Calls for Help

Just as Chen Mochuan felt he had touched the threshold of mastering Tiger Roaring and let out another shout, he suddenly saw his struggling opponent turn into a beam of white light and vanish directly from the arena.

"Huh? Is the power of my Tiger Roaring already that great, that I roared him to death?"

"No... it seems he surrendered..."

Chen Mochuan sighed inwardly, "I finally found a somewhat durable sparring partner, and just as I was reaching a critical point in my practice, why did he run away..."

Without giving him much time to ponder, a series of ranking settlement notifications from the Heaven Martial Battle Net followed.

"You have won this ranked match!"

"Points +13 (Base victory points +10, Blood-Qi Value difference bonus +2, 3-win streak bonus +1)"

"Your Black Iron rank points have reached 1000. Your rank has been promoted to Bronze, and you have received 50 points of rank-drop protection."

"Your current rank is: Bronze (53 points)"

"Congratulations on your first promotion to the Bronze rank. You have taken a solid step forward; please keep up the good work and strive for new heights!"

Looking at the word "first" in the final notification, Chen Mochuan couldn't help but smile. The system specifically emphasized "first," which meant that if he were to drop in rank and promote again later, this congratulatory message would likely be absent.

After the settlement, he exited the arena and returned to his personal space on the Heaven Martial Battle Net. Chen Mochuan immediately cast aside distracting thoughts and started matching for the next ranked match; he wanted to strike while the iron was hot and integrate his practice of Tiger Roaring into actual combat.

In the following two ranked matches, he achieved one win and one loss, gaining some new insights into the practice of Tiger Roaring.

However, although Tiger Roaring was not a part of the inherent move set of the traditional Tiger Fiend Fist, but rather a special offensive technique created by a young Martial Artist based on this fist style, the Golden Light Screen did not separate it from the Tiger Fiend Fist to display its proficiency individually.

Furthermore, having never seen anyone else practice a similar sonic technique, Chen Mochuan lacked a point of reference and was unsure of the level his Tiger Roaring had reached.

He had originally intended to play a few more ranked matches to polish his Tiger Roaring against Bronze-tier opponents, but he inadvertently glanced at the time in the corner of the virtual interface and realized it was nearing nine o'clock.

He had been so immersed in observing the Wind-Howling Ferocious Tiger and practicing Tiger Roaring that he hadn't noticed the time. Thinking of the city-wide martial law currently in effect, he had to leave for home immediately.

On the way home, his thoughts were still lingering on his insights into practicing Tiger Roaring.

Just as he had thought before, combat was indeed the best way to temper various martial arts techniques.

Under the pressure of battle, his practice of Tiger Roaring had begun to show initial results, progressing much faster than practicing alone behind closed doors.

Reviewing these three ranked matches, he felt that while Tiger Roaring could indeed produce miraculous effects when used against an enemy, his lack of complete mastery meant the power of his roars was unstable—sometimes strong, sometimes weak—and the results were often less than ideal.

For instance, in the third ranked match, his opponent was extremely formidable. He had been on the back foot for most of the fight, but there was still room to maneuver, and he could have used the opponent to better temper his own martial arts.

However, after he used Tiger Roaring several times, his short-tempered opponent felt repeatedly provoked and deeply offended. The opponent flew into a rage and unleashed a move intended to cause mutual destruction, ending the fight quickly and leaving Chen Mochuan with a loss.

Fortunately, although the fight ended quickly, the immense pressure brought by the opponent's rage and the intensity of the combat process gave him significant gains. His Tiger Fiend Fist had improved further, reaching the Proficient (7%) level, and he had gained new realizations regarding Tiger Roaring.

Even though he was somewhat distracted while reviewing the previous battles in his mind, Chen Mochuan kept the safety guidelines of the martial law period firmly in mind, insisting on walking along main roads with bright streetlights.

The path from the Mingxin Martial Arts Hall to his home was usually quite lively at nine o'clock, but with the city-wide martial law in effect, most shops that relied on foot traffic, such as restaurants, had long since closed. The streets were no longer as brightly lit or crowded as usual.

In the night, Chen Mochuan could see almost no pedestrians, only the bright streetlights guiding his way home.

Having learned his lesson from the encounter with the Ferocious Rat last time, he tried his best to stay away from those deep, dark alleys and side paths along the way.

But just as he was passing a dim alley, Chen Mochuan suddenly stopped in his tracks. He vaguely caught some unusual sounds coming from the depths of the alley.

Having listened to tiger roars for a long time tonight, he was now extremely sensitive to sound.

He immediately focused his hearing and soon confirmed that someone in the alley was indeed calling for help!

Without the slightest hesitation, he moved away from the alley entrance immediately, retreating to the front of a steamed bun shop across the street, several dozen meters away. This was the only shop in the vicinity that was still lit and open for business.

It wasn't that he didn't want to save anyone, but his abilities were limited. If he were to act on impulse and rush directly into the dimly lit alley without knowing the situation, he might not only fail to save the person but also get himself trapped.

After all, the direct reason for the recent city-wide martial law was the suspected presence of dangerous cultists.

However, he did not ignore the matter. After confirming his own safety, he immediately dialed the emergency police number.

With the experience from last time, he calmly lowered his voice and explained the general situation and the location to the dispatcher in a concise and efficient manner. He even specifically mentioned that he had assisted in handling the Ferocious Rat case half a month ago, hoping to increase the credibility of the information and prompt the police to dispatch as quickly as possible.

After hanging up, he felt slightly more at ease and quickly observed the situation inside the steamed bun shop.

There were only three people inside: the shop owner, a plump middle-aged woman, and two customers who were just an elderly couple with white hair. None of them looked like people he could turn to for help.

Chen Mochuan did not tell these three about the cries for help he had discovered, lest they cause a panic that might alert the unknown danger in the alley.

However, it should be very safe here, as there was a municipal surveillance camera nearby pointed directly at the storefront of the bun shop.

Just like that, he suppressed his anxiety and waited quietly for the police to arrive, while keeping a close watch on the distant alley entrance, remaining vigilant against any situation that might arise.

"Young man, I see you've been standing outside for a while. Is something the matter?"

Chen Mochuan turned back and saw the middle-aged shop owner standing inside the shop, looking at him with a mix of suspicion and timidity. The two elderly people inside were also sneaking glances in his direction.

He realized the reason as soon as he thought about it. On a night under city-wide martial law, him standing alone at someone's shop entrance was indeed prone to causing misunderstandings.

The most critical thing was that he couldn't explain the reason at the moment.

In his haste, he couldn't think of a better excuse, so he immediately said, "I was thinking about what to eat for the night, and I was considering whether to buy a few steamed buns."

Upon hearing this, the tension on the shop owner's face visibly eased, and she said repeatedly, "Hey, is that all? Don't hesitate, let me treat you to a few buns..."

As she spoke, she greeted him warmly. Chen Mochuan knew it would be difficult to refuse at this moment without causing further complications, so he went along with it and went inside to rest for a while, which would also put the three of them at ease.

He chose a seat near the door and casually ordered two steamed buns, though most of his attention remained outside.

But just as the shop owner turned to get the buns, he keenly caught a sound approaching from the distance.