Before the martial arts school, a group had been waiting in the open space for quite some time.
There were not many people who had come to challenge the school—only seven or eight, not even ten.
The elderly man leading them was a martial artist. His arms and thighs were abnormally thick, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade.
Behind him stood several middle-aged men and youths, all martial artists with foundations in fist techniques.
"This bunch is covered in dust and grime, and they dare come challenge our school?"
The apprentices sprawled atop the wall, finally getting a clear look at those who had come to challenge them.
They clearly looked like refugees from Su City. They could barely fill their stomachs, much less tend to their faces and clothing, leaving them looking somewhat bedraggled.
Judging by their bearing alone, Jianxiong Martial Arts School already held the upper hand.
"The school master is here."
Once word of the challenge reached them, the doors of the Inner Court swung wide open.
Wang Jianxiong led his trusted disciples out of the martial arts school, confronting the uninvited group.
Following behind them were the formal apprentices, every one of them at the Martial Force level. Zhou You and Li Hao were among them as well.
With a rustle, dozens of people gathered before the school. They were strong as horses and vigorous as dragons, their momentum soaring like a rainbow.
By comparison, the group challenging the school seemed pitifully few.
"Wang Laohu, I challenge you."
Though the old man was thin, his voice was full and resonant, making everyone's ears buzz.
As a martial artist-class powerhouse, he was also a known figure in Su City's martial arts circles.
Wang Jianxiong narrowed his eyes. This was his habit when observing people, like a fierce tiger sizing up its prey.
"Zhuang Daqiang, you belong to Su City's martial arts circle. Coming to Gongliang City to snatch food from our mouths is a little too against the rules."
Gongliang City and Su City each had their own territories and did not interfere with one another. Crossing the boundary to fight for turf and steal business was a great taboo.
The old man was named Zhuang Daqiang. He was the master of a martial arts school in Su City, renowned for the Great Village Fist.
"Su City is gone. My disciples and apprentices cannot even get enough to eat, so what rules are there left to speak of?"
Zhuang Daqiang suddenly flicked his hand. Crack! The air exploded like a whip.
"Wang Laohu, I know your heart is vicious and your fists are fierce. Since I came to challenge you, I have already cast this life aside."
"If I am fortunate enough to defeat you by a move or half a stance, I hope you will spare me some ground to open a martial arts school and seek a living. If I lose, then my life is yours."
His words were tragic and impassioned, carrying an iron-blooded air that rushed straight at them.
Thinking of the refugees fleeing Su City, these martial artists had already been driven into a desperate, all-or-nothing corner.
Wang Jianxiong bared his teeth in a smile. "Fine!"
Then he said, "I will not bully you for having fewer men. We will decide victory and defeat in three bouts."
"The first bout will be Martial Force apprentices, the second Qi and Blood Disciples, and the third..."
Wang Jianxiong stared at Zhuang Daqiang. "You and I will take the field ourselves. We will decide victory and defeat, life and death. How about it?"
"Fine."
Zhuang Daqiang had set out from Su City, suffering hardship and wandering all the way. More than half of the disciples and apprentices under him had already fled.
Those still at his side were all fiercely loyal, and also promising talents he thought highly of.
He still hoped to use the few disciples and apprentices behind him to build up a framework, reopen a martial arts school, and rise again from the ashes.
"Zhuang Tie, you will take the second bout."
"This disciple accepts Master's command."
Zhuang Tie was a middle-aged martial artist and Zhuang Daqiang's trusted disciple, holding a status equivalent to Lu Qiang at Wang Jianxiong's side.
Zhuang Daqiang's Qi and Blood Disciples had all gone off to seek their own livelihoods. Only Zhuang Tie had remained loyally at his side.
As for the Martial Force apprentice in the first bout...
Both sides understood without saying it: best two out of three, with the latter two bouts being the key.
Yet Zhuang Daqiang's group had fled here, lacked proper food and lodging, and were fighting away from home. They could not afford to lose any bout.
"Zhang Shiyu, you will take the first bout."
When Zhuang Daqiang spoke that name, reluctance showed in his eyes.
Among the Martial Force apprentices, this was the disciple he thought most highly of. With careful cultivation, Zhang Shiyu would surely become a martial artist and would be someone capable of holding up the school's name in the future.
On the road of escape, Zhuang Daqiang and Zhuang Tie had gone hungry themselves just to make sure Zhang Shiyu ate first, fearing that he would be starved into ruin.
If he had any choice, the old man would never have sent him out.
In martial arts matches, one could be injured lightly or lose one's life heavily. A single misstep could destroy one's foundation.
"This disciple obeys Master's command."
Hearing how Zhang Shiyu addressed Zhuang Daqiang, those of Jianxiong Martial Arts School immediately realized that his identity was far from ordinary.
Even as a Martial Force apprentice, he called him Master. That alone showed how highly Zhuang Daqiang valued him—he was no ordinary apprentice.
"Master, this youth is surely no ordinary person."
Lu Qiang spoke softly to Wang Jianxiong.
He was to face Zhuang Tie in the second bout, yet he was not worried in the slightest.
No one had come to challenge Jianxiong Martial Arts School in ten years, and it was not an empty reputation. It was the illustrious prestige Old Master Wang had carved out through bloodshed.
Even Zhuang Daqiang, all the way from Su City, called him "Wang Laohu" to his face.
The advantage of fighting on home ground was a fact acknowledged by both sides.
The people of Jianxiong Martial Arts School ate three meals a day, wanted for neither food nor clothing, lacked no lodging, and received regular supplements of secret medicine.
Zhuang Daqiang's group, on the other hand, had abandoned their foundation in Su City and come to Gongliang City. In an unfamiliar place, living on the road and sleeping in the open had become routine. Even if they possessed strength, they could not fully wield it.
Therefore, whoever took the field first had to win, so they could strike first and seize the momentum.
"A fallen household like theirs—no matter what genius they have, he will still struggle against the tide of the times."
"Even the weakest apprentice under my school can suppress him. Do you believe that?"
Wang Jianxiong opened his eyes wide, brilliance spilling from them as his gaze fell upon the formal apprentices in the second row.
Among these apprentices who had cultivated Martial Force, who had entered most recently?
Zhou You and his sparring partner, Li Hao, stood with the other apprentices from the city, gathered around Xu Ying.
Clearly separated from them were the apprentices of farming-household origins from the suburban estates under Zhong Shaoying.
"Senior Brother Xu, who do you think the Venerable One will choose for the first bout?"
One formal apprentice was filled with curiosity. This was a chance to show one's face.
Xu Ying kept a straight face. "Stop dreaming about it. Going out in the first bout is thankless work."
If they lost while fighting at home, disgraced the school master, and tarnished the martial arts school's name, they would likely have no way to atone except through death.
The young men at Zhong Shaoying's side burst into laughter. "Xu Ying, are you scared?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? If the school master calls my name, I will absolutely take the field and beat that kid to pieces."
Xu Ying thumped his chest until it rang.
With so many apprentices and disciples present, he was also an old hand of the school's Outer Court. He absolutely could not show weakness.
Yet before his words had even faded, Wang Jianxiong spoke. "Apprentice Zhou You, you will fight the first bout."
Not only everyone else, but Zhou You himself was stunned. What? Me?
He could rack his brain and still not understand why the school master had chosen him to represent the school.
There were so many formal apprentices, some with ten or even twenty years of deep cultivation. Why had he singled Zhou You out?
"Ahem, that's right."
Wang Jianxiong said to Zhuang Daqiang, "See that? This child entered the school most recently, and his cultivation is the shallowest."
"Do not say I am taking advantage of you. I am giving you a bout you are guaranteed to win."
Lu Qiang kept a straight face beside him, thinking that his master was as deviously dark-hearted as ever.
Outsiders did not know, but how could those within the school not understand? Though Zhou You had entered most recently, he had faced a Void Wraith alone without retreating, and had fought it without dying.
That strange feat alone placed him beyond comparison with ordinary apprentices.
"Fine. Your word is your bond, Wang Laohu. I thank you."
Zhuang Daqiang shot Zhang Shiyu a meaningful look, telling him to fight with all his strength and win the opening bout.
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