Was that a killing look? Li Yongjun’s paralyzed body instinctively shivered, and he quickly spun around, shouting first, “I concede.”
Even if the Black Market Fist faction admitted defeat, the duel would naturally conclude, especially in a match described as merely a “casual spar.”
Qin Fen sighed inwardly. This man was not only ruthless but also incredibly quick-witted, instantly analyzing the situation and admitting defeat, understanding the wisdom of preserving one's strength for a future fight. He was far smarter than Liang Tao. If he had allowed Li Yongjun to counterattack and seek revenge, the danger posed by him would likely surpass that of Liang Tao.
The instructors were quite surprised. The last time the Grappling King, Hu Bell, had beaten Li Yongjun so badly he was unrecognizable, yet this young man had gritted his teeth and refused to yield. What was different today? He admitted defeat after just one punch?
Two members studying the new Taekwondo with Li Yongjun hurried forward to help their former instructor.
Qin Fen frowned slightly. Li Yongjun’s arm was broken into several segments. The movement of his rising body caused the fractured limb to swing uncontrollably from side to side, like a pendulum on an antique clock. The resulting intense pain only made the corner of his lip twitch a few times; this stoicism was as dangerous as a venomous snake hiding in the grass.
This man must be eliminated somehow! He was even more dangerous than Liang Tao! Qin Fen’s eyebrow arched as he looked toward the towering, iron-tower-like man standing not far away.
A pair of hands, as large as cattail fans, clapped together steadily and powerfully. The rhythmic sound slowly echoed through the hall.
Pat, pat, pat...
The large man had fewer than ten members gathered around him. Qin Fen could sense that among all the instructors in the hall, this man possessed the greatest strength!
Grappling King Hu Bell! The expressions of all the instructors shifted in unison. This nine-star level instructor was vastly, overwhelmingly stronger and more solid than Li Yongjun. His mastery of the Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body had reached its true peak! When Li Yongjun’s fists and kicks landed on him that day, it was like striking sheet steel—it only made a dull thud, incapable of inflicting even the slightest damage.
“Kid, I don't like Li Yongjun,” Hu Bell walked out, people automatically clearing a path for him. He continued, “So, I don’t seek revenge for him. However, after watching your footwork just now, I truly wish to have a genuine exchange of skills with you.”
Qin Fen sized up Hu Bell. His height of two meters did not affect the stability of his lower stance. His arms swung with power, and his muscle definition was smooth, not rigid or lifeless flesh. As he walked, he carried an aura of immense, upright presence! Could there truly be a martial artist of this caliber in the Tianma Fitness Club?
Li Yongjun raised his left arm, which was finally no longer numb, and wiped the bloodstain from his lip. A cold sneer lingered at the corner of his mouth. No matter how strong Qin Fen’s nine-star power was, he absolutely couldn't be Hu Bell’s match, especially considering one of the esoteric arts among nine-star martial artists...
The Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body comprised thirteen levels of technique. Reaching its true peak only granted nine-star strength, causing many martial artists to avoid choosing it when selecting their skills.
Furthermore, while the peak of the Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body was only nine-star strength, the difficulty of its cultivation was far more rigorous than newer ancient martial arts like Iron Cloth Shirt, Earth Vajra Body, or Steel Physique. The brutal conditioning required caused countless people to abandon this martial art due to its poor cost-performance ratio.
However, where there is a drawback, there is also an advantage. For any martial art practiced to its final layer, reaching its true peak—the moment of achieving perfect mastery—that is when its true power is displayed.
Hu Bell, a man in his mid-thirties, had forcibly mastered the final, most arduous layer of the Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body last year!
The power of the perfected Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body was far beyond what the twelfth layer could withstand. Although mastering the twelfth layer already made one a nine-star martial artist, the moment the thirteenth layer was achieved, Li Yongjun knew that perhaps no one else among the nine-stars could defeat him!
The other martial arts instructors also remembered that Li Yongjun’s punches and kicks, which could pulverize hard rock and leave marks on steel plates, had less effect on Hu Bell than a mosquito bite.
Li Yongjun also recalled that his strikes that day had felt like hitting the hull of an aircraft carrier—utterly immovable. Instead, he had been thrown around dizzyingly by Hu Bell’s grappling techniques.
Eventually, because Li Yongjun refused to concede, the good-tempered Hu Bell abandoned his wrestling skills and brought out his ultimate technique: a world-shattering strike from his Stone Shattering Jade Breaking Fist, which punched straight through a reinforced concrete pillar in the hall... and that spar finally ended.
The Grappling King wasn't just about wrestling! Li Yongjun watched Qin Fen with malicious glee. He hadn't even needed to call his Second Uncle for help, and this young Lieutenant Colonel was already about to face misfortune.
“Good!”
Qin Fen assumed his stance, not forgetting to glance at Li Yongjun. Such a dangerous, venomous person must not be given the chance to strike with his poison needles.
Hu Bell smiled cheerfully at Qin ফেন. His left and right feet shifted up and down with his shoulders, and a peculiar rhythm instantly formed within his body.
Manager Hua sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. The gap in strength between Hu Bell and Li Yongjun was immense. The incident where Hu Bell had gone berserk and smashed through the concrete pillar was still vividly recalled every time he closed his eyes.
The martial arts instructors grew even more interested. Qin Fen had just defeated Li Yongjun with a single punch, and Hu Bell had once beaten Li Yongjun until he was black and blue in a mere flip of his hands.
The bell for the match sounded as soon as both sides took their stances.
With the clang of the bell, Hu Bell began circling Qin Fen, his body constantly swaying, like a large, endearing bear performing a hula dance.
Qin Fen felt a subtle surge of excitement. He had witnessed many forms of combat, but grappling was truly a first for him. Although it was often said that nine out of ten fights end in a grapple, he had never actually wrestled anyone before.
After circling twice in his bear-dancing manner, Hu Bell’s large mouth split open into a simple, honest grin. He stomped down hard on the two giant tatami mats, causing the floorboards under the spectators sitting in the distance to suddenly vibrate.
It was as if Hu Bell had planted a landmine under the tatami. The hard yet somewhat elastic mat shattered into messy fragments, curling upwards centered around his foot, forming a small, whirlwind-like vortex.
Some martial arts instructors covered their mouths and gasped lightly. This stomp from Hu Bell was no ordinary push of the ankle; it carried immense rotational force—it was essentially a rotational launch.
His bear-like body moved far faster than any bear. His two thick arms suddenly swelled in the air, even thicker by a full circumference than Qin Fen’s thighs.
A contest of strength? Qin Fen sank his horse stance, merging completely with the ground. He raised both hands and directly met Hu Bell’s arms.
Crazy? To wrestle with the Grappling King? Several martial arts instructors cried out internally, didn't they see the difference in physique between the two?!
Li Yongjun even let out a cold snort from his nostrils. The Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body wasn't just about making the body invulnerable; once the final layer was mastered, strength increased dramatically—lifting someone like a small chicken would become simple! To try and compete in sheer force with the Grappling King? Utterly overestimating himself!
Bang! Bang!
Their arms became entangled. Qin Fen immediately felt considerable force transmitted through both arms. Under the pressure of this collision, the tatami beneath his feet finally yielded with a snap, reducing to the thinness of paper.
“Slam him to the ground!” Li Yongjun’s suppressed excitement and hatred burst out in a high-pitched shout that cut through the quiet martial grounds: “Slam him to the ground!”
Hu Bell’s shoulders twitched. The unified force from his feet surged upward, forcefully lifting Qin Fen’s arms!
Huh!
A trace of surprise flashed in Hu Bell’s eyes. In the past, with this grab and lift, his opponent’s feet would have long since left the ground. Why was there absolutely no reaction this time? Did this man also practice the Thousand Jin Drop? Even if he practiced Thousand Jin Drop, it shouldn't matter!
After a brief shock, Hu Bell rapidly circulated his internal Zhenqi. The large sinews on his thick arms bulged like black dragons coiled around his limbs.
Lift again!
Still completely unmoving...
Another thought flashed through Hu Bell’s mind: The perfected Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body granted strength equivalent to three thousand jin! Even if someone practiced Thousand Jin Drop, that was only a thousand jin—how could it possibly resist?
I don't believe it! Hu Bell shifted his body to the side, inserting himself into Qin Fen's center line, bracing his back against Qin Fen’s chest, and violently pulling both arms to execute the Back Toss technique.
Four thousand jin? Hu Bell was shocked again. The moment Qin Fen’s feet left the ground, his weight was close to four thousand jin?
Bang!
Qin Fen was thrown less than a meter. Hu Bell’s forehead glistened with sweat. He stared blankly at Qin Fen, who had deliberately allowed himself to be thrown. What kind of Thousand Jin Drop did this kid practice? He possessed a strength of four thousand jin.
Qin Fen rose from the ground, also showing a hint of surprise. This was the first time he had seen someone capable of lifting four thousand jin: “Want to continue?”
“No more throws,” Hu Bell stated bluntly, shaking his head. “With your four thousand jin weight, I cannot defeat you with throws. Let’s exchange fists and kicks…”
“Good…”
Before Qin Fen could finish speaking, his left and right feet stomped simultaneously against the ground, and the less than one-meter distance between them vanished as if by instantaneous teleportation. His left hand struck with an Extruding Cannon Punch against Hu Bell’s lower abdomen, right on those eight solid muscles.
Bang!
The impact sounded like hitting a car tire. Hu Bell staggered back several steps before stabilizing himself. The rock-hard muscle in his abdomen visibly indented, then rebounded and bulged back almost instantly, recovering miraculously as if inflated.
Qin Fen spread his five fingers, shook them fiercely, and then clenched them back together, causing the air to explode with a pop. He stared at Hu Bell in surprise. That punch hadn't injured him at all? That punch could have easily deformed a slightly thinner steel plate, yet against this man, it had no effect whatsoever?
“Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body?” Qin Fen stared at Hu Bell in astonishment. It was indeed the protective ancient martial art of Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body, but how could the defense be this strong? If he hadn't already reached the nine-star level, and if his Zhenqi projection and shockwave proficiency hadn't progressed so far, facing this in an eight-star state—even simulating the use of Vajra Suppression Yuan Force to boost the explosive power of the Sixteen Dragons Gathering Wind and Cloud—might only then truly injure the opponent?
Of course... provided he could even land a hit!
“Heh heh...” Hu Bell raised his hand to touch the spot on his abdomen that had been struck. “That’s right, the perfected realm of the Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body. Among martial artists of the same level, you are the first one whose perfected body has shown deformation.”
Qin Fen nodded in realization, a degree of admiration entering his eyes. The cultivation of the thirteenth layer of the Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body was rumored to be almost self-abusive ascetic practice. Anyone who could accomplish it possessed great willpower and deserved respect.
“Kid, got anything new?” Hu Bell flexed his shoulders. “If not, I’m going to make my move.”
Qin Fen rotated his shoulders, mentally conducting a review. The power of any martial art once it reached perfection could not be compared using its prior foundational levels. The perfected Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body certainly had grounds for pride and arrogance among the nine-stars.
Qin Fen adopted the stance of the twenty-four simplified Tai Chi forms, sweeping his arm in a 'Playing the Pipa' posture, and smiled: “I have something new. How about you?”
As the word “you” landed, Hu Bell stomped his feet, completely erasing the distance between them. His spine rose and fell like a vast, undulating river. He channeled force into his arm, whipping it out to break the air, squeezing and twisting the air in front of his fist before sending it crashing toward Qin Fen’s head.
This time, Hu Bell used his full strength. The surrounding tatami mats shook as if about to spring up, and the area where people sat shuddered even more.
Manager Hua sighed inwardly. It looked like the top-floor flooring would need inspection after today. It wouldn't be good if the building collapsed someday.
The hammering force of the Vajra Tail Whip punch did not seal Qin Fen’s path of evasion. Hu Bell was confident Qin Fen would not dodge; this man seemed to favor head-on confrontations.
Qin Fen drew his leg up, bent his knee, sank into a horse stance, and lightly clenched his palm. It wasn't the usual tight fist but carried a slight resemblance to the seal of an Imperial Edict. His arm shot up from his waist, meeting the incoming punch in a purely head-on collision to receive the shattering fist unleashed by the Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body.
Dong...
The two fists collided, sounding like the sudden striking of a giant war drum on an ancient battlefield. Visible air currents jetted out in all directions. The audible, crisp sound of bone and muscle impacting echoed as their knuckles met.
Hu Bell’s arm swelled like an elephant's leg, his massive fist almost as large as Qin Fen’s head. The combat power of the Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body instantly soared to its zenith!
Everyone stared at Qin Fen’s arm in shock. Compared to Hu Bell’s thick limb, his own, which was normally considered strong, now looked fragile as a matchstick.
Yet, in that collision, this fragile, matchstick-like arm made no sound of shattering bone, nor any sound of breaking.
In that single clash, the tatami beneath their feet was the first to succumb to the tangled forces generated by the impact. With a ripping sound, Chirala, the tatami shredded into countless fragments, which, propelled by the force of the collision and entanglement, flew up almost three meters high, forming a massive circular vortex of flying debris.
A huge figure shot out from the swirling debris...
People were astonished to see that the one being forced back was the brawny Hu Bell. For the first time, his feet, which had never left the ground, involuntarily flew up. After retreating five meters, he landed again, staggering back eight steps. Wherever his feet touched, the tatami turned into flying fragments.
The keen-eyed martial artists noticed that the protective Gang aura of Hu Bell’s Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body was showing signs of dissipation. Although not completely gone, it was no longer as tight and compact as it had been at the start of the fight.
“What a powerful punch!” Hu Bell made no attempt to hide it, rubbing his now numb and unconscious right arm while repeatedly praising, “This is the first time I’ve seen someone among the nine-stars break through my Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body! What kind of fist is that? It looks so strange—more like an ancient seal?”
“This...” Qin Fen smiled, looking at the fist shaped like both a jade seal and an ancient royal emblem. “It’s a friend’s technique. I haven't fully replicated it. That person calls it Exterminating Nine Generations; I call it Five Qi Returning to the Origin.”
Hu Bell nodded repeatedly, constantly murmuring praise, showing no displeasure on his face despite the defeat. His eyes were filled only with the excitement and joy following a great battle.
The other martial arts instructors were dumbfounded. The Grappling King Hu Bell had been defeated! Hu Bell, who had easily beaten Li Yongjun black and blue, who was rumored to be nearly invincible among the nine-stars—he was defeated?
Some people were staring at the spot where Qin Fen stood. The specially constructed floor of the building, built after careful calculation, now showed a small patch of spiderweb cracks.
Perhaps these cracks wouldn't affect the structural safety of the building, but it was certainly not a situation where two ordinary people fighting could crack the floor.
Li Yongjun sucked in a cold breath. In his venomous eyes was a trace of secret relief. He was thankful he had been wise enough to concede earlier; otherwise, if this man had insisted on continuing the fight, his life might have been forfeit.
“I heard someone came here to challenge the hall?”
From outside the hall door came a pleasant voice laced with curiosity and excitement. Almost everyone in the hall displayed a look of happy relief.
Today, Manager Hua had casually brought in a young man who first took down Li Yongjun with one punch, and then proceeded to defeat Hu Bell, who had perfected the Thirteen Protections of Hardened Body. This was essentially a blatant slap in the face.
If no one could suppress this young man today, the income of the martial arts department at the Tianma Fitness Club would likely plummet for a long time to come.
Now? The crowd didn't need to worry about that problem anymore, because the freak, Wang Ying, had returned!
Qin Fen turned to look at the woman approaching. She stood about 1.72 meters tall, and her long legs accounted for almost two-thirds of her height, making her particularly striking. The neat ponytail held by a red hair clip added a unique flavor.
“Are you the one clearing out the place?” Wang Ying rotated her neck and walked straight into the fighting area, a slight frown between her brows. “Kid, haven’t I seen you somewhere before? You look familiar!”
“This should be our first meeting,” Qin Fen said. He raised his hand and removed the heavy lead wrist guards he wore, tossing them casually onto the adjacent tatami mat. The solid mat immediately sank significantly, accompanied by a loud thud.
This sound captured everyone’s attention, and Wang Ying’s eyes instantly brightened.
“When wearing the heavy lead suit, I couldn't beat you,” Qin Fen stated honestly as he removed the weighted wraps from his other wrist and his ankles.
P.S. The first chapter today is nearly two hours late... but the word count is significantly higher than usual. Gaolou needs to fight for monthly tickets and will definitely update as fast as possible, but my typing speed is slow, so I’ll just sit here a bit longer.
The reason for the late update today is that I woke up late, around nine o’clock... and in the middle, I took a call from a good friend who advised me not to push myself so hard. Haha, they truly meant well, worrying about my health.
In the end, I still have to ask for monthly tickets! With such good momentum, I absolutely cannot give up. Everyone who has a monthly ticket, please lend me your strength, thank you! Too many unfortunate things happened in 2009; I hope things can turn around this time.