The park was surrounded!
A group of old women and old men, like herds of sheep and cattle, swarmed toward the park entrance.
Some moved a little slower, while others occasionally glanced toward the entrance.
The rest of them...
Today, he hadn't wanted to come to the park. He was worried he'd run into the little brat who had competed with him yesterday and end up losing face in front of everyone again.
But the biggest nightmare he faced every day was being beaten by a bunch of powder-faced old ladies. The thought made his heart ache.
So, after a long internal struggle, he still came to the park.
Fortunately, things worked out. That brat didn't show up today.
That made him feel a little relieved.
Thinking back to the speed the young man had shown yesterday...
The old man's heart went numb.
That speed was far too fast. It simply wasn't something an ordinary person could achieve.
Those old ladies and old men thought their eyesight was poor and that they'd imagined things, so they hadn't paid much attention.
But he'd seen it clearly.
If not for Little Li's back yesterday, the person who had sent the martial arts instructor flying with one kick would've been him.
"Not bad, not bad. That little brat didn't come to the park today."
The old man felt secretly pleased. With his hands clasped behind his back, he strutted past the park gates with a smug expression. When he saw the brat from yesterday walking toward him, he deliberately pretended not to notice.
At that moment, he stopped, turned to face the old men and women behind him, and waved them over before saying quickly, "That's enough for today. I have some things to take care of at the martial arts center, so let's call it a day. Everyone can go home."
After speaking, the old man headed off toward the park gates on his own.
One kind old woman saw him and immediately called out, "Instructor, you're going the wrong way. The park entrance is over there. Why are you walking back that way? That's not the way to go!"
But the old man seemed not to hear her at all. He kept walking the other way without looking back. Even as she called after him, he walked away as though he'd been greased, leaving everyone feeling as if they'd suddenly learned a thing or two.
Zeng Mo watched Instructor leave in a hurry. He'd wanted to ask him about the strange power he'd suddenly shown yesterday, but Instructor was walking away in the opposite direction.
Puzzled, he stood before the dispersing group of old men and women.
An old woman beside him recognized Zeng Mo and greeted him with a smile. "Hey, aren't you the young man who competed with Instructor yesterday?"
"Oh, yes. I came today to ask Instructor for another lesson," Zeng Mo replied.
"Instructor has something to take care of at the martial arts center. If you're looking for him, you can visit his martial arts school. It's about three hundred meters down that gravel road to the left of the park entrance. Then turn left, and you'll find it." The old woman seemed worried Zeng Mo might not be able to find the place, so she added, "There's also a massage shop nearby."
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Auntie," Zeng Mo said hurriedly.
"Don't mention it. Anything to do with Instructor is my business, too."
Then Zeng Mo headed toward the spot the old woman had pointed out.
Yesterday, after Zeng Mo had sent Instructor flying, he'd earned his first Survival Points—far more than he'd earned from the people he'd beaten.
Zeng Mo was puzzled. Why had he earned so many Survival Points from Instructor and that little brat?
He checked the system log. Under "Soundwave" and "Counterattack," there was one entry for each.
Could it be that he'd accidentally triggered the effect of "Soundwave" when he'd thrown that punch?
In the end, the enemies had all run away, triggering the "Counterattack" effect.
That was why he'd earned Survival Points for the first time.
So Zeng Mo wanted to find Instructor and compete with him again.
First, to confirm whether competing with Instructor again could earn him more Survival Points. Second, to see if he could trigger Survival Points with several different effects at once.
People came and went along the gravel road. Zeng Mo had just stepped into the martial arts school when the system warned him of danger.
As it turned out, there was danger everywhere.
"Danger detected three hundred meters ahead. The path to becoming a martial arts master is blocked. There are no enemy combatants, either. Could it be that the people nearby have all practiced for three years, become god-level martial artists, and disappeared into the mysteries of the modern world? Is that why I haven't detected any danger?"
Zeng Mo guessed to himself. Following the old woman's directions, he quickened his pace toward the martial arts school.
When he reached the gravel path and turned left, an urgent warning rang in his ears.
[Warning, warning. The host is about to enter the territory of the Three-Alarm Fire System's divine spirit and its true clan. Once discovered, the host will be reduced to ashes by the divine energy of the supreme being, becoming a sacrifice. He may even be burned to ashes in its rage, leaving no bones behind.]
As though to emphasize just how serious the warning was, the system panel—visible only to him—kept flashing in front of his eyes.
Zeng Mo ignored the system's warning and looked up at the martial arts school beside the massage shop.
At first, he'd thought Instructor's martial arts school consisted of just him and a single student.
The result was that the martial arts school was bigger than he'd expected. It was built in an old-fashioned style, with three floors.
Zeng Mo walked through the tall gate. Inside was a courtyard of about a hundred square meters, with quite a few children inside, around seven or eight years old. Their faces were flushed, and they looked as though they'd just come out of a cartoon. They were shouting, "Ha! Ha!" as they practiced the basic kicks and punches Instructor was teaching them.
One boy was a little bigger than the others. When he saw a stranger walk in, he immediately turned and asked Zeng Mo, "Are you looking for someone?"
[Warning! The host has been targeted by the Three-Alarm Fire System's divine spirit. One alarm fire has erupted. The host's abilities are no match for the opponent. Flee immediately.]
"I'm looking for Instructor."
Zeng Mo answered, keeping his eyes on the system's warning. He'd been badly outmatched, and Instructor might not be the only opponent here. Could this whole group of children be his rivals?
The boy replied, "Instructor hasn't come back yet. You'll have to wait for him to return from the village where he went to see his uncle. Who knows when he'll be back?"
"Oh, all right." Zeng Mo nodded. He turned and walked toward the large hall of the martial arts school.
The main hall was spacious, with various kinds of cold weapons hanging on the walls. There were also quite a few trophies and plaques.
To the left of the main hall, a dozen young men dressed in white martial arts uniforms were sparring under the watchful eye of a middle-aged man.
The young men's movements were polished, their techniques fierce and powerful, and every move was executed with precision. Even their footwork was unusually agile.
Zeng Mo couldn't help but admire Instructor even more.
Instructor seemed like a martial arts master from a wuxia novel. How else could he have taught such talented young men?
Could Instructor really have some kind of martial arts inheritance?
If Zeng Mo hadn't been such a jerk yesterday, wouldn't he have been slammed into the ground?
Just as Zeng Mo was thinking about this, the middle-aged man walked over.
[Danger! The host has been targeted by the Three-Alarm Fire System's divine spirit. The Four-Alarm Fire clan chief has appeared. The host's abilities are no match for the opponent. Flee immediately.]
"You're looking for someone?" the middle-aged man asked in a coarse voice.
Zeng Mo answered politely, "I'm looking for Instructor."
"Oh? What do you need him for?"
"Yesterday, Instructor asked me to compete with him. Then he said we'd do it again today. I just came to the park earlier, but he was heading back to the martial arts school, so I came over."
The middle-aged man's eyes widened when he heard Zeng Mo. There was an unfriendly edge to his voice as he said, "Since Instructor isn't here yet, kid, how about sparring with my disciples first?"
Zeng Mo picked up on the hostility in the middle-aged man's voice. A trace of suspicion stirred in his heart, but he ignored the warning. Secretly delighted, he thought that if he could spar with them, he might earn a huge pile of Survival Points.
So he didn't bother thinking too much. He nodded at once and said, "Sure, sure."
The middle-aged man was stunned by Zeng Mo's quick agreement. After a pause, he asked, "Instructor is my sworn brother. Where are you from, young man?"
"I haven't studied any martial arts. I'm just a little faster than most people," Zeng Mo replied honestly.
The middle-aged man: "..."
Before you continue