You have to know, David Clark possesses the strength of a mid-stage second level martial artist!

David Clark stared at William Clark and said slowly, “‘Iron Bridge Blocking the River Stance’? I didn’t expect you could train this move to such a level!”

The “Iron Bridge Blocking the River Stance” is the simplest defensive move in “Martial Arts Fundamentals.” This simple defensive move, when performed by William Clark, was as steady as a mountain, solid and imposing. No matter how advanced David Clark’s cultivation was, or how heavy his palm strikes, he couldn’t break through. This astonished both David Clark and Richard Clark.

After a moment of surprise, David Clark sneered, “Although you’ve trained this ‘Iron Bridge Blocking the River Stance’ to the minor accomplishment stage and executed it flawlessly, simple things are still simple. This move is just the most basic defensive technique—no matter how perfectly you use it, it’s useless against true strength! Take another palm from me—”

As he spoke, David Clark stepped forward again and struck with his palm. This time, he used eighty percent of his strength, the force even heavier and more powerful than before.

William Clark’s expression didn’t change at all. He raised both hands, once again using the “Iron Bridge Blocking the River Stance.”

“Bang!”

William Clark steadily blocked David Clark’s strike, then retreated four steps. The force from David Clark’s attack was subtly transferred to his feet during those four steps, leaving him completely unharmed.

David Clark’s expression changed involuntarily. When he struck just now, it felt like attacking a mountain—no matter how strong his internal energy, he simply couldn’t break through William Clark’s defense.

“Even eighty percent of my strength can’t overcome this ‘Iron Bridge Blocking the River Stance’! How is this possible! It seems this simple defensive move has been brought to perfection by William Clark! To break his ‘Iron Bridge Blocking the River Stance,’ I’ll have to use martial techniques!” Stephen Clark thought to himself. In a flash, he leapt into the air and shouted, “Take my move—Soaring Eagle Nine Strikes!”

“Soaring Eagle Nine Strikes” is a low-level martial technique. When performed, the user swoops down like a hawk, attacking nine times in an instant with hands and feet, each strike fierce and swift.

A martial technique is a martial technique. Although David Clark was only at the mid-stage of the second level, he had already mastered this move to a considerable degree. As he struck down, the wind howled, and his claw shadows filled the air.

A trace of seriousness appeared in William Clark’s eyes. He let out a long howl, shifted his feet slightly, and stood firm like an iron bridge against the current. With arms outstretched, he once again used the “Iron Bridge Blocking the River Stance” to block David Clark’s attack.

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!” David Clark struck nine times in succession, each claw landing on William Clark’s palms and arms. The sound of force colliding was incessant, and the scattered energy blew dust into the air as if a tornado had suddenly arrived.

William Clark took all nine of David Clark’s attacks, retreating nine steps. He felt nine surges of tremendous force enter his arms and instantly invade his meridians, causing his blood and energy to churn violently. With a “wah,” he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

As for William Clark’s opponent, David Clark, though he had the upper hand, was not feeling well either. The “Soaring Eagle Nine Strikes” is a fierce combat technique—if you can’t defeat your enemy in one go, you’ll suffer some backlash yourself. With only mid-stage second level strength, using this technique was already pushing his limits. After William Clark blocked his assault, the clash of energies left him quite uncomfortable as well.

“This William Clark has mediocre talent and only recently advanced to the second level. For someone who just reached the second level to withstand David Clark’s full-force attack with a simple ‘Iron Bridge Blocking the River Stance’—he’s really something!” Richard Clark, who had been watching from the side, was greatly shocked. A trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he thought, “William Clark is Stephen Clark’s younger brother. If he grows stronger, I’ll have another rival! Hmph, since he refuses to join us, don’t blame us for being ruthless and crippling him!”

Richard Clark’s face twisted slightly with a sinister look as he slowly advanced toward William Clark. David Clark, being Richard Clark’s trusted aide, naturally understood his intention. The two moved to flank William Clark, ready to cripple him in one move. Suddenly, William Clark let out a cold laugh and quickly retreated. As Richard Clark and David Clark were startled, they saw William Clark had already reached the riverbank, flipped backward, and leapt into the river, disappearing from sight.

Richard Clark and David Clark looked at each other in astonishment. After a long while, Richard Clark snorted and said, “We really underestimated him! When he took your ‘Soaring Eagle Nine Strikes,’ he retreated nine steps toward the riverbank. Thinking back, he had already decided to escape by jumping into the river at that moment! We really underestimated him!”

David Clark swung his arm angrily and growled, “That brat is truly cunning! Young master, we can’t let someone like him live. Next time we meet, we must finish him off cleanly!”

Richard Clark nodded slightly, saying with some regret, “William Clark really is a talent. If he could join us and be used against Stephen Clark, it would be quite interesting. Heh, using a younger brother against his elder brother would be a huge blow to Stephen Clark’s pride. What a pity…”

Chapter 0007: The Weak Will Be Abandoned

When William Clark jumped into the river to escape, his eldest brother Stephen Clark arrived at a refined courtyard in the center of the Zhang residence and found his mother, Liu Suqing.