Sparring

"Alright, take off the protective leather armor."

Half an hour later, Zhou Wu called a halt to the sparring.

Qin Fen removed the protective leather armor he was wearing. His clothes had long since been soaked through with sweat.

Some parts of his body were bruised black and blue as well. The protective leather armor could not completely prevent him from being injured.

During the sparring, Qin Fen had not felt much, but now that he had removed the armor, the pain throughout his body immediately hit him. Still, he gritted his teeth and endured it without making a sound.

"Apply the medicinal oil to your body."

Zhou Wu took out a fifty-milliliter bottle of medicinal oil from his pocket and handed it to Qin Fen.

"This is Secret Medicinal Oil."

Qin Fen took one look at the packaging on the bottle and knew that it was not ordinary medicinal oil sold on the market, but Secret Medicinal Oil made specifically for martial artists. A fifty-milliliter bottle cost around five hundred yuan.

Ordinary medicinal oil could relieve pain, reduce swelling and bruising, and improve blood circulation. Secret Medicinal Oil was far more potent. In addition to various medicinal herbs that invigorated the blood, dispersed stasis, and strengthened the muscles and bones, it was infused with Spiritual Qi through special techniques. Its Spiritual Content was above "0.1."

Applying Secret Medicinal Oil before training made the skin, flesh, and fascia more elastic while protecting the joints. It could also seep through the pores and penetrate the tissue layers, working from the outside in. It was the best medicine for external hardening.

The most common training methods for external martial arts were punching sandbags, running, kicking targets, weightlifting, and all sorts of iron pumping.

So-called external hardening involved using external objects to strike the body. It produced results the fastest, but the person delivering the blows could easily misjudge the force. If they failed to control their strength properly, even a slight mistake could leave someone crippled.

That was why the internal cultivation grandmasters of the Martial Arts Bureau had created Galloping Horse Strength and promoted it in universities across the country.

If a young master from a wealthy family had money to spare, he could purchase Secret Medicinal Oil and apply it all over his body before undergoing external hardening, greatly protecting his muscles and bones.

After external hardening, he would also consume Nutritional Meals and medicine with extremely high Spiritual Content to prevent hidden injuries from being left inside his body.

A full training regimen cost over a thousand yuan, and even the most frugal approach would still cost several hundred.

That was the meaning of the saying: the poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts.

Qin Fen immediately applied the Secret Medicinal Oil to the painful areas of his body, then gently massaged them.

Before long, he felt a cool current seep into his pores. The medicine penetrated his body through them and quickly took effect, dispersing the bruised blood beneath his skin and flesh.

Under the effects of the Secret Medicinal Oil, his blood and qi also circulated faster. The skin, flesh, and soft tissue where he had applied the oil seemed to become firmer, and the pain throughout his body swiftly faded.

Qin Fen felt refreshed, with not a trace of fatigue left in his body.

More than ten minutes later, Qin Fen was lively again. He stood up and returned the Secret Medicinal Oil to Zhou Wu.

"Keep it for now. You'll need it again later." Zhou Wu waved his hand, then said, "Shen Qiu, Li Heng, go to the changing room and put on the leather protective gear. Next, you'll spar with Qin Fen."

"Yes!"

Shen Qiu and Li Heng quickly went to the changing room and put on the leather armor.

"Shen Qiu, you go first. Spar with Qin Fen one-on-one."

Zhou Wu had Shen Qiu and Qin Fen step forward.

Although Qin Fen had trained for three more days than them, fighting one against two would probably still be difficult.

Therefore, Zhou Wu had Shen Qiu spar with Qin Fen first. Once Qin Fen had familiarized himself with Eighteen Falls Upon Touching and could use it in actual combat, Shen Qiu and Li Heng would join forces to attack him.

"Qin Fen, watch out."

Shen Qiu gave him a warning, then charged forward, clenching his five fingers into a fist and throwing it at Qin Fen's face.

Before learning practical combat martial arts, fighting was more or less the same for everyone. It was just the same few moves back and forth, without much structure or variation.

Of course, if someone practiced a single move over and over until it was etched into their bones and became instinct, that would be extremely terrifying as well. But Qin Fen and Shen Qiu had only just begun learning martial arts, so naturally they could not reach that level.

After his battle with Instructor Zhou Wu, Qin Fen had not only taken a beating—his eyesight and judgment had improved considerably. When Shen Qiu rushed at him, he seemed full of openings in Qin Fen's eyes.

Before Shen Qiu even got close, Qin Fen already knew which move from Eighteen Falls Upon Touching he should use to deal with him.

Then, the thought in his mind translated into action.

Bang!

The instant Shen Qiu reached Qin Fen, he felt a tremendous force shove toward him. His body tipped backward, and he completely lost his balance, landing on the ground on his butt—the exact same outcome Qin Fen had suffered earlier when sparring with Instructor Zhou Wu.

Surprise flashed through Zhou Wu's eyes as he watched from the side.

He had not expected Qin Fen to be able to apply Eighteen Falls Upon Touching in actual combat so quickly.

Although Shen Qiu's attacks were extremely clumsy and filled with openings, Qin Fen had accurately seized the moment to strike. His mastery of Eighteen Falls Upon Touching did not seem as simple as merely reaching the First Glimpse of the Path. He had already gained a certain degree of proficiency. Even if faced with twenty or thirty people attacking him together, Qin Fen could still come and go freely with Eighteen Falls Upon Touching alone.

"I don't believe it. Again!"

Shen Qiu sprang up from the ground with a kip-up and charged at Qin Fen once more.

Qin Fen seized the moment, reached out with one hand, grabbed Shen Qiu's right arm, and pressed down hard. Shen Qiu's body tipped forward with the motion. Then Qin Fen kicked toward Shen Qiu's knee, causing him to lose his center of gravity. With a loud bang, he crashed heavily to the ground again.

"Li Heng, you attack too," Zhou Wu said.

Hearing this, Li Heng immediately rushed out and launched a sneak attack from behind Qin Fen.

Qin Fen tried to turn around, but Shen Qiu, who was lying on the ground, grabbed his ankle, making it difficult for him to break free.

In that brief delay, Li Heng had already rushed behind Qin Fen and wrapped his arms around him. He straightened upward, lifting Qin Fen's feet off the ground as he tried to throw him down.

In an instant, Qin Fen hooked Li Heng's calf with his right foot. A burst of Jing Li rose from his waist, increasing the strength of his midsection. His upper body immediately twisted to the left, lifting Li Heng's right leg off the ground.

Li Heng instantly lost his balance and fell backward, supported on one leg. The arms wrapped around Qin Fen lost their strength, and Qin Fen took the chance to break free. His feet landed on the ground, and he followed up with a kick to Li Heng's ankle.

Bang!

Li Heng also crashed heavily to the ground, making the floor tremble slightly.

Shen Qiu and Li Heng were somewhat stunned. Earlier, when they watched Qin Fen fight Zhou Wu, Qin Fen had been knocked down again and again, falling miserably to the ground. They had almost been unable to bear watching.

But they had not expected it to be their turn so soon.

If they had been fighting Zhou Wu, then getting beaten would have made sense. The gap between them was simply too great. But Qin Fen had only developed Jing Li three days earlier than they had. They were all in the First Realm of Jing Li, yet the difference between them was so enormous.

They had practically no ability to fight back, which was hard for them to accept.

Thanks to reader "The Fool Cannot Be Taught" for the 1,000-coin tip, and thanks to reader "Bingxin Yijiao" for the 500-coin tip.