Deadly Enemy

After reading the introduction to martial warrior ranks, Qin Heng finally understood that he was only a rookie who had just glimpsed the threshold. He was still a hundred thousand miles away from becoming a true martial arts powerhouse.

"Coach Yang, there are twenty-five Beast Gods and Demon Gods combined, far more than humanity's Martial Gods. How do we hold them back?" Qin Heng asked.

Yang Huai'an explained, "Besides Martial Gods, we also have technology. Although Beast Gods react quickly enough to evade attacks from modern weapons, as long as several Grandmasters sacrifice themselves to entangle a Beast God, they can drag it down to mutual destruction."

Then his tone shifted. "However, this has only happened once in history. The price was too great, and neither side is willing to bear it. Nowadays, the territories of humans and Monsters have basically stabilized. Small-scale clashes have never ceased, but god-level powerhouses rarely take action anymore. They merely serve as a deterrent."

Qin Heng nodded slightly to show that he understood.

When powerhouses fought, mountains crumbled and the earth split, leaving countless casualties in their wake.

Unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted such a thing to happen.

Yang Huai'an snubbed out his cigarette and rose to his feet. "I've told you everything I needed to. Go train on your own. Train your physique and combat skills during the day, and cultivate the Innate Fetal Breathing Art at night. I believe you can go very far."

"I'll work hard!" Qin Heng said solemnly.

Although he had not yet had much contact with martial arts cultivation, he had confidence in himself!

His talent was very high; Coach Yang's reaction alone made that clear.

Of course, great talent did not mean great strength!

Between a genius and a powerhouse lay a long road. Only through arduous, painstaking tempering could one reach the other side.

If one became arrogant and complacent from the very beginning, slackening in training, then even the finest talent would be wasted!

Qin Heng left the office.

On the training grounds, many students were still testing their punching strength.

It was now Chen Yuan's turn, ranked tenth among the Top Ten of the Martial Hall.

Su Kuang announced the test results in a clear voice. "Chen Yuan: first punch, 598 kilograms. Second punch, 584 kilograms. Third punch, 602 kilograms."

Chen Yuan shook his head. "In the end, I still can't compare to you two."

When Su Kuang saw Qin Heng emerge, he said, "You're not that far behind me. But compared to him... there really is a gap."

Chen Yuan looked over as well.

The gazes of the three standouts from the First Assessment met in the air.

Qin Heng smiled. "There's no need to compare like that, right? I've been training single-mindedly without distractions, while the two of you have family responsibilities and odd jobs weighing you down. Being able to achieve this much already makes you exceptionally outstanding."

"That's true... Having soft rice to eat sure is nice." Su Kuang curled his lip, clearly unconvinced.

Chen Yuan was more open-minded. He smiled faintly. "No matter what, we should pass this assessment without a problem. Starting next month, we'll be Quasi-Martial Warriors. We'll be able to support our families and won't have to run ourselves ragged for a living anymore."

At those words, smiles appeared on both Su Kuang's and Qin Heng's faces, while the other students looked on with envy.

Who was strong and who was weak did not really matter.

What mattered was that they had all passed!

"Oh? Testing yourselves, are you?"

Just then, a voice came from the entrance.

Everyone turned their heads and saw that a car had arrived outside the Martial Hall at some point and had just shut off its engine.

A well-built youth stepped out of the car, dressed in a brand-new white training uniform that looked utterly out of place in this run-down Slum District.

The students began whispering among themselves.

"Wang Peng? What's he doing here?"

"Who's this guy? He actually drove here. He looks rich."

"He's one of the Top Ten of the Martial Hall. Last year, he missed the assessment by five kilograms. He hasn't come to the Martial Hall even once this year—I thought he'd stopped training."

"What training? I heard Wang Peng was found by his relatives. His great-uncle is Wang Jianming, that big shot you often see on television. He lives in the Rich Area now. He's no longer one of us."

Wang Peng walked in. Hearing the discussions around him, he chuckled. "Top Ten of the Martial Hall. What an ancient title."

Chen Yuan greeted him. "Senior Brother Wang, are you here to see the coach?"

Wang Peng replied, "Yeah. The Quasi-Martial Warrior assessment process can't be skipped, so I came to get an Admission Ticket. You're testing punching strength, right? Why not test mine too?"

The moment he said this, everyone showed interest.

Someone who had missed passing by five kilograms last year had surely reached the standard this year.

Moreover, Wang Peng had definitely cultivated the Innate Fetal Breathing Art. After an entire year, there was simply no telling how strong he had become!

"Senior Brother Wang, please." Su Kuang pointed at the testing machine.

Wang Peng walked through the crowd.

As he passed Qin Heng, he gave him a bland glance and said with a half-smile, "Want to go have a drink at Frost Snow City later? My treat."

Qin Heng frowned slightly.

This Wang Peng had once been a notorious thug in the Slum District. He robbed children of their pocket money, beat up the elderly and weak, bullied the disabled, and had a thoroughly rotten reputation.

Frost Snow City stood at the street corner, and a pretty girl like Fang Lingxue had naturally been harassed by him as well.

Qin Heng had fought Wang Peng over this more than once. Since he had trained for one year less than the other man, he was slightly weaker and always ended up at a disadvantage.

However, Qin Heng had a ruthless streak too. Whenever someone dared set their sights on Fang Lingxue, he showed no restraint whatsoever, beating them as though he meant to kill.

After every fight, both of them ended up bruised and battered—either swollen and black-and-blue or limping along. In any case, neither ever got the better of the other.

When Wang Peng disappeared last year, Qin Heng had thought the bastard had been punished by justice. He and Fang Lingxue had even happily celebrated with orange soda.

He had never expected that, after a year, this thug would appear again—and transform himself into a rich young master!

Qin Heng replied coldly, "No need."

Wang Peng chuckled. "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Fine, I'll go by myself."

"You want to start something?" Qin Heng's brows rose, and his tone turned hostile.

Wang Peng said disdainfully, "You think you're worthy? Take a good look at this!"

With that, he threw a punch at the testing machine.

Boom!

A deafening crash rang out.

The numbers on the machine leaped wildly!

One second later, a scarlet number appeared on the display: 988 kilograms!

"Ah!"

"988 kilograms? My god..."

"Just a hair away from being a true martial warrior!"

"Wang Peng has become this terrifying? It's only been one year!"

"Even a Quasi-Martial Warrior usually needs more than three years to reach the standard of a true martial warrior. Yet he did it in just one year... Wang Peng is absolutely a genius!"

At that moment, all the surrounding students were stunned.

Su Kuang and Chen Yuan were equally dumbfounded. Neither had expected Wang Peng, who had vanished for a year, to become so formidable.

"Well? Scared?"

Having struck with 988 kilograms of force, Wang Peng looked at Qin Heng smugly, his gaze filled with contempt.

Qin Heng remained very calm. "That's all?"

"Hm?"

Wang Peng immediately became displeased. His gaze turned dangerous, and he looked ready to make a move.

At that moment, Su Kuang said, "Senior Brother Wang, Qin Heng scored 785 kilograms just now. And last night was his first time cultivating the Innate Fetal Breathing Art."