"Such speed!"
Someone cried out, his voice full of unconcealed shock.
"Has he really only just broken through to Transformation Energy?"
The onlookers in the courtyard wore all sorts of expressions. Some narrowed their eyes, some gaped, and others instinctively took a couple of steps forward, hoping to get a clearer look.
Liu Tian's expression darkened.
Facing a junior who had only just broken through to Transformation Energy, he had missed with his very first punch.
And with so many people watching—more than a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on him—how was he supposed to save face?
"Kid!" Liu Tian's eyelid twitched. His voice rumbled like muffled thunder. "What good is it if all you do is dodge?"
Before his words had even faded, he stomped hard on the ground. With a sharp crack, the flagstones split, a web of fissures spreading across them.
He shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, closing in on Jiang Tian in the blink of an eye. His speed was so great that a blurred afterimage trailed behind him.
"Mountain Opening!"
He threw a punch, its force carrying a rush of air and a cutting gale, like an invisible wall hurtling straight for Jiang Tian's face.
Before the fist even arrived, the wind was already there, sweeping the loose hair from Jiang Tian's forehead backward.
But to Jiang Tian, Liu Tian's speed seemed very slow.
Slow as a replay in slow motion.
Since Liu Tian was so eager to trade a few blows with him—
"Then let's meet fist to fist!"
Jiang Tian grinned. He neither dodged nor retreated, drawing back his fist like a bow pulled to its limit.
The two great sinews along his back unfurled completely with a muffled twang, as if bowstrings had been drawn taut.
Colorless yet tangible force surged from his dantian like thick, enormous pythons, winding around his arm again and again until it was wrapped tight.
Tiger in a Cage and Bear in the Cave—two entirely different kinds of Momentum—were forcibly fused into that single punch.
Part tiger, part bear: both fierce and heavy.
"Boom—!"
The instant their fists collided, a visible shockwave spread outward from the two of them.
The flagstones beneath their feet trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck. The branches and leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard thrashed wildly, rustling as fallen leaves swirled through the air.
"Urgh!"
Liu Tian grunted. The force wrapped around his fist crumbled the moment they collided, like a paper wall swept away by a flood.
His heart lurched. For some reason, he had the strange feeling that he wasn't facing a Transformation Energy martial artist at all, but an ancient ferocious beast that had emerged from the depths of the mountains.
The savage aura rushing toward him made every instinct in his body scream, "Back!"
His first setback did not discourage him. Instead, it stoked his fighting spirit.
"Now that's satisfying!"
"Again!"
Liu Tian roared and unleashed a storm of punches at Jiang Tian.
Fist-shadows overlapped, his offense pouring down like mercury spilling across the ground, leaving no gaps. Blow after blow wove into an impenetrable wall, as if to crush Jiang Tian to pieces.
Jiang Tian handled it with ease.
After breaking through to Transformation Energy, he had mastered all five kinds of Momentum and could now fuse any three of them together.
So his fists were sometimes as fierce as a tiger, sometimes as heavy as a bear, and sometimes as nimble as a deer. The three kinds of Momentum shifted and changed within each punch, unpredictable and impossible to guard against.
Neither of them chose to defend.
One punch from you, one from me—every blow landed, fist against fist, head-on.
Every collision rang out like thunder, as if someone had set off strings of firecrackers throughout the courtyard.
Waves of air kept spreading, lifting the dust from the ground and letting it settle, only to sweep it up again.
In the space of a few breaths, the two of them had already traded more than a hundred punches.
Jiang Tian remained calm and at ease, even a bright light flickering in his eyes—the excitement of a hunter who had spotted his prey.
He felt that if they kept fighting like this, he might be able to fuse four kinds of Momentum all at once.
At that moment, Liu Tian was nothing but a perfect whetstone to him: hard and thick, just right.
As for Liu Tian, a fine sheen of sweat had appeared on his forehead, trickling down his temple and stinging his eyes until he squinted.
He regretted it bitterly. Why had he insisted on testing the kid? What had he been trying to show off for?
The longer they fought, the more alarmed he became.
He had sparred with Yuan Long several times before. He had lost every time, but even Yuan Long had never put this much pressure on him.
This young man didn't make it feel like a spar or a fight to the death, yet he still gave Liu Tian an overwhelming sense of pressure.
In truth, he had already wanted to retreat after their very first clash.
But! He was the master of Kaishan Martial Hall! He had spent all these years making a name for himself in Blackwater County. If a greenhorn could drive him into this state, how would he ever show his face again?
No. He couldn't retreat.
The kid had only just broken through to Transformation Energy, after all. He must be lacking in real combat experience.
Given enough time, he would surely reveal an opening.
Several dozen more exchanges passed.
Liu Tian was completely numb.
There wasn't the slightest opening.
Jiang Tian's defense was like an iron bucket, without a single flaw.
Every transition between punches was seamless, every step perfectly placed. He was nothing like a young man; he seemed more like a veteran who had fought through countless battles to the death.
Liu Tian even deliberately offered two fake openings, exposing a gap at his waist and abdomen and slowing his steps by half a beat. But Jiang Tian didn't even glance at them, as though the false openings were transparent to him.
Instead, Liu Tian himself let his guard slip, and Jiang Tian caught a real opening. His punch slammed into Liu Tian's shoulder, making him grunt. Even his organs shook, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Enough, enough! I'm done, I'm done!"
Liu Tian shuddered and backed away several steps in a row, his face flushed red and black, like a lump of charcoal burned too long.
Rubbing his numb shoulder, he waved his hand. His voice carried a hint of helplessness and reluctant admiration. "Old Liu's been beaten by you, fair and square!"
"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!" Zhou Ming clapped his hands and laughed, his face full of satisfaction. "If you can make Old Liu admit defeat so completely, I doubt any of us old fellows could be your match!"
"Impressive, impressive!" another hall master chimed in, turning to Yuan Long with a teasing look.
"Yuan Long, your old master might not even be able to beat your apprentice, might he?"
Yuan Long stood with his hands behind his back, chin tilted slightly upward. He gave an arrogant snort. "So what if I can't beat him? He still has to call me Master, doesn't he?"
That was what he said, but even he felt a little guilty afterward.
Teach Jiang Tian?
Thinking about it carefully, he really hadn't taught Jiang Tian much.
And whatever little he had taught him, Jiang Tian had taught him far more in return.
If they were being honest, it would make more sense for him to call Jiang Tian "Master."
How embarrassing.
Truly embarrassing.
At that moment, County Magistrate Fang Ping spoke. He looked at Jiang Tian with heartfelt admiration in his voice. "The student has surpassed the master. Yuan Long, you've taken on a fine apprentice."
After a pause, he fixed his gaze on Jiang Tian, his eyes shining. "Young friend, in that case, how about joining us at tomorrow's banquet?"
Jiang Tian's eyes flickered.
His original plan had been to use tomorrow's banquet as a chance to ransack the Wang and Li families. With everyone away at the feast, their homes would surely be empty.
But then he reconsidered. Sooner or later, he would have to face those Transformation Energy experts.
He might as well go to the banquet and have a look. The heads of the Wang and Li families would certainly be there.
Besides, if he ransacked their homes while they were away, the two family heads would surely be on their guard afterward. Then it would be much harder to wipe them out root and branch.
"Fine," Jiang Tian replied in a low voice.
The next day.
Dark clouds still hung over the sky, heavy as a washed-out, lead-gray rag that no amount of wringing could dry.
The air throughout Blackwater County had grown oppressively stifling. Even breathing felt difficult, as if a stone were pressing down on everyone's chest.
Today, the entire Drunken Wind Pavilion had been booked out.
From one end of the street to the other, it lay empty, without a single person in sight.
The shops on both sides had shut their doors and windows. Even the tea stall, usually the liveliest spot around, had put away its tables and stools, as if everyone had sensed that something was amiss.
Outside the Drunken Wind Pavilion, two rows of soldiers in heavy armor stood rigidly at attention. Their armor plates reflected a cold, bluish iron sheen beneath the gloomy sky.
Every one of them had Manifest Energy cultivation. Long sabers hung at their waists, their hands resting on the hilts as their eagle-sharp gazes swept over the surroundings.
On the top floor of the Drunken Wind Pavilion.
Thousand-Household Official Zhang Wei sat in the seat of honor, clad in black iron armor, his face as hard and cold as iron.
On either side sat Wang Yun, head of the Wang Family, and Li Yuanhao, head of the Li Family. Beside Li Yuanhao sat Xu Shi'an, head of the Xu Family.
Exquisite dishes had been laid out on the table, and steam still curled from the wine jug, but no one touched their chopsticks.
Wang Yun's face was as dark as the sky outside. He sat there without a word, gripping his wine cup so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
Li Yuanhao's face was just as black.
Only yesterday had he learned that the martial hall disciple who had killed Wang Moshan was Jiang Tian of the Five Animals Martial Hall.
Jiang Tian!
As soon as that name came up, everything fell into place.
After his son Li Kun was killed, they had investigated again and again. Jiang Minghai had been among the suspects.
But Jiang Minghai had been gravely injured. There was no way he could have killed Li Kun.
His younger brother, Jiang Tian, on the other hand, had only recently started learning martial arts...
After returning home, he called in his good-for-nothing son, Li Batian, and questioned him in meticulous detail.
He confirmed another shocking piece of news: Jiang Tian had reached Body Tempering in just a few days!
He was an undisputed martial arts prodigy!
"This boy must be eliminated!" A ruthless glint flashed in Li Yuanhao's eyes.
"The county magistrate has arrived!"
A loud announcement rang out from outside.
He was here.
Everyone on the top floor turned their gaze toward the staircase in unison.
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