Martial Arts Prodigy

It was not until noon that Sun Chengshan returned with his disciples, his anger still unspent.

A sharpness lingered in his narrow eyes, making him entirely unlike the Master who usually took everything in stride.

The disciples in the courtyard all fell silent and lowered their heads, afraid of provoking their Master in his current mood.

Only after Sun Chengshan entered the inner room did everyone let out a breath and gather around the disciples who had gone with him to ask what had happened.

"Hehe, those of you who didn't go have no idea—our Master was incredible! At first, both Jifeng Hall and Duanhu Saber Hall were extremely stubborn. They even claimed that our Master was bullying the young with his seniority.

"Later, Master lost his temper and directly challenged Jifeng Hall's master, He Xuyang, and Duanhu Saber Hall's master, Ding Lei, to two one-on-one hall-kicking duels."

Zhang Erdan was so excited he resembled a storyteller, basking in the moment of being surrounded by the other disciples.

"What happened next? What happened next?"

The disciples were eager to know the results of the duels. Quite a few of the more levelheaded ones had already guessed the outcome from Zhang Erdan's radiant expression.

"Of course our Master won! That Jifeng Hall and Duanhu Saber Hall were nothing but empty reputations!"

Zhang Erdan snorted, looking as proud as if he had been the one who won those hall-kicking matches.

The disciples burst into cheers, their respect for Sun Chengshan growing even deeper.

Including those two matches, Sun Chengshan had now completed five consecutive hall-kicking challenges in the town, winning every one of them.

Such a record could not be called anything less than formidable.

Body Tempering Fifth Level was terrifying indeed.

That afternoon, Song Hezheng returned alone. He Tie's injuries were serious, and he needed to recuperate at the Medical Hall for some time.

Upon returning, Song Hezheng only said that He Tie's life was no longer in danger and that they had received appropriate compensation. The matter was over, and all the disciples were told to settle down and continue practicing their fists.

After the disciples had all dispersed, Wang Yu went to find Song Hezheng alone.

"Senior Disciple Brother, I have something I'd like to ask you."

Seeing that it was Wang Yu, Song Hezheng's expression eased somewhat.

Over the past few days, he had witnessed Wang Yu's rapid progress. Barring any surprises, Wang Yu would certainly reach Body Tempering First Level within three months.

He was not like the other probationary disciples, merely passing through the fist gym.

Thus, Song Hezheng treated Wang Yu more courteously than the other probationary disciples.

"Junior Brother Wang, do you have a question about cultivation?" Song Hezheng asked gently.

Since Wang Yu had not displayed his abilities, he could not discern Wang Yu's true cultivation.

He only felt that Wang Yu seemed somewhat different from yesterday.

"No. I wanted to ask, Senior Brother, how long did it take you to break through to Body Tempering First Level after entering the fist gym?" Wang Yu went straight to the point.

A look of understanding appeared on Song Hezheng's face, and he smiled faintly.

In his view, Wang Yu was asking because he was worried about his current cultivation progress and feared he would fail to reach Body Tempering First Level within three months.

In fact, during his time as Senior Disciple Brother, Wang Yu was not the first person to ask him about cultivation progress.

He himself had gone through the same thing back then. It was only human nature.

"Before Master came here to establish this fist gym, I had already become his disciple. At the time, Master said my aptitude for martial arts was fairly good, so it took me less than two months to officially reach Body Tempering First Level.

"You needn't panic either, Junior Brother. From how quickly you've grasped the Basic Fist Style, you're much faster than I was back then.

"If you keep practicing at this pace, reaching Body Tempering First Level within three months should be no problem. You may even be faster than I was—it's possible you won't even need two months."

As someone who had been through it, Song Hezheng patiently reassured him.

"May I ask, Senior Brother, were you the fastest among the fist gym's disciples to complete the test?" Wang Yu asked again.

Song Hezheng immediately shook his head. "Of course not. Take Junior Brother Ji Fei, for example. His aptitude is somewhat better than mine. Back then, he only needed around a month and a half to reach Body Tempering First Level.

"And going further back, quite a few talented disciples left the fist gym over the past three years. A handful of them were on Junior Brother Ji Fei's level.

"The fastest among them, as I recall, broke through in only a month. Compared with them, this Senior Disciple Brother of yours is rather mediocre.

"Perhaps they are now wandering the world beyond, having already reached Body Tempering Fourth Level or even higher."

After hearing this, Wang Yu had a clearer understanding.

Those extraordinary martial arts prodigies truly possessed innate advantages that allowed their cultivation speed to far surpass ordinary people's.

A cultivation realm that ordinary people might fail to achieve in three months took them only one or two months.

In that case, being a little more outrageous wouldn't be too excessive, would it?

A smile curved Wang Yu's lips. Combined with his already somewhat gloomy face, he looked even more like a deeply scheming villain.

Seeing that Wang Yu seemed to have relaxed, Song Hezheng smiled as well.

Today, too, was a day of being a warmhearted Senior Disciple Brother.

That night, Sun Chengshan was reading several of the latest newspapers on his table.

Among them were articles about how he had stood up for his disciple that day and consecutively defeated the masters of two long-established martial arts gyms.

Once this news spread, his reputation in Island Town would undoubtedly rise another notch.

The people of Island Town would also be more accepting of his outsider martial arts gym.

"Before long, I can raise the entrance tuition fees as well."

At that thought, Sun Chengshan's bad mood from earlier eased considerably.

Fortunately, the disciple injured today had been a relatively ordinary one. If it had been Song Hezheng or Ji Fei, the negative impact of the incident would have been much greater.

After all, Song Hezheng and Ji Fei were the disciples currently holding up Shadowless Fist Gym's public image. To a great extent, they represented the highest standard among Shadowless Fist Gym's disciples, and nothing could be allowed to happen to them.

"Song Hezheng's aptitude is not bad. Given this cultivation trend, he even has the feeling of a late bloomer.

"As for Ji Fei, the aptitude he displayed in the early stages is even more outstanding. He is also willing to stay and work at the fist gym. That boy's future is boundless. It's just that his temperament is inferior to Song Hezheng's, and that remains a problem..."

Just as Sun Chengshan was musing to himself, there came a knock at the door.

"Who is it? Come in."

The door opened, and Wang Yu walked in.

"What is it?" Sun Chengshan remembered Wang Yu as a disciple he had accepted only a few days ago.

According to Song Hezheng, his performance had been quite good.

Sun Chengshan had originally intended to find time to see just how good he was, but Wang Yu had unexpectedly come to him himself.

"Master, I apologize for visiting so late. I mainly came to report something regarding my cultivation," Wang Yu said calmly.

"For cultivation matters, just go to He Zheng. Why come to me?" Sun Chengshan said with slight displeasure.

He normally entrusted all matters concerning probationary disciples to Song Hezheng.

Only after a disciple passed the three-month test and reached Body Tempering First Level would they be brought to see him.

Instead, Wang Yu's heart settled.

He realized that as long as he did not reveal it himself, even Sun Chengshan, with his Body Tempering Fifth Level Cultivation, had not noticed that he had already broken through.

Of course, it was also possible that Sun Chengshan had simply never considered such a possibility.

After all, Wang Yu had only been here for eight days.

"Master, I have cultivated the Basic Fist Style of Shadowless Fist to perfection and reached Body Tempering First Level. I ask Master to impart the subsequent fist techniques."

Wang Yu's calm words were like a bolt of thunder crashing down in Sun Chengshan's heart.

Sun Chengshan froze, then said heavily, "Do not joke about such things."

Sun Chengshan's first reaction was disbelief.

"It is true." Wang Yu's expression did not change as he answered seriously.

"..." Sun Chengshan fell silent for a moment. "Demonstrate the Basic Fist Style once."

Seeing Wang Yu's certainty, his tone carried some doubt and some belief.

Wang Yu did not waste words. He directly assumed his stance and began the form.

The entire set of movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, without a single flaw to be found.

Sun Chengshan's face had long since filled with shock. With his experience, how could he fail to see that Wang Yu had cultivated the Basic Fist Style to perfection?

Judging from the force of his punches and the speed of his footwork, his physical strength was indeed at Body Tempering First Level.

"You... how did you do this?"

Sun Chengshan had already risen to his feet, staring intensely at Wang Yu as though he were looking at some rare species.

Wang Yu deliberately put on a bewildered expression and said, "I merely listened to Senior Disciple Brother's daily instruction and practiced diligently in the courtyard every day. There was nothing else."

"Do not conceal anything from me!" Sun Chengshan stepped forward. His tall, thin frame did not appear imposing at first glance, yet standing before Wang Yu, it was quite intimidating.

Wang Yu unconsciously took half a step back, revealing a timely hint of panic.

"What do you mean, Master? How could I deceive you? What would there even be to conceal?"

Sun Chengshan watched Wang Yu speak so sincerely, and his mind became somewhat muddled.

Could it be that I truly misjudged him before? Is this boy actually a martial arts prodigy?

Eight days to cultivate the Basic Fist Style to perfection and reach Body Tempering First Level.

Only Sun Chengshan understood best just how difficult that was.

Of course, it was not as though no one could accomplish it.

In his early years, he had indeed encountered such heaven-blessed geniuses. Their comprehension and natural physique were both among the very best.

If they practiced this Basic Fist Style and were supplemented with vast quantities of precious materials for medicinal baths and food, they could accomplish it in as little as three to five days, or at most ten days to half a month.

What he found hard to believe was that Wang Yu before him belonged to that kind of prodigy.

It was as bizarre as being told that a docile house cat that had come seeking shelter from somewhere was actually a Spotted Tiger cub.