His fingers were long and slender, with thick calluses on the knuckles. His grab was both swift and precise—before he even finished speaking, he was already about to seize Brian Smith's shoulder.

"Eagle Claw Grappling?"

Brian Smith recognized the young man's technique. Without betraying any emotion, he stepped forward just enough to dodge the grab, his shoulder shrinking and lifting to knock away the young man's wrist:

"You haven't told me what's going on yet. Why should I go out?"

The young man was incredibly fast, crossing more than ten meters in just a few strides, and he seemed not to disturb the display stands on either side—clearly, his physical abilities were formidable.

"Huh?"

Missing the grab, the young man looked a bit surprised. Although his Eagle Claw Grappling wasn't exactly masterful, for someone to dodge and counterattack—this youth clearly had a martial arts background as well.

"A group of vicious criminals broke into the martial arts hall. For your safety, you'd better come with me right away."

The young man withdrew his hand, apologizing:

"Time is tight. I didn't mean to attack you."

"Let me make a call first."

Brian Smith thought for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed Matthew Smith's number:

"Dad..."

"Some things are hard to explain. Just leave for now—the martial arts hall is a bit dangerous."

Before Brian Smith could speak, Matthew Smith's anxious voice came through the phone:

"Don't worry about me, just go home first."

"Be careful."

Brian Smith said, then hung up.

"Your dad is Matthew Smith?"

Brian Smith hadn't even put down his phone when the young man suddenly spoke.

"You're not a staff member here, are you?"

Brian Smith put his phone in his pocket and discreetly took a step back:

"I know all the staff at the martial arts hall, and your accent is from Xingcheng, which means you're not a staff member from the capital."

"Sharp observation."

The young man tilted his head, and after recognizing Brian Smith, he seemed to relax completely:

"I heard that over a year ago, Matthew Smith's son was diagnosed with a terminal illness and dropped out of Xuancheng University. He disappeared for a year. Looks like your illness couldn't be cured after all."

The young man looked at Brian Smith, a strange smile on his face.

Matthew Smith was 1.9 meters tall, burly like a bear turned spirit—who would have thought his son would now be as skinny as a chick?

No wonder he hadn't recognized him.

"You got one thing wrong. I only took a leave of absence, I didn't drop out."

Brian Smith let his arms hang down, his whole demeanor loose and relaxed.

"I heard you're not only talented in martial arts, but also very smart. You've made a fortune with several investments."

The young man shook out his hand, a sinister smile curling at his lips.

"Take my advice: go buy a few apartments in Xuancheng now. Sell them in three or five years, and you'll make more than you ever could from shady deals—and it's much safer."

Brian Smith's eyes half-closed, the earlier feeling welling up again.

"Buy property? These days, only idiots buy property!"

The young man sneered, stepped forward, arm reaching out, five fingers snapping open, grabbing at Brian Smith:

"Besides, I don't need money!"

This grab was different from the previous casual attempt.

His five fingers contracted and snapped open, knuckles rubbing together with a crisp cracking sound. He was incredibly fast, the shadows of his claws flickering between real and illusory, murderous intent radiating in all directions.

As he struck, his eyes turned fierce and vicious, the muscles at his sides bulging outward, stretching his clothes tight as if he were about to spread his wings.

At a glance, he looked just like an eagle swooping down from a thousand meters in the air, about to crush Brian Smith's shoulder with terrifying force!

"This guy has internal strength—he's a real expert!"

The moment the young man's eagle claw shot out, Brian Smith leapt back like a startled cat, goosebumps rising all over his body.

The young man's boxing skills weren't as profound as the old Daoist Gavin Thompson from Tianlianshan, but his physical strength was much greater.

With this move, Brian Smith immediately sensed danger.

If it were before his illness, he could have stepped forward and met the attack head-on with the ferocity of Bajiquan, but now he absolutely couldn't risk a direct clash.

Rip—

Brian Smith dodged with a backward leap, but his shirt was instantly torn into strips across his chest, and beads of blood began to seep from his skin.

"Hmph!"

Missing again, the young man stepped forward, both arms reaching out, claw shadows spreading like a giant net to envelop Brian Smith.

Eagle Claw Grappling was a military boxing technique from the Great Xuan army, fierce and deadly. To practice this claw technique, one had to soak their fingers in a special medicinal solution for a year at the start. Once initiated, two fingers could crush iron sand flat!

If you got caught, a cracked skull and bleeding head would be the least of your worries—having your belly ripped open was no exaggeration!

"I can't drag this out. If I want to win quickly, I have to take a risk..."

Brian Smith kept his arms up in front of him, retreating again and again, his mind racing.

By viewing from the perspective of Benjamin Martinez, he had experienced the power-exerting methods of a boxing grandmaster, as well as peerless boxing techniques.

But to truly use them, he still had a long way to go.

There's no way to become a top expert in an instant.

"Got you!"

After a few exchanges, the young man's eyes lit up. His five fingers snapped open and seized Brian Smith's left shoulder.

Crack—