"Enough noise!"
That level of punching speed couldn't even compare to Qingyao Demoness's pounce. Without even looking, Li Bai reached out, caught the man's fist, and gently pressed it downward.
The short, burly black man's dark face shifted from red to white. Though he gritted his teeth in fury, his body still sank several inches against his will. He had never imagined that this refined-looking young man could possess such terrifying brute strength, leaving him utterly unable to resist.
No matter how unwilling he was, the short, burly black man could only howl as the other man seized his fist and forcibly twisted it toward the ground. He ended up half-kneeling in an incredibly humiliating pose, one that practically needed the accompaniment of a song about surrender.
The packed crowd quickly scattered, cries of alarm rising one after another.
The difference in momentum between the two men was obvious at a glance.
"Doctor Li, what are you doing?"
Xiao Wei stared at Li Bai in shock. She recognized the short, burly black man as an advanced student of Tianlan Jidao Hall. His strength was hardly inferior to that of an ordinary martial arts instructor at Yongling Martial Arts Fitness Center, yet he had been made to kneel so casually. It was truly unbelievable.
"What kind of person are you?"
The short, burly black man bared his teeth and howled, his expression twisted as he still refused to give up resisting. Yet his fist had completely gone numb. The tremendous force left him unable to exert any strength, and he could only endure helplessly.
Li Bai said indifferently, "Me? I specialize in treating all kinds of people who refuse to accept defeat!"
Pfft!
Remembering the self-introduction he had given in the general manager's office that morning, Xiao Wei couldn't help laughing so hard that her whole body trembled.
Even Xiao Jiangnan, who had been confronting someone else, couldn't help turning his head. His stern expression shifted into a smile, and he nodded at Li Bai.
"Doctor Li, wait a moment. I'll take care of this right away."
"A doctor? Where did this expert come from? Xiao Jiangnan, I didn't expect your Yongling Martial Arts Fitness Center to be hiding such a capable person. Even if you have an expert helping you, I'm kicking down this gym today!"
A middle-aged man with a walrus mustache standing in front of Xiao Jiangnan gave Li Bai an appraising glance and sneered. Then he said, "Young man, if you don't want to cause trouble for yourself, you'd better let him go."
Terrifying force from his fist forcibly twisted the man's muscles and bones. The short, burly black man's face turned pale, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans kept pouring out. He was completely incapable of resisting.
"President Xiao, did you call the police?"
Li Bai still showed no intention of releasing him.
"What?"
Xiao Jiangnan froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "It won't do any good even if I call them!"
If calling the police were useful, would these people from Tianlan Jidao Hall dare to repeatedly come and challenge the gym?
These minor disturbances weren't serious enough to constitute a major case. Even if the police wanted to intervene, they were powerless to do so.
"Just tell them there are mentally ill patients causing trouble here."
Li Bai's calm tone carried an imposing authority.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you call us mentally ill!"
The middle-aged man with the walrus mustache had a fiery temper. He immediately abandoned Xiao Jiangnan and charged toward Li Bai.
He intended to teach this arrogant so-called doctor a lesson.
Li Bai said righteously, "I'm a psychologist. Don't worry—I can write you a certificate!"
He was genuinely proud of himself!
So you wanted to act like thugs?
Then he would show them who the biggest thug under heaven was!
Psychologists weren't interested in their patients' other organs. They were only interested in their brains.
Anyone stupid enough to attack a psychologist—where was your brain?
The students from Tianlan Jidao Hall who had come to cause trouble split apart, making way for the middle-aged man with the walrus mustache.
"An'an, call the police. Tell them exactly what Doctor Li said. Gao Jie, your opponent is me!"
Xiao Jiangnan found Li Bai's words deeply reasonable. When he saw Gao Jie, the head instructor of Tianlan Jidao Hall, charging toward Doctor Li, he caught up in two strides and sent a cannon-fist straight toward Gao Jie's back.
The flustered receptionist immediately picked up the phone and swiftly dialed the outside line for 110.
"You finally dare to make a move!"
Just as Xiao Jiangnan was one step away from Gao Jie, Gao Jie suddenly spun around. His thick, powerful left leg swung down like a battle-ax, viciously chopping toward Xiao Jiangnan.
The middle-aged man with the walrus mustache had been waiting for Xiao Jiangnan to chase after him and intervene.
This played perfectly into his plan to kill two birds with one stone. Once both sides began fighting, if he won, he could not only damage Yongling Martial Arts Fitness Center's reputation but also help Tianlan Jidao Hall establish itself in Huxi City's martial arts community in the shortest possible time.
Even if the police came to mediate, they would merely muddy the waters by calling it a brawl between both sides. After all, in legal terms, gang fighting and picking quarrels and provoking trouble were two different crimes.
Of course, if the people from Yongling Martial Arts Fitness Center cowered like turtles and didn't dare fight, that would suit Tianlan Jidao Hall just as well.
A cowardly martial arts fitness center couldn't attract quality students. There was no more direct and effective way to strike at an opponent than challenging their gym.
The martial world was treacherous. That was simply how it was.
His opponent's prepared counterattack forced Xiao Jiangnan to carry his move too far. Taking advantage of the momentum that had yet to dissipate, he changed tactics, bent forward, and swept his leg toward Gao Jie's lower body, avoiding the spinning back kick that had nearly grazed him.
"Watch the foot!"
Yet the head instructor of Tianlan Jidao Hall did not stop attacking. He pushed off powerfully with his right foot, the one supporting his weight, and launched himself into the air. His legs spun like howling windmills. After his left leg missed, his right leg followed closely, kicking toward Xiao Jiangnan's head.
The spinning back kick transformed into a series of two-legged kicks. The dazzling change came so quickly that people could barely follow it, drawing a wave of shocked cries.
Clearly, the head instructor of Tianlan Jidao Hall specialized in taekwondo kicks.
Xiao Jiangnan let out a furious shout. His Baji Eight Extremes mountain-colliding strike erupted, and he attacked with an opening move, combining the strength of his entire body. His muscles surged beneath his high-quality pale-blue shirt as he slammed his whole body toward Gao Jie, giving him no chance to launch a fierce, storm-like assault.
Once taekwondo techniques established their momentum, their broad and powerful leg attacks would continue without end. Xiao Jiangnan used Baji Boxing, moving as though wading through mud, keeping his lower body firm and stable as he engaged his opponent in a close-range battle that clung to him like a shadow.
The two men's fists and feet collided, producing a continuous series of dull thuds. Bursts of force scattered in every direction, forcing the students from both gyms who were watching to retreat again and again. Gradually, only Li Bai and the short, burly black student from Tianlan Jidao Hall remained inside the open space.
Seeing Xiao Jiangnan and Gao Jie getting closer as their fierce exchange continued, Jin Zhouyi's face filled with alarm. He shouted repeatedly, "Let go of me! Let go of me!"
He was only a student who had yet to master his skills. Either of those two men could put him in bed for half a year with a casual move. He had no desire to be caught in the crossfire.
"No!"
Li Bai remained calm, his feet unmoving.
What kind of person was this? Jin Zhouyi's face filled with despair.
"Get out of the way!"
Xiao Wei, who had also retreated into the distance, shouted at Li Bai. Her brother was fighting the head instructor of Tianlan Jidao Hall and didn't dare let himself be distracted.
Gao Jie saw from the corner of his eye that Li Bai and his student were still standing in the middle of the open space. A cold smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he secretly dragged Xiao Jiangnan closer step by step.
Just then, a tall, heavyset student from Tianlan Jidao Hall suddenly rushed out of the crowd, raised a fist as large as a sandbag, and viciously punched toward the back of Li Bai's head.
Seeing this, Xiao Wei accelerated with all her strength and leaped into the air, kicking toward the ambusher. However, before her foot could touch the tall, heavyset student from Tianlan Jidao Hall, he suddenly vanished without a trace.
The spectators outside erupted in an uproar. They saw that Li Bai seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He casually tilted his head to the side, causing the heavyset student's punch to miss. Before the student could react, Li Bai raised his hand and seized his wrist. A moment later, the entire man was sent flying.
A human black bear weighing more than two hundred pounds crashed heavily onto the ground. It was quite a spectacular sight.
Boom! The entire floor shook violently.
"Ah..."
Jin Zhouyi's vision went black. He saw a fellow student drop from the sky with a heart-rending scream, nearly coughing up everything he had eaten the night before from the impact.
Gao Jie used a sideways movement and three consecutive kicks to force Xiao Jiangnan back. Then he raised both fists and suddenly smashed them toward Li Bai without warning. At that moment, the distance between them was less than a step.
The two fists, bulging with veins, were about to slam heavily into Li Bai's chest. Gao Jie secretly looked forward to admiring the terror and panic in his opponent's eyes. Yet all he saw was a calmness as deep and vast as an abyss and the sea.
For no apparent reason, his heart gave a sudden thump, and a chill rose within him.
Not good!
Snap!
A seemingly casual snap of the fingers rang in his ears, and the world before Gao Jie's eyes instantly plunged into darkness. His final trace of consciousness showed him the students he had brought staring at him with wide eyes, their mouths agape as though they were shouting.
What had happened?
The head instructor of Tianlan Jidao Hall could not figure it out before losing consciousness.
The short, burly man and the tall, heavyset man, two students from Tianlan Jidao Hall, lay piled together like sandbags. Meanwhile, head instructor Gao Jie still maintained the final pose of lifting an overlord's cauldron, sprawled across Li Bai's feet.
This psychologist had not moved even half a step from beginning to end.
"Doctor Li, what are you doing?"
The brief exchange had nearly exhausted most of Xiao Jiangnan's strength. He was panting like an ox, yet he still stared at the people beneath Li Bai's feet in disbelief.
"Martial arts!"
The Great Demon Li spoke with unquestionable conviction, his eyes wide as he told an outrageous lie.
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