"Bright Force!"
Fang Mo's heart jolted. He dared not meet the blow head-on and used Tai Chi's Embrace Hand.
The instant he touched his opponent's arm, he felt strength like steel. With no time to think, he tried to use a deft touch to turn the punch aside.
"Hah!" His opponent barked and shook his body. A powerful force surged through Fang Mo's arms and drove him backward.
Bang! His opponent stepped forward and punched straight at his face. The wind from the blow stung his eyes.
Fang Mo could neither dodge nor block. But just then, the fist stopped before his eyes.
"Haha!" A hearty laugh rang out. His opponent withdrew his fist and pulled down his face covering. "Brother Mo, I didn't expect you to get this strong after only a few days of training. Not bad! You even managed to catch my punch!"
It was none other than Yue Jian!
Fang Mo had recognized Yue Jian from that shout. He shook out his arm. "What's so good about it? I couldn't even take one punch from you!"
"You did well already!" Yue Jian said with a grin. "That redirection nearly pulled me off balance. I only shook you off by unleashing Explosive Bright Strength. An ordinary person might not have stayed on his feet!"
"By the way, Brother Mo, what was that fist technique? It felt anything but ordinary." His eyes shone. If Fang Mo had been a little stronger, Yue Jian would certainly have come off worse.
"It's just a little trick for applying force." Fang Mo smiled. No one in his previous life had managed to cultivate Tai Chi Fist to the level of strength warriors possessed in this world, but the principles of combat were shared.
In this world, though, the technique was clearly of limited use. Strength was what mattered; a technique could only do so much. He headed toward his room, shaking out his numb arm. "What brings you here? Weren't you doing intensive training?"
"Training's over." Yue Jian followed him, sounding a little resigned. "Even if I keep at it, I won't reach the peak of Bright Force before the end of the month. No point wasting the effort!"
"So you've given up?" Fang Mo opened the door with a smile and switched on the light, illuminating the room.
"I wouldn't call it giving up."
"The competition's too fierce this time. Shen Songyang, Chen Yezhao, even your fiancée Qin Muxue—they're all at the peak of Bright Force. I'm afraid I've got no hope of getting into Yunkong Martial Academy."
Yue Jian smiled as he spoke, then picked up a bag from beside the door and handed it to Fang Mo.
"There are five pounds of Exotic Beast Meat in here, along with some medicine for injuries and medicinal bath liquid!"
Fang Mo felt a stir of gratitude as he looked at the bag. He did not refuse it.
"Have a seat! I'll pour you some tea."
Yue Jian sat down, and Fang Mo poured him a cup of water and handed it over.
"The tournament's on the twenty-eighth, right?"
Fang Mo sat opposite Yue Jian as he asked.
"Yeah. Are you going to watch, Brother Mo?"
Yue Jian hesitated, then said, "Qin Muxue is competing too. She's one of the favorites. A lot of people think she might win!"
Fang Mo shook his head. "I'm not going."
Yue Jian looked at him. Thinking Fang Mo might feel uncomfortable, he hurriedly changed the subject.
"Oh, right, Brother Mo. Be careful lately. Word's spread that you left the Fang Family, and there's talk that you took five million in cash with you. Quite a few gangs are looking for you!"
Fang Mo paused, then smiled. "All right. I understand!"
Inside, his heart went cold.
This had to be his stepmother's doing. Even after he had cut ties with the Fang Family, she still refused to leave him alone. Five million was enough to make plenty of people's eyes turn red with greed.
"There's good news, too!" Yue Jian grinned at Fang Mo. That smile struck Fang Mo as suspicious, making him wonder whether the news was good at all.
"What good news?"
"My eldest sister, Yue Quan, is coming back from the Donglai Sword Sect on Zhiyuan Star!"
Yue Jian watched Fang Mo with a smile.
"Yue Quan..." Fang Mo was momentarily lost in thought. The image of a spirited girl who had always protected him rose in his mind.
He had not seen her in three years, and he truly missed her. If she learned he had tried to hang himself, would she beat him up through her tears like she used to?
Yue Jian stayed a while longer before leaving.
Fang Mo looked over what Yue Jian had brought: five bottles of medicinal bath liquid, two bottles of medicine for injuries, and five pounds of Exotic Beast Meat.
He had long since used up his allotment from the Martial Hall. With these supplies, he could speed up his progress.
East District, Great Wind Gang.
The gang mainly made its money from pleasure establishments and wielded considerable influence in the East District.
In a luxurious private room on the top floor of the Great Wind Gang's Night Sea Bar, gang leader Du Wei sat on a broad sofa with his arm around a slender woman. Through the one-way glass, he could see young men and women dancing wildly below.
The door opened, and a short young man walked in. He was Huang Jun, the Great Wind Gang's second-in-command.
"Boss, there's news about the person Young Master Yang asked us to find!" Huang Jun approached Du Wei and spoke in a low voice.
Du Wei's eyes widened. He patted the woman. "Go on out."
The woman quickly rose and went outside.
Du Wei stood, poured Huang Jun a glass of wine, and said, "We finally found him after all this time? Tell me where he is."
"The lead isn't confirmed yet." Huang Jun accepted the glass.
"What do you mean?" Du Wei's gaze darkened, displeasure showing on his face.
Huang Jun hurriedly explained, "One of our boys says he thinks he saw the person we're looking for around Imperial City Street, a little over ten days ago!"
"Then what are you waiting for?" Du Wei raised his eyes. "Send a few men to investigate. You must find him. Young Master Yang has called several times to press us. If we still can't find him, we'll have a hard time answering to him!"
"All right. I'll personally arrange it!" Huang Jun answered and headed for the door.
"Wait!" Du Wei stopped him. "That's Martial Arts School Street. Be careful, and don't provoke anyone from the Martial Hall!"
"Got it! Don't worry, boss!" Huang Jun answered and left.
Fang Mo had no idea his whereabouts might have been exposed. With the Exotic Beast Meat and medicine Yue Jian had brought, he trained even more fiercely.
He trained furiously every day. A week passed in the blink of an eye, and the time for a breakthrough arrived.
In the Martial Hall, Fang Mo held the Tiger Subduing Stance. His body rose and fell as sweat dripped from him. With each breath, his blood and vital energy surged like a flood. People glanced over from time to time, sensing the waves of vitality emanating from him.
[Tiger Subduing Stance: Entering the Hall (1/5000)]
The divine mirror in his mind trembled, and golden words appeared. Understanding dawned on him, deepening his grasp of the Tiger Subduing Stance.
Boom! His body shook. Vast energy burst from his Dantian and flooded his limbs and eight meridians. His blood and vital energy churned like a river, battering and tempering his body. He felt as though even his soul was being elevated.
The sudden surge left Fang Mo feeling more exhilarated than ever before, as though he had leaped from an ordinary man into someone strong enough to shake heaven and earth.
His body felt much lighter. Every movement carried immense force, and even his breathing held a trace of nature's rhythm, subtly resonating with the air around him.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother Fang! Your Tiger Subduing Stance has broken through again!"
Ding Zhiyuan walked over with a smile.
Fang Mo wiped away his sweat, grinning. "Thank you, Senior Brother Ding. I got lucky and broke through!"
"Can you complete nine Heavenly Cycle Breathing cycles now?" Ding Zhiyuan asked.
"I think so," Fang Mo said after a moment.
"Come with me!" Ding Zhiyuan beckoned him over and led him to Miao Ping. "Senior Brother Miao, Fang Mo's Tiger Subduing Stance has reached the Third Realm. He'd like to be tested!"
"Not bad." Miao Ping had seen the breakthrough. He looked Fang Mo up and down. "It shows you haven't been slacking this past month. But you still need to work twice as hard. Of all the students here, your progress is the slowest. Even Zhiyuan managed it in twenty days!"
"Yes, Senior Brother Miao. I'll work twice as hard!" Fang Mo replied respectfully.
"Rest for now." Miao Ping waved a hand. "I'll test your Tiger Subduing Stance in a while. If you pass, I'll start teaching you Tiger Subduing Fist!"
"Yes, Senior Brother Miao!" Fang Mo hurriedly bowed.
Fang Mo rested for a while. Once he had recovered, he went to find Miao Ping.
Miao Ping led him aside and took out a timer for the test.
Fang Mo calmed his mind and steadied his breath. His blood and vital energy had grown stronger, but without a fist technique to mobilize them, he had no idea how to use them. The martial arts of Earth had no such methods. Perhaps once he learned Tiger Subduing Fist and understood how it worked, he could see how to improve the arts from his previous life.
With his blood and vital energy strengthened, holding the stance now came easily to him.
His breathing was deep, fine, and unbroken. He rose and fell as if standing on a boat amid the waves, every movement precise. The sight made quite a few onlookers' eyes light up.
Miao Ping nodded inwardly. Fang Mo's Tiger Subduing Stance was quite good at this point, already surpassing that of many students.
What a pity!
If Fang Mo had better innate aptitude, his comprehension would have put him among the best of the students.
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