First Taste of Battle

The air inside the training hall seemed to have frozen solid.

The dead silence lasted a full three seconds before Zhang Kuang's labored, pain-suppressed breathing broke it.

"You... you're courting death!" Zhang Kuang clutched his agonizing ribs, his entire face twisted out of shape with humiliation and pain. His eyes were filled with disbelief and fury. He had actually been forced back in public by a piece of trash—an ant he could have crushed at will?! This was simply the greatest humiliation of his life!

Only then did the surrounding students recover from their tremendous shock, and an uproar instantly erupted!

"Did... did I see that right? Lin Feng knocked Zhang Kuang back?"

"That move just now—what a fast reaction! That footwork, that punch..."

"Wasn't he suffering from Blocked Meridians? How could he have that kind of strength and speed?"

"Could he have been hiding his strength all along?"

The murmurs surged like a rising tide. Everyone's gaze upon Lin Feng changed completely, shifting from pity and contempt to suspicion, scrutiny, and even a trace of reverence.

Liu Feifei stood there blankly, looking at the composed young man standing tall in the center of the hall, and found him utterly unfamiliar. Was this still the Lin Feng who needed her "comfort," the one whose future she had deemed bleak? That clean, ferocious strike of his, and that mountain-steady aura around him, completely overturned everything she thought she knew. A faint, inexplicable regret quietly took root in her heart.

"Quiet!" Teacher Li Zhenhai barked, suppressing all the noise. He strode into the center of the hall and first shot Zhang Kuang a harsh glare. "Sparring practice ends at the first touch! Zhang Kuang, you were far too rash when you attacked just now!"

Zhang Kuang gritted his teeth. He did not dare argue with the teacher, but the look he gave Lin Feng became even more venomous.

Only then did Li Zhenhai turn to Lin Feng. His eyes gleamed with undisguised admiration and curiosity. "Lin Feng, what you used just now... was perfect-level basic footwork and basic boxing?"

As an experienced martial artist, he saw far more clearly than the students did. Lin Feng's seemingly simple half-step back and straight punch had been exquisite down to the finest hair in terms of timing, angle, and force. He had practically brought basic martial arts to the realm of perfection! This could never have been achieved through luck. It was an instinctive response forged through countless trials and tempering!

But how was that possible? How could a student labeled a "martial arts deadweight" have cultivated basic martial arts to such a level?

Facing his teacher's question, Lin Feng nodded without being servile or arrogant. "Teacher Li, yes. My aptitude is poor, so I can only put more effort into these basic things."

He said it calmly, yet it made many students present flush with shame. They aimed too high, chasing powerful martial techniques while failing to build even the most fundamental foundation. Yet Lin Feng, this "deadweight," had silently cultivated the basics to a height they could scarcely hope to reach.

"Poor aptitude?" Li Zhenhai gave Lin Feng a long look but did not press further. Everyone had their own opportunities and secrets. As a teacher, it was enough for him to see his student's hard work and progress. "Very good! On the path of martial arts, one's foundation is paramount! Since you have cultivated the basics to such a realm, your future is promising!"

Li Zhenhai's approval was like an official seal of recognition, thoroughly confirming Lin Feng's ability. When the others looked at Lin Feng again, the last trace of doubt in their eyes had vanished, replaced by complicated emotions and shock.

When Zhang Kuang heard the words "your future is promising," his face darkened so much it seemed ready to drip water.

"Alright, sparring practice will continue! Zhang Kuang, go rest over there. Wang Hao, you'll be in a group with me." Li Zhenhai directly separated the two, preventing the conflict from escalating.

Zhang Kuang viciously glared at Lin Feng, then clutched his ribs and limped to the edge of the hall to sit down. Several lackeys immediately crowded around him to fawn over him, only to be impatiently shoved away.

Practice continued, but the atmosphere had changed completely.

No one dared look at Lin Feng with contempt anymore. A few students who were usually withdrawn, or whose families were similarly poor, even deliberately moved closer to him when groups were assigned. Their eyes carried traces of flattery and a desire for protection.

Lin Feng did not care about this. He merely completed every exercise Teacher Li Zhenhai assigned with calm focus. The perfect-level Basic Body Tempering Technique gave him more than strength and speed—it gave him incomparable control over his body. Every movement he made was as standard as a textbook illustration, his exertion precise and his breathing deep and steady. Li Zhenhai nodded repeatedly as he watched.

During a pause after Teacher Li Zhenhai called for a stop, Wang Hao—the lackey who had shoved Lin Feng earlier—seemed to want to stand up for Zhang Kuang. He deliberately slammed his shoulder viciously toward Lin Feng.

Yet Lin Feng merely shifted his footing in a nearly imperceptible motion. Wang Hao felt as though he had crashed into a springy wall. His force was effortlessly redirected, and unable to stop himself, he pitched forward and fell flat on his face, drawing a burst of stifled laughter.

Wang Hao climbed to his feet, dirty and disheveled. Looking at the expressionless Lin Feng, who had already resumed practicing, fear finally appeared in his eyes. He no longer dared make any more petty moves.

Zhang Kuang, seated at the edge of the hall, took in every bit of it. His fists clenched until they crackled, while a ball of rage lodged in his chest with nowhere to vent.

The bell signaling the end of practical combat class rang.

The students left the training hall in groups of two and three. Many were still excitedly discussing the astonishing scene of Lin Feng knocking Zhang Kuang back with one punch. It was easy to foresee that this news would soon spread through the entire senior year.

Lin Feng packed up his things and was about to leave when Li Zhenhai's voice sounded behind him.

"Lin Feng, wait a moment."

Lin Feng stopped and turned around respectfully. "Teacher Li."

Li Zhenhai walked over, his gaze much gentler now. "Your performance today was excellent. It exceeded my expectations."

"Thank you, Teacher."

"I don't know what happened to you, but seeing you step out of the shadows and regain your confidence makes me very happy." Li Zhenhai patted his shoulder, his tone sincere. "Martial artists must fight! Fight for resources, fight for opportunities, and fight even more for that one breath of pride! You've made a good start, but remember: guard against arrogance and impatience. Zhang Kuang's family... does have some influence. Be careful."

Feeling his teacher's sincere concern, Lin Feng's heart warmed slightly. He nodded. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Teacher."

"Mm." Li Zhenhai pondered for a moment, then took an exquisitely crafted metal card from his pocket and handed it to Lin Feng. "This is a beginner experience card for the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. It gives you three free uses of the Beginner Training Room and the Gravity Zone. Your foundation is solid. Perhaps you should go experience the place—it will benefit you."

The Extreme Martial Arts Hall was one of the largest chain martial arts halls in Jiangnan City. Its facilities were advanced, but its fees were exorbitant, far beyond what ordinary families could afford. For Lin Feng, who urgently needed spiritual energy and the right environment to accelerate his cultivation, this experience card was undoubtedly a gift of charcoal in snowy weather.

Lin Feng did not put on airs. He accepted the card with both hands and said solemnly, "Thank you, Teacher Li!"

"Go on. Prepare well for the martial arts examination. I look forward to the day you soar into the sky with a single leap!" Li Zhenhai said with an encouraging smile.

Watching Lin Feng's departing back, Li Zhenhai's eyes were full of anticipation. He could sense the vigorous vitality and immense potential hidden within this youth. Perhaps Third Middle School truly would produce a dark horse this year that would shock the entire city!

After leaving the training hall, Lin Feng did not go straight home. Instead, he took a detour to the school library.

He needed martial techniques!

With the system in hand, its perfect comprehension ability meant he did not need to worry about understanding cultivation methods. But the prerequisite was that he needed methods to comprehend. The school's martial arts resources were limited, and he could not access the most profound techniques. Still, the library might have some widely circulated low-level or incomplete martial techniques that were universally acknowledged as difficult to cultivate.

Using his student ID, Lin Feng entered the library's martial arts section. There were not many students here, and most of them quietly flipped through materials.

He headed directly for the shelf labeled "Boxing Techniques: Basics and Incomplete Manuals." It held mostly common goods such as Savage Ox Fist, Stone Shattering Fist, and Stacking Waves Fist, along with some obscure, incomplete boxing manuals of unknown origin that almost no one cared about.

Lin Feng's gaze swiftly swept across the shelf before finally stopping on an ancient thread-bound book tucked into the farthest corner. It was covered in dust, its cover yellowed with age.

Three characters were written on its spine in an archaic script—Nine Heavens Thunder Blade!

A blade technique?

Lin Feng was slightly stunned. He had originally intended to find a boxing technique. But the word "thunder" stirred something in his heart. Thunder had always been known for its swift and explosive nature, perfectly aligning with his pursuit of ultimate efficiency and lethality.

He pulled out the manual and brushed away the dust. Opening to the first page, he found the introduction: "An incomplete blade technique allegedly created by an ancient cultivator of the thunder path. Only the force-generating methods for the first three levels and portions of the move diagrams remain. Cultivation requires one to use qi and blood to simulate the explosive intent of thunder. The burden on the physical body is immense and can easily damage the meridians. In modern times, there are almost no precedents of successful cultivation. Proceed with caution!"

"The burden on the physical body is immense and can easily damage the meridians..." Lin Feng read the warning, but instead of shrinking back, his eyes brightened.

A burden on the physical body? He had the perfect-level Basic Body Tempering Technique as his foundation, and his body was currently in a period of rapid strengthening!

It could easily damage the meridians? He had the system's perfect comprehension, allowing him to avoid every incorrect method of exerting force!

There were almost no successful precedents? Perfect. Only by succeeding would he stand alone and unrivaled!

This was it!

Without any hesitation, Lin Feng took the incomplete manual of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade to the reading area beside the shelves and began to "read."

He appeared to be carefully examining the pages one by one, but in truth, his consciousness had long since focused on the light screen in his mind.

[Detected information flow from the unknown martial technique Nine Heavens Thunder Blade (Incomplete). Record and deeply comprehend?]

"Yes!"

The familiar cool current once again enveloped his mind. The book's intricate, obscure routes for exerting force and its incomplete move diagrams seemed to be dismantled, analyzed, and reconstructed, becoming the most fundamental information and branding itself deeply into his consciousness.

A moment later, the [Martial Techniques] section on the light screen was finally no longer empty.

[Martial Technique: Nine Heavens Thunder Blade (Incomplete)]

[Current Mastery: 0%]

[Grade: Unknown (the original manual was estimated to be upper Yellow rank; its grade has fallen due to its incompleteness)]

[Evaluation: Its concept is lofty and contains a trace of the True Meaning of Thunder. However, it is severely incomplete; forcing cultivation would do more harm than good.]

Seeing the system's evaluation, Lin Feng's lips curled into a smile.

Do more harm than good? That was for other people.

For him, the owner of the [Myriad Methods Return to the Source] system, this was merely the beginning.

"Next, I'll turn it... into something that belongs to me!"