King Kai Fist

After leaving Ji Xuan's house, Chen Daolin returned to his own shabby place. He had cleared a conspicuous patch of space in the living room and now stood quietly in its center, eyes closed, perfectly still, feet planted in a standard horse stance, fists resting at his waist. His breathing was long and steady, his chest rising and falling in a peculiar rhythm.

"Ha!!!"

All at once, Chen Daolin opened his eyes and let out a silent roar. Every muscle in his body tensed in an instant. The firm, powerful muscles he had built through three years of training bulged one after another. He clenched his fists, veins standing out on his forehead, and bloodshot streaks appeared in his eyes. Soon, beads of sweat rolled down his face, one after another.

No one knew how long it took, but Chen Daolin was finally nearing his limit. His heart pounded violently, as if it were about to leap out of his throat. The sound of blood surging through his veins like a great river rang clearly in his mind. Every muscle in his body spasmed in agony. He knitted his brows and bit his lip, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. In the past, he would have given in to the pain long ago and given up. But today, for some reason, a knot of determination was lodged in his chest. Scene after scene from the past surfaced in his mind: the quiet happiness of his previous life, the bewilderment he had felt when he first arrived in this world and stood before his original body's parents' urns, sweating through countless workouts at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, his relentless efforts, and all the warm moments spent with the Ji family...

"Ah!!!" Chen Daolin bent over, trembling violently. Sweat had long since soaked his body, running into his eyes and making them sting so badly he could barely keep them open.

Pain swept over his mind, blurring his ability to think.

Was he going to give up again?

Had he reached his limit again?

No!!!

Chen Daolin opened his eyes. They had turned completely bloodred.

This wasn't my limit!

I'm going to...

Break through it!!!

A memory that had come with him when he crossed into this world suddenly became crystal clear. In his mind, Chen Daolin saw a figure standing in the void. His black hair whipped wildly in the wind. Though he was not especially tall, he radiated an aura that seemed capable of holding up heaven and earth, fearing nothing. He wore a golden martial arts uniform. Usually, he always had his back to Chen Daolin, but now, as if sensing something, he suddenly turned to look in Chen Daolin's direction.

Then he... smiled.

Crack, crack, creak, creak... Those were the sounds of Chen Daolin's flesh and bones being ceaselessly crushed and compressed by the power within him.

His body was on the verge of its limit, and so was his will... But by now, Chen Daolin had stopped thinking about it altogether. There was only one voice in his mind: break through it!

Silently, like glass shattering, a sound echoed through his mind. It was as if the young man's perseverance had finally broken through some kind of constraint.

A completely new power surged from deep within Chen Daolin, instantly filling his body.

At that moment, Chen Daolin felt strength coursing through every part of him.

Though his body was still enduring excruciating pain, a smile appeared on his exhausted face.

Slowly, he collapsed.

At last... he had mastered it.

That damn King Kai Fist!

Joy mingled with waves of sorrow. Tears blurred his eyes, yet his heart felt lighter and more exuberant than ever. Only Chen Daolin knew how much effort he had put in over the years, far more than he had ever shown in front of other people.

At that moment, Chen Daolin broke through the wall that had bound him all this time, stepped into a new world, and welcomed a true rebirth.

The next day, Chen Daolin woke up feeling weak all over, his muscles aching. He sat blankly on the bed, looking down at his hands. They seemed no different from usual, but he knew everything had changed.

The corners of his mouth slowly lifted, his smile widening. "Ha, ha, hahahaha..." Chen Daolin fell back onto the bed, laughing wildly and without restraint, like a madman.

His body still hurt quite a bit. The King Kai Fist had placed an enormous burden on him when he activated it. But over the past two years, Chen Daolin had grown used to this kind of pain. As long as his body didn't give out, he could keep training.

The constant pain and hardship over those two-plus years had gradually forged Chen Daolin's will into something powerful and resilient.

After washing up, Chen Daolin put on his school uniform, picked up his backpack, and left his room. He headed to the Ji family's front door. The Ji family was up by then, too. His adoptive parents were ordinary workers with jobs of their own, and they had gotten up early to make breakfast for the children. Chen Daolin ate breakfast at their house as well, since they always made enough for him. He felt a long-missed warmth of home there, and the thought that had come to him last night grew stronger.

This time, when the door opened, Chen Daolin saw Ji Xuan wearing an apron. Even though he had seen her cooking before, he still paused for a moment.

"Mom and Dad are off today, so they're still asleep. I've already made breakfast. We'll leave once we've eaten." Ji Xuan glanced at Chen Daolin and lowered her voice.

"Oh, oh..." Chen Daolin took a moment to come back to himself, then followed Ji Xuan. Watching her tall, graceful figure, he felt a little dazed. It was almost like coming home from work to his wife.

Chen Daolin shook his head, trying to cast aside the strange thought.

The two finished breakfast in silence and headed out, leaving the rest for the others at home.

It wasn't even seven yet, and classes didn't start until seven-thirty. There was no morning study period. The streets were full of people heading to work and school. Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan walked together, chatting now and then. To a stranger who didn't know them, they might have looked like a couple, but Chen Daolin knew that wasn't the case.

There might have been familial affection and friendship between him and Ji Xuan, but there was absolutely no romance.

They had just arrived at school when they ran into a pretty girl with a single ponytail at the gate. She glanced at Chen Daolin, then grinned and tugged Ji Xuan aside to whisper to her, occasionally stealing a look at Chen Daolin. Ji Xuan gave a few casual replies, then shook her head.

Chen Daolin looked up at the sky and rolled his eyes inwardly. Lin Xiao's at it again, gossiping.

Lin Xiao was Ji Xuan's good friend and a classmate of theirs. She and Ji Xuan got along extremely well. The only thing Chen Daolin disliked about her was how nosy she was, especially when it came to prying into his relationship with Ji Xuan. Every time, she seemed unable to rest until she'd asked a few questions.

Well, under the laws of this era, people could marry once they turned eighteen. Plenty of people dated during high school and got married after graduation. Students like Ji Xuan and Chen Daolin, who spent all three years of high school focused solely on their studies, were actually rather uncommon.

Ji Xuan in particular was beautiful and an excellent student. At such a young age, she was already one of the four Advanced Martial Arts Students at Yi'an District No. 3 High School. Countless people had pursued her and confessed their feelings to her. It wasn't until senior year that they gradually became fewer.

"There are only two months left until the college entrance exams. Don't think about all that. Focus on studying. Weren't you planning to apply to Jiangnan University?" Ji Xuan had apparently had enough of her friend's prying, and flicked her on the forehead.

Lin Xiao cried out in pain and covered her forehead, looking a little aggrieved. "I'm not like you. You're good at studying and an Advanced Martial Arts Student. You can go wherever you want. If I can't get into college, I'll probably have to find someone to marry while I'm still young." As she spoke, she glanced at Chen Daolin. "Someone's grades are even worse than mine. I wonder where he plans to go."

Chen Daolin: "?"

Ji Xuan said wistfully, "I'd like to get into Jiangnan First Military Academy. If I can become an officer, I'll be assigned a family apartment. Then my parents and younger sister won't have to squeeze into low-rent housing anymore." Improving her family's circumstances and giving them a better life had always been her goal.

Ji Xuan was actually quite simple-minded; she didn't think that far ahead.

As for romance, she had never given it any thought. Her parents had once tried to set her and Chen Daolin up, but Ji Xuan wasn't interested. She had always kept a certain distance from him, and Chen Daolin had lived up to her expectations. The two of them were like close friends, and Ji Xuan liked it that way.

"Jiangnan First Military Academy is the best military academy in Jiangnan. It won't be easy to get in," Ji Xuan said.

"Keep working hard. We believe you can do it," Chen Daolin and Lin Xiao said, both confident in Ji Xuan.

A luxury car pulled up outside the school gate. A tall, fashionable girl with dyed blond hair stepped out. She looked around and spotted Ji Xuan and the others in the crowd.

The girl's eyes turned slightly cold. Then, as if she'd thought of something, the corners of her mouth lifted.

"It's Zhang Bailan."

"She's one of the four Advanced Martial Arts Students at our school."

"I heard her family's pretty wealthy, too."

Zhang Bailan wore a smile as she walked past the school gate, casting a seemingly casual glance toward Ji Xuan and the others.

Zhang Bailan had always been hostile toward Ji Xuan. She had been the most dazzling girl at the school, but ever since Ji Xuan came along, people had gradually started comparing the two of them. Ji Xuan had better grades. More people had a crush on Ji Xuan. As for their fighting ability... Zhang Bailan touched her chest. The spot where Ji Xuan had struck her at the martial arts hall two months ago still seemed to ache faintly.

She was filled with wariness and resentment toward Ji Xuan.

The only thing that made her feel a little better was that Ji Xuan didn't come from as good a family as she did.

Once you graduate from high school, you won't be so comfortable anymore. You'd better marry that useless good-for-nothing beside you, Zhang Bailan thought.

Chen Daolin's eyes narrowed when he saw Zhang Bailan. Remembering what had happened the night before, his hands suddenly began to itch.

An Advanced Martial Arts Student, huh?

If he got the chance, he'd make Zhang Bailan question everything she knew about life.

Rich kids like Zhang Bailan usually trained in their own private martial arts rooms and rarely went to the martial arts hall.

But the day before, several Advanced Martial Arts Students had taken the initiative to corner him.

One of them had been a student Ji Xuan had once defeated at the martial arts hall. But Chen Daolin was sure Zhang Bailan had been behind it, too.

Unable to pick on Ji Xuan, she went after someone close to her. To be honest, Chen Daolin found that kind of behavior utterly detestable.

In the past, there had been nothing he could do. He couldn't change the situation.

But now...

He thought he could take on three of them at once!

Chen Daolin didn't like bullying the weak, but he felt that someone like Zhang Bailan deserved whatever lesson he gave her.