The afternoon in Greenwood City felt rather gloomy, with sunlight hidden behind thick clouds.
The streets teemed with people. Vendors' cries, hoofbeats, and the clang of metal mingled together. Passersby wore all sorts of clothing, and everyone hurried along, painting a picture of the bustle unique to a border city.
Yet heading toward West City from this noisy district, the scene changed abruptly.
The chimneys of the Old Industrial District had long stopped smoking. Rusted steel pipes coiled like giant pythons around the outer walls of abandoned factories, and the air smelled of rust and dust.
Few people walked here. Occasionally, scavengers could be seen rummaging through the ruins, their footsteps unusually clear in the empty streets and alleys.
At the heart of the Old Industrial District stood the Main Hall of the Iron Bone Martial Hall.
On its training grounds, more than a dozen students were practicing diligently. The whoosh of fists and feet cutting through the air alternated with the clang of clashing weapons, but compared with its former bustle, the place was undoubtedly much quieter.
On the top floor of an abandoned factory opposite the martial hall, loose rubble lay scattered and steel reinforcement bars stood exposed. Xia Leisheng stood with his hands behind his back, his figure as straight as a pine.
He wore a navy-blue martial robe with silver lightning patterns embroidered on its cuffs, which fluttered gently in the breeze.
The years had left few traces on him, but his deep eyes held an indescribable weight of worldly experience.
His gaze swept across the training grounds, sharp as a hawk's. Every movement the students made, every exertion of strength, fell within his sight.
Most of these students were strongly built. Their punches and kicks stirred fierce gusts, their techniques powerful and forceful. Clearly, they