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What the hell…?

“Still the fool, Chun!” Hein’s voice came from nowhere, cackling with laughter. “Fell for it first try!”

Fell for what?

I swung my axe at the pins, expecting some kind of attack, but before my blade even hit them, they flashed and I was suddenly somewhere else.

And falling.

Disorientation struck as I found myself some hundred feet in the air, high above where I once was.

Hein’s voice came again from nowhere.

“[Fifth Heaven! Nine-Point Strike]!”

As I fell towards the ground, Hein zipped across me several times, the hot sting of his blade coming with each pass. By the time the last strike hit, I slammed into the ground hard with Hein landing on my back.

Air left my lungs in a whoosh and only the fortifying of my body with [Iron Core] kept my organs intact. I had to admit the little bastard hit hard and had gotten the better of me, but that was merely the opening round. The thought of him laughing fueled my rage, causing fresh Frenzy to surge into my Dantian.

“[My Turn]!” I cried as I whipped about with my axe, throwing him from my back.

My axe met the block of his blade with a flurry of sparks and the force behind my strike sent him flying backwards, head over heels. The distance gave me time to spring to my feet as he performed a flip in midair to land on his own, resetting the match.

The bastard laughed again. “If we were in the arena, I’d be up over ten points to your zero.”

“Good thing this ain’t the arena then,” I said, charging my Frenzy. “Cause you’d be going down in one!”

I leapt into the air with a crackle of lightning, axe raised high.

He disappeared just like I thought he would, but I stayed committed to the technique, bringing my axe down where he once stood. As the asphalt went flying into the air, I sensed movement behind me.

Got you…

I spun about with a [Single-Chop Cleave]!

To my surprise, Hein managed to meet my axe with his blade again, fortifying himself with some kind of defensive Qi technique.

Clang!!

It felt as if I’d chopped into a wall, Hein’s feet sliding backwards ten feet or more as he absorbed the force of my blow. By the look on his face, defending against my attack had cost him though. His brows were lowered with intense concentration, perhaps channeling his Qi into his blade.

I wasted no time and followed up, diving into my repertoire of axe techniques.

Our blades met in a series of clashes, sparks flying with each one.

I yearned to use the full force of my lightning techniques, but with the crowd so close I didn’t dare let loose. I’d have to be certain no one was in harm’s way when I finally did. The complication added a new layer of difficulty to the fight and the focusing on it spurred my Flame even more.

“You have strength but nothing more!” Hein shouted in between his attacks, parrying my weapon with a deftness that defied what a blade that size should be capable of. “I will show you the power of a true sword master, Chun!”

With a flash of silver light, the blade of his sword began to glow.

“Witness now, the full power of the Luminous Silver Tear Fang!”

The glow separated from the blade itself, forming a mirror image that hovered inches above the weapon. A wicked smile crossed Hein’s lips. “Now you shall see what true power is. Face the strength of an ancient artifact, you fool!”

Hein sped at me with a blinding assault, his blade performing a series of quick swipes in the air. The copy image mimicked his attacks a half-second out of sync, filling the air with a blinding kaleidoscope of flashing white energy that struck me in a whirlwind.

Searing-hot pain cut straight through my [Iron Skin] technique and into the flesh below, drawing blood. The strength of the technique reminded me of Flower Girl’s attacks, subtle yet deadly. The thought redoubled my resolve. Hein might be an ass, but his techniques were nothing to laugh at.

He himself did the laughing, cackling like a fiend as he executed the same maneuver over and over again. The crowd backed away as stray arcs of energy hit the surroundings haphazardly, a few people screaming in panic. A fruit cart was blasted to pieces, its contents flying everywhere.

“Careful, you ass!”

The sight of him endangering the people infuriated me and I went back on the offensive with abandon, absorbing the blows to shield my people from his attacks. The searing pain of my wounds triggered my [Bloodlust] and I used the extra Frenzy to speed my healing.

We went back and forth for what seemed like hours—me, trying to get through his Qi-laden techniques through brute force and skill alone, while he attacked indiscriminately. I was nearly tempted to shift forms, engaging [Mark of the Beast].

With that boost in speed and agility I could easily reach him and end the fight in a heartbeat, but I had the entire neighborhood and a magistrate watching me now. I could try hitting him with a lightning bolt, but then I’d be risking the lives of my people the same as him.

I paid the price in blood instead, enduring the pain as I ran directly though his barrage to reach him with hand-to-hand. After all I’d been through in a single day, my body was starting to give out, but the thought of actually losing to the asshole kept me pressing on.

Flashes of faces from the crowd kept me going as well.

Yu Li and Gui Zu.

“Why don’t you just give up, Chun?” Hein said with a leer. “It’s clear I’m only toying with you now!”

“Play with yourself on your own damn time!” I shouted.

I just needed him to make one mistake so I could cut loose on his ass.

Come on, Hein… do it. I funneled my dwindling Frenzy into an act of last resort, channeling, [Struggler’s Resolve]. “The only reason you haven’t killed me yet. Is because you know you can’t. I’ll even stand here and let you hit me with everything you’ve got. But you know what the result will be.”

My goading had an immediate response, Hein slid to a standstill, his soul seething with rage.

“Enough of your talk!” he said. “It’s time I end you for good!”

I focused then as he channeled his Qi, the glow of his jian

separating itself from the blade again. With subtlety I applied [Mark of the Giant], recovering my wounds as I grew barely an inch before the crowd.

“Chun, don’t just stand there!” Yu Li cried. “Please!”

But I wasn’t listening to her anymore.

I had one shot at this and my last reserves of solid Frenzy to do it.

Hein finally raised his blade and unleashed a blinding technique I hadn’t seen before.

“[Ninth Heaven! Silver Moon Arc!]

He spun in place with a violent horizontal slash of his blade. From its tip the arc of light sailed outwards towards me. I charged right in to meet it, bolstering my defenses but never raising my axe to block.

I used pure Frenzy instead, channeling every ounce of my inner strength to a small sliver of skin as wide as the arc rushing to hit me. I didn’t know if I would survive but I didn’t care, the fear of uncertain death well past me.

The sight must have confused Hein because he stared at me perplexed as I ran straight into the solid arc of white Qi.

VAM!

It felt as if I’d run headfirst into a tsunami, the power of the attack so strong it nearly took me off my feet and cut me in half, but I held firm, even briefly engaging [Death’s Door] as my spine was nearly severed from the impact alone.

When I emerged, seemingly unscathed and even running, Hein’s countenance shifted—confusion, irritation, and fear mixing as one.

“Just die already!” he shouted and then flipping above me, he threw the three pins at me again.

This was my chance!

I wasted no time trying to swat them out of the air and let loose an arc of lightning directly at Hein instead. He was now straight above me in the air with no risk of hitting my friends. I struck him dead on with the blue lightning bolt and the howl of pain he let out was delightful.

He fell from the sky like a swatted moth and as he hit the ground, I rushed to jump on top of him. My feet barely left the ground before he suddenly snapped his fingers and the three pins he had thrown flashed around me.

Son of a…!

I was once again teleported high into the sky.

But instead of being confused, I was enraged.

“Damn cheap tricks bastard!”

“[Sixth Heaven! Seven-Point Strike]!”

He came at me again, faster than lightning, his blade too quick to see.

“Die, Chun!” he screamed. “Die! Die! Die!

Rivulets of blood and pain ripped across my skin as I came crashing down to Earth again, Hein chasing me on the way down with strike after strike.

“I can’t believe you fell for it twice!” Hein cackled. “You truly are a chun, Chun!”

My anger piqued with each slice, the ground rushing towards me, but I didn’t care.

All I cared was that Hein was now above me again, with only the open sky behind him.

Every insult I’d ever endured from that stupid name suddenly flashed through my mind as I spun to face him, my Flame resonating with a white-hot flare, fueling me with fresh Frenzy. Hein was but a proxy, but he was going to suffer the wrath for all of it now.

The shame and humiliation. The indignation and caged rage.

I channeled my Frenzy as my anger became a sea of hate-filled retribution.

“My name…” I shouted, as I charged my axe with white lightning. “…is MAX!!!”

I released the force of [Lightning Splits the Towering Oak] but directed at the sky. Hein’s eyes went wide with shock and fear as my axe swung towards him just inches from his chest. His three pins reappeared, producing some kind of barrier as they formed a triangle formation just before my axe hit. The power of my blow went off like an atom bomb, lighting up the sky with a huge flash and boom!

My back slammed into the ground, creating a huge crater beneath me, but Hein went sailing through the air like I’d just struck him for a home run. I pushed right back off the ground again, chasing Hein through the night sky.

“You piece of shit!” I screamed as I flew past him and raised my axe high above my head with both hands. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done to my sister! You’ll pay, you pompous, arrogant ass!”

Hein was still reeling from my first hit, but he still had the wherewithal to scream with terror as I brought the flat of my blade down right on top of his head with a modified [Three-Log Chop].

Whaomp!

The impact was viscerally satisfying as he went careening back down to Earth again, slamming into the crater I had just made with a huge cloud of dust.

I came slamming down right after him, burying my fist into his chest.

Wha-thoom!

The crater exploded a second time as I sent Hein half a foot into the ground.

Deathly silence took hold as debris fell with the patter of rain, not even the crowd making a sound. As I looked to my handiwork below me, Hein lay unconscious in a shattered mess. His fine robes were scorched and torn to shreds, his hair unraveled and burned on one side from where the flat of my axe had struck him.

He could have been dead.

Should have been dead.

But I’d pulled my punches at the last second for a reason.

With a ragged sputter, Hein suddenly came to, coughing up blood. I stood over him and let the weight of my axe fall on his chest, stifling him further as he struggled to breathe. He looked up at me with shock and disbelief in his eyes, his soul trembling with fear.

“H-how…?” he stuttered. “H-how have you done this?”

I grimaced with [Fear the Flame] absorbing his fear at the same time.

“When ancient flames beckon, you answer the call. And when pieces of shit like you get in the way…they simply get burned.”

Hein’s face became a mosaic of confusion as I dropped the cryptic truth on him, eyes squinting with a furrowed brow. I laughed then, happy to see the clown finally lost for words.

“For the sake of Su Ling, I’ve chosen to spare your wretched life today,” I said as I stepped on his forearm, pinning his sword and hand to the asphalt. He cried out in pain, the Qi-imbued strength of his body now gone.

“It is my hope that one day, you may man up enough to fully atone for your sins,” I said as I raised my axe. “But as for now. Today you will receive a lesson that you won’t soon forget.”

He stared at me confused, until he looked at my foot standing on his forearm again.

“No,” he cried. “Please no! Not my hand! Not like her! Not like Zu Tien!”

Hein screamed in horror as my axe fell.

“Noooo!”

Lightning thundered as my blade struck the ground in a [Three-Log Chop], the sharp ring of steel coming with it. My hair was pushed back by a massive explosion of energy and when the dust finally cleared, Hein’s blade lay shattered in three pieces on the ground.

A cold silence filled the air, only the whimpering of Hein’s sobbing breaking it. When I finally let up on his forearm, he rolled to his knees and looked at his hand as if not believing it was still attached. Only a few seconds later did he notice his sword on the ground and then screamed a second time.

“No!! What have you done?!!”

“I’ve chosen to show you more mercy than you deserve, you bastard. Be grateful for it.”

Fresh tears filled in his eyes. “No! You should have taken my hand! This sword was worth far more than my life!”

I shrugged with [Indifference]. “Even better then.”

I lifted his chin with the tip of my axe blade, bringing his teary eyes to meet mine. “Pay attention now, Hein. You see her?”

I pointed at Yu Li and Su Ling and then jabbed the axe head into his neck until he nodded.

“You now owe her five Taels a month, understand? And you will continue to pay this on the first of each month until Su Ling reaches eighteen years of age.”

“What?”

“It’s called child support, bitch.” I pushed him back to the ground with my axe, causing him to scramble on his elbows. “Now swear to it before the magistrate, before I withdraw my mercy and take off both your damn hands!”

His eyes darted back and forth wildly, uncertain and scared. “I.. I…”

“Swear it!” I bellowed and his eyes quickly bulged.

“I swear it, I swear it!” he cried, tears running down his swollen and bloodied cheeks as he lowered his head and began to sob like a scolded child.

Jian Yi nodded at Hein with a smile as she stepped from the crowd. “Noted. I will see that the Junior Magistrate drafts something for you so that you do not soon forget your commitment, Young Master Hein.”

I finally let him up, grabbing him up off the ground by his robes.

I looked him dead in the eye with [Fear the Flame] and was satisfied that I’d broken him in both body and soul. Hein now feared me like death itself and I reveled in it, cultivating new strength from his weakness.

“If you ever disrespect my sister or anyone in my sect again, I’ll be coming for your head. You got that?”

I waited for him to nod like the scared little boy he was and then spun him about.

“Good,” I said and then kicked him in the back of the ass, the same way he did Zu Tien. “Now get on up out of here!” I then looked for the girl herself and saw Zu Tien still unconscious on the ground. “And take that one-handed whore with you.”

Hein stumbled on his feet, bent over at the waist.

He then reached a hand towards Yu Li.

“Yu Li… I’m sorry…”

Yu Li’s face soured. “You are indeed sorry, Young Master Hein.”

I sensed the anger in her as she picked up a piece of fallen fruit from the ground. It then spiked as she threw it at him, releasing a yell. It hit him square in the chest leaving a purple stain on his already disheveled robes. Another piece of fruit came and then another. By the time he dragged Zu Tien and his broken sword from the square Hein was ducking for cover.

I watched with an immense sense of satisfaction as the very people he had oppressed turned their wrath on him with impunity, emboldened by the security that only true strength and power could provide. As Hein wailed and cried, I shot another lightning bolt into the sky signaling our victory to the heavens.

“Let it be known!” I shouted. “That today, Young Master Hein of the Silver Leaf Clan has been defeated by the might of the Terran Sect!”

My neighborhood cried out a victory shout with me as I sent another bolt of blue lightning thundering into the sky. As the revelry kicked off, I focused on one more piece of unfinished business that needed to be settled.

I pointed my axe into the crowd. “Li Fet! Where are you? It is time to pay what you now owe!”

The crowd parted from around him to reveal he had been sitting there shaking in his chair the entire time.

I approached him casually with my axe on my shoulder.

“It seems you’ve lost, Li Fet,” I said. “I’m ready to sign those deeds now.”

“I-I can’t…” he said, glancing over his shoulder as the people of the square closed in around him. “This is not right! This is not fair! I want to speak to a-!”

Jian Yi shut him up by thrusting a document and a pen in his hands. “Do I need to have the Junior Magistrate summon the Enforcers to persuade you?”

Li Fet glanced at the stump at the center of the square and then immediately looked up at me, as if remembering the punishment he had subjected me to just a few short months ago.

I smiled, amused by the reversal of roles.

I’d come a hell of a long way since then.

“Hey, it’d be only fair right?” I said with a shrug. “But I’d only order a dozen strikes.” I then put on a mocking tone. “You’d find that, like you, This One is a just and merciful landowner.”

I grinned as Li Fet swallowed visibly and then hurriedly signed the document.

I snatched it from him and then gave him a scowl.

“Good,” I said. “Now get your fat, sorry ass off of my property.”

* * *

The neighborhood roared with cheers once Li Fet and Hein finally left the square. The outpouring of lemonade was on the order of nothing I’d experienced before as the entire block swarmed me with hugs, slaps on the back, and words of constant praise.

It was all I could do to try and cultivate it all while still trying to navigate the crowd, looking for the people I needed to see the most. When I finally reached Yu Li, she crushed me in an embrace along with Su Ling, kissing me on both cheeks.

“You did it, Chun!” she said, her eyes dancing with pride and joy. “Or wait… should I call you Max now?”

I laughed. “You’re my damn sister. You can call me whatever the hell you like.”

She grinned from ear to ear, crushing me in an embrace again. “I’m sorry for ever doubting you,” she whispered in my ear. “You’re the most amazing brother to ever live. Thank you so much for freeing us. For freeing me.”

I hugged her back and couldn’t help the tears that came to my eyes.

“[My Turn]!” Gui Zu exclaimed, once I let her go, the giant of a man mimicking the martial tone of my technique. Despite his wounds he lifted me right off the ground as his arms crushed me about the waist. “To the greatest cultivator I’ve ever known! Your heart matches the strength of your fighting spirit, Brother Max. May your capacity for mercy be as renowned as your ferocity in battle.”

I laughed with him. “Thank you, brother!”

As he set me down, I came face to face with Jian Yi.

She wore a smirk on her face, but her eyes shone with a playful mirth.

“Max Chun,” she said in a formal tone. “Founder, Leader, and Warden of the Terran Sect and rightful Landowner of D-Block, I present to you this, your official documents of title and ownership. May you continue to lead with strength, justice and courage.”

She then bowed deeply and presented the stack of papers to me with both hands.

I gave a formal bow as I accepted them from her.

It was a small gesture, completely unnecessary really, but it did wonders to rally the feeling of accomplishment in my heart. The rest of the neighborhood felt it too and burst into applause as I was formally inducted into my new positions of authority and power.

“Thank you, Jian Yi,” I said, returning her bow. “And thank you for having the faith in me to press on, even when I didn’t show.”

She nodded. “Well, I’d already bet the farm on you, so I didn’t have much choice.”

I laughed at that and marveled at the ember still burning brightly in her soul.

She’d stepped up to the plate and defended her people, but in a way much different than I would have guessed. The way in question stepped to stand by her side, the Junior Magistrate Hui Long. Jian Yi had once again displayed skills and talents that I’d never known, much less given her credit for. How she had convinced a Junior Magistrate to adjudicate a shit-show like this in the worst part of town was beyond me.

But I was thankful for it.

It was all her doing that had given me my second chance.

“Thank you for everything, Jian Yi,” I said, placing my hands on her shoulders. “You truly made this possible by buying me more time. Words can’t express how much that mattered.”

She blushed then, turning her head with a smile.

The tough girl turned soft was adorable, but I let her go with a quick embrace before she lost her composure any further.

“Congratulations on your victory,” Hui Long said, giving me a polite bow as well. “Your technique was most impressive and a bit familiar if I do say so myself… is the Iron Bull any relation?”

He grinned knowingly and it was my turn to blush now.

Ah, who the hell who was I trying to kid?

There was no way I could hide my secret identity any longer.

Not after what I’d just done.

But neither did I want to…or need to either.

I was my own man now.

With my own sect, and my own power.

I gave Hui Long a wry smile. “I guess you can say I know the Iron Bull on a personal level.”

Hui Long bowed again. “It is an honor to meet you in person. And it is no small wonder that you were able to defeat Master Hein. Your reputation precedes you for certain, Iron Bull.”

The name Iron Bull went echoing with a whisper throughout the crowd, those slow on the uptake reacting with shock. Including my sister who tiptoed to whisper into Gui Zu’s ear.

“What’s the Iron Bull?” she said too loudly.

Gui Zu let out a laugh and so did I.

“You are indeed a legend,” Hui Long said. “And your reputation will only grow from what has transpired today, but it will not go unnoticed. I would prepare for a swift appeal in the near future from the Dong family. They are but a small part of the greater Silver Leaf Clan, but I would imagine Young Master Hein’s defeat will not go unchallenged.”

The thought of retribution from Hein’s parents or even the Warden herself got my juices pumping.

“Let them come,” I said with confidence as my Flame stirred. “So long as they follow the law, I’d be more than happy to face whoever they send to fight me in the ring.”

Jian Yi smiled. “Spoken like a true champion.” She then turned to the crowd. “Let’s hear it for our great Warden, Max Chun the Iron Bull!”

The crowd rallied again, chanting my moniker like I was back in the arena again.

I threw my hands in the air, accepting their praise.

As my soul swelled with appreciation, I couldn’t help but reflect on everything.

I’d done it.

I’d won.

“It’s time to celebrate!” Jian Yi said, throwing her fist into the air. “Tonight, the Terran Sect has solidified itself as a force to be reckoned with. And it’s all thanks to Chun! Let’s show our appreciation for him!”

Just like before, the people responded to Jian Yi’s commands as if on instinct, transforming the dueling court into a neighborhood square once more. I pitched in by clearing the massive crater I’d made in the ground and once all was done, the food and drink flowed seemingly from nowhere as the people poured out their hearts through laughter, song, and dance. I sat smiling with Yu Li, Su Ling and Gui Zu, basking in the warmth and security that only my hard-won labor could afford.

At least for now.

There were new challenges that lay ahead of me for sure, but there were opportunities as well.

The response from Hein’s family, the fallout from killing Sumatra and destroying an entire branch of the Fire Bird Clan and not to mention that unknown horror I’d killed down in the depths… if I’d killed it even.

That eye-octopus was probably just a puppet for whatever that thing truly was.

I’xol’ukz, I think it called itself? The King of the Moon?

With a name like that, the [Odds were Against Me] for sure, but I had hidden strength to balance it as well. I had a new conclave of Terrans to support and cultivate out in the wild and a whole new Chapter of teachings to digest from the scriptures on Threja’s sword. The thought made me eager to get back out there and increase in knowledge and power.

And I would do so soon enough.

In the back of my mind though, there were new thoughts of Fia as well.

I’d defeated both Hong Feng and Sumatra. With them gone, there was nothing stopping me from continuing my relationship with Fia in secret out in the wild, although it would still lead to bigger complications in the future, but maybe just seeing her again would be enough for now.

It was a pleasant thought, but as pleasant as it was, it would all have to wait.

Tonight, I would focus on celebrating with my people and let the complications of tomorrow, be for another day.