In a daze, Master Gu found himself standing in an enormous, empty hall, dark brown wooden floorboards beneath his feet.
Around him, dozens of young people in white martial arts uniforms lay on the floor, groaning in pain.
Master Gu frowned. The scene felt strangely familiar.
As he hesitated, a furious shout rang in his ear.
"Gu Su, you've gone too far!" a middle-aged man yelled at him, his face tight with anger.
Master Gu looked startled. It had been a long time since anyone had called him by his real name.
How did this man know it?
Then something struck him. The man's face stirred memories long buried deep within him.
He reached up and touched his face.
His skin was still somewhat rough, but the wrinkles were gone.
Master Gu looked down at his arms.
The muscles beneath his bronze skin were full and firm.
He realized he had returned to his younger days.
Everything before him was something he had experienced firsthand.
The middle-aged man looked furious, but there was unmistakable fear in his eyes as he watched Master Gu.
The man strode to the hall's entrance and leaped up to take down a plaque hanging above it.
Four prominent characters were engraved on it in gold.
[Number One in Jiangnan].
"This is what you wanted, isn't it? Fine, take it!" the man said bitterly, driving his knee into the center of the plaque.
The plaque snapped in two.
"Gu Su." The man threw the plaque to the floor. Tears filled his eyes as he spoke in a rage. "You ruined my reputation, my Martial Arts Hall, everything I had."
Master Gu shook his head. He was about to speak when the man went on. "I don't care what you do to me, but did you spare