Benjamin Martinez's entire strength had already become perfectly unified, the internal and external forces merging into every move he made. With a tremor of his foot, power surged from the ground, flowing through his shins, knees, waist, arms, elbows, wrists, palms, and fingers.

His force reached his fingertips, his punch thundered like lightning, yet at the same time, his shins, knees, waist, arms, elbows, wrists, and palms could all erupt with explosive power.

In fact, with the mastery of force at the Dan level, even his ears could kill a man!

"Whoosh!"

In the small courtyard, the old man suddenly withdrew his fist, shifting from extreme motion to utter stillness in the blink of an eye.

Only the swirling leaves and dust, and the lingering gusts from his punch, bore witness to the reality of what had just occurred.

And Brian Smith, who had fully sensed the changes in the old man's strength, gained even deeper insight.

One moment, his punch thundered; the next, he was as still as a pine or cypress.

The circulation of blood and energy around the old man's body, the changes in his force, even the beating of his heart—all of it, in that instant, settled down.

It was as if, in the depths of winter, the vitality of the earth lay hidden, not leaking a trace, round and complete as a pill.

"The secret of the Dan level lies not only in release, but also in retraction. In fact, retraction is even more important than release."

A sudden clarity arose in Brian Smith's mind, and he wished he could go out and practice a set of punches right away to vent his feelings.

"Old Mr. Martinez's boxing is truly unmatched in its ferocity! If his fists are so formidable, I wonder how skilled his spear technique must be."

At that moment, a calm yet admiring voice sounded from outside the courtyard.

Benjamin Martinez, standing with his hands behind his back, seemed to have expected this. He merely lifted his eyelids: "You want to establish a Central Martial Arts Hall—that's your business. I will not participate, and Bajiquan will not be passed on to outsiders."

"Now, in this era of Daxuan, we are facing an upheaval unseen in millennia. Bandits run rampant within, warlords carve out their own territories, and foreign powers eye us from without. Though we are martial artists, we cannot remain aloof."

Outside the courtyard, the visitor's voice was calm, yet carried a faint clash of metal:

"Between us martial artists, let our fists and feet do the talking. If I, though unworthy, can surpass Old Sir by even a single move, I ask that Old Sir accompany me to the Magic City and preside over the Central Martial Arts Hall."

"It seems that the set of boxing I just demonstrated has not made you back down."

In the courtyard, Benjamin Martinez's eyes were half-closed, his breath as deep as the sea, yet like a volcano about to erupt:

"I've heard that Eleven learned boxing, mastered it in six years, and has been undefeated since his debut. I would very much like to experience it for myself."

Eleven learned boxing, mastered it in six years?

This person is Adam Sullivan!

Listening quietly to the conversation between the two, Brian Smith couldn't help but feel a shock in his heart. Did these two grandmasters really cross hands three hundred years ago?

"It's a pity that Old Sir, though he has locked his energy and blood at the Dan level in his sixties, is still not as vigorous as in his prime."

With a long sigh, the door to the courtyard was slowly pushed open.

Bathed in the flowing sunlight, a young man slowly raised his head to look:

"Then allow me to witness Old Sir's Six Harmonies Spear!"

Chapter 9: Bajiquan's Elbow to the Heart

Inside and outside the courtyard gate, six meters apart, the two grandmasters stood facing each other, a heavy atmosphere slowly rising.

"It's reached the limit..."

Brian Smith wanted to keep watching, but felt waves of weakness in his heart.

Every second he stayed here seemed to drain his physical and mental strength. If he stayed any longer, he figured he would faint outside.

Therefore, even though the two grandmasters were about to fight, he had no choice but to exit this state.

As soon as he withdrew his perspective, Brian Smith felt a strong sense of discomfort.

It was as if he had fallen from heaven into hell; weakness and a familiar stabbing pain brought him back to reality.

Compared to Benjamin Martinez's body, his own was unbelievably frail.

"Dan level..."

Brian Smith's eyes were half-closed, the sensations from before vividly replaying in his mind.

The force changes of a Dan-level boxing grandmaster, the pinnacle of Bajiquan technique.

His body had not improved at all, but the gloom in his heart was completely swept away!

A moment later, sensing someone approaching outside the exhibition hall, he finally put down the yellowed manuscript in his hand and strode out.

By now, Brian Smith already understood that the reason he could see Benjamin Martinez's past was not because of the manuscript itself, but because of the powerful spiritual imprint Benjamin Martinez had left on it.

Now, that spiritual imprint had transferred to him, and the manuscript had naturally lost its spirit.

Therefore, the manuscript was no longer of any use to him.

"Student, due to unforeseen circumstances, the exposition is temporarily suspended. Please leave for now."

A young man in work clothes strode into the exhibition hall. When he saw Brian Smith, his expression changed and he spoke loudly.

"Suspended? What exactly happened?"

Brian Smith paused, frowning inwardly.

The Daxuan Martial Arts Exposition always announced its schedule months in advance. When it began, martial arts enthusiasts from all over would come.

Unless something extremely serious had happened, it would never be suspended.

What worried him was that Matthew Smith was also part of the security team this time. If something had really happened, there might be danger.

"I'm afraid I can't disclose that. Please come with me."

The staff member strode over and reached out to grab Brian Smith's shoulder.