The Challenge

The rogue young master struggled to crawl up from the ground.

Chen Mo's punch had nearly sent him to meet the King of Hell. He glanced at the limp Yin Shanshan, feeling a pang of reluctance, but knowing that saving his own skin was the priority, he scrambled away on all fours toward the other side of the alley.

Chen Mo withdrew his gaze and looked back at Yin Shanshan, who was leaning against the wall.

Leaving her here alone in the dead of night would not be appropriate.

If he carried her back to the martial hall, it would not only expose his identity but also lead to questions he couldn't answer.

I'll wait a little longer; if she doesn't wake up, I'm leaving...

Having made up his mind, he lowered his waist and sat his hips, performing two rounds of the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique; he had to use every spare moment to improve himself.

Fortunately, the effects of the drug came on fast and faded just as quickly. Yin Shanshan began to recover, and with her foundation in Ming Jin, she gradually regained consciousness.

"Cough, cough..."

Yin Shanshan slowly stood up. Seeing Chen Mo in his mask, she paused, "Thank you for saving me. Are you... from the Tianqing Martial Hall?"

Chen Mo's tone remained calm as usual, "You don't need to guess. Just pretend you never saw me."

With that, he turned and exited the alley.

Right now, two things were of the utmost importance.

First, find a safe place for Chen Lan.

Second, improve his strength quickly. While his current strength at the peak of the early Ming Jin stage was far beyond that of an average person, it was still not enough.

Zhang Chong, who was at the mid-stage of Dark Jin and possessed remarkable talent, was still respectful when facing the Zhao Family.

The next day, at the Tianqing Martial Hall.

Facing the fierce Dragon-Probing Claw launched by Ji Chang, Chen Mo actually met it head-on with a Stone-Crushing Strike.

Ji Chang's face immediately lit up with joy. The Dragon-Probing Claw was his signature technique; he often used it to end sparring matches within the hall, and even when facing opponents stronger than himself, it gave him the ability to maneuver.

Chen Mo, however, remained expressionless.

When the fist and claw collided, he gave his fist a sharp twist. The force behind the Dragon-Probing Claw was suddenly neutralized and deflected outward to the sides, leaving only a fraction of the original power to actually land on Chen Mo's fist.

Ji Chang stepped back twice, his expression shifting slightly. But with his solid practical experience, he didn't lose heart. He immediately twisted his waist and hips to a specific angle, leveraged the momentum to lift his knee, and unleashed a whip kick that whistled through the air toward Chen Mo's face.

"Whoosh!"

If he were struck by this whip kick, Chen Mo would still be defeated.

But he had already prepared his follow-up. He instantly channeled his strength into his right fist, the force rising from below like a shadow, and used a clever angle to deflect the opponent's whip kick.

"Snap!"

Ji Chang stumbled and fell to the ground.

This was the first time in three days that Chen Mo had defeated Ji Chang. The latter patted his backside as he stood up, looking at Chen Mo in disbelief, "Junior brother, how did you come to understand these unorthodox fighting methods?"

Chen Mo smiled and said nothing.

Just then, Yin Shanshan walked into the hall with heavy steps. Her eyes appeared vacant, and her makeup was disheveled.

As she walked past the two of them, Ji Chang asked without thinking, "Junior sister, you're late today. Did you have a secret meeting with the senior brother last night?"

Chen Mo, standing nearby, was stunned.

This guy really knew how to touch a sore spot.

Yin Shanshan turned her head slowly, casting a gloomy glare.

Ji Chang realized something was wrong and stood frozen in place.

Chen Mo thought for a moment and said calmly, "Senior brother, let's continue."

Yin Shanshan, however, frowned slightly and looked toward Chen Mo.

This voice was exactly the same as the one from last night, and his build was seventy percent similar.

Could it be...

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, a knot of suspicion forming between her brows, and the gloom in her eyes seemed to dissipate just a little.

"Cough, cough, alright." Ji Chang, not daring to meet Yin Shanshan's gaze any longer, gave a dry cough and continued sparring with Chen Mo.

Only then did Yin Shanshan move, walking across the inner hall to sit silently in the corner, lost in thought.

No one had ever seen her like this before, and they all kept their distance.

After Chen Mo and Ji Chang sparred for dozens of rounds, he didn't rest for a second and continued practicing his stake work and punches.

Alternating between stake work and actual combat, integrating what he had learned into practice, and then using combat to solidify his knowledge—this was what he had been doing for the past few days.

While he was immersed in his stake work, Ji Chang's voice suddenly rang out from the side, "Junior brother, the third young lady of the Wu Family is here to see you."

"Wu Zhiai?" Chen Mo stopped his stake work, adjusted his breathing for a few moments, and walked toward the entrance of the martial hall.

In the corner, Yin Shanshan looked up, following Chen Mo with her gaze until he reached the door, lost in thought.

At the entrance of the martial arts hall, Wu Zhiai looked rather urgent.

"Chen Mo, the situation is a bit pressing. Let's talk as we walk."

The two headed toward the Wu Family estate. On the way, Wu Zhiai explained, "Today, a retainer from the Zhao Family came to the Wu Family to provoke us. It's clearly because their night raid on our caravan the other day failed, and they want to give us a show of force."

"What is the strength of the person who came? Do you need me to step in?" Chen Mo asked straightforwardly.

Asking him to go meant it certainly wasn't just for tea, but he was also reminding Wu Zhiai: if the opponent's strength was too high, wouldn't it be inappropriate to send him out?

Wu Zhiai caught her breath and said, "The opponent is named Xu Shan. He is a Ming Jin mid-stage retainer of the Zhao Family, and it is said he has already touched the threshold of the Ming Jin late-stage."

"As for the Wu Family's only two retainers, one was defeated by Xu Shan half a month ago, and the other claims to be sick at home. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called for you."

Chen Mo nodded in understanding, "Ming Jin mid-stage..."

"It's worth a try," he said in a calm tone.

Wu Zhiai turned to look at him, paused, and added, "It doesn't matter if you aren't a match for him; it is enough just to let them see our determination to resist."

Chen Mo said nothing more, and the two hurried to the Wu Family estate without delay.

At this moment, there were already dozens of people at the entrance, mostly onlookers, while Xu Shan stood right in the center of the Wu Family gate, head held high and chest puffed out in an arrogant posture.

Seeing Wu Zhiai return, Xu Shan said with a lewd expression, "The Third Miss of the Wu Family truly exhausts herself for the family. I wonder how much of the family fortune the old man left you after he died?"

Wu Zhiai did not respond, but Chen Mo, standing beside her, slowly walked up to him, drawing surprised gazes from the crowd.

Xu Shan's muscles were knotted and bulging. He shook his arms, causing his bones to crackle and pop, forming a sharp contrast with the slightly lean Chen Mo standing opposite him.

Xu Shan had defeated the Wu Family's Ming Jin retainers several times before. Seeing this, the onlookers shook their heads silently. Could this lean, youthful-looking boy really do it?

Xu Shan extended three fingers toward Chen Mo, "Three moves. Use whatever skills you have as soon as possible, lest you lose the chance after three moves."

Chen Mo remained as calm as a pine tree.

Growing impatient, Xu Shan moved first. With two fierce steps, he closed the distance to Chen Mo, thrusting his right palm out like an iron fan toward Chen Mo's abdomen.

The Heart-Crushing Palm he practiced specialized in attacking the ribs and abdomen. Once struck, the victim would suffer from internal energy disruption and lose the ability to fight at best, or face a life-threatening injury at worst.

Not far away, Wu Zhiai frowned, feeling a hint of worry.

When the Heart-Crushing Palm was a foot away from his abdomen, Chen Mo suddenly raised his right knee, precisely blocking the palm strike with his knee, though he was still pushed back two steps by the powerful force.

"Hm?"

This method of neutralization by Chen Mo was clearly beyond Xu Shan's expectations.

After steadying himself, Chen Mo twisted his foot half a circle on the ground, used the momentum to take a step forward, and simultaneously poured all his strength into his right hand. Curling his five fingers into a fist, he thrust it out violently.

The force of the punch carried the sound of tearing wind as it struck toward Xu Shan's chest, prompting the opponent to immediately shift his palm to intercept it.

As fist met palm, the immense power contained in the Stone-Crushing Strike was unleashed entirely onto Xu Shan's palm. He let out a muffled grunt and retreated three or four steps, a sensation of numbness radiating from his palm.

The first move.