Fighting Spirit

The sun climbed higher, and it was nearly noon.

Ma Jun came to the back courtyard to call Chen Yue to dinner. Only then did Chen Yue emerge from his immersive state of cultivation. He felt refreshed and not the least bit tired. On the contrary, his blood and qi were coursing through him, and he was full of energy.

He leaped down from the Plum Blossom Stakes and followed Ma Jun to the dining hall in the front courtyard.

Four dishes and a soup had already been set out on an Eight Immortals table: a plate of glistening red-braised pork, a bowl of steamed fish, a plate of greens, a dish of meat with large bones, and, in the middle, a large bowl of egg-drop soup sprinkled with scallions. Steam curled from the rice, and the food smelled delicious.

They hadn't seen a spread like this more than a handful of times in all their years in Pearl Village.

Father Chen and Mother Chen had already been invited to sit at the table, but both perched on the very edges of their stools.

When they began eating, Father Chen and Mother Chen only reached for the greens, picking at them now and then and chewing slowly. They barely even glanced at the glossy red-braised pork or the meat with large bones.

"Uncle, Auntie, don't just eat the vegetables. You should eat the meat and fish while they're hot," Ma Jun said with a cheerful smile. Seeing them hesitate, he quickly got up, picked up the generous plate of red-braised pork, and set it right in front of them.

"Once you're here, treat this place like home. Please, don't stand on ceremony. Our junior brother is one of us, so you two are our elders. How could we let our elders eat nothing but greens? If Master Zhou found out, he'd give us an earful."

Yu Kan added warmly, "Ma Jun's right. Uncle, Auntie, while our junior brother is training, you should eat well too and keep your strength up. Then he can focus on his martial arts without worrying about you.

"If you don't touch the food, we won't be able to finish all this meat."

Listening to Yu Kan and Ma Jun's sincere words, looking at the plate of meat they'd set before them, and seeing their son give them a gentle nod, Father Chen and Mother Chen began to lose some of their unease.

A smile appeared on Father Chen's face. "All right, all right. Thank you, thank you..."

He picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of tender red-braised pork in Mother Chen's bowl, then took a piece for himself. In a low voice, he said, "Go on and eat. Don't let Master Zhou and the two young men's kindness go to waste."

Mother Chen's eyes reddened. She nodded and took small bites, the long-missed aroma of meat gradually spreading through her mouth.

Ma Jun grinned, then looked over at Chen Yue. Seeing more rice than side dishes in his bowl, he picked up a spoon and, without giving him a chance to protest, scooped the remaining half-plate of red-braised pork, meat and sauce alike, into Chen Yue's bowl until it was piled high.

"Junior brother, you need to eat more than anyone! You need a full belly to have the strength to train! Senior Brother Yu, dish out some of the fish too!"

Yu Kan smiled as he picked the best middle section of the steamed fish for Chen Yue, then served some to Father Chen and Mother Chen as well.

Looking at the mountain of meat and vegetables in his bowl and feeling his two senior brothers' genuine concern, Chen Yue felt a warm current surge through him. He knew they weren't just being polite; they truly considered him one of their own.

He lifted his bowl and said solemnly to Yu Kan and Ma Jun, "Thank you, Senior Brother Yu. Thank you, Senior Brother Ma! I'll work hard, I promise!"

Then Chen Yue stopped holding back. He shoveled rice into his mouth, savoring the delicious fish and tender, fragrant red-braised pork. He ate with gusto.

"We're fellow disciples. There's no need to thank us like that," Yu Kan said with a smile, waving a hand to show Chen Yue he needn't say any more.

After lunch, Chen Yue rested briefly, then threw himself back into training. The courtyard, the Plum Blossom Stakes, and the quiet room all became his training grounds.

Chen Yue alternated between practicing Treading Mountains and Rivers and the Mountain-Crushing Art, repeatedly honing his nimble, unpredictable footwork and his fierce, explosive fist techniques, striving to wield them at will in actual combat.

Whenever he felt his strength and inner breath running low, Chen Yue found a secluded corner, sat cross-legged, and silently circulated the inner-breath method of the Mountain-Crushing Art.

The medicine from the morning's dose of Tendon-Strengthening and Bone-Forging Powder had not yet fully dissipated. Some of its pure energy still lay dormant throughout his limbs and bones. Now, as he focused and practiced, he stirred and refined that remaining power once more, turning it into wisps of pure blood and qi that flowed into his meridians and nourished his body.

Chen Yue could clearly feel that each cycle of inner breath now brought a much greater increase in blood and qi and a much stronger effect on his physique than his usual solitary training.

He remained immersed in a state where self and surroundings seemed to vanish throughout the afternoon, until the sun sank in the west.

Unlike the stifling days in Pearl Village, when he had to stay constantly alert and practice in secret, the Iron Mountain Hall gave Chen Yue a sense of security and ease he had never felt before.

Here, he had his master's protection, his senior brothers' support, and plenty to eat. He could devote all his energy and time to pursuing the martial way without a single distraction.

In such an environment, his training efficiency reached an astonishing level.

Only after daylight had completely faded and the hall's lamps were lit did Chen Yue awaken from a long session of regulating his breath. He glanced over his status panel, and his eyes brightened.

[Treading Mountains and Rivers (Perfection 11181/20000)]

[Mountain-Crushing Art (Perfection 11161/20000)]

By a rough count, in only a few hours, his proficiency in Treading Mountains and Rivers and the Mountain-Crushing Art had each surged by nearly 1,600 points!

That rate of progress was terrifying.

Chen Yue's gaze shifted to the [Realm] entry.

[Realm: Skin Refining Realm (191/300)]

"191 points... It was 181 when I finished the medicinal bath this morning. My training today, along with the lingering effects of the medicine, added another 10." Chen Yue did the math.

That meant one dose of Tendon-Strengthening and Bone-Forging Powder had added a total of 30 points to his cultivation progress—almost as much as four or five days of his usual hard training.

"Medicines are really that effective..." Chen Yue once again felt keenly how important resources were.

Night had fallen deep, and the martial hall was silent. But Chen Yue did not stop. By the cold light of the moon, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused his mind. He continued to circulate the Mountain-Crushing Art's inner breath, guiding the remaining medicinal power through the skin all over his body and fortifying every bit of the blood and qi he had gained.

Chen Yue felt no fear about the Life-Death Arena in a few days. Instead, powerful fighting spirit and confidence surged within him.

With his mastery of the Mountain-Crushing Art and Treading Mountains and Rivers, combined with his limit-broken Iron Mountain Saber, he was confident he could defeat Xiong Wu in a fight.

But confidence was one thing; he never took any opponent lightly, and he would never underestimate the malice in people's hearts.

Chen Yue still knew far too little about this world, and his understanding of local powers like the Sea Shark Gang, entrenched in the area for years, was limited. No one knew what tricks they might secretly resort to in order to win a deadly fight that concerned their pride.

Only absolute strength could meet every contingency!

Unable to predict all of his opponent's hidden cards, the only thing he could do was use the time he had to hone himself until he was strong enough to crush any trick and shatter any scheme!

So Chen Yue didn't dare slack off for even a moment. He had to seize these few days and push his strength to a higher level.

In the days that followed, Chen Yue's routine became extremely regular.

Every four days, he took a medicinal bath. During the day, he honed Treading Mountains and Rivers and the Mountain-Crushing Art. At night, he sat in meditation to regulate his breath and absorb what he'd gained that day. Time flew by as he focused on his arduous training.

Hepu County wasn't large, and within days, word of the Sea Shark Gang and the Iron Mountain Hall arranging a fight at the Life-Death Arena had spread to every corner of the county.

At the docks, restaurants, teahouses, and shops—in every place where news traveled fast—people gathered in whispers to discuss it.

"Have you heard? Xiong Wu of the Sea Shark Gang is going to fight that new disciple from the Iron Mountain Hall at the Life-Death Arena!"

"A new disciple at the Iron Mountain Hall? Who? I hadn't heard Master Zhou had taken on anyone lately."

"Heh, you'll be shocked when I tell you! He's a Pearl Diver from Pearl Village! His name's Chen Yue!"

"What? A Pearl Diver? Fighting the Sea Shark Gang at the Life-Death Arena? Has he gone mad? He's asking to die!"

"Who knows?"

"Tsk, this is going to be quite a spectacle! A Pearl Diver... and a fight at the Life-Death Arena. How many years has it been since we've seen something this unusual?"