Sparring

As the explosive sound faded.

A burning sensation erupted on his left cheekbone.

Warm liquid gushed out instantly, sliding down his cheek and dripping into the corner of his mouth.

Salty, metallic.

Zhou Kai instinctively retreated half a step, raising his hand to wipe it away casually.

"Good reaction."

Chen Ping retracted his fist and stood tall, his face devoid of any apology, or even the slightest ripple of emotion.

His eyes were as calm as a deep, stagnant pool.

"But, you can be faster!"

As the words fell, Chen Ping reset his stance, that solid, concentrated killing intent locking onto Zhou Kai once more.

"Continue!"

Zhou Kai took a deep breath, air mixed with the scent of blood filling his lungs.

The stinging pain from the wound on his face felt like it had opened a valve for his adrenaline.

It's here... that familiar feeling.

His heartbeat drummed like a war song, his blood roaring and surging through his veins.

A fine tremor ran through his entire body, not from fear, but from excitement.

"Fine! Let's go!"

Zhou Kai grinned, laughing with satisfaction as he licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, the clarity in his eyes replaced by a touch of madness.

The world rapidly faded in his perception, leaving only black and white.

Chen Ping was no longer a coach, but a collection of countless vital points and weaknesses.

Throat, eye sockets, temples, knee joints...

Boom!

Zhou Kai stomped hard on the floor, his entire body launching forward like a cannonball.

He no longer defended, no longer dodged, but took every skill he had learned over these past few days—[Comprehensive Combat], [Light Footwork], [Soraka Swordsmanship]...

And fused them all into the most primitive, most pure form of attack!

A smile also appeared on the corner of Chen Ping's mouth.

Not bad, that's it!

This is the person I chose!

The muffled thuds of fists meeting palms and the crisp sounds of bone colliding echoed wildly within the enclosed space.

From three in the afternoon until nine at night.

Six full hours.

Zhou Kai could not remember how many times he had been knocked down, nor how many times he had been jolted awake from the brink of unconsciousness by searing pain.

His left arm had been dislocated three times, only for Chen Ping to casually snap it back into place.

The muscles in his right leg were torn, and they were still burning with pain...

At 9:01, when Zhou Kai tried to crawl up from the floor again, his body finally reached its breaking point.

No amount of adrenaline could force this machine, pushed to its absolute limit, to start again.

He leaned against the weapon rack, every inch of his muscles trembling.

Opposite him, Chen Ping only had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Coach Chen." Zhou Kai's voice was hoarse, "Is this also the effect of Ancient Martial Arts?"

"It is." Chen Ping picked up a single-edged blade, gesturing with it seemingly aimlessly; the blade light flickered under the lamps, cold and bone-chilling.

"When fighting me, how much of your strength did you use?"

Chen Ping raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "I don't want to crush your confidence. We'll talk about that later."

"Is that so..."

Zhou Kai did not press the issue.

Asking would be a waste of time anyway.

The gap in strength must be measured with one's own fists.

He would know sooner or later.

He closed his eyes, watching the subtitles of his gains.

[Comprehensive Combat EXP +5]

Light Footwork experience +7

...Worth it.

As he focused on recovering, Chen Ping suddenly spoke: "There is one point where you exceeded my expectations. Very few people at your stage can manage to utilize their emotions rather than being controlled by them."

Zhou Kai opened his eyes, his gaze remaining clear—or rather, possessing a unique kind of calmness.

Chen Ping set down his single-edged blade, offering praise without reservation: "Learning to utilize hormones, to utilize emotions, and to treat the body as a machine that can be overclocked at any moment is the prerequisite for becoming a qualified martial artist. You already possess the key to controlling greater power."

Zhou Kai raised a hand, lightly touching the scabbed wound on his cheekbone.

"So that's how it is. That punch of yours was to force me into the zone..."

"No." Chen Ping shook his head, a look of innocent amusement on his face, "I was simply getting carried away and failed to control my strength for a moment."

Zhou Kai: "..."

"Go have dinner." Chen Ping turned around, "My promise remains unchanged. If you can return, I will be here until tomorrow morning."

Zhou Kai's eyes flashed, and he nodded: "Alright, I need a few hours. I will return at dawn."

He prepared to return to Nightmare once to use the fireplace to recover from his total exhaustion.

Downstairs at Falcon Wing Boxing Gym, Lu Yan was waiting with her bag, having been there for over an hour.

Seeing Zhou Kai come downstairs, she immediately trotted over, keenly noticing the wound on his face, and her willow-leaf eyebrows instantly shot up in anger.

"Why didn't you answer your phone? Was it that coach again? What exactly does he want? No, I'm going to report him!"

The fact that someone had been waiting for him the whole time caused the lingering tension in Zhou Kai's heart to dissipate significantly, though it also made him feel even more exhausted.

Zhou Kai raised his hand, pressing down on the phone she was about to use to make a call.

"Sis, it's a misunderstanding. Coach Chen is doing this for my own good."

Lu Yan was stunned by his gaze, her cheeks flushing slightly. She pushed his hand away awkwardly and rolled her eyes: "Fine, I'm just wasting my concern!"

Zhou Kai smiled, showing just the right amount of apology: "Let me treat you to dinner today?"

As the words left his mouth, he seemed to remember something: Oh, right, the money for the meal was what she had transferred to me yesterday.

Lu Yan put on a haughty expression, hands on her hips, and nodded: "Who wants to eat a meal paid for by a poor kid like you!"

However, twenty minutes later...

At the food stall, Lu Yan was happily snatching the pan-fried buns from in front of Zhou Kai.

Both of them were training their bodies, so their appetites were quite healthy.

Once the first round of dishes was finished, they were barely half-full.

Lu Yan waved at the waiter to order more food.

Taking advantage of the gap while ordering, Zhou Kai asked as if casually: "Sister Yan, has my sister been hanging out with a friend named Sui Die lately?"

Lu Yan was Zhou Qing's college roommate and best friend, their relationship so close they were like biological sisters...

To the point that Zhou Kai almost treated her like his own sister.

Lu Yan's movements stiffened, the corners of her mouth twitched, and her eyes darted away: "Ha... has she already brought her to see you?"

Zhou Kai narrowed his eyes: "What kind of person is she exactly?"

Lu Yan seemed to be hiding something, stammering: "I don't really know, I just know that the two of them... met last year."

Last year, huh?

Zhou Kai felt relieved; his previous judgment had been confirmed.

As for what exactly Sui Die was up to with his sister, it was best not to concern himself with that.

Zhou Kai and Lu Yan's gazes met, both having the feeling that they knew what the other was thinking.

Lu Yan gave a dry laugh, signaling that there were some things they shouldn't talk about.

"It's all in the juice!"

Lu Yan raised her orange juice.

Zhou Kai also raised his lychee soda.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill.

"I'll go pay the bill, you stay here."

Lu Yan had claimed she was off alcohol, but after one glass of juice, she felt a bit repressed.

Soon, six taels of baijiu were down her throat, burning her until she slumped over the table like a pile of mud.

For Zhou Kai, this was purely an accident.

"Looks like I have to find a way to get Sister Yan home first."

Zhou Kai shook his head, patted Lu Yan on the shoulder, and signaled for her not to move around.

He walked quickly toward the front desk.

"Check, please."

However, to his surprise, the girl at the front desk had her chin almost resting on the counter, her head bobbing up and down like a roly-poly toy.