Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk

The square fell silent.

Lu Cheng abruptly looked toward Colonel Shen.

The shock in his heart nearly burst from his lips.

"..."

Well, would you look at that. So you weren't here to save us after all.

What kind of reinforcements suddenly stabbed the people calling for help in the back?

Those three spots at the East Sun Sect were incredibly important to the Long Wind Escort Agency.

If used well, they could not only bring the Long Wind Escort Agency's overall strength close to that of the Chen and Lin families,

but also forge a much closer relationship with the East Sun Sect.

But now, Shen Yi had easily cut off that path.

As for why Shen Yi had done this,

it was easy enough to understand.

The Martial Suppression Battalion's main purpose was to keep the martial forces across the various regions in check.

If they could suppress one, they would.

Splitting the three spots among seventeen families was better than leaving them all to the Long Wind Escort Agency.

It seemed the Martial Suppression Battalion had once been on quite good terms with the Long Wind Escort Agency.

Otherwise, Feng Ji's first choice would have been to seek help from the Heavenly Spring Temple or Emerald Cloud Abbey.

Whether they had misjudged the man or oversimplified the situation,

the fact remained that the Long Wind Escort Agency had taken a heavy loss.

"Good. Chief Escort Feng has agreed. What do you say, Master Zhang?"

Shen Yi turned to look at Zhang Rensheng and the others.

"Ah... what... what do you mean?" Zhang Rensheng was momentarily stunned.

Only when the master of the Black Tortoise Martial Hall beside him nudged him did he come to his senses.

Then uncontrollable joy surged through him.

Without another word, he hurriedly nodded.

"No problem. No problem at all. We'll follow Colonel Shen's arrangements in everything."

Then he looked at Feng Qi, unable to hide his smugness.

The Long Wind Escort Agency had been taking on disciples for less than a year. They probably couldn't even gather three who had reached Minor Accomplishment in Strength Refining.

His own side, on the other hand, could find several Late Stage Strength Refining martial artists without even trying.

The so-called contest was nothing but a one-sided humiliation for the Long Wind Escort Agency.

And that wasn't even mentioning the three spots at the East Sun Sect.

This was a genuine stroke of unexpected good fortune.

Shen Yi took in Zhang Rensheng's expression and gave a soft laugh.

"Since you're all leaving it to me, then this will be simple."

"The Long Wind Escort Agency has put up its prize. The seventeen of you can't fall behind."

"Hmm..." Shen Yi looked up at the sky and thought for a long while before settling on a suitable stake.

"Five thousand taels of gold, two thousand sets of Blood-Activating Powder, five hundred Hundred Essence Pills, and two hundred portions each of Bone-Strengthening Powder, Tendon-Changing Pills, and Jade Skin Ointment."

"..."

"What?"

Zhang Rensheng was dumbfounded by the prizes Shen Yi had listed.

There was simply too much.

The gold aside, those pills and powders might not be worth as much as three spots at the East Sun Sect,

but they were enough to leave them badly weakened.

For a contest with an obvious outcome, was it really necessary to prepare such a generous prize?

Zhang Rensheng looked at Shen Yi in some alarm, but Shen Yi merely stared back at him, expressionless.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. Shen Yi was probably just trying not to seem too biased.

Making this excuse to himself, Zhang Rensheng smiled and nodded.

"We'll follow Colonel Shen's arrangements in everything."

Shen Yi said,

"Then it's settled."

"The Long Wind Escort Agency's disciple assessment is in three months. We'll hold the contest then as well."

With that, he turned and left with his men.

When he reached the entrance, he suddenly stopped.

"By the way, the Martial Suppression Battalion will take part in the contest too. We'll put up the same prize as the seventeen of you."

"..."

The square fell silent once more.

Watching Shen Yi's back disappear, Zhang Rensheng wasn't the only one who could no longer smile. The other sixteen families had lost their smiles too.

They didn't just want to cry; they were practically on the verge of it.

After the two sides had fought over everything, neither had come out ahead. Meanwhile, the Martial Suppression Battalion had feasted until its mouth was slick with grease.

The Martial Suppression Battalion had the imperial court behind it. Whether in cultivation methods or martial skills, they were beyond the reach of these families.

Now the contest truly had no suspense.

But the winner had become the Martial Suppression Battalion.

What a Shen Yi. No wonder he was one of the outstanding young members of the Zhenwu Guard.

Even as he left, he had dealt a heavy blow to Yang City's martial world.

These resources would probably be enough to push him straight into Body Refining Perfection!

He was truly ruthless!

After a long while, Feng Qi sighed and looked at Zhang Rensheng.

"Master Zhang, are you satisfied with this result?"

Zhang Rensheng's lips moved, but in the end he only shook his head.

He gave Feng Qi a casual salute, then left without a word, taking his men with him.

Inside Feng Zhan's room.

Feng Qi and Feng Ji sat in chairs, sipping tea.

Lu Cheng and Feng Zhan stood facing each other.

Faint shouts drifted in from the square. Clearly, everyone had already lost interest.

The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.

From beginning to end, the three Fengs had never expected the Martial Suppression Battalion to target them.

Had they known, they would have been better off risking injury and fighting Zhang Rensheng and the others.

"Three Chief Escorts, if I understood correctly, only disciples from each family can take part in this three-way contest, right?"

Feng Ji glanced at Lu Cheng and forced a smile.

"Don't worry. Shen Yi pulled a fast one on us today, but he won't let the Martial Suppression Battalion go after you next."

"As for those seventeen families, although they have martial artists in the Late Stage of Strength Refining, they're nothing special."

"The gap between the various stages of the Force Refining Realm isn't all that great to begin with. With your current progress, reaching Minor Achievement within three months won't be a problem."

"What's more, we've decided to teach you the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk ahead of schedule. With your aptitude, learning it won't be difficult."

"Few martial artists in the Force Refining Realm can master martial skills. That will be enough to make up for the gap in realms."

"Winning may be difficult, but you'll have no trouble staying alive."

Lu Cheng had only wanted to confirm whether Body Refining martial artists would be allowed to compete.

Three months would be more than enough for him to reach the Late Stage of Strength Refining.

But when he heard about the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk, he swallowed the words he was about to say.

"Second Chief Escort, what do you mean by martial skill?"

Feng Zhan took over the explanation.

"Ordinarily, you wouldn't learn about these things until you reached the Body Refining Realm. But the situation is special now, so there's no harm in telling you."

A martial artist's strength wasn't determined by their realm alone.

It came from the combined power of their realm, cultivation method, and martial skills.

The realm was, of course, the most important. A Body Refining martial artist could stand there and let you hit him without getting hurt.

Lu Cheng nodded. That was true enough.

Last night—no, at dawn—Feng Zhan's test had already made the point perfectly clear.

"But cultivation methods and martial skills can't be underestimated either."

Feng Zhan looked at Lu Cheng and spoke seriously.

"Cultivation methods and martial skills are both divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human ranks, with each rank divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. The effects of practicing each grade differ enormously."

"They can't erase the gap between major realms, but within the same realm, a difference of even one grade can change the outcome."

"Under normal circumstances, a martial artist in the Early Stage of Body Refining can't beat one in the Middle Body Tempering Stage. The degree to which their bodies have been tempered is simply incomparable."

"Martial artists in the middle stage have already begun tempering their skin and flesh. They may not be impervious to blades and spears, but they can easily withstand wood and stone with their bare hands."

Withstand wood and stone?

At that, Lu Cheng remembered how Feng Zhan had shattered the stone mill with his bare hands on the first day.

Could it be?

Feng Zhan saw what Lu Cheng was thinking and waved a hand.

"I'm still just short of reaching the middle stage. That feat was entirely thanks to my cultivation method."

"Let's leave that aside. Listen to the rest."

"If a martial artist in the early stage practices a high-grade cultivation method, the tempering of his muscles and bones will far surpass that of a middle-stage martial artist practicing an ordinary method. When the two face each other, the one in the early stage can still hold his own."

"And with a high-grade martial skill on top of that, it's anyone's guess who'll end up with their head in the jaws of the deer."

"The Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk is the martial skill that pairs with the Mystic Eagle Technique used by our Long Wind Escort Agency. It's even one grade higher than the Mystic Eagle Technique."

"The Mystic Eagle Technique can't be practiced until you reach the Body Refining Realm, but the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk is no problem."

The Martial Suppression Battalion naturally had martial skills too, but those seventeen families had nothing that even made the grade.

Lu Cheng had gotten the answer he wanted, and his already calm nerves eased further.

With the Force Refining Realm at perfection, plus a Human-rank middle-grade Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk,

perhaps he could try to outshine the Martial Suppression Battalion?

Thinking of the ten thousand taels of gold and the generous supply of pills, Lu Cheng could barely contain his excitement.

"In that case, I ask the Third Chief Escort to teach me!"