The dojo was dead silent. Erioh's face was as dark as it could get, cursing Raian in his heart: "Idiot! He's so used to crushing people with brute force that his brain must be made of muscle by now."
Facing an expert like Gusion, whose depth was unknown, how could Raian open with such a massive, wide-open move like 'Mountain Breaker'? Too many flaws—an easy target for jiu-jitsu counterattacks.
Raian falling short with 'Mountain Breaker' was within his expectations, but what truly shocked him was that Gusion didn't use a jiu-jitsu counter or dodge. Instead, he saw through the flow of Raian's muscular force and expertly redirected it, causing Raian's move to fail and exposing him completely.
Two seconds later, Raian regained consciousness and found himself kneeling on the floor. Looking up, he saw Gusion standing there, looking down at him with an indifferent expression.
"I just... lost consciousness from a blow?"
Shocked, his fury blazed. Seeing Gusion beckon him with a finger, he felt like his veins were about to explode.
But to everyone's surprise, Raian, usually so hot-tempered, didn't roar in anger—he grew eerily calm.
He stood up, eyes locked on Gusion, anger turning into cold killing intent. He was serious now.
Gusion looked at this version of Raian and couldn't help but smile. "It wasn't in vain that I held back. Looks like you can still go a few more rounds. Come, let me experience the secrets of the Wu clan's martial arts."
By now, more and more people were gathering at the dojo. Raian, currently one of the strongest fighters of the Kure clan, had been knocked down—a huge piece of news.
Over the past 1,300 years, the Kure clan had constantly married strong individuals to optimize their bloodline. Now, there were no weaklings left—they were a new humanity. Every single one present could be called a superhuman in terms of physical ability.
Raian was the top superhuman among them, able to use 100% Removal. No one had ever seen him lose like this.
But now, they saw someone even stronger than Raian—a man standing in the center of the dojo, as immovable as a mountain.
Steady.
That was the sole word in the minds of the Kure clan members present. Raian felt it too. He didn't feel like he was facing a peer or someone even younger, but rather a grandmaster with 70 or 80 years of martial experience—one whose physical ability rivaled his own.
Facing Gusion felt like staring into an abyss—he could never know how deep it went.
In their standoff, invisible auras clashed. For the first time in a long while, Raian felt pressure; sweat dripped from his forehead.
Suddenly, the silence was shattered—not by Raian, but by Gusion!
Gusion exploded with force, shattering the wooden floor beneath him. He moved so fast that many Kure clan members couldn't even see him. Instantly, he closed the distance to Raian.
A steel fist shot out with the momentum of mountains and seas. Even before the fist arrived, the wind from it rushed toward Raian's face.
There's a major concept in martial arts: "The first to move beats the first to react." Raian had planned to gauge Gusion's intentions before he attacked, hoping to counterattack at the perfect moment. But Gusion was too fast—there was no warning at all!
At the critical moment, Raian raised his left elbow upward, smashing it toward Gusion's fist. This move, called "Buddha Killer," was meant to attack the enemy's throat, but he used it to defend himself.
Though he'd lost the initiative, Raian believed he'd made the perfect response. Elbow versus fist, at this range, Gusion shouldn't be able to change moves. The collision would surely favor him—Gusion's fist would be crushed!
Bang—!
Just as Raian thought he'd turn things around, a wave of pain shot from his elbow. His body retreated from the force of the impact, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gusion's fist.
That fist shimmered with a metallic, gray-black luster. After clashing with his elbow, it was completely unharmed. Instead, Raian felt as if his bones were about to crack.
Before he could think, another gust of wind hit—it was Gusion's leg. Raian had to drop his guard and raise his arms to protect his side.
The tremendous force of the collision forced Raian to stabilize himself with difficulty, but Gusion's next attack was already upon him.
Everyone watching was stunned. Raian had gotten serious, yet even in full Removal mode, he couldn't fight back at all against Gusion.
After losing the initiative, Raian never got another chance. Gusion's attacks were like a hurricane—unpredictable, unguardable.
If Raian weren't a true genius in combat, he'd have gone down in three moves.
Even so, after dozens of exchanges, Raian showed signs of defeat.
In one exchange, Raian left an opening. Gusion closed in, blocked Raian's all-in-one attack with one hand, and struck Raian's heart with a short punch with the other.
The Removal technique heavily depended on the heart's blood supply. A blow to this vital spot made Raian instantly stiffen and lose control, stumbling backward.
Gusion followed with a triple short punch, each strike hitting Raian's heart. As Raian completely lost balance and fell backward, Gusion stepped forward, driving his hand straight for Raian's throat.
"No!"
With Fusui's cry, Gusion stopped his knife-hand strike just short of Raian's throat, while Raian's body hit the floor with a dull thud.
Gusion straightened and smiled at Wu Fengshui. "I said I was only here for a martial arts exchange—not to kill anyone."
As he spoke, he stomped down, his foot landing on Raian's heart and shattering the floor beneath. Raian, trying to counterattack, coughed up blood, the purple hue on his body quickly fading away—the Removal state was broken.
Gusion glanced at Raian underfoot. "Sneak attacks during a spar aren't a good habit. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing your assassination skills."
Raian, his vital points heavily struck, didn't even have the strength to roar. The man's figure blurred in his dark eyes.
Clap clap clap—!
Amid the silence, applause rang out. The source was a thin, elderly man.
"That was a splendid match."
Clan leader Erioh stood up, smiling. "The younger generation is truly impressive. I should thank Mr. Gusion for teaching that arrogant Raian a lesson."
Erioh was genuinely stunned by the fight. Even at his peak, he doubted he could have defeated Raian so cleanly.
Gusion looked only a bit over twenty years old, yet his martial prowess was so deep—truly rare.
"Take this unruly boy away for treatment. After this defeat, he should realize there's always someone stronger. Secret techniques aren't invincible—if he doesn't train hard, he'll lose one day."
He ordered Raian carried away, speaking with deep emotion.
He had lost once in his youth. If not for that defeat, he'd never have become truly strong. Only after losing did he return to the clan to rigorously train and master various battle techniques and secret arts, becoming a top fighter.
Now Raian was just like him back then—just relying on full Removal to crush foes, not valuing skill, and thus suffering against a real top-tier expert.
That's why he sincerely thanked Gusion—defeating Raian would make him stronger.
"So, does the legendary First Fang of Metsudo want to exchange techniques with me?"
Gusion looked at Erioh. In terms of skill alone, Erioh was one of the top experts in the world.