Chapter 18 Breath

Hearing the challenge, Mo Xiaowen's mind was in a mess. 'SHUI!? Isn't he a Prince then?!' Mo Xiaowen sat there shocked. Fighting a Prince may not sound too hard at face value, but there was a reason a Royal Family could establish a Kingdom, and normally that reason was their power.

"Just an obstacle." Mo Xiaowen muttered to himself before leaping onto the stage. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least somewhat nervous.

"You don't disappoint. I am glad you exist, otherwise I would've gone back to the Academy without making a single move." Shui Long commented, his eyes brimming with confidence. It wasn't confidence in his abilities, rather an innate confidence, one that had only been further enhanced over the last 13 years.

"Likewise." Mo Xiaowen replied, he was already quite nervous so he wasn't of the mind to make large drawn out sentences.

On the other hand, Shui Long and even the audience raised a brow at this reply. Was he trying to imply that no one could matching him besides Shui Long in the Royal Academy? "You truly don't disappoint." The Prince chuckled.

The two then each took a stance, Shui Long's was fluid and looked like that of a master, while Mo Xiaowen's seemed rigid and inexperienced. Seeing this the Demonic Cliff Sect lost faith in Mo Xiaowen.

"You may begin."

The referee declared. Unlike previous battles, the two stood still inspecting the other from head to toe. 'I've never been in a fight before, approaching will only give him openings to exploit. I need to keep my legs wide but not too wide, lower my centre of gravity and guard my face.' Mo Xiaowen went over in his mind.

Nearly a minute later, Shui Long's patience wore thin. He dashed over at Mo Xiaowen, covering a distance of 30 meters in an instant, his fist hurtling towards the boy.

"HUFF!"

As Shui Long's fist reached Mo Xiaowen, he exhaled while punching out towards the Prince. The two fists clashed, the air billowed and the stage shook, but boys stood there completely unharmed. 'He seems inexperienced, but that punch of his..... that wasn't something someone useless could throw.' The Prince analysed, before launching another attack.

Punch after punch was thrown, but Mo Xiaowen deflected them all without missing a beat. Each punch he threw was accompanied by an exhalation and as much power as he could generate from his body in that moment.

'My breath, sometimes its too slow or too fast, I need to adjust a little.' Mo Xiaowen thought before adjusting his breath. As the fight progressed Mo Xiaowen lost himself, not in the fight itself, but in the inadequacies he could feel within himself.

Some people argued that fighting would bring out a cultivator's potential, and that was indeed true when one was matched against an equal opponent and if one was willing to acknowledge their previous mistakes and improve.

Because of this Mo Xiaowen's punches and control of his breath were enhancing as the fight wore on. Not by much, but every small improvement made a difference overtime.

In the stands of the arena the spectators were shocked. While the Prince and Mo Xiaowen were in the same Stage, it was still inconceivable to them that he'd last so long. 'Normally brother's opponents all cry out in pain after the 10th punch, does this guy not feel pain?' The Princess wondered in shock.

Even Shui Long was similarly confused, most people his age would surrender after a few punches, not go the distance and continue fighting it out with him, that was absurd. 'My fists are beginning to hurt, I need to end this quick.'

With that thought Shui Long launched another attack, but unlike his previous attacks this was a side kick rather than a punch. Almost robotically Mo Xiaowen matched the kick with a punch, but unlike before he was sent 3 steps back.

The leg would always beat the arm, and that truth was made apparent to Mo Xiaowen in that moment, and again and again. Seeing that the attack had worked Shui Long began to use it over and over injuring Mo Xiaowen and sending him further and further back.

'If I don't do anything I am going to lose.' Mo Xiaowen thought to himself as another foot approached him. 'Is there anyway I can improve my breath control to increase the power of my punch?'

Try as he might, the boy couldn't improve his breath control enough for his punch to match a kick, so much so that he was nearly sent to the edge of the stage. And suddenly, he had an epiphany. As the next kick came his way, rather than punch, he too kicked.

"Huff!"

Mo Xiaowen's kicking form was sloppy to say the least, but he still managed to deliver a semi-powerful kick, all of this was thanks to his breath control. 'That librarian, he's truly an old master, 70% of it is the breath!'

Shui Long was shocked once again, while his kicking form was nothing spectacular it was still leagues better than Mo Xiaowen's yet the boy managed to match his kick. It made no sense.

Once again the fight dragged on, and as time went by Mo Xiaowen even started to push back Shui Long. The Prince was always better at punching than kicking, and the fatigue was getting to him, that along with the pain of constantly clashing with Mo Xiaowen was putting him in a worse and worse position.

Looking as if he was about to throw a kick once again, Mo Xiaowen robotically threw a kick to counter, but he had been had. Swooping under the kick, Shui Long threw a punch at Mo Xiaowen's chest, sending him rocketing backwards.

"Boom!"

Mo Xiaowen crashed at the end of the stage. Taking a direct hit was no laughing matter, and was enough to end most fights. "I think this is finished, don't you agree ref?" Shui Long declared, his eyes locked onto the dust cloud within Mo Xiaowen lay.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" Mo Xiaowen asked as he dusted himself off. He had suffered the pain of Body Tearing Grass, was a mere punch going to hurt him?