Wang Zongquan kneeling on one knee stunned the entire hall.
Who was Wang Zongquan?
He was a peak hidden-force expert whose physical constitution far surpassed that of an ordinary person. His body was practically copper-skinned and iron-boned — even the city's professional fighters would struggle to injure him under normal circumstances, let alone cause internal damage.
Yet Huo Wu's gentle palm strike had left Wang Zongquan badly hurt. Without at least ten days to two weeks of recovery, there would be no way he'd heal.
The only explanation was hidden force.
"To master hidden force at such a young age and actually injure Wang Zongquan — could she be a disciple of one of those ancient families?" Chen Tianhe stared at Huo Wu in disbelief.
Hidden-force experts were exceedingly rare. Even with today's technology, mastering hidden force before the age of thirty was considered remarkable. And anyone who could wield it was invariably a prominent figure in the martial world, treated like a celebrity in combat sports. Even a top-tier martial arts school like the White Tiger Dojo would roll out the red carpet for such a person.
But Huo Wu was so young. Not only had she mastered hidden force, she had injured Wang Zongquan in a single strike. It was simply inconceivable.
The only explanation he could think of was those ancient families. Disciples of those lineages began training while still in the womb, enjoying the finest resources, the finest traditions, and the finest instruction. By fifteen or sixteen, they had mastered hidden force, and by their twenties, they possessed the strength to rank among the top twenty fighters in the world martial arts tournament.
These ancient families kept a low profile in the ordinary world, never competing for fame, and so they remained unknown to the public. But their influence was in no way inferior to that of the great conglomerates.
"Is she a disciple of one of those ancient families?" Xiao Yu, standing nearby, grew even more excited upon hearing this.
He had heard some things about the ancient families and knew how formidable they were — they were beings far beyond the reach of people like him. Only old-generation masters like Chen Tianhe might have the chance to make contact with them.
If Huo Wu truly was a disciple of an ancient family, then the Tiandou Training Center was truly remarkable. Even the Starpath Financial Group would probably have no way of dealing with them.
At this moment, the higher-ups from the various training centers and martial arts halls gathered in the main hall looked at the defeated Wang Zongquan, and the amusement they'd felt before was completely gone. All that remained was fear and wariness.
If even Wang Zongquan had been defeated, then who in all of Fenglin City could possibly be Huo Wu's match?
Moreover, Huo Wu was still so young. Her strength would only continue to grow — she could truly be described as having a limitless future. Who would dare provoke the Tiandou Training Center now?
After a brief moment of stunned murmuring throughout the hall, Wang Zongquan had recovered somewhat. He slowly rose to his feet, regarding Huo Wu with an expression of deep wariness.
"I never imagined that I, Wang Zongquan, would fall at the hands of a young girl. I don't know which family you belong to — could you at least let me know who defeated me?" Wang Zongquan's tone was no longer arrogant in the slightest. He regarded Huo Wu as a complete equal.
He was far more worldly than Chen Tianhe and understood exactly how terrifying those family disciples were.
When Huo Wu had defeated him, he had immediately thought of those ancient family disciples. As for the young generation who could surpass him — they were all well-known figures, household names throughout the country, and they would never be unknown like Huo Wu, someone he had never even heard of.
Although Huo Wu's raw strength and physical attributes lagged far behind his — they were practically not even on the same level — if another expert of equal standing had landed a single palm strike on him, he probably wouldn't even be standing right now.