Chapter 53: The Hundred Seat Society

“Indeed.” The dark-skinned man fought to suppress his astonishment, speaking cordially, “Young man, although I’m unclear why you wish to kill Wang Lin, since we share a common path, could you give me some face and agree to a peaceful resolution?”

Wang Lin snapped out of his daze. Recalling the chilling brush with death he had just experienced, he yelled in response to the dark-skinned man’s words.

“He… he tried to kill me. We can’t just let this go, I must make him—”

“Quiet! If you’re eager to die, I won’t stop you.” Before he could finish, he was cut off by the dark-skinned man.

“You…” Wang Lin, listening to the dark-skinned man’s words, glared at him but eventually fell silent.

He wasn’t foolish. After seeing Lin Xiao’s terrifying martial prowess, he understood that his only ally in this was the dark-skinned man. However, he silently swore that as soon as he got out of the bar, he would make Lin Xiao regret his actions.

Seeing Wang Lin quieten down, the dark-skinned man let out a sigh of relief.

His warm attitude was no surprise. He saw himself as a minor player in the world of martial arts. Apart from those from venerable families and ancient sects, he didn’t consider himself weak in his age group.

He hadn’t anticipated crossing blows with Lin Xiao and coming away wounded. Although he was unsure whether Lin Xiao had been injured, he was certain Lin Xiao was no less formidable than himself.

He was in his thirties while Lin Xiao appeared to be barely twenty. This stark age disparity left him questioning his own abilities.

Of course, he was unaware that Lin Xiao had only used a fraction of his strength in the previous exchange, otherwise, he would have been on his knees begging for mercy by now.

“Respect? I don’t know you. Today, he has to die.” Lin Xiao scoffed coldly, speaking with a murderous tone, “I suggest you leave now, or don’t blame me for being discourteous.”

“Fine, fine, fine. If you won’t heed my advice, then don’t blame me for being harsh.” The dark-skinned man laughed bitterly.

He believed he had shown Lin Xiao significant respect, yet he was unappreciated. He was taken aback at the power Lin Xiao commanded at such a young age, but potential was one thing and actual strength another.

The dark-skinned man’s reluctance to engage Lin Xiao wasn’t born out of fear of his strength but rather out of caution—wary of any hidden forces backing him and unwilling to risk his own life without cause. In his eyes, Lin Xiao’s strike had been powerful, yes, but not overwhelming. At best, they were evenly matched.

But since Lin Xiao seemed bent on discarding any pretense of civility, he decided to drop his as well.

“You blocked my strike earlier—not bad,” Lin Xiao said calmly, eyes fixed on the dark-skinned man. “Let’s see how you handle the next one.”

As the words left his mouth, Lin Xiao moved.

His palm surged forward. The air howled in its wake, and a faint, thunderous crackle accompanied the strike—not a focused punch, but a wide, sweeping palm brimming with raw power.

This time, he unleashed half of his true strength.

The dark-skinned man’s eyes narrowed as the pressure mounted. He had misjudged Lin Xiao. This wasn’t just some street-taught martial artist—this was someone lethal. Still, he didn’t panic. No matter how gifted Lin Xiao was, someone his age couldn’t possibly have reached true mastery. Not yet.

The approaching palm strike, though visibly more forceful than the last, seemed manageable.

Gathering all his strength, he lashed out toward Lin Xiao, aiming to neutralize Lin Xiao’s assault.

A deafening crack split the air.

A figure was hurled backward like a ragdoll, sent flying four or five meters.

It was as if the ground had detonated beneath their feet. A thunderous boom tore through the room, rattling walls and sending cups and tables flying in every direction.

The airborne figure slammed into the bar’s back wall with brutal force, collapsing a chunk of it on impact. Cracks webbed up the plaster, creeping toward the ceiling like fractures in glass.

It looked less like a fight and more like the aftermath of an earthquake.

“Wha…”

The crowd stood frozen, jaws slack, eyes wide. Was this the power of a man? Or had they just witnessed something not entirely human?

This felt like a scene ripped straight from a monster movie.

Lin Xiao stepped forward, expression cool and composed. He came to a stop beside the crumpled figure, now unconscious beneath a pile of rubble and broken plaster. He looked down, and for a brief moment, even he seemed at a loss for words.

Lin Xiao hadn’t planned to kill the man. Encountering another practitioner of ancient martial arts was a rarity, and he wanted to probe for some information. However, he hadn’t anticipated this man to be so weak.

Despite his own advanced level of cultivation, it was challenging to gauge the exact level of others. He could only discern whether they were practitioners or not.

Previously, when the dark-skinned man had withstood a strike in which Lin Xiao had only used a third of his strength, Lin Xiao had assumed that the man had held back. He hadn’t expected that this man’s threshold was so low.

Looking at the battered and bloody dark-skinned man, Lin Xiao shook his head. The man wouldn’t survive. He then turned to finish off Wang Lin.

“The Hundred… Hundred Seat Society… will not let you off.”

A faint voice echoed from behind. Had it not been for Lin Xiao’s acute hearing, he wouldn’t have heard it.

Lin Xiao turned back to see the dark-skinned man had taken his last breath. But his last words sparked a thought in Lin Xiao’s mind.

“Hundred Seat Society? Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”

Then, a memory flashed in his mind. When he arrived in Jinghai City, he was apprehended by a beautiful policewoman and taken to the police station. She had given him a hard time, mistaking him for a member of the Hundred Seat Society.

“It seems this dark-skinned guy was with the Hundred Seat Society,” Lin Xiao muttered to himself, a flicker of intrigue flashing in his eyes.

However, now wasn’t the think about them. Lin Xiao turned his gaze towards Wang Lin, preparing to deal with him next.

At this point, Wang Lin was no longer on the couch but near the edge of the bar, almost out the door.

The moment the dark-skinned man was sent flying, Wang Lin seized the chaos to slip away. Quiet and desperate, he crept toward the bar’s exit, nearly home free.

But as Lin Xiao’s cold gaze landed on him, Wang Lin instinctively shuddered and quickened his pace—only to stumble in the very next step.

He collapsed at the entrance, sprawled motionless.

A shard of glass, lodged deep in his skull, had claimed his life.

Just like that, in his own territory, the infamous underworld boss of Jinghai City met his end.

The rest of the room stood frozen, paralyzed by Lin Xiao’s merciless efficiency. No one dared to look up. No one even breathed too loudly—for fear they might be next.

“Does anyone want to avenge Wang Lin?”

Lin Xiao’s voice rang out, calm yet commanding, as his gaze swept across the room.

Silence. Not a soul moved. Though they were men of the underworld, none were foolish enough to step forward. After what they’d just witnessed, who would dare challenge Lin Xiao?

Wang Lin’s death marked more than just the fall of a man. From this moment on, the infamous Brother Wang had vanished from Jinghai City without a trace.

Lin Xiao gave a slight nod, his expression composed. His eyes drifted slowly across the crowd.

“Good. If you want to keep your lives, then listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”