Iron Cloth Sect.
Unlike Golden Bell Sect, Iron Cloth Sect was not known for its defenses. Its creed was "clad in iron, with strength without end." Its disciples trained year-round wearing iron armor weighing a hundred catties. Their skin and flesh were not only tough, but their endurance was astonishing.
Yet when Yan Kui appeared at the entrance to Iron Cloth Sect, carrying the Bone Shattering Hammer, that so-called "iron clothing" looked as flimsy as paper.
"Bang!"
There was no opening remark.
Yan Kui simply swung the Bone Shattering Hammer and smashed it into the Iron Cloth Sect sign.
The sign, cast from wrought iron, twisted out of shape in an instant and crashed to the ground.
"I'm here to challenge your hall!"
He roared, his voice like a thunderclap.
"Who dares smash the sign of my Iron Cloth Sect?!"
The Iron Cloth Sect master was a burly, bald man, his muscles bulging like rocks. He wore a suit of black iron chainmail.
He charged out with dozens of disciples, all clad in iron armor.
"You?"
The bald master recognized Yan Kui at a glance.
Black Iron Tower's name was now known to everyone in Tianwu City.
"Black Iron Tower, my Iron Cloth Sect has no grudge against you. Why come here to cause trouble?" The bald master's expression darkened, a trace of wariness in his eyes.
Even that old turtle Wang Jinzhong had been beaten flat. He didn't think he was much stronger than Wang Jinzhong.
"I've taken a liking to your Iron Cloth Skill."
Yan Kui grinned, baring a row of white teeth. "Lend it to me for a look, or... I'll beat you to death and take it myself."
"You're going too far!"
The bald master flew into a rage. "You really think my Iron Cloth Sect is made of mud? Disciples, form the Iron Wall Formation!"
"Ha!"
Dozens of iron-armored disciples quickly gathered in tight formation, standing shoulder to shoulder as they raised their iron shields and formed a wall of steel.
"Not bad."
Looking at the Iron Wall Formation before him, Yan Kui showed no sign of retreating. Instead, a trace of excitement appeared on his face.
"Let's see whether your iron wall is harder, or my body!"
He planted the Bone Shattering Hammer in the ground again.
Then he backed up a few steps and took a deep breath.
Savage Charge!
He became a human cannonball and slammed into the wall of steel.
"Hold him back!" the bald master roared.
But only when Yan Kui hit the iron shields did they understand what despair meant.
"Boom!!!"
A deep, thunderous impact rang out, like an ancient bell being struck.
The seemingly impregnable Iron Wall Formation crumbled instantly under Yan Kui's savage, unreasonable charge.
Terrifying kinetic force rippled through the formation. The dozen or so disciples at the front were sent flying outright. Their tempered iron shields warped like paper and were driven deep into their chests.
"Crack! Crack!"
The sound of breaking bones ran together in a single chorus.
Yan Kui's momentum did not slow. Like a runaway heavy tank, he barreled straight toward the bald master.
"Argh—!"
The bald master roared, the veins across his body bulging. He crossed his arms, trying to withstand the force head-on.
"Get the hell out of my way!"
Yan Kui snarled.
"Crack!"
The crisp snap of breaking bones made the scalp crawl.
The bald master screamed as he was sent flying. The bones in both his forearms had pierced through his skin, jutting out at grotesque right angles.
"Too weak."
Yan Kui stopped and brushed the iron filings off himself.
He walked up to the bald master and held out his hand.
"The manual."
The bald master was drenched in sweat from the pain, but at Yan Kui's icy stare, he obediently pulled out the manual.
[Detected Mortal Hard Skill Iron Cloth Skill (Complete). Record it?]
"Record it."
Half an hour later.
Spirit Snake Hall.
It was the only martial arts hall in Tianwu City that did not specialize in hard skills, but was instead renowned for its movement techniques and soft techniques.
Its master was a thin, middle-aged man with a sinister gaze, known as "Poisonous Snake" Liu Sanbian.
When Yan Kui stood in the middle of Spirit Snake Hall's main room, Liu Sanbian was hanging from a roof beam like a boneless snake, watching him coldly.
"Black Iron Tower, with all that brute strength, you can deal with those clumsy iron lumps. But you want to challenge my Spirit Snake Hall? I doubt you could even touch the hem of my robe."
Liu Sanbian brimmed with confidence.
His Spirit Snake Steps had long since reached perfection. His movements were elusive and unpredictable, the perfect counter to a clumsy, strength-based fighter like this.
"Is that so?"
Yan Kui looked up at Liu Sanbian hanging from the beam and scratched his black-haired head.
"Can't catch you?"
"Then I won't try to catch you."
He walked over to a load-bearing pillar in the middle of the hall.
The pillar was thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around. It supported the roof of the entire hall.
"What are you doing?"
A sudden sense of foreboding rose in Liu Sanbian's heart.
"If I can't catch you, I'll tear down the building. Let's see where you'll run then."
Yan Kui grinned.
He wrapped both arms around the stone pillar.
"Up!"
Terrifying strength burst forth, and the flagstones beneath Yan Kui's feet shattered to pieces.
"Rumble..."
The entire hall began to shake violently. The roof beams groaned under the strain, and dust sifted down from above.
"Madman! Stop this at once!"
Liu Sanbian was scared out of his wits.
If the place collapsed, then no matter how good his movement technique was, he'd still be buried beneath it!
"Get down here!"
Yan Kui suddenly shook the pillar.
Liu Sanbian lost his balance and fell straight from the beam.
Before he could hit the ground and adjust his posture, a huge hand swept down and grabbed him by the ankle.
"Caught you."
Yan Kui looked at Liu Sanbian dangling in his hand like a dead snake and smiled honestly.
Then—
"Bang!"
The first slam. Liu Sanbian felt his internal organs shift out of place as the ground was pounded into a shallow crater.
"Bang!"
The second slam. His ribs shattered, and blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Bang!!!"
The third slam.
This one was the hardest. Liu Sanbian's whole body bent backward in a grotesque arch, and his spine gave a crisp snap under the strain. He collapsed onto the ground like a heap of mud, foaming at the mouth and convulsing all over, too weak even to beg for mercy.
"Where's the manual?"
Yan Kui rummaged over him for a while and found two manuals: Spirit Snake Steps and Spirit Snake Silk Hand.
[Detected Mortal Movement Technique Spirit Snake Steps, Soft Technique Spirit Snake Silk Hand. Record them?]
"Record them."
Although he mainly cultivated hard skills, this soft technique might offer some ideas about "softness" for future fusion. After all, the hardest steel breaks first.
In a single day.
Golden Bell Sect, Iron Cloth Sect, Spirit Snake Hall.
All three of Tianwu City's top martial arts halls had been smashed.
The fearsome name of "Black Iron Tower" Yan Kui rang throughout Tianwu City.
Now, the masters of every martial arts hall were on edge, afraid this baleful star would come for them next.
Meanwhile, at an inn,
Yan Kui was taking stock of the day's spoils.
Besides three manuals, he had several bottles of Healing Pills and a few thousand taels of silver—"picked up" along the way.
"That's about enough."
He looked at the rows of Cultivation Techniques recorded on the System Panel.
Golden Bell Shield, Iron Cloth Skill, Savage Boar Ramming Technique, Iron Cloth Shirt...
And the mysterious bone fragment as a catalyst.
"It's time for a true fusion."
Anticipation glimmered in Yan Kui's eyes.
He had a feeling this fusion would bring about a qualitative leap in his Life Level.
"But before that, I still have to deal with one little nuisance."
Yan Kui looked out the window.
In the night, dozens of auras were closing in on the inn.
They belonged to the Martial Arts Hall Alliance.
He'd beaten the youngsters, and sure enough, the old ones had come.
"Perfect. I'll use you to offer up my new Cultivation Technique."
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