Fyren stopped Otto. "Eldest Brother, calm down!"
Otto pushed Fyren away and instantly grabbed his neck with one hand. "Don't call me Eldest Brother, you trash! You're not worthy!"
Fyren spoke with difficulty. "We kowtowed and swore brotherhood... Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know... You'll be punished if you kill me..."
Fyren found it harder and harder to breathe, barely able to speak. Seeing Sherry's confused expression nearby, he painfully forced out: "Sherry... knows..."
Otto glanced back and slowly released his grip.
Fyren took a deep, exaggerated breath.
Otto panted angrily. "The old man's mocking me. He's making fun of me."
"Is he?" Fyren straightened up, gasping. "At least he taught you three moves. He hasn't taught me anything yet."
Otto clenched his fists in hatred but could do nothing.
He considered himself a principled man. Having sworn that poisonous oath to heaven and earth, simply breaking it to kill Fyren would weigh on his conscience.
Moreover, their "master" was in the cave. If he executed his junior brother here, the master would surely discipline him.
Herbert's strength was unfathomable—Otto couldn't even discern his exact level. But someone who could effortlessly overpower him had to be at least an Upper Quadportal expert.
Not just an entry-level Upper Quadportal practitioner either—intermediate level or higher. Such masters were rare even across all of China.
Otto had acted out of greed, thinking this old man might teach him extraordinary skills when he offered to take disciples. But the result... fucking Hadoken, SHORYUKEN and Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku!
Now he'd learned nothing worthwhile while being shackled to Fyren through sworn brotherhood—even killing him had become problematic.
Fyren had outmaneuvered him.
Regardless of actual skills learned, he'd successfully bound Otto with this pact. As someone who prided himself on principles, Otto couldn't just murder his sworn brother, could he?
At minimum, it provided Fyren a protective layer—three additional considerations before Otto could kill him.
Just then, all three heard a loud explosion.
The sound of fighting followed immediately.
Exchanging glances, they rushed toward the cave.
As they approached, Fyren grabbed Otto's arm. "Eldest Brother, wait."
They saw four of Iron King's men already downed, unconscious.
Iron King stood motionless, gathering his energy.
Herbert laughed. "Lower Quadportal brats daring to show off before this old man?"
Iron King gritted his teeth. "Without my young lord, I'm dead anyway! I'll fight you to the death today! Ah—!"
Herbert clasped his palms together, shook them back, then violently thrust them forward while shouting: "Wind and Thunder Surge!"
For a split second, Iron King nearly wet himself in terror.
The attack felt unstoppable—a visible wave of energy rushing toward him at incredible speed!
He considered himself somewhat talented in martial arts, even among ancient martial artists he was relatively accomplished.
Yet while he could channel qi to reinforce his strikes, he couldn't yet project true qi to attack from a distance!
And this old man who looked like a street performer was actually releasing a mass of visible true qi energy!
How powerful must this be!
Iron King had seen his share of the world, but never encountered anyone capable of such a technique!
His footwork completely fell apart as he relied purely on instinct and martial arts fundamentals to dodge. The moment he threw himself sideways, the boulder behind him exploded with a thunderous crash!
Iron King looked back, blood running cold.
Otto, Fyren and Sherry stood frozen in shock, mouths agape with identical expressions.
Turning back, Iron King saw the old man seemingly gathering energy to regulate his breathing.
Gritting his teeth, Iron King thought: Might as well fight! To die under such a master would be fate!
He leapt high into the air, descending from above.
Herbert's eyes snapped open as he jumped up, executing an Ascending Dragon Fist while roaring: "Great Divine Annihilation Sense!"
Whoosh—!
Fyren and the others felt a powerful gust blow against their faces, raising their arms to shield themselves.
Herbert's punch missed Iron King entirely, yet the sheer force of the projected true qi sent Iron King flying backward to land unsteadily on the ground.
Iron King realized—this wasn't a miss. The old man had intentionally avoided hitting him directly.
His mind went blank.
Could such a master truly exist under heaven?
Herbert smiled. "Still want to fight, kid?"
Iron King's speech slurred: "F-fight, fight fight fight fight fight..."
He meant to say "Fight, I'll fight!" but nervousness left him stuttering the same word repeatedly.
"Good! A real man indeed!"
Herbert shouted: "Heaven and Earth Destruction!"
Fyren recognized it immediately—Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku!
"Master! Have mercy!" he cried out.
Hearing Fyren's shout, Herbert's Whirlwind Kick abruptly changed direction, sweeping upward instead.
BOOM!
Everyone felt the entire mountain tremble slightly from the impact.
Iron King sat dumbstruck on the ground, speechless.
Herbert encountered his own problem—his spinning foot had smashed into the rock face and gotten stuck.
He pulled twice but couldn't free himself.
So embarrassing.
Fyren walked over and hurriedly knelt on one knee. "Master, this Iron King is one of my subordinates. Please spare his life."
Otto was furious.
That's your fucking subordinate? That's MY subordinate!
Iron King was moved to tears. "This subordinate thanks Young Lord for saving my life!"
Fyren looked at Herbert. "Master, you are..."
"Oh." Herbert pretended to be doing stretching exercises. "I'm... stretching my leg."
Several people narrowed their eyes.
If you're stuck, just say you're stuck. If you can't pull it out, admit you can't pull it out. Pretending to be stretching your leg? That's just too shameless, isn't it?
Fyren coughed. "Then... we'll turn around first. We'll turn back after you finish... stretching your leg."
"Mm, good."
Fyren gestured, and Iron King quickly turned around, whispering: "YOUNG LORD, this person is incredibly strong! Is he your master?"
Fyren asked, "Why did you fight him?"
"I asked if he'd seen you before, but he kept talking nonsense, so I lost my temper."
Fyren was about to scold him when they heard Herbert still struggling with his stuck leg.
He grunted and strained but couldn't seem to free it.
Fyren whispered, "If I hadn't stopped him in time, Master's Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku kick could have killed you!"
"Yes, yes! I can see your Master is extraordinarily powerful—the strongest martial artist I've ever witnessed!"
"Enough flattery. Don't leave later—I have something to tell you."
"Yes, this subordinate obeys Young Lord's commands."
Herbert struggled for a while with no success. "Uh... Fyren, come here for a moment. That big black guy—don't you dare turn around! Turn around and I'll slap you to death!"
Iron King hurriedly said, "No problem, no problem! Old master, take your time stretching. I'll just stand like this."
Fyren went over to hold Herbert's thigh. After much pulling, Herbert grew impatient and slammed his palm into the rock beside him, creating a large crater.
Finally loosened a bit, the two pushed together and rolled out—an old man and Fyren tumbling behind Iron King.
Fyren helped Herbert stand up. "Master, those three moves you just demonstrated were truly incredible!"
"Of course! I know many powerful techniques!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Herbert asked, "Is this kid under you?"
"Yes, yes, that's right..."
Iron King immediately knelt down. "Young Lord! This is no joking matter! My life belongs to Young Lord, in death I'll be Young Lord's ghost! I will only follow Young Lord's lead! I, Iron King, swear to heaven: in this lifetime, should I ever disobey Young Lord Fyren's orders or betray him, may I be struck by lightning yet denied death!"
Fyren nodded. "Now he is."
"Tell him to stay outside. You and Otto get your asses in here."
Iron King was startled. "Otto?"
Fyren said, "Shut up."
At that moment, Otto walked in grimly, glared viciously at Iron King, and followed Fyren into the cave.
Herbert sat in his seat and sighed. "I was thinking of finding a place to stay comfortably by myself, but I didn't expect so many people to come barging in one day. Annoying as hell."
Otto and Fyren both hurriedly said, "It's all our fault for causing trouble, Master. Please don't be angry."
"Forget it!" Herbert waved his hand. "This place can't stay any longer. I'm moving. You two, who just joined my sect today—go out from here, love each other, help each other. Be chivalrous, aid the dead and injured. When you see injustice, draw your sword to help... In short, do good deeds, not bad ones. Otherwise I won't spare you!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Having witnessed the power of those three moves firsthand, Otto wasn't about to show any disrespect now. Smiling, he said, "Master, let me accompany you to find a new place—I'll make sure it's clean and tidy, with no disturbances."
Fyren thought to himself:
[You saw how powerful those moves were and now want to learn them properly, you sneaky bastard!]
Fyren hurriedly said, "Master, my family is quite wealthy. I can give you a suburban villa—guaranteed clean and undisturbed. If needed, I can arrange servants to prepare three meals daily plus handle cleaning and laundry."
Fyren felt proud at this moment.
[That's right—I've got money!]
"No need!" Herbert said. "You've joined my sect... Wait, I've... started a sect, but we still don't have a name! How can this be? When people ask which sect you belong to while traveling the martial world, you need a proper name!"
Fyren and Otto said together, "Please enlighten us, Master."
"Hmm." Herbert pondered for a long time. "The sect's name must sound mighty and domineering! It should carry the pride and majesty of our school—terrifying to hear, yet doubling your face when spoken!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
"There!" Herbert slapped his thigh. "Look outside! Today marks our new sect's founding—my first day as sect founder! With the sun shining so brightly, why don't we call our sect... Bra GANG! What do you think?"
Fyren's face immediately turned green.
This... was mighty and domineering!
Brawny and majestic!
Fearless as the wind!
And doubly honorable!