Iron Wire Fist

Guanghua Residential Area

Thump thump thump—

The knocking had barely faded before the door swung open.

Xu Feng had just taken off his shoes, set them on the rack by the entrance, and slipped into his slippers when he met his mother's worried gaze.

"You child, finally back! I heard a dungeon popped up near our neighborhood—are you hurt?"

Mom still had an oil-stained apron tied around her waist. Years of frail health left her face pale, but her eyes were brimming with concern.

"Don't worry, Mom. Your son values his life too much. If I really ran into trouble, I'd outrun anyone." Xu Feng laughed it off, brushing past the topic lightly as his gaze swept into the living room.

Two people sat on the sofa—his father, Xu Shan, and his second uncle, Yang Hu.

"Dad, Second Uncle." Xu Feng nodded politely at his uncle.

"Xiao Feng's back." Second Uncle grinned, raising a hand to wave at him.

"Go wash your hands and eat! Your second uncle's been waiting for you a while—he must be starving." Xu Shan put on a stern face as he urged, but a trace of tenderness hid in his eyes.

Xu Feng acknowledged with a sound, turned back to his room, tossed his backpack onto the desk, tidied up briefly, and quickly headed to the dining room.

Second Uncle Yang Hu had come to Country H to make his way years ago. After all those years of scrambling and climbing, he'd built up a decent nest egg.

Back then, it was thanks to Second Uncle that Xu Shan had mustered the courage to quit his job back home and come to Country H to trade in monster materials.

Tonight, because of Second Uncle's visit, the table was especially lavish.

Garlic shrimp glistened red and tempting; steamed tiger grouper was tender and succulent; twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts filled the air with fragrance; boiled sliced beef in chili oil was numbing and addictive...

Dish after dish, Mom brought them out, the rich aromas drilling straight into their noses, whetting their appetites.

At the table, Second Uncle shoveled rice while chatting with Xu Shan about business, then suddenly shifted the topic, cautioning, "Dungeons have been popping up more and more often in Z City lately. Big Sister and Xiao Feng need to keep their eyes open when they go out."

"Of course." Xu Shan nodded, then turned to his wife. "Ning Xia, don't go out much lately. Buy groceries at the supermarket at the gate—even if it's pricier, safety comes first."

His gaze then landed on Xu Feng, pausing on his son's still somewhat thin frame, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Xiao Feng, you really need to start working out.

Last time at school, your physical fitness test ranked dead last in the class. Don't just bury your head in books—your body is the foundation.

In this world, if you really run into a dungeon monster, even if you can't beat it, you should at least outrun the others, right?"

Once his father started talking, he couldn't stop. Xu Feng could only nod with a helpless wry smile.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried exercising, but strangely enough—others got stronger the more they trained, while he only got thinner.

What was worse, at sixteen, he hadn't awakened.

That was the deadline for ordinary people to naturally awaken as Hunters.

Though a very few awakened after sixteen, the odds were far too low. Xu Feng didn't hold out hope of being one of them.

After all, the statistics were clear: only one in a thousand became a Hunter.

And for those awakening after sixteen, it was one in millions.

In today's world, nearly every important position and economic lifeline was firmly held by high-rank Hunters.

Even his father and Second Uncle only scraped by under the patronage of a C-Class Hunter, entering low-level dungeons with raid teams to harvest monster materials and resell scraps others didn't want.

Every month, they had to pay a hefty "tribute."

"Exactly, Xiao Feng!" Second Uncle put down his chopsticks, took over the conversation, and flexed his arm with a hint of pride, showing off clearly defined muscles. "Look at me—I'm no Hunter, but after all these years practicing Iron Wire Fist, this body is solid as a rock!"

No sooner had he spoken than he casually demonstrated a few moves of Iron Wire Fist on the spot, fists whistling through the air with fierce momentum.

When he saw Xu Feng staring intently at his arm, Second Uncle couldn't help teasing him, "What? Tempted? Want to learn my Iron Wire Fist?"

"Yes!" Xu Feng blurted out, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

Just then, on the attribute screen before his eyes, a line of brand-new data suddenly appeared:

[Iron Wire Fist: Incomplete]

Could it be...

Xu Feng's eyes lit up sharply, and he pressed his advantage. "Second Uncle, could you perform the full Iron Wire Fist? Your moves are so cool—I bet even some Hunters can't match your presence!"

"Xiao Feng! Watch your mouth! No respect!" Xu Shan shot his son a glare, then smiled apologetically at Second Uncle.

"Haha, no harm done!" Second Uncle beamed, clearly pleased by Xu Feng's reaction. "I've practiced this set for most of my life, and hardly anyone's seen the complete version!"

He immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks, strode to the balcony nearby, sank his hips, and planted his feet in a horse stance. His fists slowly rose into position, his body as steady as a mountain goat perched on a cliff edge, utterly still.

"Salute to open the fist, set the golden bridge, palm lift..." Second Uncle chanted the move names in a low voice as he punched, each stance powerful and fluid, like flowing water.

After finishing the set, a faint flush rose on his face, and his breathing was slightly quickened.

But when he met Xu Feng's increasingly bright eyes, the satisfaction in his heart swelled a little more.

"See that? This is Iron Wire Fist, derived from our Country Z's Hong Quan." Second Uncle wiped the sweat from his forehead, explaining with a smile. "It can't beat Hunters or kill monsters, but for building strength and fending off street thugs, it's more than enough.

If you're really interested, look up some tutorial videos online and follow along—consider it exercise."

Xu Feng nodded eagerly, but his eyes were locked on the screen before him.

The text had already quietly updated:

[Iron Wire Fist: Uninitiated]