The first thing she saw was the utility pole, almost broken in a “V” shape, exposing the steel bars inside.

Next, her gaze fell to the stone slab on the ground, which seemed to have been cracked by a heavy step.

Then...

Her eyes moved upward, looking at the wall of a small building beside the alley, as if it had been struck hard by a demolition hammer.

The web-like cracks stretched as far as two meters.

It was hard to imagine what kind of force could damage a solid brick-and-cement wall to such an extent.

“Bang, bang.”

James Bolton knocked on the wall, producing a heavy sound.

“It’s solid, no corners were cut.”

He commented.

Emily Harris didn’t reply. After observing for a moment, she walked over to the victim’s body.

The crime scene had already been partially cleaned.

Even so, looking at the general manager of Longquan Real Estate—with a sunken chest, shattered arms, and a skull pierced through—both Emily Harris and James Bolton still felt a wave of discomfort.

“Too brutal.”

James Bolton remarked.

“Inspector Huang, are there any witnesses?”

Emily Harris turned her gaze.

“Yes, the victim’s assistant secretary, Emily Parker, female, twenty-six years old...”

Inspector Grant reported the information as he brought over a woman who was severely shocked, her forehead covered in blood.

James Bolton went over to take over.

Not long after, he returned to Emily Harris.

“The head suffered a heavy blow, her mind is somewhat disoriented, her statements are incoherent. I’m afraid we’ll need a professional in psychology to get any useful clues.”

James Bolton said.

“Even if there are clues, they might not be useful. The perpetrator is very professional.”

Emily Harris said, once again reaching out to touch the broken utility pole, which was only still standing thanks to its steel structure.

“Do you think this is really the level of destructive power a human could possess?”

Flesh and blood, shattering steel and concrete!?

How could that be possible!?

“Of course it’s possible.”

At this moment, another man in his thirties and a woman about the same age as Emily Harris crossed the police line and walked onto the scene.

“And you are...?”

There was some doubt in Emily Harris’s eyes.

“Inspector Harris.”

The officer in charge, Inspector GrantDavid Grant, smiled and introduced, “This is an expert in this field, the number one recognized martial artist in Yunmeng City—perhaps even all of Tiannan Province—William Cooper, who has also been specially invited as a martial arts consultant to help solve the ‘3.11’ serial murder case.”

The man called William Cooper squatted down beside Henry Cooper and began to examine his injuries directly.

“Hey, don’t move the victim’s body so casually.”

James Bolton couldn’t help but say.

But William Cooper seemed not to notice.

Not only did he examine Henry Cooper’s body, he even patted it in several places.

“I told you not to move him around. It’s easy to destroy any remaining clues on the victim...”

James Bolton couldn’t help but step forward.

“No need to worry, just leave it to my senior brother.”

At this moment, the young woman who had come with William Cooper stopped him. “If my senior brother can’t solve this case, then no one in Yunmeng City—or even all of Tiannan Province—can.”

“You...”

James Bolton frowned. That was quite an arrogant claim.

“William Cooper!?”

At this moment, Inspector Emily Harris from the major crimes unit seemed to recall something and suddenly said, “The 14th National Martial Arts Tournament champion? The tenth-generation heir of Zhenwu Fist, William Cooper?”

“You must be the granddaughter of Master Lin of Five Elements Fist, right? It’s a pity your father didn’t pass down the Five Elements Fist. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked such a question just now.”

William Cooper withdrew his hand from the completely fractured humerus of Henry Cooper’s right arm and stood up. “First the skin, then the flesh, then the tendons and bones; breathing and internal energy strengthen the organs; blood exchange and marrow cleansing lead to sainthood; even immortals, Buddhas, gods, and demons must bow down.”

“I’ve heard that saying...”

Emily Harris pondered. “That’s the four-stage martial arts training method.”

“Correct. The four-stage method: external training of the body, stretching and pulling the bones, internal strengthening of the organs, and finally blood exchange and marrow cleansing. Supplemented by energy techniques, these form the four realms of martial artist, martial master, grandmaster, and martial saint.”

William Cooper spoke about martial arts with great familiarity.

“Aren’t the martial arts ranks in the Central States from level one to ten?”

James Bolton couldn’t help but ask.

“Times are changing, and the divisions in martial arts are becoming more detailed. But if you look closely, levels one to three, four to six, and seven to nine correspond to martial artist, martial master, and grandmaster.”

William Cooper nodded. “Back in the day, Master Lin was a renowned martial master in Tiannan Province. He was just one step away from internal organ strengthening and reaching the human limit. Although he never became a grandmaster, his mastery of energy was at its peak. Twenty years ago, he dominated Tiannan with few rivals.”

With that, he looked at the two-meter-wide cracks in the wall.

“A grandmaster not only masters energy, but their physical strength reaches the human limit. With explosive force, they can split stones and break monuments—achieving feats like this is only natural.”

At these words, James Bolton, Emily Harris, and David Grant all gasped in shock.

Splitting stones and breaking monuments!?

If such force were unleashed on a person, how could anyone survive?

“The power of a grandmaster is enough to take on a hundred men. In ancient times, clad in iron armor, riding a warhorse, and fully armed, they could cut through a thousand-man formation—truly a match for ten thousand.”