Old Matters and Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound

Old Matters and Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound

"Are you okay?"

Chen Sheng supported Shi Jian as he came over.

Shi Jian clutched his ribs, hissing through his teeth from time to time.

"Just a minor injury. Nothing worth mentioning."

Shi Jian bared his teeth, trying to raise a thumbs-up.

But the moment he moved, he tugged at his injured nerves, and pain made his whole body convulse.

Chen Sheng did not bother watching Wu Ran beat up the other disciples any longer. He helped Shi Jian to the side to rest.

"Is every sparring session like this?"

Once Shi Jian was seated, Chen Sheng asked in confusion.

He could not understand what such sparring was supposed to accomplish.

"Not all of them are like this."

"Look over there."

Shi Jian gestured with his chin in another direction.

Chen Sheng turned to look.

That was the area where Senior Brother Guo Yang was sparring.

Compared to Wu Ran's one-sided beatings, the sparring there looked far more proper.

Though they called it sparring, it was more like Guo Yang was feeding his opponent moves.

With every move, Guo Yang pointed out his opponent's mistakes before demonstrating the same technique himself.

Every disciple standing there wore an excited expression.

It was practically a warm and harmonious scene.

"Still, being assigned to Wu Ran isn't the worst."

"Look at Li Qian's side."

At that moment,

Shi Jian's voice sounded again.

Chen Sheng looked in another direction.

A flicker of astonishment immediately crossed his face.

Li Qian had already returned to Li Xingwu's side.

Meanwhile, every disciple she had led was sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Before Qi Sense Users appeared, sparring really was just sparring."

"It allowed those with stronger martial arts to consolidate what they knew while teaching others, and it let weaker students learn something too."

"But now, with the emergence of Qi Sense Users..."

"Sparring is more like a trial."

"Those with poor aptitude for sensing qi, as well as martial arts hall disciples who failed to become Qi Sense Users, would be kicked out of the martial arts hall by the Head Instructor after the sparring ended if they performed too badly."

At this point,

Shi Jian wore a wistful expression.

Then,

seeing Chen Sheng's unconvinced look, he continued.

"I know what you're thinking."

"The Head Instructor wasn't originally like this."

"Though he sometimes beat or scolded disciples with poor talent, it was only because he hated to see iron fail to become steel."

"But ever since that incident happened to Li Qian's family, the Head Instructor changed."

"We don't know exactly what happened, and we don't dare ask."

Hearing this,

Chen Sheng fell into thought.

Half a year ago. Wasn't that right when the Tide Rising Era had begun?

Moreover, from yesterday's conversation between Li Xingwu and his own master, it seemed the father and son had not seen each other since half a year ago either.

Chen Sheng really wanted to know what had happened back then.

But he was not in the habit of prying open other people's wounds, so he could only wait for another opportunity.

As time gradually passed,

the sparring on Wu Ran's side came to an end as well.

Guo Yang's side was the last to finish.

After the sparring ended,

the disciples gathered once more.

Li Xingwu called out several disciples by name.

"You lot don't need to come to the martial arts hall starting tomorrow."

"With your talent, you won't get anywhere no matter how much you train. Better to get lost now than be beaten to death someday."

The people whose names had been called immediately looked as though their parents had died.

But they knew Li Xingwu's temperament. Once he made a decision, there was no changing it.

No matter how they begged or struggled, it would be useless.

Afterward,

Li Xingwu headed straight for the inner courtyard.

Only the ordinary disciples remained behind, saying their farewells to one another.

It was Chen Sheng's first day here, and Shi Jian was the only person he knew.

He seemed rather out of place in this scene.

Thus,

after bidding Shi Jian farewell, he left the martial arts hall and prepared to head to the gym.

After Chen Sheng left,

the inner courtyard.

This was a separate courtyard established by Xing Wu Martial Arts Hall. It was entirely different from the martial arts hall itself and had something of a rustic feel.

Under a massive banyan tree, Li Qian and Wu Ran each held a bowl of medicinal soup, continuously pouring it down their throats.

Li Xingwu sat in a rocking chair nearby, his eyes closed as he hummed a tune and lightly waved a palm-leaf fan.

"Master, Senior Brother Li's disciple has left."

At that moment,

Guo Yang poked his head through the doorway connecting the Martial Arts Training Field and the courtyard.

As for what he had said,

Wu Ran and Li Qian paid it no heed. After finishing their medicinal soup, the two began practicing the Three-Body Stance where they stood.

Yet judging from their postures, they were still at lv1.

They were far behind Chen Sheng's lv2.

Li Xingwu, on the other hand, merely snorted upon hearing it.

"My son can't master martial arts, and even his eyes have gone bad."

"Bringing such a lazy person to the martial arts hall—I don't know what the hell he thinks about all day."

"Senior Brother Li is not a reckless man. There must be a deeper meaning behind his words and actions."

Guo Yang entered the courtyard, a gentle smile on his face as he tried to persuade him.

"Who cares what deeper meaning he has!"

"At the next sparring session, if this Chen Sheng doesn't perform well, make him get lost."

Li Xingwu had made his position clear, and Guo Yang did not dare argue further.

He walked over to Wu Ran and Li Qian, preparing to practice the San Ti Stance.

"You, though!"

But Li Xingwu glared at him.

"How is your Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound coming along?"

"If you keep this up and Wu Ran masters it before you do, where are you going to put your face as his senior brother?"

Faced with Li Xingwu's scolding,

Guo Yang wore a bitter smile.

"How can I compare to Junior Brother Wu? What talent does he have, and what talent do I have?"

"Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound isn't some ordinary martial art. How could I possibly master it so quickly?"

"You dare talk back?!" Li Xingwu's eyes widened as he stood up and tossed aside his palm-leaf fan.

"Looks like it's been too long since I last trained with you."

"Don't, Master. I'm in a hurry to train. Stop interrupting me."

"Take this punch!"

Bang!

Outside Xing Wu Martial Arts Hall.

The moment Chen Sheng left, the phone in his pocket began to vibrate.

He took it out and saw that it was a message from his master, Li Chenghu.

Tiger Travels the World: How was your training at the martial arts hall today?

Chen Sheng immediately replied.

Gentle Breeze Comes Slowly: I learned Five Elements Fist. I think I'll be proficient with it after practicing tonight.

Tiger Travels the World: (thumbs up) As expected of my disciple. Train hard and strive to become a Personal Disciple.

Gentle Breeze Comes Slowly: No, this disciple swears to follow Master through mountains of blades and seas of fire. Not even the Head Instructor can make me switch masters.

Chen Sheng had once again started habitually flattering him.

Still,

what he said truly came from his heart.

He could learn Xingyi Quan martial arts as an ordinary disciple, so why bother becoming a Personal Disciple?

Though he would receive the Head Instructor's personal guidance, how could that possibly compare to Chen Sheng adding points and leveling up himself?

His main goal was techniques like the Three-Body Stance, which could rapidly improve his physical attributes.

Tiger Travels the World: (eye roll) Personal Disciple is only a title. You don't have to take my father as your master.

And only by becoming a Personal Disciple can you learn Xingyi Quan's true ultimate art, Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound.

Gentle Breeze Comes Slowly: Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound? What's that?

Tiger Travels the World: It's a Breathing Technique that improves your martial arts. My father never taught me the specifics either.

But I can tell you clearly: the reason I wanted you to practice martial arts was because Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound exists.

Only by practicing Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound can a Qi Sense User have even the slightest chance to struggle against Celestials.

And as far as I know, most martial arts schools have no Breathing Technique inheritance.

That powerful?

Though he had never seen a Celestial.

From what the others—especially Li Chenghu—had emphasized time and again,

Chen Sheng understood just how powerful Celestials were.

They were beings who regarded Qi Sense Users and humans alike as ants.

Yet Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound could actually give Qi Sense Users the possibility of fighting Celestials.

After hearing Li Chenghu say that, Chen Sheng immediately became interested.

"I wonder if it's online."

After ending the chat, Chen Sheng began searching his phone for information about Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound.

But when he searched, he discovered something was wrong.