everything small and extreme says, 'If you lose, I'll kill you!'"
Although his words were blunt, a hint of nervousness could be seen on his face through the camera lens; it's just that he's not very good at expressing himself.
Chen Xu chuckled, set up the host server, entered first, chose the simplest martial arts arena, then sent a heart attack to his opponent. WOOD nodded and entered the host server.
The game *Martial Artist* features dedicated character and move files, which are stored by default in the game's installation folder. Players simply need to extract the file and place it in the game folder during gameplay. During online battles, the server automatically reads the character information, and thanks to the game's unique double-helix structure, the reading and network exchange speeds are significantly faster than before, so there's absolutely no need to worry about lag.
So after both sides clicked start, there was only a progress bar flashing for less than ten seconds before they entered the game's arena.
The character created by this WOOD is over 1.9 meters tall, with long arms and legs, which definitely gives him an advantage in battle.
The countdown of 3, 2, 1 had just ended when WOOD rushed forward and launched a flying kick at Chen Xu!
This move is sudden and ruthless. Combined with the advantage of WOOD's long legs, it's easy for an ordinary person to suffer if they encounter it by chance... Chen Xu suffered a small loss last time, which shows that this guy has been practicing this move for a long time. He wants to give people a warning right from the start.
But things were different now. Chen Xu nimbly dodged, then with his left hand in a yin position and his right hand in a yang position, he executed a Tai Chi cloud hand gesture. He grabbed his opponent's leg and pulled it back, then immediately raised his foot and kicked... well, to be precise. It was a stomp! The sole of his shoe was aimed directly at his opponent—what else could it be but a stomp? And the location of the stomp...
Well, Chen Xu lifted one of this guy's legs up. There was a huge gap between his legs, so what else could he use but a groin kick?
In fact, every martial art has techniques like groin strikes, because Chinese martial arts are meant to kill, not to perform. As for Chen Xu's current technique, it's not Tai Chi; it's more about doing whatever comes to mind.
This kick was incredibly insidious and vicious, striking straight at WOOD's little brother... well, it should be said that it struck the little brother of the character WOOD created!
In formal combat, groin kicks are strictly prohibited as extremely dangerous moves. But in real fighting, who cares about that? The groin, throat, eyes… these are among the most vulnerable parts of the human body. Ignoring these vulnerable areas and focusing on hitting the hardest spots? Please, that's for performance, not a life-or-death struggle!
In a life-or-death struggle, what rules are there? The rule is simply to defeat your opponent!
The kick hit a vital spot, and the system immediately determined that WOOD had lost half of his combat power. WOOD was naturally sent flying. He controlled his character to get up, but the character struggled on the ground for a couple of moments before barely managing to stand up... This is the game's unique gameplay, unlike other fighting games where you get hit once and then nothing happens.
But as soon as WOOD got up, Chen Xu's character rushed up and kicked WOOD's character again!
This kick wasn't a Tan Tui, nor a horizontal whip, nor even a super cool spinning kick. In fact, it was a completely unorthodox kicking motion. It was... well, definitely not a standard kicking motion in combat, but in another sport, it would be a textbook example of a perfect kick.
A shot in football...
He slapped WOO's character hard between the legs with the instep of his foot.
Oh my god, this is so bloody! So cruel!
Those who witnessed this couldn't help but cover their crotches... If this were in real life, then without a doubt, WOOD's life would likely be spent using only his fingers...
"Cheating! Foul!" WOOD, sitting in front of his computer, was furious! How could they use such despicable and underhanded methods? Those two kicks felt like they were hitting him directly; WOOD felt like he was about to collapse!
But Chen Xu wasn't done yet. While WOOD was fuming and lost in thought, he followed up with another kick!
Good heavens, the target is still the balls, and this time, it's poked with the toe!
This kick is a technique called "poking the ball with the toes." The attack range of the toes is small, but the pressure is high. It's like when children first learn to play football, they often like to poke the ball with their toes. Although this is considered an unstandard move in football rules, it's very suitable for explosive power at close range. For children with less strength, this is the only way they can kick the ball far.
After Chen Xu stabbed him, WOOD, who was already on his last sliver of health, finally collapsed, killed by being kicked in the genitals... This is simply the most humiliating way for a man to die!
Fortunately, it's just a game where the characters have incredibly strong physical abilities; otherwise, in real life, one kick would be enough to render someone impotent for life.
"Foul! That's a foul!" After losing the match, WOOD frantically typed on the keyboard, but Chen Xu coldly snorted and replied, "What a joke! Real killing moves aren't like your childish Taekwondo, where you don't give me this or that? What a bunch of idiots!"
WOOD was furious. He thought he had to kill this guy named ICE! So he quickly went back into the ring and typed OK with a grim face. He wanted revenge!
After entering the game, WOOD dared not use the high kick move anymore, as it left too much of an opening. He tried to attack Chen Xu's lower body, but after only two kicks, Chen Xu suddenly stepped forward, back-slammed into him, and used the close-quarters combat technique from Bajiquan, sticking to him like glue. After attacking his vital points several times, making WOOD stagger, Chen Xu suddenly used a powerful over-the-shoulder throw to slam him heavily to the ground. At this point, WOOD only had a sliver of health left, and Chen Xu only needed to follow up with a light punch to win.
However, Chen Xu, in an extremely malicious manner, did not bend down to throw a punch. Instead, he stepped forward and stomped hard between WOOD's legs...
"Ouch!" WOOD screamed in front of the computer, as if he had stepped on himself, not a character in a game. Then his eyes rolled back, and he tumbled to the ground, clutching his penis...
Chapter 160 The Monkey Steals Peaches
Aside from the virtual reality aspect, the realism of "Martial Artist" is the highest Chen Xu has ever seen. Especially when playing from a first-person perspective, the tension is truly immersive!
The game's perspective is excellent. Because it's so realistic, when players are fully engaged, every time the game character gets hit, it really feels like they're being hit themselves!
So WOOD felt as if Chen Xu's last blow had stepped on his own little brother, as if he were actually there, and then he clutched his crotch, screamed, and fell to the ground.
This should also be considered a subconscious thing. Hmm, I wonder if Chen Xu's kick will leave him with any psychological trauma, potentially leading to lifelong impotence...
Chen Xu was unaware of WOOD's situation; otherwise, he would have been laughing so hard he'd crawl under the table, and the rest of the match would have been impossible.
BIRD entered the host with a gloomy face. After all, WOOD's defeat was too ugly. Not only did he not even touch a hair on the opponent's head, but he was also kicked to death in the genitals... This was too cruel and too damn devastating!
BIRD was terrified that he would also be kicked to death in the genitals using this method, so he didn't dare to say anything after entering and started the game immediately with 3, 2, 1.
This BIRD character wasn't tall, but he was incredibly agile. He immediately launched a triple flying kick, which Chen Xu dodged, and then jumped to the side, not daring to advance rashly. He carefully looked for an opportunity.
Since the other party dared not make a move easily, Chen Xu began to act.
When Chen Xu rushed up, he startled BIRD! This guy came up with a "skyrocket" move, which BIRD blocked with his hand, followed by a piercing palm move from Baguazhang!
Bagua Palm, also known as Bagua Swimming Dragon Palm, is characterized by its fluid and unobstructed movements, reminiscent of a swimming dragon. Although BIRD was agile, he became as slow as a snail at full speed when faced with Bagua Swimming Dragon Palm.
Baguazhang's palms move with the body, and the steps follow the palms. ...The upper and lower body coordinate, and the whole body moves as one. It can truly be described as twisting and turning like flowing water, and tumbling up and down like a dragon.
Generally speaking, when two people are fighting face-to-face, if one side only defends and avoids attacks, it's not easy for the attacker to find an opening to strike. This is because using the same old moves too often makes it easy to create openings for the opponent to counterattack.
Because Taekwondo, a martial art, emphasizes striking first after the opponent strikes. The moment the opponent makes a move, there will be a large opening, and seizing this opportunity can easily defeat the enemy.
However, Chen Xu's movements were simply too fast. He moved around BIRD using the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation, leaving BIRD completely dizzy and unaware of where he was... He wondered, didn't ICE himself get dizzy?
How could Chen Xu possibly faint? He was feeling incredibly good under Xiao Min's electric current stimulation. Seizing the opportunity, he circled around behind BIRD and slapped him hard on the waist!
The lower back is also a very vulnerable area, capable of injuring internal organs and playing a crucial role in power generation and balance! Chen Xu's palm strike immediately slowed BIRD's pace. Chen Xu seized the opportunity to close the distance and deliver a powerful elbow strike to BIRD's face!
Just as BIRD adjusted his vision, he saw an elbow hurtling towards his temple. Terrified, his hand moved at lightning speed, managing to block Chen Xu's elbow. But at that moment, Chen Xu's arm suddenly sank, unleashing a powerful downward grab... a truly powerful and masculine version of "Monkey Steals the Peach"!
Another groin strike!
BIRD was completely crippled this time. He had already been seriously injured by Chen Xu, and after this blow, he collapsed to the ground and couldn't get up. Chen Xu won another round.
When BIRD entered the second round, Chen Xu used the same method, ending the fight with a groin strike. BIRD screamed in pain and collapsed, clutching his crotch.
"That's so despicable, so shameless!" The squad leader and his team shook their heads and shouted in the voice conference room.
Of course, apart from Chen Xu, these four are all true inheritors of martial arts schools, and they don't find anything wrong with this groin strike technique at all... because every martial art has this technique in it, and this technique is really useful when killing enemies. As for those fancy moves and rules, no one cares about them.
Of course, these moves are not something you can use casually in real life. After all, the consequences of this move are like those of a nuclear weapon. Other moves, even if they break a few bones, will only cause minor injuries and require a hundred days of rest. But this "Tiger Claw Severing Hand" can easily ruin a person's "sexual happiness" for the rest of their life. Therefore, this move is taboo during daily sparring and will not be used.
Chen Xu won two consecutive matches using this method, which really angered the Koreans.
JION typed on the computer: "Foul! This is a shameful foul! You have no martial arts spirit, resorting to such dirty and despicable means!"
Upon hearing his words, Chen Xu couldn't help but laugh. Dirty and despicable? That's truly laughable.
In the game "Martial Arts Master," both sides have agreed to fight to the death, so what does it matter what methods they use? Besides, a groin strike is simple and effective, and it can also successfully dampen the opponent's arrogance, so why not use it?!
So Chen Xu coldly replied, "What a joke! This is a battlefield for life and death. Would you tell someone not to kick your groin on the battlefield? Hmph, Taekwondo is always pretentious. They clearly can use their fists to attack the opponent's head, but they insist on only using their feet. It's just for show, like taking off your pants to fart, completely unnecessary!"
These words left the Koreans feeling frustrated. The third expert, FLY, quickly logged into the host computer and typed, "I'll fuck you to death!"
However, FLY was quickly defeated.
FLY's specialty was critical strikes, but Chen Xu brutally killed him with a single critical strike. The "Mountain-Leaning" technique in Bajiquan is a perfect example of a critical strike, using instantaneous force to attack the enemy. FLY was thus brutally tortured to death by Chen Xu, and even in his dying moments, Chen Xu didn't forget to use the "Monkey Steals the Peach" move...
Having stolen peaches from three different players in a row, the Chinese player was grinning from ear to ear, and all the frustration of the past few days vanished in an instant!
When Chen Xu faced FLY, he could have easily beaten him to death, but at the last moment, he chose to miss several opportunities and torture him to death in this way. This was clearly showing contempt for his opponent and was obviously a provocation!
But this kind of provocation is incredibly satisfying!
Chen Xu achieved a resounding victory, defeating the arrogant Koreans with ease, and even stealing from them repeatedly. Although Gao Xiaojie and Guan Yi couldn't help but blush and spit out "You scoundrel!" while watching the live broadcast, seeing Chen Xu's incredible prowess filled the two young women with a sense of satisfaction.
After FLY's undisputed and complete defeat, JION is now truly panicked.
He knew that even he couldn't defeat three people so easily. Clearly, ICE's strength far surpassed his own, and if the fight continued, he might really be defeated 5-0! JION was now filled with regret!
He regretted how foolish and naive he had been to agree to the challenge.
In his opinion, this ICE was definitely not the same ICE who had been racking up points in the game channel a few days ago. Although his skills were still quite good back then, they were far inferior to the superb skills he possessed now!
While this five-player PvP format is fair, it often results in a few exceptional players who can single-handedly turn the tide, with one person taking on all five opponents – something that has happened in other games as well. JION's agreement to this format stemmed from a degree of insecurity about his teammates.
JION was very confident in himself before! Being ranked number one in the channel for several consecutive days had made JION believe that he was the best player in the world, and he was not sure about the strength of his teammates.