Below Yangping Mountain

"Good kid."

Seeing Lin Sheng readily agree, the tall man was first stunned, but soon he grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth.

"Ma Qiang, be mindful of your strength. Lin Sheng is a newcomer who hasn't been practicing the Martial Way for long. If you hurt him like last time, I'll have your hide."

Wang Sanyang cautioned, his eyes holding a hint of warning.

"Don't worry, Captain Wang. I haven't even reached the Body Tempering realm yet, so what's there to fear? Last time, it was just because that kid was too weak."

The tall man, Ma Qiang, waved his hand dismissively, replying somewhat perfunctorily.

The commotion naturally didn't escape the notice of others in the courtyard. Seeing Ma Qiang about to spar with a newcomer, those who were initially uninterested became curious and gathered around. Some even came out from the rooms within the courtyard.

"Big Ma is going to use another newcomer to practice again. I wonder how many moves this new guy will last."

"Yeah, it's just his bad luck to run into Big Ma right after arriving. Tsk tsk..."

"But this kid was brought by Captain Wang, so his talent should be decent. Maybe he can last a few more moves, unlike the last newcomer who accidentally broke his leg and ended up bedridden for half a month before even starting work..."

The surrounding team members chatted amongst themselves, not bothering to lower their voices. Lin Sheng heard them clearly but showed no change in his expression. He understood that even in the peaceful environment of his past life, newcomers inevitably faced a welcoming challenge.

Even more so in this chaotic ancient era, especially since the Beast Hunter Hall was a high-risk organization where people lived by the skin of their teeth. The pent-up aggression and pressure of the people had to be released somewhere. Bullying newcomers was undoubtedly more interesting than sparring amongst themselves.

"All of you, shut your mouths."

Wang Sanyang frowned and shouted coldly, causing the team members to fall silent.

The crowd formed a circle, leaving an open space in the middle for Lin Sheng and Ma Qiang.

Ma Qiang stretched his neck, his face full of interest as he stared at Lin Sheng.

He enjoyed sparring with others, but compared to the guys in the courtyard, he preferred sparring with newcomers, especially talented young people. Seeing them falter in his hands gave him a perverse sense of satisfaction.

"My name is Ma Qiang. Remember it, kid."

He grinned and, seeing the wary stance of the person opposite him, strode forward.

Without waiting for Lin Sheng to reply, he threw a punch.

His punch was powerful and carried a whistling sound through the air.

Even though it was just a regular straight punch, it wasn't easy to deal with. He was naturally strong, had been practicing the Raging Bull Fist for some time, and focused on honing his strength. If nothing else, his strength was definitely among the top tier of the ordinary members in Team 11.

Therefore, when facing an opponent, he would start with a punch. Whether the opponent met his blow head-on or dodged, as long as their strength was inferior to his, he would gain the advantage and control the rhythm of the subsequent exchange.

This was his experience from years of fighting.

Seeing the opponent's movement, a hint of surprise flashed in Lin Sheng's eyes.

It wasn't that the punch was particularly powerful, but rather that it was too slow.

Yes, it was too slow. In his eyes, the opponent's punch seemed to have slowed down by thirty to forty percent.

He had no intention of dodging. He raised his palm and reached out to grab the incoming fist.

Bang.

A dull thud. Lin Sheng's palm, noticeably smaller than Ma Qiang's, firmly grasped the incoming fist.

Huh!?

Seeing that his punch had been blocked, Ma Qiang was stunned. He quickly struggled, trying to pull his fist free.

Feeling the resisting force from his palm, which didn't seem like much, Lin Sheng had the sensation that he could completely suppress the opponent without even using half his strength.

It was only then that he realized that although Ma Qiang was physically strong, he hadn't yet entered the Body Tempering realm, so his strength was naturally far inferior to his own.

Joining the Beast Hunter Hall only required practicing the Raging Bull Fist to the Initiation level. As for reaching Minor Accomplishment and successfully entering the Body Tempering realm, not everyone here could do it. Such individuals were at least considered elites within the Beast Hunter Hall.

With this thought, Lin Sheng lost much of his interest in the spar. Fighting an opponent significantly weaker than himself held little meaning.

Furthermore, with his current strength, he was only perceived by everyone else as having just reached the Initiation level in the Raging Bull Fist. If he displayed too much power, it would inevitably reveal something about him.

Considering this, he deliberately relaxed his grip, allowing Ma Qiang to pull his hand free.

When the opponent swung his fist again, Lin Sheng dodged to the side, evading several blows in succession. Seizing an opening, he kicked Ma Qiang's calf, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground.

"My apologies."

"Apologize to your mom!!"

Lin Sheng cupped his fist, about to speak, but Ma Qiang, his face contorted, stood up from the ground. Taking advantage of Lin Sheng speaking, he threw a punch directly at his chest.

Whoosh...

This punch whistled through the air, clearly carrying even more force than his previous blows. If it had landed on an ordinary person, it would have undoubtedly resulted in broken bones, let alone hitting a vital spot like the chest. If this blow landed, it would mean severe injury or even death.

"Ma Qiang, no!!"

Seeing this, Wang Sanyang, who was watching from the side, his expression changed, and he shouted sternly. However, Ma Qiang at this moment seemed to turn a deaf ear, his movements showing no sign of stopping; in fact, they quickened slightly.

Feeling the powerful gust of wind rapidly approaching him, Lin Sheng's expression turned sharp.

With this sudden attack, if it were before his breakthrough, he might not have been able to react in time. If his response was delayed, what would the consequences be?

Even if he survived, a severely injured him might not be able to continue staying in the Beast Hunter Hall.

He reacted with extreme speed, agilely dodging the punch to the side. Then, he stepped forward and, without hesitation, delivered an elbow strike that landed squarely on the opponent's jaw.

Bang.

A dull thud was accompanied by the sound of cracking bone.

Ma Qiang let out a muffled grunt as his tall, strong body toppled backward onto the ground, snot and blood flowing from his mouth. He had already passed out.

The scene instantly fell silent. Wang Sanyang, who had been about to intervene, froze in place.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly. He immediately stepped forward, crouched down, and took a look at Ma Qiang. After confirming that the man had merely fainted and suffered some superficial injuries, he had someone carry him away.

Then, Wang Sanyang turned and his gaze fell upon Lin Sheng, a flicker of an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Lin Sheng, you're good. This time, it was Ma Qiang's fault. Fortunately, nothing serious happened. He's just reckless and impulsive, don't take it too much to heart."

"Naturally."

Hearing this, Lin Sheng showed no particular expression on his face, merely nodding slightly. However, the other man's reaction gave him some room for speculation, though he didn't reveal anything.

"There's nothing much to do this morning. Zhang Ding, take Lin Sheng around and get him familiar with the place."

Seeing that Lin Sheng wasn't dwelling on the matter, Wang Sanyang called out to the crowd.

"Yes, Captain Wang."

A lean man with dark skin emerged from the crowd, responding with a hearty, smiling voice.

"Alright, everyone disperse. Prepare yourselves, we're heading into the mountains this afternoon."

Wang Sanyang said to the crowd again, then turned and left the courtyard, presumably to attend to other matters.

The crowd quickly dispersed afterward, but the way they looked at Lin Sheng had already changed.

"My name is Zhang Ding. I reckon you're a few years younger than me, so I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Lin."

The dark-skinned man said to Lin Sheng with a seemingly hearty smile.

Before Lin Sheng could reply, he continued.

"I didn't expect you to be so young, Brother Lin, yet your strength is quite impressive. Your raw power isn't much less than Ma Qiang's, and your speed is much faster than that big oaf's. It's no wonder you defeated that傻大个儿 so easily."

"Brother Lin just got lucky," Lin Sheng said humbly.

"This isn't about luck. Even if you did it again, no, ten times, Ma Qiang would definitely not be your opponent. Tsk tsk... It seems your talent is much better than the previous newcomers. As long as you can survive, reaching the Body Tempering realm shouldn't be a problem."

"It's just a shame you're older and started martial arts a bit late... Otherwise, there might have been a chance to touch the Blood Circulation realm in the future..."

Zhang Ding's face showed a hint of regret as he said this.

"Oh? Brother Zhang, is there something special about the Blood Circulation realm?"

Lin Sheng asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

From the man's words, it was clear he understood the martial arts realms quite well.