Lu Ren, Late to the Fight

In the school cafeteria, Chen Mochuan and Li Biao found a place to sit, each carrying a towering stack of plates.

Li Biao glanced several times at the "small mountain" in front of Chen Mochuan and couldn't help swallowing. "Brother Chuan, your appetite... seems to have grown again! I followed you while getting food just now, and I accidentally ordered too much myself..."

He stopped halfway through, cautiously swept his gaze around, and only leaned closer to lower his voice after confirming the nearest students were four or five meters away. "Don't tell me you awakened a Spirit Talent related to 'eating,' just like me?"

Then, as if recalling something, he hurriedly waved his hands. "Don't tell me exactly what it does. Just tell me whether my guess is right!"

Chen Mochuan smiled. "You guessed half of it right."

"Half right means right!" Li Biao immediately wore an I knew it expression. "What did I say? We're brothers, aren't we? Even our awakened Spirit Talents are so alike!"

Though they chatted, neither slowed down while eating. They swept through the heaps of food on their plates like a whirlwind, their astonishing appetites and speed drawing frequent sidelong glances from the surrounding students.

After the meal, the overly full Li Biao dragged Chen Mochuan around campus for a walk to digest their food.

With Chen Mochuan's current digestive abilities after awakening Spirit Devourer, he didn't need a walk at all, nor would his body feel any burden.

Still, thinking that balancing work and rest might benefit his upcoming training, he let Li Biao have his way.

More than ten minutes later, the two returned to the Martial Arts Arena right as evening class began.

From six to seven-thirty every evening was the fixed evening class period for third-year Martial Arts Department students.

Unlike daytime classes, evening classes weren't taught uniformly by teachers and mainly consisted of self-study.

Students could choose their own training content, but all subject teachers were present, responsible for maintaining discipline while also being ready to answer questions and offer guidance at any time.

Though such an arrangement made some lazier students groan, the Martial Arts Department's schedule was already relatively relaxed compared to the Liberal Arts Department.

Third-year Liberal Arts students didn't get out until ten every night and only had half a day off each weekend, while Martial Arts Department students could rest for a full day on weekends.

That was mainly because students whose bodies were still developing and whose martial arts realms were still low suffered tremendous physical depletion from daily high-intensity martial arts training. They needed sufficient rest to ease fatigue and restore their Blood-Qi.

If they followed the Liberal Arts Department's class schedule, Martial Arts Department students would sooner or later develop physical problems.

Li Biao swept his gaze around the Martial Arts Arena, sidled up to Chen Mochuan, and muttered in a low voice:

"Brother Chuan, Lu Ren saw your Foundation Building Fist reach Great Completion this afternoon. He probably panicked and directly took leave from fist techniques class to slip away. He still hasn't come back... I just feel that bastard's brewing something nasty. Who knows what kind of tricks he's pulling."

Chen Mochuan nodded slightly. "I know. Don't worry about him. We should focus on our own matters."

Li Biao had been somewhat worried, but seeing how composed Chen Mochuan was, he relaxed as well.

At seven-thirty, the Martial Arts Department's evening class ended on time.

Since he had a scheduled fight that night, Chen Mochuan focused on the Foundation Building Fist during evening class.

Combining what he had gained from the afternoon's fist techniques class, he digested another portion of his insights and successfully pushed the Foundation Building Fist from [Great Completion (3%)] to [Great Completion (6%)]. His Blood-Qi Value also rose to [3.09].

Though the progress wasn't as swift as when he first absorbed insights last night, the feeling of steadily improving through continuous practice, a slow stream that never ran dry, made him feel deeply grounded.

On top of that, he had just received a message saying the two-thousand-yuan scholarship for reaching Great Completion in the Foundation Building Fist had arrived. With his bank balance nearing six thousand, he was in an excellent mood.

When Chen Mochuan and Li Biao arrived at the No. 1 Simulation Combat Room they had agreed on with the Lu Brothers, they saw Lu Feng followed by a dense crowd of twenty or thirty people.

Li Biao cursed inwardly and tugged Chen Mochuan's sleeve. "Brother Chuan, they don't come in peace. That brat brought so many people here—he clearly wants to watch you make a fool of yourself!"

"Who'll make a fool of themselves in the end is still hard to say." Chen Mochuan's tone remained calm.

He wasn't afraid of being watched. On the contrary, he felt that such a scene could better ignite his fighting spirit. If he couldn't even withstand this much pressure, how would he fight Ferocious Beasts in the future?

"True! Once Lu Feng loses, let's see what face those two brothers have left to come trouble you again!" Li Biao nodded in agreement.

Chen Mochuan stepped forward and looked at the clearly distracted Lu Feng. "Shall we start?"

Lu Feng's eyes wandered from side to side. At this place that had long been arranged, he still hadn't seen his brother.

He had been unable to contact Lu Ren since the afternoon. His messages went unanswered, his calls were ignored, and when he asked students from the elite class, they only said Lu Ren had taken leave and left that afternoon.

He had always followed his brother's lead. The plan to challenge Chen Mochuan had been set by his brother, and even the ordinary-class students behind him who had come to watch after hearing the news were here because his brother had spread word beforehand.

With his brother absent now, he immediately felt lost and helpless. "Let's wait for my brother a little longer. He should be here soon..."

"You set the time and place. I'm fighting you, not Lu Ren. What are we waiting for?" Chen Mochuan frowned.

At this hour, he would normally still be doing extra training. He had no desire to waste time standing around for such meaningless waiting.

Seeing Lu Feng mumble without being able to say anything, Li Biao sneered. "Weren't you acting pretty tough this morning? Now that your brother isn't here, you can't even think for yourself?"

The students behind Lu Feng who had been waiting to watch the show also grew impatient, and low murmurs and urging rose from the crowd.

Backed into a corner, Lu Feng steeled himself and gritted his teeth. "Fine! Then let's begin!"

Li Biao immediately grinned and dramatically gave him a thumbs-up. "Good! You're a real man! I take back what I said just now. You haven't disgraced No. 8 High School!"

Then his tone shifted as he looked at Chen Mochuan. "Brother Chuan, hurry up and finish him so we can get supper sooner!"

Chen Mochuan glanced at Li Biao, amused inwardly. He hadn't realized this kid was so good at getting under people's skin.

Just as the two were about to enter the Holographic Virtual Pods, a burst of hurried, chaotic footsteps came from outside.

Lu Ren, who had vanished for half the day, rushed into the Simulated Combat Room, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"W-Wait... Lu Feng, you... come here!"

The originally uneasy Lu Feng saw his brother appear and, as if he had found his backbone, immediately followed him quickly out of the combat room.

"Tch... He really knows how to pick his timing!" Li Biao looked thoroughly annoyed.

Not knowing how long those two would continue messing around, Chen Mochuan didn't want to waste time standing idly by. After greeting Li Biao, he ignored everyone around him and assumed the Root-Solidifying Stance on the spot.

Outside, Lu Ren ignored his younger brother's string of questions and pulled him straight toward an unoccupied corner.

After confirming no one had followed them, Lu Ren took out a thumb-sized bottle from his pocket and shoved it into Lu Feng's hand. "Drink it."

Lu Feng accepted the bottle blankly and instinctively looked down at it.

When his gaze swept over the marking etched into the inner wall of the bottle, his body stiffened, and he cried out instinctively, "Burn—mmph..."

Lu Ren reacted with lightning speed, clamping a hand tightly over his brother's mouth and forcibly pressing back the rest of his cry. He lowered his voice and snapped, "Keep quiet!"