"I lost."
Grandpa Mark let out a heavy breath, a gratified smile spreading across his face. "Overwhelming force trumps a hundred techniques—Quinn, your strength is now enough to make up for any flaws in your moves. You've passed. By the way, how did your cultivation suddenly leap forward so much? I couldn't even shake off your power."
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "I went out with Village Chief, and when I came back, my Spirit Embryo..."
Village Chief coughed repeatedly. Quinn looked puzzled. "Village Chief, what's wrong?"
"That last move of yours scared me."
Village Chief coughed twice more. "You've passed the first gate. So, what about the second?"
Crippled Joe pulled the pig's trotter from his mouth and limped over, grinning. "Quinn, let's skip fists and compare legs instead. Look up—see that cloud up there?"
Quinn looked up and saw a white cloud drifting lazily overhead. Crippled Joe chuckled, "Let's see who can run up there first."
Quinn hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Crippled Joe grinned, "You're young, and I care for the young—I'll let you go first."
Quinn kept a simple smile on his face. "I respect my elders—elders go first."
"You're young, you go first."
"You're not in great shape, old man—why don't you go first instead?"
...
Both kept their simple, fake smiles, pushing the other to go first for ages. Butcher snatched up two big knives and roared, "Enough with the nonsense! That cloud's already drifting away! If you don't run now, I'll chop you both to bits!"
Quinn and Crippled Joe shot off almost at the same time. Quinn’s steps were swift as the wind, and suddenly he kicked off a gust, soaring upward—only for Crippled Joe to leap into the air just ahead of him. Quinn pressed his palm downward, redirecting the wind beneath Crippled Joe, sending it blowing toward the ground. Crippled Joe, arms and legs flailing, tumbled out of the sky.
Quinn dashed forward, overtaking Crippled Joe and running on the wind. Suddenly, his legs tightened—bound together so securely that he flipped upside down and crashed headfirst.
Crippled Joe burst out laughing, a whip of yuanqi appearing in his hand and locking Quinn’s legs.
Quinn fell, and the one-legged elder stomped on him before springing back into the air.
But Quinn erupted with yuanqi, snapping the whip apart, grabbed Crippled Joe’s leg, and kicked at his face. With a crash, both slammed into the ground, dust flying everywhere.
Crippled Joe planted his crutch on the ground and unleashed the Heaven-Stealing Leg Art, attacking with uncanny mastery. Quinn, lying on the ground, targeted only his crutch, kicking out countless times, taking dozens of blows before finally shattering Crippled Joe’s crutch to pieces.
Crippled Joe balanced on his single leg, scowling, "Brat, who taught you to be so ruthless?"
Quinn slammed his hands onto the ground, spinning head over heels and shooting skyward. Crippled Joe sneered, crouched on his single leg, then sprang into the air.
Just as he leapt up, Quinn—now above him—clapped his hands down. His yuanqi instantly became Black Tortoise yuanqi, water ripples appearing in the air and transforming into a water dragon that lunged at Crippled Joe.
"Just a minor trick!"
Crippled Joe chuckled, whipping up a gust with both hands to deflect the water dragon. His yuanqi actually formed into a leg—half-transparent—and he sprinted wildly, nearly overtaking Quinn.
Quinn did a split midair, pressing his palms against the air to flip himself upright. Then, legs together, he dashed forward, aiming a vicious strike at Crippled Joe's back.
The two raced through the air, unleashing leg techniques full of cunning tricks, their bodies darting unpredictably—down below, the crowd could barely keep up with their dizzying moves.
Suddenly, Crippled Joe’s arm moved like a shadow—uncanny and unpredictable. He unleashed the Heaven-Snatch Switch-Hand, and before Quinn could react, his belt loosened and his pants were yanked down to his ankles.
He immediately tripped himself, and then felt a chill—his clothes were stripped off, his hands bound by his own shirt. Quinn tumbled out of the sky, hurriedly tore his shirt apart, yanked up his pants, and sprinted while tying his belt, shouting angrily, "Grandpa Lame, you never taught me that move!"
Crippled Joe laughed loudly. "Catch up to me, and I'll teach you!"