Chapter 023: Arhat Heavenly Firmament Fist

With a thunderous crash, the two enforcers were knocked to the ground by the wooden table. The remaining men were stunned by Lin Le’s prowess; after all, they were the elite fighters of the Tianxiong Gang, yet before this young upstart, they were utterly outmatched.

Only now did they finally understand why Luo Kui had been beaten into a swollen mess by such an unknown figure.

The remaining enforcers no longer dared to relax. They drew their weapons and lunged at Lin Le.

But these men were mere martial apprentices, not even reaching the level of martial masters. In terms of strength and speed, they were leagues behind Lin Le.

In just a few moves, every one of them ended up stabbing themselves with their own weapons, writhing on the ground, howling in pain.

“Now it’s your turn.” Lin Le locked eyes with Guan Tianxiong, his tone icy.

Guan Tianxiong looked at his fallen men, his lips twitching. Truth be told, the opponent’s strength far exceeded his expectations. He couldn’t even gauge what level Lin Le operated at.

Yet if Lin Le thought brute force alone could overcome Guan Tianxiong, he was sorely mistaken. Over the years, Guan Tianxiong had carved his way through Haizhou, facing many tough adversaries, and every last one of them had fallen at his feet.

You want to challenge me, kid? You’re not nearly qualified enough!

Without another word, Guan Tianxiong let out a furious roar and swung his fist at Lin Le.

As his fist moved, the air around them swirled violently, stirred by the ferocity of his punch, forming a massive vortex of true energy.

Lin Le immediately sensed the formidable power behind it.

True energy unleashed externally? Mastery of internal force? Lin Le was genuinely startled.

How could this be? In this small city of Haizhou, aside from himself, how could anyone possess such strength?

But then Lin Le realized something was off. Guan Tianxiong’s technique resembled the external release of true energy, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of true energy itself.

This wasn’t the true energy unleashed from mastery of internal force, but rather the Arhat Heavenly Gang Fist from the Buddhist tradition.

Lin Le was astonished; he hadn’t expected the underground kingpin of Haizhou to be a martial arts expert with Buddhist roots.

The Arhat Heavenly Gang Fist was famed for its ferocious power, capable of challenging opponents far above one’s own level. Even Lin Le, with mastery of internal force, dared not take it lightly.

As the gust of the punch approached, Lin Le quickly retreated, simultaneously flipping the tea table in the center to block the incoming Arhat Fist.

The moment the table touched Guan Tianxiong’s fist, a thunderous boom erupted. The entire table was instantly shredded by the ferocious gang energy, splintering explosively.

Fragments flew everywhere throughout the room.

The elite enforcers were all left in shock.

They knew their boss was exceptionally skilled, but rarely had they seen him truly unleash his abilities. Now that they had, the sight was utterly astonishing.

The Arhat Heavenly Gang Fist was originally an inner-door Shaolin martial art, and even among Shaolin’s elite, only a select few had the privilege to learn it.

Guan Tianxiong had learned it secretly, which was why he’d been expelled from the mountain.

Though he had only mastered thirty percent, it was enough for him to dominate Haizhou.

“How about that, kid? Now you know what I’m capable of!” Guan Tianxiong boasted triumphantly.

“If you don’t want to die, kneel and beg for forgiveness. Maybe I’ll take you under my wing, considering your skills.”

Guan Tianxiong was indeed impressed by Lin Le’s abilities, vastly superior to his so-called elite enforcers. If he had such a formidable fighter under his command, he’d never fear provocations from the Hei Xing Society in the north of the city again.

“Kneel and beg? That’s a fine suggestion. Perhaps you should try it yourself,” Lin Le replied with a cold sneer.

“Refusing a toast only to drink a penalty!” Guan Tianxiong roared, his fists gathering ferocious gang energy once more as he struck at Lin Le’s face.

If you won’t serve me, then you’re better off dead!

This time, the Arhat Fist was even stronger than before, winds howling throughout the room.

His men were delighted—so much power, surely that kid was finished!

But what happened next left everyone dumbfounded.

Faced with such a savage punch, Lin Le didn’t dodge at all. Instead, he met it head-on, throwing a punch directly at Guan Tianxiong’s Arhat Fist!

Guan Tianxiong sneered inwardly. Courting death! The Arhat Fist was overwhelmingly fierce; only softness could counter its hardness. For this kid to clash head-on, his strength would have to surpass mine by far.

He couldn’t imagine Lin Le possessing such power—unless he had reached the level of a grandmaster…

In the next instant, a deafening boom erupted. The gang energy concentrated on Guan Tianxiong’s fist was instantly torn apart by an invisible force.

Countless streams of gang energy flew out like white dragons, shooting in all directions.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The entire room was ravaged as if a hurricane had swept through, the sofas, walls, and ceiling all left in shambles!

Looking at Guan Tianxiong, his sleeve had been shredded by the gang energy, exposing a muscular arm.

But now, that arm was a bloody mess. The backlash from the Arhat Fist had ripped his skin and flesh, leaving it covered in scale-like wounds, raw and mangled.

“Aaah!” Guan Tianxiong collapsed, howling in agony.

“The Arhat Heavenly Gang Fist, is it? Too bad you’ve only learned its superficial form. If you’d mastered seventy percent, perhaps you could contend with me!” Lin Le’s voice was ice-cold.

“Now, do you have any other tricks?” Lin Le looked down at Guan Tianxiong as if he were already dead.

“How is this possible! Who… who are you?” Guan Tianxiong was more shaken than ever before.

“Me? I’m someone you can’t afford to provoke!” Lin Le said, raising his fist to smash it into Guan Tianxiong’s face.

Just then, a commanding shout rang out from the doorway.

“Stop! Everyone, stay where you are!” All eyes turned to see several uniformed police officers standing at the entrance.

Leading them was a tall female officer.

Her beauty was striking, untouched by makeup, unable to conceal her natural allure. At over one meter seventy in height, she radiated visual impact. The ordinary police uniform on her seemed transformed into runway fashion.

Her proud figure was impossible to ignore, especially the shirt that threatened to burst at the seams.

She was both valiant and feminine, exuding a unique charm.

This woman’s name was Xue Manman, captain of the Haizhou City Bureau.

Tonight, Xue Manman was particularly annoyed. Normally, she’d be enjoying her beauty sleep at this hour, but she’d been summoned in the middle of the night—reports of arson, gang fights at the Night Banquet nightclub.

Yet the scene before her was peculiar.

“Guan Tianxiong, what are you up to now?” As captain, Xue Manman was no stranger to Guan Tianxiong and his ilk.

“It’s… nothing, just a misunderstanding, really!” Guan Tianxiong dared not say that Lin Le had single-handedly toppled the entire Tianxiong Gang. He feared both ridicule and the exposure of Luo Kui’s arson.

Better to accept bad luck and settle things privately.

“A misunderstanding? You dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night, and now you tell me it’s a misunderstanding?” Xue Manman frowned.

She wasn’t interested in excuses. “Take them all to the station!”

Guan Tianxiong and his men were terrified of Lin Le, the living devil. At this point, being in his hands was more terrifying than being in a cell—they’d rather face the police for some measure of safety.

As they were escorted out of the Night Banquet nightclub, the corridor was a scene of chaos, blood spattered on the walls, Tianxiong Gang members sprawled across the floor—a scene like the aftermath of war.

Who would have believed that all this was the work of a single man?

Guan Tianxiong and his men shuddered. This seemingly unremarkable youth was truly inhuman.

At the station, Guan Tianxiong, Lin Le, and the others were confined together in a large detention cell.

The Tianxiong Gang members kept their distance from Lin Le, isolating him in a corner.

Lin Le seemed unconcerned. He had caused trouble while at school, been locked up a few times, and thought that he’d matured since returning. Yet, before he could even find his footing, he was thrown in again.

Guan Tianxiong, surrounded by his men, cast a dark gaze at Lin Le.

He still couldn’t accept the fact that he’d been defeated tonight by such a young upstart—a humiliation he could hardly bear.

Lin Le seemed to sense Guan Tianxiong’s stare. He lifted his eyes, giving him a light, fleeting glance. Guan Tianxiong’s spine tingled, his heart skipped a beat.

That look…

After decades of dominance in the underworld, Guan Tianxiong hadn’t felt such fear in a long time.

Just then, a voice called from outside, summoning Lin Le for questioning.

In the interrogation room, Lin Le sat across from Xue Manman.

“Lin Le, is it? You’re just a high school student—how did you get mixed up with someone like Guan Tianxiong?” Xue Manman asked gently.

She knew Guan Tianxiong’s reputation well, and assumed Lin Le was a naive student who had strayed from the right path.

“Uh… I’d never met him before. They forced me into this,” Lin Le answered truthfully.

“Do you want to press charges against them? I can help you find a lawyer,” Xue Manman offered. She’d long wanted to put someone like Guan Tianxiong behind bars, but lacked witnesses.

“Um… that won’t be necessary…”

“Are you afraid they’ll retaliate? Don’t worry, we can protect you,” Xue Manman said earnestly.

“I’m not afraid… I just want to study in peace…” Lin Le answered honestly.

“I understand, the Tianxiong Gang’s influence is large. It’s normal to feel intimidated,” Xue Manman coaxed.

“Um…” Lin Le felt she might have misunderstood something.