Second Round

The next day.

The second round of the competition.

Today was even livelier than yesterday.

In the center of the arena, more than a dozen people dressed in fitted martial uniforms sat upright on the high platform.

They were the heads of the various martial halls.

At the center of the platform, three blackwood grandmaster chairs stood side by side. Only three people sat in them.

Bai Yu, head of the White Crane Martial Hall, wore plain robes and tapped a folding fan against his palm, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

Hou Wei, head of the Wild Ox Martial Hall, wore his robes open at the chest, baring his broad torso. His knotted muscles gleamed in the morning light.

Fu Huaixing, head of the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall, wore a blue-green robe. Though his hair was white as frost, his complexion was ruddy.

At a signal from the three men, a referee stepped forward to announce the start of the competition.

But the commotion at the entrance caught his attention.

"What's going on?"

Everyone turned to look. The heads of all the major martial halls in the Outer City had gathered here today.

Who would dare make a scene at a time like this?

A group of people entered through the gate.

The five at the front exuded an intimidating presence.

One wore a black martial uniform and was built like an iron tower. A three-inch scar on his left cheek looked especially gruesome.

The other four wore brocade robes. They carried themselves like men long accustomed to power, and dozens of skilled fighters followed behind them.

On the platform, Fu Huaixing and the heads of the other two martial halls exchanged glances. Their expressions darkened in unison.

The scarred man was Shi Tao, leader of the Mountain Gang in the Inner City. The other four were none other than the heads of the Wang, Lin, Jiang, and Huang families—the Four Great Families of the Inner City.

These people were rarely seen in public. Now they had arrived uninvited, and it certainly wasn't just to watch the proceedings.

They had come with bad intentions!

"Hahaha!"

Shi Tao spoke first, his laughter booming like thunder.

"The Outer City competition is a grand event. How could we leave out the Inner City?

"We've come uninvited today, Hall Masters. I hope you won't hold it against us?"

Though he spoke of being forgiven, he kept walking, leading the four family heads straight toward the platform.

Bai Yu rose and clasped his hands.

"Leader Shi, honored family heads, today's competition is an internal event for the Outer City martial halls. We didn't inform you beforehand, so we have indeed been discourteous.

"May I ask what brings you here today?"

"What brings us here?"

Shi Tao grinned.

"Why, to join in the fun, of course—and to let the disciples of my Mountain Gang, along with the younger generation of the four family heads, take part as well.

"The Outer City martial halls are full of talented people. We'd like our disciples to see what they can learn."

That was all?

Bai Yu couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't so simple. He found himself objecting.

"Leader Shi, I'm afraid that won't do. The preliminaries are already over. Letting people join at this point will invite criticism.

"Why not come back next year?"

"Criticism?"

Shi Tao's expression darkened, and a wave of menace spread from the scar on his face.

"Who the hell dares criticize us? Let them step forward and see what happens.

"What, the Outer City is off-limits to people from the Inner City?

"Or are you afraid?"

The four family heads all nodded, plainly singing from the same hymn sheet.

The head of the Huang family spoke coolly.

"Leader Shi makes a fair point. And the rules don't forbid people who aren't affiliated with a martial hall from competing, do they?

"If you insist on blocking them, you'll only make yourselves look petty."

Fu Huaixing, Bai Yu, and Hou Wei exchanged glances, understanding at once.

These men had come to wreck the place.

The wealthy families of Crow Mountain City had come to watch.

If their martial halls' disciples performed poorly today, their reputations would surely suffer.

Then they'd have fewer students to recruit—and fewer people seeking their protection.

Don't think martial halls could survive on student fees alone.

Behind the scenes, they all had connections to restaurants, brothels, gambling dens... Each of those businesses had its own ties.

If they all had to pay a "Peace Fee," why not pay the strongest?

Over time, it became a vicious cycle, and the martial halls would naturally decline.

But no matter how much they talked, in the end, fists did the deciding.

If their disciples performed well, they might even snatch business away from the Inner City.

Fortune and misfortune went hand in hand.

The three men weighed the pros and cons, then decided to agree.

What was coming would come sooner or later.

Bai Yu drew a deep breath and spoke slowly.

"Leader Shi, honored family heads, since you're so eager to take part, we'll follow the rules.

"Anyone wishing to compete must draw lots and be paired with an opponent. The matches will be fair."

"Hahaha, excellent!"

The menace faded from Shi Tao's face, and he burst into laughter.

"Don't worry. We know the rules."

He turned and beckoned to those behind him.

"What are you standing around for? Go pick a number and draw lots."

The Mountain Gang and the four family heads' followers obediently went to the lot-drawing table and joined the second round.

The referee returned to the front of the platform and shouted:

"The time has come! The second round begins now!"

As the lots were drawn, competitors took their places on the various platforms.

Li Yun had naturally noticed the changes on the high platform.

From the people around him, he learned that the newcomers were the heads of the Four Great Families and the leader of the Mountain Gang from the Inner City.

It seemed that with the Outer City's population surging, the Inner City's powers were starting to get restless.

They wanted a slice of the pie, too.

The war had finally begun to affect Li Yun.

He had no time to think further before the referee called out his number.

"Ding 66."

The one paired against Li Yun was a disciple from a small martial hall whose head had only reached the Dark Force realm.

"Tiger Fist, Zhang Liang."

"Tiger Subduing Fist, Li Yun."

"..."

The second round was somewhat more formal than the first.

Before the bout began, the fighters had to state their names and backgrounds.

Still, hearing "Tiger Fist" and "Tiger Subduing Fist" one after the other made Li Yun want to laugh.

He managed to hold it in. Laughing would have been impolite.

Zhang Liang was startled when he heard Li Yun's name.

He had bought an important piece of information from a Sharp-Mouthed Skinny Guy earlier.

Li Yun was a disciple of the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall and a contender for the championship.

Rumor had it that the young man was obsessed with martial arts and somewhat brutal.

He often used bouts as an excuse to beat up his own senior brothers and fellow disciples.

Zhang Liang had only come to compete to broaden his horizons, and to see if he could attract a wealthy patron's support.

He'd already decided that as soon as the bout began, he would attack relentlessly.

Once his assault began to falter, he'd immediately withdraw and concede. Then he could go around boasting:

That he had once kept Li Yun, the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall's promising contender, on the back foot.

"Begin."

At the referee's shout, Zhang Liang stamped hard on the floor and charged straight at Li Yun.

Zhang Liang had made it through the first round and into the second. He did have some ability.

But not much.

His vitality was weaker than Li Yun's, and he hadn't even mastered his boxing style.

An opponent like this could barely stir Li Yun's interest.

Facing Zhang Liang's attack, Li Yun didn't retreat a single step.

His arms coiled like twisting vines; his body stood firm as a sunken stone.

Zhang Liang swung a chopping punch. Li Yun turned his wrist, setting the edge of his palm against the side of the fist like an iron ruler.

Smack!

A crisp crack rang out.

Li Yun forcefully diverted the fierce momentum to one side, lowered his shoulder and elbow, and pressed his palm against the inside of Zhang Liang's wrist. He followed through with a press and a pull.

It was the Subduing Tiger Fist's "Fierce Tiger Disarms Armor" and "Tiger Tail Silk-Winding."

Zhang Liang felt a force guide him. Most of his strength drained away in an instant, and he stumbled half a step forward.

The moment he lost his footing, Zhang Liang's heart sank.

He hurriedly tried to recover, twisting his waist and swinging a punch to regain his stance, but Li Yun's figure was already right on his heels.

Li Yun feinted with his left hand, drawing Zhang Liang's attention away. His right fist shot out like a tiger bursting from its cave, striking precisely beneath Zhang Liang's exposed ribs.

"Ugh!"

A needle-sharp pain stabbed into Zhang Liang's innards, and all strength abruptly drained from his body.

Before he could defend himself, Li Yun's fist came whistling through the air and slammed toward his face.

It stopped abruptly, the gust of wind stinging his skin.

"You were a worthy opponent."

Li Yun withdrew his fist, stepped back half a pace, and clasped his hands in salute.

Li Yun's voice brought Zhang Liang back to his senses.

He shook his head with a bitter smile. They were both at the same level, yet beside Li Yun, he wasn't even the equal of a child.

Zhang Liang knew Li Yun had held back. Otherwise, if that last punch had landed on his face, he'd probably already be lying on the ground.

He certainly wouldn't still be standing there talking.

"Thank you for going easy on me."

Just then, a cry of surprise rose from a platform in the distance.

Li Yun looked toward the sound.