Sparring (Lower)

Cheng Shaojiu poured his full strength into this first strike.

With his Blood Essence surging, his muscles bulged slightly, and a layer of grayish-white appeared on his fists. His movements were swift as the wind, and his arms shot out like taut crossbows.

Bang, bang!

Both punches were blocked.

Wei He, who often ambushed others, was extremely familiar with the art of surprise attacks and their prelude.

The moment he saw Cheng Shaojiu's stance, which carried a hint of bluster, he immediately became alert. He examined carefully and indeed discovered a punch aimed at his lower abdomen.

After parrying Cheng Shaojiu's attack with both hands, he suppressed the urge to throw a handful of lime. He brought his knee up and delivered a knee strike.

The main reason was that Cheng Shaojiu, having been parried, was in a perfect position, leaving himself wide open. It was too ideal.

However, he remembered that this was a sparring session. Suppressing his impulse, Wei He focused and began to engage in direct combat.

Similarly, he raised his Blood Essence, and his fists also glowed with a faint grayish-white hue.

Bathed in moonlight, the two exchanged fierce blows. The clash of Stone Hide against Stone Hide was no longer at a level that ordinary people could comprehend.

The sound of their fists connecting alone was like the beating of drums.

Gray sand occasionally kicked up around them. As dust flew, their figures gradually became indistinct.

Cheng Shaojiu grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed.

He had sparred with Wei He not long ago, and at that time, he could still easily suppress him.

But now, not only could he not suppress Wei He's Blood Essence, but he also struggled to keep up with Wei He's counterattacks in terms of technique and experience.

He had started practicing martial arts years before Wei He, yet now the gap between them had narrowed so much.

The muffled sounds of impact echoed incessantly on the training ground.

Cheng Shaojiu would occasionally let out shouts, while Wei He remained silent.

Their fighting styles were completely different.

After a short while, a dull thud sounded.

Wei He staggered out of the dust cloud, his feet sliding back more than ten paces on the ground before he finally stabilized himself.

He panted heavily, looking at the spot on his chest where a gray fist print had appeared.

"As expected of Brother Cheng, I still lost."

As the dust settled, Cheng Shaojiu's figure appeared, standing in his original spot.

He wore a smile.

"You're already very impressive. To have this much strength right after breaking through, your foundation must be quite solid. No wonder Master Zheng values you so highly."

"Brother Cheng is too kind. That final combo you used, I never thought it could be executed like that. I learned something from you today." Wei He was still pondering where he had gone wrong.

He had gone all out this time, yet he was still defeated by Cheng Shaojiu in a head-on confrontation.

Clearly, even after breaking through to Blood Essence, he was still far from Brother Cheng's level.

Moreover, although both were Stone Hide, there was still a gap in their Blood Essence intensity. The gap between a perfect level like Cheng Shaojiu's and Wei He's newly broken-through level was significant.

In their full-power exchange, Wei He felt a dull ache in his fists, and his strength was rapidly depleted. After more than ten consecutive exchanges, he was defeated due to his lack of stamina.

"Alright, it's getting late today. I'll have Old Huang escort you back first," Cheng Shaojiu said.

"No rush, I need to reflect on it for a while. I can go back by myself later. It won't be safe for Old Huang to return alone if it's too late," Wei He waved his hand.

"That's fine too. Be careful on your own," Cheng Shaojiu nodded.

He turned and walked towards the outside of the training ground.

Only when he reached a corner where the light could no longer reach him did he raise his hand, looking at his slightly reddened fist, a hint of complexity flashing in his eyes.

If he hadn't used a killing move designed by his uncle just in time, he might not have been able to defeat Wei He in the end.

The gap between them was now very small. Wei He's moves were cautious and deliberate, never wasting any strength.

It was completely different from him.

Without that killing move, if they had continued to fight until the very end, who would have won, who would have lost, was still unknown.

Unknowingly, the junior disciple he could once defeat with a casual flick of his wrist had now slowly become a formidable opponent who was difficult to deal with.

Recalling the wasted years, Cheng Shaojiu suddenly felt an urge to cast everything aside and dedicate himself to martial arts.

"I'll start tomorrow! I'll practice as soon as I decide!" He made up his mind, strode out of the training ground, and completely disappeared into the inner room.

Meanwhile, Wei He was alone, contemplating the move Cheng Shaojiu had used at the end.

That move involved a rapid succession of punches, but it wasn't an ordinary sequence. It followed a peculiar, opposite trajectory.

It appeared to be aimed at the opponent's ears and shoulders, but in reality, it would change direction midway, using the elbow to deflect the opponent's guard, followed by a full-power punch to the chest.

As he practiced, he suddenly saw someone standing quietly by the training ground, looking over in his direction.

Caravan guards and leaders often passed through this training ground. Even if someone stopped to watch, they would quickly leave.

But this person seemed to have been watching him for a long time.

The other party also sensed that Wei He had discovered them and strode closer.

In the moonlight, a figure quickly revealed itself – it was Cheng Jing.

This girl was dressed much more normally this time, wearing a grey and white fitted outfit on her upper body, with slender legs clad in long boots and tight black pants. Two sheathed short swords were strapped to the outside of her thighs.

Looking at the backpack she carried on her back, it was clear she had just returned from a caravan escort.

Approaching, Cheng Jing looked at Wei He with a complex expression.

For a moment, she didn't speak, just stared at him intently. Her pretty face held an inexplicable mix of envy, shock, and complexity.

"You?" Wei He blinked, unsure of what she wanted.

Swish!

Cheng Jing suddenly lunged forward, raising her right leg high in a side kick, attacking him fiercely.

"What are you doing?!" Caught off guard, Wei He raised his hand to block.

If this surprise attack had happened before he broke through to Blood Essence, he might not have been able to block it, as his reaction time wouldn't have been as fast.

But now, at the Stone Hide level, the Blood Essence amplification had boosted his five senses and physical reactions, making his reaction speed, strength, explosiveness, neural speed, and senses all significantly superior to Cheng Jing's.

Therefore, even though it was a sneak attack, he easily blocked this kick.

However, being blocked on the first move seemed to further ignite some emotion within Cheng Jing.

A blush spread across her pretty face, and she gritted her teeth, launching kick after kick at Wei He.

Bang bang bang!!

Their fists and feet clashed, and they continuously moved around the training ground.

Cheng Jing unleashed a continuous twelve-kick sequence, attacking with twelve moves without pause.

Wei He blocked them all, his defense as solid as a rock.

"Had enough?" Wei He growled.

"Not enough!" Cheng Jing took a step back and launched a full-power flying kick straight at him.

With this full-power burst, her emotions had clearly gotten the better of her, and she didn't care about anything else.

Generally, during normal sparring, people rarely went all out and held nothing back.

This was because sparring also involved recoil. Holding nothing back often meant that even if you hit your opponent, you could injure yourself with the phản lực force if you weren't careful.

Furthermore, by not holding back, it was easier to accidentally injure your opponent because you couldn't stop your attack.

But at this moment, Cheng Jing no longer cared about any of that.

She sent a full-power kick straight towards Wei He's abdomen. Her eyes were red, and the kick carried a gust of wind.

"You've gone too far!" Wei He was also angered.

He shifted his feet, sidestepping the kick, grabbed Cheng Jing's high ponytail, and slammed her down.

Bang!

Caught completely off guard, Cheng Jing was pulled down by her hair and fell to the ground.

Wei He pounced and unleashed a barrage of punches.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang!!

A moment later.

The two of them sat side-by-side on the edge of the training ground, looking up at the sickle moon in the sky, silent.

Cheng Jing's once pretty and delicate face was now swollen like a pig's head, bruised and battered, with many parts of her body also swollen.

Fortunately, Wei He knew the difference between men and women and didn't hit any sensitive areas.

Even so, she had successfully understood the vast difference between her and those who had broken through to Blood Essence twice.

Wei He, having just broken through, could easily manhandle her. Not to mention the other seasoned experts who had broken through long ago.

"Did something happen on this caravan escort?" Wei He asked.

"." Cheng Jing remained silent, merely turning her pig's head towards the sky and staring blankly at the moon.

"Do your feet still stink?" Wei He asked.

"Ah!!" Cheng Jing threw a punch at Wei He, only to be hit back with a punch to the side of her face.

Bang.

She fell down again.

"Can you change your temper? Who would dare marry you if you're like this in the future?" Wei He stood up and sighed. Was this woman crazy?

Lying on her back on the ground, Cheng Jing stared at him blankly, then suddenly burst into tears.

Tears streamed down her cheeks from both sides, and she sobbed, her whole body trembling as if she were releasing all her pent-up energy.

"What are you crying about?" Wei He said speechlessly. "Who asked you to come and ambush me first."

He couldn't be bothered to look at this lunatic anymore and turned to walk out of the training ground.

"You think I want to cry? You think I'm crying because I can't beat you?!"

Suddenly, Cheng Jing's wailing cry came from behind him.

"If I don't break through soon, I'll have to get married! You think I want that! You think… I've suffered for so many years. Why?! Do you know how miserable I am?!"

Wei He fell silent.

His steps, which had been heading outside, also stopped. He turned around and walked back towards Cheng Jing.

He reached her side.

"Are you here to comfort me?" Cheng Jing opened her eyes and looked at him.

Wei He threw a punch.

Bang!

"I'm here to make you accept reality."

After throwing the punch, he felt a sense of relief and turned to leave.

"Nobody in this world spoils you. You're miserable? There are plenty of people more miserable than you. At least your parents are still alive. What are you crying about?"

Putting on his jacket, Wei He suddenly felt much of his own frustration and worry disappear.

Cheng Jing was left lying on the ground, one eye swollen so badly she could barely open it.

"You hit my face again?!"

She felt even more like crying.

This caravan journey had been fraught with danger. Although they hadn't encountered the Black Madman from last time, they had run into mountain bandits twice. The cargo they were escorting had been reduced by half before they finally arrived safely.

Fortunately, this was within the agreed-upon scope beforehand, so the client who commissioned the escort, while frustrated, could understand.

However, as soon as she returned, she received news that her mother was seriously ill. On top of that, Wei He, who was previously worse off than her, had suddenly broken through and surpassed her.

And then there was the increasingly pressing pressure from the caravan agency.

Under the weight of these several pressures, she had finally reached a point of emotional breakdown.

Lying on the ground now, Cheng Jing recalled the recent exchange with Wei He. No matter how she attacked, she couldn't break through Wei He's defense.

That feeling of powerlessness was just like the fate she was currently facing.

"I'll remember this beating! Just you wait, Wei He, I'll get my revenge someday!"

She resolved to change her fate, starting with curing her foot odor!