Sparring Partner

Lin Zhen returned home, and his parents kept asking him about Li Mengxi for a long time.

Lin Zhen firmly denied the matter and promised to resolve his girlfriend's issue as soon as possible, which finally convinced his parents to let him off the hook.

After returning home, Lin Zhen purchased Liquid Metal on his Neighbor's Shop website at a price 10% higher than the market price.

He had wanted to do this for a long time. Liquid Metal is currently priced at 200,000 yuan per gram. Because it is used exclusively by Mind Power Master, the market is not large. Those who need it treat it as a treasure, while those who don't treat it as trash.

Aside from the Ministry of Science and Technology and a few Martial Arts Hall, most of the Liquid Metal is in private hands. Lin Zhen is currently pricing it at 220,000 yuan per gram and is buying it in large quantities.

To evolve a gun-shaped weapon using Liquid Metal, Lin Zhen would need at least thirty kilograms of Liquid Metal, which wasn't enough.

Lin Zhen received 600 million yuan from selling the Nine Heavy Spears River First Layer. Combined with the original 700 million yuan, Lin Zhen has about 1.3 billion yuan left. This amount is still far from enough to acquire Liquid Metal, and Lin Zhen needs money now.

After setting up the acquisition booth, Lin Zhen checked the progress of the ordered Qi Booster Potion.

The order indicates that there are still three days until delivery, which means that Lin Zhen will meet the basic requirements for advancing to the War General in three days.

After shutting down the website, Lin Zhen rested at home for one night. The next morning, Lin Zhen got up and went to the hospital.

Shi Lei is still at the hospital taking care of Gao Yan, who has already returned home. Lin Zhen checked on Meng Dong and Zhao Liang, who have recovered considerably. Thanks to the advanced level of modern medical care, they are now able to move freely indoors and are expected to be discharged in a few days.

Meng Dong and Zhao Liang didn't blame Lin Zhen at all. On the contrary, they said that they had embarrassed Lin Zhen, which made Lin Zhen feel guilty. He vowed to deal with Li Tianhao and his gang.

After leaving the hospital, Lin Zhen went to the martial arts school. When he arrived, he found a long queue in front of the school, all of whom were there to register.

Gao Yan, who wasn't at the hospital, was here to receive guests. Upon seeing Lin Zhen, he said with a bitter face, "Lin Zhen, this is all your fault."

"Me? What happened to me?"

"It's all because you performed so well that so many young people want to join Raging Wind Martial Arts Hall. The school is so busy that I had to be transferred back from the hospital to help out."

Lin Zhen glanced at the long queue and noticed that everyone there was a young person. When Lin Zhen appeared, there was even a commotion in the queue.

"Look, it's Lin Zhen! It's Lin Zhen!"

"Wow! It really is Lin Zhen! He's so handsome in person! I've finally seen him in real life!"

"I joined Raging Wind because of Lin Zhen. Just thinking about being able to cultivate martial arts with Senior Brother Lin Zhen makes me feel so happy. It would be even better if we could team up to kill monsters together."

"My goal is to surpass Lin Zhen and become the new First Warrior in Ice City, so I came here to get to know him better."

"You can't even beat me, yet you want to compete with Lin Zhen? You won't stand a chance in your next life."

The young people chattered amongst themselves, but no one dared to step forward and bother Lin Zhen. The rules for recruiting members for Raging Wind were very strict; it wasn't as simple as just signing up. There were two or three hundred people queuing up, but it was estimated that no more than twenty would be selected in the end.

Gao Yan wanted to call Lin Zhen over to help, but Lin Zhen waved his hand and said, "Old Gao, you should do your own thing. I need to practice. I'm an elite now. Do you know what an elite means? It means someone who only practices martial arts and doesn't do any work, hehe."

Gao Yan curled his lip. "Fine, hurry up and go practice, elite. I, Old Gao, am just stuck here cleaning up your mess."

Lin Zhen chuckled twice, then turned and entered the Martial Arts Hall.

Once inside, some people from the Martial Arts Hall greeted Lin Zhen.

"Lin Zhen is here. She looks great today."

"Brother Lin, I'm thinking of giving up swordsmanship and learning to use a spear. Do you think I have a future?"

"Good morning, Brother Lin! You look really smart in that outfit. Where did you buy it? Tell me so I can buy one too."

Lin Zhen looked down at his Martial Arts Hall uniform and was somewhat speechless. Among martial artists, it was true that you only earned respect if you had the strength. Lin Zhen was already a star figure in the Martial Arts Hall.

Some warriors at the General Level also greeted Lin Zhen with smiles. Although Lin Zhen was still at the peak of the warrior level, no one doubted that Lin Zhen had the strength of War General.

Often, the focus of discussion is whether Lin Zhen possesses the strength of Beginner War General or Intermediate War General.

As for discussions about Warrior Level, Lin Zhen is no longer included.

A Level Three War General named Li Huainian said to Lin Zhen on the arena, "Lin Zhen, why don't you come up and have a go? We're all looking forward to seeing your marksmanship."

Near the arena in the Martial Arts Hall hall, many General Level martial artists spar with each other, but they never invite Warrior Level martial artists to the stage, because even if they win, it would be an unfair victory.

It can be said that Lin Zhen was the first to receive this honor, which also means that these War General already regarded Lin Zhen as someone of equal strength to them.

Lin Zhen smiled and said, "Alright, let's have some fun then."

Seeing that Lin Zhen was about to go on stage, Li Huainian hurriedly said to the Human Path around him, "Hey! You all go downstairs and wait, Lin Zhen and I will practice our moves."

Other martial artists were also eager to try. For martial arts practitioners, sparring with a master is a rare experience, but Li Huainian had taken the lead, so they couldn't compete with him.

Lin Zhen went on stage, took out the Black Dragon Spear, and said to Li Huainian, "Brother Li, let's have a small prize."

"What's the stakes? I'm not rich, don't try to take advantage of me." Li Huainian was a little wary. Lin Zhen to gamble and always won. He didn't want to fall for it. Although he was very arrogant, he wasn't entirely confident that he could beat Lin Zhen.

"Hehe! Our stakes are small. I've been practicing my defense lately. If Brother Li can knock me out of this circle within five minutes, then I'll treat you to lunch. If Brother Li can't do it, then you can treat me, how about that?" Lin Zhen said, drawing a circle about one meter in diameter on the ring.

Upon hearing that it was just a dinner hosted by Ying, Li Huainian was immediately relieved. How much could a meal cost? Even if it cost hundreds of thousands of yuan, it would be a piece of cake for these martial artists.

"Lin Zhen, you're getting bolder and bolder, aren't you? You're so confident in yourself! Alright, it's settled then. If we can't beat you out of this circle, you can choose any restaurant in Ice City today!"

As Li Huainian spoke, he took out two Golden Mace from behind his back; these were his weapons.

"Don't say Brother Li bullied you. Although you're still at the Warrior Level, your strength has probably already surpassed Brother Li's, so my victory isn't unfair. Haha, here I come!"

With his Dantian Qi, Li Huainian pushed off the ground and darted to Lin Zhen's side, smashing down with his left Golden Mace!

Lin Zhen remained calm and blocked Li Huainian's attack with both hands holding his spear horizontally.

Li Huainian also had a backup plan. He struck Lin Zhen's calf with his right Golden Mace, thinking it would make Lin Zhen flustered. However, Lin Zhen easily deflected his carefully prepared second attack with a flick of his spear.

Li Huainian smiled and swept his two Golden Mace down simultaneously from above and below. He was very skilled at this three-move combo, and his movements were stealthy. He believed that this attack would be enough to make Lin Zhen take a step back.

Ke Lin Zhen held his Long Spear upright and deflected the attack with lightning speed, neutralizing it.

"Good!"

Many martial artists below the arena cheered and applauded. Lin Zhen's defense was indeed impressive, but most people did not believe that Lin Zhen could really block Li Huainian's attack without retaliating.

After three moves, Li Huainian became cautious, brandishing his Golden Mace and launching a swift attack.

Lin Zhen remained calm, sitting firmly on his horse, his Black Dragon Spear flashing in his hand. Without retaliating, he actually managed to block Li Huainian's overwhelming offensive!

"Lin Zhen too strong!"

At first, the martial artists below the stage were just watching the spectacle, but as they watched, they realized that Lin Zhen's Long Spear defense was absolutely impenetrable. No matter how hard Li Huainian exerted himself, he managed to hold his ground within a three-foot radius without even moving an inch!

Lin Zhen wielded his Long Spear with an air of authority, while Li Huainian grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. Lin Zhen seemed like an insurmountable mountain, towering into the clouds, making Lin Zhen feel that there was absolutely no way to defeat him.

As soon as this feeling of futility arose, Li Huainian's morale waned, and he was on the verge of losing confidence.

Lin Zhen, however, didn't think so much. He had just mastered the "Immovable as a Mountain and came to the Martial Arts Hall to find someone to practice with. In Lin Zhen's eyes, these General Level martial artists from Raging Wind were the best sparring partners.

I'm very happy with today's increased recommendations and donations, thank you everyone. The release date is getting closer and closer. Once it's Hei Tu, I'll add extra chapters. The criteria for extra chapters aren't high; they'll come from monthly tickets and donations. Please recommend again, the climax is coming soon.