"Five hundred gold coins?" Qin He stared at Xie Zhang, his tone filled with resentment.

Suddenly, Qin He froze. A suffocating aura locked onto him, making it clear that any resistance would mean instant death.

"Five hundred it is. Consider it compensation for offending your esteemed auction house!" A Qin family elder, sensing danger, immediately stepped forward and agreed.

The crushing pressure on Qin He vanished. He slumped into his chair, his back drenched in sweat.

All eyes turned to Tang Yan. Qin He’s matter had been settled, but this young master of the Tang family… wasn’t he nearly broke now?

Originally planning to leave, Qin He decided to stay and watch Tang Yan make a fool of himself. If he had to lose face, he wasn’t going down alone.

"Tang Gongzi…" Xie Zhang’s gaze was complicated as he looked at Tang Yan. To be honest, he was quite curious about this young man. Though his first bid was reckless, his recent actions weren’t as foolish as the rumors suggested.

And thanks to him, the Tianbao Auction House had just made an extra ten thousand gold coins.

"The Tang family has always respected your auction house. How could we disregard its rules?" Tang Yan grinned and pulled out a thick stack of banknotes, handing them to Zi Yun. "Count it carefully."

Seeing Tang Yan’s smug face, Zi Yun’s temper flared. She nearly smacked him right then and there. This brat was getting cocky!

Forcing herself to stay calm, she took the notes and quickly started counting.

Though she appeared obedient, she had already decided—he wasn’t getting off easy tonight!

When Zi Yun actually started counting the money, Tang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This girl might look cold on the outside, but at least she was reasonable.

"Good girl," Tang Yan said with a satisfied smile.

"It is my honor to serve you, young master," Zi Yun replied, her delicate face carrying a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Tang Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and an involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

He might have overdone it.

…

After paying, Tang Yan accepted the Thousand Mountain Fist scroll and cupped his hands in thanks.

The auction hall fell into a stunned silence.

It seemed that the biggest winner tonight wasn’t Qin He, but the so-called wastrel, Tang Yan?

Watching Tang Yan hand over so much money, Qin He felt as though a massive boulder had crushed his chest.

He was the eldest young master of the Qin family, one of the top three talents among Cloud City’s younger generation—yet he had been played like a fool by Tang Yan, a notorious good-for-nothing!

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Where was his dignity now?

Tang Yan didn’t care what Qin He thought. All he wanted was to get back to the Tang estate and find somewhere to hide.

Zi Yun wouldn’t let him off for making her count money like that.

The moment he stepped out of the auction house, Tang Yan put his head down and hurried toward home.

Zi Yun snorted at his cowardly behavior and quickly followed.

…

The streets were empty in the dead of night.

Suddenly, a powerful presence locked onto Tang Yan. His instincts flared—he immediately activated his Phantom Step, narrowly dodging a sharp attack that brushed past his backside.

Tang Yan’s heart pounded. That crazy woman really held grudges!

"Zi Yun, I-I’ll go warm up the bed for you first!"

Without hesitation, he pushed Phantom Step to its limit and sprinted toward the Tang estate.

"Coward! Where do you think you’re running?!" Zi Yun yelled, stepping forward with practiced footwork to give chase.

Tang Yan’s Phantom Step was a top-tier movement technique he had brought from his past life. His ghostly movements made him almost untouchable. Even though Zi Yun was using eighty percent of her strength, she struggled to close the distance.

"Not bad—you actually run fast," she muttered, her frustration rising. Finally, she unleashed her full strength. The power of a peak-tier warrior surged through her body, turning her into a shooting star as she caught up.

BANG!

"Argh—!"

BANG! BANG!

"OW—!!"

Throughout the silent night, the sounds of fists meeting flesh echoed through the streets, accompanied by Tang Yan’s miserable cries.

By the time they arrived at the Tang estate, Zi Yun calmly adjusted her robes and elegantly returned to her courtyard.

Before stepping inside, she glanced back at Tang Yan—his face swollen and bruised—then smirked proudly and walked in.

Tang Yan trudged back to his own room, cursing himself.

Why the hell did he let her count the money?!

Ever since Zi Yun had reached the peak-tier warrior stage, she had taken every opportunity to rough him up. Anticipating more of these "lessons," Tang Yan had prepared three whole bottles of healing pills.

Back in his room, he swallowed a pill. A warm sensation spread through his body, easing the soreness.

Fortunately, Zi Yun knew how to hold back. She only aimed for the fleshier areas, ensuring excruciating pain but no serious injuries.

As soon as his body felt better, Tang Yan eagerly pulled out the Thousand Mountain Fist scroll.

Skimming through it, he was thrilled.

Though this fist technique wasn’t as explosive as the Flame Burst Palm his mother had left him, it was much easier to train and suited his current level perfectly.

He carefully studied the techniques three times but didn’t experience any sudden enlightenment. Instead, his brows furrowed with confusion.

Initially, he had thought, like the people at the auction house, that this was an incomplete manual. But with his knowledge, he realized it wasn’t that simple.

The Thousand Mountain Fist only recorded two moves—the second punch was noticeably more powerful than the first.

At first glance, the second move seemed like a finishing strike. However, to Tang Yan, its ending stance closely resembled the opening stance of the second punch.

"If it’s called Thousand Mountain Fist, there should be more than just two strikes. At the very least, it should have multiple consecutive punches to fit the name," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, his eyes flashed with realization.

The second move wasn’t an isolated technique—it was an extension of the first!

By using the residual force of the first punch, the second punch amplified its power, creating a chain reaction.

If he could seamlessly link the second strike to the first… then theoretically, he could continue to a third, a fourth…

If that was truly the case, then whoever created this martial art was nothing short of a genius.

Excitement surged through Tang Yan.

He couldn’t sleep anymore.

Stepping outside, he stood in the center of the courtyard.

Replaying the Thousand Mountain Fist in his mind, he gathered his energy, stepped forward with his left foot, and unleashed a powerful punch with his right.

BANG!

A deep, explosive sound echoed.

Without pausing, he immediately followed up with the second punch.

BANG!

The impact was even greater—the air around him trembled more violently than before.

Tang Yan still didn’t stop.

Following his new insight, he drove his third punch forward.