Wu Di had given Ma Ran far more memories than just these.
His words and actions had left a profound impact on Ma Ran.
Without Wu Di's "Earnest Fist," "Yearning Leg," and "Caring Knee" education, Ma Ran before his rebirth would not have grown so quickly.
Ma Ran completely approved of Wu Di's actions and understood his painstaking intentions.
So...
"Senior, this time, it's my turn to help you grow."
"Jade must be carved before it can become a useful object."
"I wholeheartedly agree with what you said back then."
Thirty meters away from Ma Ran.
He Nanguang tossed away his cigarette butt, crushed it underfoot, and popped a mint into his mouth.
Although he had seen the other man's photographs long ago, this was the first time they had met in person.
His first impression of Ma Ran was...
He had an imposing presence.
He was quite intimidating.
Although his face wore a sincere smile without the slightest trace of perfunctoriness, he somehow made people tense up instinctively.
"Sister Die, what do you think of him...?"
He Nanguang did not name anyone, but everyone present knew that the focus of the conversation was the youth who seemed to be standing beneath a spotlight.
Liu Huadie did not answer. She simply stared at Ma Ran without blinking.
At first, the impression Ma Ran had left in her mind was merely that of "a genius who cultivated Black Rock Martial Way."
That was nothing special.
With China's population of over a billion, it would have been abnormal if there were not a few geniuses.
Later, because of the appearance of the "Black Rock Guidance Technique," Ma Ran's status in Liu Huadie's heart rose again, turning him into "a research-oriented talent in supernatural powers."
Now, Liu Huadie had to admit...
Her evaluation of this youth had been too one-sided and rigid, and somewhat biased.
Liu Huadie's powers of observation were exceptional.
She had always been very accurate when judging people.
The broad-minded, the kind, the selfish...
The greedy, the honest, those with exceedingly strong self-esteem...
The meme-brained fools with unusual thought processes, the naive ones who did not understand social etiquette, the stubborn fools who kept charging into walls...
In most cases, Liu Huadie could see through layer after layer of appearances at a glance and easily discern a person's true nature.
Yet this insight had failed her with Ma Ran.
When she observed Ma Ran...
Ma Ran was observing her as well.
The corners of his lips curved upward in an ordinary smile, and his gaze was gentle, yet Liu Huadie felt a bone-chilling dread.
The instant their gazes crossed, Liu Huadie experienced an illusion.
It was as though all her secrets had been seen through, and every thought she possessed lay exposed beneath the youth's eyes, with nowhere to hide.
Now...
She no longer dared to evaluate Ma Ran.
She...
Could not understand that man.
Just as Liu Huadie and He Nanguang were preparing to exchange pleasantries with Director Huang, the youth named Xiao Di ignored the person in charge of Caolu Academy, Huang Weiguo, and walked straight up to Ma Ran, examining him carefully.
"Ma Ran?"
Xiao Di nodded firmly. "Ma Ran!"
"You're not bad!"
"My surname is Wu. The Wu from 'mouth' and 'heaven.'"
"Follow me from now on!"
"Call me Brother Di, and I'll protect you!"
Ma Ran gave him a half-smiling look.
Wu Di's thought process at this stage really was somewhat unusual. The things he said were also embarrassingly over the top, practically black history.
"Are you qualified?"
Ma Ran crooked a finger at Wu Di. "I'll give you three moves. If you can so much as touch a hair on me, you win."
The word "qualified" seemed to possess some strange magic for Wu Di.
He froze for a moment, then immediately charged forward with his claws bared. Inner Qi surged as he threw a fierce straight punch.
Smack!
The winds whipped wildly like a long whip lashing out, producing a sharp crack.
Ma Ran shifted slightly to the side. The other's fist skimmed past his ear, while a smile remained on his face. "One move."
The taunt was rather severe.
Wu Di had originally intended to hold back, but he instantly lost his temper.
He howled as he swung an elbow.
Boom!
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded on level ground!
The air trembled and spun, sending Ma Ran's hair fluttering in the wind.
His elbow missed. Wu Di planted both feet and launched himself into the air. After spinning 360 degrees, he fiercely whipped out a kick.
The movement was fast enough!
The pose was cool enough!
Unfortunately...
In Ma Ran's eyes, this move was riddled with openings. It was so crude that he could not help wanting to laugh.
"Are you dancing?"
"It's pretty good."
Smack!
The intimidating kick failed to hit Ma Ran.
Wu Di's face flushed red with anger. He spun another 180 degrees in midair, switched feet, and transformed the whipping kick into a stomp.
Twisting his waist and turning his hips, he converted force and momentum. When he brought his foot down, tremendous strength cracked the stone tiles beneath him into spiderweb-like fissures.
"My turn."
Ma Ran raised his right hand. His five fingers slowly curled inward, forming a fist.
Boom!
The punch was plain and unadorned, yet it gave off a feeling of having been tempered through countless trials, flawless and impregnable.
Not a single opening!
There was nowhere to dodge!
Buzz!
Wu Di felt a weight descend upon his head. His ears rang, and stars danced before his eyes.
As he touched his face, grimacing from the pain, he also realized...
His right eye was swollen.
If not for the protection of Inner Qi, he felt that this punch might have blinded him outright!
What grudge?
What grievance?
Why had he hit so hard?
Wu Di was completely dazed by the blow.
Covering one eye, he stared blankly at Ma Ran. His expression was incredibly aggrieved, and tears kept welling in his eyes.
He had clearly held back just now!
Yet Ma Ran had actually used his full strength!
Bastard!
He had no martial ethics!
"I didn't use much strength..."
Ma Ran seemed to have seen through Wu Di's thoughts at a glance.
He patiently explained, "During this friendly spar, I only circulated the Inner Qi in two acupoints."
"In other words, I only used one-tenth of my strength."
"You're at the Second Stage of Inner Qi, after all. You should be able to tell that I wasn't lying, right?"
"Mm..."
"In the interest of fairness and impartiality, I've finished my one move. Now it's your turn to act."
Ma Ran, who was trying to inflate his own combat power, patted Wu Di's head like they were playing house.
At that moment, Ma Ran transformed into a warmhearted big brother from next door and encouraged him gently. "You can have three moves."
"There is no time limit. Think it through before acting, and don't waste the opportunity."
"Huh?"
"Don't tell me you got hit so hard that you cried?"
Wu Di could not stand this injustice.
"Why would I cry? Men bleed but do not shed tears! I just got sand in my eye!"
He stuck out his neck and shouted a few times. Gritting his teeth, he forced his eyes wide open, and the moisture quickly faded. Then, with his claws bared, he fiercely punched back.
Today, he, Wu Di, would rely on his own strength to beat up Ma Ran, thrash Su Qiangwei, and dominate Caolu Academy!
"..."
As an onlooker, Director Huang Weiguo found the interaction between the two somewhat painful to watch.
Guests from afar were still guests, and they had even brought equipment that Caolu Academy desperately needed.
Although the other party had indeed attacked first, Ma Ran's behavior did not seem quite appropriate, did it?
A friend had come from afar, and though far away, must he still be exterminated?
As if sensing Director Huang's concern, Ma Ran dodged Wu Di's attacks while explaining with ease, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I won't hurt him."
"Senior brothers and senior sister from Fulan Academy, please trust me and don't interfere."
"I'm beating him for his own good."
Liu Huadie and He Nanguang had been preparing to step in and stop things after watching Wu Di get beaten single-sidedly.
Upon hearing Ma Ran's words, the two quickly exchanged a glance and decided to wait and see how things developed.
To be fair...
Although they could not laugh out loud, watching this little brat Wu Di get beaten felt really damn good!
Liu Huadie and He Nanguang were both people with minds of their own.
They realized that Ma Ran was speaking clearly, calmly, and rationally.
His beating of Wu Di was probably not an impulse.
Moreover, Ma Ran's combat strength was indeed a tiny bit higher than expected. By quite a lot.
The two of them would only be useless if they rushed in.
There was a 99.9 percent chance it would just be an act of feeding themselves to the enemy.
So...
He Nanguang and Liu Huadie quickly reached a consensus—there had to be a deeper meaning behind Ma Ran beating Wu Di!
(Group: 858112973)
Hahaha, the update is complete! That felt great!
A weekend full of positive energy has begun! I hope everyone has fun!
I'll go work out the rules for bonus updates later... Everyone, help me take a look and see whether anything seems unreasonable.
Before you continue