I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 87 - 86: Roping In

Chu Fan walked up to Sun Zixuan, squatted down, and slapped him twice across the face.

"Speak. What did you want with me? Or did you come all this way just for a beating?"

Sun Zixuan stared at Chu Fan, his eyes filled with fear, yet also harboring humiliation and utter disbelief.

Even now, he couldn’t accept that he, a cultivator in the Blood Refining Realm, had been utterly crushed by some kid who had just reached the Blood Nourishing Realm.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. In a trembling voice, he said, "Whether you like it or not, you’ve been assigned to the Cyan Wood Hall, under Incense Master Zhou."

"The Incense Master sent me to find you. He wants you at the Cyan Wood Hall at 3:00 PM to meet with him!"

"Got it." Chu Fan nodded slightly, then slapped him again.

SLAP! Sun Zixuan was sent sprawling to the ground once more.

The slap was so fast and vicious that Sun Zixuan coughed up a spray of blood.

...

The six men Sun Zixuan had brought with him, along with the onlookers in the distance, were all aghast.

Sun Zixuan clutched his face, staring at Chu Fan in utter confusion. ’I was being so respectful, so why did he still hit me?’

He’d met ruthless people before, but never anyone this savage!

"This slap is to make you remember something..."

Chu Fan’s tone was level. "The gang’s rules are what saved you. Otherwise, I would have killed you with that last blow."

"You were born to be an errand boy, and that’s the job you’re doing. You gather a group of losers and dare to call yourself the boss?"

Sun Zixuan was left speechless.

Chu Fan continued, "I hear Incense Master Zhou thinks highly of me. He nearly came to blows with the other Incense Masters to recruit me..."

"And yet you led a group to ambush me. Are you trying to defy Incense Master Zhou?"

"I... I wasn’t!" Sun Zixuan panicked. "I just wanted to put you in your place!"

Chu Fan stood up. "From now on, when you see me, you lower your head."

With that, he turned and strode away.

The crowd at the dining hall entrance watched his retreating figure with a mixture of expressions—envy, surprise, awe, and above all, disbelief.

The few who had joined the Seven Stars Gang at the same time as Chu Fan all recalled the day Li Qingxue had nearly thrown him out.

’Instructor Cao was right...’

’Some people truly are different from others.’

「...」

BOOM!

BOOM!

Led by a guide, Chu Fan stepped into the Cyan Wood Hall.

A dull, rhythmic booming echoed through the courtyard of the Seven Stars Gang’s Cyan Wood Hall.

A robust, middle-aged man stood in the courtyard, shirtless, driving his fists into a wooden stake that was over eight feet in diameter.

Each punch landed with a thunderous clap.

The guide bowed low and announced, "Incense Master, Chu Fan is here."

But Zhou Tianci didn’t stop. Instead, he took a deep breath and drew back his right fist, his muscles bulging like coiled dragons.

The next moment, his fist cut through the air with a piercing shriek.

"BOOM—"

The massive stake trembled slightly.

’This is quite different from my own training.’

’If I had gathered my strength for a punch like that, the stake would have been sent flying.’

’But...’

Chu Fan’s gaze shifted from Zhou Tianci to the base of the stake.

’Despite the immense force of the impacts, the ground beneath it isn’t the least bit disturbed. There isn’t a single crack!’

’How strange!’

Chu Fan scanned the courtyard.

Zhou Ye and Xia Huanhuan stood to the left, their expressions complicated.

To the right stood Sun Zixuan and Ling Feng, both of whom he had beaten soundly.

When they saw him looking, the two hastily averted their eyes, their faces ashen.

Only then did Zhou Tianci slowly relax his stance and turn to face Chu Fan.

His bronze skin glistened with sweat, but his breathing was perfectly steady.

"Chu Fan?" Zhou Tianci broke into a smile and strode closer. "We’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival!"

Chu Fan cupped his fist in salute, his demeanor neither servile nor arrogant. "Disciple Chu Fan greets the Incense Master!"

The instant Chu Fan finished his salute—

"BOOM!"

The massive stake suddenly exploded, sending splinters flying everywhere like rain!

’This Fist Technique... he concentrated all the force of his blows inside the stake?’

Chu Fan was inwardly stunned.

He’d felt something was off from the very beginning.

Each of Incense Master Zhou’s punches had been thunderous, yet the stake hadn’t budged and the ground remained unmarred.

’What level of control is needed to achieve something like that?’

Zhou Tianci clapped Chu Fan warmly on the shoulder. "Good lad! Reaching the Blood Nourishing Realm in forty-nine days and easily defeating a genius like Ling Feng... Truly, the younger generation is a force to be reckoned with!"

At these words, Ling Feng’s face grew even darker.

He had reached the Blood Nourishing realm in forty-five days and trained bitterly for months, only to be soundly defeated by Chu Fan.

Now, the gang was buzzing with only two topics: Chu Fan Breaking Realm in forty-nine days, and his effortless victory over Ling Feng.

His own former glory of Breaking Realm in forty-five days was all but forgotten.

Ling Feng’s shoulders slumped and he lowered his head, his eyes burning with venom from beneath his bangs like a hidden blade.

"You flatter me, Incense Master," Chu Fan said calmly.

"Flatter you? Not at all!" Zhou Tianci laughed, shaking his head. "To get you into the Cyan Wood Hall, I nearly had a complete falling out with the other Incense Masters. I was even about to go ask Hall Master Qin for help."

"They all said I, Zhou Tianci, was being greedy. That I already had Ling Feng, yet I still fought them for you, Chu Fan. HAHAHAHA!"

Zhou Tianci’s voice was booming, each word echoing clearly across the courtyard.

The powerful Qi Blood Power radiating from his body was released without restraint.

Standing before him, Chu Fan felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"It’s normal for a young man to be a bit aggressive."

Zhou Tianci’s tone shifted as he looked at Sun Zixuan and Ling Feng. "I’m already aware of what happened between you all."

"It’s just a squabble between our own brothers. Don’t take it to heart. Let what’s past be past."

"From now on, you’ll be working together in the Cyan Wood Hall. You need to present a united front to outsiders."

Sun Zixuan and Ling Feng hastily lowered their heads and agreed.

Chu Fan gave a slight nod as well.

’He didn’t consider the two of them a threat in the slightest.’

’And he didn’t believe a few words from Incense Master Zhou could possibly erase their resentment.’

’If they dared to cause trouble again, he would just find an opportunity to kill them.’

「...」

"Excellent!"

Seemingly satisfied, Zhou Tianci looked Chu Fan up and down one more time before beckoning.

Xia Huanhuan immediately stepped forward and presented a white jade porcelain vial and a wrapped package.

Zhou Tianci handed the vial and the package to Chu Fan, who accepted them.

The white jade vial was light, but the package was quite heavy and exuded the fragrance of medicinal herbs.

"The vial contains fifty Blood Refining Pills. This package of herbs is for medicinal baths. Divide it into ten portions and use one every three days. It will help you break through to the Blood Refining Realm sooner. Consider it a welcome gift from me."

Zhou Tianci smiled. "Train hard. With your talent, it won’t be long before you reach an even higher level."

"Thank you, Incense Master!" Chu Fan said, taking the items.

Seeing this, Sun Zixuan’s and Ling Feng’s eyes filled with envy.

"Thank you, Incense Master."

Chu Fan let a perfectly measured amount of gratitude show in his eyes.

Zhou Tianci nodded, satisfied. "From now on, you’ll work under Zhou Ye, responsible for patrolling Xingning Street. It’s one of the Cyan Wood Hall’s most important territories. I can rest easy entrusting it to you."

’Chu Fan knew that while Xingning Street was important, it was also a hotbed of trouble, with constant clashes between the various gangs.’

’That was the very street where he had first seen Huang Yu fight Zhou Ye.’

’This was both a promotion and a test.’

"I will not disappoint you, Incense Master," Chu Fan said with a cupped-fist salute.

Zhou Tianci offered a few more words of encouragement, painting a picture of a glorious future: how Chu Fan would flourish under his mentorship, how the Cyan Wood Hall would become the top hall in the Seven Stars Gang, and how their names would be remembered throughout all of Cyan Yang Ancient City...

’The future he painted was grand, perfect, and enticing.’

Chu Fan played along, his face showing a look of longing, but inwardly, his guard went up even higher.

’This Incense Master Zhou appeared generous and straightforward, but he was actually a deep schemer—far more formidable than his nephew, Zhou Ye, who wore every emotion on his face.’