Invincible Turtle Fist

"But the vicious beasts have been acting strangely lately..."

In the living room, Gu Yuanzheng leaned back on the sofa, took a deep breath, and wore a gloomy expression.

"Could it be that I really have to make a comeback?"

He crossed his hands behind his head and gazed up at the chandelier at a forty-five-degree angle, as if his entire martial world had passed away there.

Gu Yuan silently turned to look at his mother, Shangguan Yi.

Shangguan Yi pressed one hand to her forehead and rubbed her temples firmly twice.

"Indeed."

Shangguan Yi stood up from the sofa and glanced down at her husband, who was still immersed in his "lonely master" persona.

"If the people from the Destiny Bureau hadn't stopped you, you'd have gone out there last time. Keep daydreaming. I'm going to bed."

With that, Shangguan Yi headed for the bedroom without looking back, leaving father and son with a resolute view of her back.

As Gu Yuan listened to his father, his mind raced through the possibilities.

Vicious beasts gathering abnormally... That definitely wasn't a good sign.

Recently, the Fusion Sect had left the Destiny Bureau short-handed in various defense zones. With things like this, the vicious beasts outside the city had also grown unusually active. Could the two be connected?

Could it be... that those lunatics in the Fusion Sect were up to something behind the scenes? Were they planning to cause a massive beast tide outside the city and attack humanity's defenses?

"Don't you believe me either, son?"

A voice interrupted Gu Yuan's thoughts.

Gu Yuan quickly gathered his thoughts, heading for his room as he tossed back an insincere reply without turning around.

"Haha, Dad, of course I believe you! I trust you more than anyone in the world! I'm going back to my room to rest. You should get some sleep soon too, Dad."

Before he had even finished speaking, he had already slipped into his room.

Seeing that both of them were gone, Gu Yuanzheng stood alone in the middle of the living room. He clenched his fists and began wildly throwing punches at the air, muttering to himself as he did.

He launched into a flurry of blows with no apparent form, yet each one came with a fierce rush of wind.

His fists howled through the air!

"Thud!"

One punch landed squarely on the clothes-drying rack beside him.

With a loud crash, several freshly dried clothes fell to the floor.

"Behold my Invincible Turtle Fist..."

"Gu Yuanzheng, are you acting up again? It's the middle of the night, and you're tearing up the house instead of sleeping? If you're going to act up, get outside!"

Shangguan Yi's voice, strained with anger, came perfectly clearly from the bedroom.

The living room fell silent in an instant.

Early the next morning, Gu Yuan arrived at the martial arts gym downtown right on time.

Quite a few students were already practicing their basic training.

The Fusion Sect, the mysterious warlock, the strange vicious beasts outside the city...

Gu Yuan sat on a bench in the rest area, going over the chain of events from the past few days in his mind.

"Well, well, isn't that Gu Yuan?"

A loud, flamboyant voice came from the entrance to the gym, instantly interrupting his thoughts.

Gu Yuan looked up.

A young man with bright yellow hair swaggered into the gym.

A thick silver chain hung around his neck, and his shoulders swayed as he walked, as if he were desperate to make sure everyone noticed him.

The title above his head read [Takeoff Expert].

They really were cousins. Even their titles were remarkably similar.

Following behind him was Zhang Yining, sporting a buzz cut and a helpless expression.

Several students training nearby stopped what they were doing and glanced at the yellow-haired young man as if he were a rare animal.

Some covered their mouths to stifle their laughter, while others shook their heads in speechless disbelief, clearly stunned by his fashion sense.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure, Gu Yuan couldn't help smiling. He raised his right hand and waved.

"Bro Tian, you've really changed a lot."

The yellow-haired young man was Zhang Tian.

When Zhang Tian saw Gu Yuan, his eyes lit up. He strode over and proudly ran a hand through his side-parted fringe.

"So, what do you think of my new hairstyle? Handsome, right?"

As he spoke, Zhang Tian spun around flamboyantly, then stopped abruptly, planted his hands on his hips, and struck a classic pose to show off his biceps.

"I went all the way to the provincial capital just to get this latest style from the top stylist! I'm telling you, this is absolutely at the forefront of fashion in the martial arts world!"

He was still the same as ever.

"Goodness, people really do change as they grow up."

"It's only been a few months since we last met, right? Bro Tian, your look... Well, you've certainly got a style all your own. Fierce and absolutely eye-catching."

Zhang Tian proudly raised his chin, leaned toward Gu Yuan, and plopped down beside him.

"Of course! But speaking of which, Gu Yuan, how come you're getting more handsome by the day?"

At that moment, Zhang Yining stepped out from behind Zhang Tian.

He came closer and looked at Gu Yuan.

"Holy crap, Gu Yuan, how'd you get even fairer?"

Zhang Yining pointed at him.

"Your skin's even better than the girls in our class! Did you secretly find some miracle beauty treatment? Come on, teach me how you did it!"

Gu Yuan leaned forward slightly, moved close to Zhang Yining's ear, and lowered his voice.

"The secret to getting handsome... is to take off less!"

Zhang Yining froze for a second.

Then he suddenly caught on and pursed his lips.

He waved his hands repeatedly, wearing an expression that said, "I don't believe a word of that," and took two steps back.

"Get out of here, I don't believe you! You've definitely got some other secret!"

"Smack!"

Zhang Tian slapped Zhang Yining on the back of the head.

"Enough. Stop wasting time."

Zhang Tian turned and fixed his gaze on Gu Yuan again.

He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Gu Yuan, I've heard you've made a lot of progress lately!"

"Since I'm back from vacation, how about I, a top student from Martial University, personally test the results of your training today?"

Sure enough, Zhang Tian was still the same old Zhang Tian.

Still the same familiar attitude.

Gu Yuan leaned back in his chair with an amused smile and spread his hands.

"No problem, Bro Tian."

He stood up from the bench and casually loosened his wrists and ankles.

"But Bro Tian, you'd better be careful when we spar in a bit!"

Gu Yuan looked utterly serious, as if he were giving him heartfelt advice.

But Zhang Tian took it to mean something else.

Zhang Tian threw his head back and laughed twice, doubling over with laughter.

"Hahahaha! Gu Yuan, you're still as funny as ever! I'm a Martial University student who's officially become a martial artist. Do you really think a high schooler like you could hurt me? You're underestimating me!"

Zhang Tian turned and strode toward the standard-sized ring in the middle of the training area.

"I'm telling you, an ordinary Blood Tempering Realm cultivator wouldn't stand a chance against me. Even if I stood right here without moving and let you punch and kick me, you'd have a hard time leaving so much as a scratch. That's the difference between us. Got it?"

Before he had even finished speaking, Zhang Tian braced both hands on the edge of the ring and vaulted onto it in one smooth motion.