Wang Tianhao

"If you've got the silver, a month will be enough. Just come back then to pick up your weapon." The burly man agreed without a moment's hesitation.

"Then I'll trouble you with this, Master Ma. Here's the deposit." Shi Mu smiled faintly and pulled a bulging silver pouch from his waist, tossing it over.

Master Ma was the only person in the Black Fox Society besides Feng Li and Gao Yuan who knew Shi Mu's identity as the Fierce Fist. He was supposedly some distant relative of Gao Yuan's. Not only was he skilled at forging iron, he was said to be every bit as good at crafting blades and swords as those so-called masters in Feng City.

The silver mask worn by the original Fierce Fist had been made by Master Ma himself.

So Shi Mu had no worries about paying him in advance.

That did mean his pockets were empty once more. It seemed he'd have to find another way to get his hands on some silver.

Half of his income over the past six months had come from Yuanxiang Restaurant, a well-situated establishment in his name. Ever since he began sending over the game he hunted in the nearby mountains, business had improved, and the restaurant brought in more than a hundred taels of silver each month.

Most of the rest came from the rewards he'd earned on several occasions as the Fierce Fist. As for the income from his farmland outside the city, it barely covered the estate's ordinary expenses.

It seemed he would have to act on that matter earlier than planned.

Fortunately, he'd just reached Seven Slashes in One Breath with the Wind-Galloping Blade Technique a couple of days ago. That should be enough for what he had in mind.

His physical transformation had stopped increasing his strength six months ago. Only then had he realized how remarkable it was that he'd once managed six slashes in a single breath with such ease. He'd trained in the Wind-Galloping Blade Technique almost every day since, yet had only barely managed to increase his speed by one slash.

Still, that was enough to let him stand above ordinary Martial Disciples. Even Li Canghai, when using his true qi, could manage only nine slashes in a breath.

With these thoughts in mind, Shi Mu slowly left the blacksmith's shop. He spent half the day visiting several other general stores around the city to buy a few more things, then returned to his lodgings.

The moment he stepped inside, he casually glanced toward the window. His expression shifted.

He walked over and felt beneath the half-open window. His fingers found a small ball of paper.

Shi Mu expertly unfolded it and skimmed the message. Then he smiled.

"Looks like someone's bringing me silver again."

With that, he tucked the paper into his robes and flopped onto the bed, immediately falling into a deep sleep.

It wasn't until dusk that Shi Mu rose, refreshed. He took a bundle from beneath the bed and left his lodgings again.

An hour later, the back courtyard of the Heavenly King Temple, a place of some renown in Feng City, was strewn with Black Fox Society members. They lay groaning in pain, with clubs and swords scattered all around them. Not one dared to get back up. Feng Li and Gao Yuan were among them: one had blood at the corner of his mouth, while the other lay sprawled on the ground, covered in dusty footprints.

The two Black Fox Society leaders stared at the young man standing before them, spear in hand, their faces filled with indescribable terror.

They'd heard of his reputation as a genius, but had never imagined he could be this powerful.

The two of them were Martial Disciples who had reached the peak of body tempering. Even together with their dozen burly subordinates in the courtyard, they hadn't managed to last a moment against him.

"Wang Tianhao, we only just received your challenge, and you're already attacking us. Isn't that going a bit too far?" Gao Yuan cried out despite the excruciating pain wracking his body.

"Hmph, what's a useless wretch like you yapping about? I was in a bad mood this afternoon, so I thought I'd come early to greet the Fierce Fist in your gang. What, do you have a problem with that?" The young man in white looked fair and clean, but his face was expressionless. He lifted one foot and stomped down with a THUD, pinning Gao Yuan's head beneath it. The impact drove it halfway into the dirt.

Gao Yuan was both terrified and furious. He tried desperately to struggle, but his body had no strength left. All he could do was curse.

The young man in white didn't bother to respond. He simply pressed down harder with his foot. Pain twisted Gao Yuan's face, and he couldn't utter another word.

Feng Li was equally furious and alarmed. Just as he was about to struggle to his feet and fight for his life, something dark shot toward the young man in white with a WHOOSH.

The young man raised an eyebrow and swept his long spear across himself.

BOOM!

The dark shape burst against the spear shaft, sending fragments flying in every direction. The spear was made of solid iron, and the projectile had been a stone as large as a bowl.

The young man's arm shuddered, and he was forced back a step. At the same time, he tilted his head aside as a fragment grazed his cheek, leaving a shallow streak of blood.

"Fierce Fist."

The young man in white paid no attention to the blood on his cheek. Instead, he stared fixedly at the newly arrived figure in black and silver, his eyes burning with fervor.

"So you're the one who challenged me?" Shi Mu asked slowly through his mask, glancing at the scene in the courtyard.

"You don't know who I am?" The young man in white looked surprised.

"Why should I?" Shi Mu glanced at the iron spear in his hand, then walked farther into the courtyard. He flicked one foot up and caught an abandoned iron saber in his hand.

"Second brother, be careful! Wang Tianhao is known as the strongest Martial Disciple in Feng City. He's a disciple of the Bloodline Wang Clan!" Feng Li called out to warn him.

"Feng City's strongest Martial Disciple! The Bloodline Wang Clan!" Shi Mu's pupils contracted at those words.

"Heh, I didn't give myself the title of strongest Martial Disciple. Everyone who wouldn't accept it has already been beaten into submission. As for the Bloodline Wang Clan, I may be a member of the Wang Family, but I haven't awakened my bloodline and become a true Bloodline Martial Artist yet," the young man in white said with a chuckle.

"Since you're so famous, why come after a little gang like ours?" Shi Mu asked. He was genuinely on his guard now.

"Haha, do you need a reason to challenge the strong? Since you've shown up, I can't be bothered with these wretches anymore. Take my spear first!" Wang Tianhao roared with laughter. He sprang forward, gripped the spear in both hands, and thrust straight at Shi Mu.

Shi Mu's vision blurred. Five gleaming spearheads appeared before him, stabbing fiercely at his chest.

Shi Mu snorted. His arm moved, and the iron saber in his hand blurred, conjuring five black blade-shadows that slashed forward.

PFFT! PFFT! Several sharp sounds rang out.

The five spearheads and five blade-shadows collided and abruptly vanished. But a flash of cold light followed, and a sixth spearhead appeared, darting straight for Shi Mu's face like a venomous snake.

The speed and angle of the attack took Shi Mu completely by surprise. There was no time to raise his saber to block it. He gave a sudden shout, threw the saber aside, and retreated. His arms blurred as he brought them together in front of him.

With a muffled THUD, something happened that left the young man in white stunned.

Shi Mu's black-gloved hands had clamped the spearhead between them like a pair of iron anvils, holding it firm half a foot from his chest!

But the young man in white quickly sneered.

If the Fierce Fist truly thought he could stop a thrust with nothing but his hands, he was badly mistaken.

Before Shi Mu could change his move, the young man twisted the spear shaft in his hands and yanked it back with all his strength.

WHIRR!

The solid-iron spear shaft shuddered violently, but the spearhead clamped between Shi Mu's hands didn't budge.

A sudden, searing pain flared in the young man's palms. He sucked in a sharp breath. There was no doubt about it: he'd pulled too hard and torn the skin on his hands.

At that moment, Shi Mu suddenly spread the fingers of one hand, leaving the other still clamped around the spearhead. Then he clenched his free hand into a fist and slammed it down on the spear shaft.

CRACK!

The iron spear, over a zhang long, buckled inward at its midpoint. A tremendous force surged down the shaft and into the young man's arms.

"Damn it, this guy's a monster!"

Though the young man in white had known the Fierce Fist was incredibly strong, he'd never imagined he could bend iron with his bare hands. He cursed, stamped one foot hard against the ground, released one end of the spear, and hurriedly sprang backward.

BOOM!

Propelled by the tremendous force, the spear shaft slammed into the ground, leaving a crater the size of a washbasin before bouncing back up.

The young man in white regained his footing and stared at the sight, his expression turning extremely grim.

With a THUD, Shi Mu tossed the now-bent iron spear to the ground. It curved like a giant bow. Then he strode toward his opponent.

"I'm done! You're too strong, and I've lost my weapon. Now I understand what the elders in my family mean when they say that overwhelming strength can subdue a hundred skills. Against a muscle-bound brute like you, even if I used every move in the Fang Fire Spear Technique, I couldn't guarantee a win. But in two or three months, that might be a different story." The young man in white suddenly laughed and waved his hand.

"You think you can start a fight whenever you want and stop whenever you want? Things don't work that way!" Shi Mu said coldly. His shoulders rolled, and he was about to give the young man a hard lesson with his fists.

"I'll pay you!"

"What did you say?" Shi Mu nearly stumbled. For a moment, he thought he'd misheard.

"I'll pay you. I've got a little pouch of gold beans here, enough to cover everyone's medical expenses. But let me make one thing clear: it's not that I'm afraid of you, Fierce Fist. I just don't think I can crush you in a fight right now. If I had to fight you until we were both drenched in sweat just to decide the winner, wouldn't that tarnish the image of Feng City's strongest Martial Disciple?" The young man in white lifted his chin and tossed over a palm-sized cloth pouch.

Shi Mu was left speechless.

He'd never met anyone so narcissistic.

Just then, the young man in white spun around and dashed away. He stamped one foot as he ran, then floated over a wall two zhang high. From the other side came his distant, indistinct voice.

"Haha, Fierce Fist, remember this: my name is Wang Tianhao, and I'll be the one to defeat you with my own hands someday."

After that, not another sound came from beyond the wall.