Chapter 11: Counterpunch Commerce
Garion didn’t waste any time and rushed straight into the chaos.
Most of them barely noticed Garion slipping into the chaos. Even if they did, they ignored him.
Their only focus was to grab as many fragments as possible before running away.
But soon his presence drew the attention of someone.
At the center stood a big man with a massive sword strapped to his back.
The weight of his aura was also heavy, making the others keep their distance. None dared to fight him directly.
The big swordman narrowed his eyes at Garion, clearly annoyed.
"Who are you? How dare you come here and stand in front of me?"
Garion smirked, meeting his gaze without fear.
"Who am I? And for what reasons? Of course, I’m here for the Titan Ore. The same things everyone is here for."
The big swordman sneered.
"Another fool. You’ll regret stepping in front of me."
He pulled the massive sword off his back with both hands and pointed it at Garion.
"You better scram now... or else."
Garion chuckled and spread his arms wide.
"Or what? Do you think that you can kill me with that toy? Let’s see if you have the ability to do that."
This quickly shocked the other. A newcomer mocking the strongest person here?
Either he was insane or frighteningly confident to say all of that.
The big swordman frowned. He roared and swung the massive sword high above his head.
"Your choice then! Rock Breaker!"
He leapt forward, bringing the blade down in a brutal overhead strike.
But Garion had already sidestepped, dodging it, and in an instant, he countered and attacked with a clean punch to the big swordman’s face.
The big swordman staggered back, blinking in disbelief.
"You... hit me?"
Garion smirked, shaking his hand out.
"Yeah, surprising, right? You’re just a big man with a big sword, and all there is to you. It’s really easy to dodge your attack and punch you in the face."
Some cultivators gasped in surprise. They then waited for the swordman’s reaction.
The big swordman’s face reddened in anger. He tightened his grip on his sword and roared.
"You’ll pay for that! Heavy Mountain Slash!"
He swung his sword sideways this time, pouring more mana into the strike.
But just like Garion said, the sword man was just a man with a sword without a good martial art basic.
Garion easily ducked under the swing and quickly moved behind the swordman.
He directly wrapped his arms around the swordman’s thick neck, locking him in a chokehold submission.
"Got you."
The swordman frowned. He never thought he would be embarrassed like this.
He tried to thrash violently, swinging his free arms and kicking against the ground.
Then suddenly, he coated his fist with mana and desperately punched to the side, aiming for Garion’s face.
Garion saw the incoming strike, frowning. He released the chokehold and leapt backward just in time.
The swordman gasped for air momentarily before turning back to Garion with a newfound rage.
"I’ll kill you!"
Garion shook his head, sighing.
"To think that you’re going to kill me just because of that. You really are just a man with a sword. Nothing more."
The swordman ignored him and roared louder. He raised his weapon again, pouring more mana than before.
Garion smirked once more, rolling his shoulders.
"Alright then. Let’s make this into a training. I knew how to cultivate, but I don’t know how to use mana. Let’s experiment a little this time."
He clenched his fists, stepping forward, locking his eyes on the enraged swordman.
---
The big swordman gritted his teeth, raising his sword high and roaring once again.
"Rock Breaker!"
He leapt forward to deliver another brutal overhead strike.
Garion tilted his head in confusion before sighing.
"Really? Same move again? Don’t you have any other variety?"
The crowd was shocked once again.
This newcomer was really insane, daring to mock the swordman multiple times casually.
The swordman ignored Garion’s words, pouring more mana into his blade.
He was determined to split Garion in half for his mockery.
Garion rolled his shoulders, loosening his stance.
"Fine then. If you’re gonna use the same move again, I might as well try something new."
He clenched his fist and focused.
Let’s see. Martial artists usually visualize channeling the mana into their martial techniques from their mana pool.
But all of my cells were basically mini mana pools, so let’s experiment a bit.
He inhaled deeply and visualized the mana inside his cells flowing outward, gathering in his right arm.
Instantly, he could see a faint glow around his fist.
"Oh, nice. It really works."
Knowing his experiment works, he began to change to another stance.
He slid one foot forward, planting the other firmly behind. His knees were bent slightly, and his torso was steadied.
He also visualized channeling the mana from the cells inside his hands, body, and both legs to steady his posture even more.
The big swordman then came crashing down from the air.
Garion only narrowed his eyes, smirking.
"Alright, big guy. Let me show you what a real punch should look like."
The crowd gasped when Garion didn’t dodge.
But they were shocked even more when Garion dodged the blade the instant it fell and countered.
His body twisted, hips snapping forward, shoulder following, driving his fist upward.
BAM!
He punched the swordman’s gut directly before the sword even landed.
The swordman’s eyes bulged, grunting painfully as his body folded around Garion’s fist.
His body quickly flew backward, crashing into he rocky wall of teh cave.
The massive sword in his hand quickly slipped away, clattering to the ground.
The entire cavern froze the moment they watched the entire scene.
They stared back at Garion in disbelief.
Garion only shook his fist lightly, flexing his knuckles, and smiled.
"That’s what happens when you put brains into your brain. Mana isn’t just for flashy names and moves, boy."
Garion cracked his neck, turning to the other cultivators in the cave and smirking.
"Now then... who’s next? Who will become my next prey?"