Alley Battle!

Li Congxin trained with his usual intensity as he officially began his martial arts journey.

The weights on his body started with sandbags tied to his legs and later progressed to a full-body load, increasing from a few kilograms to tens of kilograms. With the boost from the "Calories" special effect, he continuously pushed his potential, leading to another leap forward in all his attributes.

However, compared to the growth in his basic attributes, his progress in martial arts techniques seemed less remarkable.

In the half-month since he started practicing martial arts, Li Congxin had only managed to grasp the various moves and routines of the Twelve-Road Tan Leg. His execution was still stiff. In Nalan Qing's words, his technique was too mechanical, not fluid even when practicing against a sandbag, let alone applying it flexibly in actual combat.

After witnessing Li Congxin's starkly contrasting performance, Old Master Nalan Long offered an eight-character evaluation.

"Excellent bone structure, mediocre comprehension."

This indicated that the musical enhancement effect of "Calories" wasn't a universal solution.

The Tan Leg, which incorporated the essence of Shaolin martial arts, inherently emphasized fundamentals. Without the aid of a cheat system, it was unrealistic to expect him to become a master fighter in a short period.

However, Li Congxin was not discouraged by this. If his comprehension was insufficient, he would simply train more.

"Practice a hundred times, and its meaning will become clear!"

Problems that could be solved with effort were not problems at all!

Before his transmigration, due to his youthful immaturity, he had dedicated his precious youth to Seria, to Daoxiang Village, and to the two Valleys of Summoner and King. By the time he realized the importance of striving for self-improvement, it was already too late. Factors like education, connections, and resources—"innate" advantages—determined that he had no channels for advancement. What else could he do but be a couch potato?

But this life was different!

Not only had he regained his youthful body, but he had also awakened the golden finger essential for transmigrators, with infinite possibilities for the future.

Given this situation, if he didn't give it his all, how could he justify his transmigration?

As he ran with the music of "Calories" accompanying him, Li Congxin's mind replayed the words Nalan Long had spoken to him before he left the martial arts hall.

"Martial arts is a cultivation from the inside out, a simultaneous sublimation of thought and body. You must try to integrate it into every aspect of your life. If you merely seek to fight and defeat your opponent, what's the difference between that and the basic combat techniques learned in ordinary classes?"

While running, Li Congxin continuously pondered the meaning of Nalan Long's words.

Suddenly, he sensed a killing intent!

His ability to sense killing intent wasn't due to any miraculous progress he had made, making him so sharp that he could foresee danger.

It was because...

A line of five guys with "shamat" hairstyles, armed with baseball bats, chains, and other crude weapons, completely blocked the alleyway ahead. They were staring at him with ill intentions.

Facing such a scene, anyone with eyes could "sense" the killing intent, right?

Stopping his steps, Li Congxin suddenly heard soft footsteps behind him. Turning his head, he saw another five "shamat" figures emerging from the shadows, each holding a weapon, effectively sealing off his escape route.

"Kid!" In front of Li Congxin's path, a black man with his hair styled into numerous small braids spoke first with a malicious grin. "You're unlucky to run into us today. Hand over all your valuables, including your Walkman, obediently."

A freaking Walkman!

Li Congxin always used the system to play music; when had he ever used a Walkman?

Glancing coldly at these guys who practically had "I am a bad guy" written all over their faces, Li Congxin, without backing down, said in a cold voice, "Get lost. I can pretend I never saw you today."

"Oh, this yellow-skinned monkey is quite tough." The braided black man waved his hand. "Brothers, teach him a lesson."

At the braided man's command, the four guys beside him, along with the five "shamat" figures behind Li Congxin, all drew their weapons and moved to surround and attack him.

Facing a group of thugs who only knew how to fight dirty, Li Congxin was naturally unfazed.

This grandpa has trained!

A 1v9 battle instantly commenced.

Originally, Li Congxin had thought that after half a month of training, facing a dozen street thugs would be a piece of cake.

But the moment they started fighting, he realized it was nothing like that!

During the past half-month of martial arts training, he had spent most of his time kicking sandbags. Although he had sparring practice, whether it was with Nalan Qing or his classmates in the elite class, it was always one-on-one. They had never engaged in group combat.

Suddenly facing a team battle, and a disadvantageous 1v9 situation at that, he felt enemies coming from all directions. With his lack of practical combat experience, he couldn't accurately judge everyone's attacks!

In his state of panic, Li Congxin was like a stubborn Silver player in a game being ganked by three people. He unleashed his Q, W, E, and R skills indiscriminately, followed by various basic attacks.

His Shaolin Twelve-Road Tan Leg was completely forgotten in his frantic state. He truly achieved the state of forgetting the moves after learning them, using whichever move came to mind, even breaking down fixed routines and executing them randomly, forming a unique eight-leg technique of his own.

It was named—Xia Ji Ba Kick!

Although his fighting style had been completely assimilated by these street thugs, Li Congxin's efforts over the past month had not been in vain. Over a month of rigorous training with "Calories" had made his physical fitness far superior to ordinary people. In Nalan Long's words, in terms of stamina and explosive power alone, Li Congxin was no longer inferior to Nalan Qing, who had been training since childhood.

Relying on his absolute advantage in basic attributes, Li Congxin managed to make the 1v9 battle a back-and-forth affair. Even with his high attack and health, he endured several blows and managed to kick three thugs to the ground, temporarily incapacitating them.

The braided man, who had been expecting to watch a good show, finally couldn't sit still upon seeing how fierce Li Congxin was. Drawing a dagger from his waist, he finally joined the fray.

Li Congxin's situation wasn't good either. Although the number of opponents had decreased from nine to six, the pressure he faced had only increased.

When nine people were attacking him, the thugs were somewhat restricted. Now, with only six remaining, their combat effectiveness could be maximized.

Under the more fierce and frenzied attacks of the thugs, Li Congxin had no time to pay attention to anything else. It wasn't until the braided man reached him that he noticed this most threatening individual.

However, it was too late!

The braided man attacked with extreme swiftness. Upon rushing forward, he unceremoniously thrust his dagger towards Li Congxin's chest. His move was a killing blow, indicating that this guy had definitely killed before!

By the time Li Congxin noticed the opponent, the deadly dagger was already within inches of him. Dodging was clearly impossible. Without thinking, he instinctively raised his right arm to block the dagger. His strong survival instinct told him that a cut on his arm was better than being stabbed through the heart!

With a "ripping" sound, Li Congxin's clothes were easily cut by the dagger. Then, the sandbag tied to his arm was also slashed with a long gash by the same knife. The iron sand inside flowed out, spilling onto the ground.

Seeing this, Li Congxin couldn't help but wipe a cold sweat.

Fortunately, he wore weighted protective gear today, otherwise, his arm would have been in danger!

However, the guy with the braid was clearly trained, unlike those thugs who just swung sticks and chains around wildly. When his first strike was blocked by Li Congxin's sandbag, he immediately flipped his wrist, changing his dagger from a stab to a sweep, and lunged incredibly fast towards Li Congxin's right temple.

Li Congxin quickly retracted his neck and ducked his head, simultaneously retreating to dodge the opponent's fatal blow. He was still a half-step too slow. Although he avoided the vital spot, his forehead was grazed by the opponent's dagger, and the flowing blood instantly blurred his vision.

This is bad!

In this critical moment, Li Congxin's mind raced. He shifted his feet, spun his body sharply, and his right arm followed through with a powerful 360-degree punch.

But the punch wasn't the main point; his true attack was the sandbag on his arm, which had been cut open. The iron sand inside hadn't finished spilling out, and with this swing, it scattered outwards like a shower of flowers from heaven.

"Iron Sand Boundary Technique!"

The surrounding thugs, including the leader with the braid, were startled by this sudden, unexpected move and retreated, covering their faces.

Li Congxin used this opportunity to finally gain a moment to breathe.

But it was futile!

He hadn't brought any weapons with him when he came out. Even with a moment's respite, he couldn't turn the tide or escape.

Was he going to die at the hands of these insignificant thugs before he even met a named villain after transmigrating?

He was unwilling!

Through his vision, blurred by blood, he saw the thugs who had been forced back now charging forward again. Nalan Long's teachings resurfaced in Li Congxin's mind.

"Martial arts are a cultivation from the inside out, an sublimation of thought and body progressing in sync. You must try to integrate it into every aspect of your life."

"If you only focus on fighting and defeating your opponent, what's the difference between that and the basic combat techniques learned in regular classes?"