Return to the Martial Hall

Around lunchtime, Lu Guoping returned. Knowing Lu Chenzhou was coming, he had bought some snacks children liked on the way and handed them to Lu Chenzhou as soon as he entered.

Then came a round of nagging.

"Have you kept the Sunfire Lamp on at night during this time?"

Lu Chenzhou asked.

"Yes. We saw the news a while back—there were still scattered Void Entities causing trouble in Su City. We didn't dare turn it off. We're not fools; this really isn't money we can save."

Li Xianghua hurriedly said.

Lu Chenzhou added:

"Take my fifty-thousand-yuan scholarship and spend it. I don't have to worry about food or drink at school, and the state provides martial arts supplements too. I just need to keep a little pocket money."

Lu Guoping said:

"You keep it. You earned it!"

The family really had been short on money lately. The martial hall fees, martial arts supplements, daily expenses, and electricity bills had all added up to quite a sum.

He still had several large fixed-term deposits, but they had not matured yet. Work had not been going smoothly lately either. His company was following the lead of other major firms in rolling out artificial intelligence, and many positions had been replaced by AI. Skilled workers like him were no longer worth much.

Complain as he might, if he left this place, Lu Guoping had nowhere else to go.

"I don't need it. You take it."

Lu Chenzhou said in a rather forceful tone. As his strength grew greater and greater and he entered martial arts school, his status rose with the tide, and the old couple increasingly respected his opinions.

"Fine. If you run short of money, tell Mom."

Li Xianghua agreed before Lu Guoping could say anything.

Flying Swallow Martial Hall.

"Keep your core steady! Keep your arms nimble! Keep your legs lively!"

Ji Xuantong personally took the field, guiding the students in the Sea-Skimming Body.

Shi Ruyu was also listening among the students, her expression earnest.

"Du Men, you try."

"Yes, Teacher!"

Du Men stepped onto the wooden stakes and lasted a full ten minutes before coming down. Joy appeared on his face, while the other students' eyes held a measure of envy.

"Senior Brother Du is still amazing."

"Your Sea-Skimming Body has reached Proficiency already, right?"

"More than that. You might be close to mastery."

"Other than Senior Brother Lu, Senior Brother Du practices it best."

"Senior Brother Lu? He belongs to our hall too?"

A newly arrived student asked curiously.

"Yeah, Lu Chenzhou."

"You're new, so you don't know how badass Senior Brother Lu is. He has low-grade bone aptitude, yet he broke through three stages in half a year. Now Dragon City University of Martial Arts has admitted him early."

The newcomer looked stunned.

"That really is low-grade bone aptitude?"

"They tested him several times. It really is. But Senior Brother Lu must have attained enlightenment. His comprehension can no longer be measured by common sense, so he's still a genius."

"I'm pretty close with Senior Brother Lu. I'll send you his MicroChat another day so you can add him. You're both from the same martial hall, so it's good to get acquainted."

The martial hall students had already begun taking pride in knowing Lu Chenzhou.

Thinking of Lu Chenzhou, Du Men felt even more motivated.

He remembered the days when he had sparred with Lu Chenzhou, and his heart filled with emotion.

"Will I still get to see him at the martial hall in the future?"

Anything the martial hall had, martial arts schools had too.

Other than those who needed private training from Martial Artists, like Huang Hao, most people who entered martial arts school would no longer come to the martial hall, or would come only rarely.

"Keep practicing. Stop chatting."

Ji Xuantong reprimanded them, then turned and left, muttering inwardly:

"Put all of them together, and they still aren't as hardworking as Lu Chenzhou alone."

Just then, a figure strode over with the gait of a dragon and the stride of a tiger.

"Master, I'm back!"

Lu Chenzhou's face was brimming with smiles.

Seeing this, Ji Xuantong could not help curling his lips as he said:

"You're back. How does martial arts school feel?"

"It's great. I just missed everyone a little."

The other students seemed to erupt into an uproar.

"Holy shit, Senior Brother Lu is back?"

"Senior Brother Lu feels stronger again after just one week apart."

The new student also sized up Lu Chenzhou.

"So this is the man the older students can't stop talking about?"

Shi Ruyu applauded and said:

"Welcome home, Junior Brother Lu."

Lu Chenzhou said happily:

"Senior Sister, long time no see."

"Have you eaten?"

"I have."

A group of people surrounded Lu Chenzhou, intensely curious about his experiences at martial arts school. He did not mention anything confidential, but he shared quite a few ordinary amusing stories.

The students felt a surge of longing.

Du Men loosened his muscles and bones, eager to give it a try.

"Chenzhou, let's spar!"

Other than a few social students who rarely appeared, he could not find a suitable sparring opponent in the martial hall. His hands had been itching for a fight for ages.

"Sure!"

"On the wooden stakes?"

"No problem!"

The two leaped onto the wooden stakes. Lu Chenzhou noticed that Du Men's Movement Skill had improved considerably. It seemed he had put in bitter effort during this period. Breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats really did work.

With such determination, Pingjiang Martial University would be no problem.

Du Men said:

"I'll use Swallow Return Fist and Sea-Skimming Body."

Lu Chenzhou thought for a moment.

"I learned Mountain-Crossing Body at martial arts school. I'll use that."

His Sea-Skimming Body had long since reached mastery. It would be far too easy to deal with Du Men using it.

"You're sure?"

Du Men was doubtful.

He had only studied it for a few days. At most, it should be at the Initiation level.

"Yeah. It's just sparring, anyway. Winning or losing isn't important."

"Fine, then. Take this!"

Du Men transformed into a flying swallow diving over the sea, chopping down with a fierce fist. Lu Chenzhou, meanwhile, was like a Black Tiger Crossing the Mountain as he prowled the forest, his feet crackling against the wooden stakes.

Bang!

The incomparably fierce fist nearly destabilized Du Men's body. Experienced as he was, he immediately dodged Lu Chenzhou's next rushing punch and swept a kick at his lower body.

"Nice legwork!"

Lu Chenzhou leaped up like a tiger jumping a ravine, then drove a knee toward Du Men's head. Du Men rapidly retreated, and that kick made the wooden stake shudder violently. Lu Chenzhou landed atop it, steady as a tiger. His waist arched and exerted force, and he burst forward again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His fists grew fiercer and fiercer alongside his Movement Skill. Every strike carried irresistible momentum. His training uniform cracked loudly, and the students' eyes went blank with shock.

"Is this really the power of the Third Stage?"

"Senior Brother Lu feels stronger again... It's only been one week."

Smack!

Lu Chenzhou easily evaded Du Men's attack and followed with a whipping kick. Though Du Men blocked and dissipated some of the force, it was useless. The following left-and-right spinning triple kick came too fast.

His body flew backward off the wooden stakes beyond his control.

Du Men rolled as he landed, sprang upright, and still wanted more.

"That was awesome!"

Now, he no longer felt embarrassed.

Lu Chenzhou was someone who had entered Dragon City University of Martial Arts.

Wasn't it perfectly normal that he could not beat him?

"Good! Wonderful!"

Old Zhang, a Fifth Stage fighter himself, could not help praising them.

Shi Ruyu also smiled and applauded, thinking inwardly:

After just one week apart, Junior Brother seems to have transformed again.

Ji Xuantong was deeply satisfied.

Martial arts school had not been for nothing.

With Mountain-Crossing Body paired with Black Tiger Fist, Lu Chenzhou had truly brought out the power Tiger Form Fist was meant to possess. Martial arts school really delivered.

His eye was exceedingly sharp. He knew that at the same Third Stage, even two Du Mens would not be Lu Chenzhou's match now. The boy had not even used his full strength.

For May's Martial Arts Academy Exchange Tournament, Old Ji was determined to win. Son of the Giant Elephant, true disciple of River-Crossing Jiao—before Lu Chenzhou of martial arts school...

They were not worth mentioning!

After exchanging pleasantries and sparring with everyone, Lu Chenzhou followed Ji Xuantong to the martial arts room. Lu Chenzhou said, "Teacher, I still want to learn Swallow Return Fist."

Ji Xuantong said:

"Fine. As long as you can handle it, I'll teach you! Tiger Form is a fierce, close-range striking fist, but it is not good at long-range fighting and mobile skirmishing. Swallow Form can make up for that weakness perfectly."

The old Ji from before had been too conservative.

A genius needed to be taught like a genius!

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