Zhang Mingcheng

Inside the Tiger Fiend Fist specialized Martial Arts Room at Mingxin Martial Arts Hall.

"Bang!"

With a dull, thunderous thud, a heavy, custom-made sandbag was sent swinging high into the air by a single punch from Chen Mochuan, the movement drawing the attention of several other members in the room.

Seeing the effect of a punch delivered with his full strength, a surge of joy welled up in Chen Mochuan's heart.

At the same time, the information on the golden light screen refreshed right on cue:

[You have devoted yourself wholeheartedly to your training, gaining a deeper understanding of the Tiger Fiend Fist.]

[Tiger Fiend Fist: Proficient (100%) → Mastery (1%)]

After nearly a month of continuous, grueling training, Chen Mochuan had finally elevated this powerful fist technique to the brand-new realm of Mastery, giving him much more confidence for tomorrow's midterm exam.

To consolidate his newly broken-through realm, he practiced his fist techniques around the sandbag for a while longer. Just as he felt a hint of fatigue and was drinking water to rest, a gentle male voice suddenly came from beside him.

"Young brother, excuse me, sorry to bother you."

Chen Mochuan turned his head to look. The speaker was a middle-aged man, about forty years old, with a medium build and a scholarly, refined appearance.

He had some impression of this person, not only because he was the oldest student in this Tiger Fiend Fist room, but also because he could see this man's diligent figure almost every night he came to train; he was quite a familiar face.

However, this middle-aged man's martial arts talent seemed truly lackluster. Despite his hard training, judging by his daily performance, his blood-energy value likely hadn't even broken through the seventh stage; he was merely a sixth-stage Martial Artist.

"Is there something you need?" Chen Mochuan asked politely.

The middle-aged man smiled, his attitude sincere: "I see that your Tiger Fiend Fist is very well-honed, so I wanted to ask, would you mind sparring with me?"

When Feng Shi was not around, Chen Mochuan preferred to practice alone. He was just about to politely decline when he heard the other man continue:

"I know your training intensity is usually very high and your time is precious, so I certainly wouldn't expect you to give up your time for nothing. How about this... for one hour of sparring, I will pay you six hundred yuan as compensation. How does that sound?"

Chen Mochuan was stunned upon hearing this, only then realizing that the man wanted to hire him as a sparring partner.

He just hadn't expected that as a fourth-stage Martial Artist, his "hourly rate" for sparring could be set so high.

If it were a formal Martial Artist, charging tens of thousands per session would be normal, but the price the man offered was clearly above the market rate for his current stage.

Seeing that Chen Mochuan didn't respond immediately, the middle-aged man assumed he was dissatisfied with the price. After a moment of thought, he took the initiative to raise it: "How about eight hundred yuan an hour? I won't take up too much of your time, two or three times a week would be enough, and the specific times can be arranged entirely according to your convenience."

Chen Mochuan felt a slight chill in his heart. The price the man offered was more than enough to hire even those veteran seventh or eighth-stage Martial Artists as sparring partners.

He had been worrying about making money just a short while ago; this was like "getting a pillow just as you're feeling sleepy." But could there really be such a good thing in the world?

He worried that the man had ulterior motives, yet he didn't want to easily give up this opportunity to make money. After a slight hesitation, he said candidly: "If I'm not mistaken, you should be a sixth-stage Martial Artist. My blood-energy value is only at the fourth stage; I really can't see how I could be of much help to you in a spar."

"Young brother has a sharp eye. My blood-energy value is 6.88; I am indeed at the sixth stage." The middle-aged man first nodded in admission, then a helpless, bitter smile appeared on his face.

"To tell you the truth, I have been practicing this Tiger Fiend Fist for over two years, but I have always been stuck at the 'Proficient' level, unable to make any progress."

"Just now, watching your stance and the way you exerted force when hitting the sandbag, your understanding of this fist technique is clearly above mine. That is why I wanted to use actual combat to personally feel the difference and see if I could have a breakthrough."

Chen Mochuan suddenly understood.

He usually focused only on his own training when he came here and hadn't specifically observed the fist technique levels of others. Now that the man mentioned it, he realized that this Mr. Zhang really did have limited talent, having remained at the Proficient stage despite such diligent practice for over two years.

However, he quickly let it go. Martial arts talent varied from person to person; otherwise, schools wouldn't distinguish between the Arts Department and the Martial Arts Department.

The fact that someone of his age could still maintain such enthusiasm for martial arts and invest so much time and energy was truly admirable.

Perhaps the man saw that he was progressing quickly and thought he had mastered some unique secret, which was why he wanted to find inspiration through sparring.

"With all due respect, I am also just feeling my way forward. I don't have any experience in how to guide others to improve their fist techniques."

"No matter, no matter." The middle-aged man waved his hands quickly. "You just need to perform the Tiger Fiend Fist normally during our spar. How much I can comprehend is my own business. Whether I gain anything or not, I will never blame you. So... does that mean you agree?"

Seeing the man's sincere attitude, Chen Mochuan nodded: "Alright, shall we start now?"

"Good, straightforward! I'll transfer the money to you first." The middle-aged man said, preparing to operate his personal terminal.

"Don't rush," Chen Mochuan quickly stopped him. "Let's spar for a while first, and you can see the results before deciding." He wasn't thick-skinned enough to accept money before doing anything.

"Young brother is an honest person! Very well, let's give it a try first." The middle-aged man laughed, introducing himself at the same time, "My surname is Zhang, Zhang Mingcheng."

"Chen Mochuan."

After briefly exchanging names, the two walked to an empty corner of the Martial Arts Room, set their stances, and began to spar.

During the spar, Chen Mochuan noticed that Zhang Mingcheng had also mastered Clear Force, but his application of the force appeared quite raw and rigid, not even as flexible or clever as his own, despite him having only grasped Clear Force a month ago.

His Tiger Fiend Fist moves were also by the book, as if he had copied the manual entirely, lacking the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. It was evident that his two years of hard training had only scratched the surface.

However, relying on his robust blood-energy of nearly 7 points, every punch Zhang Mingcheng threw was heavy and powerful, still putting significant pressure on Chen Mochuan and forming a clear suppression in terms of strength.

Yet, this kind of steady, strength-dominant opponent was exactly what Chen Mochuan liked most at the moment.

The continuous pressure could better stimulate his potential, allowing him to adapt to and consolidate his martial arts techniques faster in actual combat—not to mention that the other party was also willing to pay a good fee.

Compared to Chen Mochuan's composure, Zhang Mingcheng was even more delighted inside.

He had held a dream of martial arts since he was young, but his talent was truly mediocre, and he had been forced to hustle for a living in his youth, temporarily setting martial arts aside.

It wasn't until he had drifted through the business world and accumulated a substantial fortune that he picked up his old dream again near the age of forty, using his ample resources to stack his blood-energy to a level near the seventh stage.

He chose Mingxin Martial Arts Hall not only for training but also to expand his connections in the martial arts circle.