Thick Earth Physique

"Shi Mu? I've long heard that your hall has a disciple only fifteen years old who has already cultivated Body Tempering Technique to nearly the tenth layer. Could this be the young brother here?" Gu Zhong looked at Shi Mu's tall frame, indistinguishable from an adult's, and revealed a surprised expression.

One had to know that while it wasn't rare for someone eighteen or nineteen to reach the Great Completion realm of Body Tempering Technique due to age, if someone only fifteen had already reached the tenth layer of Body Tempering, that was absolutely worthy of being called a genius.

Throughout all of Feng City, the known Martial Disciples under fifteen who had reached the tenth layer of Body Tempering could be counted on one hand. This basically meant these Martial Disciples had a much higher chance than others of comprehending Qi Sense, and after becoming Houtian Martial Artists later, their potential would also be a cut above the rest.

After this thought turned in Gu Zhong's mind, he immediately beamed with a full smile and cupped his fists toward Shi Mu, saying:

"Haha, Brother Shi, achieving the tenth layer of Body Tempering at such a young age, you're sure to shine brilliantly in this competition."

"Thank you for your kind words, Brother Gu." Shi Mu gave a slight smile and returned the gesture with cupped fists.

"You've already reached the tenth layer of Body Tempering?" That black, skinny fellow who looked like a monkey, Tie Dong, overheard the exchange between Gu Zhong and Shi Mu and, greatly surprised, asked Shi Mu directly. His voice was sharp and unpleasant, as if he were still in the middle of his voice-changing period.

"Yes."

Shi Mu replied casually.

"Hmph, I once fought a Martial Disciple at the eleventh layer of Body Tempering back in my hometown. He exhausted himself unconscious on the arena platform and still couldn't break through my Thick Earth Physique." The black, skinny youth stared at Shi Mu and said somewhat disdainfully.

"If that's the case, I might really not be your match. But unfortunately, your opponent then might not necessarily be me." Shi Mu yawned as he replied.

"No matter who my opponent is then, no one can break through my Thick Earth Physique." Tie Dong said arrogantly, then turned and left on his own.

As for Sun Jun, who stood beside Shi Mu, he hadn't even glanced at him from start to finish.

"This guy, is he always this full of himself?" Sun Jun's face turned pale with anger, and he couldn't help asking loudly.

"Heh, this..." Gu Zhong, though usually skilled at smoothing over tensions, couldn't help stammering at this point.

"Brother Gu, why bother saying nice things for that guy? To be honest with you all, even us old-timers at Feihong Martial Hall can't stand this Tie Dong. But several of the hall's instructors treat him like a treasure, so there's nothing we can do. Also, while this kid is insufferably arrogant, his Thick Earth Physique truly lives up to its reputation. At least Brother Li and I can't do anything to him." The chubby 'Junior Brother Jia' let out a cold laugh and said.

"Is this Thick Earth Physique really that fearsome? Brother Li, if I remember correctly, your Splashing Water Sword Technique is best at dealing with external hard body techniques." Li Yunfeng was somewhat surprised to hear this.

"Cough, you'll experience the power of the Thick Earth Physique for yourselves when you step onto the arena platform. There's no need for me to say more." Gu Zhong replied with a bitter smile, seemingly unwilling to elaborate.

"Hmph, even if this Tie Dong's Thick Earth Physique has exceptional defense, can Wang Tianhao's Fang Fire Spear Technique not handle it?" Sun Jun said coldly after a moment of silence.

"As for Wang Tianhao, that's naturally hard to say. In the last martial hall competition, this Young Master Wang used his just-begun Fang Fire Spear Technique to decisively defeat all the Martial Disciples from the Four Great Martial Halls, with no one able to stop him. Now a year has passed, so Wang Tianhao's strength is naturally even more astonishing. But Wang Tianhao is even more arrogant and domineering. I've heard that even the old-timers at Jingang Martial Hall, if they displease him, he'll immediately give them a beating." Gu Zhong shook his head repeatedly.

Hearing this, not only Sun Jun and Li Yunfeng but the others couldn't help looking in Wang Tianhao's direction. Only Shi Mu seemed not to hear, still maintaining a faint smile as he watched the black, skinny youth not far away.

The white-clothed youth, who had been lowering his head to wipe his spear, seemed to sense something and suddenly lifted his head to look toward where the group was.

Li Yunfeng and the others were startled and quickly averted their gazes from the youth with awkward smiles.

The white-clothed youth swept his expressionless gaze over the crowd, paused briefly on Shi Mu, then suddenly stood up, slung the long spear over his back, and strode boldly toward them.

"Young... Young Master Wang! You're well, I hope!" The group exchanged glances, and Gu Zhong could only brace himself to greet him.

"Who are you? Have I seen you before?" Wang Tianhao gave Gu Zhong a cold look and replied bluntly.

Gu Zhong's face immediately flushed red and white in turns.

Seeing this, Li Yunfeng and the others naturally dared not speak easily, letting the white-clothed youth's gaze sweep over them one by one again.

"What's your name, and which martial hall are you from?" Wang Tianhao's gaze finally landed on Shi Mu again. After carefully examining him from head to toe, he slowly drew the iron spear from behind his back, pointed the tip directly at him, and asked in a completely emotionless voice.

"Oh, what business do you have?"

Shi Mu furrowed his brow slightly before turning to look at this Young Master Wang. His eyes were unusually calm and clear, with no trace of anything unusual.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" Wang Tianhao squinted as he looked at Shi Mu and asked.

"No, this is my first time meeting you." Shi Mu affirmed without blinking.

"Haven't seen me? Then why do I find your figure so familiar?" Wang Tianhao still pointed the spear tip at Shi Mu, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face.

"Young Master Wang, could you have seen Junior Brother Shi Mu somewhere in Feng City?" Li Yunfeng finally cleared his throat and spoke, though he was equally puzzled.

He knew a bit about Shi Mu's background, and he couldn't imagine how Shi Mu could have any connection with Wang Tianhao.

Beside them, Gu Zhong, Sun Jun, and the others were naturally even more bewildered.

"Heh, maybe I really did mistake you for someone else. Your name is Shi Mu, right? Good. I hope we can have a proper spar on the arena platform later." Wang Tianhao swept his gaze over Shi Mu's calm face a few more times, his pupils suddenly contracting slightly. Then he burst into loud laughter, withdrew his long spear, and walked back on his own.

Gu Zhong, Li Yunfeng, and the others looked at each other in confusion, unsure what the purpose of Feng City's number one Martial Disciple's actions had been.

"Brother Shi, do you know Wang Tianhao?" Li Yunfeng couldn't help asking.

"No. Well, I suppose you could say I don't really know him." Shi Mu rubbed his chin and replied very vaguely.

"What do you mean, 'don't really know him'?" Li Yunfeng's eyes widened, and he suddenly felt that the Shi Mu before him had become incredibly mysterious.

Gu Zhong and the others were also full of doubts, but seeing Shi Mu's demeanor, they didn't press further.

"Senior Brother Feng, did you see that? Wang Tianhao just went over to the Liufeng Feihong Martial Hall side, even drew his long spear, but only said a few words and came back. What the hell is he up to?" As the host, Tianlu Martial Hall naturally didn't have only the three participating disciples; there were a full seven or eight people. At the very center stood a young man with a scar on his face and fierce eyes—Feng Jun, the most famous Martial Disciple of Tianlu Martial Hall.

At this moment, Feng Jun listened to his companion's words while watching Wang Tianhao's every move with a murderous glare.

As the nephew of Tianlu Martial Hall's master, he had cultivated the hall's unique and overbearing martial technique, Iron Garment Body, since childhood, and had also trained the famous Martial Disciple-level technique, Black Sha Hand, to a certain level of proficiency. Although he had barely failed to enter Kaiyuan Martial Academy back then, he had never regarded any other Martial Disciple of his age in Feng City as worthy of his notice, and had repeatedly won final victories in hall competitions.

But all of that changed from the last hall competition, when Wang Tianhao, a Martial Disciple much younger than him, defeated him in a few moves with his spear and then stepped on his face with his foot on the arena platform.

He, Feng Jun, had never hated anyone so much. For a time after that competition, he buried himself in bitter training for months, not leaving the hall a single step, all for the sake of revenge!

Fortunately, not long ago, he had challenged another powerful Martial Disciple over some matter. Although he was defeated when the other broke his Iron Garment Body with bare fists, leaving him bedridden for over a month, he unexpectedly turned misfortune into fortune, advancing his Iron Garment Body to the next level and smoothly reaching the Great Completion stage.

With this, he naturally felt confident that he could stand until the very end of this martial hall competition and trample Wang Tianhao underfoot.

But the moment he actually saw Wang Tianhao again at Tianlu Martial Hall, the side of his face that had once been stepped on immediately felt a burning sensation, and the confidence in his heart unconsciously diminished a few points.

Thinking this far, Feng Jun let out a cold snort and finally spoke:

"Are you certain that the only one worth paying attention to among Feihong Martial Hall and Flowing Wind Martial Hall's participants is that wild boy with the Thick Earth Physique? The rest are nothing to worry about?"

"Senior Brother Feng, rest assured. We've inquired many times. These two martial halls are far weaker than our Tianlu and Jingang Martial Halls. The only one you need to be careful of is that fellow with the Thick Earth Physique that the hall master mentioned. But even if he has a martial body, he's just a wild boy from some backwater. What advanced martial skills could he possibly have cultivated? Senior Brother's Iron Garment Body is no weaker than the Thick Earth Physique, and with your Body Tempering Technique already at the tenth layer, even if you have to wear him down, you can tire that wild boy to death." A nearby Tianlu Martial Hall disciple quickly flattered.

"That's enough. With this, I can focus entirely on dealing with Wang Tianhao!" Feng Jun touched one side of his face, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.

But strangely enough, as soon as he said these words, the area under his ribs, which had only recently healed, faintly began to feel uncomfortable as well.

After the time it takes to eat a meal, the door to the side room behind the training grounds swung open. Amidst bursts of laughter, Li Canghai and the people from the four martial halls walked out, chatting and smiling as if they had just been old friends gathering together.

"Alright, the competition of the Four Great Martial Halls officially begins now." Tianlu Martial Hall's hall master, Feng Lengchan, swept his gaze over the assembled Martial Disciples and announced without hesitation.

(Pleading for recommendation tickets!)