The Martial Arts Hall Ranking Tournament

Luo Guanyun stood on one leg atop a wooden post, arms folded across his chest as he said smugly:

"Don't you know that all is fair in war? In a real fight, it's never simply a matter of whoever has more qi and blood winning, or whoever throws better punches coming out on top,

but rather, it's full of all kinds of uncertainties, both inside and outside the arena. I said I'd only use my fists to trick you, and you actually believed me, you little rascal. Hahahahaha!"

"Get up here and keep going. This time, I'll only use my feet."

Meng Chuan leaped onto the post and struck a pose:

"Go ahead, Teacher Luo. This time I'll only dodge. I won't counter with Pao Fist."

"You've even learned to apply what you've learned to new situations! You're asking for a beating!"

Eleven o'clock at night.

The day's training was over. All evening, Meng Chuan had been like a spring. No matter how much pressure Luo Guanyun put on him, he could always tap into his potential and fight back.

"Whew, I'm exhausted."

Meng Chuan focused his mind and opened the panel to check.

[Martial Arts]

[Pao Fist: Great Achievement (8%) Awaiting Limit Break]

[Limit-Breaking Trait: Heavy Strike (Beginner)]

[Movement Technique]

[Cun Step: Proficient (2%) Awaiting Limit Break]

[Limit-Breaking Trait: Light Body (Beginner)]

"After a whole evening of Teacher Luo's guidance, Cun Step broke through from practiced to proficient, just as I'd expected."

"I trained Pao Fist plenty tonight, too, but its proficiency only went up by a single-digit percentage. Looks like the difficulty of training really does rise sharply once a martial art reaches great achievement."

With the Martial Dao Limit-Breaking Panel, Meng Chuan could directly see his progress in martial arts.

Luo Guanyun walked over, holding a bowl of hot soup.

"Here, Chuan'er. Drink this."

Before he even took the bowl, Meng Chuan caught a strong scent of medicinal herbs.

"This is Dragon Tendon Bone-Strengthening Grass ground into powder. You mix it with water and drink it. Depending on the person, it can improve the resilience of the bones a little. It works best right after training, while your fascia is taut and your bone gates haven't closed."

He didn't understand much about bone resilience, but he knew it would do him good. Teacher Luo wouldn't harm him, so Meng Chuan took the bowl and drank it in one go.

It was bitter and hard to swallow, with a faint coolness and a trace of bitterness lingering on his tongue.

Seeing Meng Chuan down it without a second thought, despite its taste, Luo Guanyun smiled in satisfaction.

"This medicine is bitter and cold, but it can improve your bone constitution to some extent. Try punching tomorrow after you wake up."

Hearing Luo Guanyun's words, Meng Chuan was stunned.

He'd once seen medicine that could improve one's bone constitution on the Martial Artist Association's shopping website. It had been snapped up in the blink of an eye, and its listing had been marked "restocking" ever since.

He hadn't even managed to make out the price. There was an 8 followed by a string of zeroes, and he hadn't finished counting them.

Luo Guanyun seemed to have expected Meng Chuan to be surprised. Smiling, he said:

"It's just a trifling worldly possession. Don't worry about it."

"Teacher Luo, this is far too valuable. I don't deserve to accept it."

"What does it matter how good something is? It's still meant to be used. You're my only disciple, so put your mind at ease. No need to say more."

Meng Chuan didn't know how much Dragon Tendon Bone-Strengthening Grass cost, but he was sure it was beyond what he could afford.

"Teacher Luo, how much is this worth? I can't afford it now, but I'll repay you someday."

Luo Guanyun said:

"No need. We'll talk about it once you've mastered your studies. Just remember to carry the Yuanshen Thunder Seed Method forward and spread it far and wide."

Meng Chuan was deeply moved. Luo Guanyun's words were practically the same as giving it to him.

"Teacher Luo, your kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. I'll never forget it!"

Luo Guanyun waved a hand.

"You're a good kid in every way, except you take things too seriously. If I gave it to you to drink, then it's yours. Don't feel burdened. I value your talent and simply want to pass down my Luo Family True Technique."

Though Teacher Luo seemed not to care in the slightest, Meng Chuan still tucked this kindness deep in his heart.

"By the way, don't tell anyone you took this medicine to improve your bone constitution, or you might invite trouble."

"Understood, Teacher Luo."

"It's been a while since you went to the martial arts hall, hasn't it? Go there tomorrow morning and get your qi and blood measured."

"Of course, Teacher Luo. I was planning to do that, too."

Luo Guanyun nodded and continued:

"The Yong'an Martial Arts Hall Ranking Tournament will be held in Beilin District next spring. I plan to have you compete in the underage division. Train hard during this time and bring honor to me."

The Martial Arts Hall Ranking Tournament was held every spring. It gave the various martial arts halls a chance to learn from one another and improve, but more importantly, it determined how resources would be distributed among them for the coming year.

A high-ranking martial arts hall not only gained popularity, which helped with recruiting new students for the new year,

but also received preferential access to all kinds of resources from the Martial Association. Infinite Martial Arts Hall, for example, had placed first last year. Not only had its student population surged, but the Martial Arts Association had even paid the rent for the entire building.

"Meng Chuan won't let you down."

"But don't put too much pressure on yourself. The underage division only accounts for twenty percent of the total score. The final ranking mainly depends on the strength of each hall's master.

"To be honest, all the masters of those other martial arts halls together wouldn't be enough for me to beat."

Luo Guanyun's words were full of pride.

"Understood, Teacher Luo. I'll give it my all."

"Mm. But don't take it too lightly, either. You haven't been at the martial arts hall for long. If your qi and blood haven't reached the third pass in tomorrow's test, I'm afraid the others won't be convinced."

"Don't worry, Teacher Luo. I've definitely broken through the third pass. When it comes to the martial arts hall tournament, who else could it be but me?"

Meng Chuan was fairly confident about this. When Pao Fist reached great achievement, he'd already felt his qi and blood surge. He'd been close to breaking through the third pass.

Now that Cun Step had broken through again today, he had surely reached the third Qi-Blood Pass!

"Very good. After all, you'll be representing the martial arts hall in this tournament, and the winner gets prize money. If I simply appointed you, rumors would start circulating in the hall."

"Prove yourself to them with your strength."

Meng Chuan nodded.

"Yes, Teacher Luo."

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

On the rooftop, Meng Chuan finished meditating cross-legged and prepared to go downstairs after one last set of Pao Fist.

He had to get to the martial arts hall early today, so he finished his rooftop training a little sooner.

In an instant, Meng Chuan sprang to his feet and began punching. His fists moved with his body as he used the Cun Step movement technique, the whole sequence growing more fluid and natural.

After finishing his set, Meng Chuan checked the Martial Dao panel as he went downstairs.

[Pao Fist: Great Achievement (8%) → (10%) Awaiting Limit Break]

Not bad. Training on the rooftop really did work wonders. Just two hours of punching had raised his proficiency by two percent. It wasn't as fast as last night at Teacher Luo's home, but it was still quite good.

Meng Chuan suspected the medicinal soup from last night had something to do with it, too. His bone constitution had already been on the high end of the lower grade; now it might have reached the middle grade.

After all, during training today, he really had felt his movements and limbs becoming more coordinated.

"Improving my bone constitution is, at most, the icing on the cake. What I need most is to acquire more traits."

Meng Chuan felt that even a high-grade bone constitution couldn't match the speed of his current progress. And this was only one part of the One Proof Eternal Proof technique's effects.