"Six years is too long! If you ask me, even two years is too much. How about we change it to one year?" General Zhou bargained aggressively.
"Zhou, the rules are set by me."
"Listen to me, such a big rule, you can't handle it. Let me take care of it."
"Zhou Bighead!" the other party shouted angrily.
"Old Black Devil!"
Whoosh.
The gazes of the two generals met in mid-air, neither willing to back down, their auras clashing fiercely!
It was as if two invisible giant waves had collided.
The soldiers on both sides felt the murderous intent emanating from them, their hearts tightening, a slight restlessness stirring within.
Tang Wen felt the sudden surge of aura and was deeply shocked.
With such strength, if they were to attack him, he probably wouldn't last a single move.
Their auras were far more terrifying than that of the Silver Wolf.
"Zhou Bighead, if you can't make the decision, you can go back now and ask your Flame Woman!"
"Old Black Devil, you should go back and tell your godfather directly, this is impossible! Don't even think about it!"
"..."
"I'll take a step back, five and a half years!"
"Fine, I'll also take a step back, two years and one day!"
"Damn your mother! Zhou Bighead, is that what you call taking a step back?"
"You bastard."
The verbal sparring and bargaining continued.
By noon, they still hadn't reached any conclusion.
Tang Wen, however, was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. It turned out that Commander Zhao and General Zhou, who were so serious in the camp, were completely unyielding and tough when outside.
In the pursuit of interests, they would say anything.
Cursing like shrews was nothing to them.
"Old Black Devil! I'm hungry. When you go back to eat your cold rice, use that wooden head of yours to think carefully. Six years? Even if we dared to agree, would you dare to believe it?"
The regions where the two camps were located could freeze people to death in winter.
Without coal for six years, a fight was inevitable.
"Hmph!" The Black Mountain Devil, being a general, naturally understood this.
He urged his horse forward, positioning himself between the two armies.
General Zhou also leisurely rode his horse closer.
Their lips moved slightly, engaging in a silent discussion.
Some members of the hunting squad were puzzled.
A captain explained, "Secret Voice Transmission. No matter how close others are, they can't hear what's being said. It's a skill only those at the general level can master."
Secret Voice Transmission.
The soldiers' eyes showed either admiration or longing.
Tang Wen was silently calculating in his heart: Martial Apprentices are hunting soldiers, Martial Practitioners are hunting captains, Martial Masters are hunting camp commanders.
So, what level is a general?
Is it Grand Martial Master, Martial King, Martial Emperor, Martial Sovereign, Martial God?
"Then three and a half years! I want the goods now!"
Suddenly, General Zhou's firm voice interrupted Tang Wen's reverie.
Goods?
What goods?
"Bring it up," Old Black Devil ordered.
A black cloth-covered object resembling a stone slab was carried out by the Black Mountain Camp personnel.
"Commander Li, you go."
General Zhou didn't look, instead calling a commander forward.
"Zhou Bighead, you're still as timid as ever," Old Black Devil sneered.
Commander Li strode forward, lifted the black cloth covering the stone slab, and examined it for a while.
He then waved over two captains, and the three of them studied it together.
After looking for a while, they lowered their heads and discussed something.
The hunting squad soldiers were curious.
They speculated about what it could be.
Seeing one of the captains assume a horse stance and enter a state of stillness, Tang Wen realized that the stone slab might be a Visualization Diagram.
After a while, Commander Li said to General Zhou, "I'm a bit unsure. Let's get a few more people over here. Zhou Bing, come over."
Zhou Bing obviously guessed what was going on and glanced back at Tang Wen, signaling him to follow.
All eleven captains had gathered.
Everyone had practiced the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, and at a glance, they could tell that the stone slab depicted a "Visualization Diagram."
No one spoke. They exchanged glances, all frowning as if facing some difficult problem, their faces filled with confusion.
In fact, even Tang Wen, who had only studied the fist technique for a day, could confirm that this was indeed the "Cannon Fist Visualization Diagram."
Moreover, it was part of the core strength visualization.
But Commander Li and the captains all pretended as if they were looking at an indecipherable ancient text.
Tang Wen focused intently and saw in the visualization: the flames dissipated, and the mountain trembled, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
The content ended there, quite brief.
This segment should be connected to the Cannon Fist Visualization Diagram, between the explosion of the fireball and the collapse of the mountain.
But he was still puzzled—what was the significance of this scene?
He narrowed his eyes, assuming the standing Entering Stillness posture, and repeatedly visualized the scene in his mind.
At this moment, Commander Li began muttering to himself, "This visualization diagram seems both real and fake. What exactly is going on?"
Fifteen minutes passed, then half an hour, and soon it was past noon—an entire hour had gone by.
Finally, the people from Black Mountain Camp caught on!
Old Black Devil angrily shouted, "Zhou Bighead! You're taking advantage, shameless! Are you seriously practicing here on the spot? Agree to my terms now! Otherwise, I'll kill you today!"
"Enough noise!" General Zhou shot him a glare. "How else are we supposed to know if it's real or fake? Kill me? Go ahead! You think I'm scared?"
Old Black Devil's eyes turned red, and black mist began to swirl around his hands.
General Zhou sneered coldly, and the air around him suddenly grew scorching hot.
The guards, seeing this, tightened their grips on their weapons.
After a few minutes of standoff, Old Black Devil gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Give me a time. When can we get a definite answer?"
"Another three hours should do it."
"Bullshit! You've got some nerve. Half an hour, max."
The two generals exchanged insults for a while, and Flame Camp gained an extra hour to discern the truth.
The people from Black Mountain Camp retreated to rest.
The hunting camp also pulled back.
More and more people gathered around the Visualization Diagram, but the scene remained orderly.
Aside from the eleven captains and Tang Wen, who had successfully entered stillness, everyone else only had five minutes to observe.
Five minutes—unless you were exceptionally talented—was only enough to get a vague impression.
People came and went in waves. Tang Wen opened his eyes. He had grasped a clue, but not much.
He speculated that even with this additional segment, the Visualization Diagram for the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist might still be incomplete.
But this part had given him significant inspiration.
It made him realize that beyond explosive strength, the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist had another layer of power.
It was vibrational strength—or rather, oscillation, vibration, or shockwave.
Explosions produce shockwaves, as anyone who's seen a proper war movie knows.
But knowing is one thing; figuring out how to execute it was another matter entirely.
After lunch in shifts, an hour quickly passed.
General Zhou took the Visualization Diagram and formally agreed to the other party's conditions:
First, only those under the age of 24 would participate in the upcoming martial contest.
Second, if someone can defeat all six opponents in a row and secure a decisive victory, the winning side will gain the mining rights to the coal mine for three and a half years.
The hunting camp has one hour to select their participants.
At 3 PM sharp, both sides will begin the competition.
In a quiet corner of the coal mining area, Commander Zhao was having a tough time selecting the participants. Among the one to two hundred people who had come, many were under the age of 24.
However, there weren't enough team leaders under the age of 24 to make up a full team of six.
At best, there were only five.
It's important to note that martial arts training isn't something that's better started earlier. Children's physical constitution, experience, and mental capacity aren't sufficient; they can only lay the foundation. Advanced martial arts like the Visualization Diagram are simply impossible for them to practice.
The Martial Apprentices in the inner city martial arts schools are generally around fifteen years old.
Most of them become first-class Martial Apprentices by the time they're nearly 20.
Ordinary people often remain stuck at the Martial Apprentice stage for many years.
If one can break through to become a Martial Practitioner before the age of 25, they are considered elite.
Take Zhou Bing, for example. At 23, she possesses the strength of a peak Martial Practitioner and is half a step away from becoming a Martial Master. She is seen as a genius in everyone's eyes.
"Martial Practitioners under the age of 24, if you're confident in your abilities, step forward!" Commander Zhao shouted.
Thud, thud, thud.
Four people stepped forward.
Tang Wen noticed two familiar faces among them.
They were An Lei, the spearman who came in second during the hunting squad selection, and Zhang Lin, the tall guy who came in third.
The other two were likely veteran members of the hunting squad.
Before anyone could say anything, Zhou Bing looked over and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Tang Wen, what are you waiting for? Step forward!"
Everyone turned their heads in unison.
Commander Zhao said gravely, "Team Zhou, you have high hopes for him? Let me be blunt about this competition: we can lose, but we can't let them win six in a row!"
Commander Zhao was not an unrealistic person. The Black Mountain Devil was
willing to offer the Visualization Diagram to get us to agree to their competition rules.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were brimming with confidence and determined to win this competition.
Looking at Tang Wen and the others, Commander Zhao said directly, "Time is tight. Each of you, show me one move!"
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