Tang San strode lightly out of Holy Soul Village.
As he walked, he pondered how to let Brother Feng lose with some dignity, while doing his best not to hurt him.
"My specialty is the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons. I haven't made any hidden weapons yet, but even ordinary pebbles can pack a great punch in my hands."
Tang San felt the pebbles in his shirt and sleeves.
He only used them now and then to practise the many hidden-weapon techniques, so he wouldn't get rusty.
But they weren't real hidden weapons, after all, so their power was limited.
Still, they could hurt a child badly. If he controlled one pebble well, it would be no problem to leave a big lump.
"Later, I'd better not use hidden weapons... Basic fists and kicks should be enough. I can leave out the Mysterious Heaven Skill, too... Judging by how Brother Feng climbed the mountain that day, his physical fitness is a little worse than mine... If I use the Mysterious Heaven Skill, along with the improvement I've gained from swinging that giant hammer at the forge these past few days, Brother Feng probably won't be able to take a single punch."
Tang San considered it. "Just my physical fitness and basic fists and kicks should be enough."
This was only Tang San's ordinary reasoning.
He didn't look down on Brother Feng, either.
Even though it was just a children's scuffle, Tang San had always been a person who took everything he did extremely seriously.
Since he'd said he wouldn't let Brother Feng feel "lonely," Tang San was determined to keep his word. That was why he was thinking all this through.
Before long, Tang San reached a clearing in the woods.
It was still the same little grove.
Tang San saw Brother Feng.
Wang Feng stood in the distance, hands clasped behind his back, his back to Tang San as he gazed at the sky.
He had the air of a master!
He was just too small. He had the bearing, but it looked a little comical.
Tang San's mouth twitched as he watched. He had to admit, Brother Feng's silhouette did look a little like that of a formidable expert.
He was just too small...
At some point,
a breeze began to stir.
The branches rustled.
Brother Feng's clothes were brand-new, unlike Tang San's, which had been washed until they faded white.
But his back was proud and solitary.
"You're here," Brother Feng said calmly.
"I'm here." Tang San nodded.
"I knew you'd come," Wang Feng continued in the same calm voice.
"Of course I'd come. Didn't we agree on this?" Tang San asked, puzzled.
Just then, Wang Feng turned around abruptly and stared at Tang San. After a long while, he finally said slowly, "It's been almost a month."
"Mm, exactly twenty days." Tang San nodded.
Wang Feng sighed. "What a long twenty days."
Tang San was even more puzzled. "It's only been twenty days..."
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Tang San sensed a rare bitterness in Brother Feng's voice!
The scene before him only added to the weight in his heart, leaving him speechless for a moment.
After all, twenty days passed in the blink of an eye for him.
But Tang San didn't know that, for Wang Feng, those twenty days had felt like years!
The training had been so grueling that it had worn away at a person's will almost every moment.
Fortunately, Wang Feng knew about the Meteor Tear. Otherwise, he would have kicked the bucket long ago from this training that pushed him to the brink of death.
"Heh... Little San, even though you've never read Gu Long's novels, you're playing along pretty well... Hahaha!"
Wang Feng suddenly burst into laughter, instantly shattering the heavy atmosphere.
What he'd just said was a line of dialogue between Fu Hongxue and Yan Nanfei in a Gu Long novel.
He hadn't expected Little San to play along with him.
At the sound of Wang Feng's laughter, a row of black lines rose across Tang San's forehead.
Brother Feng really was hard to figure out... Sometimes serious, sometimes joking.
"Come on!"
Wang Feng's tone changed abruptly!
The moment he finished speaking,
Tang San drove off his right foot and raced toward Wang Feng. He threw a hook at Wang Feng's face.
At their age, anyone else would have been knocked down in one move, unable to react at all.
Even an adult man would have trouble defending against it.
Yet, in the instant before the punch reached Wang Feng's cheek, in that split second, Wang Feng's head seemed to enter bullet time as he shifted it back by a mere inch.
That single inch let him narrowly dodge the punch!
His punch had missed, but Tang San didn't pause for a moment. Using the momentum, he brought his elbow into play and continued his attack, aiming for Wang Feng's shoulder.
Wang Feng merely smiled faintly and shifted sideways another few inches, narrowly avoiding the elbow strike.
Tang San was surprised to see this. He hadn't expected Brother Feng to keep dodging just as Tang San was about to hit him.
"A coincidence?"
Tang San furrowed his brow. Then, amid a steady flow of punches and kicks, he mixed in all kinds of unpredictable attacks, sending them at Wang Feng like wave after wave of surging water.
From a distance, it looked like one little boy was striking at another smiling little boy with punches and kicks, his movements orderly and precise.
But the smiling little boy was completely unharmed. He didn't let the attacking boy touch even the hem of his clothes!
Ten minutes later.
Tang San missed with another punch, then retreated and stared at Brother Feng.
He was utterly astonished!
If the first two attacks had been coincidences,
then what had happened since was downright frightening!
His attacks had never let up. Even two adult men would have been knocked flat by this barrage, without the slightest chance to fight back.
Yet Brother Feng hadn't taken a single hit from him!
He seems able to see through every one of my attacks! There's only one possibility: he's much faster than I am!
Tang San was shocked.
He knew how good his own physical fitness was! But Brother Feng...
And yet, that was exactly what was happening.
In Wang Feng's eyes, all of Tang San's attacks seemed to have slowed down at least three or four times!
He could dodge them even with his eyes closed and Blue Silver Grass between his teeth.
To him, all of Tang San's attacks were like bullet time in a game. He could dodge however he wanted!
By now, Wang Feng had a vague idea of where his strength stood.
Looks like I'll have to use the Mysterious Heaven Skill to boost my speed and strength. Three punches should settle this fight!
Wang Feng's speed stirred Tang San's fighting spirit.
Tang San took a deep breath, circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill within his body, and charged toward Wang Feng again.
This time, his speed had increased by at least twofold!
He came racing in like the wind!
Wang Feng's expression sharpened slightly, and he thought to himself: Could this be the Mysterious Heaven Skill?
I have a force of energy inside me, too. I wonder how it compares with the inner power produced by Little San's cultivation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill?
Every time Wang Feng pushed his body beyond its limits, the Meteor Tear released a surge of energy. It flowed through his entire body, then settled a few inches below his abdomen.
Normally, Wang Feng didn't use this special energy.
As he thought this, Wang Feng still didn't use it this time.
That was because he felt he could still dodge Tang San's speed.
But this time, Wang Feng didn't dodge.
Now that he had a clear understanding of his speed, Wang Feng wanted to test his strength.
Little San, with the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulating, was the perfect opponent.
A punch came at him.
Wang Feng first shifted his body to the side. His eyes flashed, and he neither dodged nor retreated. He swung his right fist straight at Tang San's.
Tang San was shocked to see this. He hadn't expected Brother Feng not to dodge this time!
And to choose to meet his punch head-on?
Just as he was thinking this,
Bang!
Their fists collided!
A muffled impact rang out!
In the next instant, Tang San's expression changed. He felt an immense force surge from Brother Feng's fist, making his own go numb!
Thump, thump, thump!
Unable to stop himself, Tang San staggered back more than a dozen steps before steadying himself.
He was once again utterly shocked.
His own punch had been much stronger than an adult's, with a force of around two hundred jin. And now, with the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulating, his strength had increased greatly.
That punch had packed at least four hundred jin of force...
Though he had already expected Brother Feng, whose speed was so impressive, to be nearly as strong, he had never imagined he wouldn't be able to withstand him at all!
That meant Brother Feng's punch had been far stronger than his own!
"Could I have been mistaken? That day, when Brother Feng climbed the mountain... He didn't show any great strength, but his physical abilities shouldn't have been enough to give him this kind of power!"
Tang San was shocked again and again. "He's even stronger than me with the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulating... That's unbelievable! Brother Feng hid his strength far too well, didn't he?"
Thinking of how Brother Feng had looked so lazy every day all these years, Tang San couldn't help twitching his mouth.
But Tang San didn't know that...
I only used half my strength...
Wang Feng thought it over. His physical abilities far surpassed Tang San's.
But the key to Innate Full Soul Power wasn't just physical ability.
It was the energy inside the body!
Wang Feng had read most of Douluo Continent. He had forgotten quite a bit by now, but he'd read the earlier parts very carefully.
Tang San had Innate Full Soul Power because cultivating the first layer of the Mysterious Heaven Skill had generated inner power in his body, which was later transformed into Soul Power!
So this energy inside Wang Feng was the key to Innate Full Soul Power!
But I should definitely have Innate Full Soul Power. When I surpassed my limits for the fourth time, the Meteor Tear overflowed a great deal, but the amount didn't increase. Only its quality improved.
Wang Feng knew this was probably due to the rules of Douluo Continent. He would likely need to obtain a Spirit Ring before he could gain more energy.
It was just like Tang San, whose Mysterious Heaven Skill had been unable to break through the first layer.
Just then,
Tang San said solemnly, "Brother Feng, I didn't expect you to be this strong. But I'm going to get serious now. I won't give up easily!"
His swaggering words left Wang Feng momentarily stunned.
Could Little San be about to use a Hidden Weapon?
Tang San, a genius of the Tang Sect-Hidden Weapons were what he excelled at most!
Tang San's hand reached toward his chest and sleeve...
Seeing this, Wang Feng couldn't help laughing.
"Little San, why are you feeling around your chest? Don't tell me you're going to throw pebbles at me?"
At that, Tang San paused without replying, thinking only that Brother Feng was incredibly perceptive.
Wang Feng naturally knew Little San hadn't made any Hidden Weapons yet, so he could only use pebbles as them...
Thinking this, Wang Feng smiled calmly and said, "Heh, I bet you don't have any pebbles in your clothes! Give up, Little San!"
Tang San: "..."
Tang San shook his head and said gravely, "Sorry, Brother Feng, you bet wrong! I've got a whole handful of pebbles in my clothes!"
Wang Feng: "..."
Wang Feng grumbled inwardly that it seemed not everyone could be Yan Shuangying... The road to swaggering mastery was long; he would keep seeking it, from top to bottom!
The moment the words left his mouth, Tang San moved!
But he didn't charge forward.
Instead, he darted rapidly around Wang Feng!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Sharp whistles rang out from every direction!
Along with them came pebble after pebble, hurtling toward Wang Feng with pinpoint accuracy, like marbles!
Countless pebbles spread out like a massive net, leaving Wang Feng nowhere to dodge!
In an instant, he was plunged into an extremely perilous situation...