Guo Family Martial Hall.
Hup! Hah!
From the courtyard came the rhythmic shouts of men practicing their martial arts.
More than a dozen men stood bare-armed, their hands continually alternating as they plunged them into a large pot under the supervision of a brawny man.
A fire burned beneath the pot, which was filled to the brim with sand. The men rapidly thrust their hands in and out of it.
"All right, you've practiced for long enough. Take a break."
The brawny man clapped his hands, signaling that they could stop.
Hearing him, everyone's tense bodies quickly relaxed. They let out long breaths and grinned through the pain.
"Remember to soak your hands in the medicinal solution for a while."
Taking in their expressions, he called for a large tub to be brought over. It was filled with a grayish-brown medicinal solution.
Everyone nodded. Once the color of their arms had gradually faded, one of them went over to the tub and lowered his arms into the solution.
"Oh~" The instant he soaked them, he let out a cry like an ape.
The brawny man's face darkened at the sight. "What are you yelping for?"
The sound stopped abruptly.
Just then, a middle-aged man came out of the house. The brawny man walked up to him and said, "Father."
The middle-aged man gave a grunt, clasped his hands behind his back, and watched expressionlessly as the others took turns putting their hands into the medicinal solution.
Then he looked at the brawny man and asked, "Guo Hao, how have things been going with student enrollment these past few days?"
Guo Hao thought for a moment before replying, "Ever since Father defeated Hong Ming, students have come to sign up every day. But there haven't been many. So far, we've only recruited thirteen disciples, and..."
"And what?"
"And their talents are all over the place."
"That's normal. The local Martial Halls have monopolized practically every talented warrior. In a few days, I'll challenge the Jiang Family Martial Hall and make our name known once and for all. Then everyone will know how formidable our Guo Family Martial Hall is!"
Guo Hao's expression shifted slightly at those words. The middle-aged man noticed and asked, "What is it?"
"Father, you've already challenged many Martial Halls, including the Hong Family Martial Hall. I'm afraid you've made quite a few enemies. If you keep doing this, you might end up on bad terms with people," Guo Hao said hesitantly.
"Hmph, do you think I'm afraid of them?"
The middle-aged man snorted, unconcerned. If those Martial Halls hadn't joined forces to ostracize him, he would have dealt with that bunch of good-for-nothings long ago.
With his strength, let alone taking on the Three Great Martial Halls, he could sweep through every Martial Hall in White Stone City without breaking a sweat.
Guo Hao said nothing, but inwardly sighed. Ever since his father had become a Practice Force Warrior, he had grown more and more arrogant.
The atmosphere turned a little heavy. Neither of them spoke. Just then, Guo Hao's gaze was drawn to a burly man at the entrance.
The burly man quickly entered the courtyard. Guo Hao walked up to him, looking puzzled. "What do you want?"
He sized up the newcomer. The man was powerfully built and looked fierce, around thirty years old. He didn't seem like someone who had come to learn martial arts.
"You're Guo Zhong, right? I'm here to challenge your Martial Hall!" The burly man ignored Guo Hao and looked at the middle-aged man as he boomed the words out.
At this, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at the man, surprise written on their faces.
The confusion on Guo Hao's face froze the moment the burly man spoke. He stared for a moment, then looked toward the middle-aged man.
Guo Zhong had heard him too. His sharp eyes swept over the burly man, sizing him up.
"You're here to challenge my Martial Hall?"
Guo Zhong chuckled, his lips curling coldly.
Ever since he had come to White Stone City, he had always been the one to challenge other Martial Halls. He hadn't expected that this time someone would come to challenge his.
He looked at the burly man and asked, "Which Martial Hall are you from?"
The burly man waved a hand impatiently. "Don't worry about which Martial Hall I'm from. I just want to come challenge yours. The only question is, do you dare accept?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Guo Zhong's smile faded, his expression turning stern.
"Then quit wasting words and let's get started." The burly man stepped forward, facing Guo Zhong head-on.
"Wait. I've never fought anyone for free," Guo Zhong interrupted. "If you want to challenge me, show me you're serious first."
The burly man was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"A prize. A wager." Seeing that he didn't understand, Guo Zhong explained.
"How much do you want?" The burly man narrowed his eyes.
Guo Zhong smiled and raised one finger. "One hundred taels!"
The burly man fell silent. He gave Guo Zhong a long look, then left with a single word: "Wait!"
Watching the burly man walk away, Guo Zhong's expression faltered for a moment. Then he shook his head and spat, "You've got no money, yet you dare show up to challenge my Martial Hall!"
He'd thought he'd found a big, dumb fool and could earn a hundred taels. Instead, the man had turned out to be all bark and no bite.
Shaking his head, Guo Zhong went inside.
An incense stick later, the burly man returned to the Martial Hall and tossed a bundle of silver onto the ground. "Get Guo Zhong out here."
Inside the house, Guo Zhong heard the commotion outside and paused in surprise. Then he walked out, his eyes immediately falling on the money bag on the ground.
He saw a ten-tael banknote poking out from the bag, and his pupils contracted slightly. He narrowed his eyes.
"Fine. Since you want to challenge me, come on." Guo Zhong chuckled, his opinion of the burly man improving somewhat.
The burly man nodded and was about to move when Guo Zhong stopped him. "But let me make one thing clear first. If you lose, that hundred taels is mine."
"And if you lose?" the burly man shot back.
"If I lose?" Guo Zhong paused, caught off guard by the question. But he still answered, "If I lose, I'll give you a hundred taels!"
"Good!"
"Then let's begin." Guo Zhong gestured for his disciples to move aside.
"Wait."
This time, it wasn't Guo Zhong who spoke, but the burly man. Guo Zhong looked at him in confusion. The man said, "Put the money down first!"
"You... You think I'd welch on the bet?" Guo Zhong's face tightened, and he sounded annoyed.
"Just to be safe," the burly man replied, unperturbed.
Guo Zhong's expression darkened. He said nothing, instead looking at Guo Hao. Guo Hao went inside, fetched a hundred taels, and placed it beside the money bag.
Seeing this, the burly man nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at Guo Zhong and said, "Come on!"
Guo Zhong snorted and didn't hold back. He strode forward, his anger driving his moves to become especially fierce.
The burly man, by contrast, simply watched Guo Zhong, standing motionless where he was.
Hmph. I'll beat you so badly you'll be crippled today. Otherwise, I'm no Guo Zhong! Guo Zhong's palm chopped out like a blade, slicing through the air toward the burly man.
Guo Zhong attacked like a fierce tiger. Just as he was about to hit the burly man, he saw him slowly raise his hand. Guo Zhong couldn't help but sneer. "You think you can move now? Isn't it a little too late?"