Inviting a Spar

In the following days, Zhou You continued his training, hoping to break through his bottleneck as soon as possible.

The Tiger Subduing Fist was stuck at level 9, seemingly just one step away from breaking through to level 10.

However, this bottleneck, in reality, was so difficult it was despair-inducing.

Zhou You practiced the Tiger Subduing Fist over and over, but apart from gaining Experience Points, there was no sign of a breakthrough.

The Tiger Bone Paste was used as usual, its effectiveness diminishing with each application.

As time passed, he had been in the outer court for almost two full months.

With only one month left, if he couldn't develop Internal Force, he would be expelled from the Martial Arts School.

The pressure instantly increased tenfold...

On this day, his roommate Liu Bing's hundred-day term was up. He hadn't developed Internal Force, was declared eliminated, and packed his belongings to return to the countryside.

This farm boy silently packed his luggage, and no one could discern the expression on his face.

Although Zhou You didn't have a deep friendship with him, they had lived together for dozens of days, and he was a familiar face.

Another roommate, Fang Guiqi, was not present. He had arrived about ten days earlier than Zhou You, so his term wasn't up yet.

This outsider from Sucheng City was usually elusive and mysterious, seemingly harboring many secrets.

"Zhou You, we've known each other for so many days, but we haven't really talked."

Liu Bing, carrying his bag, came up to Zhou You.

He had also trained diligently, never slacking off except for eating and sleeping, but his talent was insufficient, and he still couldn't develop Internal Force.

Such was fate, and it couldn't be forced.

Zhou You was about to comfort him a few words when he heard Liu Bing say, "Be careful. Zhang Shu is spreading rumors about you everywhere, trying to slander you."

"It's the talk of the outer court lately. If it reaches the Senior Disciple Brother's ears, things won't be good for you."

Since Liu Bing was leaving the Martial Arts School to return to the countryside, he no longer had to fear Zhang Shu. He told Zhou You everything.

It turned out that Zhang Shu had been secretly spreading rumors that Zhou You was sent by the Wild Fox Gang to steal their techniques.

As the rumors spread and fermented, even more sinister versions emerged.

It was easy to imagine the Martial Arts School Head flying into a rage upon hearing this and dealing with Zhou You on the spot.

According to the rules of the Martial Arts School, one signed a Life and Death Contract upon entry, and being beaten to death by his Master was perfectly justifiable.

Zhang Shu's intentions were too malicious; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to kill Zhou You.

"So that's how it is."

Zhou You suddenly understood. No wonder many new disciples had been looking at him strangely lately.

He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now he understood the reason.

The person involved is always the last to hear the rumors. If he had known earlier, he would have had countermeasures.

"Zhang Shu, considering you've given me quite a few gold coins, I haven't bothered you recently."

"But you're ungrateful and decided to provoke me."

It had to be said that Zhang Shu did have some talent. His fabrication skills were excellent, and he spun lies as if they were true.

That's right, he had offended the Wild Fox Gang, and he had a childhood friend who joined the Mad Horse Gang. These were all facts.

But to say that he had joined the Mad Horse Gang because of these was pure nonsense.

Zhou You suddenly thought, what if behind this matter, it wasn't just Zhang Shu's resentment, but some other hidden mastermind?

"Tu Laosan."

A name surfaced in his mind. If he was the one plotting in secret, the situation would make more sense.

Tu Laosan was waiting for Zhou You to be expelled from the Martial Arts School after failing to learn the skills after three months.

It was easy to imagine that without the Martial Arts School's protection, and without having developed Internal Force, Zhou You would be no match for the Wild Fox Gang and would be at their mercy.

To achieve this, they couldn't let Zhou You have any chance of breaking through.

Therefore, Tu Laosan found Zhang Shu and used his hatred to infiltrate the Martial Arts School.

Both had a common goal, and they hit it off immediately.

Tu Laosan provided information, and Zhang Shu was responsible for fabricating rumors and spreading them in the outer court.

There were two malicious intentions behind spreading the rumors:

First, to provoke the Senior Disciple Brother or even the Martial Arts School Head to dislike Zhou You, leading to punishment or expulsion from the Martial Arts School, thus eliminating him before the three months were up.

Second, even if the Martial Arts School's higher-ups reacted slowly, the rumors could affect Zhou You's state of mind, making him unable to focus on his training and ultimately be eliminated.

"Since I know about this, I definitely won't let you succeed."

Zhou You stroked his chin, his mind already made up.

At noon, while eating, Zhou You observed his surroundings. The new disciples' gazes towards him were all somewhat strange.

The destructive power of rumors was starting to show; Tu Laosan and Zhang Shu's scheme was working.

He didn't eat much, stopping when he was about seventy percent full.

This was an inspiration from the Hungry Tiger Hibernation Diagram. Martial artists expended a lot of energy, so they needed to eat, but not too much. Being too full could weaken their fighting spirit.

Just like a hungry tiger, it was fiercest when driven by hunger.

Zhou You intended to become a hungry tiger himself, never satisfied, never ceasing his pursuit of prey.

He saw Zhang Shu walking with a group of new apprentices and strode over.

Zhang Shu was still chatting and laughing with his companions when he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He looked up to see Zhou You standing before him.

"What do you want?"

Zhang Shu asked, frowning, his expression displeased. He wasn't afraid of Zhou You anymore.

Last night, he had secretly gone to Senior Disciple Brother Lu Qiang to complain that Zhou You was connected to a gang.

Although the Senior Disciple Brother hadn't said anything openly, Zhang Shu was sure Zhou You was in trouble.

All the new students in the outer court knew about Zhou You's situation. If the Senior Disciple Brother just asked a few questions, his plan would succeed.

In Zhang Shu's eyes, Zhou You was already a stray dog.

"Nothing major, I'd like you to be my sparring partner this afternoon."

"Why should I?"

Zhang Shu refused without hesitation, pointing to his companions. "I already have a sparring partner."

The next moment, Zhou You's actions shocked everyone present.

He raised his right fist and drove it straight towards the face of Zhang Shu's companion, his move as fast as lightning.

That new student, acting as Zhang Shu's sparring partner, was his close friend and had played a significant role in spreading the rumors.

He watched the fist grow larger in his vision, his hair standing on end, almost smelling a faint scent of blood.

The speed was like lightning, too fast for the person involved to react, let alone Zhang Shu and the others.

"You..."

Zhang Shu's sparring partner hastily raised his arm to block, and then heard a dull thud. His body shuddered a few times.

Crash!

The table and chairs instantly fell apart, shattered wood pouring onto the ground like water.

The unfortunate sparring partner collapsed, unconscious, his breathing shallow, his face as pale as paper.

Looking at the indentations on the flesh of his arms, they perfectly formed a fist print.

Zhou You grabbed him by the collar and casually tossed him aside. "Now you don't have a sparring partner."

Silence fell over the scene; none of the new students spoke.

Zhang Shu's sparring partner was not weak, ranking in the upper-middle level among the outer court's new students. No one expected him to be unable to withstand Zhou You's punch in a single exchange.

Now, the pressure was all on Zhang Shu.

Zhou You had attacked his sparring partner. If he didn't respond, no one would dare befriend him in the future.

"Zhou You, what kind of skill is a sneak attack?"

"This afternoon, I'll be your sparring partner. We'll have a fair match."

"I'll also ask the Senior Disciple Brother to be present as a witness."

Zhang Shu was very nervous, but his voice grew louder with each sentence.

If there was an idiom to describe his predicament, it would be... "riding a tiger and unable to dismount."