C9 Number One of the Black Iron Token

The burly man had grown accustomed to Woo Zhengyang's pattern of being knocked down and then charging back in. He even had a bit of admiration for Zhengyang's endurance.

"Not bad stamina. The boss might actually be changing his mind about letting you pass this time!"

The man had said similar things countless times, but his words never stopped his fists. Each time he spoke, he still threw a punch at Zhengyang with consistent force.

However, this time, he was clearly miscalculating.

With each blow, Zhengyang's remarkable recovery and the tempering from the hits had gradually made him accustomed to the man's strength. The feeling of his blood boiling was becoming less intense. He had been concealing this progress to mislead his opponent, waiting for the perfect moment for payback.

As the man's fist neared his abdomen, Zhengyang suddenly shifted his feet, narrowly dodging the punch, feeling the heat of the wind it created.

This wasn't the first time Zhengyang had dodged a punch, so the man wasn't surprised. He quickly changed the direction of his arm, turning a straight punch into a hook aimed once more at Zhengyang.

At that moment, Zhengyang's usually calm face broke into a slight smile.

The man sensed something was wrong, but it was already too late.

Woo Zhengyang channeled all his speed into his fist, aiming a punch at the big guy's shoulder.

"Wham..."

With that punch, an unexpected sound echoed as the big guy's body shattered like glass under Woo Zhengyang's blow.

"You little trickster!" Even though his body was in pieces, the big guy's voice still came through. The fragments shimmered for a moment, then reassembled.

"You call me a trickster, but who was it that sucker-punched me without a word?" Woo Zhengyang retorted, his fist still in motion, landing another punch.

The big guy's fists were tough, but his body was pathetically fragile. With one punch, his newly reformed body shattered again.

"I was just toughening you up! You need to know how dangerous people can be!"

"Thanks for the lesson, I've learned it now!" Woo Zhengyang replied, delivering yet another punch.

"Kid, stop it! If you keep this up, I won't be able to pull myself together again!"

"Does that mean I win?" Woo Zhengyang remained unfazed, continuing his assault.

This guy didn't play by the rules, and who knew if he'd throw a punch at Woo Zhengyang once he reformed? Losing the upper hand would make it nearly impossible to subdue him.

"Fine... The iron token and the martial arts manual are on the table. You're not just gonna take them and leave, are you, dummy?"

"Still trying to trick me, huh? Without a way out, where am I supposed to go?" Woo Zhengyang said, his fist still in motion.

"Alright, kid, you're not as dumb as you look. You've passed the final test. Stop now!"

The burly man had been repeatedly smashed by Woo Zhengyang, cornered against the stone wall with nowhere to retreat.

"What about the light curtain?" Woo Zhengyang still didn't stop!

"The door... the door..." the burly man shouted twice.

Strangely enough, just as the burly man called out, the light curtain appeared.

Woo Zhengyang threw another punch, shattering the burly man again, then quickly turned to the stone table, ready to grab the old green book and the black token before making a run for the light curtain.

The old green book was easy enough to pick up, but the black token was a different story. It was small, but incredibly heavy. Even with Woo Zhengyang's strength, he could barely lift it. The delay was enough to ruin his escape plan.

"You little punk, hitting me so many times, I'm furious!" The burly man had reformed and floated in front of Woo Zhengyang, landing a punch.

Because he was holding the heavy black token, Woo Zhengyang wasn't knocked away but instead fell onto the stone table. He couldn't help but curse the burly man in his mind. He had planned everything, yet still fell for the trap.

Surprisingly, the burly man didn't continue attacking like before. After a single retaliatory punch, he stopped.

"What did you do to this token?" Woo Zhengyang asked, stepping back slightly as he held the black token. The burly man was unpredictable, and Zhengyang wasn't keen on taking another punch.

"You're still quite green, kid. This Number One Token is crafted by yours truly, as powerful as a top-grade weapon. No tricks needed—it's your own lack of strength. Ha!" the burly man teased with a grin.

"Number One Token?" Zhengyang examined the token in his hand, noticing the bold inscription: "Profound Iron Number One!"

Even if Zhengyang wasn't well-versed in the Profound Heaven Sect's affairs, he knew the sect's Number One outer disciple was the renowned Zhongli Huo. The token should be with Zhongli, not here.

While Zhengyang was still puzzled, the burly man spoke again, "Kid, agree to do one thing for me, and I'll let you out. Otherwise, you'll be stuck here practicing punches with me!"

As he spoke, the recently appeared light curtain suddenly condensed into a single point of light and vanished.

"What do you want?"

Zhengyang felt defeated by the man's shamelessness. With no other choice, as the man held all the cards, Zhengyang had to relent.

"Go out and give the current Sect Master a good beating, then change the name of the Profound Heaven Sect back for me."

"Are you kidding me?" Woo Zhengyang felt like he was about to lose his mind.

"The old master loves to joke around, but this time it's no joke. Think about it carefully. I see you're a determined guy. With hard work, what can't you achieve? The new generation always surpasses the old. Beat him up, become the leader—why not?" The big guy said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Let's just keep fighting!" Woo Zhengyang tossed the Number One Token onto the stone table, ready to take another beating.

The idea of a mere servant, not even a full member of the outer sect, challenging the Sect Master was as good as a death wish. Even if his body had undergone some strange changes, there had to be a limit to what he could endure. He didn't know how powerful the Profound Heaven Sect Master was, but he was sure the Master could crush him with one hand.

Given the choice, he'd rather keep sparring with this big guy. Sure, getting beaten up wasn't pleasant, but it helped toughen his body. Maybe one day he'd get the upper hand. Agreeing to the big guy's terms would likely mean more than just a simple beating.

Hearing Woo Zhengyang's decision to keep fighting, the big guy was not pleased. He snapped, "You really don't know a good thing when you see it, do you? I'm offering you a golden opportunity, and you turn it down! Do you want to be a doorman your whole life? If so, forget martial arts and go back to farming!"

"I have no interest in the position of Sect Master, nor do I need the opportunities you're offering. My opportunities are in my own hands."

Woo Zhengyang couldn't believe how quickly his mindset had changed. Just the day before, becoming even an outer disciple seemed like a distant dream. Now, he felt that his future extended far beyond the role of Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sect...