The Heavenly Dragon Hunter Squad didn’t just outnumber the Tempest Hunter Squad—they were way stronger, too. Their captain, Victor Wang, was at fourth stage Transforming-Gang Realm, and they had five more third-stage martial artists, plus five at second stage.
So when they just flat-out denied it, Gordon Gu could only sigh helplessly.
Suddenly, Victor Wang’s gaze landed on Jason Stone. "This junior brother just joined the Tempest Hunter Squad, right?" he asked.
"That’s right," Jason Stone nodded.
Victor Wang smiled. "I see your cultivation’s already at third stage Transforming-Gang. My squad is just one member short—why not join us instead?" He added, "Sect rules say a hunter squad can’t have more than twelve people."
Even though Gordon Gu worried Jason joining his squad might threaten his own position, Victor Wang poaching someone right in front of him still made him uncomfortable. He shot back coldly, "Senior Brother Wang, isn’t this a bit out of line?"
Shelly Nie cut in with a sneer, "How is it out of line? People go where the water flows higher! What’s the point of sticking with your Tempest squad? Our Heavenly Dragon Hunter Squad is ranked 150th—43 places above you guys. Trash squads like yours should’ve disbanded ages ago!"
Gordon Gu’s face turned red with embarrassment and anger, but he couldn’t get the words out.
Victor Wang turned to Jason Stone again. "So what do you think, junior brother?"
Jason Stone smiled. "I think the Tempest squad’s pretty good. Thanks for the offer, senior brother."
Hearing Jason Stone’s refusal, Shelly Nie snorted. "Hmph, don’t know what’s good for you! Senior Brother Wang invited you to join our Heavenly Dragon squad—that means he thinks highly of you. And you actually turned him down? That’s just plain stupid!"
Jason Stone’s expression suddenly darkened. He shot back coldly, "Mind your own business!"
His words left everyone stunned.
The Tempest squad members were especially surprised—after spending half a day with Jason, they’d all thought he was pretty mild-mannered.
On the Heavenly Dragon side, they were shocked too. Shelly Nie was Victor Wang’s girl, and Victor was an elite disciple. Even Gordon Gu had to swallow his anger when Shelly was rude, just because he didn’t dare offend Victor.
Now Jason Stone had just cursed out Shelly Nie right in front of Victor Wang—as if he didn’t care about Victor at all!
After a stunned moment, Victor Wang’s face grew dark, while Shelly Nie exploded in rage:
"You’ve got some nerve—how dare you curse me?" she shouted.
Jason Stone replied coolly, "People who come looking to get cursed never get any courtesy from me! And don’t bother thanking me—I just like helping others out."
Meng Ni couldn’t help but snort with laughter before quickly covering her mouth.
After Jason Stone's explanation, everyone finally understood, though they still thought he was incredible.
Victor Wang spoke again, fixing Song Yan with a cold stare. "Since you're new to the sect, I won't hold this against you. If you slap yourself once, I'll let your offense slide. Otherwise, don't blame me for 'instructing' you as your senior brother!"
"You can try!" Song Yan replied coolly.
"Senior Brother, this guy is way too arrogant. You have to teach him a good lesson!" Shelly Nie shouted from the side.
"Hmph!"
The cold snort made everyone on the Tempest squad tense up. Victor Wang stepped forward, his gaze sharp, and said in a low voice, "You really want me to 'instruct' you? I never hold back, so if you end up with broken legs, don't blame me for being rough!"
"Go ahead and try!" Song Yan replied, still calm.
"You're asking for it!"
A cold light flashed in Victor Wang's eyes as he stepped forward again.
Boom!
Victor Wang's entire body erupted with Gang Qi as he instantly appeared in front of Song Yan, throwing a powerful punch. Flames flickered faintly on his fist.
"Careful, Brother Stone! That's the Blazing Flame Fist!" Summer Xia couldn't help but shout.
Xingyi Crushing Fist!
Song Yan twisted his waist, channeling all his strength into his right hand. He threw out a punch that looked completely ordinary.
Boom!
The force exploded as the two fists collided in midair, producing a deep, muffled impact.
Suddenly, Victor Wang's expression changed. He felt an incredibly fierce force surging from Song Yan's fist. Instinctively, he summoned all his Gang Qi to resist, but still couldn't withstand the power.
Thud, thud, thud!!
Victor Wang staggered back three steps before barely steadying himself. His gaze at Song Yan was now filled with surprise and shock.
The others were dumbfounded to see Victor Wang actually forced back by a single punch from Song Yan. Victor had been at the fourth stage of Gang Qi for two years, and was considered top-tier among his peers. Yet now he'd been pushed back by someone at the third stage—a truly astonishing sight.
"I didn't expect you to be such a hidden master. I was careless. Let's go again!"
With a shout, Victor Wang attacked again, his fists flying with tremendous force. Soon, a curtain of fiery punches formed in front of Song Yan, and even the air temperature rose noticeably.
Facing this fierce assault, Song Yan neither dodged nor flinched. He planted his feet in a figure-eight stance and traced a Taiji circle with his hands in midair.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A string of forceful collisions echoed, with the shockwaves shaking the surrounding air.
But after a moment, Song Yan was still standing firm, while Victor Wang was forced to retreat several steps yet again.
"How is this possible?"
Everyone was even more stunned by this scene. If Victor Wang had been careless before, now he was going all out—and still, Song Yan forced him back.
"What martial art is that?"
Victor Wang stared at Song Yan, face grim, and asked.
"Taiji Fist!"
"Impossible!" Victor Wang shouted incredulously. "Taiji Fist isn't even a Gang Qi-level technique. How could it possibly stand up to my Blazing Flame Fist?"
Song Yan smiled. "The technique is secondary—what matters is who uses it!"
Victor Wang's face grew even darker. "Jason Stone, I won't forget this! Let's go!"
As Victor Wang left in disgrace, everyone in the Tempest squad except for Gordon Gu and Lin Chuan was especially delighted.
"Brother Stone, was that really Taiji Fist you used just now?" Meng Ni hurried over, her face full of curiosity.
Song Yan nodded.
"Wow, you're amazing!" Meng Ni exclaimed.
"Brother Stone, you're incredible! To reach such a level with Taiji Fist, you must be the only one in the world!" Hong Ran also came over, admiration shining in his eyes.
Song Yan smiled. "Actually, I didn't really defeat him. If you understand Taiji, you know it's all about borrowing force. I was able to push Victor Wang back because I used a lot of his own strength against him. So, I could repel him, but not truly beat him!"
After Song Yan's explanation, everyone finally understood, though they still thought he was incredible.