Pushing Across

"It's me." Yun Shou gripped the Green Iron Saber tight, but a Martial Master's physique was simply too formidable—just a bit of force was enough to warp the iron handle, denting it into finger-shaped grooves.

Xu Ruohai smirked with overbearing confidence. "I don't care where you picked up martial arts or got your skills. You signed a life-death contract with the Qing He Gang, so you're nothing but a dog of the Qing He Gang!"

He jabbed a thick finger at the two dark-faced young gatekeepers.

"A dog has no right to bite or hurt people. A dog that bites either gets tamed—or dies!"

On the last word, he charged forward, his towering frame like a bear, while the massive cleaver in his hand coiled with the deep blue Force Qi of the Water Dragon Skill at Major Accomplishment.

"Well met!" Yun Shou laughed heartily. He'd wanted to say that line, dripping with martial arts flair, for a long time. The next moment, under Xu Ruohai's astonished gaze, a blazing white Force Qi surged from his own body, wrapping around the Green Iron Saber.

It looked like he had even more Force Qi than Xu Ruohai, and he mobilized it faster too!

A flicker of unease flashed in Xu Ruohai's eyes, but by then, their blades had already clashed.

One was a cleaver over 1.8 meters long—taller than Yun Shou himself—with a blade width exceeding a palm, weighing over eighty jin.

The other was a standard-issue Green Iron Saber weighing just four jin nine liang, its blade barely a meter long, inferior in every other respect.

When two fighters of the same rank wielded such different weapons, the gap in strength was set from the start—at least until a Grandmaster gave birth to Gang Jin, weapon quality had a massive impact on combat power.

Even at the Grandmaster level, that didn't mean weapons lost their edge; it was just a matter of material limits. Hadn't the Alien Demon's blood forged divine weapons that even Great Grandmasters praised?

But that assumed similar strength.

Boom!

A thunderous blast!

Not the crack of splitting mountains or breaking rocks, but the roar of a lightning strike!

A figure flew backward faster than it had charged in!

The impact of his bear-like body slammed into the wall, spiderwebbing the gray stone with human-shaped cracks as stone chips flew.

"Impossible!" Xu Ruohai spat blood. The other Second-rate Martial Artists, figures with standing in the gang, gasped in unison as he was sent flying.

And Xu Ruohai was utterly horrified!

Because he could feel that the other side had pulled his strength!

At the moment their blades collided, the Force Qi intensity and sheer impact from the youth's Green Iron Saber were more than three times his own!

It could have shattered his "Boat-Slaying Saber" on the spot, and the Force Qi vibration alone would have crippled him beyond half his life!

But during the clash, just as he was being blasted back by that strike, he sensed the youth retract most of his Force Qi!

Xu Ruohai slid down the wall, clutching his chest. The injury he had now came only from that initial instant of contact; the follow-up attacks had been mostly withdrawn by the other side. Otherwise, he'd have at least broken a bone!

When he looked up at the youth walking slowly toward him, his eyes were full of terror.

"Xu Ruohai... weaker than I thought. I only used thirty percent of my strength, and he still couldn't block a single blow."

Yun Shou didn't want to one-shot Xu Ruohai. He was a man of his word.

He raised his saber and walked toward Xu Ruohai, a layer of blazing white Force Qi spreading from the hilt to the tip, adding a gleaming effect.

"Brat, this isn't your place to show off!" A loud shout rang out. Yun Shou glanced sideways as a Qing He Gang headman stepped forward, spear in hand.

Behind him, the other three Second-rate level headmen hesitated for a moment, exchanged glances, then drew their blades and advanced.

These four Second-rate Martial Artists had fought together before; united, they could match the gang leader. Even if they couldn't beat this kid now, they figured they could suppress him for a while, let the leader catch his breath, shed his underestimation, and then with five of them working together, they'd surely take him down!

Confidence ↑ up

In the blink of an eye, the four had surrounded Yun Shou. And this fool just stood there dumbly, not striking first or dodging—which only delighted the four headmen.

How dare he look down on us, the Qing He Four Elites? Today, we'll make sure you never leave!

Each of us has our own specialty, our own unique moves. Our fighting spirit and endurance are astonishing, and our secret Combat Techniques will give you a surprise, yah!

"Azure Dragon Probing Claw!"

"River-Breaking Divine Spear!"

"World-Defying Saber!"

"Shadowless Sword!"

All four headmen were formidable Second-rate fighters at the "Blood Replacement and Muscle Condensation" stage. When they struck together, even an ordinary First-rate would suffer a minor loss!

But Yun Shou... didn't even draw his saber.

He just stood there, like a wooden dummy, and as the saber, spear, sword, and claw closed in, he blazed with light!

That was the brilliance of the Major Accomplishment Sunday Art's Force Qi!

In that moment, he became an incarnation of light, dazzling and impossible to look at!

"My eyes!"

"Such strong force!"

The four headmen cried out in shock, as if hitting an invisible barrier, all flying back several steps. After landing, they staggered a few more paces before steadying themselves.

Because Yun Shou had released Force Qi from his entire body—head to toe, all at once!

This alone, a First-rate Martial Artist absolutely could not do, because a First-rate Martial Artist's Force Qi must be mobilized and released, and their internal Force Qi is normally gathered as a single mass—most people simply cannot release Force Qi from two places in their body at the same time.

But a Martial Master has already achieved Vital Energy Circulation, able to instantly release Force Qi from any part of the body, and not only instantly, but simultaneously, with no restriction on multiple releases at all!

It's just that using it like Yun Shou did was too wasteful—the power was so weak it couldn't even kill a Third-rate Martial Artist, and the consumption was considerable.

It's only good for showing off.

"Wait, who exactly are you!?" Xu Ruohai regulated his breath; compared to his domineering tone before the fight, his words now carried a hint of submission.

"You can't be that kid called Yun Shou—he signed a life-indenture contract in the gang just two years ago, there's no way he could become a Martial Hall Master!"

Martial Hall Master!

Martial Master!

The four gang leaders froze—they were only Second-rate Martial Artists, and the one they'd just been ganging up on was actually a Martial Master?!

"Vital Energy Circulation, releasing Force Qi from the whole body!" one gang leader blurted out, recalling the hallmark of a Martial Master's level, precisely the dazzling display Yun Shou had unleashed moments ago.

Yun Shou didn't answer Xu Ruohai, but hearing the gang leader's words, he smiled and added: "Vital Energy Circulation, and that's not all!"

Without any visible movement, he simply shook his body on the spot, and a series of explosive cracks rang out in succession: Muscles and Bones Ringing in Harmony!

Four gang leaders: "..."

Xu Ruohai: "..."

"Good martial Talent Aptitude, can't help it." Yun Shou helplessly spread his hands: "A few days ago, an old man passed by, saw me, and insisted on taking me as his disciple."

"Then he casually tossed a martial art manual, and I picked it up and casually practiced it."

"Hey, guess what?"

"I became a martial artist."

"I got Force Qi."

"I achieved Vital Energy Circulation."

"Hehe."

Qing He Gang members: No hehe.