Defeat

Whoosh!

The students on Du Feng's side exchanged glances, the air in the room feeling as though it had stagnated.

Wang Jinquan's face, usually thick with rolls of fat, was now pulled tight as a block of iron.

He was clearly burning with genuine rage; there would be no such thing as a friendly sparring match today.

His combat techniques, which dominated the amateur level, along with the Falcon Strike Technique he had only just begun to grasp, would likely be unleashed without a shred of mercy.

Once things turned serious...

If this newcomer named Zhou Kai managed to walk away with just a layer of skin missing, he'd be lucky; in all likelihood, he would suffer broken bones and tendons, the kind of injury that would keep him bedridden for months.

Du Feng watched the hair-trigger tension between the two, his lips twitching, yet not a single word could force its way out.

The shame burning in his heart made his cheeks feel scorched.

In terms of sheer courage, he was actually inferior to a guy who had only been practicing martial arts for a week.

He gritted his teeth, cursing himself bloody in his mind.

A few seconds later, as if jolted awake, he whipped out his phone and tapped furiously on the screen, sending a message to Chen Ping.

"Senior Brother, that kid you've got your eye on is getting into it with Wang Jinquan!"

Ma Yifan stood behind Zhou Kai, his eyes reddening. "Zhou Kai, let's just forget it."

"This trashy martial arts hall isn't worth the trouble!"

In his eyes, Zhou Kai was only being targeted by this mad dog Wang Jinquan because he had stood up for him.

While he felt touched, he also felt an extreme disgust for the foul, suffocating atmosphere of the Falcon Wing Martial Arts Hall.

"Let's go somewhere else!"

"Zhou Kai, Brother Kai, trust me... I'll pay you back triple the tuition you paid, and I'll cover all your training costs from now on!"

Hearing this, Zhou Kai cast a slightly surprised glance at Ma Yifan.

Good heavens, a loyal brother right by my side?

Although this was a give-and-take situation and he was helping him to return a favor, Little Ma's words made Zhou Kai feel that wading into these muddy waters hadn't been in vain.

"It's fine, I appreciate the sentiment, but let me play with him for a bit first."

Zhou Kai gave Ma Yifan a reassuring look.

Ma Yifan froze for a moment, then nodded as if under a spell.

Just like when he had asked for help last time, there was a sense of composure in Zhou Kai's voice that made it impossible not to believe him.

At this moment.

Zhou Kai had already started walking, passing Wang Jinquan's side at a leisurely pace before coming to a stop five meters away.

He casually twisted his neck and rolled his shoulders, causing a few faint cracking sounds.

Then, with an expressionless face, he looked at Wang Jinquan and spoke: "I heard you've been here for at least two months."

"I'm quite curious, why didn't you act this cocky when Coach Chen was around? Was it... that you didn't want to? Or was it that you... didn't dare?"

"Of course, what I'm even more curious about is how much skill a piece of work like you has actually managed to learn in two months."

Zhou Kai spoke unhurriedly, but every word that landed in Wang Jinquan's ears felt like a mockery of his manhood.

"You little brat, I'm going to tear your mouth apart today!"

Swish!

Wang Jinquan was thoroughly provoked, a plume of hot white air spraying from his nostrils as he charged at Zhou Kai like an enraged bull.

His thick, bulging muscles strained against his loose training uniform, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Anyone with eyes could see that he and Zhou Kai were not even on the same level when it came to raw power.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Jinquan was right in front of him, giving Zhou Kai no room to react.

He unleashed a high whip kick, his heel locked straight, his short, thick leg acting like a battle axe that whistled as it tore through the air, aiming directly for Zhou Kai's chest.

"Damn, if that kick lands, someone's going to die, right?"

"Someone, hurry up and call Coach Chen!"

Wang Jinquan had gone for a lethal strike right out of the gate, leaving the surrounding students pale with fright.

But before they could even pull out their phones.

"Look!"

A cry of alarm drew everyone's gaze back to the center.

Boom!

Wang Jinquan's whip kick, which had carried the force of wind and thunder, struck nothing but empty air.

Zhou Kai merely shook his head indifferently.

"You... are too slow."

The scenes of sparring with Chen Ping were still flashing clearly through his mind.

Compared to the swift and heavy attacks of Chen Ping, the Wang Jinquan before him seemed to have triggered his own bullet time.

Zhou Kai's reactions and speed had long since been forcibly elevated during training to a level capable of keeping pace with Chen Ping.

Facing Wang Jinquan now.

Only two thoughts occupied his mind.

"Slow, and full of openings!"

"With these amateur skills, what have you been doing for the past two months, eating shit?"

Zhou Kai sneered, engaging his core, twisting his waist, and swinging his arm in one fluid motion.

Bang!

A heavy, powerful left hook tore through the air and slammed solidly into Wang Jinquan's face.

A spray of blood instantly erupted from Wang Jinquan's mouth, and the dull sound of flesh meeting fist shattered all the worry, pity, or mockery held by the onlookers.

Was it a hallucination?

Not only did Senior Brother Wang miss his strike, but he was also countered and punched by this newcomer?

"A sneak attack... no! It wasn't!"

"In terms of pure combat technique, Zhou Kai is not inferior to Wang Jinquan at all!"

Du Feng clenched his fists in excitement, punching the air as his face flushed red with exhilaration.

"And Zhou Kai's speed is far faster than his!"

"So what if you're built like a bullfrog? You can't even land a hit, damn it!"

Stumble, stumble, stumble.

Wang Jinquan's body lurched violently, and he staggered back three large steps.

The punch had landed square on his face, leaving him seeing stars and his legs feeling like jelly.

"Ptui!"

He finally steadied himself and spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Mixed in with the blood on the floor was half of a broken molar.

Wang Jinquan's shame and rage reached a breaking point, and he began to lose his grip on reason.

He had actually... been punched in the teeth by a newcomer?

"Damn you, you deserve to die! I'm going to kill you!"

His eyes turned bloodshot, and the side of his face where he was struck swelled up high. Like a maddened beast, he charged at Zhou Kai regardless of the consequences.

He would dismantle this kid's bones one by one today!

He clenched his fingers into a fist, the blood from his face smearing onto his knuckles, adding a touch of ferocity to his appearance.

Boom! Boom!

A hook, a straight punch!

"If you've got guts, stop dodging!"

Wang Jinquan's thick arm muscles exploded with power, and two heavy punches roared toward Zhou Kai like cannonballs, one after the other.

Yet, under the enhancement of Clear-Headed.

Zhou Kai moved as lightly as if he were dancing; with just a few minute retreats and side-steps, he neutralized all of Wang Jinquan's supposedly certain-hit attacks.

The first drumbeat provides courage, the second wanes, and the third is exhausted.

After Wang Jinquan's three consecutive fierce attacks missed, his movements became noticeably sluggish, and his breathing grew heavy.

At that moment, Zhou Kai's eyes narrowed.

What a massive opening!

Now is the time!

Zhou Kai's figure closed in like a phantom.

His shoulder, acting like a battering ram, slammed violently toward Wang Jinquan's face.

Bang!

At this moment, Wang Jinquan was in the gap between breaths, his old strength spent and his new strength yet to be born; it was too late to dodge and impossible to defend.

Zhou Kai's strength far exceeded his imagination.

As the shoulder collided with his face, Wang Jinquan felt as if he had been struck by a catastrophe.

The world spun, and his vision went black.

By the time he snapped out of his daze, his reddened vision was already fixed on the rubberized floor.

"Damn it! Yang Jing, are you going to kill him for me or what!"

Wang Jinquan gritted his teeth in frustration, slammed his fist hard against the ground, and then scrambled to his feet.

His face was covered in blood, looking utterly wretched as he shrieked at the top of his lungs.

As for Yang Jing, Chi Wen, and the other lackeys, they hesitated, glancing back and forth at one another.

Ganging up on Zhou Kai?

That was a steel plate that would only hurt their feet if they kicked it.

"I didn't want to use the Falcon Strike Technique... you fucking forced my hand!"

"Yang Jing, what are you standing there for? Pin him down! I'm going to slaughter this brat today!"

Wang Jinquan approached Zhou Kai with unsteady steps, yet the stance he adopted felt inexplicably awkward.

The strange aura emanating from him made Zhou Kai sense danger.

An enraged man preparing to unleash an ancient martial art, with several not-so-weak helpers standing by.

If this group swarmed him... it seemed he wouldn't be able to hold onto his remaining seven experience points.

Level three was a qualitative change for any skill.

As long as he leveled up Comprehensive Combat once more, handling a situation like this should be a breeze.

But just as Zhou Kai's attention shifted toward his panel.

A slender yet incredibly reliable figure stepped in front of him.

Smack!

Chen Ping appeared out of nowhere, backhanding Wang Jinquan across the face with a crisp, decisive strike. The immense force lifted the man clean off his feet, sending him flying backward to roll across the floor several times.

"You are an absolute disgrace!"

In an instant, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence, where even the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard clearly.

Senior Brother Chen... he was truly furious this time.