"Junior Brother Shen is truly talented. His vitality has already reached 19 points."
"At this rate, he might even surpass the geniuses from those major martial arts halls."
A dozen days later, at the Gold-Stone Martial Arts Hall.
Back in the Training Building, Lu Chao had finished his workout when he heard several senior and junior brothers murmuring nearby.
His training clothes were soaked with sweat. He picked up his black sports bottle and took two big gulps of water, then looked toward the center of the arena in the distance.
Shen Tianchen, dressed in a white-and-gray training uniform, had just finished a sparring match. He leapt down from the arena, where several senior brothers at Combat Grade surrounded him and sang his praises.
There was only one reason he was being treated like the center of attention: his vitality had risen again, reaching 19 points. He was now just one step away from Combat Grade.
By comparison—
[Glutton: Lu Chao]
[Vitality: 12→13!]
[Specialty: Primary--Primary Resilience]
[Potential Progress: 53%]
Lu Chao glanced at his panel.
Over the past twelve days, his vitality had risen by another two points.
Everything was going smoothly, neither too fast nor too slow, as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
His guess had been confirmed once again. Before his vitality hit a bottleneck, the astonishing recovery granted by [Primary Resilience] meant that as long as he gritted his teeth and trained hard, his sweat would never go to waste.
With that thought, Lu Chao's mindset grew steadier. He was no longer distracted by the noise around him.
Footsteps sounded beside him.
At some point, Zhang Hong had finished his training. He came over, steam rising from his sweat-drenched body, and looked toward the distant arena with a bitter expression.
"So this is what a genius is like."
He had been here for more than two months, and it had taken countless hours of effort to reach 18 points of vitality.
Meanwhile, the talented junior brother at the center of the training ground had surpassed him with ease in just over a month.
"Senior Brother Zhang, don't sell yourself short."
"There are still three months, aren't there? Maybe you can break through to Combat Grade, too."
Noticing how downcast the other man seemed, Lu Chao offered a few words of encouragement.
He knew that Zhang Hong had only a little over ten days left.
If he failed to break through, he would have to leave the martial arts hall.
"Heh, don't worry, Junior Brother Lu. I haven't given up yet."
It seemed the other man had taken some encouragement from his words. Zhang Hong smiled and managed to pull himself together.
"I'm just feeling a little sentimental."
"After all, Junior Brother Shen's progress really is extraordinary. He can hold his own against the combat elites from some advanced academies, or even the wealthy kids..."
As the two chatted side by side, Lu Chao was struck by a thought. He recalled some things he had learned over the past few days.
"Senior Brother Zhang, I heard that most of those wealthy kids can break through to Combat Grade?"
"Yeah, that's true."
Zhang Hong nodded slightly, noticing Lu Chao's lack of knowledge in this area.
He picked up his sports bottle and took a drink. His voice sounded tired. "From a young age, they soak in high-grade medicinal solutions and eat Exotic Beast Meat and Vitality Supplements every day. Their vitality is naturally a cut above ordinary people's."
"They also have dedicated physical therapy teams that use high-grade Therapeutic Instruments to relieve their fatigue and repair injuries. Those from even wealthier families hire professional nutritionists to tailor meal plans and nutritional programs for them."
"On top of that, most of them join major martial arts halls like Leiji Martial Arts Hall or hire private coaches at least at Professional Grade. They get daily instruction and sparring, so their vitality develops far faster than ours..."
At that, Zhang Hong's voice turned heavy. He shook his head.
It was a gap they had been born with. Even if they put in a hundred times the effort later in life, catching up would be difficult.
"Maybe Junior Brother Shen still has a chance."
Zhang Hong looked at Shen Tianchen again. It was as if he had accepted a certain reality, and his mood had somehow settled.
Lu Chao pondered this.
He didn't know how he could catch up with those geniuses and wealthy kids.
But he knew he needed to stay grounded and keep moving forward, one step at a time.
Once his resolve was firm, Lu Chao pushed aside his stray thoughts and stepped onto the arena.
He had long been qualified to spar with senior brothers at Combat Grade and receive their guidance to gain more combat experience.
He looked down from the arena, scanning the familiar faces below.
In the end, someone leapt up and joined him on the arena.
"Junior Brother Lu, I'll spar with you."
Zheng Wu said with a smile. Standing opposite him, his sturdy frame was like a small mountain, putting Lu Chao under no small amount of pressure.
Lu Chao was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Zheng Wu himself to be his sparring partner today, let alone to receive his guidance.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Brother Zheng."
Lu Chao cupped his hands in greeting, his eyes full of gratitude.
After Zheng Wu nodded, Lu Chao wasted no time. He quickly took up a fighting stance and charged in with a quick step.
Whoosh!
His right fist shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, tearing through the air.
The blow whistled forward with a rush of wind, heading straight for Zheng Wu's chest!
Yet faced with this swift attack, Zheng Wu merely raised a hand and casually deflected it.
It was like a boulder bearing down on him, clamping onto his wrist in an instant.
Lu Chao could feel his strength sinking into the sea. He hadn't even made Zheng Wu sway in the slightest.
In its place, Zheng Wu's chopping palm left a blur as it stopped just above Lu Chao's head.
"The fifth move, [Hard Stone Combo], should be like stones blasting forward, with all your force concentrated on a single point. But you're too focused on your form, and your strength is too spread out."
A gust of force brushed past Lu Chao's face as Zheng Wu's voice reached his ears.
"I used the center-of-gravity method from [Iron Cross Stake], along with the force-deflecting technique from the seventh move, [Flying Sand and Moving Stones]... The combinations in Gold-Stone Combat Arts aren't just isolated movements. You can adapt them and combine them."
"Come on, Junior Brother Lu. Let's keep going."
Zheng Wu smiled as he withdrew his chopping palm, offering patient instruction.
His vigorous vitality, exceeding 40 points, was drawn inward, giving him a steady presence.
Lu Chao nodded lightly, understanding where he fell short.
He took a deep breath and digested Zheng Wu's advice before launching another attack.
His whipping fists were like clubs, his chopping palms like blades, and his elbow strikes like spears...
His legs moved nimbly as he tried to blend the footwork of the sixth move, [Flying Sand and Moving Stones], with the combinations of [Hard Stone Combo] to launch a continuous assault.
Gradually, his whistling punches stirred the air, and his fighting movements grew smoother.
With Zheng Wu only defending and never attacking, Lu Chao focused on himself and gradually began to grasp the wonders of the Combat Technique.
Stake Stance formed the foundation, keeping his center of gravity steady.
His footwork flowed as he linked his punches and palm strikes together.
Time passed. He sparred on the arena for more than half an hour.
At last, with the sound of a step—
Thud!
It was as if he had broken through some crucial barrier.
Lu Chao stomped forward, his right arm drawing back like a bow pulled to the full moon.
His straight punch surged forward with a whistle. His foot came down like a rolling boulder, his momentum soaring.
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Zheng Wu's eyes as he quickly raised his palm to block.
Bang!
His right palm stood upright, catching Lu Chao's fist.
His shoulder and elbow trembled. For the first time, he actually stepped back—even if it was only half a step.
"Hah!"
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