"I never expected four martial arts schools to be involved in this, Director Chen..." Ling Xiangshan wore a bitter smile, as if he truly knew nothing about the matter.
Chen Xu knew perfectly well why Ling Xiangshan had thrown Secretary Wu into the heavenly prison. The reason was simple: Chen Xu's strength had reached the level Chen Zhenwu had possessed in his prime.
If he were still that youth who did not know the Tiger Howl Fist, let alone the Refining Liquid, he would not even have qualified to keep receiving VIP cards.
In any world, those with bigger fists always received better treatment.
But his current strength had already pushed Deputy Pavilion Master Ling to his limit. The Martial Pavilion could not possibly recover those resources for him. How much he could get back would depend on Chen Xu's own strength.
"Deputy Pavilion Master Ling, now that the culprit has been identified, I won't linger any longer." Chen Xu drained his tea in one gulp and cupped his hands toward Ling Xiangshan.
"Take care." Ling Xiangshan rose to see him off. "Director Chen possesses such strength at such a young age. Your future is promising, very promising."
As if recalling something, he added, "In three days, a Martial Pavilion inspector from the provincial capital will arrive. Director Chen, you should prepare in advance."
Whether intentionally or not, Ling Xiangshan lowered his voice slightly. "The inspector has some connection to Deputy Pavilion Master Xu."
"Deputy Pavilion Master Xu?" The image of Director Xu in his gray robe surfaced in Chen Xu's mind. They exchanged a glance, and everything went unsaid.
"Congratulations to Senior Sister Tong for passing the Martial Artist assessment!"
Chen Xu had just returned through the VIP passage when he saw a banner stretched across the way. Dozens of people had blocked the Martial Pavilion's entrance.
Not only did the security staff fail to drive them away, they even took the initiative to stop visitors for the Floating Light Martial Arts School.
A tall woman with long hair stood at the center of the crowd. Though she kept speaking modestly, the smile she could not hide made her thoughts obvious.
Chen Xu could not be bothered to wait. There were only a few hours left until nightfall, and he still wanted to visit several more martial arts schools.
"Are you blind? Can't you see that our Floating Light Martial Arts School is taking photos? Senior Sister Tong becoming a Martial Artist is such a major event. What's wrong with delaying you for a few minutes?" A visitor stepped forward to argue and was shoved to the ground by the martial arts school members.
"And you, get back at least twenty meters from the entrance!"
As he spoke, the man dressed as a Floating Light Martial Arts School disciple reached out to shove Chen Xu.
Chen Xu moved after him yet struck first, grabbing his right arm and squeezing hard.
"Aaaah..." His scream instantly drew everyone's attention, and the crowd turned toward the sound.
They saw a disciple of the Floating Cloud Martial Arts School clutching his right arm as he knelt before a teenager, his face twisted in agony.
"That's Director Chen."
"Looks like he's going to force his way out. This is going to be good."
"I hope he does force his way out. They're blocking the road and acting so arrogant. I really hope someone teaches them a lesson!"
"No matter what, one person can't beat dozens of people, right?"
The visitors behind them whispered among themselves, discussing the scene animatedly.
A man who looked like the security captain bent over apologetically to the tall woman, then turned and roared viciously at Chen Xu, "What do you mean by this? You dare assault people inside the Martial Pavilion?"
Seeing him slap such a huge accusation on him right away, Chen Xu said mockingly, "Those who know better would say you're a Martial Pavilion security guard. Those who don't might think you're a lackey of the Floating Light Martial Arts School.
"For Deputy Pavilion Master Ling's sake, I'll reluctantly help him clean out the scum that infiltrated the Martial Pavilion."
The moment he finished speaking, he stomped down and seized the security captain's head before the man could react, smashing it into the ground.
"Captain Li!"
The two security guards beside him pulled out their telescopic batons and closed in from both sides.
An invisible Tiger Might swept out. The two guards were struck almost simultaneously by Chen Xu and sent flying several meters away, unconscious.
From Chen Xu making his move to all three losing their ability to fight, everything happened within seconds. Many of the onlookers had only just taken out their phones.
"Damn! I didn't even see what happened."
"That kid is incredible. This is the first time in my life I've seen Martial Dao fighters clash."
"What clash? That was a one-sided beating."
There were even a few strange-sounding remarks in the Great Abyss language mixed in. "Wow, traditional Great Abyss kung fu!"
"I wonder whether our Federation mixed martial arts are this strong."
The visitors' quiet mockery made the Floating Light Martial Arts School members' faces turn green and pale. Junior Brother Zheng looked back at the dozens of his own people, gathered his courage, and walked toward Chen Xu.
If he had been alone, he definitely would not have dared act tough before that youth. But with dozens of them here, if they slunk away because of one person, the Floating Light Martial Arts School would lose all its face.
"Director Chen, what do you mean by this? Our Floating Light Martial Arts School's Floating Cloud Sword Style Director Mu Zixiao ranks second among martial arts school directors in Jinning Commandery!"
"Second among martial arts schools, maybe. Stop flattering yourselves."
Someone hidden among the crowd sneered, making the Floating Light Martial Arts School members' faces alternate between green and white.
"Coach Fu, what's wrong with martial arts schools?" A girl around thirteen or fourteen years old in the Floating Cloud Martial Arts School group asked with a puzzled expression.
She had only joined the Floating Cloud Martial Arts School less than a week ago. Before that, she had barely practiced even the basic Martial Dao exercises and had simply treated it as a hobby class.
Within the Floating Cloud Martial Arts School, students like her made up seventy or eighty percent of the total.
"It's nothing. They're just a bunch of antiques who have long failed to keep up with the times." Coach Fu gently rubbed the girl's hair.
"The wheels of progress cannot be stopped. Anyone who dares stand in the way of the greater trend will be mercilessly crushed."
He looked coldly at Chen Xu, who was surrounded by more than a dozen Floating Cloud Martial Arts School students, and said softly, "After all, this is the Martial Pavilion. Just beat him half-crippled. Let him learn the consequences of opposing the Floating Cloud Martial Arts School."
"Got it, Coach. Brat, let me show you the ultimate technique of the Floating Cloud Martial Arts School, Flowing Cloud Palm."
As he spoke, his palms drifted unpredictably up and down as he gradually closed in on Chen Xu.
His fist came swiftly, but Chen Xu drove a punch straight at his face.
So fast. That was the only thought left in the man's mind before he toppled backward.
"Adding a pile of flashy, unnecessary movements, then reducing the difficulty of In-Ranked Martial Arts to create a castrated version—is that what you call martial arts?"
Chen Xu's gaze swept over the Floating Cloud Martial Arts School trainees. "I could take on a hundred weaklings like this!"
The level-one Tiger Might special effect erupted. The footsteps of the people closest to Chen Xu suddenly slowed, and they all felt as if the person before them had transformed into a roaring tiger ready to devour its prey.
The sounds of fists and feet striking flesh mixed with the screams of the Floating Cloud Martial Arts School disciples. On average, one or two people were knocked out of the fighting circle or collapsed to the ground every second.
Coach Fu and Senior Sister Tong rushed in to attack, intending to seize Chen Xu.
Their straight, long legs kicked out one after another, flowing endlessly like water.
"You two have barely reached In-Ranked. At least you're qualified to call yourselves Martial Artists."
Chen Xu commented softly. The martial arts the two practiced were clearly close to proper Martial Dao combat techniques, far beyond the flashy moves of those disciples from before.
But for the sake of spectacle, some techniques had been removed or altered. To Chen Xu, they were equally incapable of withstanding a single blow!
His hand formed a blade, and without hesitation, he knocked both of them down before striding out of the Martial Pavilion.
Before you continue