Boom!
Shi Wen planted his foot on the ground, channeling force from his foot up to his waist and turning his hips. He exploded into motion, unleashing a Prop Punch like a spear thrusting toward Zhang Sheng. The honest, quiet lamb from before had become a ferocious beast. The punch's explosive whoosh tore through the air like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day!
Though Zhang Sheng had been prepared, the sudden attack still startled him badly.
He retreated half a step, using retreat to advance. His right hand curled like an eagle's claw and collided with Shi Wen's fist.
Bang!!
A dull thud rang out as their fist and claw clashed, raising a cloud of dust. Shi Wen planted his foot with Heavenly Spring Treading, his lower body as steady as a rock, and remained in place.
Zhang Sheng, however, was in trouble. His arm went numb, and the impact sent him stumbling back several steps.
Shi Wen's eyes turned savage. He pushed off the ground and charged forward, bringing down a Mountain-Splitting Palm in one fluid motion. The attack came with overwhelming speed and force!
"You're coming at me that hard?"
Zhang Sheng had been brawling in the streets since childhood and had developed a keen sense for danger. He sank his qi into his dantian and spread his arms like an eagle taking flight, deflecting the Mountain-Splitting Palm. Instead of retreating, he pressed forward to fight Shi Wen. His Black Eagle Claws darted like afterimages, sharp currents of air slicing toward Shi Wen.
Bang!
Shi Wen dodged, and Zhang Sheng's claws gouged a dozen-centimeter-deep mark into the mud wall beside them.
Zhang Sheng pressed his advantage. Both hands struck like shadowless eagle claws, sharp currents of air turning into a sky-filling web of afterimages aimed straight at Shi Wen's heart, throat, eyes, and other vital points. His moves were vicious and seasoned!
At first, Shi Wen was flustered, unused to facing an opponent whose every move was a bid to kill.
Several times, he narrowly avoided being struck in a vital spot by Zhang Sheng's Black Eagle Claws.
But after six or seven exchanges, he had grown used to his opponent's style. Baji Fist was also one of the most explosive and tenacious martial arts for close-quarters combat!
As Shi Wen adapted to the rhythm of the fight, his panic faded.
He unleashed killing moves at will. His punches grew faster and more seasoned, making Zhang Sheng ache all over and forcing him back step by step.
Every move and technique flowed flawlessly.
His punches were fierce, and his moves connected with swift, seasoned precision. Six killing moves combined into an airtight chain of attacks. After twenty exchanges in quick succession, Zhang Sheng was beginning to suffer.
At the start of the fight, his opponent had clearly been flustered.
He'd seemed like someone who had never experienced a life-or-death struggle.
But after a dozen exchanges, his fighting ability had climbed to another level.
Now, he was being completely suppressed!
Could this guy have been pretending to be a novice just to catch him off guard?!
Just as Zhang Sheng was thinking of a way to break free,
he suddenly saw his opponent launch a feint.
It seemed to be one of his opponent's habits. They had exchanged blows several times, and Zhang Sheng had seen him do it more than once.
Every time, Zhang Sheng had been frightened into dodging, only to get hit by another move instead, nearly coughing up blood!
This time, he wouldn't fall for it, no matter what.
"Black Eagle Twists the Snake!"
Zhang Sheng's eyes turned vicious. He savagely grabbed at Shi Wen's arm with both claws, then used the momentum to seize him and pin him down.
"I've got you!!!"
Zhang Sheng was overjoyed.
But in the next instant, his face filled with terror.
The young man he had seized somehow twisted in midair. Using Zhang Sheng's force, he turned his body in the cramped space and rose in one fluid motion, driving a collapsing fist into Zhang Sheng's jaw.
"Iron Eagle Ascends to Heaven!"
Zhang Sheng had no choice but to circulate his blood qi and use the strength that surged through him in a brief burst to spring away, evading Shi Wen's collapsing fist.
"Mountain Leaning Strike!"
Unexpectedly, Shi Wen, who had been building up power for his collapsing fist, twisted his waist and hips and crashed into Zhang Sheng like a charging beast, sending him flying.
Zhang Sheng's expression darkened. He sank his blood qi into his legs and used the Thousand-Catty Drop. Each foot dug a deep hole into the ground as he steadied his swaying body.
"Lightning Chop!"
Before Zhang Sheng could react, Shi Wen, who had excelled at fists and elbows, suddenly unleashed an Iron Whip Leg. His flying leg was as fast as lightning, striking Zhang Sheng's knee and lower back in the span of a breath and making him stagger.
That final kick had clearly been building up power, ready to strike!
"Not good!!!"
Zhang Sheng came to his senses, his scalp crawling with terror.
He unleashed all his blood qi and forced his body to twist back from the kick that had thrown him off balance, rolling like a donkey to leap away!
Boom!!!
The moment he dodged, Shi Wen poured all his blood qi into the final kick of Lightning Chop. It shot out like a streak of lightning and thunder, blasting a mud wall several meters high to pieces. Dust scattered everywhere, and flying stones struck the surrounding members of the Robbery Gang, making them yelp and stumble back in pain. Chaos erupted!
The gang members watching stood there, dumbfounded.
One kick had blown apart a mud wall several meters high. Was that even something a human could do?
Zhang Sheng was just as terrified. He hurriedly shouted, "I'm done fighting! I give in! I give in, brother. You're the real deal!"
He scrambled to his feet and ran straight over to the other gang members.
Shi Wen took a deep breath to recover his strength, his eyes sharp. "You were going for the kill with every move. You can't just call it quits whenever you want."
"Brother, brother, I only came over to spar. You were the one who attacked first. You went straight for a killing move. How could I not be on my guard?"
Zhang Sheng hurriedly said, "I really mean you no harm! I just wanted to make a friend!"
He was genuinely scared now.
The guy looked skinny, with hardly any signs of training on his body.
Who could have guessed his moves were so seasoned and vicious? How could he have skills like that without immersing himself in martial arts for eight or ten years?
Even though he still had more than half his blood qi left, he had no grudge against this man and didn't want to fight to the death.
Picking a fight with a vicious man for no reason and bringing disaster down on himself had never been his intention.
At first, he had only wanted to find out what the man was like and see if he could recruit him. Now that he knew he couldn't win, how could he possibly dare keep fighting?
At the sight of Shi Wen's gaze, the gang members retreated several steps without thinking.
They weren't as sturdy as that mud wall. If this man kicked them, wouldn't they end up black and blue?
"Brother, I really mean no harm. I'll pay you, all right? I won't come to Ghost Lane again!"
Zhang Sheng hurriedly pulled out all the silver notes he had on him and had a nearby gang member take them to Shi Wen. "I was only curious about who was practicing in Ghost Lane tonight, and whether you were someone sent by Chen Shuisheng to kill me. I really mean no harm."
"I'd been watching you practice from the shadows for over an hour, brother. If I'd meant you harm, would I really have hidden for so long?"
Shi Wen accepted the small stack of silver notes, his expression calm.
He didn't say a word. A single look from him was enough to make the Robbery Gang member's legs go weak and send him crumpling to the ground.
"I only practice in Ghost Lane. I won't interfere with your Robbery Gang, and I hope you won't interfere with me again."
Shi Wen spoke in a low voice, his eyes as placid as still water as he met Zhang Sheng's gaze.
Only when Zhang Sheng looked away
did he turn and leave. But his muscles remained taut all over. If the other man made a move, he would run at once!
Fortunately, he walked out of Ghost Lane without incident.
Zhang Sheng and his men merely stood there, watching him go.
Only after Shi Wen had disappeared from sight did Zhang Sheng call over a trusted subordinate. Sucking in a breath, he said, "Hiss... Help me back gently. I think I've broken a bone!"
"Damn it, who is that vicious bastard? He goes straight for the kill and doesn't leave you any way out!"
"Who goes straight for the kill as soon as they attack? Doesn't he even bother to test the waters?"
"Those punches were far too seasoned to belong to an ordinary person. Every one of them hit with such force? That's ridiculous! You'd have to train for seven or eight years to make your moves that vicious and fluid."
"He even tried to pretend he was a novice and catch me off guard at first? If I weren't about to break through to the Late Blood-Tempering Stage, I might really have fallen for it!"
"Damn it, where did this Blood-Tempering Realm brute come from, hiding here from his enemies? Chen Shuisheng is so unlucky. I didn't kill him, but some martial artist I've never even heard of did!"
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