Conquest Through Strength

But Li Beichen naturally could not let a woman stand up for him.

"Fifth Senior Sister, you only need to be responsible for the Ninth-Grade battle; I will take the Eighth-Grade."

Zhang Meng also chimed in from the side.

"For this Eighth-Grade battle, Seventh will go. Fifth, there is no need for you to get involved."

However, Fang Meiqin's willow-leaf brows stood upright.

"Zhang Meng, what kind of intentions do you have, letting Li Beichen fight the Eighth-Grade!"

"Even if it is to win, you cannot do this!"

She still thought Zhang Meng was trying to use the strategy of "Tian Ji's horse racing," having Li Beichen face the Eighth-Grade and her the Ninth-Grade to increase their odds of winning.

Zhang Meng was choked up by the retort, and he glanced at Li Beichen, who was watching the show from the side.

"Seventh, aren't you going to say something for me?"

Only then did Li Beichen speak up.

"Senior Sister, actually, I have already broken through to the Eighth-Grade."

"Naturally, it should be me who goes to face the Eighth-Grade martial artist from the Thunderbolt Martial Hall!"

"What?! Eighth-Grade!!"

Not only Fang Meiqin, but Wang Dao, Yang Ling, and Han Fengqi, who were standing nearby, were all so shocked that they stood up involuntarily.

"Li Beichen, what did you say?! You are already Eighth-Grade!"

"Yes, Senior Sister. I just broke through two days ago. Please rest assured and leave this Eighth-Grade battle to me!"

"It has only been a few months, and he has already broken through to the Eighth-Grade..."

Han Fengqi was somewhat dazed; he was the one with the highest talent among the disciples who had entered the inner courtyard later.

But having been in the Ninth-Grade for over a year, he could only barely strike eight consecutive sounds, and to officially break through to the Eighth-Grade, he would still need more than half a year.

Even with this progress, he had already thought he was fast enough.

At this moment, Wang Dao looked at Li Beichen.

"Seventh Junior Brother, let the two of us spar. I have dealt with the three Eighth-Grade martial artists from the Thunderbolt Martial Hall before, so I can help you practice your moves."

"Sure, Third Senior Brother. Since my breakthrough, I haven't fought an Eighth-Grade martial artist yet."

Seeing Li Beichen agree, a flash of fighting spirit appeared in the depths of Wang Dao's eyes.

He wanted to see exactly how strong such a genius was.

The two immediately went to the training ground outside the inner courtyard.

Li Beichen and Wang Dao stood ten paces apart, with Zhang Meng and the others watching from the sidelines.

"Seventh Junior Brother, come at me, no need to hold back!"

Seeing that Wang Dao had said as much, Li Beichen did not stand on ceremony. Aside from not intending to use Hidden Force or Shuriken, he unleashed his full strength.

Giant Elephant Stomp—Boom!

Li Beichen exerted force through the soles of his feet, using the first form of Giant Elephant Fist to accelerate.

In an instant, he crossed the ten-pace distance.

He flashed right in front of Wang Dao.

Ivory Thrust!!

Wang Dao's pupils constricted; he had not expected Li Beichen's speed to be this fast.

He hurriedly fought back to parry.

Bang!

But Li Beichen's strength also far exceeded his expectations.

The moment they clashed, his defensive stance was directly shattered, and a sharp pain shot through his arm.

Wang Dao hurriedly retreated.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

He shook his arm, looking at Li Beichen as if he were a monster.

"Seventh Junior Brother, with such a small frame and muscles that aren't even that developed, how can you have such terrifying power?"

"There is no need for me to spar with you. Those Eighth-Grade fighters from the Thunderbolt Martial Hall aren't much stronger than me."

"You go directly; you are guaranteed to win!"

Zhang Meng also stroked his chin from the side.

"Seventh, your fist technique is very clean and crisp, and it even carries a sense of killing intent."

"How did you train it?"

Li Beichen withdrew his stance and stood still, not hiding it from him.

"Before I learned martial arts, I made a living hunting in the mountains, and even after I started practicing, I still hunted a few wild wolves."

"Perhaps, it served as some form of tempering for my fist techniques."

Hearing this, Fang Meiqin, Han Fengqi, and Yang Ling fell into deep thought.

Yang Ling raised a question.

"I also frequently go into the mountains to hunt and fight with wild beasts to temper my fist techniques, so why haven't I achieved such results?"

"Perhaps you have yet to undergo a qualitative change..."

"That makes sense."

Li Beichen's formidable strength acted as a shot in the arm for everyone, and the pressure on them eased significantly.

The previously stifling atmosphere was swept away.

Yang Ling even spoke to Fang Meiqin in a flattering manner.

"Fifth Junior Sister, why don't you let me handle the Ninth-Grade bout?"

"If you can beat me, then you can do it!"

Hearing Fang Meiqin say this, Yang Ling's face immediately fell.

Because although Fang Meiqin was a woman, in terms of strength, she was indeed the strongest among the three of them, including Yang Ling and Han Fengqi.

"With Seventh Junior Brother and the Eldest Senior Brother here, this martial bout is a guaranteed win. Can't you let me go up there and soak up some of the glory..."

"Then what were you doing just now!"

Although there was still anger in Fang Meiqin's words, it had diminished significantly.

The group seemed to have returned to their previous harmonious relationship as fellow disciples.

Finally, Zhang Meng waved his large hand, his eyes filled with heroic spirit.

"This time, we must make the Thunderbolt Martial Hall lose more than they bargained for!"

Thunderbolt Martial Hall, inner courtyard study.

Lin Xiong stood with his head bowed before Huang Baitao.

His gaze rested on the yellowing beard that hung down to the man's chest.

"Are the arrangements made?"

"Master, they are arranged. For the Ninth-Grade bout, I've arranged for the Fifth Disciple; for the Eighth-Grade, the Third Disciple; and for the Seventh-Grade... I will go myself."

"Hmm, are you confident?"

"The Like-Elephant Martial Hall will likely send Fang Meiqin for the Ninth-Grade bout. The Fifth Disciple has a fifty-fifty chance against her."

"For the Eighth-Grade, they have Wang Dao; the Third Disciple will surely defeat him."

"As for Zhang Meng..."

When Lin Xiong reached this point, his expression became troubled.

"This... Zhang Meng's strength cannot be underestimated..."

"Master, it was Yuan Dazong who harmed Junior Brother Huang Shan. Why are we placing such a large bet against the Like-Elephant Martial Hall?"

Although Lin Xiong had gone to the Like-Elephant Martial Hall to place a wager of one hundred thousand taels on the martial bout, it was all at Huang Baitao's instruction.

Lin Xiong himself did not know why Huang Baitao wanted to do this.

"Huang Shan was merely an accident. That unfilial son... he died, so he died."

"My target has always been Meng Juxiang."

Listening to Huang Baitao's cold words, Lin Xiong felt a chill in his heart.

Although Huang Shan was not favored by Huang Baitao, he was, after all, his own son.

He had died a tragic death outside the city, yet Lin Xiong had not seen Huang Baitao shed a single tear, nor had he shown even a hint of grief.

However, Lin Xiong dared not say more and returned to the topic.

"Master, Meng Juxiang has the Giant Elephant Sect behind him, and his own strength is extraordinary. I fear he will not be easy to deal with..."

Huang Baitao let out a scoff.

"Those brutes of the Giant Elephant Sect rely on their dead muscles and Elephant Soldiers to run rampant. They are indeed difficult to deal with, and everyone has to fear them to some extent."

"But when a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push. The Giant Elephant Sect Master, Han Sanbian, is dead. Now they are leaderless and in chaos; it is hard to say if they can even maintain their status as a Great Sect."

"This is the very moment to strike!"

"A figure of Han Sanbian's level could actually die?!"

Lin Xiong's pupils constricted; he felt as if he had heard incredible news, and he suddenly realized something.

"Master, does Meng Juxiang not know this news yet?"

"That goes without saying. The Giant Elephant Sect is struggling to look after itself; how could they possibly have the time to manage Meng Juxiang and these Elephant Guards scattered across various regions?"

A trace of greed flickered in Huang Baitao's eyes.

"Right now, I intend to use the Like-Elephant Martial Hall as my stepping stone."

"First, I shall feast upon its flesh and blood, then crack its bones to suck out the marrow. I will gorge myself until my lips are slick with grease before anyone else even realizes what is happening."

"You mentioned earlier that you were uncertain about Fang Meiqin and Zhang Meng, correct?"

"Fang Meiqin... that is the girl from the Cloth Guild, isn't it? You are to invite her family's patriarch over."

"As for Zhang Meng, take my personal letter and go invite him for a meeting. Reveal just enough information to him; he is a smart man, and he will come."