Victory

Seeing Ji Chang injured, a surge of intense fighting spirit welled up within Chen Mo. "I'll take the lead; you just provide cover."

Yin Shanshan, however, refused to back down, her gaze sharpening. "Enough talk. If we attack, we attack together."

Chen Mo did not object.

Opposite them, Luo Heng and Zhou Pi exchanged a glance. Without a word, both men unleashed their fists and palms, launching a coordinated assault toward Chen Mo.

Since Yin Shanshan was the daughter of the master, they naturally wouldn't dare strike her, so all their aggression fell upon Chen Mo.

Chen Mo activated Flowing Cloud Attack, his steps quickening. His movements were as agile as a swallow, allowing him to dodge their attacks in a flash and close the distance to Zhou Pi's side.

He split his focus, maintaining the Flowing Cloud Attack while simultaneously gathering the energy for a Stone-Crushing Strike.

Suddenly, he thrust a punch forward, aiming straight for Zhou Pi's face, forcing the man to hurriedly raise his palms to block.

The force of the Stone-Crushing Strike exploded against his palms, a powerful surge of energy instantly numbing his arms.

As he scrambled back several steps, Chen Mo spun and pressed the advantage, throwing both fists out. One arm pinned his opponent's guard, while the other landed a heavy blow to his chest, its power in no way inferior to the previous Stone-Crushing Strike.

"Bang!"

A sweet taste rose in Zhou Pi's throat as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his face pale with shock.

"Hiss..."

The fellow disciples watching nearby all gasped in unison at Chen Mo's display of prowess.

Yue Lun also frowned. "I never would have guessed; this junior brother has been hiding his strength so well."

During a momentary lull in Chen Mo's assault, Luo Heng leaped forward, raising his Hanshan Fist, intending to strike Chen Mo from behind.

Yin Shanshan, standing to the side, gave him no such opportunity. Her slender hands rose and fell, her Soft Cloud Hand weaving like a ribbon to firmly neutralize the momentum of the Hanshan Fist.

"Bang! Bang!"

At that moment, following another heavy impact, Zhou Pi was sent flying outside the boundary. He landed face-first, struggled to rise, and stood there with a dazed expression.

Having defeated Zhou Pi, Chen Mo didn't hesitate for a second. He spun around and leaped forward, unleashing the full agility of his Flowing Cloud Attack.

Luo Heng scrambled to parry, the force of his Hanshan Fist clashing head-on with the power of the Fuhu Fist, sending gusts of wind scattering in all directions.

Seeing this, Yin Shanshan joined the fray. Her Soft Cloud Hand moved through the air like mist, using subtle leverage to dissolve the power of the Hanshan Fist—a textbook example of overcoming hardness with softness.

Under their relentless, storm-like assault, Luo Heng was forced back step by step until he was pushed to the edge of the boundary.

"You go high, I go low."

Chen Mo's calm voice rang out.

Yin Shanshan understood instantly. Using Chen Mo's lowered shoulder as a springboard, she leaped into the air, her Soft Cloud Hand moving like the moon behind clouds to strike at Luo Heng's upper body.

Chen Mo, relying on the agility of his Flowing Cloud Attack, followed up with a Stone-Crushing Strike aimed at Luo Heng's lower stance.

The two attacked in perfect synchronization, one high and one low.

Luo Heng threw out a Hanshan Fist, but the gathered energy was shattered instantly. His body was sent flying fifty feet away, where he slammed heavily into the ground.

Boom!

He scrambled to his feet, his face twisted with resentment, and stormed straight out of the martial arts hall.

"Hoo—"

Seeing Chen Mo and Yin Shanshan emerge victorious, Ji Chang let out a long-held breath of frustration.

However, seeing many of his fellow disciples rushing over to cheer for them, he felt a twinge of loneliness in his heart.

When several Ming Jin disciples came over to flatter Chen Mo, he merely offered a few perfunctory replies.

Yin Shanshan, meanwhile, was a far cry from her usual self. She said nothing, her expression cold as she walked to a corner to practice alone.

In the past, she would have been the first to seek out Zhang Chong.

The fellow disciples she used to be close with, and the seniors who usually orbited around her, now didn't dare approach.

"Did you hear about the senior brother? Something about the daughter of the Zhao Family..."

"Shh, don't let her hear you..."

Chen Mo soon returned to Ji Chang's side. "Senior brother, how are your injuries?"

Ji Chang shook his head and let out a hearty laugh. "No worries, no worries. Just some bruises; I'll be fine after a few days of rest."

Chen Mo thought for a moment and said, "After this, I doubt Luo Heng will be so arrogant anymore, right?"

Ji Chang clicked his tongue twice. "How can you be so naive? You're severely underestimating the shamelessness of such people! I'd bet anything he'll come back, and he'll be even worse."

Chen Mo nodded, convinced.

If even a peaceful world had its share of bullies and villains, how much more so in a martial world where strength was the only law!

He let out a sigh of his own, then threw himself back into his footwork and punching drills, beads of sweat dripping down his face.

Ever since Yin Tianqing had spoken with everyone, the atmosphere in the martial arts hall had become exceptionally intense.

The sound of palms whistling through the air, the blur of fists, and the occasional fierce shouts during sparring matches filled the room.

In the afternoon, Chen Mo went to the Iron Furnace Room to tend the fires and forge iron as usual.

Over this period, because he had been diligent in the Iron Furnace Room, his various skills had all improved; although he could not yet stand alone like Master Wu, he had reached a level where he could be considered ready to graduate.

"Little Chen." At some point, Master Wu's form of address for him had changed. "Zhi Ai asked me to tell you that everything is ready."

Chen Mo nodded slightly.

At dusk, the shadows of the Iron Furnace Room were stretched long by the setting sun, as if they were a grievance written by the heavens for the laborers, impossible to fully recount.

Yet, within this darkness, there was also light.

"Hoo—"

Chen Mo finished the final set of the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique and exhaled a breath of stale air. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and his entire body was filled with surging power.

He had now entered the mid-stage of Ming Jin. Every minor stage within a major realm brought an increase in strength, though it was not as obvious as the leap between major realms.

If he were to fight Luo Heng now, Chen Mo was confident he could defeat him within five moves; even if Luo Heng and Zhou Pi joined forces, he could still win.

His gaze narrowed slightly as he checked the progress of the Mountain and Water Cultivation:

[Thousand Hammer Refinement, Mountain and Water Cultivation]

[Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique: Basic stake technique, trains the leg stance below and fist power above]

[Comprehension: 40/100 (Entry)]

Improving a little every day, consolidating through actual combat, and supplementing with food and medicine, Chen Mo felt his current cultivation speed was already at its fastest.

However, the threat from the Hansha Gang and the Black Tiger Hall had not been resolved.

"If I step into Dark Jin, I will be much freer, and passing the Martial Examination requires the strength of Dark Jin."

Chen Mo walked toward his home, stepping over the fragmented moonlight on the ground.

Back home, he practiced his punches ten times and his stake technique ten times as usual before finally falling asleep.

On the second floor of the Hua Pavilion.

The deputy leader of the Hansha Gang stood by the window, watching the night shroud the streets and alleys outside.

Behind him stood two subordinates; one was the man in black who had escaped the night raid on the caravan, and the other had a face full of pockmarks and a large saber slung across his back.

The two waited for the deputy leader to issue his orders.

The deputy leader said, "There are only a few people in Black River Town with Dark Jin, and everyone is watching everyone else. If I make a move, I fear it will invite trouble. Therefore, tonight's assassination will be carried out by the two of you. Two against one—don't tell me you can't finish it?"

The man in black patted his chest. "Rest assured, Deputy Leader, there will be no mistakes!"

The deputy leader added, "After the kill, the top priority is to search for any mysterious techniques on the target. A person with such ability cannot possibly have nothing on them."

The man in black and the pockmarked man nodded in agreement, then left the Hua Pavilion and vanished into the night.

Late at night, moonlight spilled onto the stone slab in front of the dilapidated house, and suddenly, the shadow of a blade appeared upon the stone.