Holy Crap, That's Fist Intent!

Before long, the Hall Master in charge of this district arrived.

"Where is he? Where is he? Where's the mid-grade Master who's cultivated Fist Intent?"

His voice arrived before he did.

Li Xian looked toward the sound and saw a tall, burly man with a face full of stubble laughing as he strode in.

His name was Huang Jinglong, the Hall Master in charge of this area for the Cao Gang.

"Hall Master, it's him."

Yang Desheng stepped forward and pointed at Li Xian.

Huang Jinglong stared wide-eyed as he sized Li Xian up and down, then said in disbelief, "Him? He's so young—he looks like he hasn't even grown hair yet. You're telling me he cultivated Fist Intent? A-Sheng, have you lost your mind?"

Yang Desheng could only smile bitterly. He didn't want to believe it either, but it was the truth.

Geniuses were rare in this world, but they did exist.

With his arms crossed over his chest, Li Xian said with a smile, "May I ask your surname, Hall Master?"

"Nothing special about it. My surname is Huang."

Li Xian said, "If Hall Master Huang doesn't believe me, we can spar."

Huang Jinglong's eyes lit up. "Good! I like your spirit. You said it, now!"

"Of course."

With that, Li Xian headed outside. "It's cramped in here, and we might not have room to move. Let's go out."

"Good, good, good! You're a straightforward fellow!"

Huang Jinglong followed him, laughing heartily.

Inside, Yang Desheng and several of his men watched Li Xian's back with regret.

"What a shame. This young fellow ran into our Hall Master Huang. He's probably doomed today."

"Yeah. Our Hall Master Huang is a martial arts fanatic, famous for loving a good spar. His fists are heavy, too. He's accidentally beaten several people to death already."

"I bet that kid won't last twenty moves."

"Twenty's too many. I bet ten."

"Five!"

Yang Desheng immediately put a stop to them.

"What are you doing, gambling at a time like this? Hurry outside and keep an eye on things. Don't let the Hall Master kill someone again."

"Yes, yes, we'll listen to Boss Yang."

"Let's go, let's go! Everyone, head outside and watch the show!"

With Huang Jinglong stepping in, they weren't worried in the slightest. In fact, they were itching to start a betting pool for fun.

Huang Jinglong was a notorious martial arts fanatic. He had reached the Mid-sixth Grade in his forties and, after much effort, had honed a measure of Fist Intent. In his spare time, he loved challenging people to matches.

But he had no sense of restraint when he fought. Once he got going, he was like a madman, and he'd already seriously injured several people in sparring matches.

That was why Yang Desheng, Brother Xin, and the others felt sorry for Li Xian.

Young and ignorant of the heights of heaven and the depths of the earth, he thought his martial arts were the best under heaven. Now he was about to find out what it meant to hit an iron wall.

By the time they got outside, the broad street was already packed with people.

They were all men who worked at the docks. When they saw someone about to fight Huang Jinglong, they hurried over to watch.

"Look, look! Someone's going to fight Hall Master Huang again!"

"Some people really aren't afraid of dying!"

"Oh, that poor young lad. How old is he? Going up against Hall Master Huang, he probably won't make it out alive."

More and more people gathered, gradually forming a wall of spectators. They pointed at Li Xian and chattered among themselves.

Nobody thought Li Xian could win. They all figured he'd be beaten badly.

"Kid, watch closely!"

Huang Jinglong laughed, his body shuddering as a fierce, domineering Fist Intent surged from him.

"It's Hall Master Huang's Vajra Fist!"

"His Fist Intent looks even more ferocious than before. Hall Master Huang must have gotten stronger!"

"Haha, that kid's probably dumbstruck. Maybe he doesn't even know Fist Intent exists!"

The onlookers laughed loudly.

However...

A deafening roar rang out, and a ferocious, violent Fist Intent shot into the sky, matching Hall Master Huang's and then some.

The spectators' scalps tingled under the force of that Fist Intent.

"My heavens, that kid's cultivated Fist Intent too!!!"

"Am I seeing things? That really is Fist Intent! How old is he?"

"No wonder the kid dared to spar with Hall Master Huang. He really does have something to back it up!"

"Tiger Cannon Fist!"

Feeling Li Xian's Fist Intent, Huang Jinglong wasn't intimidated. If anything, his fighting spirit soared.

"Good, good, good! Now this is getting interesting!"

Huang Jinglong laughed. He planted his foot and shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string, driving a straight punch toward Li Xian's head.

Li Xian calmly raised a fist to meet it, looking as if it took no effort at all.

The two immediately clashed in the middle of the street, exchanging punches and kicks, each matching the other's speed.

To the spectators, they seemed like phantoms darting back and forth. The crowd could barely follow their movements, their jaws dropping in amazement.

"Damn, that kid's so strong?"

"I thought he'd only be a little stronger than Boss Yang. I never imagined he could trade blows with the Hall Master."

"Not just that. Looking at him, I'd say he hasn't even used his full strength."

In the middle of the fight, Li Xian's expression remained calm. His movements flowed smoothly and effortlessly, as if this match were a casual stroll.

And that was indeed the case. From the start until now, he'd only used Tiger Cannon Fist to fight. He hadn't even used Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, his iron-body kung fu.

A man ought to keep a card up his sleeve. Showing off too much wasn't his style.

"I'm done, I'm done!"

After their fists collided, Huang Jinglong retreated several yards and called out, panting.

He'd never fought like this before. He'd used every trick he had and worked up a sweat, while his opponent looked as relaxed as if he were out for a stroll, not even flushed or breathing hard.

Anyone with half a brain could tell the other man had been holding back.

"Kid, you're young, but you've got real skill."

"You're too kind, Hall Master." Li Xian smiled slightly.

Huang Jinglong asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Li Xian."

"Good. From now on, you, Li Xian, are one of my brothers in the Cao Gang."