Three Dog Days' nights were unusually hot. The torches blazed, reflecting everything in the courtyard with an unsettling light. Dust from the collapsed corridors still rose in the air as a figure struggled to crawl out from under a pile of rubble. His hair was disheveled, and his head was covered in a mixture of blood and dust. He looked around, unable to stand steadily, and collapsed back into the debris. This was Tian Weishan, the great magnate of Wozhou, who had lost half his life in the collapse. He wiped his eyes and watched the figure walking forward, seemingly devoid of a soul.

"Mad Tiger" Wang Nantuo climbed up from behind.

Thirty years ago, he was already a renowned master in the martial world. In the Great Brightness Sect, he had been a dominant figure for years. Even when facing Lin Zongwu, he had never been as disheveled as he was today.

"Hey, come back,"

he said to the back of the figure.

"Evil man..."

Lin Chong staggered towards Tan Lu, his eyes bloodshot. In the flickering torchlight, Wang Nantuo walked up and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"I curse your whole family!"

The muffled voice was uttered word by word. Having lost face earlier, "Mad Tiger" was now truly enraged. His tiger claws gripped the other man like steel pincers. Lin Chong struggled forward, the distance between them rapidly increasing and decreasing. In the blink of an eye, they had swayed several times, their fist winds colliding with muffled thunder. Wang Nantuo's claw strength changed several times in an instant, feeling as though the shoulder and arm muscles he gripped were like elephants or giant pythons, trying to violently shake him off in their struggle. He had honed his tiger claws for many years; one claw strike could tear half of a stone apart. Now, he found himself barely able to hold on.

In the blink of an eye, with one seizing and one struggling, after several exchanges, Wang Nantuo tore Lin Chong's sleeve. He delivered a headbutt, and a loud thud echoed. Wang Nantuo delivered another headbutt. The other man evaded, lowered his body, and rammed his shoulder into Wang Nantuo. Wang Nantuo let out an "Ah!" and smashed down with his elbow. Overwhelming force collided. Wang Nantuo took two steps back, and Lin Chong was also staggered. The onlookers hadn't even caught their breath when Wang Nantuo roared and pounced with his tiger claws. As the tiger claws landed on the other man's chest, Lin Chong's fist struck from the side.

Their frenzied attacks consisted of powerful punches, clawing, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and rapid kicks. The whistling leg shadows were like a chaotic whip, abruptly stopping amidst the other's attacks. The sounds that erupted made teeth ache. In the blink of an eye, both men in the courtyard were covered in blood. During the fight, several of Tian Weishan's disciples were unable to dodge or wanted to help Wang Nantuo. As they approached, they were knocked away before they could even see clearly, flying out like rolling gourds. After stopping with loud thuds, they spat blood and were unable to rise again.

They followed Tian Weishan and usually thought of grandmasters like Wang Nantuo as god-like figures. Now, they were shocked and terrified, wondering who this down-and-out man was and what had happened to make him come looking for trouble. With such skills, could there still be something that didn't go his way?

Tan Lu, on the side of the courtyard, watched with a pounding heart. Taking advantage of Wang Nantuo's relentless blocking of the opponent, he began to retreat backward. Lin Zongwu, standing in the firelight not far away, naturally knew Tan Lu's actions, but only glanced at him and said nothing. Some of the Great Brightness Sect protectors beside him also watched with trepidation, analyzing the man's martial arts in low voices, but ultimately unable to discern any particular style.

Lin Zongwu said with his hands behind his back, "In recent years, the Central Plains have been in turmoil. People in it have had different experiences. It's not strange to enter martial arts through the Dao. This man's mind is dim and despondent. Every move he makes carries a deathly aura, yet he has already entered the Dao... It's truly strange. You all have really never seen such a grandmaster before."

Tian Weishan had already come over from the side, looking disheveled, and only shook his head: "He's not from around here."

In the distance, the two figures collided again. Wang Nantuo grabbed the other man and stepped forward to throw him out. Lin Chong's figure was crooked and unsteady, lacking any particular style. At this moment, he grabbed Wang Nantuo and spun him around, kicking Wang Nantuo's head with an upward kick, and his body rolled out, knocking over the weapon racks at the corner of the courtyard. Wang Nantuo staggered and crashed into the pillar behind him, his forehead covered in blood and dirt. Seeing that the man over there had already stood up holding the rack, he roared and explosively exerted force under his feet. In a few steps, he crossed the distance of several zhang, his figure like a war chariot. As the distance closed, he threw a punch.

The other man held a spear diagonally in his hand, his eyes still searching for Tan Lu in the courtyard. Turning his head, his eyes were empty, anxious, and desolate, and he waved the spear weakly.

"The way he's holding the spear is all wrong..." Lin Zongwu was speaking softly on this side, but his voice suddenly stopped, and he widened his eyes.

"Be careful!" Lin Zongwu shouted, his inner strength exploding outwards like a huge wave. In that instant, Wang Nantuo had also sensed something was wrong. The spear in front of him was like a giant dragon coiling and dancing. However, the next moment, that feeling was like an illusion. The other man was merely waving the spear crookedly, seeming to stab inaccurately. His charge didn't stop. His right fist smashed towards the spear, and his left fist was about to strike the other man's center, his killing intent exploding.

In such an impact, his arms and fists were as hard as iron. If the other man, with his ordinary spear, was struck by him, it would break into two pieces. However,

the feeling on his right fist was wrong. The moment he realized this, his body had already lunged to the side. Blood filled the sky. His right fist had already shattered, and the bloody path extended towards his ribs. He hadn't struck the spear. The spear tip followed his fist and pierced upwards.

His feet landed on the ground, and the bluestone burst forward. Wang Nantuo stopped himself, trying to retreat.

Years of practice for a staff, a year for a broadsword, a lifetime for a spear. The spear is the king of weapons, the broadest path and also the most difficult to master, because the spear pierces a line, and all the destruction is on that one sharp edge. Once past the sharp edge, closing the distance, the power of the spear isn't as great. Even if a grandmaster can turn the decayed into the miraculous, these principles are still the same. However, in that instant, Wang Nantuo didn't know how he had been stabbed head-on. His body ran wildly, using all his strength to stop, and the flying bluestone fragments also served to hinder the other man. In the midst of the flying rubble, the man opposite held the spear with both hands and stabbed.

The simplest center-level spear, the spear piercing a line, seeming powerless, but the spear tip was as if it would suck Wang Nantuo over. The distance closed like an illusion. Wang Nantuo's heart sank, and he watched helplessly as the spear tip pierced into his chest and out of his back... Suddenly, a fierce wind attacked.

"Who are you!" Lin Zongwu's roar was like thunder, suddenly appearing in front of Wang Nantuo. His huge body waved his arms like a demon god, trying to break the other man's spear. The other man had already retracted the spear and stabbed again. Lin Zongwu swung and smashed again. The spear tip retracted and stabbed again... In an instant, he stabbed three times. Lin Zongwu also received three times. Others only saw his figure pounce over, dust and rubble flying. Lin Zongwu's left sleeve exploded into dancing butterflies. Lin Chong's spear broke. He stood there, looking around.

Lin Zongwu's figure was like a mountain, standing there. He only said the next sentence after: "--What is your relationship with Zhou Tong?" Everyone's heart was shocked upon hearing this name. Only the man tightly pursed his lips, searching for his enemy in the arena, but ultimately couldn't find him. He held the broken half of the spear, looking lost and despondent. The next moment, everyone saw his figure explode, and the half of the spear smashed down towards Lin Zongwu's head: "Evil man—"

"Good—" Two explosive shouts sounded almost simultaneously, pushing outwards. What followed was countless wood chips bursting open after Lin Zongwu raised his hands to block the spear shaft. Lin Zongwu had been invincible for a long time, but this down-and-out man's head-on strike was almost an insult. Everyone's hearts jumped. Then, they saw Lin Zongwu kick the down-and-out man flying.

His body flew across the courtyard, crashing into the ground, then rolling up again, and then falling down...

...

Suddenly, it was the mountain temple in the heavy snow, the confusion after joining Liangshan, the sword drawn and looking around with a blank heart after being kicked away by Zhou Tong...

Lin Chong had long since stopped practicing spears. After being scolded by Zhou Tong, he had stopped practicing his former spear techniques. Over the years, he had blamed himself, suffered, and felt lost and guilty, knowing that he shouldn't take up his master's martial arts again, tarnishing his name. But in the middle of the night, he would occasionally remember them.

Those moves, he probably couldn't even use them anymore.

That's what he thought.

He forgot the spear, forgot the past, forgot many things, and focused on everything in front of him. Lin Chong told himself this, and he also felt at ease with his own forgetting. But how could he forget the guilt hidden in his heart? The moment he saw Xu Jinhua fall in blood, what surged in his heart wasn't even anger, but a feeling that it had finally come to this. Over the years, he had been fearing these things in his heart every moment, in every breath. The former Lin Chong lived in the shadows. He was lost, suffering, angry, and guilty...

For Tian Weishan and others, what they saw that night was just a grief-stricken person. For Lin Chong in this matter, ahead, there was a sea of people again.

Where there are people, there are rules. One person can't resist them. How could a small instructor resist Gao Qiu? How could an exiled prisoner resist those dignitaries? How could a person not become an outlaw? His body fell and rolled up again, knocking over rows of weapon racks. His eyes were spinning, but all he saw were countless figures. Just like in front of Xu Jinhua's corpse, countless hands were pulling him from behind.

"You can't fight them..."

"It's the same everywhere..."

"Even the emperor is a dog..."

"If you accept the money, you can live well..."

So it turned out that all these years, so many hands had been pulling him from behind...

The homeless dog rolled and tumbled, just like many years ago, he had rolled from the small courtyard where Zhou Tong was into the darkness. Zhou Tong wasn't here. He rolled to the wall, then stood up, a curve of crying or laughing on his mouth, and rushed forward with five or six weapons in his arms, smashing them at the nearest person.

...

Tian Weishan and others widened their eyes as they watched the man stand up as if nothing had happened after being kicked by Lin Zongwu. He grabbed a pile of things and rushed over. He casually smashed the knives and spears in his arms at the nearest Great Brightness Sect protector, whose eyes widened, wanting to laugh but afraid.

"Your mother... this is..."

No grandmaster would hold a pile of long and short things and smash them like a peasant, but this man's martial arts were too terrifying. Feng Qihe, the Great Brightness Sect protector, subconsciously took two steps back. The weapons fell to the ground. Lin Zongwu flew over from the other side of the courtyard.

"How dare you—"

The spear pierced a line. Feng Qihe suddenly felt that the spear tip in front of him had become terrifying, like a crack in an avalanche, silently splitting the earth, advancing relentlessly. His throat had already been pierced through. Jing Zhonglin, a helmsman next to him, rushed forward, and his arm flew into the sky with a whoosh, but Lin Chong suddenly changed to a knife and slashed. Then the largest figure rushed over. Lin Chong slashed out with the knife. The two collided, and in a roaring exchange, the steel knife in Lin Chong's hand shattered into five or six pieces and flew away. Lin Zongwu's fist struck over. Lin Chong closed in and retaliated with his fist. After a few exchanges, he coughed up blood and retreated. At this time, Feng Qihe was still turning around, clutching his throat. A long spear shaft had pierced through his throat. Lin Chong reached out and pulled it out, and together with the spear, he rushed up again.

The spear's edge whistled straight at his face, and even Lin Zongwu couldn't help but take a step back to dodge. Lin Chong held the spear, wildly sweeping and smashing like a broom, but the spear tip would always stop at a crucial moment. Lin Zongwu retreated several steps, then suddenly closed in and smashed the spear shaft with a bang. The wooden shaft, made of ordinary material, shattered and flew apart. Lin Chong was still in the stance of holding the spear, pouncing over like a mad tiger, his fist carrying the sharpness of the spear, striking Lin Zongwu. Lin Zongwu used his hands to parry and deflect the force. His entire body was forced back a step by Lin Chong's collision, before throwing Lin Chong away.

He had always been huge, and although he had been suppressed by Lu Hongti or others in actual combat, he was confident that his mixed and vast inner strength was truly unparalleled. But at this moment, the opponent had turned the spear into martial arts, actually pushing him back head-on. Lin Zongwu was also extremely surprised in his heart. When he threw the opponent away, he originally wanted to add a heavy hand, but the opponent's footwork was strange and followed the current, and he flew out with the momentum. Lin Zongwu regretted this throw and turned to chase. Tian Weishan, who was originally standing far away, watched as the man fell beside him. When he wanted to kick the man, the opponent turned his palm into a spear and inserted four fingers into his thigh.

The blood was thick and smelly. The thigh was where the blood vessels were located. Tian Weishan screamed, knowing that he wouldn't live: "Kill him! Kill him—"

Lin Zongwu rushed up: "Get out of the way—" Those sad and bitter eyes also met him.

The spear pierces a line.

Over the years, Lin Chong no longer practiced the spear, but how could he not think about it in his heart? So when he held chopsticks, there was a shadow of the spear; when he held firewood, there was a shadow of the spear; when he held a knife, there was a shadow of the spear; when he held a bench, there was also a shadow of the spear. Ten years of facing the wall to break through, so at this moment, people were facing the most bitter spear in the world.

This spear was crazy and strange, humble and self-suffering. It had removed all the face and appearance, and for more than ten years, it had always been cautious and afraid to move. Only at this moment, its only remaining edge was fused into everything.

The moment he got the spear, Lin Chong knew that he couldn't use the spear, and he couldn't even pose properly.

If you can't use the spear, you will be beaten to death, but what does that matter? At this moment, he just wanted to rush towards everyone in front of him.

The largest and most powerful figure rushed towards him, so he also rushed over, whether he had a spear in his hand or not, he just wanted to crash into him.

The figures were restless. In the terrifying courtyard, the mad man opened his mouth, his face and mouth covered in blood, as if he was shouting loudly and rushing towards the number one person in the world today.

The roar had no sound. The two grandmasters fought madly together.

Some people, carrying knives, tried to rush up. Some people dodged and ran away in fear. Some people hesitated and were affected by the fight, then flew out and rolled away, lifeless. After a while, Lin Chong grabbed Lin Zongwu and knocked down the courtyard wall. Tian Weishan fell to the ground, blood flowing from his thigh, flowing all over the ground, and finally died. Some of the disciples in the martial arts hall wanted to curry favor with the Great Brightness Sect and stayed here, but many others had already fled in terror... Outside Wozhou City, Tan Lu rode his horse and fled for his life, rushing to report to Qi Ao...

The night was not over, and chaos and heat filled Wozhou City.