...Moments earlier
"Tiger, did you call me over just to watch these children play house?"
To Black Tiger's right, Jiang Liuchuan, a personal disciple of the White Crane Martial Arts Hall, lounged lazily in a reclining chair, bored out of his mind.
To an expert at nine refinements like him, watching a bunch of third-refinement fighters spar was no different from watching helpless chickens peck at each other.
Had Black Tiger not invited him repeatedly, he would never have come.
But after watching for a while, he found it utterly boring.
"A-Chuan, how confident are you about your fight with Wen Tailai of the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School in two months?" Black Tiger asked.
"I'm not confident, but I'll be the one who wins in the end," Jiang Liuchuan said, narrowing his eyes.
"I know you intend to use a secret art to force a breakthrough to ten refinements... but that's foolish!"
"Hm?" Jiang Liuchuan frowned at Black Tiger.
"Your horizons are too narrow... Wen Tailai may be the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School's greatest genius, renowned throughout Black Mountain, but among the younger generation in the commandery city, he barely ranks at the bottom. In the prefectural city, he would be beneath mention...
"To deal with someone like that, you would risk failure and backlash to force your way to ten refinements. Even if you won, what would it amount to?
"The struggle of the martial path has never been about a moment's victory...
"If you remain fixated on this, someday you'll end up like me, regretting it when it's too late!"
Looking at Black Tiger's head of white hair, Jiang Liuchuan fell silent.
Sitting together, the two looked at first glance like father and son.
That was not the case. Black Tiger was only four or five years older than him.
Black Tiger had ended up like this because he had fought too recklessly in his youth, repeatedly burning his blood and qi and damaging his foundation.
Precisely because of that.
Black Tiger, who had once had hopes of reaching twelve refinements, had only reached ten refinements, and would find it difficult to make another breakthrough in his lifetime.
"Of all Fang Hall Master's disciples, you're the most gifted. If you could settle down and cultivate, reaching twelve refinements wouldn't be difficult. When that time comes, why would a mere Wen Tailai even be worth mentioning?"
At those words.
Jiang Liuchuan looked thoughtful.
Then he raised his head and said solemnly, "Tiger, thank you for the guidance. I owe you a favor."
Black Tiger laughed, gratified. "We're brothers. What's this talk of owing favors... Just watch and relax. This selection of the Five Tiger Generals will be quite interesting."
"Oh?"
Jiang Liuchuan's interest stirred.
Just then.
A bronze glow radiated from Huang Man'er's entire body as he severely injured Ximen Bao with three punches, sending him flying backward, vomiting blood.
"Copper skin?!"
Surprise appeared on Jiang Liuchuan's face. "I never expected you to have such a promising talent under your command."
Black Tiger was equally startled.
Violent Bear never told me about this copper skin.
Yet his expression betrayed nothing, steady as an old dog.
"Someone who develops copper skin at the third refinement is one in a thousand, a person of astonishing talent. It seems this fight's outcome is already decided."
"It's still too early to say that."
"Hm? Could that boy have copper skin too?!"
Black Tiger smiled without answering.
"Now, am I qualified?" Huang Man'er stared at Wei Sheng, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
"Copper skin?"
Wei Sheng raised his brows slightly. "You've got some strength. You're good enough to take three punches from me!"
As soon as he said that.
The entire crowd erupted:
"Holy shit! What's this kid saying?"
"Everyone who develops copper skin in the Skin Refinement Realm has a deep foundation and astonishing talent. People like that have tempered their skin to its utmost limit, giving them defensive strength far beyond their peers. Against martial artists of the same refinement, they practically crush them...
"Even someone as strong as Ximen Bao was severely injured by three punches from Huang Man'er... Does he even understand what copper skin is worth? Take three punches from you? What difference would taking a hundred make?"
"Meanwhile, one casual punch from Huang Man'er could leave you badly injured!"
Even Violent Bear could not resist sneering. "Fire Ox, this subordinate of yours is really something. If I remember correctly, he's been cultivating for less than three months. Even if he lucked his way to the third refinement, he's only in its early stage, not even the late stage. Where does he get the nerve to talk so big?"
"What? He reached the third refinement in three months?!"
The gang members who had been mocking Wei Sheng were instantly startled, their voices much quieter than before.
In three months, they could at most progress from the early to the middle stage of the first refinement.
Yet Wei Sheng had gone from the first refinement to the third?!
What kind of fucking monster was he!
"Three months?!"
Jiang Liuchuan was slightly startled.
Even Black Tiger's expression changed. "A-Chuan, how long did it take you to go from the first refinement to the third?!"
"About a year and a half, I think. I broke the hall's record for the fastest breakthrough to the third refinement, and then Master took notice of me and accepted me as his disciple..."
Jiang Liuchuan's voice abruptly stopped, and he looked at Wei Sheng with a complicated expression.
If what Violent Bear said was true, what did the talent he took such pride in amount to before Wei Sheng?
"But this boy is far too arrogant! Defense is copper skin's greatest strength. Even an ordinary fourth-refinement fighter would struggle to defeat someone with copper skin in three punches."
"Hard to say..."
Black Tiger shook his head.
"Arrogant!"
Huang Man'er also felt the contempt in Wei Sheng's words, and fury surged in his eyes. "Let's see how you defeat me in three punches!"
Boom!
He stamped hard against the ground and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Stepping, drawing in his palm, clenching his fist, punching-he completed it all in one fluid motion!
"Flying Bear Fist!"
One moment, he had still been stepping forward more than ten meters away. The next, his fist, carrying a tremendous three thousand five hundred jin of force, was already upon Wei Sheng, smashing down at his head!
The other gang members could not help crying out at the sight.
Some even looked at Wei Sheng with pity.
After all, Ximen Bao, who was at the late stage of the third refinement, had just been beaten helpless by such an overpowering punch and forced out with severe injuries.
Even if Wei Sheng had a few tricks, he had only just entered the third refinement. He probably did not even possess two thousand jin of strength. How could he block such a ferocious punch?
Smack!
But the next moment, everyone's eyes widened as Huang Man'er's furious punch was caught in a single hand.
Wei Sheng had caught that punch one-handed?!
How was that possible?!
No one could believe it.
Huang Man'er froze for a moment, instinctively pressing his lips together. Then he swung another punch at Wei Sheng's left waist, faster and fiercer than before!
Smack!
Wei Sheng caught it one-handed again. As though he could not feel the astonishing force within that punch, he remained utterly unmoved.
Three thousand five hundred jin of punching force might be formidable to other third-refinement fighters, but to Wei Sheng, who possessed a tremendous five thousand jin of strength, it was nowhere near enough.
Smack! Smack!
Refusing to believe it, Huang Man'er attacked with ever greater speed and ferocity.
But no matter where he attacked from, that palm always appeared at just the right moment to catch his fist.
After more than a dozen fruitless attacks, sweat began beading on his forehead, and he started to feel weak.
"That's about enough. Now it's my turn!"
A soft voice came from above his head.
At those words, Huang Man'er suddenly felt his scalp prickle, as though he were walking through the wilderness and had been marked by a fierce tiger.
Humm-
Without the slightest hesitation, Huang Man'er instantly drove all his blood and qi to their limit. The bronze glow on his body grew ever more dazzling, as though he had donned golden armor capable of withstanding any attack.
"Rampaging Ox Charges Across the Wilderness!"
Wei Sheng's taut body extended, like a drawn bow suddenly released.
His fist shot out like an arrow and slammed into Huang Man'er's chest, instantly sending him flying more than ten meters and scattering the bronze glow on his body.
Huang Man'er staggered and steadied himself. A sweet, bloody taste rose in his throat, but he forcibly swallowed it back down. Still, he could not hide the shock on his face.
"Copper skin certainly lives up to its name. You actually took a punch from me... Good! I'll get serious with the next one!"
Excitement appeared on Wei Sheng's face. This was the first time he had encountered a martial artist of the same refinement who could withstand a punch from him head-on.
Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed his full strength!
Five thousand jin of tremendous force!
Savage Bull Fist at perfection!
The two powerful forces fused into one astonishing punch!
"Ox Demon Gores with Its Horns!"
As his fist shot out, countless waves of air burst through the space before him. Above his fist, those surging waves faintly outlined the phantom of a black ox demon. The ox demon roared with a deafening sound!
Huang Man'er's face paled. Even the blood and qi he had just forcibly stirred seemed scattered by that roar. He could only watch helplessly as that astonishing punch came hurtling toward him!
"Stop!"
At that critical moment, an urgent shout came from outside the arena.
The next instant, a burly figure two meters tall blocked Huang Man'er from view and struck a palm at Wei Sheng.
"Violent Bear, don't you dare!"
Fire Ox's furious shout came from behind Wei Sheng. He was just about to intervene, but the next second, his eyes widened in disbelief.
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