Chapter 136: Chapter 97: The Great Exposure of Jiang Che’s Strength
Luo Kun suddenly stepped forward and announced loudly,
"I’ve never told any of you this, but... Jiang Che has an Innate Iron Body! That’s why he’s so powerful right after breaking through to the Iron Skin Realm!"
"An Innate Iron Body?"
Most of the crowd had never heard the term before.
But hearing Luo Kun say it, they knew it must be some kind of incredibly powerful constitution.
Luo Kun walked up and clapped Jiang Che heavily on the shoulder.
"Excellent! Excellent! This is a true disciple of Luo Kun!"
His gaze burned as he looked at Jiang Che, his voice trembling with excitement.
’Regarding the Innate Iron Body...’
’He had only heard of such a constitution before, never having seen it with his own eyes.’
’Now, seeing Jiang Che possess such absurd strength... the first thing that came to mind was the Innate Iron Body.’
’Otherwise, it was completely unexplainable.’
’So it seems... Jiang Che is the real diamond in the rough!’
He suddenly recalled when Jiang Che first arrived at the Martial Arts Hall. ’Although he could grasp the state of Inner Insight, his Root Bone was poor.’
’I even felt it was a pity and once considered giving up on him.’
’Now it seems it wasn’t that his Root Bone was poor at all.’
’Instead, this special constitution simply didn’t reveal its true potential in the early stages.’
’But once his Realm got higher, it began to shine!’
The more Luo Kun looked at Jiang Che, the more delighted he became.
’It’s a shame my daughter is already married with children, otherwise I might have...’
As he was lost in his fantasy, Li Hong and Niu Yan suddenly crawled back through the hole in the wall.
Although Niu Yan was covered in dust, he didn’t appear to be seriously injured.
Jiang Che’s kick had avoided any vital spots, merely sending him flying.
Li Hong’s expression was grim, his earlier kind and benevolent demeanor gone.
He said coldly, "So this is your disciple with the Innate Iron Body? He’s certainly impressive!"
"Hmph, would I lie to you?" Luo Kun said arrogantly.
Suddenly, from among the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall disciples, a burly giant with a shaved head, standing over two meters and thirty centimeters tall, stepped forward.
This man’s Qi Blood was incredibly violent, and his powerful aura made it difficult for the crowd to breathe.
Though each of his steps seemed light, they left deep footprints in the ground!
He came to stand before Jiang Che, looking down at him from his great height, and said in a deep voice,
"I am Cao Tieliu. I wish to ask for your guidance, Junior Brother!"
The members of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall immediately began to whisper among themselves.
"That guy looks like the head disciple of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall!"
"You mean Cao Tieliu, the one who’s Half-Step into the Realm?"
"That’s not fair, is it? He’s about to reach Force Integration, but he’s fighting Junior Brother Jiang, who just broke through the Iron Skin Realm. Isn’t that a classic case of a senior bullying a junior?"
"I bet they’re just embarrassed and trying to save face!"
"But that Cao Tieliu looks like he’s almost forty. There’s no honor in winning for him!"
...
Luo Kun frowned and said to Li Hong, "Their Qi Blood aren’t even on the same level. There’s no point in them trading blows. How about we wait until Jiang Che’s Qi Blood has had more time to condense? Then I’ll bring him to visit your school for a proper challenge. What do you say?"
Although Li Hong was inwardly fuming over Niu Yan’s embarrassing defeat, he didn’t want his head disciple bullying a junior who had just broken through to the Iron Skin Realm. He turned to Cao Tieliu and said,
"Tieliu, what is this nonsense! Stand down at once!"
But Cao Tieliu just stared intently at Jiang Che, showing no intention of backing down.
He was now infinitely close to Force Integration, his strength honed through countless bloody battles.
He could sense it. Jiang Che was strong! Very strong!
Far stronger than any Iron Skin Realm Martial Artist he had ever encountered!
He had a feeling that even he might not be able to win!
But an opponent like this only ignited his will to fight!
"I am Cao Tieliu, and I wish to ask for your guidance, Junior Brother!"
He repeated himself.
His eyes were locked on Jiang Che, eagerly anticipating a satisfying, all-out battle!
Jiang Che nodded. "You must be the strongest disciple of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall, right? Alright. Let’s do it."
Luo Kun was stunned. "Jiang Che, what are you doing?"
"We’re just sparring, we’ll stop before it gets serious. You don’t need to worry, Master," Jiang Che said with a smile.
"Well... alright, then. Be careful." Seeing Jiang Che’s insistence, Luo Kun could only agree.
Seeing that the two were about to spar, everyone else moved far away, afraid of being caught in the exchange of blows.
"What’s Jiang Che thinking? He’s strong, but that guy is Half-Step into the Realm. Isn’t he just asking for a death wish?"
"Exactly. I have no idea what’s going through his head."
Some of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall members conversed in hushed tones.
"Master, will my brother be okay? This giant looks even stronger than the last one," Jiang Ling said nervously.
"It’s fine. They’re just sparring. Don’t worry," Luo Kun reassured her.
However, he had already begun to secretly circulate the Qi Force throughout his body, ready to intervene and save Jiang Che at the slightest hint of danger.
In the center of the training yard, both Cao Tieliu and Jiang Che assumed the classic opening stance of their respective martial arts halls.
"Hah!"
Cao Tieliu’s Qi Blood billowed to its absolute peak, and then he threw a punch.
The punch was so powerful and heavy that it stirred up a great wind that swept through the entire yard!
"Senior Brother Cao’s Gale Fist has reached the Perfection stage!"
A disciple from the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall exclaimed.
"Heh, that kid named Jiang is a dead man!"
"Challenging Senior Brother Cao? He’s got a death wish!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A series of violent crashes echoed from the center of the yard, a testament to the battle’s intensity!
However, the gale kicked up so much dust that no one could see what was happening.
After about twenty exchanges, the sounds of fighting from the center of the yard vanished.
"Lasting twenty exchanges... that Jiang Che isn’t half bad!" someone from the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall commented.
"I wonder if he’s been crippled."
"That Innate Iron Body is impressive, but it’s a shame he ran into our Senior Brother Cao."
The members of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall, on the other hand, all looked worried.
"Junior Brother Jiang isn’t hurt, is he?"
"I don’t know. Should we go have a look?"
Someone tentatively moved closer, trying to see what had happened.
As the dust gradually settled, it revealed both men standing in the center of the yard, completely unharmed!
"What’s this?" The crowd was confused.
"Who won?"
"It must be Senior Brother Cao! He must have shown mercy and held back. Otherwise, how could that Jiang kid still be standing?"
But then, Cao Tieliu suddenly spoke. "Junior Brother Jiang, you truly are strong! It’s a shame we can’t go all out here. Let’s settle the score next time!"
Jiang Che nodded. "Senior Brother Cao, you’re the strongest opponent I’ve ever faced as well! I’m looking forward to it!"
As it turned out, Jiang Che had discovered their strengths were remarkably close. Cao Tieliu was worthy of his title as someone Half-Step into the Realm, far stronger than any Iron Skin Realm Martial Artist Jiang Che had ever faced.
In his normal state, it would be extremely difficult for either of them to secure a victory.
Of course, if he were to use his Black Abyss Form transformation, he would win with ease.
However, he also sensed that Cao Tieliu seemed to have a trump card of his own.
Likewise, Cao Tieliu sensed that Jiang Che was also holding back.
Since both of their trump cards were secrets they couldn’t reveal publicly, they had both stopped after twenty exchanges and called it a draw.
The onlookers were utterly astonished when they heard the exchange.
"A draw?!"
"Is Junior Brother Jiang really that strong?"
"My god!"
"He just broke through to the Iron Skin Realm, and he can already fight someone who is Half-Step into the Realm to a draw?!"
...
The disciples from both schools were stunned.
The disciples from the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall, in particular, were even more shocked than those from White Cloud.
They knew just how strong their head disciple was!
Ordinary Peak Martial Artists of the Iron Skin Realm couldn’t last three exchanges against him!
He was, for all intents and purposes, a pre-Force Integration Martial Artist who could break through at any moment!
And yet, this Jiang Che had actually fought their head disciple to a standstill?!
What kind of monster was this newcomer?
Li Hong stared at Jiang Che, his heart pounding with shock.
"Old Luo, you’ve really taken on a fine disciple!"
he said, his voice laced with envy.
"Hehe, that Cao kid of yours isn’t bad either!"
Luo Kun chuckled.
He was in an excellent mood.
Not only had he finally gotten a win over Li Hong’s Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall,
but he had also learned just how powerful Jiang Che truly was!
He was now certain that Jiang Che would one day break through to the Force Integration Realm!
’Once an Innate Iron Body reaches the Force Integration Level... at that point, in all of Lin Yuan City, I’m afraid only Li Hanchuan, the Gang Leader of the Seven Stars Gang, would be able to stand against him!’
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He glanced over at Gong Yulei, who was standing in a corner nursing his arm, a dazed look on his face.
’In that case... Jiang Che is probably a better fit for the Cangyun Sect than Yulei is...’ Luo Kun mused silently.
