Sparring Partner

A month ago, Chen Mochuan had suddenly appeared and displayed astonishing insight. The young man had long since caught Zhang Mingcheng's attention.

He had witnessed Chen Mochuan reach Initiation in Tiger Fiend Fist in half a day, earning him the special favor of Feng Shi, a young Martial Artist who often used "sparring" as an excuse to guide him.

Zhang Mingcheng's own martial cultivation wasn't particularly high, but he was experienced and had a keen eye. He had watched Chen Mochuan's near breakneck progress over the past few weeks.

He had just carefully studied Chen Mochuan's form as he struck the punching bag and judged that his Tiger Fiend Fist was close to, or perhaps had already reached, the Proficiency level.

Thinking of how he had spent more than two years in hard training and still lingered at Proficiency, while Chen Mochuan had touched a level he could barely reach in just one short month, Zhang Mingcheng was deeply shocked. He couldn't help marveling at how vast the gap in talent between people could be.

But that enormous gap only strengthened his resolve.

He had long wanted to befriend a promising prospect like Chen Mochuan. He'd simply lacked a suitable opportunity, and feared that approaching him out of the blue might put him off, so he had held back.

Today, at last, with Chen Mochuan making great strides in Tiger Fiend Fist, Zhang Mingcheng had found a perfectly reasonable pretext: asking him for pointers on his boxing. It wouldn't seem abrupt, and it would let them establish a connection naturally—a two-for-one deal.

Fortunately, things had gone even more smoothly than he'd expected. They had made their first connection.

Although Zhang Mingcheng had initially approached him with some self-serving intentions, hoping to befriend a genius, the pure love of martial arts had gradually taken precedence as their fists and feet clashed.

Soon, he had cast aside all distracting thoughts and thrown himself wholeheartedly into this rare live sparring session.

As the sparring went on, Zhang Mingcheng grew more and more delighted. The boy's boxing was freewheeling and imaginative, never confined by fixed routines. Every move he casually brought out carried a unique understanding that opened Zhang Mingcheng's eyes.

After experiencing it firsthand, Zhang Mingcheng became even more certain: Chen Mochuan's Tiger Fiend Fist had undoubtedly reached Mastery.

And he felt it went beyond that. He had sparred with other practitioners of Tiger Fiend Fist at Mastery, but compared with theirs, Chen Mochuan's boxing had a distinctive fluidity and edge.

Even over the course of this brief sparring session, he vaguely sensed that Chen Mochuan's technique was still being fine-tuned—and improving.

Is this the world of true geniuses? Zhang Mingcheng thought with a sigh.

Perhaps infected by Chen Mochuan's immersion in martial arts and relentless pursuit of progress, Zhang Mingcheng actually caught a hint of a rhythm in their exchange that he had never felt before.

He felt as if his own boxing had brushed against the threshold of a breakthrough, and soon became completely absorbed in the world of boxing.

"Okay, okay... Let's stop for now."

After about half an hour, Zhang Mingcheng panted heavily and called an end to the sparring himself. He was clearly exhausted.

Chen Mochuan's clothes were soaked with sweat too, but he was in much better spirits. Judging by the look of him, he could have kept going for another hour or so.

Zhang Mingcheng couldn't help sighing. "I'm getting old. My stamina really can't compare to you young folks'."

Chen Mochuan still felt he hadn't had enough. The high-quality sparring session had lasted over half an hour, and the results had been astonishingly good.

[You encountered an opponent slightly stronger than yourself. Under sustained pressure, you maintained a sound balance between offense and defense, gaining a deeper understanding of Tiger Fiend Fist.]

[Tiger Fiend Fist: Mastery (1%) → Mastery (2%)]

He had thought that progress would slow considerably once Tiger Fiend Fist reached Mastery, but it seemed that real combat against a suitable opponent was still an excellent way to hone martial skills and unlock one's potential.

Under pressure, his Spirit Devourer talent also seemed to digest the martial insights in his mind more efficiently.

After resting briefly, Zhang Mingcheng took the initiative to add Chen Mochuan as a contact on his messaging app, then readily made the transfer through his Personal Terminal.

When Chen Mochuan saw the notification on his terminal—"Transfer of 800 yuan, awaiting acceptance"—he immediately said, "Brother Zhang, we haven't even sparred for an hour. If you're only paying me for half an hour, 400 yuan is enough."

Zhang Mingcheng waved him off, sincere in his tone. "Little Chen, I've hired plenty of experienced Ninth- and even Tenth-Rank Martial Warriors before. The inspiration and insights you've given me are worth far more than what I got from them. You can't measure that by time alone... This 800 is what you deserve."

Chen Mochuan knew that he might have gained even more from the sparring in terms of his boxing. With Zhang Mingcheng still paying him such a generous fee, he felt a little uneasy.

Zhang Mingcheng, who was good at dealing with people, keenly noticed what was on his mind and smiled. "I'm hoping you'll have time to keep giving me pointers on my boxing. We've got plenty of time ahead of us, so just don't start thinking this old brother of yours is wasting yours."

Seeing how sincere he was, Chen Mochuan finally accepted the 800 yuan and agreed with him that they could spar again tomorrow if they were both free.

Watching Chen Mochuan turn back to the punching bag and prepare to continue training, Zhang Mingcheng couldn't help feeling deeply moved.

"With talent like that, and such hard work and discipline, this boy's future is absolutely limitless! Mortal Shedding won't be his endpoint. The third realm, Inner Scene... perhaps even the fourth, Core Formation Realm—that might be where his true limits lie."

He resolved to invest in this young genius properly if the chance arose.

In fact, even setting aside the long-term investment, the 800 yuan he'd paid for a sparring partner was worth every cent right now.

His boxing had made no progress in ages, yet today he had felt the first signs of improvement. He was more than happy to pay!

If he hadn't worried that being too enthusiastic might lead to needless misunderstandings, he would have wanted to pay even more.

Still, adding Chen Mochuan as a contact and establishing an ongoing connection—the main goal of the day—had already gone better than he could have hoped. Zhang Mingcheng was content and didn't try to rush things.

After the sparring session, Chen Mochuan practiced Tiger Fiend Fist alone for a while, carefully savoring what he had learned and consolidating his current level. Only then did he drag his exhausted body off for a restorative massage and enjoy the martial arts center's nutritious dinner.

Afterward, he logged into Heaven Martial Battle Net and played five ranked matches.

He finished with three wins and two losses, raising his score to 990 points in the Black Iron tier. He was once again closing in on the 1,000-point mark, just one win away from advancing to Bronze.

However, as his score continued to rise, there were no weak opponents left in his Battle Net matchups. He had to give every ranked match his all, win or lose, and they took a considerable toll on his energy and focus.

After an intense evening of training and ranked matches, he now felt deeply exhausted. The status panel clearly indicated that he was currently in a [Moderate Fatigue] state.

When he checked the time, he saw that it was already late.

Remembering his homeroom teacher Han Zhen's instructions and the crucial midterm exams tomorrow, he decided to head home and rest at once so he wouldn't affect his performance.

He planned to wait until the exams were over before making a full-on push for the Bronze tier.