Both men harbored their own designs. Fang Xiong, "Hero Among Men," had once humbly sought instruction from Wu Tong. By learning without shame, his skills had advanced greatly; his state of mind too had risen, no longer what it once was. Attending this Anti-Rebellion Assembly, he had already resolved to prove himself before the gathered heroes, to bring glory to Xuzhou's martial world.
At this moment his eyes gleamed, his breath steady. He rooted himself with a sudden shift of stance—knees bent, legs parted, upper body upright, his horse-stance solid as a boulder, immovable as Mount Tai. Then, with a surge, he swept forth his palms, hands flashing left and right like a storm wind—swift, forceful, yet shot through with subtle skill.
Suddenly he cried aloud and struck forth "Restrain the Self, Guard the Heart." His palm force was fierce and unrestrained, qi surging like waves, breaking the air with faint crackles as if the void itself were torn apart. Palm-shadows overlapped, true force rushing directly at Shi Kai, the Black Dragon Sect's Right Dharma King.
Startled by the ferocity, Shi Kai dared not take him lightly. He twisted aside, countering with a heavy palm. Their strikes collided—boom!—qi reverberated, the ground quivered. Shi Kai felt a sting in his tiger's mouth, numbness creeping up his arm. Shocked, he thought: "How can this youth's palm force be so fierce?"
Fang Xiong pressed his advantage. His palms flowed into claws, body weaving like a dragon, fists turning like the wings of an eagle. Turning Palms came alive—hooks, lifts, twists, rakes—each claw strike a predator's pounce. The air whistled sharp as blades.
Shi Kai evaded swiftly, but Fang's claws shifted endlessly, shadow chasing shadow, striking wherever he fled. In an instant, one claw ripped past—rip!—and tore a strip from Shi Kai's robe.
The crowd erupted with cheers:"What speed!""Such dazzling claws!""Truly, the Hero of Xuzhou lives up to his name!"
Shi Kai's face darkened, eyes narrowing. With forced calm he said:"Boy, you do have some skill. But don't think you'll find advantage here!"
He summoned his inner strength, qi flaring higher. The battle had only begun.
Fang Xiong answered coolly:"Without skill, how would I dare step forth at all?"
He spun in a circling step, palms shifting to a sudden cut—"Kill the Chicken to Scare the Monkey!" His strikes chopped, lifted, smashed, and rammed in swift succession. Then another form followed—"Butcher's Blade for a Chicken!"—feints designed to startle more than slay.
Shi Kai scoffed and parried, then let out a tiger's roar. He launched "Tiger's Roar Splits Stone!" His palms surged with crushing weight, each step lunging like a tiger leaping. Fang Xiong braced, qi filling his frame, and chose not to retreat—meeting him head-on with steady resolve.
Their fists and palms clashed, claws and strikes crisscrossing like lightning. Palm winds battered outward, qi waves rippling like storm tides against the shore. Advance and retreat, hard against soft, each change met with another—swift, fluid, thunderous. It was a display of martial mastery rarely seen.
In the blink of an eye they had exchanged fifty blows, still with no victor. The crowd roared approval, blood boiling at the sight of such a fierce contest. Many had doubted Fang Xiong, thinking he sought only fame by riding the Assembly's glory. But now, seeing his skill, courage, and composure, none dared belittle him. In the jianghu, strength speaks loudest. After this day, Fang Xiong's name would resound across the realm.
Shi Kai too was unsettled. At first he had thought victory would be effortless. Yet this youth's speed, adaptability, and ferocity rivaled that of seasoned masters. Only Shi Kai's decades of battle experience kept him steady—else a careless slip might have ended in humiliation.
The duel burned hotter, steps weaving, strikes howling, neither willing to yield. At last Shi Kai let out a guttural roar, qi surging to its peak. With a thunderous crash he struck forth "Heaven-Shaking Tiger's Roar!" The force exploded outward, an invisible tide crashing like a thousand weights, stunning the audience with its sheer ferocity.
"Such power! Can the boy withstand it?" many thought, breathless.
But Fang Xiong's eyes shone cold and clear. His breath sank, qi coursed in harmony. With sudden stillness he unveiled "Illusion and Reality as One." Left foot light, right foot firm; left palm yielding, right palm fierce. Void and solid, real and false weaving together. His body flowed like mist—Shi Kai's titanic palm-force struck only emptiness, dissipated by subtle redirection.
The two circled and clashed, attack and defense locked in stalemate. Fang Xiong's flow entrapped Shi Kai, who found himself unable to advance nor retreat, surprised: "This youth… how difficult he is to handle!"
Move for move, the duel climbed to a hundred exchanges. At last Fang Xiong surged with sudden ferocity, a strike flashing toward Shi Kai's chest. Shi Kai twisted, barely evading, then steadied himself with "Tiger Crouches, Dragon Coils." Palms met once more in mid-air—BOOM!
Force rippled outward. Fang Xiong staggered back seven steps before regaining footing, chest heaving, qi roiling within. Shi Kai, though shaken, held his ground. He did not press the advantage. Instead, he laughed loudly:
"Well done! Your skill is no small thing. This Dharma King has learned much today."
Fang Xiong bowed, forcing his breath into calm:"Your Excellency is too kind. I concede."
Thus the two parted as gentlemen, their struggle one of honor, not enmity.
Suddenly, another figure strode forth, voice ringing across the field:"I am Qiu Feng, Master of the Phoenix Gang! Let us settle the enmity between the river guilds and the Black Dragon Sect with my own hands. I ask for instruction!"
The crowd stirred in uproar."The Phoenix Master again!""She is the bane of the Black Dragon Sect!""Even the Empress Palace Mistress fell to her—now she dares challenge another of Murong Gui's champions!"
At that moment, Murong Gui, Master of the Black Dragon Sect, walked calmly into the ring, hands clasped behind his back. His tone was measured but carried a hidden edge:"The Right Dharma King has just finished a fierce battle. His strength is not yet restored. Why not choose another challenger?"
Qiu Feng smiled coldly to herself: "So—they hold back yet another hidden ace?" But aloud she answered evenly:"No matter. Tell me—who among you will face me?"
Murong Gui pondered. "This woman has already defeated my Left Dharma King and the Empress Palace Mistress. To ensure victory, I must send one who can truly crush her." At last he declared:
"The Phoenix Master's skill is extraordinary, defeating mighty foes one after another. Since you send forth heroes of Xuzhou, we too must respond with due respect. Let my champion, the 'Tiger Among Men,' Shi Yong, show you the strength of the Black Dragon Sect!"
The crowd gasped. Shi Yong, "Tiger Among Men," was a name long known throughout the jianghu.
Qiu Feng's lips curved, unshaken:"Very well. Let us cross hands—each relying only upon our true ability."
⚔️ The Tiger Among Men Appears
Shi Yong strode into the arena. He was past fifty, yet built like a fortress—broad shoulders, barrel chest, muscles like wrought iron, a thick beard bristling beneath fierce eyes. His arms swelled with corded veins, and every step carried the weight of a mountain.
He was famed across the land for his Subduing Tiger Palms—an art both hard and soft, violent and yielding, crashing like stone-shattering thunder one instant, flowing like a river the next. Its endless transformations left opponents confounded, unable to grasp the true edge.
The title "Tiger Among Men" he had first given himself, but over time, as his palms resounded across the realm, the name became legend.
Shi Yong bowed, voice like rolling thunder:"I have heard the Phoenix Master's skill is unmatched. Today, allow this old man to receive your instruction."
The crowd hushed. His presence alone commanded respect.
Qiu Feng smiled faintly, serene and unafraid:"The jianghu speaks much of the Tiger Among Men, of Subduing Tiger Palms both fierce and subtle. Today, I shall see it with my own eyes."
Her words sounded like praise, but beneath the courtesy lay subtle probing, meant to unsettle.
Shi Yong chuckled, pride flashing."Such kind words flatter me. Very well! Since we fight barehanded, I shall even grant you half a move!"
The crowd roared in astonishment:"Grant half a move?!""Such arrogance!""To speak so before the Phoenix Master—can he truly deliver?"
But Qiu Feng's expression did not change. She only smiled softly, her gaze steady. For she knew—this battle would be no simple matter.
The clash of titans was about to begin.