Fifteen peak Martial Practitioners stood in a line.
The first row had seven, and the second row had eight.
Tang Wen stood in the first row.
He didn't know anyone on either side, and they all looked at him with slight curiosity.
Just as the formation was set.
The instructor arrived.
He was a stern middle-aged man:
"The Dark Night Divine Fist is not something you can learn just because you want to!"
"Among all the fist techniques in the world, the Dark Night is the most difficult."
"While you still have the chance, I advise you to switch to another fist technique early, so you don't waste my time!"
The middle-aged instructor didn't hide his aura.
A first-class Martial Master.
Just one step away from transformation.
Given his age, it was unclear whether he had applied for Marrow Protection Fluid and attempted the transformation.
"Anyone want to quit?"
Everyone remained silent.
"Good, but I'll tell you this: every year, hundreds of people in the sect become Martial Practitioners! But in the end, only one in ten becomes a Martial Master!"
Tang Wen glanced around and could feel it.
The young Martial Practitioners, or the middle-aged ones, were all more or less tense.
Their bodies stood even straighter.
The middle-aged instructor rambled on for a while before getting to the point:
"The Dark Night Divine Fist takes darkness as its source."
"Although the fist technique is difficult, its power is immense!"
"The nature of darkness is: eerie, terrifying, domineering, and corrosive."
"The fist technique is the same. The basic force techniques corresponding to the Dark Night Divine Fist include Cannon Fist, Crushing Fist, Entangling Fist, Killing Fist…"
The middle-aged instructor explained in detail.
Tang Wen listened attentively, feeling that he hadn't come in vain.
The middle-aged instructor: "Starting today, you fifteen, for the next half month.
Every morning, two hours before dawn, gather here!
I'll teach you some fist techniques one by one.
But I'll say this upfront: if you're late even once, you'll never need to come again!"
After the lecture.
Finally, everyone could enter the Contemplation Room.
The Contemplation Room was located in the basement.
Tang Wen stepped inside, ignoring everything else.
First, he counted the number of Visualization Diagrams.
Nine!
He was both surprised and delighted, quickly calming his mind and examining each one carefully.
The Dark Night Divine Fist had ten moves.
The ones he hadn't learned were the "Third, Seventh, and the ultimate secret technique."
Now, with nine Visualization Diagrams in front of him, combined with what he already knew, he should be able to master the entire Dark Night Divine Fist, right?
"First Form, Second Form…"
His brow furrowed slightly.
The Dark Night Divine Fist before him still lacked the final form.
To be precise, the Eighth and Ninth Forms were also missing.
The first to the seventh forms were complete.
Out of the nine Visualization Diagrams, the remaining two were: one for core force visualization.
The last one was for a movement technique—Shadow Phantom.
It sounded quite deadly.
No ultimate secret technique!
Tang Wen sighed inwardly, then, without wasting any more time, immediately immersed himself in the last Visualization Diagram to start learning the movement technique.
To be honest, movement techniques were definitely his weak point.
For long-range, he had the Flying Stone.
For mid-range, he had the Flying Knife.
For close-range, he had the ultimate secret technique of Vibration Fist!
Even for defense, he had the Golden Bell Shield.
Only his speed relied on continuous bursts of physical strength.
In the Visualization Diagram.
The Shadow Phantom movement technique was displayed.
Like a shadow moving through the dark night, ghostly and elusive!
Truly a Meditation Martial Art movement technique.
For several hours, he repeatedly imprinted the Contemplation Method in his mind.
He then looked at the third Visualization Diagram.
The Dark Night Divine Fist, Third Form—Hundred Ghosts Rampage!
Hundred Ghosts Rampage, like Night Battle in All Directions, also had elements of movement.
It was a technique for group battles.
After mastering this move, Tang Wen turned his attention to the Dark Night Divine Fist, the seventh form—Soaring Shock!
With three new fist techniques now learned, he reviewed all the Visualization Diagrams once more.
Confirming that the content of the visualizations matched what he had seen at the Four Seas Commerce Guild, he finally felt at ease.
After all, the Blackwater Gang was founded on the Dark Night Divine Fist!
Meanwhile, at the Four Seas Commerce Guild, one could view the Dark Night Divine Fist for a thousand taels a day!
There was a direct conflict between the two in terms of martial arts inheritance, making the possibility of them colluding extremely slim.
With that settled, Tang Wen turned his gaze toward the door.
It was time to make some noise.
From his observations, hiding one's abilities within the Blackwater Gang was pointless.
It was better to appropriately showcase some talent to secure resources.
He reviewed his plan once more, ensuring there were no obvious oversights.
Then, he pulled open the door and strode out.
Hearing the commotion, Coach Sun, who had been waiting outside all day, immediately furrowed his brow. Seeing Tang Wen emerge, he barked:
"You're Tang Wen, right?"
"What's going on?!"
"Didn't I tell you to make every second count?!"
"Are you just ignoring everything I say?!"
"There's still a full six minutes left before the allotted time, and you're already out?!"
"What, do you think those six minutes are beneath you?"
"Let me tell you, when I was learning fist techniques through visualization, I wished I could live inside there!"
Coach Sun was clearly a seasoned instructor, and his scolding was fierce.
A classic case of making an example out of someone.
It seemed Tang Wen was the chosen one.
Tang Wen secretly smirked; he had intended to stir things up anyway.
Coach Sun's outburst was just playing into his hands.
He didn't rush to defend himself.
Six minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and the other Martial Practitioners began to emerge one by one.
Seeing Tang Wen being scolded, they quickly grasped the situation after hearing a few words.
"Who's this guy? A newbie?"
"Must be a newbie. Doesn't even know Coach Iron Face's reputation."
"Heh, heard he's a beast tamer."
"A newbie who hasn't treated us from the Enforcement Hall to a night at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Rumor has it he's following a newly promoted Commander."
"No wonder, he's got no backing."
Tang Wen caught every word.
Coach Sun heard it too—so he was a newbie!
This made his scolding even smoother.
One, two, three…
Tang Wen silently counted the footsteps behind him.
All fourteen had arrived.
Coach Sun was still going strong, his words flying like spit.
Damn it!
Why isn't this kid fighting back? It's no fun without a retort.
Coach Sun was used to disciplining his students and preferred dealing with the unruly ones.
He had just taken on a new class and was looking forward to putting the troublemakers in their place.
Unfortunately, over the years, his authority had grown so formidable that the old hands in the gang knew better than to cross him.
Only the newbies were foolish enough to step out of line.
Whoosh!
Tang Wen raised his head, his eyes gleaming with calm determination.
"Huh?"
Coach Sun was momentarily taken aback.
Then, Tang Wen spoke calmly, "While contemplating the Contemplation Method earlier, I had a sudden insight. I'd like to show you a punch, Coach!"
Without giving anyone time to react, he stepped forward, visualized, bent his elbow, and threw a punch!
His fist shot out, aimed directly at Coach Sun from two meters away.
Gasp!
Like a startled macaque, Coach Sun instinctively leaped backward.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept past, sending his black hair flying wildly.
His face was filled with shock, and after a moment, he gritted his teeth and spat out a few words: "Shadow Kill! You've mastered it!"
What?
The Martial Practitioners behind Tang Wen were still trying to figure out what had happened.
Their expressions of schadenfreude, disdain, and mockery were still plastered on their faces.
They doubted their own ears, stiffly turning their heads, trying to figure out what had happened from the expressions on their companions' faces.
Unfortunately, all fourteen of them were now like bewildered geese.
"Is this the reason you came out early?" Coach Sun's face turned ashen.
He stared intently into Tang Wen's eyes, his fists clenched, pressing further, "You probably aren't experiencing the Dark Night Divine Fist for the first time, are you!"