Chapter 673 Abnormal Strength
"Oh, they've actually taken on Shaolin monks." From the pavilion, Prince Ming looked at the group of people on the polo field with great interest. "This is going to be quite a show."
Originally, Prince Ming did not pay much attention to any academy, but since he had lost face at the gate of Tianqiong Academy, nothing could make him happier than making that kid suffer.
Prince Ming temporarily set aside the matter of the emperor's thoughts, beckoned to his servants to bring up fruits and snacks, and said he wanted to watch the Shaolin monks beat up that kid!
The four Shaolin monks who took the stage were all fierce-looking, each with a headband bearing a scar. From right to left, the scars were one, two, three, and the seemingly most powerful monk had six scars.
"Don't you think these monks are a little scary?" Mu Chuan whispered to Gu Jiao.
"Aren't you afraid?" Gu Jiao asked.
Mu Chuan immediately straightened his back and said defiantly, "I...I'm not afraid! Who said I'm afraid!"
Gu Jiao glanced at him and said, "Stop shaking your legs before you speak."
Mu Chuan: "..."
The Shaolin monks didn't speak to them, but exchanged glances, which were more of a show of force and provocation than a genuine exchange.
To be honest, Mu Chuan was a little scared, even more so than when he faced the Han family's Black Wind Cavalry.
Zhao Wei was in a similar situation, feeling uneasy, but his experience in polo was a bit richer than Mu Chuan's, so he didn't show too much fear for the time being.
The first quarter's kickoff was determined by a draw. After that, the opposing team would kick off after each goal. Currently, it's Sky Dome Academy's turn to kick off.
Generally speaking, Mu Qingchen, as the main attacker of the polo team, rarely participates in the opening of the ball. However, due to the strength of the opponent, after discussing with Wu Fuzi, it was decided that he would open the ball.
From the moment they stepped onto the stage until the gong sounded, only a few moments passed, yet everyone felt as if an eternity had elapsed.
The people in the stands were so nervous they held their breath.
"Ah, how could this happen?" Master Jing sat by the railing, his eyes fixed on the Shaolin monks in the arena. "Does he have to be so unlucky?"
The second wife was unable to attend to matters today. To her left was the Duke of Anguo, who was in a wheelchair, and behind him stood Mu Ruxin, dressed in a green gauze white dress.
Upon hearing this, Mu Ruxin looked at Master Jing with confusion: "What's wrong? Is something amiss?"
Master Jing sighed deeply: "Those Shaolin monks are very powerful; Tianqiong Academy is no match for them."
Mu Ruxin's eyes flickered, and she asked, "Second Master really hopes that Tianqiong Academy will win?"
Master Jing stammered, "I didn't. It's just that those Shaolin monks didn't know their own strength. It wasn't easy for the students either."
Upon hearing this, the Duke's hand, which was resting on the armrest, slowly clenched into a fist and began to tremble slightly.
The gong sounded.
Facing the blazing sun, Mu Qingchen's expression hardened, and he steadily swung his club to hit the ball.
"Second Sister, Second Sister, hurry up!"
Outside the polo field, Su Xue pulled her second sister through the crowd and showed her token to the guards who were watching over them.
"Slow down." Miss Su's hand hurt from being pulled so hard.
Su Xue said, "The gong just sounded, the polo match has begun!"
Miss Su frowned slightly and said, "We've already started, why are you in such a hurry?"
"I want to see Xiao... to see Fourth Brother," Su Xue said seriously. "I haven't seen Fourth Brother for a long time since he moved into the academy."
Miss Su sighed, "If Father finds out that we skipped Master Fu's chess lessons and came to watch some polo match instead, he will definitely punish us."
Su Xue grabbed her wrist and walked towards the stands of the Sky Dome Academy: "No way! Let's go!"
Mu Qingchen's shot was excellent, with no issues in either speed or accuracy.
The person who caught the ball was Zhao Wei.
Zhao Wei had been learning polo since childhood, and his skills were undeniable. He successfully caught the polo ball that Mu Qingchen swung at him, and then looked towards Mu Chuan in front of him.
Mu Chuan nodded at him.
Zhao Wei passed the ball to Mu Chuan, who then passed it to Gu Jiao. Meanwhile, Mu Qingchen had already surged ahead and arrived near the opponent's hole.
Gu Jiao passed the polo ball to him, and Mu Qingchen took it and threw it towards the hole.
The four players coordinated perfectly, their movements fluid and seamless. The spectators finally witnessed Tianqiong Academy playing polo in a proper way.
However, just as the polo ball was about to go into the hole, something unexpected happened.
A Shaolin monk leaped on his horse and actually arrived at the polo hole, knocking away the polo ball that Mu Qingchen had hit.
This shot went extremely far, almost spanning half the polo field.
Zhao Wei and Mu Chuan had already rushed back. They hurriedly tried to grab the ball, but before they could even see the ball, they heard a gong sound from the referee's stand.
A goal?
The two were taken aback.
Shaolin Academy took the lead and won the first flag at the start.
"No, how did you get in? What's going on?" Mu Chuan was completely confused.
He and Zhao Wei were chasing the polo ball. Did the ball somehow burrow underground and escape into the hole by itself?
It wasn't that the polo ball could disappear underground; rather, it was that the Shaolin monks moved so fast that neither of them could see it.
Zhao Wei frowned as he looked at the arrogant Shaolin monks and recalled, "It wasn't just about speed; they had tactics! Just now, that monk with three scars blocked our view with his horse. He swung his club to grab the ball, and we thought the ball was on his side, but actually the ball was further ahead and had already reached the hands of that monk with six scars."
After listening to Zhao Wei's analysis, Mu Chuan felt his faith had been shattered: "Is it really that insidious?"
Since the opposing team scored, they will kick off again.
Zhao Wei will be the one to kick off this time.
Zhao Wei passed the polo ball to Mu Chuan, but before Mu Chuan could even swing his mallet, a Shaolin monk darted past him.
The Shaolin monks took the polo ball with them.
Mu Qingchen was caught in a pincer movement and unable to break through.
Gu Jiao intercepted a ball using the skills she learned from Xu Ping.
She passed the ball to Mu Qingchen, who then passed it to Zhao Wei.
Then the ball was lost again.
The gong rang again, and Shaolin Academy scored again.
The Shaolin Academy scored at an outrageous speed, even faster than the goal record set by Ma Wang Sahuan in that match.
Mu Chuan and Zhao Wei were panting heavily, and Mu Qingchen and Gu Jiao also had a light sheen of sweat on their faces.
Several men sat on their horses, waiting for the referee to bring them the polo ball.
Mu Chuan gasped, "What kind of monks are these? They're too fierce! Liu Lang, why don't you ride your horse king over here?"
Gu Jiao said, "It's too small to ride."
Mu Chuan muttered, "Didn't we ride it last time too?"
Mu Qingchen said calmly, "Say less."
Mu Chuan shut his mouth.
This isn't a problem with the horses, it's a problem with the people.
These monks are incredibly powerful. They all possess immense internal strength and superhuman power, and no one can catch the balls they throw.
"How's your arm?" Mu Qingchen asked Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao intercepted the most just now.
Gu Jiao touched her almost numb right arm: "It's okay. It'll be fine after a while."
The game resumed.
Mu Qingchen kicks off.
The use of internal force is prohibited in polo matches; otherwise, it is considered a foul. These young martial monks have been tempering their bodies for many years, developing an indestructible ability. Every swing they make seems to be imbued with internal force.
As expected, Mu Qingchen's ball was stolen again.
Mu Chuan was closest, so he swung his club to try and win the ball back, while Zhao Wei assisted from the side, and the two of them disrupted the Shaolin monks' formation.
They're determined to get that ball!
The Shaolin monk, Vajra, glared angrily and swung his pole.
"I'll do it!" Mu Chuan stepped forward and caught the pole.
Just then, something unexpected happened. The monk had clearly anticipated that the ball would be intercepted, so he used extremely terrifying force.
Mu Chuan was sent flying by the impact.
Zhao Wei's expression changed drastically: "Mu Chuan!"
Mu Chuan fell off his horse and landed heavily on the ground.
The meadow suddenly fell silent.
Another person has fallen from a horse. People couldn't help but think of Nangong Lin, who fell from his horse and was trampled. Could something else happen to him?
The referee stopped the game.
Zhao Wei dismounted: "Mu Chuan! Are you alright?"
Mu Chuan clutched his right arm, his face contorted in pain: "Is my arm broken?"
Gu Jiao jumped off the horse, squatted down, and held his arm: "It's dislocated, bear with it."
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and snapped Mu Chuan's arm back into place with a click.
Mu Chuan cried out in pain.
Master Wu came over and took Mu Chuan away, replacing him with Yuan Xiao.
After careful consideration by the judge, it was ultimately determined to be an accident, and the Shaolin Academy did not violate any rules.
"Isn't this a foul?" Yuan Xiao said, dissatisfied. "They were clearly doing it on purpose!"
He had been watching closely, and the monk with three ordination scars on his head was aiming at Mu Chuan as he swung his club, intending to use the force of the polo ball to injure Mu Chuan.
"Were they like this before?" Gu Jiao suddenly asked.
Only Mu Qingchen could answer this question, since no one else had ever seen a Shaolin Academy competition.
Mu Qingchen frowned and said, "He was also domineering and forceful before, but... he wasn't as ruthless as he is today."
If it weren't for the fact that his martial arts skills were better than Mu Chuan's, he would have been knocked off his horse long ago.
The reason he asked Gu Jiao if her arm was okay was because his arm was also injured.
It's as if these Shaolin monks are deliberately targeting them. Is someone secretly manipulating things?
Upstairs, Prince Ming clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Beautiful! That's how it should be done! Whoever brought the Shaolin Academy here is just what I want!"
Han Shizi took a leisurely sip of tea.
The game resumed.
Gu Jiao led her horse past the referee, then suddenly stopped and turned to look at him: "Are you sure that action just now wasn't a foul?"
The judge said, "Naturally, it doesn't count."
"Oh." Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow. "So, as long as the ball knocks the ball down, it's not considered a foul."
The referee frowned, feeling that this statement was not quite right, and corrected him: "You cannot intentionally use the ball to attack the opponent."
Mu Chuan was knocked away while trying to steal the ball; the opponent wasn't aiming at him.
"Oh," Gu Jiao said, "If it's not intentional, it doesn't count as a foul, right?"
That's true, but it sounds a bit off coming from you.
The referee gave Gu Jiao a strange look, but couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. He nodded and said, "Let's begin."
Gu Jiao mounted her horse.
Yuan Xiao kicks off.
Zhao Wei had barely managed to snatch it when it was snatched away by a Shaolin monk.
Gu Jiao sped after him, and just as the Shaolin monk was about to swing his club, Gu Jiao suddenly spoke: "Amitabha."
The Shaolin monk was taken aback, and almost reflexively withdrew his cue, extending his hand in a Buddhist gesture: "Amitabha—"
Bang!
Gu Jiao struck the polo ball with her pole!
Shaolin monks: "..."
Yuan Xiao got the ball and passed it to Zhao Wei, who then passed it to Gu Jiao.
At this moment, they were very close to the opponent's hole, and Mu Qingchen was already in position.
The Shaolin monks caught up, and Gu Jiao was caught in a pincer movement.
"Sixth Brother!" Yuan Xiao shouted from not far away.
Give him the ball, and he'll pass it to Mu Qingchen.
Gu Jiao did not do that; instead, she took a risk and passed the ball to Mu Qingchen.
As expected, it was intercepted.
Yuan Xiao sighed in despair: "Oh dear!"
The monk with the six scars blocked the ball. He was about to pass the ball to another monk, but Gu Jiao kept her eyes glued to the latter.
A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the six-scarred monk as he swung his pole and launched the ball.
He used almost all his strength in that stroke.
Mu Qingchen secretly realized something was wrong. This wasn't the ball he actually wanted to pass to his teammate; he intended to use the same move he had used on Mu Chuan on Gu Jiao as well.
Don't try to take it head-on!
Mu Qingchen tried to stop her, but it was too late; Gu Jiao had already extended her cue.
"ah--"
With a scream, the monk to Gu Jiao's right rear was hit by the polo ball and fell off his horse with a thud!
It turns out that Gu Jiao did extend her cue stick just now, but not to catch the ball. Instead, she gently touched it, changing the ball's trajectory.
The monk was badly thrown, and his companion shouted, "You fouled!"
Gu Jiao spread her hands: "How did I foul? You guys were the ones who hit the ball, and you were so strong that you made it impossible for others to get the ball. Is it my fault?"
The monks were quite taken aback.
The referee ruled it an accident with no foul, and the game continued.
The power of the six-scarred monk should not be underestimated. This monk was seriously injured and had to leave the ring temporarily, replaced by another monk.
The substitute monk was slightly weaker, which opened a gap for Sky Dome Academy. Before the end of the second quarter, Sky Dome Academy scored a goal.
The Shaolin monks seemed to be angered, and at the start of the third quarter, Yuan Xiao's arm was injured by the shock.
"Are you alright?" Mu Qingchen asked.
Yuan Xiao gritted his teeth and gripped the cue stick: "I'm fine... I can still continue..."
They had no choice but to continue. They only had five players left, and Mu Chuan was no longer able to play. If he were to leave the field as well, they wouldn't have enough players to compete, so they had to forfeit.
Gu Jiao looked at Yuan Xiao's painful, trembling right hand, and her gaze turned completely cold.
She switched the mallet to her left hand, wrapped the reins around her right hand, and snatched the polo ball with lightning speed.
The monk who had the ball stolen was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting his opponent to suddenly become so fast!
After Gu Jiao got the ball, she didn't pass it to anyone, but instead took the ball to the opponent's hole by herself.
The monk with the six scars had been waiting for a long time.
Gu Jiao suddenly exuded a murderous aura and hit the ball towards the hole with her club.
A hint of disdain flashed in the eyes of the six-scarred monk as he raised his hand to intercept.
At that very moment, something incredible happened: the instant the cue stick touched the polo ball, he was thrown into the air!
What terrifying power!
He was thrown off the field, crashed into a pillar below the stands, and then fell to the ground in a sorry state!
Everyone was stunned, and many people in the stands even stood up.
What just happened?
Was it a Shaolin monk who was knocked away?
how so?
"Sixth Senior Brother!"
The monks rode their horses to the edge of the polo field, dismounted, and pounced on him.
"Was that... was that Liu Lang just now?" Yuan Xiao was completely dumbfounded.
Even if they knew Xiao Liulang's abilities, they didn't expect him to be this capable. The power of that attack just now was something even Mu Qingchen couldn't unleash.
"Did he use internal energy?" Zhao Wei asked.
Mu Qingchen said with a complicated expression, "No."
He didn't sense any internal force; Xiao Liulang was using his own strength.
Zhao Wei's eyes lit up: "Sixth Brother is so powerful, then these monks have really messed up?"
Mu Qingchen said, "Yes, we've kicked a hornet's nest."
The reason why Shaolin monks are so powerful is not because their polo skills are so extraordinary. Compared to Xu Ping, they are still somewhat inferior. Their advantage lies in speed and strength. Without using internal energy, no one can be a match for a body-tempering monk.
No one could catch the ball they hit, but they could stop the balls that other players hit.
Yuan Xiao scratched his head: "Was Liu Lang this powerful before?"
Mu Qingchen paused, then said, "No."
Xiao Liulang's strength was not as formidable as when he tamed the horse king; it was more as if his potential had been unleashed by these Shaolin monks during the polo match.
Gu Jiao's move was so brilliant that even Prince Ming in the pavilion couldn't stop his jaw dropping: "What kind of monster is this kid? That's a Shaolin monk!"
As Han Shizi looked at the unruly young man on horseback, a figure he had seen in his childhood suddenly flashed through his mind.
That was the eldest son of the Xuanyuan family.
A young man who can kill a tiger with a single punch without using internal energy.
Gu Jiao looked at her hands.
Hmm, these monks are actually quite useful; their strength seems to have recovered a bit.
There's been no news for months.
Gu Jiao curved her lips into a smile, then glanced at the Shaolin monks who were about to return to the arena, a glint of green light flashing in her eyes.
The Shaolin monks' hearts skipped a beat!
Why do I have this inexplicable sense of foreboding?
(End of this chapter)
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