Ever since Wang Yue had been stylishly thrashed by Meng Chuan despite having the advantage last time, he had gone home and specifically sought out a teacher to painstakingly train in a movement technique called Chuanlin Step.
His qi and blood had also risen from 1.12 to 1.35. Now that his divine skill had reached great mastery, he was heading to the martial arts hall to avenge himself for last time.
That was because he had recently noticed at school that Meng Chuan had started practicing other fist techniques.
As the person who knew him best apart from Meng Chuan's family, Wang Yue knew that if he didn't reclaim his pride soon, he might never get another chance in this lifetime.
Wang Yue took his place and cupped his hands toward the students sparring on the ring in the middle of the training ground.
"Folks, sorry for the trouble, but could you make some room?"
Meng Chuan immediately understood what he was thinking. All he could do was gaze at him with pity—unaware that a tragic divide had already opened between them.
As if provoked by Meng Chuan's gaze, Wang Yue suddenly leaped up like a huge orange cat with its fur standing on end.
"Brother Chuan, what's with that look? You looking down on me? This time, I'll show you just how formidable my Xiangxing Sect's Tiger Form Fist is!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around to watch. After all, practicing fists was dull; who didn't like watching a spectacle?
"Hey, what's with those two? Why are they at it again?"
"The fat one lost last time and couldn't accept it. He wants to get his pride back."
"Who do you think will win this time?"
"Hard to say. As long as that fat guy isn't sick, he wouldn't go looking to get beaten for no reason. But the master praised Meng Chuan's fistwork before, so it's really hard to tell."
"What do you know? If you ask me, the fat one can win this time. They say one force can overcome ten skills, and Wawa Fist's limits are obvious. Didn't your Brother Luo say Meng Chuan was already at the ceiling?
"Besides, that fat guy looks so confident. He's probably mastered another martial art, which is why he dares to come back for his pride. His qi and blood have likely increased quite a bit."
Everyone nodded along at his words.
"That makes sense! No wonder they call you Brother Le—you've got it all figured out."
Le Ping cupped his hands toward the crowd.
"Just my humble opinion. Enough talk—the fight's about to start."
In the middle of the training ground, Wang Yue didn't ramble on like he had last time.
He simply raised both hands in front of his chest, bent his arms and flexed them into tiger claws. His wide-open eyes, like a tiger's, fixed fiercely on Meng Chuan as a low, threatening growl rumbled from his mouth.
This was the opening stance of Ferocious Tiger Descends the Mountain, from Ferocious Tiger Fist.
"Now that looks a little better. Too bad it won't help."
Meng Chuan was pleased to see how Wang Yue had changed. He hadn't expected that a single lesson last time would bring about such a huge difference.
If beating him up each time could ignite Wang Yue's fighting spirit, then Meng Chuan wouldn't mind the trouble. He could thrash Wang Yue every day and help him grow; it was no big deal.
"I'm coming, Wang Yue. Be careful."
Wang Yue had great confidence in his newly learned Chuanlin Step and wanted to use his footwork to toy with his opponent first.
"Bring it on. We'll see who needs to be careful."
I've been practicing for so long; this is the perfect chance to test Pao Fist in a real fight. But I can't use Ming Jin. It's too destructive. If I can't control my strength, the fat guy will really suffer.
Since Wang Yue was telling Meng Chuan to attack first, Meng Chuan didn't stand on ceremony. The sooner they finished, the sooner he could make it to breakfast.
Although he hadn't learned a movement technique, the boost from his powerful qi and blood still made Meng Chuan incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he was right beside Wang Yue.
He gave his opponent no time to react. His legs braced against the training ground like the legs of a cannon, and he threw a punch without winding up.
"Bang! Bang!" Two muffled punches rang out, as coarse and booming as firecrackers going off during the New Year. This was the double-bang level of Pao Fist. Once someone could make Pao Fist strike with two bangs, it meant mastery was close.
It sounded different from the crisp crack of Ming Jin. If he combined Pao Fist with Ming Jin, the force would be too great, and Meng Chuan worried the fat guy wouldn't be able to take it.
Wang Yue was still gathering strength, preparing to activate Chuanlin Step. He didn't even realize the heavy punches had landed until they struck his body.
"Ah, damn it! I quit! That hurts like hell!"
Meng Chuan hadn't aimed for any vital spots, but Wang Yue still hopped around in pain. The places he'd been hit felt as if they'd been blasted by cannonballs, and the immense impact instantly wiped away his tiger-like aura.
He had still underestimated his own strength. He hadn't expected Wang Yue wouldn't be able to take even one move.
"It's all right, Wang Yue. I only hit your fat. It'll stop hurting soon. Just bear with it for a bit."
The other students watching were a little dumbfounded. It had ended before they could even react.
That fat guy had such a fearsome aura, yet couldn't take two punches? All show and no substance, huh?
Someone asked:
"Brother Le, what was that analysis you just gave us?"
Hearing someone call him out, Le Ping felt a little awkward. He could only lower his head and chuckle ruefully.
"Didn't I say it was just my humble opinion? I got it wrong, I got it wrong."
On the other side, Wang Yue had been lying on the ground clutching his stomach and resting for a good while. At last, he was feeling a little better. Meng Chuan hadn't used Ming Jin after all.
"Damn, what's gotten into you? Did you take some banned drugs? How are you so strong?"
"I've had a breakthrough in my martial arts practice recently, so my strength has gone up a bit."
Wang Yue was genuinely upset now. He'd been full of confidence, but before he could even show off his newly learned footwork, he'd been taken down in one move.
"Brother Chuan, I'm genuinely convinced this time. From now on, I'll follow you, and I'll never betray you."
Meng Chuan rubbed the spot where Wang Yue had been hit, then patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.
"We're friends. What's all this talk about following me? One loss doesn't matter. Just go back and practice some more."
"Will practicing more let me beat you?"
Meng Chuan thought carefully, then replied:
"Don't compare yourself to other people. Compare yourself to who you were in the past."
"Damn!"
Wang Yue raised his middle finger high in tribute.
In the dining hall, the two friends were back to their usual warm rapport, sitting together and eating breakfast.
"Fatty, I've always wondered. Aren't you practicing Xiangxing Fist? Why did you come to Infinite Martial Arts Hall?"
Infinite Martial Arts Hall was a standard Xingyi Sect boxing hall that taught Xingyi Fist. Apart from Wang Yue, none of the students who came to learn here practiced Xiangxing Fist.
Wang Yue swallowed his food and answered casually:
"My dad arranged it. Grandmasters are like dragons, glimpsed only in passing. Below the Martial Arts Grandmaster level, he says Master Luo is the most formidable Martial Arts Master in all of Yong'an."
"If the master is willing to take me as his disciple, I'll switch sects on the spot."
"But I still prefer Xiangxing, especially Tiger Form. It's so imposing."
Meng Chuan nodded and said no more. Everyone had their own plans.
After breakfast, Meng Chuan went to measure his qi and blood. He discovered that he really had broken through the first Qi-Blood Pass, and had exceeded the entry-level standard by a wide margin. He was not far from breaking through the second.
Qi and blood: 0.98 → 1.88
In less than a week, his strength had nearly doubled—a terrifying improvement.
"Keep working hard. Once Pao Fist reaches mastery, you'll be able to break through the second Qi-Blood Pass."
Meng Chuan had already made up his mind. Aside from the basic Stake Technique, he would focus on increasing his qi and blood. He had fallen too far behind in that regard and needed to hurry up and catch up.
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