Chapter 11: Powerful Martial Will

With each passing year, a child's heart grows more complex. Xiong Gang, being older than his brother Xiong Meng by several years, possessed a deeper cunning. Witnessing Chu Feng not only outmaneuver his younger brother but also shatter the bandit Ajian's skull in a single blow, Xiong Gang's mind raced to assess Chu Feng's true strength.

What unsettled Xiong Gang the most was the way Chu Feng had crushed Ajian's skull—it was clearly not a martial technique, but likely some formidable concealed weapon.

"Chu Feng, if you truly have guts, then don't rely on those underhanded tricks. Face me with nothing but your own strength! I, Xiong Gang, won't take advantage of you; I'll set aside my garlic-headed maces and fight you one-handed. I’ll even let you have three moves. Well?!" Xiong Gang shouted.

"Very well, I've been waiting for you to say that! Put down your maces first, then I'll test my strength against yours," replied Chu Feng.

Secretly pleased, Xiong Gang thought to himself that if Chu Feng was willing to compete in brute strength, he stood no chance. To reassure Chu Feng, Xiong Gang tossed both of his garlic-headed maces to the ground.

"Chu Feng, are you carrying any hidden weapons? Throw them out..."

But before he could finish, the air ripped with the sound of a fist cutting through it—Chu Feng struck first, launching a punch at Xiong Gang.

"Fool! Do you really think your punch is faster than mine?" Xiong Gang sneered, countering with a punch of his own.

Though Xiong Gang was slower to attack, his fist moved faster, striking Chu Feng first.

Bang!

A thunderous blow landed squarely on Chu Feng's right chest, the impact echoing like a drumbeat.

Two months ago, Xiong Gang had disciplined an unruly man-bear by sending it flying fifteen yards with a single punch—just as he had now. Yet this time, Chu Feng did not budge, standing as steady as a mountain, not even staggering back.

"What?" Xiong Gang frowned, feeling his fist stuck as if glued to Chu Feng's chest.

"Xiong Gang, landing a punch on me may be easy, but retrieving your fist isn’t!" Chu Feng declared. His pectoral muscles twisted, enveloping Xiong Gang's fist, wrenching it deep into his chest. Then, the surrounding muscles exploded with force.

Crack! Crack!

Chu Feng’s chest muscles twisted like a giant python crushing its prey, pulverizing Xiong Gang's fist in an instant.

"Aaah!" Xiong Gang howled in agony—the sensation of having his fist crushed by muscle was a torture far worse than having it severed by a blade.

"Take my punch!" Chu Feng roared, his right fist smashing into the wailing Xiong Gang, sending him flying and crashing two yards away.

"So this is the strength of the third stage of Body Refinement. Even after being injured, Xiong Gang only flew two yards from my punch," Chu Feng mused, shaking his chest as Xiong Gang’s mangled, bloody fist fell from his body.

Xiong Gang’s right fist had been completely reduced to pulp by Chu Feng’s pectoral muscles, with only splinters of bone left where it landed.

"Chu Feng! Even if I die with you, I’ll destroy you here!" Xiong Gang bellowed, enduring the searing agony, snatching up his mace and charging at Chu Feng like a rabid beast.

Despite his ruined right hand, Xiong Gang, a third-stage Body Refinement warrior, could still wield his weapon with his left. However, the hammer technique, meant for dual wielding, now lost much of its might.

Chu Feng’s body, like that of a golden python, was highly developed and elastic, allowing him to absorb tremendous force without being harmed by Xiong Gang’s earlier punch. Yet, without a weapon, Chu Feng could not gain an advantage against Xiong Gang’s frenzied assault.

Boom! Boom! Whish! Whish!

With one hand, Xiong Gang’s mastery of his hammer was undiminished, golden shadows as large as wine jars swirling and enclosing Chu Feng.

Though Chu Feng had great strength, standing at the peak of the second stage of Body Refinement, his lack of martial technique left him unable to counter or break Xiong Gang’s fierce attacks.

"You know nothing of martial arts, Chu Feng! You’re no match for me! I’ll turn you to a bloody paste beneath this hammer! Watch out!" Xiong Gang shouted, hoping to break Chu Feng’s spirit and finish him off quickly.

Chu Feng kept retreating, thinking, "If Xiong Gang were my only enemy, I could use this fight to hone my skills. But with Xiao Dao to protect and more powerful foes ahead, I can’t risk injury!"

Resolved to end the fight swiftly, Chu Feng readied a thumb-sized concealed weapon in his palm.

Thwip!

A sharp sound split the air.

Boom!

In the next instant, Xiong Gang’s garlic-headed mace vanished without a trace!

The tiny bead shot from Chu Feng’s concealed weapon didn’t hit Xiong Gang, but struck his weapon instead. With an earth-shattering bang, the massive hammer disintegrated into powder!

Xiong Gang turned ashen, his blood surging and churning. Only a short handle remained in his hand, the head of the hammer completely obliterated. The impact rattled his internal organs, and his arm went numb, devoid of pain.

"Missed you? All the better!" Chu Feng’s eyes gleamed. Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward, his right fist gathering thousands of pounds of force, and drove it mercilessly into Xiong Gang’s chest!

Bang!

The blow sent Xiong Gang’s tiger-like body flying like an arrow from a strong bow.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

With four successive crashes, Xiong Gang’s body smashed through four large trees before coming to rest, his corpse hanging from the broken tip of a branch.

The forest fell silent, save for the steady drip of Xiong Gang’s blood. His body was a mangled ruin, utterly destroyed.

"What a punch! I drew power from my arms, legs, head, chest, and back—a strike that united all my strength! Wait... have I reached the stage where force flows through my entire body? Have I mastered the art of internal strength?" Chu Feng, recognizing the change within himself, felt elated. The act of killing Xiong Gang had enabled his strength to circulate fully, marking the completion of his training and entry into the third stage of Body Refinement.

In truth, slaying Xiong Gang—a master at the third stage—with his bare fists was exactly what Chu Feng had hoped for. Though his concealed weapon was powerful enough to kill Xiong Gang with ease, victory achieved that way would belong to the weapon, not to Chu Feng himself.

For a martial artist, only by defeating stronger enemies with one’s own strength does the martial heart grow, and the will to fight becomes sharper. The stronger the foe, the greater the reward in victory. Conversely, if one only kills the weak, their martial spirit falters and regresses.

Caw!

At that moment, the fox-headed hawk perched atop a tall tree let out a frightened screech.

"Trying to fly back to the Dread Gate and spread the word? Not a chance!" With a flick, Chu Feng aimed his concealed weapon at the fox-headed hawk atop the tree.

Whoosh!

The hawk had just spread its wings when, with a pop, its dog-sized head exploded, raining blood as the corpse crashed to the forest floor.

Having dispatched Xiong Gang and his spying hawk, Chu Feng’s eyes, sharp as blades, locked onto the bandit Ah Huai.

With a thud, Ah Huai collapsed to his knees. "Master Feng!"

Having witnessed Chu Feng’s brutal defeat of Xiong Gang, Ah Huai was terrified out of his wits. He groveled before Chu Feng, crying, "Master Feng, spare my humble life! Before you, I am less than filth! To step on me would only dirty your shoes! Please, Master Feng, have mercy!"

Without a word, Chu Feng seized Ah Huai and, with two crisp cracks, shattered both his arms completely.

Ah Huai howled in pain like a wild beast.

"I’ve crippled your arms; you can do no more evil. Go back to the Dread Gate and tell the Xiong clan: Every last one of you who hunts me and my sister like rabbits will pay! And to the thirteen chiefs of Dread Gate—if you value your lives, leave at once! Otherwise, when I come, you will either die or be crippled! Now go!"

Ah Huai, wracked with pain, nodded feverishly and fled, scrambling away on hands and knees.

Without hesitation, Chu Feng began searching through the storage sacks of the Xiong brothers.

Soon, both sacks were in Chu Feng’s hands. As for the other bandits—Ah Heng, Ah Leng, and Ajian—they were worthless vagrants; the few scraps of silver they carried weren’t worth the effort.

"Xiao Dao? Xiao Dao!" Chu Feng intended to inspect the loot, but seeing Xiao Dao lying on the ground in agony, he set aside the sacks for now—treasures could wait, saving Xiao Dao came first.

"Hold on, Xiao Dao. I’ll get you out of here! From now on, no one will dare harm you again!"

No sooner had Chu Feng spoken than a sudden thought flashed through his mind. His gaze snapped toward a massive boulder a dozen yards away.

"Who’s behind that rock? Show yourself!" he shouted.