After rolling backward to his feet, Chen reached back with his right hand. A purple, spherical burst of Chi gathered in his palm before he thrust it forward. The Chi sphere roared through the air like a cannonball.
The Grand Marshal's heavy panting revealed the damage those two strikes had dealt him.
Verdan couldn't help but shout, "Hurry! Use Hamstring! Don't let him stay mobile!"
At this point, Hicks was speechless. Instead, the air was filled with Li Li's proud cheering.
Tess, watching from the side, was momentarily lost for words. She finally managed to ask, "How is this... how is this Uncle Pandaren so strong?"
Wayne muttered under his breath, "A backward roll... into Chi Burst... then into Flying Serpent Kick... and at some point, he must have used Transcendence to teleport back to his original position..."
"This is an expert among experts... no wonder he can wander the world without anything ever troubling him..."
The Grand Marshal dashed forward, catching up to Chen. Suddenly, his entire being seemed to enter a berserk state, radiating a visible red aura of rage.
Verdan: "He popped Recklessness! As long as he can stick to him and not get dodged, the Pandaren is in trouble!"
A sharp grunt of pain escaped Chen.
Hudson: "If this were real combat and the Grand Marshal was wielding a heavy mace instead of a wooden staff, that blow would have severely wounded the Pandaren."
By now, more and more people from the inn were crowding around the windows and gathering at the door to watch this rare duel. Several soldiers and mages stepped forward to hold them back, preventing accidental injuries and ensuring no one interfered with the combatants.
Chen saw that if they continued, things might get messy. He utilized another backward roll to create distance.
The Grand Marshal charged again with Intercept.
Wayne: "Rising Sun Kick!"
Suddenly, Wayne,Tess, and the Westbrook quartet all cried out in shock, "Huh?!"
They saw Chen's rotund body open up, his hands moving up and down beside him in a dance-like rhythm. Others might not have known what he was doing, but these people had just watched Saint Seiya all day. They knew exactly what Chen was doing: he was mimicking the movements of the Pegasus Meteor Fist!
"Hoo! Da-da-da-da-da!!!"
A large man weighing over 300 pounds was actually delivering punches with a speed that left afterimages.
Facing such speed, even a Grand Marshal found it unavoidable and could only raise his arms to shield his head.
The hair on Wayne's arms stood on end. He thought to himself that this was no longer a Monk's Fists of Fury—it was clearly a Pandaren Meteor Fist!
Beside him, Hicks felt like his jaw was going to hit the floor. If Chen asked him to kowtow three times to become his apprentice, he would have done it without a second's hesitation!
In just a few seconds, it felt as though hundreds of punches had been thrown. After finishing, Chen took a small step back and grabbed something from his robe.
"Pfft!!!"
A cloud of mist sprayed out, instantly igniting into a massive wall of fire that forced the Grand Marshal back several steps.
The Alliance Grand Marshal dropped to one knee and looked at Chen. "Master, I yield."
Chen laughed heartily but didn't come forward to help him up. Instead, he performed the martial arts salute again, covering his right fist with his left palm and bowing.
Tess, the quartet, and the surrounding onlookers were all confused. Why did the Grand Marshal surrender just because Chen sprayed a mouthful of booze on him?
"Hahaha! As expected of a Master! I thought my guard was perfect, but you saw right through it! Hahaha!"
After saying that, he cracked his neck and winced twice. It was clear that after he entered the "Recklessness" state, he had forced Chen to get serious, and the strikes had become significantly heavier.
But one could only say he had brought this beating upon himself...
He grabbed Chen's arm. "Master, it seems Magni was right. I can't beat you in a fight, but tonight we drink until we drop! When it comes to drinking, a Dwarf will never lose to a Pandaren!"
Chen, who was about to put his bamboo hat back on, didn't wait for Li Li to stop him. His eyes lit up instantly. "Deal! This time is on you, next time is on me!"
Li Li nagged at Chen to drink less, but Chen just smiled and repeated, "Just a little... just a little..."
Wayne and Tess followed them inside immediately. The Westbrook quartet didn't even think about returning to camp; they followed along and ordered drinks to join them.
That night, the story of the Pandaren and the Grand Marshal dueling in Goldshire began to spread everywhere. Through word of mouth, the versions of the story constantly evolved and upgraded.
The next day, Old Town, Stormwind City.
Compared to the bustling Trade District, the atmosphere here was much more somber and quiet.
At the easternmost end of Old Town sat the command center of SI:7. There was no sign outside, only several sentries on guard to prevent any unauthorized entry.
To the south was the headquarters of the Warrior's Guild.
Today was supposed to be the semi-annual Professional Trainer Rank Test—a day to re-evaluate the ranks of trainers through a combination of practical and theoretical assessments.
For example, whether a trainer for novice warriors was capable of teaching intermediate warriors. The elites who obtained the "Expert" rank could be sent to the most dangerous and needy places, such as the Plaguelands or Silithus, to not only teach skills but also issue quests to adventurers on behalf of the Alliance or the guild.
Normally, every evaluation day was a lively event for the guild. However, today the place was deserted, with only a few people showing up.
Major Jetharys, the head of the Stormwind Warrior's Guild, stared at the empty hall with a dark expression.
A trembling clerk told her, "I heard they all went to Goldshire..."
Jetharys: "What for?!"
Clerk: "The Grand Marshal of Ironforge... Lord Abercrombie... he went to Goldshire and lost a duel to a Pandaren..."
Jetharys: "He's the head of the Dwarf Warrior's Guild. Why is he interfering with our Human guild?!"
The clerk forced a smile. "Ma'am... please let me finish..."
The furious Jetharys shouted, "Then stop wasting time and tell me everything at once!"
Clerk: "The Grand Marshal... he didn't even last ten minutes..."
Jetharys: "What? How is that possible?"
The clerk continued in a whisper, "I just heard... they say that Pandaren threw hundreds of punches in a single second and spat a ball of fire like a dragon... He defeated the Grand Marshal with just two skills..."
Jetharys held the rank of Knight-Captain (Rank 12), just a step away from Marshal. But that single step was a "chasm" that many could never cross in their entire lives.
Even if this Dwarf Grand Marshal was a battle-hardened veteran of unparalleled bravery, if the rumors of hundreds of punches per second and dragon fire were true, he wouldn't just be defeated—he would be dead.
Jetharys glared at her subordinate. "Are you finished?! They went to Goldshire just for that?! The fight is already over, what are they going there for now?!"
The clerk: "Um... there's more... They say the Pandaren's punch... called something like 'Meteor Fist'... was taught to him by the owner of a net cafe in Goldshire... So... those people..."