With the sound, a burly figure appeared, calmly watching the black-clad man. The black-clad man's pupils slightly contracted, a flicker of surprise flashing through before vanishing. "I've heard of the famed Chief Li of Black Dragon Stronghold and came to see for myself. Truly, Chief Li lives up to your reputation." A somewhat muffled voice emerged from the black-clad man. Li Daoqiang gazed intently at this formidable figure who gave him a sense of danger, knowing full well what the man meant by "lives up to reputation." Generally, powerful individuals possess keen perception, primarily through sensing the energy of heaven and earth. But the innate War God talent was exceptionally potent. Beyond combat, his perception was incredibly sharp, almost a passive instinct. Within a certain range, nothing could escape his awareness. Ordinary martial artists didn't matter—he automatically ignored them. But those of a certain strength would immediately be sensed and noted. This was how he could quickly detect the presence of a Grandmaster among thousands of martial artists. Now, with his current power, his innate War God talent covered the entire Black Dragon Stronghold and about a hundred meters around it. As his strength grew, this passive perception range would continue to expand. Though the black-clad man had suppressed his aura extremely well, he was detected the moment he entered the range. The man was clearly surprised to be discovered so quickly. Li Daoqiang had no intention of explaining. The man gave him a sense of danger, implying formidable strength. And at this hour, sneaking in with such power— He was already fifty percent sure of the man's identity. "With your skill, sir, why come in such disguise? What do you intend?" Li Daoqiang's tone carried a hint of coldness. The black-clad man remained unmoved, though his original intentions wavered slightly. After a pause, he said in a low voice, "I came specifically to test Chief Li's skills." Li Daoqiang narrowed his eyes slightly and agreed without hesitation: "Fine." He moved toward the back mountain. "Follow me." The black-clad man glanced at the stronghold and followed. After traveling over twenty li, Li Daoqiang stopped and turned to face the black-clad man. The man halted, and an aura surged from him. Li Daoqiang did the same, and their auras clashed. "Boom!" Like two rivers colliding, air currents scattered in all directions. The next moment, both moved simultaneously. Converging golden and gray light, like two meteors, slammed together fiercely. Their palms met, a dull thunder echoing in the void. The sheer force seemed to shake space itself. Li Daoqiang's sturdy frame swayed, retreating a zhang, but he steadied himself without panic, only a ripple spreading under his feet. The black-clad man frowned and couldn't help praising, "Excellent technique for dispersing force!" "And your skill is impressive, sir!" Li Daoqiang replied solemnly. With that, he struck first. As if unaware of the gap in their power, he condensed mountain-shattering, river-severing force into one palm, seemingly unstoppable. The black-clad man didn't underestimate him. His palm twisted, forming a vortex, meeting the attack head-on. Just as their palms were about to collide, Li Daoqiang's hand twisted impossibly, turning into a claw aimed at the man's wrist. The condensed true energy there tore like paper as he broke through. The black-clad man's eyes widened in shock. Years of experience sent a torrent of true energy shooting from his wrist. Li Daoqiang's clawing motion paused slightly. In that instant, the man's other hand moved like lightning, striking toward his heart while retreating. As if anticipating this, Li Daoqiang's other hand moved simultaneously. Blocking, his other hand clawed down fiercely. Seizing the fleeting opportunity, the black-clad man withdrew his hand, using the force to retreat. "Rip!" The man's sleeve tore, blood appearing on his right forearm. Though he dodged the blow, it was perilously close. Li Daoqiang inwardly admired—no wonder this was one of the original Four Extremes. Such experience, such skill. If not for the man's unfamiliarity with him, gaining even this slight upper hand wouldn't have been easy. Compared to him, Murong Fu was far inferior. While he admired, the black-clad man was filled with shock. A little closer, and he might have fallen here. "Such effortless mastery! This control over power, this ability to break through protective true energy—Chief Li, you're unlike anyone I've ever seen. This is how you captured Murong Fu of Gusu, isn't it?" the man said solemnly. "Indeed. Sir, are you here regarding Brother Murong?" Li Daoqiang raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. The black-clad man chuckled lightly and said clearly, "He is indeed the descendant of an old acquaintance. This time, offending Chief Li warrants some punishment. But since he's an old friend's kin, I had to come and see for myself." The warning in his words was clear to Li Daoqiang. His guess now reached ninety percent certainty. Besides Murong Bo, what other expert would come in the dead of night to fight him? After finding him troublesome, the man deliberately hinted at a connection to make him cautious, to avoid harsh treatment of Murong Fu. Seeing through it without exposing it, Li Daoqiang smiled. "Rest assured, sir. I've already befriended Brother Murong. As for the rest, it's just my way as a bandit—the rules of the trade." The black-clad man gave him a deep look, not dwelling on the matter. His eyes sharpened. "Chief Li's skills are remarkable. I'd like to test them further. Please." "Please." Li Daoqiang felt no reluctance, only anticipation. At his level, there were many in the world who could fight him, but he couldn't just seek them out. Encountering one was rare. Though the man harbored ill intentions, he wasn't afraid. With his innate War God talent, Murong Bo couldn't defeat him. The black-clad man struck first this time, not advancing but launching a palm strike through the air. A faint watery mist spread as a gray light shot toward Li Daoqiang. Li Daoqiang had anticipated this. From their brief exchange, unless the man was foolish, he wouldn't engage in close combat. That unnatural, effortless control over power, combined with the ability to pierce protective true energy— Unless overwhelming force crushed him outright, any close-combat expert was useless against him. That was the innate War God. But what did he fear in ranged combat? His eyes cold, he struck unhurriedly, golden light blooming as his palm met the attack at its focal point. The palm strike dissipated instantly. The black-clad man's heart shook again, recognizing something, but he stubbornly launched several more strikes. Li Daoqiang countered them all with ease, closing the distance. Soon, only a zhang apart, he dispersed another incoming palm and prepared to advance. Suddenly, Li Daoqiang shifted a foot to the left. The next instant, a faint gray finger beam shot through where he'd stood. Its condensed, piercing aura made Li Daoqiang's eyes narrow. "Bang!" The finger beam tore through over a hundred zhang of void, embedding into a mountain and leaving a bottomless hole. Several more finger beams followed. Li Daoqiang dodged three, then faced the last by clenching his fist and punching three times. "Boom!" Force collided with a roar. The finger beam dissipated, and Li Daoqiang stumbled back several steps, his hand trembling slightly, his expression grave. So this was the Canhe Finger? Truly formidable. The black-clad man didn't relent, continuing to strike with compressed palm force capable of breaking a small hill. The most dangerous were the finger beams, hidden among the palms, sharp and unstoppable. Though they pinned Li Daoqiang in place, they couldn't harm him. Palm strikes were useless. The finger beams, though fast and concealed by the palms, were somehow predicted by Li Daoqiang, who dodged in advance. Every so often, he'd meet a finger beam head-on, testing it. The black-clad man saw clearly—Li Daoqiang was seeking a way to counter his technique. A hint of helplessness crept in. Li Daoqiang's tenacity was beyond imagination. In terms of raw power, Li Daoqiang was inferior, significantly so. But close combat was impossible. At range, only his years-trained finger beams were effective, yet they couldn't land. Li Daoqiang's combat experience was unbelievable—no matter how he struck, he couldn't hit. Using the finger beam up close would be suicide. In close quarters, every moment was perilous; he had no time to unleash it. With Li Daoqiang's ability, he wouldn't get the chance. Even if he did, it would surely be a trap. What about using his signature move? After a moment's thought, the black-clad man sighed inwardly, resigned. He still couldn't overcome Li Daoqiang. His intent to leave solidified. Across from him, Li Daoqiang's battle spirit rose, but he also sighed inwardly. After this exchange, he knew that with his current strength, he couldn't handle Murong Bo. That Canhe Finger was truly sharp—even he found it hard to counter. He could only occasionally meet it head-on, feeling its intricacies to find a solution. But each time, he needed a moment to recover, even taking slight internal damage. After dozens more exchanges, he might find a way. But too many variables remained. Even if he found a counter, subduing Murong Bo would be difficult. The man's power and speed surpassed his; only close combat could secure victory. Yet the man clearly wouldn't give him that chance. The core issue was his inferior power compared to Murong Bo. If they were evenly matched, the initial exchange would have ended like Murong Fu's—no escape. Canhe Finger, Douzhuan Xingyi—he was confident he could break them all. Now, to settle things, there was only one way: Fight to the death, no quarter. In the end, a result would emerge. But clearly, neither Li Daoqiang nor Murong Bo had that intention. After another exchange, they both retreated, stopping in tacit agreement. (Thank you for your support.) ······