Ultimate Village Doctor

While the two individuals gathered in the Presidential Suite of the Four Seasons Hotel in Kun City, hundreds of kilometers away from Kun City, deep within the Yunkun Mountain Range, at the depths of the Iron Palm Canyon, all disciples of the Iron Palm Gang stood outside a cave. Although the cave was not sealed, everyone stood ten meters away from the entrance, not daring to take a step closer, as if crossing an invisible threshold. That day marked the most complete gathering of the Iron Palm Gang's members in many years. Nearly all members, including the core members who operated outside, converged here. For every disciple of the Iron Palm Gang, the following day held immense significance—it was the day of the duel between the Gang Leader of the Iron Palm Gang and Long Xiaoshan. Although Long Xiaoshan was virtually unknown in the Martial Dao World, with many not recognizing him, for the Iron Palm Gang, he was a figure second only to that Grandmaster from the Tang Family of Xichuan who had driven the Iron Palm Gang out of Xichuan. Because Long Xiaoshan had killed seven Profound Grade Elders of the Iron Palm Gang, including Tie Qiong, one of the top three strongest elders. With a strength reaching the Xuan-level Late Stage, the Iron Palm Gang had only sixteen Xuan-level experts in total, and Long Xiaoshan exterminated six of them, virtually half of the gang's core combat strength. One must understand that the strength of a gang isn't measured by numbers, but by the power of its experts. Even if there are many Yellow Grade Experts, they are no match for a single Xuan-level Expert. The death of one Xuan-level Expert is far more grievous than the death of ten Yellow Grade Experts. And Long Xiaoshan had nearly wiped out half of the Iron Palm Gang's Xuan-level experts. For the Iron Palm Gang, this loss was unimaginable—it had only been during the battle with the Tang Family for control over Xichuan years ago that they had suffered such heavy casualties. Once the news spread, the Iron Palm Gang was almost unanimously enraged, ready to mobilize their full strength to seek revenge in Hechuan City. However, at that time, the Gang Leader Qiu Zhen received a challenge letter from Long Xiaoshan. He demonstrated a spiritual control technique that only a Grand Spirit Master was capable of, by manifesting a spirit mark explosion through the air, deterring the Iron Palm Gang. From that day forth, Qiu Zhen began his reclusion to break through to Grandmaster status, preparing for the decisive battle with Long Xiaoshan. A month had passed, and the day of the decisive battle was upon them. This battle was not only about avenging the six elders but was a battle for the very survival of the Iron Palm Gang. If they won, the Iron Palm Gang could ride the momentum back to Xichuan, challenging the Tang Family for supremacy. But if they lost, the Iron Palm Gang would face complete decimation; it wouldn't be about contending with the Tang Family, as they might not even have a foothold left in the southwest. Thus, all disciples of the Iron Palm Gang returned to stand by, waiting for their Gang Leader to come out of seclusion. The decisive battle was drawing near. The Gang Leader was sure to emerge. Everyone stood in hopeful anticipation as time passed by, yet the Gang Leader still had not appeared. An elder with sparse eyebrows and high cheekbones, looking quite fierce, broke the silence, saying, "Great Elder, do you think the Gang Leader can break through to Grandmaster this time?" The Great Elder of the Iron Palm Gang, standing at the forefront of the crowd, closed his eyes for a moment before slowly saying, "To become a Grandmaster is like a terrestrial Divine Dragon ascending to the pinnacle of Martial Dao—such a breakthrough does not come easily. Back then, that man from the Tang Family alone forced us out of Xichuan and has dominated the province for decades—that's the power of a Grandmaster, beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Zhen has already been at the peak of Xuan Level for many years, reaching the limit in all aspects at that level—essentially achieving Xuan Level perfection. But to reach the level of a Grandmaster, there's always that final barrier, unbreakable. That's why Zhen agreed to this duel—to use it as a stimulus, to pursue the path of becoming a Grandmaster." "So what you mean, Great Elder, is that the Gang Leader intends to attempt a breakthrough during the battle." "Exactly!" As the words fell, a long howl emanated from the cave, like a dragon's roar piercing the heavens, reverberating so intensely that the waiting disciples of the Iron Palm Gang turned pale. Those weaker Yellow Grade disciples swayed, clutching their ears and desperately resisting the overpowering howling. Even the Profound Grade Elders, though unmoving, had their Inner Strength surge within them, coping with the sonic tremors. The Great Elder's expression changed as he stared intently at the skies above the cave, where the clouds transformed, forming a dragon and a tiger that roamed the air continually, as if heralding a convergence of dragon and tiger. He exclaimed in surprise, "Wind follows the dragon, clouds follow the tiger—this is the sign of a Grandmaster's breakthrough. Could it be that the Gang Leader is about to break through?" Martial Tao powerhouses at the Yellow Level cultivate their bodies, but upon reaching the Xuan Level, they begin to comprehend the universe, a realm known as Tongxuan. And Earth Level powerhouses delve even deeper into the Heavenly Dao, establishing a Heavenly Sympathy when they breakthrough, producing phenomena like the convergence of dragons and tigers. Although the Iron Palm Gang lacked a Grandmaster, the Great Elder was well-versed and widely traveled. He immediately recognized that the phenomena in the sky above the cave were signs of dragon and tiger merging, the Heavenly Sympathy. Could his own disciple be on the verge of breaking through to Grandmaster? He was overjoyed. The difficulty of advancing to Grandmaster status was soaring sky-high, but once achieved, the situation would be vastly different. A Grandmaster and those below him are entirely separate concepts; once someone becomes a Grandmaster, even nations pay them great respect. Because the capabilities of a Grandmaster are too formidable. A single Grandmaster possesses the power to confront a fully armed special forces unit on their own. As a result, nations tend to treat Grandmasters with extreme favor. Just like the Tang Family, reigning over a province and being recognized as the top among the Noble Families of Xichuan, even the first and second in command of Xichuan pay them visits during each change of office. A Grandmaster is not just personally powerful but also wields tremendous secular influence.