True Essence

Yeah, why didn't you say so earlier?

Chen Chong remained silent, simply watching Yu Feng.

Under his gaze, Yu Feng felt a little uncomfortable. He rubbed his bald head and looked away.

"All right, you don't need to train anymore... Come over here and be my assistant."

Was this a fighter who had entered a realm?

The people from the Security Department had been shocked at first, but now it all made sense to them.

Strictly speaking, a fighter who had just entered a realm shouldn't have been able to kick Wang Dejiang so hard that he pissed himself, but they automatically attributed everything to the gap in their realms.

A moment later, anger appeared on their faces. What did a fighter who had entered a realm mean by coming up here? The worst part was that he'd made them lose so disgracefully.

But just as they were about to demand an explanation, Yu Feng casually assigned Chen Chong to be his assistant, and they had no choice but to swallow their anger again.

Yu Feng wasn't just a coach for the fighters; he was also the Security Department's combat instructor. Few trainees dared question a combat expert as silent and unshakable as a black tower.

On the other side, the fighters' reactions were far more varied.

Chen Chong had broken through? When?

Pei Li was completely baffled. She felt like she'd fought Chen Chong only a few days ago, and back then, he clearly hadn't quite made it.

In Peng Wei's memory, he'd been even further from breaking through.

How did he break through after a trip to the Hunting Grounds? Did he eat Earth Dragon Meat raw?

Li Jun's expression kept changing. After losing to Chen Chong, he'd planned to recover from his injuries and then make a push for the next realm so he could get his revenge. But now, it seemed... he could put that off a little longer.

Wang Li's eyes widened, and his face lit up with excitement. If the occasion had been more appropriate, he would have cheered and applauded.

Liu Hetao looked both shocked and impressed.

"That's amazing."

At that moment, Wang Li and Liu Hetao both recalled something—or, more precisely, a number: 40 kg.

It had only been a month.

Wang Li suddenly felt dazed.

If that student kid found out, would he admire Chen Chong or refuse to accept it?

But once their shock wore off, the fighters were all happy. After all, Chen Chong was one of their own. The Security Department trainees, however, behaved themselves around their temporary assistant. They only had the upper hand over others when their fists were equally strong. If someone's fists were an entire realm stronger, then that person was in the right, and they had to show respect.

While no one was paying attention, Wang Dejiang slipped off to the Infirmary. His injuries weren't actually that bad; it was just that there was no way he could teach here today. Was he supposed to come back in a new pair of pants?

Once everyone was standing in formation again, Yu Feng stood across from Chen Chong and turned his head to address the others.

"Look at that kick Captain Wang just threw. What would happen if you kicked like this? Chen Chong, follow the same approach as before—"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly kicked high toward Chen Chong's face.

He used the same speed as Wang Dejiang, but the angle was slightly different. Chen Chong had wanted to kick back, but he kept feeling that Yu Feng could change his technique at any moment, so he instinctively hesitated. In that brief moment, the sole of Yu Feng's foot was already right in front of him.

Yu Feng held his pose, as steady as a stone statue, and asked calmly, "Why didn't you move?"

"I had a feeling that if I kicked this time, you'd chop down on me like an ax."

Yu Feng glanced at him, then brought his leg crashing down like a great ax. With a thud, his foot struck the ground hard.

If Chen Chong had used the same downward kick as before, he wouldn't have been as fast as Yu Feng, who'd moved first. His leg would most likely have been broken on the spot.

"Good. Just as Chen Chong said, if you adjust the angle like this when you throw a high kick, you leave yourself room to change it. You can either kick or chop down, depending on the situation. The second move in the Combat Drill, the side kick, actually covers this principle..."

Yu Feng began explaining to the trainees below.

Some of them understood at once, but most looked completely lost.

Adjust the angle like this? Like what?

How does that let you change the move?

What's the difference between this angle and Wang Dejiang's?

Where am I?

They looked at Chen Chong, who was nodding repeatedly with a thoughtful expression. Is he a plant or something?

Why's he acting like he understood it right away? Yu Feng must have explained it to him beforehand.

That has to be it.

For the rest of the class, Yu Feng and Chen Chong practiced several more moves together, then went over some additional combat techniques.

Some of the trainees took it all in, while others remained bewildered.

But even though it was Chen Chong's first time as an assistant, he and Yu Feng worked together perfectly.

That made things much easier for Yu Feng. He looked Chen Chong over several times, and his pace of instruction grew faster and faster. By the end, the advanced techniques he covered had the trainees breaking into a sweat.

Standing directly across from the instructor, Chen Chong felt it most keenly. Many of the subtle details were things he'd never considered before—or, rather, couldn't have managed before entering a realm.

He had a vague sense that the final material was beyond the trainees' level. It was asking a lot of them when they hadn't entered a realm yet, but he himself had gained a great deal from it.

I'll have to go back and think this over carefully. Combat before and after entering a realm is very different, and this has given me an excellent starting point for what comes after my breakthrough.

The fast-paced combat class came to an end. Everyone left, but Yu Feng asked Chen Chong to stay behind.

As they left, the others snuck glances at Chen Chong. Their looks were complicated: admiration, envy, even resentment. But none of them were surprised that Yu Feng had kept Chen Chong behind.

They knew that from today onward, Chen Chong was no longer on the same level as them.

Just as they'd been trainees in class, while Chen Chong had been the assistant.

"When did you break through?"

"At the Hunting Grounds."

Yu Feng nodded and didn't ask any more.

Breaking through in the middle of a fierce battle was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Anyone could understand that.

He simply continued, "How does it feel?"

Chen Chong thought for a moment, then said, "My sinews and bones feel solid, and I'm full of strength. My bones can bear a thousand jin of force. But somehow, it feels like there's less flesh on me, and I'm light as a feather."

Yu Feng nodded. "That means you've built up your Bone Beam. In the next few realms, you'll have to make your blood and qi generate strength and your muscles grow firm, so they can match that fine skeleton of yours."

Chen Chong asked, "To put it simply, does that mean building muscle?"

Yu Feng shook his head. "That's just the outward form. For a fighter who's truly entered a realm, not all their 'strength' comes from the body. Of course, the body will always be a fighter's foundation, but it's never the most important part. When we talk about 'blood and qi generating strength,' it's especially the 'qi' that sets us apart from ordinary people. You've mastered the Breathing Method so deeply; you should have some sense of that."

Chen Chong nodded slowly. Every time he used the Breathing Method, he felt much stronger. That extra strength clearly wasn't just his body's latent potential. The power in his breathing was the true source, and the key to a fighter's continued breakthroughs.

Yu Feng continued, "But this is too far off for you right now. Just remember this: in your cultivation, never chase appearances. Seek the true essence.

"Still, while you're passing through these few stages of physical tempering, changes in physique do offer some advantages. Many fighters who've achieved a measure of success 'build muscle,' like Zhou Hu and me. General Manager Long, however, is more than a size smaller than us, yet far stronger. He could probably take on the two of us with one hand."

Chen Chong's eyes revealed his shock. "Is the gap really that big?"

Yu Feng nodded. "He's already in the Third Realm, and he defeated Gu Jian, the leader of the Skull Gang. He may not be far from the Fourth Realm.

"I'm using him as an example to show you that when we talk about blood and qi generating strength and muscles growing firm, it's not just an outward form. Your body has to reach a realm that can match your tempered bones. The basic Breathing Method alone won't do that."

Yu Feng looked at him and said casually, "I'll teach you the Second-Stage Breathing Method now, but it's a little different from the one given to the other Contracted Fighters and security captains. Just keep that difference to yourself. There's no need to discuss it with them."