Chaos and monsters begin with the red dragon's clone.

"Get out of here!!"

"Get out of the way!!"

A group of men in short gray-brown shirts with red, yellow and blue ribbons tied around their necks stormed through the street and turned into the alley. Not far away, they saw a group of neighbors gathered in front of a dilapidated courtyard, watching the commotion.

The leader was a middle-aged man with scarred eyes and a fierce face. A thug in front of the small courtyard came up to him and quickly reported.

"Scarface, Liu Biao is dead. Earlier, a dog smelled blood in the yard and barked incessantly. People nearby opened the gate and went inside to find him. I reckon he was attacked and killed just before dawn..."

"Clear the area!!" the scarred middle-aged man said in a deep voice.

A group of thugs immediately shouted and chased away the onlookers. The middle-aged man with the scarred eyes walked to the front of the small courtyard and looked into the door. He saw a corpse with its head smashed to pieces, and only the original appearance could be vaguely recognized. It was lying in front of the inner room. A woman was sitting to the side in a daze. When she saw him, she cried and rushed to him.

"Uncle! You must avenge Ah Biao!!"

"How did he die?"

"I don't know! I just heard a noise, and a masked figure flashed by. Then everything went black, and I didn't see anything at all," the woman cried.

"Scarface," a thug added, "the killer was probably waiting by the door, ready to strike when Liu Biao opened it. But there are no signs of footsteps on the wall, so we don't know how the killer got into the yard. And Liu Biao has at least dozens of enemies... What about us?"

The middle-aged man with the scarred eyes roared, "Investigate!! The members of the Sanlian Gang cannot have died in vain!! Investigate them!!"

*

*

Early in the morning, Zhang Xun arrived at the inner courtyard of the Flying Stone Fist, found a spot near the sand shed, and practiced repeatedly swinging and chopping with his wooden sword.

Although Liu Biao was dealt with, there were still people in Liu Biao's Sanlian Gang. Although he tried his best to be careful and leave no trace, he was not sure if they would find out. Only sweat could dispel that slight unease.

Before long, the male and female disciples arrived at the training ground and began practicing their fist and sword techniques.

"Wow!!"

"Senior sister, you're back!!"

A commotion caught Zhang Xun's attention. He saw a group of disciples suddenly surrounding a person in the center of the arena.

The woman wore a black, tight-fitting bodysuit, with leather armor covering her waist and chest. Her arms were encased in silver arm guards, extending to her forearms. She wore long boots, and her legs were also covered in fish-scale-like armor plates.

Her eyes were slightly yellow, her skin was wheat-colored, and her shoulder-length black hair was combed back and tied in a ponytail. She had a lithe and capable figure with long and well-proportioned legs, like a female leopard, full of vitality.

"That's Master Chen's daughter, Senior Sister Chen Shasha," Chang Zhiliang explained, appearing out of nowhere.

"No wonder the face looked familiar," Zhang Xun suddenly realized.

"My senior sister joined the Mist Hunting Team in Black Fortress Town on the edge of the city. She comes back occasionally to teach some fighting techniques." Chang Zhiliang said with admiration.

"Fringe Town? The Mist Hunting Team?"

Zhang Xun repeated it over and over. A slight stirring ran through his heart.

The area beyond Flying Scythe City is completely shrouded in gray fog. Some towns are built on the outskirts, and the teams that intercept and kill ghosts that wander into the city are called Fog Hunting Teams. Perhaps we can learn some information about the Red Dragon Fog Zone from this senior sister?

"Come on, let's go support our senior sister!" Chang Zhiliang ran towards them, his voice booming in a hoarse voice, "Wow~! Senior sister, you're back!!"

"..."

Zhang Xun's lips twitched slightly.

This doesn't seem like acting.

As he walked over, his disciples enthusiastically formed a circle around him, their eyes fixed on Chen Shasha in the center.

"...You'll mainly be dealing with people in town, and there's a possibility of unexpected situations where you're not armed, so it's best not to neglect fist techniques and fighting methods." Chen Shasha's voice wasn't loud. "Fighting methods, in essence, are about breaking bones and tendons, figuring out how to incapacitate your opponent as quickly as possible."

call!

There were no signs whatsoever.

Her aura suddenly changed, like a hunting leopard. In a flash, she was as fast as an arrow, leaving only a blur, and instantly moved several steps away. Her left hand formed a palm and then a knife, which she stabbed towards the throat of a female disciple with lightning speed.

Whoosh. A sharp whistle rang out, and the fingertip stopped abruptly just millimeters from the throat.

"This is the 'Star-Picking and Moon-Grabbing' technique from the Flying Stone Fist."

Chen Shasha withdrew her hand and smiled: "Don't be fooled by fancy names. The fighting style is about who is more efficient than the opponent. You have to attack the enemy's most vulnerable and fatal parts: the throat, eyes, joints, and..."

Whoosh.

She shifted to the side, keeping her lower body still, and kicked out with her right leg like a scorpion's tail, with a tricky arc, aiming for the groin of a male disciple.

That kick was swift, accurate, and ruthless; if it landed, it would definitely kill him off.

The male disciple was startled and didn't have time to dodge before Chen Shasha stopped.

"When I came back this time, I saw a group of gang thugs rampaging through the streets. Although their fighting style requires a certain level of skill, and the higher the level, the greater the power, if you practice well, it's not a problem to take down seven or eight thugs. Even if you're surrounded by more people, it's not difficult to keep them at bay." She wanted to say more.

"Sasha, Master is calling you." Senior Brother Fan Qi waved from not far away.

"Okay, let's continue next time," Chen Shasha said with a smile and a wave of her hand.

Like the others, Zhang Xun watched her walk away with some regret. He had originally wanted to take the opportunity to ask about the situation in the foggy area, but it seemed that he wouldn't have the chance for the time being. However, he was soon distracted by what others were saying.

Some people say they saw members of the Sanlian Gang heading towards Zhenxifang.

Zhenxifang is Liu Biao's small courtyard. These scoundrels have no fixed abode, and if it weren't for his senior brother Zhao Shaoting's family running a restaurant and employing many people with excellent connections, he wouldn't have been able to find out about that place... But they found it so quickly?

Zhang Xun guessed that he hadn't controlled his strength well. The woman named Shanxing sobered up not long after he left, but sooner or later she would find that it wouldn't have any impact on him.

The disciples dispersed and each found a place to practice.

"Ah Xun, I heard you moved to this area because you had some grudges with the Sanlian Gang thugs," Chang Zhiliang said as they walked. "But don't worry, those gang leaders are only at the second level of Body Tempering. Once we reach the second level of Body Tempering, they won't dare to mess with us anymore."

"Hmm." Zhang Xun nodded; only Senior Brother Zhao knew about his affair with Liu Biao. "Then, what's the highest level among these gangs?"

"I reckon... that's the peak of Body Tempering." Chang Zhiliang pondered for a while. He entered the inner courtyard earlier and knew more than Zhang Xun. "If you break through Body Tempering again, the difference in strength will be like heaven and earth. That's the minimum threshold for forming a legitimate force. Once you reach that level, you won't need to dabble in low-down stuff like gangs."

"Peak of Body Tempering?" Zhang Xun felt even more motivated to train harder. The third stage of Body Tempering, Skin Refining and Bone Strengthening, was perfected, which meant reaching the peak of Body Tempering.

He hasn't even reached the second realm yet.

Chang Zhiliang reached the threshold of breakthrough. After chatting with him for a while, he went to find a place on his own to figure out how to practice.

Zhang Xun practiced diligently in front of the sand shed, swinging his wooden sword, his clothes quickly soaked with sweat. Before he knew it, the morning was over.

'Flying Stone Fist Technique: 121/300, Proficient'

'Flying Sand Knife Technique: 27/100, Beginner Level'

Watching the progress of the moves in the Red Dragon's field of vision, Zhang Xun breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a surge of joy.

He guessed that Senior Brother Zhao might be coming to the boxing academy, and was just about to go find him to discuss buying exotic beast meat—Liu Biao had just died, so he couldn't openly go and buy exotic beast meat; he had to come secretly. The Zhao family ran a restaurant and was also involved in some exotic beast meat business, so it was the easiest thing to do.

"Junior brother."

Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted from behind.

Zhang Xun turned his head and saw that it was Zhao Shaoting.

"You didn't leave any loose ends, did you?" Zhao Shaoting approached and whispered, "The Sanlian Gang has already discovered Liu Biao's death."