"Kid, you... pfft..."
Just as Zhang Yu was about to speak, he couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Lu Lin seemed to have expected it. He dodged the blood spraying from Zhang Yu, then, without giving him a chance to speak, landed two punches on him.
Those two punches were like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Zhang Yu finally couldn't hold on any longer and sank to the ground with a thud. Blood spilled uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.
"Master Zhang, Master Zhang, how are you?"
"Master Zhang, are you all right?"
"Kid, you're in trouble. I don't mind telling you that Master Zhang is a member of the Great Wind Squad. Messing with him is the same as messing with every Martial Artist and Martial Master in the Great Wind Squad."
"Senior Li of the Great Wind Squad is a mid-level Martial Master. You'll die a miserable death when he gets here."
The Jishan Martial Arts School students nearby jeered one after another. Only then did Lu Lin understand why Master Zhang knew him. It turned out he was a member of the Great Wind Squad.
But this time, Zhang Yu had brought it on himself. He'd tried to use his high-level Martial Artist strength to crush Lu Lin, and ended up like this. Lu Lin couldn't be blamed for that.
Lu Lin said nothing. He lifted his head and swept his gaze around. The Jishan Martial Trainees, who had been worked up just moments ago, all fell silent.
Lu Lin and Zhang Yu had traded punches, each one landing solidly, with no flashy moves. Now Zhang Yu, a high-level Martial Artist, was sitting on the ground while Lu Lin was still perfectly fine. It was obvious who was stronger.
Lu Lin left.
He made no threats and didn't try to intimidate anyone further. He simply left the place in shambles behind him.
Too much had happened that day. Lu Lin cleared his mind. He still had to make the most of the next few days and focus on his cultivation.
The most important thing now was to raise his Soaring Cloud Steps proficiency.
Otherwise, once he got outside the city, if he ran into danger, he wouldn't even be able to escape. What a waste that would be.
But walking down the street with his head tilted up at the sky was far too inefficient. Who knew when the next Jishan Martial Arts School student or Zhang Yu might show up?
Because of these interruptions, his Soaring Cloud Steps proficiency had only reached thirty points.
It seemed he would need an open space to practice this footwork technique.
The fitness square in the residential complex would have been perfect... No, Lu Lin suddenly remembered that he'd helped someone move that morning. He didn't know whether Qingyun Garden, where he lived now, had a fitness square. He'd have to go back and check.
One thing after another, day in and day out.
Lu Lin hurried toward home. After asking the security guard at the entrance, he was overjoyed.
Qingyun Garden didn't have a fitness square, but it did have a sports field—a standard one for playing soccer and running.
That was perfect.
Following the route the guard had given him, Lu Lin headed to the residential complex's sports field.
The field was clean and tidy. Since it was still early, only a few people were running or practicing their fist techniques. It was just the place to practice Soaring Cloud Steps.
Lu Lin picked a spot and calculated his strides to figure out where he needed to turn.
He had walked only a hundred meters when Soaring Cloud Steps smoothly advanced to the Second Layer.
[Soaring Cloud Steps: 1/1000]
At the same time, a method for using Soaring Cloud Steps appeared in Lu Lin's mind.
He had to gather his qi and blood along the two meridians in his legs to increase his speed and stamina.
Lu Lin curiously gave it a try and immediately felt like he was racing with the wind.
The wind howled past his ears.
His clothes fluttered in the wind.
But just as Lu Lin was getting excited, he suddenly ran into something.
"What the heck?"
Lu Lin clutched his right foot and saw a large, round stone on the ground. It was the sort used to separate pedestrians from vehicles. He had no idea who had pushed it onto the sports field, but whoever it was had to be trying to hurt someone.
Lu Lin pushed the stone out of the way and continued walking with his eyes on the sky.
After two more laps, Lu Lin's Soaring Cloud Steps smoothly advanced to the Third Layer.
[Soaring Cloud Steps: 1/10000]
By then, though, the sky had grown noticeably darker, and more people had come to exercise on the field. There were also some children running around, laughing and playing.
Quite a few people noticed Lu Lin walking with his head tilted up and asked him about it curiously.
He couldn't exactly tell them he was practicing a Yellow Grade footwork technique, so he made up an excuse and said that walking like this helped exercise the cervical spine. Quite a few middle-aged residents gave the explanation their approval.
And so... aside from a few people who were running, all the older residents soon learned Lu Lin's trick.
Sky Gazing Walk.
Quite a few residents who had just joined the crowd exercising wondered whether some Monster Beast was flying overhead.
Later, when everyone learned that walking like this could also exercise the cervical spine, they all joined in.
When Lu Lin's Soaring Cloud Steps reached 4,000 proficiency, he saw more and more people joining the Sky Gazing Walk and couldn't help feeling rather helpless.
He decided not to join the crowd. He'd go home and have dinner first.
Lu Lin's parents had both taken the day off and stayed home. The places where they used to work had also heard that Lu Lin had made something of himself, becoming a Martial Artist and earning the Martial Arts School's support. They'd readily approved both of his parents' leave and had already started preparing to recruit new staff.
Their son was a Martial Artist now. Why should the two of them keep working instead of staying home and enjoying life?
When he got home, his mother, Chen Xiaoyan, had already prepared dinner. She was always frugal, and Lu Lin's free-spending ways had left her worried.
Three thousand yuan for one meal? Even a Martial Artist shouldn't be that extravagant.
After dinner, Lu Lin gestured for his mother not to rush into clearing the dishes. "Mom, Dad, Lu Qi, I need to tell you something."
"Go ahead."
Lu Ping was about to head to the balcony for a smoke. Hearing this, he tucked his cigarette behind his ear and said with a chuckle, "From now on, dinner at our place is going to be when President Lu holds his meetings."
Lu Qi was the first to chime in.
He clapped quickly. "Let's welcome President Lu to speak."
Lu Lin unceremoniously flicked him on the forehead. Lu Qi's aggrieved expression made Chen Xiaoyan burst into laughter.
"Okay, Mom, Dad, Lu Qi. I joined a Martial Artist team today. In three days, I'll be heading out of the city to carry out a mission."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The lively household fell utterly silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
Chen Xiaoyan's smile froze on her face, then slowly turned serious.
The cigarette tucked behind Lu Ping's ear suddenly fell to the ground for no apparent reason.
Lu Qi, who had been in high spirits, seemed to go mute. He stared wide-eyed, at a loss for what to do. The usually carefree boy's eyes were already turning red.
"Big brother—"
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