Only When You Train Until Your Bones Crack Do You Realize There Is a Yama Within Your Fists!

At dusk, someone from the Inspection Bureau arrived to arrest the Carriage Shop Owner.

"We have received a report that the leader of the violent gang, the Chauffeur's Association, is hiding inside this martial hall!"

The leading Patrol Chief raised the arrest warrant for the Carriage Shop Owner and spoke.

"You have searched the wrong place. This is the Divine Spear Martial Hall; how could we possibly harbor a wanted criminal?"

Huo Yuanhong stood in his way and said calmly, "Furthermore, this is a martial hall. To prevent the leakage of secret martial arts, we have the privilege of immunity from searches. You gentlemen should return the way you came."

In the end, these inspectors, sent by who knows whom, did not dare to search the martial hall recklessly and could only leave in frustration.

Huo Yuanhong returned to the Training Room.

Counting the days, tomorrow was the day of the gambling match between the carriage shop and the Red Robe Society. He wondered if the Red Robe Society Leader would even dare to show up.

Although the carriage shop was left with only a few people, they still held that half-stalk of Great Medicine, a priceless treasure. It was something that even the vast majority of direct descendants of noble families were not qualified to use; even the noble families who controlled the resources could only supply it to a very select few core disciples.

For experts from gang backgrounds, it was even more tempting than a pile of gold bars!

Even if they couldn't use it themselves, they could trade it for a wealth of good things. If they offered it to those direct descendants of noble families who lacked access to Great Medicine, it wasn't impossible to beg for a chance at advancement!

Therefore, even knowing he might intervene, the Red Robe Society Leader might not be able to resist the temptation. After all, it was just about seizing the medicine, not necessarily killing Li Shuxing's disciples.

Coincidentally, he also wanted that half-stalk of Great Medicine in the opponent's hands! He needed it to make up for the deficit caused by his extreme improvement!

Huo Yuanhong knew that after last night, the Red Robe Society Leader would realize his formidable strength and certainly wouldn't continue to come with only one faction.

When the time came, if they didn't come, that was one thing; but if they did, they would likely invite experts from other gangs to lie in wait. It wasn't even impossible for a Strength-Unity expert on the verge of reaching Dark Force to appear!

With the little time left before the Great Medicine was in his hands, the fastest way to improve his strength was undoubtedly the combat methods and killing techniques of the Heart-Mind Unity stage!

Before he had even reached the late stage of Heart-Mind Unity, relying on the doubled burst of the Tiger in the Cage and the Ape in the Mind, he was already on par with the mid-stage of Intent-Qi Unity!

Now that he had reached the pinnacle of Heart-Mind Unity and truly mastered Fist Intent—a Fist Intent derived from the Buzhou Mountain Fundamental Diagram—he estimated his combat power was no less than the peak of Intent-Qi Unity!

And if he could master the profound combat methods and killing techniques of the Divine Spear Martial Hall at this stage, his combat power would rise again, and he could definitely easily crush peak Intent-Qi Unity experts from gang backgrounds! He might even be able to put up a fight against a Strength-Unity expert taking the final step toward Dark Force!

By then, with Old Xu watching over things, and provided the Peak Experts didn't move first and the powerful figures with deep roots in Dark Force and Transformation Strength found it difficult to act, those gang experts and martial artists without Dark Force would no longer be a threat!

Not long after, Old Xu walked in, accompanied by the only remaining Transformation Strength master of the martial hall.

Old Xu was too old; his life-blood was nearly exhausted. It was fine when Li Shuxing was around, but now that Li Shuxing was gone, he had to single-handedly hold back three Peak Experts—Mo Wuji, the Martial-Arts-Guild-Second-in-Command, and the Wu Family Patriarch. He had to maintain his best state at all times, carefully calculating every wisp of life-blood consumption so as not to waste it.

Therefore, it was this Transformation Strength master who was responsible for sparring with Huo Yuanhong, while Old Xu watched from the side.

"You have practiced Heart-Mind Unity well enough; you can now practice the killing techniques suitable for the Heart-Mind Unity stage! Once you master a killing technique, your combat prowess will increase by a large margin, and you might even be able to kill those of a higher realm!"

"The three great killing techniques of Baji Quan: Ground-Shattering Cannon! King of Hell's Three Strikes! Fierce Tiger Climbs the Mountain! Every move is aimed at taking a life!"

"An old fist master once said: Only when you practice until your bone joints crack will you know there is a King of Hell in your fist!"

"Once a killing technique is unleashed, it is like the arrival of the King of Hell, judging life and death!"

"First is the Ground-Shattering Cannon..."

Huo Yuanhong listened intently, watching the demonstration by the Transformation Strength master and memorizing the keys to exerting force.

Baji Quan was originally evolved from spear techniques; the fist and elbow techniques were also spear techniques. The essence was the same, only the form of expression was different.

The force-exerting techniques of these killing moves could still be applied to spear techniques; it was equivalent to practicing fist and spear techniques together!

This was the reason why, even though he had never formally practiced spear techniques, he could still use the Great Spear!

"This move, Ground-Shattering Cannon, is the fist-based transformation of the spear technique 'Sky-Piercing Thrust'. The eighth-generation ancestor once annotated: 'So-called sky-piercing does not mean the fist can reach the sky, but that the heart and intent reach the nine heavens! Only by stepping on the netherworld and having the fist open the heavenly gate is the true meaning of Ground-Shattering Cannon!'"

"According to normal training methods, with the body control of a Heart-Mind Unity pinnacle expert, hitting the Jujube Wood Stake 300 times a day, it should take about a month or two to master..."

"When practicing, you must soak your fists in Bone-Piercing Grass, Safflower, and Earth Dragon to prevent the tiny blood vessels in your fists from rupturing..."

After the Transformation Strength master finished his explanation, Huo Yuanhong began to practice, punch by punch, against the Jujube Wood Stake in front of him.

For the first few punches, the power was similar to a normal strike, causing the Jujube Wood Stake to sway only slightly.

But gradually, as his insights deepened and he corrected his mistakes and adjusted his posture and angles time and again, the swaying of the Jujube Wood Stake became more and more violent.

From the barely visible swaying at the beginning, to clearly visible swaying, and then to violent shaking.

Later on, as countless complex insights surged forth...

He suddenly had a flash of inspiration and truly grasped the Ground-Shattering Cannon, adjusting this killing technique into the way of bursting that suited him best.

As he threw a punch, the extreme fury of the Tiger in the Cage and the Ape in the Mind rose up, allowing Huo Yuanhong to finally break free from the shackles of his heart. His Fist Intent became as powerful as if it were about to materialize. He felt as if he had transformed into a Chaos Demon Ape that had broken free, or perhaps a King of Hell judging life and death, unleashing a punch with the intent of stepping on the netherworld and opening the heavenly gate!

"Boom!"

The Jujube Wood Stake was directly shattered and exploded! It was as if a wicked ghost that had committed a monstrous crime had been smashed to pieces by a single punch, accompanied by the cracking sound of bone joints!

Only when you practice until your bone joints crack will you know there is a King of Hell in your fist!

"Brother Huo, some big shots from the Wu family have arrived. One of them, calling himself Wu Yankun, says he wants to see you."

As night approached, a disciple came to find him.

Hearing the disciple's words, Huo Yuanhong's fist-practicing movement paused. He slowly turned his head, his eyes looking somewhat terrifying, causing the messenger disciple to feel a jolt in his heart and a sense of fear.

"Bring me to them."

Not long after, they arrived at the reception room of the Martial Arts Hall, where they saw a man in a suit idly playing with a teacup in his hand.

"You're here."

Wu Yankun looked to be in his thirties or forties, his face always carrying a nonchalant smile. Seeing Huo Yuanhong enter, he reached out his hand with a grin.

"Let's get acquainted. I am Wu Yankun."

Huo Yuanhong ignored him, walking straight to the grand armchair opposite and sitting down.

"Quite the personality."

Wu Yankun chuckled, unbothered, and said leisurely, "Your martial arts are decent. At only nineteen, not only did you survive an assassination attempt by five peak Heart-Mind Unity killers, but you also managed to go and kill the leader of the Blood Axe Society for revenge. Even considering that Li Shuxing had been secretly grooming you since childhood, you are barely worth noticing..."

"Since you survived, you have passed my test. As long as you backstab Li Shuxing and tarnish his reputation, you can come work under me. All previous grievances will be wiped clean, and your future descendants will be able to become members of my Aristocratic Family."

Wu Yankun spoke languidly, as if in his eyes, joining an Aristocratic Family and allowing one's descendants to become members was an extremely glorious matter—a great act of mercy on his part.

"Grievances wiped clean?"

Huo Yuanhong wore a smile, but there was not a hint of warmth in his eyes; they were as dark and deep as a bottomless pool.

He leaned his upper body slightly forward, staring at Wu Yankun.

"How about you call your whole family here, and let me try killing them too? As long as they don't die, will our grievances be wiped clean?"

Huo Yuanhong said this with a face full of smiles. He was clearly laughing, but the disciples serving tea nearby felt a chill in their hearts and didn't even dare to look over.

"In this world, there are no eternal friends, and no eternal enemies..."

Wu Yankun said slowly, "Besides, you didn't die, and your father didn't die, so there was no real loss. What I can offer is a way to escape the bottom of society forever, become a member of my Never-Falling Aristocratic Family, and enjoy wealth and glory. All you have to do is tarnish Li Shuxing's reputation."

"Old Six is dead."

Huo Yuanhong stared at Wu Yankun and said.

"Old Six?"

Wu Yankun paused, looking somewhat bewildered.

"Who is Old Six?"

Judging by his reaction, Wu Yankun truly had no idea who such a person was. It wasn't until someone leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear that he looked surprised.

"Just a carriage driver, a gang leader?"

"You refuse to come work for me just for the sake of this commoner?"

Wu Yankun found it very hard to understand.

It was just a commoner; there were as many as one could want, and if they died, they died.

Just like the martial artists of commoner origin under his command—he had never cared about how many of them had died over the years.

In the face of the eternal legacy of an Aristocratic Family, these people didn't even count as sacrifices, nor could they be considered pawns; they were merely a string of meaningless numbers. If they died, they died; what was there to care about?

Furthermore, he had condescended to come here himself, taking the initiative to extend an olive branch and offer the opportunity to join a great Aristocratic Family...

Logically speaking, for such a precious opportunity, even patricide would be considered a small price to pay. He had already been benevolent enough, only asking the person before him to step out and tarnish Li Shuxing's reputation.

Yet now, for the sake of a commoner, he was actually going to give up an opportunity that countless people would kill for?

"Young Master Wu, you have been high and mighty for too long, forgetting that I am also a commoner—the same kind of commoner as Old Six."

Huo Yuanhong looked at Wu Yankun and said calmly.

"You are Li Shuxing's disciple; how can you be the same as those people?" Wu Yankun said indifferently. "With your talent, you will surely reach Transformation Strength in the future, possess immense power, and enjoy a lifetime of wealth and glory. Why bother caring about a carriage driver?"

"Come now, my advisors have already drafted the rhetoric for how to tarnish Li Shuxing's reputation. You just need to travel across the Celestial Empire and recite it..."

At this point, seeing Huo Yuanhong looking at him with a mocking smile, Wu Yankun understood his meaning.

"So, you are determined to set yourself against me?"

"What do you think?"

Huo Yuanhong looked at Wu Yankun with a face full of smiles, like a madman looking at a dead man.

When Old Six died, when the Carriage Firm was slaughtered, when his father nearly died, and when he saw those young people looking at him with hope while he could do nothing...

He had already gone mad.

"Then what are you going to do?"

Wu Yankun also revealed a smile, his face beaming.

Huo Yuanhong was also smiling broadly.

"Kill you."