8. Truly worthy of being my Yuan Ge!

On the arena, Lu Yuan and Xiao Hu stood facing each other.

Frank Ming below clapped the arena floor:

"Begin!"

The two locked eyes. Xiao Hu scratched his head and grinned:

"You go first."

The crowd below started jeering:

"Come on, sissy! Hurry up! This is your only chance!"

"Yeah, throw a punch at Xiao Hu! It's a matter of manly pride! Prove you're not just some girl!"

"..."

Lu Yuan on the platform cracked a grin, used the techniques of Military Body Fist, and stepped forward.

The power nurtured by his Gene Chain erupted, his speed surging as he closed in on Xiao Hu in an instant.

He twisted his waist and swung his arm, thrusting a punch straight at Xiao Hu's chest.

The wind of the punch whistled.

Xiao Hu felt the force of Lu Yuan's fist, and his simple grin froze.

He slammed both hands down to block in front of Lu Yuan's punch.

Bam!

His hands were driven into his own chest by the blow. His expression shifted, and he stumbled back several steps, nearly falling off the arena.

The sharp pain made Xiao Hu's face pale.

He looked up at Lu Yuan, shock in his eyes, unable to speak for a long moment.

The jeers below cut off abruptly. The crowd glanced at Lu Yuan, who was rotating his wrist, then at Xiao Hu clutching his chest. They exchanged bewildered looks.

"This... this beanpole has that much strength?"

"No way? That sissy has that kind of speed? That punch wind... there's something to it."

"..."

Just then, Frank Ming grinned and spoke up:

"Xiao Hu, forgot to mention—this kid's a Gene Warrior. If you don't want to end up bedridden, you'd better take him seriously."

Xiao Hu: "????"

He stared blankly at Frank Ming's beaming face, almost on the verge of tears:

"A Gene Warrior?! Ming Ge, why didn't you say so earlier?!"

The others also showed surprise, their gazes toward Lu Yuan shifting.

"So he's a Gene Warrior... no wonder."

"If he's a Gene Warrior, having that kind of strength makes sense."

After all, Gene Warriors were rare to begin with, and in a slum like this, they were even scarcer.

Seeing one here was as unusual as spotting a giant panda.

One by one, the onlookers sized up Lu Yuan, curiosity plain on their faces.

Lu Yuan watched Xiao Hu, who was rubbing his chest as his expression gradually hardened, and smiled:

"Don't worry, even if I knock you flat, I won't be paying your medical bills."

Xiao Hu bared his teeth: "Beanpole, I underestimated you. But you're probably not a very strong Gene Warrior, right? That strength isn't much better than mine."

As he spoke, he lunged forward, charging at Lu Yuan.

"Then let me show you the gap in technique!"

Fist, foot, elbow, knee... every part of Xiao Hu's body seemed to turn into a weapon, launching a storm of attacks at Lu Yuan.

A day ago, Lu Yuan had barely ever fought.

Even after a day of practicing Military Body Fist, his actual combat experience was almost zero. Facing the relentless barrage, his pupils contracted sharply, and he could only block.

For a time, he stumbled backward in a flustered retreat.

Fortunately, after training, his strength had surged, matching Xiao Hu's—who clearly trained regularly—and his mental strength was probably a bit stronger, allowing him to keenly sense Xiao Hu's attack paths.

Though he was flustered and took a few hits, he barely managed to hold his ground.

Bam! Bam! Bam!!

The dull thuds of fists and feet colliding echoed. The fierce fight drew the full attention of the spectators below.

The battle went on for a while. Suddenly, Lu Yuan sidestepped to dodge Xiao Hu's elbow strike, then raised his knee and slammed it into Xiao Hu's side.

Xiao Hu's face went white, and he stumbled back several steps.

The onlookers below widened their eyes slightly.

"He can actually counterattack now?!"

"Yeah, this kid's strength and speed are about the same as Xiao Hu's, but his technique and experience are way off. He was getting suppressed by Xiao Hu the whole time before, and now, after just a short while, he can already fight back?"

"So this is a Gene Warrior? This is insane!"

The onlookers had previously called Lu Yuan a sissy and a weakling, but as the fight progressed, they changed their tune and stopped using those names. The strength Lu Yuan displayed was enough to make many look up to him.

Frank Ming had been watching Lu Yuan closely. The moment Lu Yuan launched his first counterattack, his eyes went wide, and he grinned, muttering to himself:

'Such terrifying learning and adaptability! Is this innate battle instinct?! On top of that monstrous talent. What kind of little freak did Qing He Daren dig up?! This might even rival the direct descendants of the empire's great families, right? How could a slum produce a freak like this?! Is this a joke?!'

Watching Lu Yuan's agile dodges and shifts, his eyes flickered:

'No way, I've gotta pull him over to my side! I'll go talk to the boss later!'

As the fight dragged on, Lu Yuan's counterattacks grew fiercer.

From being completely overwhelmed by Xiao Hu's rich experience and technique, Lu Yuan gradually became more proficient with the Military Body Fist, starting to dodge and retaliate.

By now, for every four strikes Xiao Hu landed, Lu Yuan could counter with one.

This was undoubtedly a massive leap forward.

However, after fighting for a long time, both Lu Yuan and Xiao Hu had nearly exhausted their stamina.

The two were panting heavily, their movements severely distorted, and the force behind their blows had gone soft and weak.

Seeing this, Frank Ming spoke up:

"Alright, stop!"

Hearing this, Xiao Hu immediately halted.

But Lu Yuan's fist still swung out, landing a punch on Xiao Hu's face.

Xiao Hu clutched his visibly swelling cheek, staring wide-eyed at Lu Yuan:

"Didn't he say stop?!"

Lu Yuan rubbed the swollen corner of his mouth, wincing in pain, his eyes full of innocence:

"I couldn't pull my hand back in time."

Xiao Hu's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open, looking like he wanted to say something but didn't know how.

Frank Ming crossed his arms and said, "Take a break, then keep training later!"

Xiao Hu's mouth twitched: "Ming Ge, do I still have to spar with him?"

"What's wrong?"

Xiao Hu glanced at Lu Yuan and scratched his head helplessly:

"If we keep going, I'm afraid I'll be the one getting hit."

There was no helping it—Lu Yuan's performance was too absurd. In such a short time, he could already counterattack. Give him another afternoon, and Xiao Hu really had no confidence he could beat Lu Yuan. In Xiao Hu's mind, Lu Yuan was like a monster.

Lu Yuan smiled: "Don't worry, I won't pay your medical bills."

"How is that not a problem?!"

Xiao Hu protested.

Frank Ming patted Xiao Hu on the shoulder and said, "Relax, I'll reimburse the medical bills when the time comes."

Xiao Hu looked at Frank Ming with a dazed expression, then pulled at the corner of his mouth, his voice tinged with a sob:

"Thank you so much!"

After that, Lu Yuan and Xiao Hu rested.

During the break, Lu Yuan circulated his spiritual energy to recover his physical fatigue while also reflecting on the shortcomings of the previous fight, constantly absorbing the flaws to improve further.

He had to admit, Frank Ming was right.

Practical combat really did boost martial arts training significantly—far faster than practicing alone.

He felt it wouldn't be long before he could fully master the Military Body Fist, and then it would be the Military Killing Sword.

After that, he could enter the Origin Land, find a gene suitable for him, inscribe it, evolve, and get on the right track.

In the afternoon, Lu Yuan and Xiao Hu began sparring again.

This time, even more people had gathered to watch.

The crowd murmured among themselves as they looked at the two on the platform.

"No way? That weakling can actually go toe-to-toe with Xiao Hu?"

"What weakling?! Call him Yuan Ge! Yuan Ge is a Gene Warrior! He's got a bright future ahead, alright?!"

"Forget the future, Yuan Ge is seriously impressive. Look, this morning, Xiao Hu could still rely on his experience to dominate Yuan Ge, but how long did it take? Yuan Ge started fighting back. With that learning ability, can any of you match that?"

"As expected of a Gene Warrior, Yuan Ge is amazing. If Yuan Ge ever wants to make a name for himself, I wonder if we could take him as our boss?"

"Are you still dreaming? A dignified Gene Warrior like Yuan Ge will have to fight demonic beasts in the future, won't he? Fight against experts from other races? Play house with the likes of us?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd found it reasonable and nodded in agreement.

The battle began once more.

This time, it was no longer like before, where Xiao Hu could suppress Lu Yuan in combat.

During the fight, Xiao Hu could clearly feel that Lu Yuan's flaws were growing fewer and fewer, and his own pressure was increasing.

Not long into the battle, sweat appeared on Xiao Hu's forehead.

In the morning, Xiao Hu attacked four times before Lu Yuan could counter once.

Gradually, now Xiao Hu attacked three times, and Lu Yuan could counter once.

Then, twice.

Finally, the onlookers noticed that Lu Yuan was already trading blows evenly with Xiao Hu, no longer just defending and countering.

As time passed, to everyone's disbelief, Lu Yuan began to suppress Xiao Hu in the fight.

Bang!!

Soon after, Lu Yuan unleashed a series of jabs, elbow strikes, and knee strikes, forcing Xiao Hu to retreat step by step until Lu Yuan seized an opportunity and punched him in the stomach.

Xiao Hu's face instantly turned pale. He clutched his stomach and fell to the ground, letting out a low groan.

The atmosphere fell into silence.

The air grew still, and the onlookers below exchanged glances.

"Won... won?!"

"Yuan Ge is incredible! In less than a single day, he actually defeated Xiao Hu?!"

"As expected of my Yuan Ge! Too strong!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Xiao Hu, lying on the ground, heard the cheers and was full of question marks.

He glanced at the onlookers below, his eyes filled with confusion.

He was baffled by the betrayal of his own companions.

They had all been together in this martial arts hall for so long, why?

Why the hell had all these bastards turned on him?!

Frank Ming stood with his arms crossed, a smile on his face as he looked at Lu Yuan.

"Kid, not bad."

Xiao Hu, still on the ground: "???"

He suddenly felt like crying.

He was just an unwanted child, wasn't he?

Lu Yuan smiled. "Ming Ge flatters me. I still have a long way to go."

"Mm, I think so too. Next, you'll need to keep practicing. When you can beat me, that's when you'll be considered decent."

Frank Ming nodded, agreeing that Lu Yuan was right.

Lu Yuan: "..."

He was just being modest; he didn't expect Frank Ming to take it seriously.

He actually thought he was pretty impressive, since in one day, he had trained the Military Body Fist to this level, which was quite something.

Next up was the Military Killing Sword.

Frank Ming seemed to see through Lu Yuan's thoughts and spoke up:

"It's already evening. Let's stop here for today. Come back tomorrow, and I'll teach you swordsmanship."

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Alright, thank you, Ming Ge."