Feng Shi sighed inwardly once more, lamenting that such a genius had met with so many hardships. In the end, even his remarkable comprehension was held back by his body.
Afterward, seeing that Chen Mochuan looked tired but still had a clear gaze, he found a quiet place to sit. No longer aiming to instruct him, he instead began discussing the fundamentals of fist techniques with him in earnest.
During their discussion, he discovered that some of Chen Mochuan's fundamental insights into fist techniques coincided perfectly with his own.
An absurd thought quietly arose in his mind. Could this young man be like me?
But he quickly snuffed out the thought, realizing that he had simply found a fellow traveler on the path of martial arts. That was a fortunate thing.
The two chatted happily, comparing their understanding of the fundamentals of fist theory. You would never have guessed there was such a vast difference in their strength.
Just as Chen Mochuan was engrossed in their discussion and beginning to grasp something, the light-screen panel quietly refreshed with three lines of information.
[You discussed fist theory with someone and gained insight, deepening your understanding of fist techniques] [Foundation Building Fist: Great Completion (13%) → Great Completion (14%)] [Tiger Fiend Fist: Initiation (21%) → Initiation (22%)]
Chen Mochuan's heart stirred. He hadn't expected a purely theoretical discussion to improve his fist techniques. It was an unexpected delight.
Unfortunately, although their subsequent discussion helped him further organize his understanding of fist theory, it didn't trigger any new insights.
He wasn't impatient. He knew his progress was already astonishingly swift. All he needed to do now was proceed step by step and slowly absorb what he had learned.
"Brother Chuan, I finally found you. I said I'd show you around the hall..."
A call came from beside them. Chen Mochuan and Feng Shi both turned and saw Li Biao hurrying over.
"Huh? Instructor Feng, you're here too." Only then did Li Biao notice Feng Shi nearby, and he quickly greeted him.
Seeing that the two had things to do, Feng Shi rose with a smile and took his leave.
Once he finally had a moment to himself, he remembered something important and quickly opened his Personal Terminal to send Hong Yucheng a message.
"Chen Mochuan triggered 'Wisdom Heart' today and achieved Initiation in Tiger Fiend Fist in just an hour and a half. He appears to have an underlying health condition, which is slowing his blood-and-qi growth. However, given his exceptional comprehension, I still recommend adding him to the priority watch list and working to recruit him as a core member of the Martial Arts Hall."
After sending the message, Feng Shi's lips lifted slightly. He could almost picture the look of surprise on the Young Hall Master's face when he received it.
Once Feng Shi had gone, Li Biao moved closer to Chen Mochuan and asked in confusion, "I went to the Martial Arts Room for Tiger Fiend Fist to look for you, but you'd already left. You didn't reply to my message, either. Were you with Instructor Feng the whole time?"
Chen Mochuan nodded. "Yeah. We talked about the fundamentals of fist theory for a while, and I learned a lot. Like you said, Instructor Feng really is a good teacher."
Li Biao was about to respond, but then he noticed that something seemed off with Chen Mochuan and couldn't help asking with concern, "You look exhausted."
"I sparred with Instructor Feng for a while and ran out of strength. I'll be fine after some rest," Chen Mochuan replied.
Li Biao stared at Chen Mochuan in astonishment, looking him up and down. "He treated you that well the first time he met you? I bought twenty private lessons from him back then, and I never got that kind of treatment... Did something happen during the lesson?"
Seeing how curious he was, Chen Mochuan smiled and said casually, "Maybe it's because I achieved Initiation in Tiger Fiend Fist. That made him see me in a different light."
"What? You achieved Initiation?!" Li Biao's eyes went round. "Are you kidding me? It's only been one morning!"
Seeing that Chen Mochuan wasn't joking, Li Biao sucked in a sharp breath. "I knew you were good, but this is just ridiculous..."
As if he wanted to get to know his old friend all over again, he reached out and firmly squeezed both of Chen Mochuan's arms. When he tried to feel his shoulders, though, Chen Mochuan dodged with a look of disgust.
Li Biao sheepishly withdrew his hand. Then something occurred to him, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face. "That Gao Yin was bragging to you this morning. I bet he's completely dumbfounded now, huh?"
Chen Mochuan shook his head, unconcerned with the man. "No idea. I've been focused on practicing my fist techniques the whole time. I haven't paid any attention to him."
Li Biao grinned, revealing two neat rows of white teeth. "It's fine. Next time I see him, I'll corner him myself and make sure he remembers what happened this morning. That guy's been messing with my head for ages!"
Seeing that Chen Mochuan still didn't look well, Li Biao knew he must be exhausted, so he suggested, "Come on, let's go to the dining hall. The food here is great. Eat a bit more and you'll get your strength back faster."
Chen Mochuan considered it for a moment, then said, "Instructor Feng told me I should get a professional massage first. He said it would help my body recover."
"Good point. A massage wouldn't feel great if you were stuffed," Li Biao readily agreed. "Come on, I'll take you to the Massage Room."
After they swiped their cards and registered at the service desk on the fourth floor, they parted ways and were each escorted to a separate Massage Room.
If he hadn't learned in advance about the benefits of being a Gold Member—free massages at the martial arts gym—Chen Mochuan would never have been willing to pay for one.
"Please change into these clothes first. The massage therapist will be here shortly." A staff member handed him a clean set of massage clothes, then politely closed the door and left.
Since he was covered in sweat, Chen Mochuan quickly showered in the bathroom. After changing into the massage clothes, he began looking around the Massage Room.
The tidy room was sparsely furnished. Besides the bathroom, it contained only a comfortable-looking massage bed, a small cabinet, and a rack holding bottles and jars.
The arrangement somehow reminded him of certain special scenes from movies and television in his previous life, making him feel a little nervous.
"Knock, knock, knock..." Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
A middle-aged man around forty, with a kind and honest-looking face, walked in. Chen Mochuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he really had been overthinking things.
"Hello. Please lie face down."
Chen Mochuan did as he was told. Across his two lifetimes, he had never had a full-body massage before, and being in a closed room made him feel a little ill at ease.
The middle-aged man took a burner of sandalwood incense from the rack and lit it beside the bed. Its delicate fragrance quickly filled the room, and Chen Mochuan felt his mind relax.
The massage therapist kneaded Chen Mochuan's back a few times to test the pressure, then began the massage.
His technique was very professional, and with the sandalwood incense soothing his mind, Chen Mochuan felt the soreness in his muscles gradually ease.
After massaging him for a while, the therapist offered a timely reminder. "Your muscles are quite fatigued. You trained a little too hard. I recommend controlling the intensity of your training next time to avoid pulling a muscle."
Chen Mochuan humbly agreed.
Then he saw the therapist take a glass bottle from his tool kit, scoop out a dollop of ointment with his finger, and prepare to apply it to his body.
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