Brawl

"Master Li, I have no problem participating in this martial hall competition, but are you truly willing to teach me that Let-Go Blade Technique afterward?" Shi Mu nodded, then asked.

"This Let-Go Blade Technique is something I barely managed to grasp after over twenty years of hard training in the Wind-Galloping Blade Technique. I consider it no less than those treasured martial skills kept by noble families. I originally planned to keep it as my ace in the hole, but if you can truly secure great benefits for Flowing Wind Martial Hall, why wouldn't I pass it on?" Li Canghai said with a chuckle.

"Rest assured, Master Li. I will give my all during the competition." Shi Mu smiled in reply.

"Your progress in Body Tempering Technique is astonishing, and the Iron Refining Method seems particularly suited to you, but don't underestimate this martial hall competition. Although it's limited to Martial Disciples under eighteen, the disciples from the other three halls aren't weak either. I know of at least a few who have reached the tenth layer of Body Tempering. However, if you can break through to the eleventh layer before the competition, you should have little trouble." Li Canghai said seriously.

"In that case, I'll focus on training right away." Shi Mu replied without hesitation.

"You don't need to say it—I'll make sure you advance as quickly as possible in a short time." Li Canghai's eyes gleamed as he spoke, then led Shi Mu toward a large room at the back of the courtyard. After entering the door, he casually slid the bolt shut.

Once inside, Shi Mu quickly removed his outer clothes and, with a "thump," unfastened a heavy sandbag from his waist that was like a belt, causing the ground to tremble slightly twice.

This sandbag never left his body except when sleeping or bathing. The last time he encountered that zombie in the temple, it was because the situation was so sudden that he had no time to remove the sandbag's restraint; otherwise, his speed and reactions could have been a level higher.

"The iron sand inside this seems a bit light for you. Starting tomorrow, add another twenty jin." Li Canghai witnessed this, his pupils slightly contracting, then picked up a short, thick yellow wooden rod from a nearby rack, both ends wrapped in thick leather pads.

Shi Mu acknowledged with a sound, then stomped his feet firmly on the ground, planting himself in a stable horse stance. After taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists and held his breath.

Li Canghai walked over, and with a flick of his arm, the wooden rod turned into a flurry of shadows, striking at various acupoints on Shi Mu's upper body...

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Shi Mu had dressed again and walked out of the large room. His originally nimble steps were now noticeably unsteady, and he left the courtyard with a grimacing expression.

Inside the large room, Li Canghai was drenched in sweat, a bitter smile on his face.

"This kid's physique is too monstrous. He nearly exhausted me, a Houtian Mid-Stage martial artist. But then again, if he didn't have such a tough body, he probably couldn't have completed the Iron Refining Method in just half a year. This martial hall competition is really worth looking forward to. Still, even with the Iron Refining Method, advancing two layers of Body Tempering in half a year is still unbelievable. Could he really be a Bloodline Martial Artist?"

Li Canghai fell into deep thought.

He naturally didn't know that besides training the Iron Refining Method at the martial hall every few days, Shi Mu didn't follow his advice to rest and recuperate. Instead, relying on his astonishing recovery ability, he would still wear his heavy Black Armor the next day to go to the outskirts to hone his martial skills and hunt various beasts. Only this allowed him to cultivate Body Tempering to such a remarkable level in such a short time.

Shi Mu left the martial hall, walked down a single street, and arrived at a small courtyard consisting of three rooms. He casually pushed the door open and entered.

This rather secluded residence was his temporary home in the city.

Before long, a thick medicinal aroma began to fill one of the rooms, and rolling heat wafted out through the window.

"So comfortable!"

Shi Mu lay naked in a large wooden tub filled with scalding hot water, with some flower-like herbs floating on the surface.

His upper body, exposed above the water, was covered in patches of blue and purple bruises, but his face was full of relaxed pleasure. Soon, he let out soft snores and fell asleep in the tub.

After an unknown amount of time, when Shi Mu slowly opened his eyes and woke up, the medicinal water in the tub had turned cold, and the sky outside the window had noticeably darkened.

Shi Mu stood up and examined his body. The once glaring blue and purple marks on his skin had faded to near invisibility.

This special medicinal bath from Flowing Wind Martial Hall was really excellent. Paired with his own exceptional recovery ability, it was a perfect match. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to endure the inhuman training he'd undergone over the past half year.

After all, not everyone could be beaten with sticks every few days, then run through the mountains at night carrying a Black Armor iron sandbag, and still come out unscathed.

After this half year of hard training, Shi Mu had shot up in height again. Apart from a trace of childishness still on his face, his speech and physique were almost indistinguishable from an adult's.

He casually grabbed a towel beside the wooden tub, wiped off the water stains from his body, then put on his clothes and the sandbag on the floor, and left the room.

Half an hour later, Shi Mu arrived at a street in the north of the city. After a flash, he entered an inconspicuous small room. Inside, two men were sitting at a square table waiting for him. They were Feng Li and Gao Yuan.

"Brother Shi, you're finally here." Feng Li immediately stood up from his chair upon seeing Shi Mu, his face full of delight.

Gao Yuan also rose to greet him with great joy.

"Since Brother Feng gave me a signal, it seems there's another job for me." Shi Mu smiled slightly.

"Brother Shi guessed right. This time, I'm afraid we'll need you to step in again. The opponent this time is the Turbid Water Gang near Huangtian. Our Black Fox Society has already arranged with them to settle things here at the third watch tonight, deciding the ownership of five streets near the Heavenly King Temple in the north of the city. But I've heard that the Turbid Water Gang has also hired several good fighters this time. Brother Shi, you'll need to be careful." Feng Li explained carefully.

"Good fighters? No Houtian Martial Artists, right?" Shi Mu's gaze flickered as he asked.

"Don't worry. Small gangs like our Black Fox Society and the Turbid Water Gang in Feng City couldn't possibly afford to hire a Houtian Martial Artist. At most, they'll be skilled Martial Disciples from other martial halls. If not for your help in the past few times, which greatly increased our strength, the Turbid Water Gang wouldn't be this desperate." Gao Yuan said with a curl of his lip.

"Exactly. Although there's no written rule, conflicts among small gangs at our level wouldn't catch the eye of any Houtian Martial Artist. Besides, even if the Turbid Water Gang did know some Houtian Martial Artist, they couldn't afford the price for their involvement. The cost of hiring one Houtian Martial Artist would bankrupt them." Feng Li also laughed.

"As long as there are no Houtian Martial Artists, that's fine. Same as usual: three hundred taels of silver, and no one outside knows my identity." Shi Mu relaxed and replied with practiced ease.

"Good, it's settled. Your gear is already prepared. We can set off in a little while." Feng Li agreed readily, then took out a small bundle from his person and handed it directly to Shi Mu.

Shi Mu opened the bundle on the table in front of him. Inside were a pair of black gloves, a black robe, and a silver mask. He skillfully put them all on.

In an instant, a mysterious figure in black clothes and a silver mask appeared in the room.

"Every time I see Brother Shi in this getup, it feels like Second Brother never died." Gao Yuan watched Shi Mu finish dressing, a complex expression on his face.

"Sigh, we have Brother Shi to thank for this. After Second Brother's unexpected death, if Brother Shi hadn't taken over his 'Fierce Fist' identity and repeatedly dealt heavy blows to our enemies, the Black Fox Society wouldn't have increased its power this half year—we might not even have kept our original territory. Apart from us two brothers, no one else knows that our Black Fox Society's top fighter has long since changed." Feng Li also sighed.

"I'm just getting paid to do a job. With your compensation, I can keep up with my medicinal baths. And compared to the other nearby gangs, your Black Fox Society is one with some conscience. If another gang wiped you out, the ordinary people nearby would suffer greatly." A low voice came from behind the mask, completely different from Shi Mu's original tone.

"Yes, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. It's about time. Let's go." Feng Li clapped his hands and laughed.

Shi Mu naturally had no objections.

So the three left the room and quickly disappeared into the dim end of the street.

On an unusually remote and dilapidated street in Feng City, two groups of burly men in distinct outfits were fiercely brawling.

One side wore black clothes, about forty people, with Feng Li, Shi Mu, and Gao Yuan standing behind with arms crossed, watching. The other side was larger in number, all dressed in blue, members of the locally well-known Turbid Water Gang. Behind them, five people stood motionless.

Before long, the smaller Black Fox Society members were clearly at a disadvantage. Many were beaten bloody and had to withdraw from the fight.

"Brother Shi, let's make our move." Seeing this, Feng Li's face darkened as he spoke.

Shi Mu nodded, shook both arms, and without another word, lunged forward.

With two dull thuds, the two blue-robed men crumpled to the ground.

"Fierce Fist!"

The moment the Silver-Faced Man, transformed from Shi Mu, appeared among the crowd, it drew several terrified screams. But at the same time, two other tall blue-shirted men swung their clubs and swept them toward Shi Mu's back.

Crack! Crack!

Shi Mu suddenly spun around, his fists punching out with a whoosh, directly snapping both clubs in half at the middle. Before the two could recoil in shock, his form flickered again, and in an instant, he closed in on one of them. A fist shadow moved.

With a bang, that man flew back like a sack, landing heavily two zhang away.

Shi Mu then stomped the ground, shooting like a crossbow bolt toward the other, lifting his leg and kicking the remaining blue-shirted man straight out like a gale.