I Shall Break It with My Fists

Buzz!

Then, the Stone of Enlightenment Fragment emitted a faint glow, and Luo Heng felt the memories of the two martial arts in his mind become several times clearer in an instant.

The contents of the Flowing Cloud and Soaring Goose Steps and the Tiangang Thunderclap Fist First Style were rapidly analyzed within his consciousness.

In just a moment, Luo Heng opened his eyes.

"Flowing Cloud and Soaring Goose Steps, First Realm—Flowing Cloud Step (Beginner)!"

"Tiangang Thunderclap Fist First Style—First Appearance of Lightning (Beginner)!"

Though he had only just reached the beginner level, twenty percent of a Ninth Grade Martial Art's power already far surpassed Second or Third Grade Martial Art!

"System, if I use Body Tempering Fifth Level Primal Energy to activate these two martial arts, how much power can I unleash?" Luo Heng asked inwardly.

[Host, if you use Body Tempering Fifth Level Primal Energy to activate a Ninth Grade Martial Art, you can unleash ten percent of its power, roughly equivalent to a Third-Grade Martial Skill at the minor mastery level. Your combat ability will far surpass others at the same level.]

That's enough. Luo Heng smiled faintly. It was more than enough to deal with a little sixth-level trash.

And he did not merely want to win. He wanted to win "reasonably"—to narrowly defeat Lei Tao, who was at the Body Tempering Sixth Level, while appearing to be only at the Body Tempering Fifth Level.

That way, he would neither expose his true strength nor fail to intimidate petty troublemakers, while also testing the power of his newly acquired martial arts.

It was killing three birds with one stone!

East Street, Qingyang Town—Luo Family's Forge

The area outside the forge was packed with spectators, all pointing and whispering among themselves.

Inside, the shop was a mess. Several weapon racks had been knocked over, and finished weapons were scattered across the floor.

Several burly men from the Lei Clan stood arrogantly in the center. Leading them was a fleshy-faced youth—Lei Li's cousin, Lei Tao.

Luo Zhong, the Luo Family's second manager, lay on the ground with blood at the corner of his mouth. Several craftsmen shielded him from behind, furious but too afraid to speak.

"Old bastard, keep talking tough and see if I don't smash this lousy shop of yours!" Lei Tao sneered, kicking away a hammer at his feet.

"Lei Tao, you've gone too far! You were clearly the ones who damaged that batch of weapons yourselves!" Luo Zhong shouted angrily, clutching his chest.

"Gone too far? My cousin Lei Li said it himself. While he was training, a blade forged by your Luo Family suddenly broke and nearly injured him! If you don't compensate us with five hundred Yang Yuan Stones today, this matter won't be over!" Lei Tao scoffed.

Five hundred Yang Yuan Stones!

Most of the onlookers sucked in a breath. This was outright extortion!

"And how exactly do you want to be compensated?"

A calm voice came from the entrance.

The crowd turned around and saw Luo Heng slowly walk in with Luo Qing.

"Young Master!" Luo Zhong and the craftsmen' eyes lit up, though they were still worried. After all, Luo Heng was only at the fifth level.

"Luo Heng?"

Lei Tao turned around and looked him up and down before sneering. "What, you finally dared to show yourself? I thought you were going to hide until Luo Yun came back."

Luo Heng ignored his mockery and walked straight to Luo Zhong, helping him to his feet. "Uncle Zhong, how are your injuries?"

"Young Master, this old servant is fine. Cough, cough... Young Master, please be careful. Lei Tao has reached the Body Tempering Sixth Level, and..." Luo Zhong said in a low voice. His throat hurt so badly that his words came out in broken fragments.

"I know. Rest up, Uncle Zhong." Luo Heng nodded, then turned to Lei Tao. "You claim that the weapons forged by my Luo Family are poor quality. Where is your evidence?"

"My cousin's word is evidence!" Lei Tao shouted arrogantly.

"So there is no physical evidence. You're relying entirely on the Lei Clan's word? Then can I also say that the Lei Clan Forge Workshop sells nothing but scrap metal?" Luo Heng said coldly as he stared at Lei Tao.

"You!" Lei Tao's expression darkened.

The crowd broke into soft laughter. Those words were deeply satisfying.

"Enough nonsense! Either pay five hundred Yang Yuan Stones, or I'll smash this shop!" Lei Tao snapped in anger and embarrassment. He simply could not outargue Luo Heng.

"So you insist on causing trouble like this, acting like some ignorant little brat." Luo Heng scoffed. "You're already sixteen or seventeen, yet you're still this childish."

Luo Heng's words made Lei Tao's face turn completely grim. No one had ever spoken to him like that before!

He had originally thought that with the Luo Family couple absent, Luo Heng, a mere Body Tempering Fifth Level cultivator, would have no choice but to swallow his anger.

Yet Luo Heng not only dared to show himself, but even dared to openly defy him!

"Looks like you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"

A vicious gleam flashed through Lei Tao's eyes as the aura of the Body Tempering Sixth Level erupted in full!

Earth-yellow Primal Energy coiled around his fists. It was clearly the Lei Clan's Second Grade Martial Art—Crushing Stone Fist!

The spectators hurriedly backed away, afraid of getting caught in the fight.

"Young Master, be careful!" Luo Zhong cried anxiously from behind.

Luo Heng merely smiled faintly. Was this little bit of strength supposed to be fighting the nine-year-old me?

He did not release the aura of the Body Tempering Ninth Level, maintaining the appearance of the Body Tempering Fifth Level. But the black vortex within his dantian had already begun to slowly rotate.

"Get on your knees!"

Lei Tao roared as he lunged forward, his right fist smashing straight toward Luo Heng's face!

If this punch landed, even a Body Tempering Fifth Level cultivator would be seriously injured!

However—

At the instant the fist was about to strike him, Luo Heng's footwork suddenly became incomparably profound.

Flowing Cloud and Soaring Goose Steps—Flowing Cloud Style!

Like drifting clouds, he lightly evaded the fierce punch.

"What?!" Lei Tao's punch missed, and his balance faltered slightly.

Now!

Luo Heng's eyes flashed. He clenched his right fist as Pale Red Primal Energy suddenly gathered around it, faint lightning flickering within!

Tiangang Thunderclap Fist—First Appearance of Lightning!

Lei Tao instinctively threw another punch, but it did not carry the same force as his first.

Boom!

Their fists collided, producing a dull, thunderous impact!

Lei Tao felt an overbearing force of lightning surge through his arm, numbing it completely!

He staggered back three steps, his face filled with disbelief. Was this still that ordinary Luo Family Young Master?

Luo Heng, meanwhile, took only one step back—and he had done even that deliberately.

What alarmed Lei Tao even more was that at the instant their fists met, he had clearly felt a thread of his Primal Energy... disappear!

It was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, vanishing without a trace!

"You... what kind of fist technique is that?" Lei Tao stared fixedly at Luo Heng.

Luo Heng shook his wrist, secretly delighted.

The Great Devouring Art really worked!

That strike had not only blocked Lei Tao's attack, but had also devoured roughly one percent of his Primal Energy.

Though insignificant, it had truly been converted into Luo Heng's own strength.

"Defeat me, and I'll tell you." Luo Heng said indifferently.

"Arrogant!"

Lei Tao roared furiously. Primal Energy surged through his entire body, and the glow around his fists grew even brighter!

Mountain Crushing Split!

The killing move of the Lei Clan's Second Grade Martial Art!

The force of his fists transformed into phantoms of boulders and mountains, crushing down toward Luo Heng!

This strike was enough to seriously injure an ordinary Body Tempering Sixth Level cultivator!

The spectators cried out in alarm. As expected of a direct descendant of the Lei Clan!

Luo Zhong's face turned deathly pale as he shouted, "Young Master, dodge!"

But excitement flashed through Luo Heng's eyes. A whetstone had come at just the right time!

His footwork moved once more, and his entire body became ghostlike!

Three punches!

Lei Tao's three consecutive killing moves all missed!

"How is this possible?!" Lei Tao was horrified. Even someone at the same sixth level could not possibly evade so easily!

His three punches had all missed by a hair's breadth! Worse still, every collision caused him to lose a thread of Primal Energy!

Though the amount was small, it had accumulated until he had already lost nearly twenty percent of his Primal Energy!

"I can't drag this out any longer!"

A ruthless gleam flashed through Lei Tao's eyes as he suddenly roared, "Attack together! Cripple him!"

Before his words had even faded, the four burly Lei Clan men behind him attacked at once!

All four were at the Body Tempering Fourth or Fifth Level. Though none of them could match Luo Heng one-on-one, five people attacking together were enough to crush any ordinary Body Tempering Sixth Level cultivator!

"Despicable!"

"Five against one? The Lei Clan has no shame!"

The Luo Family's people hurried forward as well, but Luo Heng motioned for them to stop, leaving them all bewildered.

A cold smile curled across Luo Heng's lips. This was exactly what I was waiting for!

He took a deep breath, and the Devouring Vortex within his dantian spun wildly!

The Great Devouring Art operated at full power!

Soaring Dragon Steps!

Luo Heng used the movement technique he had painstakingly created over many years. Though it was only third-grade, combined with the profoundness of the Flowing Cloud and Soaring Goose Steps, his speed suddenly soared!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four dull impacts rang out almost simultaneously!

Before the four burly Lei Clan men could even see Luo Heng's movements clearly, they were each sent flying by a single punch!

Tiangang Thunderclap Fist—First Appearance of Lightning!

Though it was only one style, empowered by the Great Devouring Art, every punch carried the force of lightning's vibrations!

The four men crashed to the ground, spitting blood. None of them could rise again.

Only then did Lei Tao's killing move arrive!

"Die!"

Lei Tao's eyes were filled with madness. This punch contained all the Primal Energy he had left, and he was determined to kill Luo Heng on the spot!

A cold glint flashed through Luo Heng's eyes.

"It's time to end this."

He did not dodge again. Instead, he met Lei Tao's fist head-on and threw out a punch of his own!

Tiangang Thunderclap Fist—Thunderbolt Strike!

For this punch, he secretly drew upon a thread of the Body Tempering Ninth Level's power!

Though it was only one-tenth of his strength, combined with the Ninth Grade Martial Art and the devouring effect of the Great Devouring Art—

Rumble—!

At the instant their fists collided, Lei Tao felt an irresistible, terrifying force surge through his arm!

Crack!

His arm bone shattered!

"Aahhh!!!"

Lei Tao screamed as he flew backward like a kite with its string cut, slamming heavily into the wall!

The wall cracked!

Lei Tao collapsed limply onto the ground, his right arm twisted out of shape. He stared at Luo Heng in utter terror. How was this Luo Heng so different from the one in his memories?!

Silence!

Inside and outside the Forge Workshop, everyone stared at the scene in stunned disbelief.

Luo Heng, at the Body Tempering Fifth Level, had sent Lei Tao, at the Body Tempering Sixth Level, flying with one punch?

And he had fought one against five and won completely?

They had imagined that Luo Heng might barely and miserably defeat Lei Tao in a one-on-one fight, but they had never imagined that he could take on five alone and break Lei Tao's arm with a single punch!

This was completely unreasonable!

"H-How is that possible?"

"Since when was the Luo Family Young Master this strong?"

"That fist technique just now... was at least a Third-Grade Martial Skill, right?"

Luo Heng ignored them entirely and strolled toward Lei Tao, looking down at him from above.

"Y-You... what are you going to do?!" Lei Tao's voice trembled as he used his other hand to inch backward, terrified that Luo Heng would kill him with a single move!

Luo Heng looked at him coldly and said, "Go back and tell Lei Li that my Luo Family is not some soft persimmon to be squeezed. If you come again next time, it won't be an arm that gets broken."

Lei Tao trembled from head to toe, not daring to respond at all. He feared that one wrong word would bring disaster upon his other arm as well.

"Scram."

Luo Heng gave him a cold look, then turned away.

The Lei Clan members hurriedly helped up Lei Tao and the four burly men before fleeing the Forge Workshop in a miserable state.

The spectators automatically made way, and as they watched Luo Heng's retreating figure, they all knew that the heavens of Qingyang Town's younger generation were about to change.