Bronze Skin Showdown! Arhat Fist vs. Taming Tiger Fist!

His forehead struck the ground with a dull thud.

The entire Labor Courtyard fell deathly silent; one could hear a needle drop!

Everyone was petrified. Their mouths hung open as they refused to believe their own eyes.

A lofty Martial Monk was actually performing such a full prostration before a Sweeping Monk Disciple?!

Th-This... what was going on? Had he gone mad?

Even Su Haoran had not expected the other man to pull something like this. He froze slightly.

After bowing, the Martial Monk raised his head. His eyes brimmed with endless gratitude, and his booming voice rang through the entire courtyard.

"Zeng Qiu, Martial Monk of Prajna Temple, pays respects to my sworn elder brother! Thank you, sworn elder brother, for saving my parents from the depths of fire and water. I will never forget your great kindness for as long as I live!"

Sworn elder brother?!

Boom!

Those two words exploded in everyone's minds like a bolt of thunder!

Steward Cao Yi stood dumbfounded, his mouth wide open.

The Sweeping Monks felt as if their entire worldview had been overturned.

Su Haoran... had become Martial Monk Zeng Qiu's sworn elder brother?

How was that possible?!

"Get up, quickly." Su Haoran came to his senses and hurried forward, reaching out to help Zeng Qiu up.

His hand met scorching heat. He could feel the solid strength in Zeng Qiu's arm, as well as the other man's heartfelt excitement.

"If sworn elder brother does not agree, I will not rise!" Yet Zeng Qiu was exceptionally stubborn. He remained kneeling and looked up at Su Haoran.

"That will not do, that will not do!" The farmer couple hurried over as well, repeatedly cupping their hands to Su Haoran. "Benefactor, our son is straightforward by nature. Please do not take offense. You saved us old folk; you are the great benefactor of our entire family. For him to acknowledge you as his sworn elder brother is our family reaching above our station!"

Seeing the sincere looks in the family of three's eyes, Su Haoran felt both helpless and moved.

He knew that if he did not agree, Zeng Qiu might well kneel here all day.

"Fine, I accept. Brother Zeng Qiu, get up quickly." Su Haoran had no choice but to nod.

"Thank you, sworn elder brother!" Zeng Qiu was overjoyed upon hearing this and finally rose with Su Haoran's help.

The way he looked at Su Haoran was filled with complicated emotions—gratitude, admiration, and a measure of curiosity.

He truly could not understand why an expert capable of slaying five vicious bandits amid laughter and conversation would humble himself in this Labor Courtyard.

This scene completely detonated the Labor Courtyard.

The way everyone looked at Su Haoran had become one of utter astonishment.

He had made a Martial Monk with a Boundless Future bow his head to the ground and call him sworn elder brother!

Just what had this Su Haoran done? How many secrets was he hiding?

Like a gust of wind, the news swiftly spread from the Labor Courtyard and stirred no small commotion among Prajna Temple's Scripture Monks and Martial Monks.

"Sworn elder brother, this is but a modest gift. Please accept it as a token of my regard."

In a corner of the Labor Courtyard, Zeng Qiu handed Su Haoran a bundle containing some healing ointment and several dozen jin of fine rice.

Su Haoran smiled and waved his hand. "Brother Zeng Qiu, there is no need for this. When one sees injustice on the road, one draws the blade to help. It was simply my duty. I would have acted for anyone."

"To sworn elder brother, it may have been merely your duty, but to me, Zeng Qiu, it was a kindness as vast as the heavens!"

Zeng Qiu's expression was incomparably solemn.

"My parents said that if not for sworn elder brother, they would already have been corpses exposed in the wilderness, while I, Zeng Qiu, would have become an orphan with neither father nor mother. This debt of gratitude is higher than the sky and deeper than the sea!"

He looked at Su Haoran with blazing eyes. "Sworn elder brother, I, Zeng Qiu, am not a man good with words. Great kindness needs no thanks. From this day onward, should you have any command for me, just speak the word. I, Zeng Qiu, will climb mountains of blades and plunge into seas of fire without hesitation!"

Su Haoran could feel the sincerity in his words. He smiled and patted Zeng Qiu's shoulder, accepting the sentiment.

Zeng Qiu remained in the Labor Courtyard for a while before leaving with his parents.

Before departing, he gave Su Haoran a deep look, seeming to have made up his mind about something.

After thinking it over and over, he felt that sending money and provisions was nowhere near enough to repay such life-saving grace.

His sworn elder brother possessed such martial skill, yet stayed in the Labor Courtyard. There had to be some hidden reason behind it.

But no matter what, with his sworn elder brother's strength, remaining here was truly a waste of talent.

He wanted to help Su Haoran, and the best way was to repay him with what he was most skilled at.

That afternoon, Zeng Qiu came to find Su Haoran alone once more.

"Sworn elder brother, I see that your Qi and Blood are abundant and your foundation is solid. You are clearly a fellow martial man, though I do not know why you have humbled yourself here."

Zeng Qiu led Su Haoran to a secluded grove in the back mountain and spoke bluntly.

"I know my strength is meager, but I was fortunate enough to receive a few crude Kung Fu techniques from my master. I boldly wish to exchange pointers with sworn elder brother, to verify each other's understanding. Perhaps it may benefit sworn elder brother's cultivation."

This was the method Zeng Qiu had thought of for repaying his debt.

As a Martial Monk, he had received Prajna Temple's orthodox martial arts inheritance, something far beyond the comparison of wild, untrained methods.

He wanted to repay Su Haoran by guiding him along the martial path.

Upon hearing this, a gleam flashed through Su Haoran's eyes.

That was precisely what he had in mind.

Although the system panel makes the realm of my techniques clear at a glance, I still lack experience fighting Martial Artists of the same level...

And shutting oneself away to build a cart can never produce a great vessel.

Zeng Qiu before him was therefore the perfect sparring partner.

"Fine."

With that thought, Su Haoran agreed cleanly.

The two stood facing one another in an Open Space within the woods, three zhang apart.

"Sworn elder brother, please!" Zeng Qiu drew a deep breath and assumed the distinctive opening stance of a Prajna Temple Martial Monk. His entire aura changed instantly, like a fierce tiger poised to pounce.

Su Haoran did not stand on ceremony. With a shift of his feet, his figure closed the distance in an instant!

The Arhat Fist at Major Accomplishment erupted fiercely!

He used neither weapon nor Iron Cloth Shirt, relying purely on his fists against his opponent.

He threw a punch—plain and unadorned, yet carrying a gale that ripped through the air as it shot straight for Zeng Qiu's centerline!

"Good!"

Zeng Qiu's gaze sharpened. He neither dodged nor retreated, instead meeting it with a punch of his own!

He cultivated Prajna Temple's basic fist technique, the Taming Tiger Fist. It emphasized ferocity and dominance, sharing some similarities with the Arhat Fist.

Bang!

The two fists collided with a muffled boom like a war drum!

A powerful blast of air spread explosively outward from the two of them, whipping the fallen leaves across the ground into a frenzy.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Zeng Qiu felt a surging, tremendous force crash through his opponent's fist. It numbed his arm and sent him staggering back three steps before he barely stabilized himself.

He was instantly horrified. What terrifying strength!

Zeng Qiu had believed that after years of tempering his strength, supplemented by the temple's medicinal meals, his power was already outstanding among his peers. Yet he had never imagined that his sworn elder brother, whose build was even somewhat slimmer than his own, possessed greater strength than he did!

Before he could recover from his shock, Su Haoran's attacks followed one after another like a raging storm!

Fist, palm, elbow, knee!

The Arhat Fist at Major Accomplishment had turned decay into magic in Su Haoran's hands. Every move came effortlessly, yet each followed the principles of boxing. Combined with the Iron Cloth Shirt, it formed seamless offense and defense without a single flaw.

Zeng Qiu was driven back step by step!

The Taming Tiger Fist that he had been so proud of appeared somewhat stretched thin in the face of Su Haoran's overwhelming offensive, like towering waves crashing against the shore.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The muffled impacts of fists and feet echoed endlessly through the forest. The aftershocks of their clash made the bowl-thick trees around them tremble and rustle, scattering branches and leaves everywhere. Several trees were even snapped cleanly in half!

The longer Zeng Qiu fought, the more alarmed and stifled he became.

He discovered that no matter how he changed his moves, his opponent could effortlessly dissolve every offensive and respond with an even fiercer counterattack.

Moreover, even when they were evenly matched in technique, his opponent seemed stronger and more keenly perceptive!

"Roar!"

Zeng Qiu let out an enraged roar, driving his Qi and Blood to the limit. A faint bronze glow appeared over the surface of his skin.

Bronze Skin Realm!

He unleashed the Taming Tiger Fist's most ferocious move, Tiger Descends the Mountain. Both fists shot forth with the force of ten thousand jun, determined to win back some ground!

Yet facing this all-out strike, Su Haoran did not avoid its edge. Instead, a divine gleam flashed in his eyes.

He lowered his body like a nimble ape drawing itself in, narrowly evading the fist's edge. At the same time, he closed in and drove a Mountain-Leaning Strike viciously into Zeng Qiu's chest!

Bang!

Zeng Qiu felt as though a frenzied giant elephant had slammed into him. His Qi and Blood churned in his chest, and he flew backward out of control. He crashed through two small trees in succession before falling heavily to the ground.

After regulating his breath for a moment, he rose to his feet. The way he looked at Su Haoran had changed from gratitude and curiosity into complete and utter shock!

He... had lost!

And it had been a crushing defeat!

Zeng Qiu could tell that Su Haoran had held back from beginning to end. Otherwise, that shoulder strike alone would have seriously injured him!

"Sworn elder brother... you..." Zeng Qiu opened his mouth, his voice dry.

He had intended to guide the other man, only to receive a lesson from him instead.

What made him feel even more ashamed was that Su Haoran, as a Sweeping Monk Disciple, had cultivated alone to such a terrifying level in such harsh conditions—lacking guidance and unable even to eat his fill!

Such talent, such perseverance, was simply unheard of!

"You let me win." Su Haoran withdrew his fists and stood calmly, his breathing steady and Effortless and Freehand, as though that fierce battle had not drained him at all.

He looked at Zeng Qiu and said with a smile, "It was merely luck. I only happened to grasp a few principles of boxing."

Luck?

Zeng Qiu laughed bitterly to himself.

If this was luck, then what did that make Martial Monks like him, painstakingly nurtured by the temple?

As he looked at Su Haoran, the thought in his heart became ever more resolute.

A genius like his sworn elder brother ought to enter the Martial Monk Courtyard and receive the best resources and the best martial techniques!

"Sworn elder brother." Zeng Qiu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and solemnly cupped his hands toward Su Haoran. "I will remember today's kindness. Remain in the Labor Courtyard a little longer. I will surely find a way to get you into the Martial Monk Courtyard, so that you may become a true disciple of Prajna Temple!"

This was Zeng Qiu's promise, and the only thing he could do for this mysterious and powerful sworn elder brother.