Vice Principal Office.
"Zhuang..., Father-in-law, should we go down and take a look?" Wang Yang asked, somewhat nervously.
"Heh." Zhuang Xihang gave Wang Yang a rather speechless look.
"If only you were this good to Qianqian."
"Qianqian, I went to Yunmeng City to see her last month. She's doing well," Wang Yang said, a trace of happiness appearing in his eyes.
"You..." Zhuang Xihang let out a helpless sigh, then continued:
"You've become a little more tactful now. You even know to invest in students. What were you doing all those years ago?"
Wang Yang shook his head. He hadn't helped Chen Yan as an investment; it just wasn't worth explaining now.
"There are a total of 143 spots in the Town Martial Class. The 23 township high schools get 69 spots, and the three county high schools get 74. Second High has 25 spots in all. This Zhang Tie is twenty-sixth."
Zhuang Xihang rolled his eyes at Wang Yang.
"His family came to make a scene at the school yesterday. In the end, we had no choice but to give him half a day to study in the Body Tempering Room. If that student of yours can't even beat Zhang Tie..."
Zhuang Xihang fell silent, but Wang Yang understood.
If Chen Yan couldn't beat Zhang Tie, he would lose his chance to sit in on the class for good.
Zhuang Xihang had already shown him plenty of consideration. He hadn't given Chen Yan a particularly strong opponent.
He should be able to win, right? The scene of Chen Yan defeating Zhang Qingsi that day flashed through Wang Yang's mind.
"Even if you're going to invest, the other person has to be worth investing in. I gave him a chance because you said he'd beaten a student who had Awakened Blood Qi."
"Then let's go down and take a look," Wang Yang pressed.
"No need. We'll know soon enough. We have time now, so let's talk about Qianqian." Zhuang Xihang pulled out another cigarette and continued:
"You really struck gold. You have such a wonderful daughter. I plan to have Qianqian sign the Gong Family contract. With her aptitude, she can get a chance at a cleansing this year."
Wang Yang froze, then immediately said:
"No!"
Chen Yan's body slammed heavily against the doorway, nearly crashing into Zhang Tie, who had just walked up to the entrance.
"Holy shit!"
Just as he was about to speak, Wu Chuhua roared:
"Close the door! Shut up!
Watch and learn! Say one word and I'll send you flying!"
Chen Yan braced one hand against the floor and sprang two meters into the air. He threw a punch at Wu Chuhua, but their fists collided, and Chen Yan was knocked backward.
"Good... good!"
Zhang Tie stood there, stunned. He went into the classroom and shut the door, then sat down on the floor without saying a word. He'd gone through a lot to get this one chance to enter the Body Tempering Room. He'd thought it over for ages and decided he didn't want to waste it because of Wu Chuhua. But the moment he came in, he saw a monster who could trade blows with Wu Chuhua.
This was a score!
Getting to watch a battle like this was a rare opportunity. And at a glance, that handsome young man was also on the Body Tempering Path.
"Chen Yan, you're no match for me."
Wu Chuhua glanced at Zhang Tie and took off his shirt. His muscles were powerfully built, but two stripes ran across his chest.
Chen Yan's gaze narrowed. One of the two stripes on Wu Chuhua's chest was Coiled Dragon-shaped, just like his own. The other resembled a tiger.
But the tiger-shaped stripe was faint. You could barely make it out unless you looked closely.
"See that? I've not only condensed a Strength Stripe, I've also condensed three-tenths of a Skin Stripe. You hit me hard, but it really..."
Wu Chuhua grinned.
"Doesn't hurt."
Boom, boom, boom!
Wu Chuhua's punches came fast, his Fist Momentum like Monkey Advance Eagle Strike—fierce yet agile. One after another, his fists hammered into Chen Yan's arms.
"Chen Yan, your moves are no good, and your physique is inferior to mine. You only know that one punch. How are you going to beat me?!"
Wu Chuhua growled as he attacked, moving like a madman, a smile at the corner of his mouth. He looked almost deranged.
His punches rained down, forcing Chen Yan back step by step, yet a blazing fighting spirit rose in his eyes.
So this was an outstanding student from the county high school?
Zhang Tie was strong.
He couldn't beat him.
And that was good!
If all his opponents were like Zhang Qingsi, he'd rather not fight.
His gaze shifted. The carved figures on the surrounding walls seemed to come alive, filling his vision with dazzling brilliance.
Gold!
Golden light surged like a river in flood, pouring into the Saint Breaking Tree.
The fist-technique sculptures covering these walls were a vast treasure trove for Chen Yan right now!
[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (11/15)] [Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (3/100) Blood (97/100) Skill: (96/100)]
Inside the Saint Breaking Realm, the Skill Character Saint Breaking Fruit, which had already been over eighty percent complete, began growing rapidly.
"Again!" Chen Yan bellowed, his voice thundering through the Body Tempering Room.
Wu Chuhua paused, giving Chen Yan a surprised look, then broke into a strange laugh.
"Hahaha, good!"
"I finally found someone who likes taking a beating. I like you!"
Wu Chuhua burst out laughing. Usually, people either couldn't be bothered to fight him or ran as soon as they saw him.
He'd finally met someone weaker than him who was still willing to keep fighting. He cherished the chance.
But Chen Yan had suddenly stopped where he was, looking around. Wu Chuhua froze.
"Chen Yan?"
Wu Chuhua raised his fist, the blow whistling through the air.
"You'd better..."
The punch came in like a fierce tiger. Fear appeared in Zhang Tie's eyes as he watched from the doorway. The next moment, Wu Chuhua drove a fist toward Chen Yan.
"Fight me properly!"
Chen Yan suddenly punched back. Their fists crashed together, unleashing a burst of air.
Wu Chuhua froze. How had Chen Yan's punch suddenly gotten stronger?
Chen Yan staggered backward, a sharp pain shooting through his feet. His expression changed slightly as he circulated the Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon. Wisps of white mist tinged with pale red escaped his mouth.
The hint of red was so faint that nobody noticed it.
In that instant, he had swallowed the fully ripened Skill Character Saint Breaking Fruit.
A flood of memories filled with martial arts skill surged through his mind like a burst dam. Among that torrent of techniques was knowledge related to the Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon.
The final portion concerned fist techniques.
It was the fist technique carved into the walls of the Body Tempering Room.
There wasn't much, but it was enough to make Chen Yan stronger.
Chen Yan greedily looked around at the sculpted figures on the walls. Golden light flooded the Saint Breaking Realm, and the Saint Breaking Fruit grew rapidly!
Then Chen Yan roared and charged at Wu Chuhua.
"Come on. Again!"
"You!" Wu Chuhua was startled. He could feel the aura coming off Chen Yan now, but the next moment, he laughed strangely and rushed at him.
At the very front of the Body Tempering Room, a faint light gradually flowed across the Wordless Stone Tablet.
The two of them continued fighting.
A pirated-books watermark: "Can't find the book by title? Try searching for the author; maybe it was just renamed!"
Time passed slowly. Half an hour!
"Monster!"
In the corner, Zhang Tie had been watching the whole time. He was now completely dumbfounded.
Wu Chuhua was powerful, definitely stronger than Chen Yan. But in Zhang Tie's eyes, that Chen Yan was somehow even crazier than Wu Chuhua.
He didn't care about pain or exhaustion at all.
"Aren't you tired?!" Wu Chuhua asked in astonishment. Chen Yan landed a solid punch on his chest. It didn't hurt, but he was even more shocked.
Chen Yan had been using the Breathing Technique from the very beginning. An ordinary person would reach their limit in a dozen minutes or so.
And this guy really had reached his limit. Even so, he was still forcing himself to hold on.
He was fighting for his life!
Across from him, Chen Yan's eyes were vicious as he charged at Wu Chuhua, throwing his whole body into the movement as he swung out a whip punch.
A flash of red light flickered across Chen Yan's fist. Wu Chuhua was about to kick, but when he saw it, he froze in place. Chen Yan's whip punch sent him flying into the wall.
He was about to get up when another sweeping kick came at him.
"Ah!!!" Wu Chuhua roared. His body darted away like a leopard, and he bellowed at Chen Yan:
"Man, you failed your awakening!"
He couldn't make sense of it. A moment ago, Qi and Blood had gleamed red across the other man's fist, showing that he had broken through his limits and was about to awaken.
But the next moment, the red light had disappeared, which meant his awakening had failed.
And this guy didn't care?
Yet...
Chen Yan's sweeping kick came crashing down. The sweat on his body evaporated in the heat of his skin, turning into white mist. His veins bulged, and he was clearly at his limit, but his eyes had grown even colder.
[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (13/15)] [Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (54/100) Blood (98/100) Skill: (0/100)]
As golden light poured into it, another Skill Character Saint Breaking Fruit ripened and was plucked by Chen Yan.
"I told you, again!" Chen Yan shouted. Just moments ago, he had swallowed another Skill Character Saint Breaking Fruit.
This fruit was filled entirely with Skill Energy related to the fist techniques carved into the walls!
He had become stronger. His physique was inferior to his opponent's, and his strength was a little weaker, but he could fight like his life depended on it—and he was still getting stronger.
He had no reason to lose!
His kick lashed into Wu Chuhua's waist, and an iron-chain-on-stone clang burst out.
"Holy... shit!"
At the doorway, Zhang Tie stared with his mouth hanging open, cold sweat pouring from his forehead.
People said Wu Chuhua was a martial arts madman. Madman, my ass.
This Chen Yan guy was fighting like his life depended on it!
Wu Chuhua, who was fighting Chen Yan, also changed expression. His eyes were full of wariness as he looked at Chen Yan.
Nobody was unafraid of someone like this.
Time passed slowly.
Another hour!
"I lost. I lost!" Wu Chuhua lay on the floor, his eyes dazed as he shouted:
"I fucking lost!"
Up ahead, Chen Yan, who had still been charging forward, finally relaxed and stood still.
A flash of red light passed over his fist.
Excruciating pain!
He didn't know how many muscles had torn. His body was covered in injuries, and his heart was beating harder than ever before.
Chen Yan didn't sit down. He couldn't. If he sat down now, the rhythmic contractions of his muscles would stop, and it would cause serious trouble.
At the doorway, Zhang Tie walked in carrying two bottles of water. He stared at Chen Yan and at Wu Chuhua, who was lying down, his mouth hanging open.
Wu Chuhua had lost.
"Man, you're amazing!" Zhang Tie said, full of admiration. He truly admired Chen Yan. He'd fought way too hard.
"I won." A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Chen Yan's mouth. He'd won. He hadn't let Wang Yang down.
[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (14/15)] [Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (88/100) Blood (99/100) Skill: (76/100)]
The Saint Breaking Realm had already reached 14/15.
He'd gained a great deal today.
Although the Saint Breaking Tree had absorbed the Skill Energy in the sculptures more slowly toward the end, this was enough.
Wu Chuhua was still lying on the floor, but Chen Yan was the first to prepare to leave.
"Chen Yan, I'll keep looking for you to fight from now on!" Wu Chuhua said.
His eyes were full of bewilderment. He could accept losing, but losing in the area he was best at was something he couldn't come to terms with so quickly.
His opponent was fiercer than him, and could endure more.
Who the hell could keep going at their limit for that long? Wasn't that just asking for death?
He'd lost. He'd lost completely.
"Fuck... Hahaha, you're incredible, Chen Yan." Wu Chuhua covered his eyes, laughing.
Chen Yan turned to glance at Wu Chuhua. "You're pretty incredible too!"
Zhang Tie, you're incredible!
Chen Yan marveled inwardly. As expected of Second High's top student.
He hadn't really won the fight. He'd only held on until his opponent ran out of strength.
"Phew!" Chen Yan breathed out a mouthful of white mist tinged with red and slowly closed Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon.
"Bro, let me buy you a drink!" Zhang Tie offered him a bottle of mineral water, a trace of awe in his eyes.
Awe!
He really was in awe.
He hated Wu Chuhua, but he was also afraid of him.
Not a single person ranked below the top five at Second High wasn't afraid of Wu Chuhua. But the man in front of him was even crazier!
His fighting power was clearly inferior to Wu Chuhua's, yet he'd beaten him through sheer madness. That was incredible.
That was even more terrifying than being stronger than your opponent.
"Thanks." Chen Yan took the bottle with a smile.
Suddenly!
A streak of red light flashed across the Wordless Stone Tablet at the very front of the Body Tempering Room and shot into Chen Yan's body.
"Hm?" Chen Yan whipped around. A mass of profound knowledge suddenly appeared in his mind.
It was knowledge of the truth behind Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon!
This was... an enlightenment from on high!
Within the Saint Breaking Realm, a vast golden lake had appeared as well!
Before you continue