This Child Is Terrifying

Spreading his palm, Meng Chuan clearly saw a layer of pale-blue lightning floating over Teacher Luo's hand, visible to the naked eye.

"This is lightning created by using my Martial Momentum to connect with the True Qi of heaven and earth.

"It doesn't already exist in the world around us. I conjured it out of thin air."

It was Meng Chuan's first time seeing a Martial Arts Master's incredible power up close. His heart soared, filled with longing.

"Don't envy me. One day, you'll be able to do this too."

"What you need to do now is start choosing your Martial Will."

"What kind of Martial Will do you strive for? Or, put another way, what kind of martial artist do you want to become?"

"Martial Will is like an anchor for your heart's pursuit of martial arts. It gives you a goal to move toward and helps you resist the Heavenly Demons and all kinds of temptation."

Hearing Teacher Luo's words, Meng Chuan thought again of everything he had experienced in Tong Family Alley. His first impulse was to wipe out every Heavenly Demon in the world.

"I know you have an idea, but don't say it out loud just yet. Martial Will isn't empty talk. It's a conviction you'll need to uphold for the rest of your life."

"How are you doing with the Stake Technique?"

"I can last about two hours and forty minutes before reaching my limit."

"Not bad, but not enough."

"There's no end to practicing the Stake Technique. After the Human Stance comes the Earth Stance, and then the Heaven Stance. The difficulty increases more than a hundredfold!"

"I understand. I'll work hard at my stances!"

Teacher Luo encouraged him again:

"You're making decent progress with the Stake Technique. Keep practicing once a day, and push yourself to your limit. When you take your stance, focus and carefully contemplate its mysteries. At the same time, examine your own heart and ask yourself what kind of Martial Will you're striving for.

"When you can take your stance without feeling the slightest fatigue, you'll have perfected the Human Stance. After that, you'll combine it with the True Technique to condense a Martial Will of your own."

"Remember what I told you today. To break through the ninth layer of Qi and become a martial artist, you need to perfect the Human Stance, grasp the True Technique, and manifest your Martial Will. Only when all three come together can you become a martial artist."

"I'll remember."

Becoming a martial artist really wasn't simple. No wonder the number of martial artists hadn't increased much, despite how advanced technology had become.

But he had no intention of being intimidated or backing down.

With the Martial Dao Limit-Breaking Panel and his own unshakable determination, becoming a martial artist wouldn't be an obstacle. It would be the beginning of everything.

Teacher Luo nodded.

"It's not too early to tell you all this. The sooner you hear it, the sooner you can start thinking it over.

"All right, keep practicing your punches. A towering building rises from level ground. First, build up your Qi and blood."

With that, Teacher Luo withdrew her aura.

"Come on, let's see if you've mastered the Pao Fist. Attack me."

Meng Chuan cupped his fists.

"Teacher, watch out."

"Wait. Come with me onto the stances and practice your footwork at the same time. That's how you'll improve in actual combat."

"I also watched the video of you standing up for someone today. I know you were forced to fight back,

"but your movements weren't decisive enough. If I had the same cultivation, I'd have shattered his bones with the first throw and left him unable to get up again!"

Meng Chuan was at a loss for words. Teacher Luo had always been direct and decisive.

After stepping onto the wooden dummies, Meng Chuan launched a fierce attack at Teacher Luo. Six successive cannon-like cracks rang through the air.

Teacher Luo struck the wooden dummy beneath her with the instep of her foot. The force sent her drifting backward to the right, and she landed steadily on another dummy, evading Meng Chuan's attack.

"Not bad. You really have mastered it."

"Keep going. Use the Cun Step to attack me. Don't hold back—give it everything you've got."

Meng Chuan continued his attack with the Cun Step. Teacher Luo drifted across the wooden dummies like a withered leaf blown by the wind.

Meng Chuan could never keep up with her rhythm. He didn't even touch the hem of her clothes.

Dodging him as she went, Teacher Luo continued to instruct him:

"To move forward with your rear foot, your front foot should first shift forward by an inch; only then should your rear foot follow. If you want your body to move forward without bringing up your rear foot, just shift your front foot forward an inch. Watch your footing.

"Keep your hands in good form, too. Hold your Pao Fist guard steady. Every punch I throw, I want to hear six cannon blasts."

"Understood, Teacher Luo."

The two of them played cat and mouse on the wooden dummies for more than forty minutes.

The high-intensity practice, using both hands and feet, left Meng Chuan's forehead slick with sweat. Seeing this, Teacher Luo turned and leaped down from the wooden dummies, then came to a stop with a light tap of her toes against the floor.

"Let's rest for a bit. Martial arts training is about knowing when to push and when to ease up. Sit down, have some water, and reflect on the movements you just practiced."

Meng Chuan nodded.

Teacher Luo showed no expression on the surface, but she was a little surprised inside.

In those forty minutes, Meng Chuan hadn't touched her once, but every punch he threw had consistently produced six cannon blasts!

And he had kept trying to combine his hand techniques with the Cun Step, making a little progress every time.

The improvement from one punch to the next was tiny, but as a martial artist at the Third Great Limit, Teacher Luo could feel it.

This couldn't be explained by Meng Chuan simply having a good day. Some kind of [trait] had to be influencing him.

"I've found another new trait. He makes steady progress without ever regressing. What kind of strange trait is that..."

A few days earlier, Teacher Luo had logged into the Martial Artist Association's official website with her martial artist account.

She had looked up every Innate Enlightenment and acquired trait currently known to humanity. The traits Meng Chuan had awakened bore similarities to some known traits, but there were differences, too.

For instance, she hadn't found anything like today's discovery on the Martial Association's website. Meng Chuan had likely awakened an entirely new, previously unknown trait.

Teacher Luo thought that, on this basis alone, Meng Chuan would one day surpass her. To never regress, only to keep improving—what a terrifying ability.

"This child is terrifying. Good thing he's my disciple."

At the thought, Teacher Luo couldn't help smiling.

Meng Chuan, resting nearby, had seen Teacher Luo looking unhappy before they started training. Now she was off grinning to herself, and he couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Teacher Luo called out loudly:

"Break's over. Get back up here! Let's see if you can bring your footwork up to mastery today!"

Meng Chuan didn't hesitate. He put down his cup, then sprang onto the wooden dummies.

"From here on, I'll only attack you with my fists. You can only dodge with the Cun Step. If you really can't get out of the way, use the Intercepting Force of the Pao Fist to block me. All right, here we go."

In the Wooden Dummy Area, two figures chased and fled, with the one being pursued occasionally turning to strike back.

Meng Chuan recalled the key points of the Cun Step and dodged Teacher Luo's attacks again and again.

When he couldn't dodge, he used the Pao Fist to intercept Teacher Luo's punches.

This time, he lasted less than five minutes before Teacher Luo knocked him off the wooden dummies with a sweep of her leg.

Meng Chuan sprang to his feet and protested indignantly:

"Teacher Luo, you said you'd only use your fists! Why did you suddenly sneak in a kick!"