At the edge of the ring, a venerable local martial arts elder bellowed:
"First match, first bout! Zhao Gang of the Bone-Crushing Martial Hall from out of town challenges Liu Zhen of the local Long Wind Martial Hall. Begin!"
On the ring, Liu Zhen wielded the Long Wind Palm Technique with dazzling flourishes, his attacks fierce and relentless.
Zhao Gang, however, stood as steady as a mountain, guarding his position with nothing but a plain, unadorned Iron Arm Fist. After more than twenty exchanges, Liu Zhen's breathing was already ragged, and an opening appeared.
A flash of brilliance flickered in Zhao Gang's eyes. He neither dodged nor retreated, taking a palm strike head-on as his right fist shot out like a venomous dragon from its cave. His Iron Mountain Lean slammed into Liu Zhen's exposed chest.
"Thud!"
Liu Zhen spat blood as he flew backward, crashed down beside the ring, and passed out.
The elder below cast him an indifferent glance, drew breath, and announced:
"First match, first bout goes to Zhao Gang of the out-of-town Bone-Crushing Martial Hall!"
His words had barely faded when cheers and whistles erupted all around.
"Good!"
"Beautifully done!"
"The Bone-Crushing Martial Hall is amazing!"
In the crowd, an excitable man danced about, mimicking the shoulder strike from moments ago, spittle flying. "See that? That's what real skill looks like! What good are those flashy palm techniques? One shoulder charge and it's over!"
The people around him nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Those guys came from out of town, and they're tougher than our locals."
Others glanced sideways at Liu Zhen, whom Long Wind Martial Hall's people were hurriedly carrying away, and curled their lips.
"Long Wind Martial Hall's gone downhill over the years. All they teach is fancy but useless moves—pretty to look at, that's all. And now they've made a complete laughingstock of themselves."
At the edge of the ring, the presiding elder paid no attention to the surrounding commotion. Once the ring had been cleared, he drew breath again, his voice carrying over the entire crowd.
"Quiet down! Get ready for the second bout! Zhou Heng of the Bone-Crushing Martial Hall challenges Chen Hai of the Long Wind Martial Hall!"
Chen Hai climbed onto the ring with his teeth clenched, but after only seven or eight moves, Zhou Heng struck his wrist pulse with a tricky hand-blade. Chen Hai's longsword flew from his grasp, and he suffered a crushing defeat.
"Second bout goes to the Bone-Crushing Martial Hall!"
"Third bout—the Bone-Crushing Martial Hall's Wu Yan versus the Long Wind Martial Hall's Wang Shuo!"
Wang Shuo wielded a golden saber. Wu Yan fought barehanded.
The blade came slashing down, but Wu Yan clamped it between his palms with brute force. Then he rammed his shoulder into Wang Shuo's chest. Wang Shuo spat blood and tumbled off the ring.
"Third bout goes to the Bone-Crushing Martial Hall!"
Three bouts, all lost in under ten moves.
At the edge of the ring, the elder announced loudly, "The first to win three of five bouts takes the match. The Bone-Crushing Martial Hall has won three in a row and, under the rules, may establish a hall in Wen'an and take on students! The Long Wind Martial Hall has lost three bouts in a row and must withdraw from the Wen'an Martial Arts Guild effective today. It may no longer take on students!"
To the west, cheers erupted from the out-of-town martial arts halls.
To the east, the master of the Long Wind Martial Hall turned ashen. He pointed at the ring, his throat making a hoarse "khh" sound before he abruptly fainted backward. His disciples rushed to catch him.
On the high platform, Du Liefeng snorted. Master's Wife sighed softly.
The members of the Wen'an Martial Arts Guild looked grim. Seeing the master of Long Wind Martial Hall faint, they all felt the chill of one's lips dying and leaving one's teeth exposed.
Lu Chen watched it all in silence.
This was only the first hall. Four more were waiting to pounce.
At the edge of the ring, the elder paused while Long Wind Martial Hall's people carried off their unconscious master and injured fighters. Once the ring had been cleared, he raised his voice again.
"Second match! The out-of-town Green Wolf Martial Hall challenges the local Ghost Staff Martial Hall! Same rules as before: first to win three of five bouts!"
To the west, disciples of the Green Wolf Martial Hall filed out one after another. Every one of them had a sinister gaze and a lean, powerful frame, carrying the ruthless air of a wolf pack.
To the east, the master of the Ghost Staff Martial Hall was a wiry, dark-complexioned middle-aged man. His face was livid, and most of the disciples behind him looked frightened.
"First bout: Sun Lie of the Green Wolf Martial Hall versus Zhang Biao of the Ghost Staff Martial Hall!"
"Second bout: Qian Sen of the Green Wolf Martial Hall versus Li Kui of the Ghost Staff Martial Hall!"
"Third bout: Wu Lang of the Green Wolf Martial Hall versus Wang Meng of the Ghost Staff Martial Hall!"
The three bouts were almost a replay of the previous match's one-sided slaughter.
All three ended in under ten moves. The Ghost Staff Martial Hall had lost every bout!
"The first to win three of five bouts takes the match. The Green Wolf Martial Hall has won three in a row and, under the rules, may establish a hall in Wen'an!"
The members of the Ghost Staff Martial Hall looked ashen, and their master swayed, barely able to stay on his feet.
But then, the master of the victorious Green Wolf Martial Hall—a man with a sinister gaze and high cheekbones—suddenly sprang onto the ring.
"Our Green Wolf Martial Hall will establish itself in Wen'an today! To celebrate, and to benefit the people of this region by gathering talented students, starting today, anyone who joins the Green Wolf Martial Hall this month will pay no enrollment fee! Monthly tuition will be just one tael of silver! We'll teach you genuine skills, holding nothing back!"
The whole crowd fell silent.
Then an even louder uproar and commotion broke out than before!
"No enrollment fee? Only one tael of silver a month?!"
"Everyone saw the Green Wolf Martial Hall's techniques. They can really fight!"
"That price... It's so much cheaper than the local martial arts halls!"
"Real martial arts, and so cheap? Only a fool wouldn't sign up!"
Around the ring, many men who had only come to watch—or who came from ordinary families but hoped to learn martial arts—had their eyes light up, their breathing growing heavy.
At ordinary martial arts halls, the enrollment fee alone was a barrier, while monthly tuition was a considerable expense.
The Green Wolf Martial Hall's offer was practically a pie falling from the sky!
"I'll sign up!"
"Count me in!"
"Master, where do we register?!"
At once, dozens of sturdy men pushed their way out of the crowd and surged toward the makeshift registration desk the Green Wolf Martial Hall's disciples had set up beside the ring. They shoved and jostled one another as the clamor shook the heavens.
The Green Wolf Martial Hall's disciples briskly began keeping order and recording names, unable to hide the smugness in their eyes.
Over at the defeated Ghost Staff Martial Hall, the scene looked even more desolate. No one paid them any attention.
The wiry, dark-complexioned master watched it all, his throat turning sweet with blood. He nearly spat it out, but his disciples held him firmly upright.
At the edge of the ring, the elder called out:
"Third match! The out-of-town Iron Fist Martial Hall challenges the local..."
Before he could finish, Shi Jingang, as tall as a bear, silently stepped onto the ring. He stood there, and an oppressive presence swept over them.
Niu Mang of the local Kaishan Martial Hall braced himself and went to meet him, wielding a pair of short halberds. With a roar, he crossed them and slashed at Shi Jingang's neck!
Shi Jingang neither dodged nor flinched. He merely tilted his head a little and took both halberds on his shoulder and neck, then drove his right fist straight into Niu Mang's chest without any fancy flourishes!
"Clang! Pff!"
The halberds struck his shoulder and neck, as if they'd hit iron or stone, leaving only white marks.
Shi Jingang's fist, however, landed first, crashing into the crossed halberd shafts. The refined iron shafts bent with a snap. Niu Mang vomited blood and flew several yards, his chest caved in, his life uncertain.
One punch! He'd taken a heavy blow head-on, then nearly killed his opponent with a single punch!
The whole crowd fell dead silent.
Understanding dawned in Lu Chen's eyes.
As expected, this man poured all his energy into offense, relying on his naturally tough bones and muscles to withstand injury. He followed the most extreme path of raw, brutal force.
At the edge of the ring, the elder announced, "First bout goes to Shi Jingang of the Iron Fist Martial Hall!"
But Shi Jingang didn't leave the ring. He scratched his head and shouted toward the east:
"My master said everyone at the Kaishan Martial Hall is a bunch of wimps who can't take a hit. He also said if I can win all three of the remaining bouts by myself, then when I get back... he'll find me a wife. I'll get married!"
The whole crowd erupted in an uproar.
This was no longer just a martial contest. It was a blatant humiliation.
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