Falcon Strike

"Senior Brother Chen..."

Du Feng finally squeezed his way out of the crowd, grinning sheepishly as he approached Chen Ping.

At the same time, he carefully offered a conciliatory smile toward Zhou Kai.

Zhou Kai merely frowned slightly, showing no reaction.

"You really haven't made any progress at all."

Chen Ping patted Du Feng on the shoulder, neither too hard nor too soft; every word and action was filled with the frustration of seeing someone fail to live up to their potential.

Du Feng looked ashamed, hanging his head as he said, "Then... I'll go back to overseeing the minor assessments."

"Excuse me, Coach Chen, can I still get a refund on my membership fee?"

Just then, someone in the crowd called out in a low voice.

The scenes that had just unfolded made many of the new students consider quitting... Was this really the style of the Falcon Wing Martial Arts Hall?

Wang Jinquan's arrogance and the cold indifference of the other students made them feel that if they stayed here, they likely wouldn't learn anything of real value.

Chen Ping nodded. "Go to the front desk to discuss it; refunds are allowed."

Du Feng hung his head even lower; the matter of membership refunds made him feel utterly humiliated.

"Continue practicing!"

Chen Ping looked at the chaotic first-floor training area, his mood at an all-time low.

His words carried great weight; at his command, the students who had been gathered together scattered with a "boom," each rushing to find their equipment.

As for Wang Jinquan, who had been slapped unconscious, he was hurriedly hoisted up by Yang Jing and the others, who then called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

Watching all this, Chen Ping shook his head and turned to face Zhou Kai. "Come with me."

Zhou Kai asked, "Does that mean my minor assessment is passed?"

Chen Ping said nonchalantly, "When it comes to unrestricted combat, none of these hoodlums are a match for you!"

The students who heard this didn't even dare to turn their heads, each keeping their eyes down and pretending to be busy with their own tasks.

Deep down, however, they each had their own private thoughts.

Some were disdainful, some were jealous, and some were unconvinced.

"Chen Ping, is this the one you said had no talent? The one with a 'yin deficiency'?"

In a martial arts practice room on the second floor, a middle-aged man with a goatee scanned Zhou Kai with his eyes, then teased Chen Ping with a smirk.

Zhou Kai stood to the side, his ears twitching slightly.

Judging by that, Chen Ping had told this man he wasn't up to the task before?

And now he had dragged him here personally—wasn't he just slapping his own face?

Zhou Kai instinctively looked at Chen Ping.

Their gazes met for a fleeting second before Chen Ping calmly shifted his eyes away, speaking with a detached expression: "Uncle-Master Wu, I misjudged him that day... Now, I believe he is capable."

The middle-aged man with the goatee was named Wu De, a master-level figure at the Falcon Wing Boxing Gym.

When the gym owner was away, he and several other uncle-masters managed the gym and taught their respective disciples.

Wu De nodded, not doubting Chen Ping's words in the slightest, clearly placing great trust in him.

He asked directly, "So, the reason you brought him to me specifically is..."

"If you wanted to teach him the Falcon Strike Technique, you could have just taught him yourself."

Chen Ping performed a rather traditional bow. "The proper procedures must still be followed."

Wu De chuckled and walked slowly over to Zhou Kai.

He raised his hand and struck Zhou Kai's chest a few times, neither too hard nor too soft, then extended his fingers to press on several acupoints along his arms.

He squinted, deliberating for a moment, before clicking his tongue.

"His foundation is indeed trash, but his comprehension and physical coordination are quite good... He's a decent seedling for practicing forms."

"It's a pity, he doesn't have much of a ceiling."

Wu De looked at Zhou Kai with a smile. "Kid, you aren't unhappy with me saying that, are you?"

Zhou Kai shook his head, his expression calm. "Thank you for your assessment, Master Wu."

In his heart, he remained unruffled.

A ceiling?

It didn't matter.

My hard work and sweat have no limits.

Wu De was quite surprised by Zhou Kai's composure. "Quite confident, aren't you? I hope you can maintain that confidence two months from now."

He waved his hand and said to Chen Ping, "Take him to learn."

"I know why you brat suddenly came to butter me up... give him an extra portion of the secret medicine."

"As for what you tell your master when he returns, that is for you to explain."

"Alright, get lost, and don't let me see you again for the next few days."

"Yes, Martial Uncle."

Chen Ping bowed.

Zhou Kai followed suit: "Yes, Master Wu."

"You're lucky Master Wu didn't test you personally."

A moment later, Zhou Kai was brought by Chen Ping to his private training room.

"From now on, you can come over three days a week."

"During these three days, I will spar with you just like last night."

Chen Ping suddenly turned around, looking at him with a serious expression: "The average time for a Falcon Strike Technique student to reach the entry level is one month."

"Those with better talent take two to three months before they are even qualified to compete for apprenticeship."

"Only those who master it within a month and make a name for themselves in the ring can be considered geniuses."

"And the time I am giving you is much shorter than that."

"Entry level in three days."

"Proficiency in two weeks!"

Zhou Kai straightened his expression and replied in a deep voice: "I will do my best!"

In all honesty, two weeks wouldn't be necessary... one week would suffice.

He glanced at the panel; there were nearly two hours left before the "Clear-Headed" state wore off.

Not a single second could be wasted.

Every bit of growth in reality meant an extra bit of survival probability in the Nightmare.

Zhou Kai raised his eyes, his gaze burning as he looked at Chen Ping.

"Coach, if possible, let's start right now!"

Chen Ping's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Zhou Kai for several seconds.

Even if this kid had caught a nap after dinner, he hadn't closed his eyes since the early hours of the morning.

From his bloodshot eyes, it was clear he was exhausted to the extreme.

Yet, he was still forcing himself to hold on through sheer spirit.

This... is he just pushing through on willpower alone?

Chen Ping was secretly startled; this kind of superhuman willpower was, in a way, also a form of talent.

"Get ready."

Chen Ping nodded in acknowledgment.

He then added: "Oh, right, from now on, call me Senior Brother."

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhou Kai's eyes, and he immediately replied: "Yes, Senior Brother!"

Seeing Zhou Kai quickly enter the zone.

Chen Ping took a few deep breaths, adjusting his own mindset as well.

He then began to demonstrate the Falcon Strike Technique.

He knew that for Zhou Kai, this learning pace was ridiculously fast... but for extraordinary people, one must take extraordinary measures.

To let a brilliant, unpolished gem gather dust in an environment of mediocrity would be the incompetence of those of them who were senior brothers, a failure to recognize talent.

Chen Ping slowly assumed his stance, his fingers spread wide like falcon talons.

Grabbing, hooking, twisting... the series of movements flowed like water, both fluid and fierce.

As his power surged and retracted, a series of dull, explosive sounds rang out in the air.

This fist technique was highly aesthetic, and its practical combat value was beyond doubt.

Zhou Kai watched with rapt attention.

"The Falcon Strike Technique originates from the Eagle Claw Hand and Iron Wing Fist of ancient martial arts."

"The founder of Falcon Wing Boxing Gym integrated the two, taking the essence and discarding the dross, which led to this [Falcon Strike Technique]. Later, on this foundation, he created the even stronger [Broken Wing Style]."

"Nowadays, the Falcon Strike Technique is the prerequisite martial art for learning the Broken Wing Style."

"Since you have decided to join Falcon Wing, your ultimate goal should be—the Broken Wing Style!"

"You must be prepared to pour most of your energy into the Broken Wing Style."

Chen Ping explained as he demonstrated.

After he had performed the full set, he began to guide Zhou Kai through the practice hand-in-hand.

Under the influence of "Clear-Headed" and Zhou Kai's own exceptional comprehension, every essential point of the Falcon Strike Technique was being rapidly absorbed and digested.

Unbeknownst to Zhou Kai, on the panel before his eyes, a blurry shadow in the skill bar was flickering in and out of existence.