All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

"Hand over the antidote, and I, Guo, will spare your life."

The rolling roar was like a thunderclap, and amidst the overwhelming momentum, a giant hand, carrying the force of wind and thunder, pressed down on the head of the Western Region man, causing ripples in the air.

"what!"

Faced with such overwhelming momentum, the people from the Western Regions felt that even breathing became difficult.

The air around his mouth and nose seemed to come alive under the influence of this giant hand, rushing to escape into the distance. At this moment, the surrounding air solidified into a block of iron, enveloping him layer by layer, and no matter how much he channeled his inner strength, he could not move an inch.

Only when that giant hand covered his head did the man from the Western Regions let out a sharp cry for mercy.

"Spare me! Great Hero Guo, spare me! I have the antidote! I have the antidote!"

Rumble! Whoosh!

Upon hearing this, the large hand abruptly stopped. The churning air instantly spread outwards, forming ripples like waves, causing the Westerner's clothes to flutter like flags in a storm.

The dueling platform was deathly silent, and the spectators below were equally quiet. Watching the figure on the platform who, with just a single palm, had forced the previously arrogant and domineering Western Region man to beg for mercy, everyone was unconsciously filled with a fanatical emotion.

Yang Pan's heart was also burning with excitement. Ever since he condensed his inner strength, he could clearly feel the vast difference between martial artists and ordinary people.

Putting everything else aside, in terms of strength alone, after Yang Pan's physical body was trained and enhanced with internal energy, lifting three or four hundred pounds of weight was no problem for him.

This is only the power he has gained from opening just two meridians. What will it be like when all twelve regular meridians are opened, and even the eight extraordinary meridians are connected? At that time, every move he makes will likely be accompanied by the immense force of ten thousand jin.

He also knew that although Guo Jing did not yet have the title of one of the Five Greats, his strength was already comparable to that of the Five Greats masters.

However, the Five Greats were only passed down among the people of the martial arts world. Even though Yang Pan had read about the relevant plot before his transmigration, he had never actually seen the Five Greats make a move in this real world. He could only guess at their actions through the battles between other martial arts practitioners.

It wasn't until I witnessed Guo Jing's actions firsthand today that I truly understood what kind of existence the Five Greats were.

Every move they make can affect the surrounding environment; this kind of strength is fundamentally different from other martial arts practitioners.

If we say that ordinary people below the Five Greats can still look up to them, then the Five Greats level is already like a mountain peak soaring into the clouds, invisible and intangible to ordinary people, who can only guess at it!

With such strength, it's no wonder that Guo Jing was able to lead the martial arts practitioners in the city to resist the Mongol army, and it's also no wonder that twenty years later, Yang Guo, who was also one of the Five Greats, was able to kill Möngke amidst thousands of troops.

After all, human strength is no match for non-human strength; only magic can defeat magic!

As silence fell over the surroundings, the Western Region man who had been suppressed by Guo Jing with a single palm strike on the stage had taken out the antidote and handed it to Yu Dongshan. Then, with a wave of his hand, Guo Jing sealed all the major acupoints on his body and handed him over to the Beggar Clan disciples to take away.

After Guo Jing made his move, the martial arts tournament continued as scheduled, and many powerful masters participated. However, after witnessing Guo Jing's demonstration, Yang Pan felt that watching the other fighters on the stage was less appealing than before.

Yang Pan left the training ground before the martial arts tournament ended.

The blow from the Western Region man had ultimately shaken his internal organs. Although he had internal strength to barely hold on, waves of pain were still churning his nerves, and he needed to heal as soon as possible.

Back in the rented courtyard, Yang Pan closed the door and sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating his internal energy.

Although the Small Heavenly Circuit Qigong is masculine and leans more towards killing, it is ultimately refined from the essence of the human body.

As the mental cultivation technique was activated, strands of internal energy nourished the five internal organs through the meridians. During this time, Yang Pan clearly felt that all the pain in his body had lessened.

However, apart from the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin and the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin, the flow of internal energy in the other undeveloped meridians is inevitably somewhat sluggish, which results in Yang Pan's healing effect not being very good.

The pain raged through the night until dawn the next day, and Yang Pan felt that the pain in his internal organs had lessened considerably. However, it would probably take several days for him to fully recover.

However, this did not have much impact on Yang Pan. Having the Dao Fruit of Longevity, he was not worried at all about any aftereffects from delaying treatment.

Even if he doesn't use internal energy to heal, the pain will eventually disappear on its own.

Such a constitution, free from all diseases, was something countless people could only dream of before they transmigrated.

After finishing his treatment, Yang Pan ate breakfast at a roadside stall in the city and then headed to the Beggars' Sect branch.

If it weren't for Yu Dongshan's intervention yesterday, he feared he would have lost his life. Yang Pan considered himself a grateful person; although he couldn't repay a small favor a hundredfold, he believed that debts of gratitude should always be repaid.

However, he was not familiar with Yu Dongshan. Although he had heard other martial arts figures say that this Master Yu seemed to be quite famous in the city, what could be better than the Beggars' Sect's intelligence if he wanted to understand him in more detail?

Upon entering the Beggars' Sect branch, Yang Pan greeted the disciples and soon learned about Yu Dongshan.

When we left the branch headquarters, the city market was already teeming with people, many of whom were discussing the martial arts competition held the previous day. This was a popular topic of conversation among ordinary people in this era.

As Yang Pan walked along West Street, he pondered the little information he had obtained from the Beggars' Sect about Yu Dongshan. He was also somewhat surprised, as he had not expected that this great hero Yu was actually a member of the Iron Palm Clan from back then.

The Iron Palm Gang was once located in western Hunan, south of Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Under the leadership of its leader, Shangguan Jiannan, it was a staunch anti-Jin force. Unfortunately, when it came to Qiu Qianren, he turned against the Jin and led the large gang to its demise.

However, according to Yang Pan's understanding, the Iron Palm Clan disappeared from the martial arts world after Qiu Qianren's disappearance. By the time of The Return of the Condor Heroes, there was no news of the clan at all, except for Wan Yanping, a descendant of a collateral branch, who later made some moves in the martial arts world.

Unexpectedly, they encountered members of the Iron Palm Clan in Xiangyang. Guo Jing and Huang Rong must know Yu Dongshan's identity.

The destruction of the Iron Palm Gang was closely related to these two, and it's unexpected that they would be able to defend the city together now.

Moreover, judging from Guo Jing's attitude yesterday when he directly asked the Western Region man for the antidote, it seems that Yu Dongshan and the two men have a good relationship.

Considering the Mongol invasion to the south, Yang Pan felt somewhat relieved that any martial arts practitioner willing to lend a hand could easily gain their favor.

With thoughts racing through his mind, Yang Pan soon arrived in front of a building. It was an ordinary two-courtyard house in the area north of Xiangyang City, near the Han River.

Built along the inner side of the alley of North Street, the walls are made of blue bricks, more than ten feet high, and covered with blue-gray tiles. The eaves droop slightly, and it looks no different from the two courtyards that Yang Pan rented.

Yang Pan stepped forward and gently knocked on the door knocker. After two "thump-thumps," the wooden door creaked open a crack, and an elderly butler with half-white hair and beard poked his head out, his eyes wary.

"Who are you? Whom are you looking for?"

Yang Pan cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, old steward. My name is Yang Pan. I was fortunate to receive help from Hero Yu at yesterday's martial arts tournament. I have come today to express my gratitude. Please inform him of my arrival."

The butler looked him up and down, noticing his decent attire and sincere expression, and then glanced at the gift in his hand before slowly opening the door: "Please wait a moment, young master, I will inform the master."

After he finished speaking, the wooden door was closed again. Yang Pan waited outside for a while before the butler led him into the courtyard.

Passing through the simple front yard, one sees Yu Dongshan sitting on a bamboo chair in the main room. He is dressed in a coarse cloth robe and has completely lost the fierce aura he displayed on the martial arts stage yesterday. He doesn't look like a master at all, but rather like an ordinary citizen of the city.

Upon seeing Yang Pan enter, Yu Dongshan recognized him, but a strange expression appeared on his face as he stood up: "So it's Brother Yang. You... your injuries have healed?"

It's no wonder he looked like that. After fighting with that Western Region man yesterday, Yu Dongshan knew how insidious his palm techniques were.

Yang Pan's strength was only third-rate in yesterday's performance. He was directly attacked by the Western Regions man. Even if the man did not use his full strength, Yang Pan's cultivation level should have been more than enough to prevent him from being completely unaffected.

But when Yu Dongshan saw Yang Pan, apart from his pale complexion, he couldn't see any signs of poisoning at all.

Faced with Yu Dongshan's question, Yang Pan had already prepared his answer in his mind: "Master Yu, you may not know this, but when I was young, I accidentally swallowed a rare mountain creature called Manggu Zhuha, and since then I have been immune to all poisons."

The Manggu Toad, a rare creature that truly existed during the Tianlong era, even if its ability to resist toxins were later questioned, a determined person would find absolutely no flaws after investigation. One could only marvel at Yang Pan's incredible luck.

Hearing Yang Pan's explanation, Yu Dongshan didn't know what this Manggu Toad was, but just the fact that it could make people immune to all poisons made him extremely envious.

"Brother Yang, you are truly blessed. May I ask what brings you here today?"

Yang Pan solemnly said, "If it weren't for Hero Yu's intervention yesterday, I fear I would have already lost my life. That's why I've come to express my gratitude today."

As he spoke, Yang Pan placed the gifts he had bought on the way onto the table. Yu Dongshan, given his status, might not lack these things, but giving gifts is a matter of attitude; the gifts may be small, but the sentiment of gratitude is abundant.

Seeing Yang Pan's extremely serious expression, without the slightest hint of pretense, Yu Dongshan felt a surge of relief. While rescuing someone yesterday was merely a matter of convenience for him, no one wants to have saved a heartless and ungrateful person.

After putting down the gift, Yang Pan and the other party gradually started chatting.

Although birds of a feather flock together, given Yang Pan's strength and status, he shouldn't be able to get along with Yu Dongshan.

However, the martial arts techniques a martial artist cultivates can always directly or indirectly affect the practitioner's personality. For example, a practitioner who cultivates insidious and poisonous techniques will inevitably become eccentric and ruthless over time.

Martial artists who practice masculine martial arts tend to have a bold and forthright personality.

Yang Pan and Yu Dongshan both practiced martial arts that were more aggressive and forceful. As a result, they gradually discovered that their personalities were quite compatible, and after a few words, they were already talking about everything.

"Master Yu, I have some questions in my mind, but I'm not sure if I should ask them." After another conversation, Yang Pan pondered for a moment and then voiced some of his questions.

Yu Dongshan waved his hand and laughed, "Brother Yang, I'm a few years older than you. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Yu. As for your questions, please feel free to ask."

Yu Dongshan felt an immediate affinity for Yang Pan, a martial artist with only third-rate strength. He was even more surprised to find their attitudes remarkably similar when they discussed defending the city and dealing with its officials.