Fight to the Death

In the courtyard, Chen Yue's fists grew heavier and more imposing with every move.

Zhou Jingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as lightning as he followed Chen Yue's every motion.

Turning the extraordinary into the ordinary... This boy isn't merely learning. He's grasping the essence and creating a path suited to himself!

Zhou Jingfeng was deeply shaken. An ordinary genius might imitate seven or eight tenths of a technique after seeing it once, and that would already be remarkable. But after encountering it for the first time, Chen Yue had already begun trying to incorporate it into what he had learned, shaping the beginnings of a style all his own.

Such insight, such natural talent!

Even Zhou Jingfeng, with his steady temperament and wealth of experience, couldn't help sighing again to himself. Taking on this disciple was truly a gift from heaven to Iron Mountain Hall!

Chen Yue finished practicing the fist technique, which incorporated the essence of the Mountain-Crushing Art, and slowly brought his stance to rest. The surging qi and blood and inner breath within him gradually settled.

He exhaled a long breath of stale air. It shot out like a white arrow before dispersing a foot away. Chen Yue turned to Zhou Jingfeng, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Good! Very good!"

Zhou Jingfeng did not hold back his praise. Smiling broadly, he clapped his hands and said, "Chen Yue, what you just performed captured the essence of Mountain-Crushing's fists. More impressive still, you blended it with your own understanding and foundation, making the technique even weightier and more solid.

"Keep practicing along these lines from now on. Given time, you'll surely achieve something!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Chen Yue smiled as well and cupped his hands.

"Are you tired? Do you need a moment to catch your breath? If you're feeling well enough, I can have Yu Kan demonstrate the Gale Saber Technique for you. Of course, there's no need to rush. The path of cultivation calls for balancing effort with rest."

At this moment, the more Zhou Jingfeng looked at Chen Yue, the more pleased he became. His earlier thought of using three techniques to temper the boy's arrogance had long since vanished into the clouds.

A piece of uncut jade like this, shining with such brilliance and brimming with such sharpness—that was a good thing!

His task was to guide that sharpness until it became a blade capable of cutting through every obstacle, not to forcibly grind it smooth.

"Master, I..." Chen Yue was about to answer when, before he could finish—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The heavy, forceful pounding on the gate rudely interrupted their conversation. Even the frame of the black lacquered gate trembled.

"Sea Shark Gang, Xiong Wu! By order of our gang leader, I've come to pay a visit to Hall Master Zhou!" A voice like rolling thunder came clearly through the gate and into the courtyard.

"The Sea Shark Gang?"

The warm smile vanished from Zhou Jingfeng's face, and his brows drew together almost imperceptibly. How much time had passed? The Sea Shark Gang was certainly quick to act.

His expression calm, he gave Ma Jun, who was standing by the gate, a slight nod.

Ma Jun was still reeling from the shock Chen Yue had given him. At the sound, he jolted and hurried to the gate, slowly pulling open the heavy black lacquered doors.

As the gate opened, a figure like an iron pagoda strode into Iron Mountain Hall's courtyard.

The visitor stood over eight feet tall, with rough features, thick brows, and fierce, leopard-like eyes. His face was covered in knots of muscle, and a scar slashed diagonally from his left brow to the corner of his mouth, adding to his savage appearance.

It was none other than Xiong Wu, a notorious hardcase in the Sea Shark Gang, known for his violent temper.

As soon as Xiong Wu entered the courtyard, his bell-like eyes locked onto Chen Yue. Then he turned toward Zhou Jingfeng, who stood with his hands behind his back, and clasped his fists in greeting.

"Hall Master Zhou, I've come to deliver a message on Gang Leader Tang's orders."

Xiong Wu paused, then pointed at Chen Yue, his voice suddenly turning harsh. "This Pearl Diver went on a rampage in the city today for no reason and injured several of our brothers. Earlier, he even caused the death of one of our men!

"Such conduct flouts the law and shows a vicious nature. He must be severely punished as a warning to others!"

Xiong Wu stared at Chen Yue and said, each word distinct, "Gang Leader Tang has given his order. In consideration of Hall Master Zhou's mediation, he's willing to show mercy. The boy need only return with me to our headquarters at once, sever one of his own arms in front of all our brothers, and kowtow in apology. Then this matter can be put to rest."

Xiong Wu's words struck every person in the courtyard like an iron spike.

Sever one's own hand and kowtow in apology?

How could that be showing mercy? It was plainly humiliation and cruel punishment! It would not only ruin Chen Yue's future in martial arts but trample his dignity into the dirt!

After hearing him out, Zhou Jingfeng's face went completely blank.

"Hmph! What a Sea Shark Gang! What astonishing arrogance!"

Before Zhou Jingfeng could speak, Yu Kan, standing nearby, was already furious. He stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Chen Yue, then shouted coldly at Xiong Wu, "You don't even distinguish right from wrong, yet you come to someone's door and demand his hand! Are the Sea Shark Gang's rules greater than the laws of the imperial court?

"You know perfectly well who was right and who was wrong today! If you want to take him, you'll have to ask whether I, Yu Kan, will allow it!"

Rather than taking offense at Yu Kan's challenge, Xiong Wu grinned, baring his teeth in a mocking, feral smile.

"Brother Yu, why so angry?"

Xiong Wu's gaze passed over the furious Yu Kan and landed directly on Zhou Jingfeng's icy expression. "Gang Leader Tang knows that Iron Mountain Hall has its own rules. So, well, he's offered a second option, too."

He suddenly turned his head and fixed his leopard-like eyes on Chen Yue, who had remained silent. Licking his lips, he grinned viciously. "Let's settle this by the fairest method in the martial world!"

Xiong Wu pointed straight at Chen Yue's nose, his voice rising sharply. "Sign a Life-and-Death Contract. On the arena, we'll each answer to fate. It'll be to the death!

"If he can walk off the platform alive, then today's score will be settled once and for all, and the Sea Shark Gang won't say another word! What do you think, Hall Master Zhou? Fair enough, isn't it? Hahaha!"

The moment the words "Life-Death Arena" were uttered, the atmosphere in the courtyard plunged to freezing point.

It was the most direct way to settle grudges in the martial world. Once you stepped onto the arena, it was to the death.

Xiong Wu had clearly proposed this because he was sure Chen Yue was young and still had a shallow cultivation. He wanted to torture him to death on the arena, where it would be perfectly legitimate—avenging their losses while greatly boosting the Sea Shark Gang's prestige.

"You've got quite a lot of nerve, speaking like this in my Iron Mountain Hall, right in front of me."

Zhou Jingfeng's gaze, like two drawn blades of icy steel, slowly scraped across Xiong Wu's fleshy face. His voice was not loud, but carried a heavy pressure. Each word landed on Xiong Wu's heart like a blow.

Feeling Zhou Jingfeng's invisible pressure, Xiong Wu's heart tightened slightly. But he had come representing the Sea Shark Gang. He could not afford to show fear.

The flesh on Xiong Wu's face twitched. He clasped his fists toward Zhou Jingfeng again. His tone remained firm, though he lowered his posture somewhat.

"I would never dare show you the slightest disrespect! It's just that..."

Xiong Wu changed tack and pointed at Chen Yue again. "This boy is a Pearl Diver from Pearl Village! By the rules of Hepu County, they've always been under the Sea Shark Gang's supervision! He injured several of our men today. If the Sea Shark Gang ignores it, how can we manage the other Pearl Divers in Pearl Village in the future?

"Hall Master Zhou, you must understand our predicament!"

Zhou Jingfeng's expression did not change in the slightest as he listened to Xiong Wu.

"Chen Yue has formally become my disciple. From this moment on, he is a member of Iron Mountain Hall!"

At those words, the feral grin on Xiong Wu's face froze. For the first time, unmistakable shock appeared on his rough features.