Background

"Junior Brother Zhao, you just broke through to Clear Force. How about we spar?" Wei Yuan came over and said.

"Just what I had in mind. Please instruct me, Senior Brother!"

Zhao Feng immediately took up his stance and struck first, his punch carrying the newly born Clear Force as it attacked Wei Yuan.

"Good!" Wei Yuan raised his fist to block. Their arms collided with a dull thud.

Seeing Zhao Feng merely sway slightly, Wei Yuan's eyes lit up. He was a Dark Force martial artist and had used sixty percent of his strength, yet this disciple who had only just broken through to Clear Force had merely staggered a little. His foundation was clearly exceptionally solid.

"Again!" When Zhao Feng launched his second move, Wei Yuan punched in a half-circle, deflecting Zhao Feng's force before shoving it back with his backhand.

Borrowing that force, Zhao Feng retreated half a step, adjusted his footwork and stance, then punched again. This time, he had clearly grasped something. He was no longer as straightforward as before, but began to feel the sensation of Clear Force circulating through his body.

Wei Yuan exchanged over twenty moves with him—more precisely, he was feeding him moves. Wei Yuan held back, allowing Zhao Feng to clearly experience the process of channeling, gathering, and releasing Clear Force.

After finishing the entire sequence of punches, Zhao Feng clasped his fists and thanked Wei Yuan gratefully.

Outside Treasure Brocade Workshop, Leopard Lord and several of his men waited in the alley.

"Fragrance Master, are we making our move today?" a subordinate asked.

"Today. Master Hu from the neighboring county has taken a liking to that girl and is willing to pay thirty taels of silver," Leopard Lord said.

"Thirty taels?" The subordinate gaped. Buying a young girl from a broker cost only ten taels these days. Thirty taels was a huge sum.

But Master Hu from the neighboring county was notorious. Several maidservants had been tortured to death by him, so asking thirty taels was only natural.

"What about that girl's cousin?"

"Heh heh, he hasn't shown up these past few days. He probably got eliminated and went back home long ago. For a mud-legged peasant to dream of a carp leaping the Dragon Gate—" Before Leopard Lord could finish, he abruptly stopped and looked toward the other end of the alley.

Following his gaze, the subordinate saw a figure slowly approaching. It was Zhao Feng, dressed in a brand-new training uniform.

The huge character Huo on the new dark-blue training uniform was dazzling. Leopard Lord hurriedly pulled his men aside. Zhao Feng seemed not to notice them and went straight into Treasure Brocade Workshop.

"Did he pay another tuition fee, or did he successfully pass the gate?"

Ten taels of silver in tuition was something a mud-legged peasant could afford once, but not twice. Besides, that brand-new training uniform differed from those worn by apprentices. Could he really have passed the gate?

A chill ran down Leopard Lord's back. He had seen the deputy gang leader smash bricks and stones with ease in a single punch. If that punch landed on him, even if he did not die, he would be crippled.

To suppress him, they would need enough men. But the gang was currently fighting the Three Harmonies Gang for territory everywhere. Where would they spare manpower over such a trivial matter?

Besides, as far as he knew, Clear Force martial artists in the martial school were already the hall master's registered disciples. Their gang leader absolutely could not afford to offend those Transformation Force masters. Even if he brought more men from the gang, they might not dare act unless it was done without a seam. But was it worth taking that risk?

With a dark expression, he led his men away. That juicy piece of meat could not be touched for now. It seemed that mud-legged peasant had not noticed him, which was fortunate enough.

Yet in his heart, he had not given up on that juicy piece of meat. He secretly planned to find another opportunity after some time. As long as he abducted Qiao'er without anyone knowing, that mud-legged peasant would never trace it back to him.

What he did not know was that once he vanished around the far end of the alley, Zhao Feng returned and watched his retreating back. In the little ledger in his heart, Leopard Lord's name had already been marked with a red cross.

Whether you make a move or not, I'm making a move against you.

Of course, before that, he still needed to learn the Black Tiger Gang's background. As the saying went, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.

At the martial school, Wei Yuan and Zhao Feng sparred and exchanged moves for a while.

"Junior Brother Zhao, although our Eight Extremes Fist emphasizes strikes exploding like thunder, fierce and violent, it is not all about hardness. Sometimes it also requires flexibility and clever force. Take this move, Locking Dragon Twisting Wrist. It relies on clever force, following the opponent's strength and twisting their wrist with a backhand. Swallow Scoops Water, meanwhile, emphasizes flexibility and lightness. When using this move, you must shed the cross-shaped sinking force in your stance and use empty force instead," Wei Yuan said.

"Thank you for your instruction, Senior Brother Wei. I have benefited immensely." Zhao Feng bowed deeply with cupped hands.

"We are fellow disciples, and Master instructed me to guide you, so there is no need to be so polite."

After exchanging moves for a while longer, the two took a brief rest and drank some water.

"Senior Brother Wei, do you know the Black Tiger Gang?"

"The Black Tiger Gang?" Wei Yuan thought for a moment.

"I've heard of them. There are more than thirty gangs, large and small, in the outer city, all fighting one another for territory. The Black Tiger Gang is one of them. Why are you suddenly asking about them?"

He frowned slightly. Could Junior Brother Zhao be thinking of joining a gang? Indeed, among the martial school's Clear Force disciples, many sought gang work to make a living in addition to taking official posts. But the work in such gray areas could not bear the light of day, and was looked down on in the martial world. There was also the constant risk of dying in gang clashes. Unless necessary, it was best not to deal with such forces.

"Nothing. I just saw them committing violence openly in the streets and was curious about their background," Zhao Feng said.

"Some outer-city gangs have the backing of wealthy households in the inner city. But as far as I know, this Black Tiger Gang does not. It is merely a rabble gathered by their gang leader, made up of local ruffians and hooligans from the western district."

"So there are no real experts in the gang?"

"Of course not. What experts could there be among ruffians who collect protection money and road tolls? The leaders of these outer-city gangs are at most Clear Force, and they generally only have two or three Clear Force martial artists."

"I see." Hearing this, Zhao Feng felt more than half his worries ease.

Over the next few days, Zhao Feng continued going to the martial school as usual, training diligently in stance work and boxing.

"Senior Brother Zhao has already passed the gate, yet he still comes so early every day to train."

"His perseverance really is astonishing."

The disciples murmured among themselves. They had previously seen other senior brothers who had just passed the gate. In the following days, they either sought official posts and sponsorships or went to restaurants to celebrate. They would always slack off for a few days, including even Senior Brother Chu Fan, whom everyone had their eyes on.

Only Senior Brother Zhao still came early to train as he always had.

After exchanging moves and sparring with Wei Yuan over the past two days, his progress accelerated once more. He was soon about to break through another bottleneck.

Just after completing a full sequence of Eight Extremes Fist, a flash of white light flickered through his mind. Small words appeared before his eyes:

[Eight Extremes Fist, minor mastery (1/1000)]

At that moment, Master Huo Shan walked over and said, "I see that you have already mastered the first sequence of boxing. Now I will teach you the second sequence." He handed Zhao Feng a boxing manual.

"The second sequence has fifty-six forms in total. Unlike the first sequence's small-frame stance, the second sequence uses a large frame, opening wide and closing broad! It combines Pigua's long strikes, yet does not lose its coiling force."

If the first sequence's forty-two forms were close-range, fierce, rapid attacks that sought swift victory, then the second sequence's fifty-six forms came into play when one was caught in a prolonged entanglement. It opened the distance and continued the fierce, rapid assault, retaining its hard and violent nature while comprehending coiling force. If one could break through to Dark Force, that coiling force would become even more apparent.

As the saying went, when Eight Extremes joined Pigua, even gods and ghosts would fear it.

Huo Shan focused on guiding him through the stances and the key points of exerting force in his punches. The rest mainly depended on Zhao Feng's own comprehension.

After becoming Huo Shan's registered disciple, his included meal consisted of two corn buns and a piece of dried meat. Naturally, for a Clear Force martial artist, that piece of dried meat was largely symbolic. It symbolized the difference in status and treatment.