Era of Mist

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Hard-boiled Action, Hardcore Tough Guy! (Part 2)

The other world was a place where martial arts flourished. Shi Tiexin came from the Orphanage, and his social status could be said to be among the lowest, yet he was still able to learn basic fist techniques, the basic Essence Nourishment Technique, and the Six Basic Heart Techniques. This alone offered a glimpse into just how prosperous the Martial Dao was there.

Compared to the people from there, the delinquents here were utter amateurs, no different from young children who had never thrown a punch. And in Shi Tiexin’s experience, the most important thing when fighting guys like these wasn’t the sophistication of your techniques or the brilliance of your skills, but one thing—presence.

You didn’t need an overwhelming, ’I-am-invincible’ kind of aura. You just had to unleash that everyday ferocity, that willingness to fight and risk it all, that ’I’ll-take-you-down-even-if-it-kills-me’ ruthlessness, and the delinquents here would be utterly unable to withstand it.

Sure enough, when Shi Tiexin charged toward the kid by the door, the boy suddenly hesitated.

Usually, the kid just followed Teng Chaoguo around, acting as his hype man, extorting people, and bullying regular students. As for fighting a truly strong opponent, let alone engaging in a life-or-death struggle, he had zero experience. He had just let out a yell, intending to charge forward and start swinging his Turtle Fist like he’d done before. But the moment his eyes met Shi Tiexin’s face, he was suddenly struck by an immense terror.

He never imagined that here, at Fengming First Middle School, a place full of bookworms, he would ever see such a face.

What kind of face was it?

The expression was impossible to describe. At first glance, he seemed to have no expression at all. Yet, from that very blankness, the boy felt an overwhelmingly powerful presence, a surging killing intent that could only be born from surviving a hundred battles.

The regular students were all afraid of Teng Chaoguo, but was it because he was so formidable? Not at all. Teng Chaoguo was actually on the scrawny side and had never received any professional training. They were afraid because he had a peculiar aura, one of callous disregard for human life. It made people believe that he was genuinely capable of killing someone, and so everyone feared him.

But the chubby kid suddenly felt that compared to the person before him, Teng Chaoguo was just pathetic scum, absolute garbage that couldn’t be taken seriously. At best, Teng Chaoguo was a mere wolf pup, while the man before him had the presence of a lion or a tiger—overwhelming and unstoppable!

THUD! The other goon landed a punch on Shi Tiexin, but he didn’t even flinch. His eyes never wavered as he continued striding forward. Shi Tiexin was tall and powerfully built, with an incredibly long stride. In just two steps, his form had filled the chubby kid’s entire field of vision.

WHOOSH! Shi Tiexin stomped his foot and launched himself into the air. His body unfurled like a great beast. He raised his right fist, gathering his power. His cold eyes were locked on the space between the chubby kid’s eyebrows, making him break out in a cold sweat.

The chubby kid wanted to dodge, wanted to block, but he was so overwhelmed by that presence that his reaction was a beat too slow. And that single beat was the dividing line between a professional and an amateur, between a back-and-forth exchange and a one-sided thrashing.

Faster than a thunderclap, with a deafening THUD, Shi Tiexin’s right fist came crashing down with the full weight of his body behind it. The chubby kid was too slow to raise his hands for a proper block, and the punch slammed his own hand into his face.

”Aaargh!” With a bloodcurdling scream, the chubby kid squeezed his eyes shut. His legs gave out from under him, and his body stumbled backward uncontrollably until his back slammed into the far wall of the restroom with a THUD.

Forcing his eyes open, the chubby kid’s face turned ghastly. He saw Shi Tiexin across from him, eyes bulging as he strode forward, his ferocious left fist already roaring toward him like a thunderbolt.

BAM! A right hook!

The chubby kid staggered.

BAM! A left hook!

The chubby kid rocked on his feet.

The chubby kid, completely intimidated by Shi Tiexin’s presence, was already convinced he was no match for him. He could only throw a desperate, pleading look at the other goon. That goon was frantically attacking Shi Tiexin from behind, but his feeble punches and kicks seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

Shi Tiexin’s tall, broad frame completely blotted out the chubby kid’s vision. His ferocious, expressionless face plunged the boy into utter despair, almost making him cry.

He clasped his hands behind the chubby kid’s neck, yanking his head down while simultaneously driving his right knee up in a powerful strike to the face. CRUNCH! The kid’s instinctive attempt to block did nothing to soften the blow. He let out a pained shriek from the vicious knee strike, lost all control of his body, and crumpled to the side.

’Alright, that takes care of the most troublesome one.’ Shi Tiexin breathed an inward sigh of relief.

When it came to brawls between ordinary people, physical attributes like height and weight were direct factors in the outcome. Assuming there were no superhuman skills involved and both sides possessed the courage and will to fight, it was incredibly difficult for a lighter person to defeat a heavier one.

Someone with a larger, heavier build possesses more strength and can take more punishment. That’s why Shi Tiexin had only needed one punch to take down that beanpole, Teng Chaoguo, but it had taken three punches and a kick to handle this chubby kid. He had even been willing to tank a few hits to avoid breaking the rhythm of his assault.

’Damn, those hits from the kid behind me actually hurt!’

Still, as long as he could take down the chubby kid quickly, the outcome of the fight was already decided.

’Two left.’

The goon punching and kicking him from behind felt like he was hitting solid stone and kicking a ton of iron; his attacks on that broad back had absolutely no effect. Watching helplessly as the chubby kid was taken down in just a few hits, the goon, despite being on the offensive, felt his knees tremble in fear.

Suddenly, Shi Tiexin whipped his head around, revealing a face brimming with killing intent. His heavy brows and terrifying eyes made the goon’s heart leap into his throat and his legs turn to jelly.

”Th-this... B-B-B-Boss, this is all a misunderstanding...”

BAM! A heavy side kick landed squarely on the goon’s abdomen.

’One left.’

The goon was sent tumbling by the kick. Clutching his stomach and screaming, he rolled deeper into the restroom, stopping right at the feet of the final lackey, who had just been about to rush in.

THUMP. Caught completely by surprise, the last guy tripped over his friend and went sprawling. He landed with a SPLAT, face-planting on the floor right in front of Shi Tiexin.

Shi Tiexin was left speechless. ’These guys are pathetic. How can they make such a ridiculous mistake?’

’Do they think a fight is just a game?’

’In a fight, you have to be ruthless!’

The guy looked up just in time to see Shi Tiexin’s leg swinging at him in a vicious kick, like someone taking a shot in soccer. THWACK! The blow sent the goon flying sideways. If Shi Tiexin hadn’t adjusted his aim at the last moment and avoided kicking him square in the face, that single blow would have knocked out half the kid’s teeth.

’All of them down.’

”Ow! Ow! Motherfucker!” Cursing, Teng Chaoguo clutched the back of his head as he started to get up. Shi Tiexin’s beatdown had been brutally efficient; Teng Chaoguo was still dizzy and disoriented from his initial fall and was only just now trying to stand.

But as he rose, he instantly sensed something was wrong.

A massive shadow fell over him. Teng Chaoguo glanced left and right—all his goons were down. Then he looked up. Shi Tiexin stood over him, and from that angle, his face was as cold as pig iron, like the Terminator.

FWOOSH. Shi Tiexin raised his foot, giving Teng Chaoguo a clear view of its grimy sole.

Teng Chaoguo’s mind went blank. ’Is this guy a demon...?’

BAM!!

Putting all the power of his thigh into it, he stomped down without the slightest hesitation.