48-Hour Special Training (Part 2)

He accelerated, beginning to change direction erratically—darting left and right, shifting between fast and slow, sometimes coming to a sudden halt, only to burst into a sprint again.

Ning Rongrong stood there, her eyes locked onto him, her Heart Separation Control running at full capacity.

Five minutes passed.

Ten minutes passed.

At the twelve-minute mark, sweat began to bead on Ning Rongrong's forehead.

At fifteen minutes, her breathing grew ragged, yet the boost continued.

At the eighteenth minute, she finally reached her limit; the light of the boost flickered and vanished.

Ning Rongrong dropped to one knee, gasping for air.

Lin Mo ran over and crouched beside her. "Are you alright?"

Ning Rongrong looked up and glared at him. "What do you think? Eighteen minutes! I've never maintained a boost for that long before!"

Lin Mo looked at her pale face, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Do you want to rest for a while?"

Ning Rongrong didn't answer; she pulled a small porcelain bottle from her robes, shook out a pill, and swallowed it. After a few seconds, her complexion improved.

"This is a pill to restore soul power," she explained. "Our sect refines them; the effect is decent."

Lin Mo nodded. Once she stood up, he said, "You did very well just now. Eighteen minutes—longer than I expected."

The corners of Ning Rongrong's mouth curled up slightly, but she immediately straightened her face. "Of course. I am a direct disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, after all."

She brushed the dust off her clothes and suddenly asked, "When you were running just now, I felt your speed and strength were far beyond that of an ordinary person. Have you practiced martial arts?"

Lin Mo nodded. "Ancient martial arts passed down in my family. I've practiced for over a decade."

"Ancient martial arts?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously. "Is it different from soul power?"

"It is. In our world, there is no soul power; we can only rely on training the body."

Ning Rongrong thought for a moment and said, "Then, could you perform a set for me to see?"

Lin Mo looked around, walked to an open space, and assumed a starting stance.

Taiji Fist.

But unlike how he usually practiced, he increased the speed.

The opening, the lazy coat-tying, the single whip, the raised hands—every move carried the sound of wind. The movements were as fluid as flowing water, yet every strike produced a crisp crack that pierced the air.

Ning Rongrong watched, her eyes wide.

Lin Mo finished the set, withdrew his stance, and looked back at her.

Ning Rongrong blinked, then clapped. "Impressive!"

Lin Mo smiled. "Just playing around."

"Can this be used for fighting?" Ning Rongrong asked. "It looks quite slow."

Lin Mo walked over to a concrete block about the size of a millstone. He took a deep breath, set his stance, and pushed out a palm. The movement was slow, but at the very end, he unleashed a sudden burst of force.

Bang!

The concrete block split in two.

Ning Rongrong's jaw dropped.

Lin Mo shook his hand; it stung a little, but it was nothing serious.

Ning Rongrong ran over, looking from the split concrete to Lin Mo, her expression changed.

"You... your palm force is almost on par with a strength-type soul master."

Lin Mo said, "This is the technique of force generation in Taiji. The slowness is to store power, followed by an instantaneous explosion at the end."

Ning Rongrong crouched down, touched the cracked concrete, and suddenly asked, "If I boost your strength, could you shatter an even bigger one with a single punch?"

Lin Mo thought about it. "We can try."

Ning Rongrong stood up, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda manifested once more.

"First soul skill, Strength Boost!"

Seven-colored light descended upon Lin Mo. He walked over to a larger concrete block—this one was waist-high and looked to weigh at least three or four hundred jin.

He clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and threw a punch.

Boom!

The concrete block exploded, sending fragments flying.

Ning Rongrong couldn't dodge in time, and a fist-sized piece of debris flew toward her. Lin Mo was quick; he pulled her into his arms and used his own back to shield her from the debris.

The stone slammed into his back with a dull thud.

Held in his arms, Ning Rongrong froze completely.

Once the debris settled, Lin Mo released her and looked back; his back burned with pain.

Ning Rongrong stood there, her face bright red, unable to move for a long time.

Lin Mo looked at her: "What's wrong? Did you get hit?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head and whispered: "No... nothing."

She paused, then suddenly asked: "Why did you... block it just now?"

Lin Mo was stunned: "Otherwise what? Watch you get hit?"

Ning Rongrong lowered her head, lost in thought.

A few seconds later, she suddenly looked up at Lin Mo, her eyes bright.

"Hey," she said, "let's try again."

Lin Mo: "Try what?"

Ning Rongrong extended her right hand: "Let's try a Martial Soul Fusion. Not a true Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but me injecting my amplification power directly into your body. That way, when you attack, you won't have to wait for my soul skill to lock on, and your reaction will be faster."

Lin Mo looked at her outstretched hand, feeling a bit surprised.

Her hand was small and fair, with slender fingers, but it was trembling slightly.

She was nervous.

Yet she still held her hand out, waiting for him to take it.

Lin Mo was silent for two seconds, then reached out his right hand and grasped hers.

It was very soft and a little cool.

As he held her hand, Ning Rongrong's face turned red again. But she bit her lip, closed her eyes, and channeled her Martial Soul.

Seven-colored light surged from her palm, flowing slowly into Lin Mo's body through their joined hands.

Lin Mo felt a warm power surging into his limbs and bones. It was different from the previous amplification; before, it was like a layer of light covering him from the outside, but now, the power was entering his body directly.

He clenched his fist, feeling filled with strength from head to toe.

"Does it work?" Ning Rongrong opened her eyes and looked at him.

Lin Mo nodded, walked over to another concrete block, and threw a punch.

BOOM!

The power was even greater than the previous punch, and the concrete block shattered into dust.

Lin Mo looked back at Ning Rongrong, and as their eyes met, they both smiled.

Ning Rongrong's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, but suddenly realizing her hand was still held by his, she quickly pulled it back and hid it behind her back.

"That... it's alright." She turned her head away. "Better than I imagined."

Lin Mo looked at her reddened earlobes and said nothing.

But the curve of his lips was impossible to suppress.

In the distance, the setting sun began to sink. Golden light shone on the ruins, and the wild grass rustled in the wind.

Ning Rongrong suddenly asked: "Is that Huyan Li really that strong?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment: "Level 65, he should be a bit weaker than Shi Nian."

"Then can he beat you?"

"I don't know."

Ning Rongrong fell silent. After a few seconds, she said softly: "If you can't beat him, just run."

Lin Mo looked at her.

She didn't turn back, just stared at the setting sun in the distance and continued:

"You're fast, you'll definitely be able to get away. I'll hold him off for you; after all, I'm a support type, I can hide even if I can't fight."

Lin Mo said: "And what about you?"

Ning Rongrong said: "I'll hide. Didn't we agree? You run, I hide."

Lin Mo looked at her and suddenly smiled.

He walked to her side, watched the sunset with her, and said:

"No need to run."

Ning Rongrong turned to look at him.

Lin Mo said: "The two of us can win."

Ning Rongrong stared at him for a few seconds, then looked away and whispered:

"Then do your best."

Lin Mo nodded.

The sunset slowly sank, and the sky began to darken.

From the factory in the distance, a few crows called out.

Ning Rongrong shivered and leaned closer to Lin Mo.

"Let's go," Lin Mo said, "back we go."

The two turned and walked toward the exit.

Upon reaching the doorway, Ning Rongrong suddenly stopped and looked back at the ruins.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the pile of construction debris, the few dilapidated factory buildings, and the rusted iron frames were all plated in a layer of dark red.

She suddenly asked, "Are we coming back tomorrow?"

Lin Mo nodded, "Yes."

Ning Rongrong gave a soft hum and turned to continue walking.

After a few steps, she suddenly reached out and tugged at Lin Mo's sleeve.

Lin Mo looked down at her.

She didn't look up, just held onto his sleeve and whispered:

"That Martial Soul Fusion... let's keep practicing it tomorrow."

Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

The two walked into the night.

Behind them, the ruins were as quiet as if nothing had ever happened.

But Lin Mo knew there were still two days left.

Two days from now, the real battle would begin.

He glanced down at his right sleeve; Ning Rongrong was still holding it, not letting go.

Forget it.

Better go back and eat first.

Back at the studio, Ning Rongrong had indeed washed the dishes.

After finishing the dishes, she sat on the sofa and suddenly asked, "That Huyan Li, what are his weaknesses?"

Lin Mo thought about the information provided by the system: "Slow speed. Great strength, but slow reaction time."

Ning Rongrong nodded, lost in thought.

After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly said, "Then we can do this,"

Just as she was about to speak, the system's light screen suddenly popped up.