FIMA Ch91: Competition

On this day, the weather was clear.

On the expansive drill ground, flags fluttered in the wind.

The royal drill ground was located in the eastern suburbs of the capital, surrounded by mountains on three sides. From the previous dynasty to the present, it had been continuously renovated and expanded. Although it was not as vast as the hunting grounds used during the autumn hunt, it was still very spacious.

Usually, it was a place for the nobles of Da Liang to relax and hunt. Occasionally, the nearby military camp would also use this place for training.

Emperor Jianzhao sat on the high platform, high-spirited, sweeping away his usual gloomy demeanor: “Everyone, show your best skills today. Those who perform well will be heavily rewarded and promoted by one rank.”

The King of the Northern Borders was not to be outdone: “My bravest sons, show Da Liang your might.”

“Yes!”

Immediately, thunderous cheers erupted around the drill ground.

Although everyone’s emotions were at their peak, the primary purpose of this event between Da Liang and the Northern Borders was to form an alliance and showcase strength through friendly exchanges, not to fight to the death.

Therefore, the actual exchange events were relatively peaceful.

The first was a one-on-one arena competition, followed by regular events like horse racing and archery, and finally a flag-planting battle.

The arena competition consisted of ten matches, with each side sending ten people to compete one-on-one.

To avoid injuries, all participants had to fight barehanded, testing their strength and reaction speed.

The people of the Northern Border were all tall, muscular, and inherently stronger.

Additionally, living mostly in forests and deserts and relying on hunting for food, their reactions were naturally sharp. It’s said they even drank water while keeping half their body turned to watch their backs.

Having lived in prosperity for years, the military and civilians of Liang couldn’t compare to the Northern Border people in harsh environments.

Thus, after six matches.

“Ah, great, we won again.”

“We’ve already won five matches. Just one more, and the victory will be ours,” came the excited shouts from the Northern Border side.

“Great, Aizezi, I will grant you ten slaves,” the King of the Northern Borders shouted, drinking a big gulp of wine.

Emperor Jianzhao’s face, however, turned a bit ugly.

In the past six matches.

Except for the third match, where an imperial guard won thanks to some casual tips from Gu Siyuan by relying on excellent lightness skills to dodge and wear out the opponent, they lost all the others.

Especially in the fourth match, the Northern Border sent a master named Aizezi. This person was strong in both offense and defense, and although he was huge, he was unbelievably calm and sharp.

The Liang guard who fought him tried to mimic the previous strategy of using lightness skills to lure and tire him out but was caught off guard and knocked out of the ring by a lightning-fast punch from Aizezi.

By the fifth match, Aizezi should have stepped down to let someone else fight.

However, he boldly addressed Emperor Jianzhao and the King of the Northern Borders, saying he rarely found an opponent in the Northern Border, and now that he was in Liang, he wanted to experience the skills of the Liang guards. So, could he continue fighting until he lost?

Although this broke the rules, his words were very polite, and the atmosphere was very lively.

The King of the Northern Borders immediately agreed, and Emperor Jianzhao couldn’t refuse, or it would imply that Liang couldn’t find someone to defeat this man.

So, in the upcoming fifth match, it was still Aizezi from the Northern Border.

Recognizing Aizezi’s prowess, the Liang side also took it very seriously, specially sending up a guard with the best lightness skills. This guard did fight with Kurban for a while, but in the end, Aizezi found a flaw and knocked him off the stage.

Then, even more terrifyingly, the guard in the sixth match was also defeated by Aizezi.

Thus, Aizezi had already won three consecutive matches, while Liang had lost five in total.

Even if Liang won all the remaining four matches, it would only be a tie.

As the host, such a performance was unacceptable and a great loss of face.

The eyebrows of Guan Zhuoyi, the commander of the imperial guards, furrowed deeply. These competing guards were all carefully selected by him. Losing so many matches, wouldn’t that mean he had no eye for talent or was simply incompetent and unable to train them properly?

He narrowed his eyes and stepped up to Gu Siyuan, who was guarding on the high platform: “Siyuan, you will go in the next match. Make sure to win back our honor.”

Gu Siyuan was responsible for the safety of Emperor Jianzhao, standing very close to him.

Emperor Jianzhao naturally heard this conversation and immediately nodded slightly at him.

Gu Siyuan responded coldly, “Yes.”

At this moment, on the stage below, Aizezi, full of pride, shouted repeatedly, “Warriors of the Liang imperial guards, come up, come up, let Aizezi see your skills! Don’t tell me there’s no one left after just three matches?”

The waiting guards and the Liang spectators were all white with anger.

“I will.”

A cold male voice rang out.

Then, a figure gracefully and swiftly leapt down from the high platform like a falling falcon.

When everyone saw his appearance, they couldn’t help but exclaim.

“It’s General Gu!”

“General Gu will definitely win.”

Aizezi looked at Gu Siyuan and, hearing the reaction of those around him, knew this person must have some skill.

He asked, “The clothes you wear look more distinguished than theirs. Are you also a guard? Are you their leader?”

Gu Siyuan raised his eyes and said indifferently, “You could say that.”

Aizezi said, “You’re so young. I hope you’re really better than they are!”

Gu Siyuan’s expression did not change: “I will make sure to leave a strong impression.”

Aizezi laughed heartily: “That’s the best. Come on!”

However, although this person appeared large and boisterous, he was actually very cautious. Unlike the previous three matches where he waited in place, he instantly tensed his body and launched an attack.

His strength was immense, his arm like a massive pillar, very intimidating. With one punch, it created a sound of breaking through the air.

In the previous three matches, except for the sixth guard who withstood three or four punches because of his thick skin and solid flesh, the other two guards, known for their lightness skills, were caught off guard and defeated by this one strike.

Aizezi’s current move was intended to overpower his opponent and put pressure on Gu Siyuan right from the start, making him retreat. As the saying goes, momentum is key in battle: if you retreat at the beginning, it will definitely affect your morale.

Unexpectedly, Gu Siyuan smirked, not dodging or avoiding but slowly raising his own fist, appearing to meet him head-on.

Among ordinary people, Gu Siyuan was already considered very tall, but compared to the giant Aizezi, the difference was like that between an adult and a child.

Seeing his action, Aizezi laughed in surprise: “Your small arm will be broken into several pieces by my punch. Just dodge honestly!”

The other people present also widened their eyes.

“…” Sitting below, Xie Xuan’s delicate fingers twisted into a knot.

In the next moment, the two starkly contrasting fists collided directly.

“Crack…” A crisp sound.

A huge figure was sent flying, crashing into the edge of the stage, breaking the wooden boards, and then falling off.

It was none other than the previously arrogant Aizezi.

“Ah, ah, ah!”

“General Gu won!”

“General Gu is the number one expert in Liang!”

Xie Xuan’s twisted fingers finally relaxed. He silently complained in his heart: No wonder he always picks me up with one hand for no reason, and talks nonsense. He must be so strong with nowhere to use his strength, feeling stifled, right?

As he thought about it, he couldn’t help but mourn for himself. With such strength, would he ever have a chance to turn the tables in the future?

Would he really be bullied by him for a lifetime?

However, when he looked up again, seeing Gu Siyuan on the stage with his ink-black hair, light armor, one hand behind his back, calm demeanor, and unparalleled elegance, Xie Xuan couldn’t help but feel a longing to stay in his arms forever.

So, it didn’t really count as bullying…

He successfully convinced himself.

On the other side, Gu Siyuan looked indifferently at the Northern Border team: “This general also finds it hard to find an opponent in Liang. Hearing that the military and civilians of the Northern Border are all brave, I also wish to experience the prowess of Northern Border warriors. So, can I also be the champion until I am defeated?”

“Hahaha…”

Laughter erupted from below.

This was the same request Aizezi made earlier, and Gu Siyuan almost entirely copied it.

The King of the Northern Borders’s expression changed slightly.

However, they had started it, and couldn’t only allow themselves to set fires while forbidding others to light lamps.

Moreover, they were seeking favor this time.

He could only laugh heartily: “Of course, certainly. It ended too quickly just now. I also want to continue seeing the skills of this young general!”

Saying this, he turned to Emperor Jianzhao: “Your Majesty, what do you think?”

Emperor Jianzhao naturally would not refuse: “Siyuan is young and proud. It’s good for him to gain some experience.”

The King of the Northern Borders nodded kindly, but when he turned around, he solemnly said, “Batur, you go this time.”

“Yes.”

Batur responded immediately and with a leap, he stood firmly on the stage.

Gu Siyuan had seen Batur a few times before, as he was the King of the Northern Borders’s personal guard, almost inseparable.

Unlike other Northern Border warriors who were terrifyingly tall, Batur was about 190 cm tall, slightly taller than Gu Siyuan, and his aura was extremely restrained.

In martial arts, the key is to be able to gather and release energy freely, with gathering being several times more difficult than releasing.

If a person appears to be brimming with energy and blood, they are naturally formidable; but if someone is as calm as still water, they are even more dangerous.

However, faced with such an opponent, Gu Siyuan’s expression remained calm, as if nothing in the world could catch his eye.

Batur’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded at Gu Siyuan: “Please.”

As soon as he spoke, he swiftly moved out of the attack range.

He had also fought with Aizezi before and knew his terrifying strength. He had relied on the combination of lightness skills and martial arts to defeat Aizezi back then.

But this person could send Aizezi flying with one punch.

So, the one who needed to engage in close combat now was them from the Northern Border.

Gu Siyuan stood still, feeling the whistling wind around him, watching Batur’s figure dart quickly back and forth, left and right.

He was somewhat surprised in his heart. This person, a barbarian from the border, actually had better lightness skills than the people of Central Plains, not only moving extremely fast but also with a slight illusionary feel, making it hard to tell real from fake.

Even the best lightness-skilled guard from the imperial army couldn’t match him.

He himself was certainly not as good.

Did this person have some martial arts inheritance from a certain sect?

“Swoosh…” A fist shadow came towards him.

Gu Siyuan slightly tilted his head, quickly dodging it, the wind brushing past his ear.

Then, a leg came kicking.

Gu Siyuan bent backwards nimbly, dodging again.

Although his lightness skills were not as good as this person’s, his reaction speed was top-notch, able to dodge any attack. This lightness skill might seem confusing, but there was only one person, and only one real attack, the rest were all illusions.

Half a cup of tea’s time passed, Batur attempted several attacks but always failed.

Gu Siyuan just kept dodging the entire time.

“Why is General Gu always dodging?” A palace attendant watching complained, finding it not exciting enough.

Immediately, a cold gaze shot over.

That person realized their slip of the tongue and immediately shut their mouth tightly.

After a while, they slowly glanced towards the direction of that gaze and saw a lazy, reclining figure, surprisingly the Sixth Prince.

The palace attendant thought to himself: It must have been an illusion just now, the Sixth Prince and General Gu never got along.

On the stage.

“It’s about time.” Gu Siyuan said softly.

At that moment, a sharp fist shadow came from the right side, attacking with more force than the previous attempts. It seemed that using such high-level lightness skills continuously had exhausted Batur, and he wanted a quick resolution.

This time, Gu Siyuan did not tilt his head or bend backwards to dodge.

Instead, just like the previous match, he raised his right hand.

In the next moment, just as the fist shadow was about to hit his cheek, his broad hand firmly grasped Batur’s wrist, stopping the punch in its tracks.

At the same time, his left hand was already raised, punching out.

With a “buzz…” sound.

As his fist struck Batur’s chest, the force caused his sleeve to flutter, and the impact hit Batur’s lower face, leaving only his wide-eyed look of shock and disbelief.

Then, Gu Siyuan released his right hand, and Batur flew out, landing not at the edge of the stage but directly on the dirt ground.

Gu Siyuan stood straight, looking indifferently towards the Northern Border team: “Next, come on!”

“Ah! General Gu!”

“General Gu!”

“Number one expert, the number one expert in Liang!”

The entire training ground atmosphere reached its peak in an instant.

People love to see victories, especially those that come after intense, suspenseful moments.

“Gu Siyuan! General Gu!”

Many young men and women from high-ranking official families also looked over shyly.

Because the Northern Border Princess was also present, Emperor Jianzhao had generously allowed many of Liang’s princesses and noble ladies to attend the event, along with children of officials ranked third grade and above.

Xie Xuan, watching the excitement and cheers, felt a bittersweetness in his heart, secretly pouting: “Hmph, he’s already taken, but still attracts so much attention.”

Xie Huan, sitting next to him, although not hearing his muttered words, could tell from his expression that it was probably nothing good.

He then deliberately raised his voice: “Sixth brother, General Gu clearly won. Why does sixth brother still look unhappy?”

This shout drew the attention of everyone present.

Xie Xuan lifted his head, his dark eyes indifferent, casually replying: “Fourth brother must be mistaken.”

At this moment, even the cold gaze from the stage swept over.

Xie Huan, more pleased, continued his hypocritical reprimand: “Although sixth brother and General Gu don’t get along, General Gu has brought glory to Liang. Sixth brother should not behave like this.”

Although Xie Huan’s carefully crafted image of loyalty and virtue had been ruined by Xie Xuan’s previous antics, his words this time made sense.

Even Emperor Jianzhao, who rarely publicly scolded Xie Xuan, sternly rebuked: “Xuan’er, how can you be so thoughtless.”

“Your son knows his mistake.” Xie Xuan, knowing they were setting a trap, responded dryly and then ignored them.

There were three more matches left.

The next Northern Border participants were not even as good as Aizezi, let alone Batur. With each punch from Gu Siyuan, his opponents were sent off the stage.

All opponents couldn’t withstand a single move from him.

The situation in this martial arts competition instantly became one-sided.

After all ten matches were over.

The King of the Northern Borders looked at Emperor Jianzhao and said, “Your Majesty, I didn’t expect you to have such a master hidden away.”

Emperor Jianzhao laughed heartily, “Da Liang is rich and prosperous, with countless heroes.”

The King of the Northern Borders, appearing rough but actually very meticulous, quickly laughed and said, “Hahaha! Your Majesty! Da Liang’s experts are truly extraordinary. Our Northern Border warriors temporarily admit defeat!”

Seeing his straightforwardness, Emperor Jianzhao felt embarrassed, “We can only call it a draw; each side won five matches.”

The martial arts competition passed.

Next came the horse racing event, which was basically a personal showcase for the Northern Border people.

In this event, the Northern Border people didn’t arrogantly suggest any one-on-one matches, and naturally, Da Liang didn’t either.

So, after ten races.

Aside from Gu Siyuan and two imperial guards highly familiar with horses, everyone else lost, resulting in a 7-3 defeat for Da Liang.

However, this outcome was expected, as the Northern Border people grew up on horseback, and two of their victories were won by female warriors.

Everyone was engrossed in the exciting competition. Even Gu Siyuan watched with great interest, acknowledging the Northern Border people for their valorous spirit and martial prowess.

After the horse racing, the archery contest began.

The Northern Border people, living a rugged life, were naturally excellent archers.

However, Da Liang had abundant resources, and archery was a daily practice in the military, giving them a slight advantage. The two sides were evenly matched for a while.

Gu Siyuan was only one person, although he won the final match.

But in the end, the archery contest ended in a draw.

So, out of the first three events, there were two draws and one loss.

The final event, the flag-planting battle, was crucial.

The flag-planting battle involved the most participants, with a hundred people, fifty from each side.

Winning this event could compensate for the previous losses.

If Da Liang could win, they would immediately become the victors; if they lost, it would be an utter disgrace.

The rules were simple, like a tower defense game, with five separate battle platforms. At the end of the game, the side that could plant their flags on at least three of the platforms would be the winner.

The key to the flag-planting battle wasn’t who planted the flag first, but how to securely defend it throughout the event.

Gu Siyuan looked at each battle platform, roughly ten meters high.

Generally speaking, dividing fifty people into five teams with ten people guarding each flag was just right.

However, based on the previous martial arts competition results, it was clear that aside from Gu Siyuan, the other Da Liang participants were not as skilled in single combat as the Northern Border people.

With the same number of people, Da Liang’s chances of losing were high.

The Northern Border warriors also glanced proudly at Gu Siyuan.

This was not a one-on-one fight; they had to spread out. Let’s see how you handle this alone.

After a while.

Among the five judges, three were from Da Liang.

After seeing the written grouping arrangements, the chief judge from Da Liang was stunned for a moment, looking at Gu Siyuan several times, “General Gu, are you sure you want to group like this?”

Gu Siyuan nodded.

When everyone was standing at the starting platforms, at the judge’s signal.

As expected, the Northern Border people distributed themselves evenly, with ten people charging towards each battle platform, adopting the most stable strategy.

No one was surprised.

After all, in terms of single combat ability, the Northern Border people were indeed stronger.

This was the most prudent allocation method.

However, Gu Siyuan’s arrangement shocked everyone.

“What is General Gu doing?”

“Does he intend to defend a platform alone?”

“How arrogant!” Xie Xuan couldn’t help but criticize.

Then, in a low voice, he added, “But I like it…”