Chapter 74

All the martial arts academies had arrived, even though no martial master had personally shown up yet. Everyone represented their respective martial arts academies, giving Huishan Fist a face.

If the main character, Wei He, didn't appear by the scheduled time, it would be considered impolite, a serious breach of etiquette.

Zheng Fugui looked around and noticed that some people were already whispering and gossiping.

Feiyecheng hadn't produced a third-stage Blood Qi practitioner in several years. Originally, everyone wanted to come and see what Huishan Fist had that allowed them to break through the constraints and cultivate a new genius, something no one else had managed to do.

But now it seemed...

"From the rumors, everyone thought Wei He was so impressive, but who knows if he really broke through? It might just be their martial academy exaggerating and making up a fake one."

"He hasn't shown up yet. Maybe he's too scared to come out?"

"Shouldn't the host be here early?"

"Is Huishan Fist just planning to let us come and walk around, without even showing us anything?"

A few people from martial arts academies not close to Huishan Fist also started to murmur quietly.

They didn't dare to say anything directly to Zheng Fugui, the advanced martial artist, but they still whispered among themselves.

"Master Zheng, it's almost time," Jiang Su whispered, reminding him. She was also getting anxious. Wei He had eaten lunch with her at noon, so where was he now?

Not long after, Wei Ying arrived. She looked around but couldn't find her brother. Feeling uneasy, she was seated next to Zheng Fugui for protection.

"Master Zheng, it seems that Junior Brother Wei must have been delayed by something. Since it's almost time, why don't we start with an opening ceremony to warm up the atmosphere?" Zhang Lu, who had overheard some of the gossip, his face flushed, felt he couldn't tolerate it.

He hadn't faced a challenge, but martial artists were all passionate. They trained their skills every day, so how could they act cowardly at a crucial moment?

"What do you mean?" Zheng Fugui was also at a loss. Hearing this suggestion, he immediately agreed and nodded.

"Alright, Zhao Hong, get ready..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Lu had already rushed to the center of the venue.

The seats of the inner court were arranged in a circle, leaving a large open space in the middle for demonstrations.

Zhang Lu's sudden appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.

He clasped his fists and shouted, "I am Zhang Lu, an inner court disciple of Huishan Fist. Since so many friends have gathered here today, why don't we have a small sparring session to warm up the atmosphere?"

"Warm up? Hey, I like that."

A person from Bat Fist, which had a good relationship with Huishan Fist, stepped forward and gave a slight bow to Zhang Lu.

"I am Cheng Xi, an inner court disciple of Bat Fist. Please, Senior Brother Zhang, guide me."

Between different martial arts academies, they often addressed each other as "Senior Brother" to show respect.

It was like some people who called everyone "Big Brother."

"Senior Brother Cheng, you're too kind." Zhang Lu didn't waste words. He stepped forward, and after the pre-fight etiquette, they took their stances.

"Be careful." Cheng Xi took a step forward, his arms moving like wings, wide and unpredictable. This was the unique style of Bat Fist, making it hard to judge his attack route.

Bat Fist experts moved like shadows, making it impossible to tell where they would strike.

But Zhang Lu was no ordinary fighter. Huishan Fist's counterattack was straightforward, aiming directly at the opponent's chest with a powerful punch.

This punch was immediately blocked.

The two quickly engaged in a fierce fight, immediately drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd.

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......

By the Feiyeh River.

Wei He's face was grim as he stared at the white-masked figure in front of him.

"Are you from the Katori Sect?!"

He never expected that the white-masked figure would be from the Katori Sect.

During the interrogation, he found that the Katori Sect was poorly managed, with rapid personnel turnover. With the suppression of the Seven Families Alliance, he thought they wouldn't amount to much.

But he never expected that the Katori Sect would have such a powerful and mysterious expert.

But thinking about it, it made sense. The Katori Sect was a major force that could stand up to the Seven Families Alliance. Without a few experts, how could they compete?

What puzzled him was that the first to approach him was the Katori Sect.

"You have now reached the third stage of Blood Qi. Do you know that from now on, things will be different? With the power of Qi, you can refine your body. But that's not enough," the masked figure said calmly. "If you join our sect, we will teach you the secret of Fragrant Qi, which is more than twice as powerful as Huishan Fist's Huishan Qi. The stronger the Qi, the stronger your body will be after refinement. The gap will only grow wider over time, until it becomes unimaginable."

"I appreciate your offer, but I have no intention of changing my allegiance. And if I were to change sides so easily, you wouldn't think I was sincere. So, I'm sorry, please leave," Wei He said calmly.

"You still don't understand," the masked figure shook his head. "But it's not a problem. One day, when you come with me, and listen to the teachings of our sect leader, you will soon change your mind and join us."

As he spoke, he suddenly lunged forward, moving like a light, white leaf, and appeared in front of Wei He in an instant.

Puff!

He struck with a palm. As his Blood Qi surged, a faint red mark appeared on his palm.

At the same time, a strange force spread out.

Without hesitation, Wei He channeled Huishan Fist, his fists turning black as he met the palm.

He was about to block the palm, but suddenly, things changed.

The palm suddenly turned left, then down, and then right, tracing a complex and unpredictable path, and struck Wei He's chest with a light touch.

"This is Fragrant Qi," the masked figure laughed, stepped back, and disappeared into the distance.

Wei He stood alone, his face dark.

He opened his shirt and saw that the iron plate and multiple layers of leather under his chest were deeply indented.

A clear palm print was left on the iron plate.

"What a strange palm force..." The strength of the opponent's Blood Qi was not particularly strong, also at the third stage, but the path of the palm and the force were completely different from other palm techniques.

During the brief exchange, he had the impulse to use the Five Ridges Palm and the Flying Dragon Technique to instantly kill the opponent.

But in the end, he pretended to be unable to avoid the palm and took the hit.

There were two reasons for this.

First, the opponent's Blood Qi was not very strong, and the touch was light, clearly just a test and a show of force.

Second, he had used the Five Ridges Palm to kill many Katori Sect members and the Flying Dragon Technique in Shaoyang Mountain.

If his identity were exposed, it would be a big problem.

So, without absolute certainty of killing the person, he wouldn't use his full strength.

"The Katori Sect... too bad... you're lucky." Wei He's eyes lowered. He had almost used the other two techniques.

If he had, his speed, strength, and Qi would have increased significantly. With a few tricks, he could have killed the opponent. But who knew if the opponent was also hiding strength...

Suddenly, he realized that the ceremony at Huishan Fist was about to start.

He quickly turned and rushed to the academy.

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At Huishan Fist's inner court.

Pang!

Zhang Lu's punch once again ended in a draw.

They had been fighting for a while, and Zhang Lu and Cheng Xi were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.

While they were enjoying the fight, the others were getting impatient.

Pang! Zhang Lu and Cheng Xi separated again, about to exchange some polite words.

"How long are you going to fight? Let me see Huishan Fist's skills."

A person from Iron Sand Fist stepped forward into the ring.

He was short and stocky, with a square face and sharp eyes, exuding a sharp aura.

He wore a blue short-sleeved shirt, and there were black lines on the backs of his hands, extending up to his forearms.

"I am Chen Jian from Iron Sand Fist."

After introducing himself, he immediately punched at Zhang Lu.

Cheng Xi from Bat Fist couldn't continue, so he stepped back to avoid a two-on-one situation.

Chen Jian's punches were powerful and direct, with immense strength.

Iron Sand Fist wasn't as explosive as Huishan Fist, but it was overwhelming, and once it gained the upper hand, it could amplify that advantage.

Chen Jian's fast and relentless rhythm forced Zhang Lu to struggle. In just a few rounds, he landed a punch on Zhang Lu's shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

"Thank you for the match." Chen Jian's eyes flashed with disappointment.

He had rushed over as soon as he heard about Huishan Fist's breakthrough, eager to test his skills.

If Huishan Fist could produce a third-stage Blood Qi expert, they must be very strong.

But now it seemed... the guy in front of him would have been knocked down in five moves if he hadn't held back.

"You're too weak. Send someone stronger." Chen Jian didn't hide his dissatisfaction.

He was obsessed with martial arts and had rushed over, only to face such a weak opponent.

He had barely seen real combat, and his strikes lacked power and decisiveness.

Such a person... if left in the wild outside the city, wouldn't last a day.

He remembered when he went to Shaoyang Mountain, almost being killed by those cunning fat men.

That experience still made him wary of Shaoyang Mountain outside the city, where the fat men were not only strong but also full of tricks.

"You!!" Zhang Lu had never been so humiliated. Although he knew Chen Jian was straightforward, being insulted in public was too much.

"Zhang Lu, let me handle it." Jiang Su stepped forward from Huishan Fist's side.

Zhang Lu was new to the inner court and still weak.

With Wei He absent, Zhao Hong, as the strongest disciple, couldn't come out immediately.

So, she had to step up.

Chen Jian shrugged. "Just so you know, I won't hold back just because you're a woman."

"That's fine." Jiang Su, though not as talented as Zhang Lu, had trained longer and had more combat experience. Zhang Lu had only recently broken through, so his experience was limited.

They faced each other and immediately engaged.

As soon as Jiang Su entered the ring, she understood why Zhang Lu had lost so quickly.

Chen Jian's techniques were fast and powerful, and his follow-up strength was immense. After just a few exchanges, her forearms ached, and her muscles struggled to keep up.

"Are you even capable?" Chen Jian was getting angry. He hadn't come to play with weaklings. He wanted to test his skills against a third-stage Blood Qi genius!

Is Huishan Fist really producing a third-stage Blood Qi expert?

He quickly changed his technique, dodged Jiang Su's hands, and landed a punch on her shoulder, knocking her to the ground.

"Can you send someone stronger? Not just weaklings or women. Is Huishan Fist even serious? If not, why don't you all come at once?" He was getting more and more frustrated.