Era of Mist

Shi Tiexin had been a little embarrassed. A "Fine" quality target was likely quite expensive, and he had originally intended to pay for breaking it.

But after hearing what Ah Fei just said, he gave it a second thought and suddenly realized Ah Fei had a point.

’That’s right, why should I pay? I paid my membership fee to train here, which gives me the right to use the equipment. Your target couldn’t handle my strength—that’s a problem with the target’s quality, not my problem.’

’When you took my membership fee, why didn’t you mention that people aren’t allowed to hit the targets with full force? Now you’re trying to make me pay because your equipment is shoddy? Not a chance!’

Shi Tiexin glanced at the bruised and swollen face of the boxing coach. He seemed to be more or less okay, so Shi Tiexin put the matter completely out of his mind.

"This target is crap. Buy a better one next time," Shi Tiexin said, then turned to leave with his boys. They all swarmed after him, a truly impressive entourage.

"Hey!" The coach who had been scowling angrily was indignant. "You think you can just hit someone and walk away? Leave some money for his medical bills!"

The boxing coach who had been hit quickly grabbed him, repeatedly saying, "Let it go, let it go."

Just then, Ah Fei, walking at the head of the group, suddenly whipped his head around. He shot a glance at the scowling coach, then raised a hand and pointed at him forcefully. He followed it with a throat-slitting gesture, a smug, threatening smile spreading across his face. Then Ah Fei turned back around, lost in thought.

Walking up ahead, Shi Tiexin was oblivious to Ah Fei’s gesture.

He was still lamenting the loss of the punching target.

It was the only target in the entire boxing gym that had attributes, and the only one that could advance his fist technique training. The others were useless to him. Now that he’d destroyed it in one punch, he had no more targets to use.

Still, a glance at his progress bar showed his Basic Fist Technique had reached seventy-five points in the Profound realm. Not bad progress at all.

’Worst-case scenario, I’ll just find another place,’ he thought. ’I’ll check other boxing gyms and see if I can grind my Basic Fist Technique to its limit. I want to try raising it to the "Perfect" level, see if the Celestial Golden Light consumption is the same as for the Fundamental Heart Skill, and find out if it can activate any new attributes.’

’As for attributes, the more the merrier. Their uses are truly endless.’

"Whoa, that chick is gorgeous!"

"Quick, look! She’s really pretty."

"Someone tell me how to hit on her! What’s the best approach?"

"Don’t even think about it! A toad lusting after swan meat!"

Amidst the commotion, Shi Tiexin sensed a figure flash past his group, heading in the opposite direction. A glance from the corner of his eye revealed the beautiful woman from the gym. Her familiar ponytail was as captivating as ever, like a fishhook for the soul, as she walked toward the boxing gym, apparently getting ready for a workout.

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. ’Why didn’t I get a look at her face?’

Turning his head to look now would ruin his image.

’No, I have to resist!’

And so, amidst a pack of drooling wolves, only Shi Tiexin remained expressionless, seemingly completely unmoved. Being able to do what others can’t—that’s what makes you a badass. And with that, the aura of the Black Venerable intensified once more.

The outwardly unshakable Black Venerable was, in fact, still pondering. ’In that fleeting glimpse, I think I saw a pair of almond eyes. Bright and alluring, yet hazy and mysterious. It was blurry because I didn’t get a clear look, but it was truly an unforgettable sight.’

In the past, he wouldn’t have dared to even dream of such a beautiful girl. Beauties like that tended to flock to the powerful, or were powerful themselves. Take Nurse Sister Shi Yu Hui for example—who would dare hit on her? ’Whoever might, I sure wouldn’t,’ Shi Tiexin thought. ’I’d like my head to stay on my shoulders for a few more years.’

But now...

Glancing left and right at the underlings thronging around him, Shi Tiexin was suddenly filled with confidence. ’Now, I’m a man with real status in the underworld!’

And after tonight, his status in the underworld was set to rise even higher.

Because tonight, he was going for the big one. He was going to cross all fifteen names off the blackboard in one go, creating a sensational shockwave!

At 8:00 PM, a restlessness stirred in the streets and alleys. It was far more intense than on previous nights—the effect was explosive.

The reason was simple: tonight, the Black Venerable was taking on fifteen opponents at once. One man, challenging fifteen of the most well-known street racers.

On that big blackboard, the racers’ rankings varied. Some were high, some were low, and a few were even ranked below Shi Tiexin’s original position. However, Ah Fei had made up the rankings himself, so they weren’t exactly official. While Ah Fei thought his boss was the best, those other racers probably thought they were just a stone’s throw away from being the next Fujiwara Car God.

To make this race happen, Ah Fei had run his mouth nonstop, using every provocation he could think of to get the racers to accept the challenge. Shi Tiexin didn’t care what methods Ah Fei used or what trash he talked. All he cared about was the result. He just wanted to see if taking down so many people at once would earn him more Celestial Golden Light.

And so, the sensational race that would rock Tokyo’s biker scene was set.

Various bosses brought their underlings, who in turn called their friends, until it had snowballed into a massive biker festival. No less than a thousand people gathered early on, with more trickling in continuously. In the end, the number of spectators on site alone swelled to over two thousand.

The crowd spread out across the major junctions of the race course, making each point as bustling as the main starting line used to be.

At the actual starting line, seven or eight hundred people had gathered. Shaggy-haired punks bobbed their heads to some internal rhythm, and girls in shorts and miniskirts clustered in groups. Despite the late-spring chill in the air, everyone was dressed more for summer than the current weather.

And that wasn’t even counting the Biker Gang underlings. When they finally showed up, the scene became even more crowded and boisterous.

"Look, the Tokyo Wolf is here!"

"Over there, Lady Pe has arrived too!"

One after another, the gangs arrived. The RUMBLE of their motorcycles was deafening, and the exhaust fumes from their tailpipes were thick and pungent. Fortunately, a gust of mountain wind quickly dispersed the smell before it became too suffocating.

The arrival of one racing ace after another fired up the atmosphere. These racers all knew each other, and some even held grudges. But tonight, no one was starting trouble. They all had a single target.

"Where is that guy?"

"Why isn’t he here yet?"

"Black Venerable? Hah!" The racer spat. "He’s got a big mouth, let’s see if he can back it up!"

It was anyone’s guess what Ah Fei had said to them, but whatever it was, the racers were clearly not happy.

Just then, a shriek cut through the noise: "The Black Venerable is here!" The crowd instantly erupted, and people scrambled toward the direction of the cry.

The fifteen racers turned to see a group of riders in black leather jackets and black helmets approaching in neat formation. In stark contrast to the boisterous crowd, these riders were silent and formidable. While not yet perfectly synchronized, they were clearly a cut above ordinary street punks—more organized, more disciplined.

Leading the way was a massive, heavy-set motorcycle. Its wide tires rolled over the ground with such weight that it made one wonder if the asphalt would crack beneath them.

Shi Tiexin, wearing his signature sunglasses, made his grand entrance.