’Cursing Zheng Sihai in my head is useless,’ he thought. ’The man trained a Demon Evil God. How am I supposed to fight that?’
He finally took a deep breath.
"The circumstances are beyond my control. Your Martial Arts are superior, and we are no match for you.
"We’ll do whatever you say."
At these words, Fang Shuwen turned to look at Zheng Sihai.
Zheng Sihai was sitting there, leisurely taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat.
When he saw Fang Shuwen looking at him, he smiled.
"You handle it."
Fang Shuwen thought for a moment, then said:
"In that case, how about you and your disciples help us recruit new students in front of our Four Seas Martial Arts Hall?"
"??"
The color drained from Song Longwu’s face.
"You... you’re taking this too far..."
’If I really do that, everyone will know the Longwu Martial Arts Hall lost its challenge and is inferior to the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.’
’Would there be any place left for me in Julu City after that?’
Fang Shuwen’s eyes narrowed.
"If I were *really* taking things too far, do you think any of you would be leaving the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall today?"
As the words left his mouth, a thick wave of killing intent exploded outwards.
He had killed many people, but he had never truly utilized the killing intent that clung to him.
On his way back, Fang Shuwen had discovered a manual called the *Killing Intent Technique* among the secret texts Fang Mingxuan had given him.
It allowed one to channel their own killing intent to intimidate enemies.
This particular manual hadn’t been passed down for centuries; rather, it was created by members of his clan after they had settled in their respective homes.
Its contents were not complex, and Fang Shuwen had already achieved some success after just a little practice.
Now, as he unleashed it, Song Longwu and his men felt as if they were facing a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
An endless torrent of blood flowed, enough to drown them all completely.
In a daze, immense fear erupted in their hearts. Their legs began to tremble, and several disciples behind Song Longwu collapsed to their knees, as if hoping for an easier death.
"I... I AGREE!!!"
Song Longwu yelled.
Only then did the killing intent before them dissipate completely.
He gasped for breath, feeling as if he had just taken a trip to the Ghost Gate and back.
Looking up at Fang Shuwen, he said with resignation:
"Every generation brings new talent... The young are truly to be feared.
"Today, I, Song Longwu, have lost. There’s nothing more to say. Whatever your demand, I... will accept it."
"Then, as we agreed, you have three days.
"After three days, take your men and get out of Julu City."
"...Fine."
Song Longwu could only nod. He then led his disciples away, stumbling out of the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.
This was just how dojo challenges went.
Fang Shuwen’s terms weren’t actually that excessive. He had shown them some mercy.
After all, if the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall had lost today, they would have had to pack up and leave as well.
"Xiao Shiliu is amazing!!!"
"Our eldest brother wasn’t kidding! Xiao Shiliu has really gotten this strong!"
"Evil Gods and Demons Fang Shuwen! I can’t believe he’s my junior brother!!"
The moment the people from Longwu Martial Arts Hall were gone, the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall erupted into celebration.
The disciples all crowded around him, their words full of warmth and familiarity.
Only then did Fang Shuwen have a chance to properly greet his senior brothers and sisters, and he finished by patting Tang Quan’s head.
Seeing that things had gone on long enough, Zheng Sihai cleared his throat.
Everyone instantly fell silent. Even Fang Shuwen instinctively stood at attention, his hands by his sides.
It was pure muscle memory.
Zheng Sihai beamed as he looked at the disciples in the hall.
"Alright, you can all celebrate later.
"Get back to what you were doing. Don’t just stand around here and annoy your master."
The crowd immediately scattered.
Only Fang Shuwen remained. Zheng Sihai rose to his feet.
"Shuwen, follow me."
"Yes, Master."
Fang Shuwen agreed. As he passed Mo Beidou, the man gently patted his shoulder.
"I’ll buy you a drink tonight."
"Alright."
...
...
He followed Zheng Sihai into the back courtyard of the martial hall and to his master’s private quarters.
After sitting down, Zheng Sihai turned to Fang Shuwen, studying him intently for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Your flawed foundation... you’ve repaired it?"
"Yes."
Fang Shuwen nodded.
"Through a fortunate encounter, I..."
"You don’t need to tell me about that."
Zheng Sihai waved a hand, cutting Fang Shuwen off.
"I only need to know that your foundation is repaired and your Martial Arts have become accomplished. That’s enough for me.
"Instead, tell me about your journey."
Fang Shuwen nodded. He sat to one side, brewing tea for Zheng Sihai as he recounted the story of his journey.
Zheng Sihai’s expression remained unchanged throughout the tale. Only after Fang Shuwen finished did he speak, his tone contemplative.
"Your Martial Arts and your perspective have surpassed mine.
"However, the trials of the Jianghu are not always about Martial Arts.
"So I must still offer you a word of caution...
"While you don’t need to hold back in every situation, you must always think carefully and never act rashly.
"Take the Dragon Emperor Hall, for example. You knew too little, and the conflict was too great. If your Martial Arts hadn’t been enough to overwhelm them, you likely would have suffered a major loss.
"That Undying Dragon Emperor is entrenched at sea; he must have some extraordinary skills of his own.
"If you attack him rashly, it will be impossible to predict the outcome. You must always prioritize your own safety above all else."
"Yes, Master. I understand."
Fang Shuwen nodded.
Zheng Sihai smiled.
"Half City Zhou, the old master of the Zhou Family, has been stopping by every few days.
"It’s obvious he isn’t here to see a decrepit old man like me. Now that you’re back, you should pay them a visit when you have the time."
The thought of Zhou Qingmei made Fang Shuwen feel a little uneasy.
The matter between him and Yu Yaoguang was... complicated.