Chapter Twenty-Six: Wang Yang, You're My Good Son-in-Law!

He had been granted a Head-Opening Enlightenment by the stone tablet.

Chen Yan went to the bathroom to wash up briefly, and only then did his heart rate gradually return to normal.

His physique was a bit weak, unable to keep up with his strength. Having broken through his own limits twice in a row earlier, Chen Yan had nearly thought he would pass out.

In his mind, a vast amount of knowledge about the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon] had suddenly appeared, and within the Saint Breaking Realm, there was also a great deal of golden light containing the Skill Energy of the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon].

Digesting this harvest wouldn't be finished in a short while.

But it wouldn't take too much time either—half a day would be enough.

After that, Chen Yan's understanding of the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon] would only deepen, reaching an entirely new level!

With a tremor in his heart, Chen Yan walked to the office door, only to hear arguing coming from inside.

"I'm the one handling my connections, that's my business. If you won't manage your daughter, I will!"

"But you can't go to the Gong Family, you can't!"

"Why can't I? You earn money your whole life—would it even be enough for Qianqian to undergo one refinement?"

"I said no!"

"Get out of here! After all these years, you're still like this. I'm very disappointed in you!"

They were arguing. Chen Yan hesitated for a moment, and just as he was about to open the door, he saw Wang Yang, his face flushed red, storm out angrily.

"Chen Yan, you're done fighting?" Wang Yang's expression shifted slightly. Seeing Chen Yan covered in injuries, he quickly pulled him into the office.

"Did you win?" Wang Yang forced out a strained smile.

"I won," Chen Yan said calmly.

"Good!" Wang Yang laughed loudly, then looked at Zhuang Xihang:

"Principal Zhuang, he won!"

Zhuang Xihang's face was cold, clearly still in a foul mood. He looked at Chen Yan:

"Zhang Tie, the twenty-sixth in Second High, couldn't even get into the Town Martial Class. You fought him for so long, ended up like this, and barely won. You..."

As Zhuang Xihang spoke, Wang Yang's expression changed:

"Principal Zhuang, we had an agreement!"

"I listened to what you said. Did you listen to what I said?" Zhuang Xihang snapped coldly, his eyes full of disappointment in Wang Yang.

Wang Yang was seething with anger, his grip on Chen Yan's hand beginning to tremble.

Chen Yan lowered his head. That Zhang Tie was only twenty-sixth in his grade?

"Principal Zhuang, I..." Wang Yang started, hesitating.

"Teacher Wang, forget it," Chen Yan shook his head. Wang Yang had already done far too much for him.

Wang Yang looked at Chen Yan, his eyes filled with complexity:

"You've done well. You were bedridden for a year, and after only a few days of recovery, you can already beat the twenty-sixth of Second High.

You've really done well. You're a genius—it's just that others are blind!"

There was anger in Wang Yang's voice, and across from him, anger also flared in Zhuang Xihang's eyes.

In the end, Wang Yang and Chen Yan left.

Zhuang Xihang sat in the office, stewing in his anger.

"Principal Zhuang, someone from the Town Martial Division is here. For tonight's Town Martial Class oath-taking ceremony, they need the Origin Stele of the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon]."

The office door opened, and a middle-aged woman with glasses spoke.

"Mm, let them move it. Just don't bump or scratch it," Zhuang Xihang nodded.

"Alright," the woman nodded with a smile:

"The Origin Stele wouldn't break even if it fell from a hundred meters high. It won't get damaged."

Alone in the office, Zhuang Xihang was left with only his irritation.

Back then, he had found a better job for Wang Yang, but the guy quit after just one day.

He had liked the man at first—aside from his mediocre Martial Dao talent, everything else was fine. He was very diligent.

But over time, he came to realize that this guy was just a blockhead.

Smoking in silence, Zhuang Xihang slowly shook his head:

"Was I too harsh?"

"If he really only started learning the Breathing Technique a few days ago and could barely beat Zhang Tie, then actually..."

"Actually, that's not bad. No, it's pretty good!"

Two years ago, he and Wang Yang had a falling out and hadn't contacted each other since. Today, Wang Yang came to him. Normally, he should have given him a cold shoulder first, then thrown in a sweetener.

"That kid also knows to consider his teacher. That's really not bad. I'm angry at Wang Yang—there's no need to drag him into it."

Zhuang Xihang muttered helplessly to himself.

Besides, Chen Yan had already earned his spot in the Town Martial Class—someone else had taken his place through connections.

"Mm, I'll call him over when this is done. It's not like I've given that auditing spot to anyone else."

That was how Zhuang Xihang saw it. Chen Yan wasn't in the wrong; he had indeed beaten Zhang Tie.

He regretted his attitude from earlier.

All Wang Yang's fault.

Time passed slowly. Six in the evening.

Knock, knock, knock.

A rap at the office door.

"Enter."

"Principal Zhuang." Zhang Tie walked in, his face grim.

"Another teacher kicked me out of the Body Tempering Room."

"Mm." Zhuang Xihang said flatly:

"The Town Martial Class oath ceremony needs the Origin Stele, and you've already used up your time, haven't you?"

Zhang Tie wasn't in the top ten of his year, so he couldn't just enter the Body Tempering Room freely.

"No, I counted. Someone took up about an hour in the middle. I only spent five hours total today."

"You brat—I told you at the start of the term: the gains from sparring in the Body Tempering Room are no less than training there."

"Sparring?" Zhang Tie blinked. "I didn't spar."

"You didn't fight?!" Zhuang Xihang's expression shifted. That kid Chen Yan had some nerve!

Deliberately hurting himself, then lying about winning.

Anger flickered in Zhuang Xihang's eyes. What a scheme!

But Zhang Tie continued: "I was training fine today, then Wu Chuhua showed up. After a while, someone else came too.

They fought in the Body Tempering Room for ages. I didn't dare move, afraid I'd get hurt—let alone train."

Zhuang Xihang was completely stunned. "Huh?"

"Yeah, Principal, I wouldn't dare lie to you." Zhang Tie hurriedly added: "The Body Tempering Room has cameras!"

"This..." Zhuang Xihang's mouth fell open. A guess formed in his mind:

"Where's Wu Chuhua now?"

"Wu Chuhua went back. That guy beat him into submission. First time I've seen someone tougher than Wu Chuhua."

Holy crap.

He'd gotten it wrong.

If you like this book, to avoid losing it next time, remember to bookmark it.

Chen Yan wasn't fighting Zhang Tie—he was fighting Wu Chuhua?

Gulp!

Swallowing hard, Zhuang Xihang spoke again: "What was the one fighting Wu Chuhua wearing?"

"A white T-shirt. Wu Chuhua said his name was Chen Yan. Pretty strong—he'd even condensed a Strength Stripe, and they were evenly matched."

As Zhang Tie spoke, he couldn't help giving a thumbs-up. The harder that guy beat Wu Chuhua, the more satisfying it was.

Wu Chuhua deserved that beating!

"This...!"

A stunned voice rang out. Zhuang Xihang stood up, then plopped back into his seat.

A single sentence echoed in his mind.

"Chen Yan was bedridden for a year and only started the Breathing Technique a few days ago..."

At that thought, Zhuang Xihang felt a jolt shoot from his soles to his brain, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

Strength Stripe, Strength Stripe, Strength Stripe...

The guy had just recovered, only touched the Breathing Technique a few days ago, and he'd already condensed a Strength Stripe!

And he could go toe-to-toe with Wu Chuhua like that.

A genius—this was a true genius!

Rushing to his desk, he grabbed the landline, only to remember Wang Yang didn't have a phone.

He'd have to chase after him. Even if he had to go to the kid's house himself, he had to call Chen Yan back.

"Wang Yang, you're a fine son-in-law of mine!"

Wang Yang let out a sigh, deeply impressed by his perceptiveness, as Zhuang Xihang dashed out of the office.

"Principal Zhuang, I haven't had time to..."

Zhang Tie hurriedly called out, but Zhuang Xihang had already vanished down the hallway.

"Zhang Tie, come find me tomorrow!" Zhuang Xihang's voice drifted up from downstairs.

The bus from Luoshan County to Green Mountain Town only ran three times a day. Chen Yan and Wang Yang ate in the county first, then boarded the six o'clock bus.

Spending two hundred for a night in town was too much, so Chen Yan and Wang Yang decided to head home instead.

Tomorrow, Chen Yan planned to go find Luo Puxin again.

The bus was nearly empty. Chen Yan and Wang Yang sat in the back row.

"This time, it was the teacher's fault." Wang Yang sounded somewhat self-blaming. Chen Yan had won, Chen Yan had proven himself.

But he had failed. He had given Chen Yan hope, only to bring him disappointment.

He had lost all face, and his heart ached with bitterness.

"Teacher, if I could have crushed Zhang Tie, it wouldn't have come to this." Chen Yan said quietly.

It all came down to him not being strong enough yet.

He had grown stronger, but it wasn't enough.

He could see how much dignity Wang Yang had swallowed to go beg Zhuang Xihang.

"It's fine. You still have many more battles ahead. I'm satisfied with this one. You took so many injuries for this fight, which means you never gave up until the very last moment.

Winning with difficulty—don't blame today for it."

Wang Yang said with a smile. He could see the wounds on Chen Yan's body. Though they were only superficial, the fact that Chen Yan had endured them showed how hard he had tried.

"Mm." Chen Yan nodded, but Wang Yang's words stirred a realization in his heart:

"My opponent was strong too. Even though he hadn't fully formed a Skin Stripe, being able to condense thirty percent of it made his physique far stronger than mine. I need to pay attention to my own physique as well."

Chen Yan murmured. Though he had lost today, his gains were substantial.

His own understanding of the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon] had risen to a level he wouldn't have dared imagine when he first arrived.

More importantly, within the Saint Breaking Realm, the massive lake of Gold Light was being continuously absorbed by the Saint Breaking Tree.

On the Saint Breaking Tree, a brand-new golden fruit was taking shape in an extremely short time.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (14/15)]

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Strength: (88/100)

Blood: (99/100)

Skill: (97/100)]

Within the Saint Breaking Realm, there was still a vast lake of Gold Light. The Saint Breaking Tree kept absorbing it, and a new [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit was on the verge of ripening.

The Saint Breaking Realm was about to advance!

A flood of obscure knowledge also needed to be digested within Chen Yan's mind.

The harvest from today's trip was undeniably massive.

As Chen Yan thought this, Wang Yang beside him kept frowning.

"Skin Stripe?"

"Yes. That Zhang Tie had condensed thirty percent of a Skin Stripe!" Chen Yan nodded.

"That's not right. Principal Zhuang told me that Zhang Tie cultivates the Qi and Blood Path and had just Awakened Blood Qi." Wang Yang said, puzzled.

"No..." Chen Yan shook his head. "That Zhang Tie is on the Body Tempering Path. He has a solid Strength Stripe and a shallow Skin Stripe."

"Huh?" Wang Yang was completely stunned. "A solid Strength Stripe and thirty percent Skin Stripe?"

He muttered under his breath, his expression turning grim. Then he suddenly cursed under his breath: "Zhuang Xihang, you've gone too far!"

With a condensed Strength Stripe and thirty percent Skin Stripe, this Zhang Tie was practically in the top five of Second High!

Zhuang Xihang had clearly never intended to give Chen Yan a chance to audit the class. He was just messing with him!

Thinking this, Wang Yang grew even more furious. But gradually, he felt something was off. He looked at Chen Yan and spoke in a trembling whisper:

"Chen Yan, tell me the truth—when you fought that Zhang Tie, did you actually lose or..."

"I won, but only because he ran out of strength. Still, even if he had kept going, I wasn't afraid." Chen Yan said thoughtfully, having noticed Wang Yang's strange behavior.

"You..." Wang Yang opened his mouth, feeling a lump stuck in his throat that he couldn't swallow. He forced out each word: "Zhang Tie had a Strength Stripe and thirty percent Skin Stripe—how did you beat him?!"

"Because I also condensed a Strength Stripe." Chen Yan said quietly, but there was no smile on his face. So what if he had condensed a Strength Stripe? He could only tie with Second High's twenty-sixth place.

The gap between the top students of a town high school and those of a county high school was far too wide. Even Yu Zhiwen, the number one at Qingshan High, was probably no match for Zhang Tie.

He wasn't comparing himself to Yu Zhiwen or Gao Yuan, Zhang Qingsi.

He had the Saint Breaking Tree. Even if he didn't, he would still compete with the entire world.

A county high school student at twenty-six was already like this—what about everyone else?

He still had a long way to go.

He had to work even harder, constantly breaking his own limits!

"You, condense!" Wang Yang said harshly, staring fixedly at Chen Yan.

"Condense what?"

"Strength... pattern... ah!"

Chen Yan pressed his lips together, pulled back the sleeve of his shirt, and activated the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon]. The muscles on his chest bulged, and under Wang Yang's incredulous gaze, a pitch-black pattern emerged on Chen Yan's chest.

Seeing this pattern, like a Flood Dragon, Wang Yang's entire body stiffened in place. He was stunned for a long moment.

"Zhuang Xihang, you've gone too far!!!"

A roar of fury rang through the carriage. The few passengers present shot Wang Yang strange looks.

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