Tiger Treads Flying Swallow (First Update)

"Someone's sparring."

"I know Qin Zheng, but who's Lu Chenzhou?"

"He seems to be the guy who only joined three months ago—the one they said acted bravely for a just cause."

"Oh, him. I watched that video of him before. He's pretty skilled."

"Qin Zheng probably isn't his match. That guy trains every day—I see him whenever I come here. But Qin Zheng's rank is higher, so he has an advantage too... I'd say it's fifty-fifty."

The other trainees discussed it in private.

They still did not know that Lu Chenzhou had already reached the Second Stage.

Qin Zheng somewhat regretted shouting that challenge.

He had no confidence in beating Lu Chenzhou and was afraid of losing face.

But now that he was riding a tiger, it was hard to get off. He could only grit his teeth and step forward.

"Watch my fist!"

Qin Zheng moved lightly, swooping in like a flying swallow.

The Swallow Return Fist emphasized nimbleness and lightness, winning through speed and skill. Qin Zheng had practiced it for over two years and had now reached Proficiency, so he was not bad.

The Black Tiger Fist was forceful and fierce, but it was by no means a clumsy boxing art.

When a tiger hunted, it was extremely agile.

Black Tiger Six Forms: Tiger Shadow in the Forest!

Lu Chenzhou's figure flickered. He used Inch Step to evade Qin Zheng's straight punch, then launched Black Tiger Rips Out the Heart. The strike went straight for Qin Zheng's left chest, like a black tiger tearing out its prey's heart while hunting.

Yet Qin Zheng took a strange backward step and dodged Lu Chenzhou's punch. Then he drove off the ground with his right foot, nimble as a swallow turning back through the sky to catch insects.

Swallow Return Ninth Form: Swallow Reversal!

"Not bad!"

Lu Chenzhou praised him sincerely. Though he had not practiced it, he knew that Swallow Reversal was among the more difficult forms of the Swallow Return Fist to master, and it was also a core move.

As Qin Zheng turned back, he thrust the index and middle fingers of his right hand together like a sharp blade toward Lu Chenzhou's dantian. As the saying went, "A thousand blows are not worth one stab; a thousand palms are not worth one finger." When attacking, a point was stronger than a surface—fingers could inflict more damage than palms.

Better to take a thousand palms than suffer one finger!

In plain words: "Poke him to death!"

But the prerequisite was that one's fingers had to be trained like iron nails.

Otherwise, they would absolutely be inferior to ordinary fists and palms.

Clearly, Qin Zheng's fingers were not up to it. His move, Flying Swallow Pecks the Mosquito, failed to work. Lu Chenzhou tightened his core, his abdominal muscles layering like scales, then chopped down with a palm!

"Ow."

Qin Zheng winced in pain and instinctively shook his hand. Seizing the opening, Lu Chenzhou used Black Tiger Swishes Its Tail, sending out his right leg in a whipping kick. Only then did Qin Zheng raise both arms to block.

Bang.

He staggered back several steps.

Lu Chenzhou used Black Tiger Pounces on Its Prey, pressing his advantage. With several bounding steps, he closed in on Qin Zheng, unleashing consecutive side hooks and swinging punches mixed with whipping kicks. Qin Zheng had no strength left to resist.

"I lost."

Qin Zheng hurriedly said.

Lu Chenzhou had not even used much force, yet he had found it difficult to fend him off.

The rhythm of his fists had been cut off and disrupted by Lu Chenzhou's earlier strike. His mindset had also crumbled; he had not quickly recovered his rhythm, and after that, his moves became utterly disordered.

How was he supposed to fight like that?

Lu Chenzhou said:

"You let me win."

Honestly, for Qin Zheng to have reached this level with the effort he put in showed that his comprehension was decent. He was simply too inexperienced and lacked sparring practice.

Unlike Lu Chenzhou, who had long since been trained into shape by Shi Ruyu.

Qin Zheng was somewhat discouraged.

"Not working hard really won't do."

"Practice more and get a feel for it."

Lu Chenzhou comforted the rookie society president.

The spectators also withdrew their gazes. Some who had thought Qin Zheng would win were rather surprised; they had not expected Lu Chenzhou, who had only been here three months, to be so formidable.

It seemed that sparring with teachers really did have its benefits.

"Lu Chenzhou, right? My name is Du Men. My Blood Vitality is at the Third Stage. Can I spar with you?" A boy around 1.78 meters tall walked over and asked with a smile.

Lu Chenzhou also wanted to test the gap between himself and someone at the Third Stage.

"Sure."

Du Men said:

"Junior brother, put on some protective gear. I'm one stage above you, after all. I'm afraid I might hurt you by accident. Oh, right—I use the Swallow Return Fist too. I'm in Grade Two this year."

Lu Chenzhou put on protective gear for his own safety.

"I use the Black Tiger Fist. Please instruct me, senior brother."

The training ground became even livelier.

No one had expected Lu Chenzhou to dare accept a spar with someone at the Third Stage.

With every stage gained, Blood Vitality became 1.2 times what it had been before!

The gap could not be called small!

"Who do you think will win?"

"Do you even need to ask? It'll definitely be Du Men."

"Du Men isn't Qin Zheng."

"But I feel like Lu Chenzhou didn't use his full strength just now."

Everyone craned their necks in anticipation of the match.

Qin Zheng's heart held nothing but admiration for Lu Chenzhou!

"Chenzhou, if you win, I'll let you be the president of this Martial Arts Society!"

That was insane, brother. He actually dared spar with Du Men.

Du Men was also a boxing fanatic.

Calling him the leading figure among the martial arts school's young trainees would not have been an exaggeration.

Inside the martial arts room.

Ji Xuantong had no classes. Sitting primly before a tea table, he watched the training room surveillance feed.

"Qin Zheng's brain—he can't remember a single thing I teach him! Who drops their guard in a fistfight just because it hurts? Lu Chenzhou already gave him far too much leeway by not using Perfection-level Basic Fist Art. Still, the match with Du Men is somewhat worth watching. I hope Du Men does me proud, or else it'll make my Swallow Return Fist look weaker than the Black Tiger Fist."

Outside.

After Lu Chenzhou regulated his breathing.

"Let's begin, senior brother."

Du Men said:

"Alright! Be careful, junior brother. I hit rather hard. If you can't take it, don't force yourself. I'll stop immediately. This is only a spar—we stop at the point."

He threw the first punch.

It was the same Swallow Return Fist, but he was clearly much stronger than Qin Zheng and had already neared Minor Accomplishment. He even planned to take Pingjiang Martial University's special admissions exam this year.

Swallow Return Seventh Form: Flying Swallow Chain!

Du Men feinted several times, attacking from multiple directions. Lu Chenzhou's expression turned grave. Standing within a space of three feet, he responded to ten thousand changes with constancy, the Black Tiger Fist poised and ready.

Bang!

His figure flashed forward, and he exchanged a punch with Du Men.

His fist turned into a palm. His large hand smoothly clamped onto Du Men's wrist, while his other hand intercepted Du Men's heavy elbow. Then came Black Tiger Hugs the Tree!

Lu Chenzhou shouted loudly, bolstering his momentum.

Compared to Qin Zheng, Du Men had greater Blood Vitality, and every aspect of his physical attributes surpassed his. In a direct exchange of fists, Lu Chenzhou definitely could not match him. He could only try to borrow clever force. As Du Men's body became unstable and he was about to be thrown down by Lu Chenzhou, he fiercely kicked off the ground and straightened his waist.

"Not bad, junior brother."

He discovered that in close-quarters combat, the Flying Swallow was inferior to the Black Tiger. So he swiftly changed tactics, widening the distance once more and waiting for an opportunity to use the Swallow Return Fist's advantage in agility.

In this regard, Du Men was superior to Qin Zheng.

Lu Chenzhou no longer confined himself solely to the Black Tiger Fist. Instead, he integrated the Basic Fist Art into it; otherwise, he definitely would not have been Du Men's match when Du Men was one stage above him.

He also wanted to test the limits of his own strength.

The battle that followed could only be described as exceptionally intense.

Du Men was shocked to discover that this junior brother seemed to have brought his Basic Fist Art to Perfection. Du Men himself had studied diligently and trained bitterly, yet he was still a small step away from Perfection.

The two fought fiercely for ten minutes, their stamina draining rapidly. At present, neither could gain the upper hand, and everyone was left staring. Lu Chenzhou knew that Du Men had the advantage in Blood Vitality. If they dragged it out, Du Men would certainly win, so he finally stopped, cupped his fists, and said:

"Senior brother is still stronger. I'm no match for you."

Having tested the limits of his own strength, Lu Chenzhou did not force himself to keep going.

It was enough to concede voluntarily. Losing to someone of a higher stage was nothing shameful.

Their fist arts were also evenly matched.

One had Basic Fist Art at Perfection, while the other had the Swallow Return Fist at Minor Accomplishment.

In terms of practical combat skill, Du Men was no slouch either.

"Wonderful! Junior Brother Lu may have lost, but his honor remained intact. Junior Brother Du is impressive as well."

A clear, bright voice rang out. It was Shi Ruyu.

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