Chapter Nine: A World-shaking Punch

Chapter Nine: A Fist That Astonished the World

But Ye Xingzu's expression had already turned completely dark. This brat thought he was worthy of marrying his daughter? A toad wishing to eat swan meat! He said coldly, "Young man, since you are not a man of the martial world, let me, as your elder, offer some advice: in the future, steer clear of martial artists, lest you meet your end without even knowing how it happened."

Ye Rulong's expression changed. "Xingzu! Mind your words!"

Ye Xingzu turned his face aside with disdain. "Father, he's nothing but a peasant peddler. Why be polite to him?"

Ye Rulong was about to retort, but Shi Bai spoke first: "Thank you for your warning, Mr. Ye, but my master once told me that this so-called martial world is nothing more than a troupe of street performers, engaging in petty tricks and thievery. It's not worth mentioning, let alone something I should detour around."

"Outrageous!" Ye Xingzu slammed the table and stood up abruptly. "You dare speak of the martial world with such contempt? Who do you think you are? Do you dare show us a few moves, let us see what you can do?"

Shi Bai frowned slightly. "Oh? Does Mr. Ye wish to be enlightened?"

"If enlightenment is what you offer, then let us see it!"

"Xingzu!" Ye Rulong barked. "Mind your manners!"

Seeing Ye Rulong so furious, Ye Xingzu dared not speak further. He snorted through his nose and sat back down.

At this, Ye Rulong smiled at Shi Bai. "Since the words have reached this point, you must possess extraordinary skills, young sir. Why not accompany us to the backyard and give us a demonstration?"

Shi Bai smiled. "Of course."

"Excellent!" Ye Xingzu said. "The backyard is our training ground. Follow me!"

Ye Rulong quickly rose to greet Shi Bai, eager to see a display himself.

The group soon arrived at the rear courtyard, which boasted a wooden dummy alley, plum blossom stakes, and several training apparatuses unfamiliar to Shi Bai, all sprawled over more than three hundred square meters—truly lavish.

Ye Xingzu strode up to a boulder, rolled up his sleeves, assumed a stance, his face flushed red, then suddenly struck the rock with a palm. With a resounding crack, the stone split through with several deep fissures.

"Wow! Daddy, you're amazing!" Ye Ying'er skipped over excitedly.

Ye Rulong nodded with satisfaction. "Hmm, you've finally attained seventy percent mastery of the Mountain-Splitting Palm."

Ye Xingzu grinned proudly. "Years of hard practice have finally paid off." He then turned to Shi Bai. "Now it's your turn."

"That's right!" Ye Ying'er clapped her hands mischievously. "Time to show what you've got, fraud!"

Ye Rulong also looked at Shi Bai with anticipation.

Shi Bai, hands clasped behind his back in the manner of a grandmaster, approached the stone with a calm air.

Ye Ying'er called out, "Hey, what are you doing? That's the stone my father split!"

Shi Bai ignored her, silently invoking the system. "Custom task: let me..."

"Custom task successful. Task initiated."

While everyone watched in confusion, Shi Bai suddenly let out a shout, dropped into a horse stance, and lightly punched the stone—a touch and then withdrawn.

"Done!" Shi Bai circled his hands and returned to his composed, masterful demeanor.

Everyone was stunned. Ye Ying'er burst out laughing. "Grandpa, and you said he wasn't a fraud! Look, did anything happen to the rock?"

Ye Xingzu sneered. "Boy, out of tricks already? Trying to piggyback on my feat? Come back after a hundred more years of practice!"

"Master!" At that moment, Ye Ying'er's mother interjected, "You're really getting on in years, bringing home such a charlatan. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at us when word gets out?"

Ye Rulong's face grew grim. "Could I have misjudged him?"

Ye Xingzu glanced at Ye Rulong, then said, "Enough, Laifu, escort this charlatan out!"

"Yes, sir!" A burly servant approached, frowning at Shi Bai. "Come along!"

Shi Bai suddenly laughed aloud. "How ludicrous! How blind I was to come to your house at all." With a flick of his sleeve, he turned to leave.

"Master!" Just then, a sharp-eyed gardener shouted, "That rock—look at that rock!"

Everyone froze. "The rock? What's wrong with it?" They hurried over, and as they drew near, their faces changed dramatically.

"Is it possible to mend a rock?"

The boulder was perfectly intact, smooth as if it had never been touched—not a single crack could be found.

Shi Bai's task had been to restore the stone.

The Ye family was overwhelmed. Breaking a rock was impressive enough, but to mend a sundered stone—this was no feat of mortals!

This was divine, a veritable miracle!

"True immortal arts!" Ye Rulong hurriedly bowed deeply to Shi Bai. "Sir, you are truly a transcendent being. We were blind to your greatness—please forgive us!"

Ye Xingzu, Ye Ying'er, and her mother all knelt in turn. "Please, sir, forgive us!"

Seeing their reverent attitude, Shi Bai’s anger subsided. Such a reaction was understandable; if he had seen a boy in a school uniform claiming the martial world was a joke, he too would have been angry.

He helped them up one by one. "A trifling trick, not worth mentioning. You flatter me, Elder Ye."

Ye Rulong hurriedly asked, "May I ask, sir, what is the name of this fist technique? To possess such miraculous power!"

Shi Bai glanced at his fist and replied indifferently, "This is the same technique I used to save you the other day—it's called the Life-Saving Fist."

"Life-Saving Fist!" The words echoed among them, carrying a strange sense of sanctity.

"Saving people is one thing, but even stones can be restored!" Ye Rulong was dumbfounded. "Truly incredible!"

He quickly invited Shi Bai inside. "To meet you in this life is fortune accumulated over ten lifetimes!" He poured Shi Bai a cup of Da Hong Pao tea.

Shi Bai took a sip and smacked his lips. "Elder Ye, you are too kind. Fate brings us together; all is predestined."

They chatted briefly, and soon the evening banquet began. Ye Rulong was all hospitality, and Ye Xingzu’s attitude had reversed entirely, pouring drinks and serving dishes enthusiastically.

Ye Ying'er kept glancing at Shi Bai, still finding it hard to believe.

Shi Bai took it all in stride, saying little, eating and drinking heartily. The banquet ended amidst the host’s overwhelming flattery.

After Shi Bai left, the Ye family crowded around the boulder, examining it almost through the night, but not a soul could find anything unusual. Once again, they sighed in admiration:

"Truly a divine being!"

At this, Ye Xingzu fixed Ye Ying'er with a stern gaze. "Ying'er! Whatever you do, you must win over this young man—this sir! Our family's fate depends on it, do you understand?"

Ye Ying'er blushed. "Father! What are you saying?"

Ye Rulong chuckled. "Ying'er, your father is right. Sir Shi is no ordinary person. If you can be with him, our family will be transformed."

Face still flushed, Ye Ying'er lowered her head, but another figure surfaced in her mind—a handsome, dashing man in blue. "Brother Murong, what should I do?"

...

Returning from the Ye family manor to his hotel, Shi Bai knew he would have to rethink his future plans.

In the world of martial heroes, if this world was truly filled with masters, he would have to focus on cultivation. Temporary tasks would not suffice.

In the system’s store was a manual for becoming an immortal. That should be his first goal—for once he attained immortality, martial skills would be trivial.

He quickly opened the system shop.

First tab: Money. One failure point exchanged for a hundred yuan.

Second tab: Physique. Upgrading once required five hundred failure points.

Third tab: Knowledge. Upgrading once required one thousand failure points.

Fourth tab: Charisma. Upgrading once required ten thousand failure points.

Fifth tab: Immortal Technique. One million failure points.

He checked his current failure points: 350.

Shi Bai was disheartened. "So much still to go! I can’t even upgrade my physique."

"Don’t be discouraged," the system said. "Failure points increase with the scale of your tasks. So far, you’ve only taken on minor, personal endeavors. Naturally, the gains are small."

Shi Bai quickly asked, "So how do I earn more?"

"Through collective actions—starting a company, or even war."

"War?" Shi Bai was taken aback. "That’s out of the question. As for starting a company, isn’t that what I’m working on?"

"Exactly. Once you complete this mission, the failure points you earn will far surpass what you have gained before."

Filled with hope, Shi Bai clenched his fist. "Time to start recruiting!"