Sparring in the Pavilion

The next day, the spring morning was slightly chilly.

Chen Mo handed the seven taels of silver to Chen Lan, cautioning her not to use it in crowded places. Chen Lan had been clever since childhood; hearing this, she sensed something was amiss. When she heard news of Huang E being killed at the market at noon, her suspicions were further confirmed.

However, she did not mention a word of it in front of Chen Mo. She simply "happened" to buy a little extra meat whenever she passed different butcher shops, stewing it with radishes for a long time at home so it would be ready for Chen Mo to eat when he returned in the evening.

With the nutritional boost, Chen Mo naturally felt his strength becoming more abundant, and the results of his stake-driving and fist practice were better than before.

Tianqing Martial Hall.

Today was the tri-day sparring session, intended to test the progress of every disciple and allow them to learn from each other's strengths—what they called "taking from the long to supplement the short."

Chen Mo stopped his stake practice and looked toward the sparring arena.

Disciples at the Ming Jin level and above were required to participate, while those who had not yet reached Ming Jin could volunteer.

The first to step into the arena was Yin Shanshan. The moment this pretty daughter of the hall master entered, she caused a stir among the male Ming Jin disciples, who all expressed their desire to "cross hands" with her.

In the end, Yin Shanshan pointed to another female Ming Jin disciple at the edge of the arena. The other girl understood, leaping lightly into the ring.

Yin Shanshan used palm techniques, while her opponent used fist techniques. They sparred for five rounds before the other girl was neatly defeated, though it was unclear if she was truly outmatched or if there were other reasons.

Taking the opportunity to leave the arena, the female disciple cast a glance, whether intentional or not, at Yin Tianqing, who sat in the center hall looking down upon the entire arena.

Yin Shanshan, meanwhile, looked toward the calm-faced senior brother, Zhang Chong.

Next to take the stage was Ji Chang. His opponent was a cold, stern youth named Luo Heng, one of only two teenagers in Black River Town to reach Ming Jin last year.

Ji Chang's mouth twitched slightly; he clearly did not want to face Luo Heng. The boy was a notorious martial arts fanatic, ruthless in his strikes despite his young age. If he lost, he would train day and night until he could trample his opponent underfoot.

Once the fight began, Chen Mo noticed that the Hanshan Fist technique Luo Heng practiced had astonishing power. He only advanced and never retreated. The two dodged and weaved for several rounds, the wind of their fists surging incessantly.

In the thirteenth round, Luo Heng seized a gap in his opponent's turn, threw a punch, and smashed it into Ji Chang's face. The latter fell out of the arena, his face covered in bloodstains. A chorus of gasps rose from the crowd.

Chen Mo stepped forward to help him up, but he shook his head slightly, signaling he was fine.

It was only because Ji Chang had once defeated Luo Heng that the boy felt he had lost face. Like a maggot on a rotting bone, he had been desperate to fight Ji Chang to the death every time since.

Chen Mo silently took note of this person's temperament.

Among the following matches, the most eye-catching was the duel between senior brother Zhang Chong and second senior brother Yue Lun. Zhang Chong was steady, while Yue Lun was easygoing and non-competitive.

To Chen Mo's surprise, Zhang Chong defeated Yue Lun in just five rounds.

Every time this senior brother, who was at the mid-stage of Dark Jin, raised his sleeves, it caused the junior sisters to show expressions of anticipation, their fingers tightly clasped like gamblers who had placed a heavy bet.

After the disciples at the Ming Jin level and above finished their sparring, some who had not reached Ming Jin volunteered to exchange pointers.

One of them was named Luo Wei. His face was as ruthless as Luo Heng's. He had joined the hall three months ago and was Luo Heng's cousin, often receiving guidance from him.

Luo Wei won four consecutive matches cleanly and efficiently. The other new disciples looked at each other, not daring to step up. Seeing this, Yin Tianqing, who sat upright, shook his head slightly.

Ji Chang suddenly turned to Chen Mo, "Little Junior Brother, do you want to go up and try?"

Chen Mo smiled and shook his head, "No, I haven't been in the hall long. It's not yet time for me to spar with the senior brothers."

Ji Chang patted his shoulder, "Just driving stakes and practicing fists isn't enough. The martial path lies in actual combat; only through real combat can you truly hone your strength. That Luo Heng is annoying, but his spirit of going head-to-head and fighting until he falls is indeed correct."

Chen Mo agreed with this sentiment in his heart and nodded, "Understood, I will keep your words in mind, Senior Brother. If a good opportunity arises, I will go up."

Just then, Yin Tianqing suddenly spoke, "Chen Mo, you go up and try."

Chen Mo and Ji Chang were both startled.

Yin Tianqing rarely gave personal guidance to new disciples, so the hall sparring sessions were his main way of understanding them.

Chen Mo knew he could not refuse, so he nodded in acknowledgment and stepped into the arena.

Opposite him, Luo Wei exchanged a look with Luo Heng. A glimmer of light seemed to spark in their eyes. Although Chen Mo and Luo Heng had no personal grudge, Luo Heng had already mentally bound Chen Mo and Ji Chang together. Because of this temperament, he had almost no friends in the hall.

The Hanshan Fist that Luo Wei practiced was characterized by powerful, fierce strikes. It excelled in offense but was weak in defense. However, against other fist techniques of the same level, it was difficult for opponents to last long enough to find the defensive weaknesses of the Hanshan Fist.

Chen Mo assumed the stance of the Fuhu Fist and exhaled slowly.

Luo Wei did not take a stance. He stomped his left foot hard, launched his right foot, and charged out like a leopard. At the same time, he clenched his right hand into a fist. Within a single breath, his entire body had reached the striking state of the Hanshan Fist.

He was certain that this junior brother named Chen Mo, who had no presence at all, would not be able to withstand this punch. One blow would decide the outcome.

Luo Heng, watching from the side, nodded with satisfaction. If nothing went wrong, the victory was already decided.

Ji Chang, however, frowned slightly, silently breaking into a cold sweat for Chen Mo.

Seeing the Hanshan Fist enlarging in his vision, Chen Mo did not lose his composure. He quickly unfolded his Fuhu Fist stance. As the fist reached thirteen inches from his shoulder, he used the insights gained from the Mountain and Water Cultivation to slightly adjust the angle of his strike, delivering a punch without any bells or whistles.

Both of their fist energies emitted a whistling sound as they cut through the air. Everyone had seen Luo Wei's Hanshan Fist, but since he hadn't reached Ming Jin, his sound was faint. Yet, the other sound was so clear and resonant—what could it be?

In a flash, the two fists collided, emitting a buzzing sound of clashing energy.

Those Ming Jin disciples who hadn't been paying attention to the match were also drawn by the buzzing sound and looked up.

They saw that Chen Mo and Luo Wei had already separated by four or five steps, but... Chen Mo stood as steady as a pine, while Luo Wei stood with his feet parallel—a major taboo in combat.

Clearly, in the collision of fist energy just now, Luo Wei had fallen into a distinct disadvantage and had been knocked back several steps.

The defensive flaw of the Hanshan Fist was now completely exposed.

Chen Mo took a step forward, the Wave-Intercepting Style quickly taking shape. His fists were one in front and one behind; the former served as support, the latter as the main attack, and the wind of his fists surged forth.

Luo Wei was already negligent in his defense, and given the unexpected nature of the situation, his mind was in chaos; he failed to even assume a basic defensive stance before being struck out of the arena by the Wave-Intercepting Style.

Seeing this, the new disciples who had been defeated by Luo Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ji Chang's expression brightened with joy, while Luo Heng's face turned gloomy, and neither of them moved to help the fallen Luo Wei.

As for the other Ming Jin disciples, they remained uninterested; it was merely a child's squabble, something to watch just for the sake of amusement.

Yin Tianqing, sitting upright, nodded slightly. In his view, among all the disciples, Chen Mo was the most peculiar. Although his aptitude was poor, his Comprehension was decent. However, the most critical factor on the path of martial arts remained one's innate aptitude; while Chen Mo's lower limit might be acceptable, one should not expect too much from his upper limit.

After winning, Chen Mo retreated to the edge of the arena and continued to immerse himself in practicing his footwork and punches.

With a slight shift in his thoughts, a brilliant light emerged in his mind:

[Thousand Hammer Refinement, Mountain and Water Cultivation]

[Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique: Basic stake technique, trains the leg foundation below and punch power above]

[Comprehension: 48/50 (Not yet initiated)]

Today was the seventh day since the ambush on Huang E, and the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique was nearing initiation. Chen Mo had a premonition that if he reached the initiation stage, he might be able to step into the Ming Jin realm.