From Igniting Talent to Becoming a Demon God Section 7

Once he had hurriedly finished breakfast and paid for the meal.

He parted ways with Zhao Yuanqing, turned, and strode off quickly in the opposite direction.

The martial arts hall he was aiming for was only a few kilometers away.

The most urgent thing was to set foot on that path as soon as possible.

"Learning combat techniques?"

Things went more smoothly than Lu Chao had expected.

Half an hour later, when he arrived in the northern area of Factory Street.

After briefly stating his purpose, he was received by a dedicated staff member.

This was an abandoned elementary school. The two iron-barred gates stood half open, and an elderly gatekeeper with graying hair sat inside the guard booth on the left.

Rough cement walls stretched out from both sides of the iron gates, enclosing a sizable open space. Looking up, he could see two low cement buildings inside, as well as several thick green trees with flourishing branches.

"My name is Zheng Wu. You can call me Senior Brother Zheng."

"Come on, take a look with me."

The man receiving him introduced himself. He looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with shaggy, medium-length hair, and wore a white training tank top.

The clothes did not look loose on him, because he was already rather burly—one meter eighty tall, with bulging pecs and two arms as thick as an ordinary person's thighs.

The four-character signboard of Gold-Stone Martial Arts Hall hung on the gatepost beside him, gold lettering on a blue background, carrying a rather old-fashioned charm.

"All right."

"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Brother Zheng."

Without hesitation, Lu Chao nodded in thanks and followed him inside.

Gold-Stone Martial Arts Hall was the target of his trip.

Unlike the other large martial arts schools in the city, though this place was relatively remote, the fees were much lower—only ten thousand yuan.

It looked somewhat crude, as if it had taken over an old abandoned elementary school, and seemed rather out of place with the words "martial arts."

However.

This martial arts hall had quite a reputation in Iron Ring District, and the key lay in its hall master.

An ordinary adult man generally had vitality around four to five points, with some differences due to physique, health, and so on.

After that, every single point of improvement required paying a considerable price. Only after developing it to twenty points would one break through the first threshold and step into the combat-grade level.

Some patrol officers of the Patrol Bureau, strong fighters from gangs, and well-known fitness coaches mostly stopped at this stage.

As for this hall master, respectfully called Master Luo, rumors said he had once been a wilderness hunter with extremely high vitality, suspected to exceed sixty points!

He was a true combat powerhouse. Fighting savage beasts and shaking steel with his fists were not difficult for him, and it was only in the past two years that he had opened a martial arts hall here.

Tap, tap!

His footsteps moved, and he drew back his thoughts.

Lu Chao followed Zheng Wu into the abandoned school. The scene inside was much clearer than when observed from outside.

At this moment, dozens of figures in short-sleeved shirts and shorts were training their bodies on the gray cement field.

Some were running hard lap after lap, doing high-intensity frog jumps and squats, while others gripped dumbbells and threw punches as they sprinted.

Every one of them was sweating buckets, constantly squeezing out their own potential.

Noisy movement came from every direction, most of it the persistent sounds of huffing and shouting.

"They're only ordinary students, not disciples of the martial arts hall."

"Master Luo only teaches some simple combat techniques and tempering methods. It's mainly focused on physical training. Though it is effective at increasing vitality, the effect can't last long."

Zheng Wu spoke frankly, and Lu Chao nodded lightly, not surprised.

Before coming, he had done his homework and understood a bit.

Ordinary students only needed to pay a tuition fee of two thousand yuan.

Through some boxing instruction, physical training, and the like, they had a chance to increase their vitality by three to five points within a short period.

This was a short-term method of squeezing out potential. It had certain drawbacks and caused harm, and during their time at the martial arts hall, they also needed to cooperate with the hall's formal disciples in completing a certain number of practical combat training sessions, which made it very easy to get injured.

Many people knew about these drawbacks, but they still chose it.

Because to most people in Iron Ring District, this was already a rare and hard-to-come-by opportunity to come into contact with a way to increase vitality.

"Of course, Junior Brother Lu."

Changing the subject, Zheng Wu led him toward one of the low buildings.

"You should understand the rules already. The tuition for formally taking a master is much higher. If you pay the fee, then for the next three months, you'll be an official disciple of the martial arts hall, different from them."

"Master Luo will teach you true martial combat techniques, regularly give you pointers on combat skills, answer your questions, and every day at noon, there will also be a specially made nutritious meal provided..."

As they spoke, the two of them had already crossed the cement field and approached the low building.

The ordinary students all glanced Lu Chao over with curiosity in their eyes, along with a bit of envy.

"He's seriously rich. He actually went to the Training Building."

"I only saw Senior Brother Lin leave yesterday. First time I'd ever seen him cry. He couldn't break through the twenty-point hurdle, and three months of expenses—tens of thousands in total—were all down the drain."

"Combat arts aren't that easy..."

The low murmurs drifted over from behind him, and Lu Chao vaguely caught some of it.

Beside him, Zheng Wu's expression did not change as he continued leading the way ahead.

"What they're saying is all true. Combat arts are extremely difficult to master, and the later costs aren't low either. Some of the people inside tried it back then too, then gave up later."

"No one's money falls from the sky. Naturally, tuition has to be considered carefully. Master also gave other instructions. Once you meet him in a moment, you'll understand these things."

As his words fell, the two of them had already arrived before the low concrete building.

Through the wide-open doorway, more than twenty figures could be seen moving about in the spacious first-floor area. Some stood in horse stance, their arms wrapped around heavy iron balls weighing over a hundred pounds, maintaining some kind of special posture.

Others were throwing punches and kicks, striking sandbags until they swayed with thumping booms that shook the ground.

In an instant, as if sensing something, pairs of eyes turned toward him.

A scorching aura of extraordinary vigor rushed into his face. Lu Chao felt as though he had entered a pack of beasts, and goose bumps instantly rose across his skin.

Aside from that, he also saw an elderly figure standing in the center.

The old man had short gray-white hair and wore a white ancient martial arts changshan, his hands clasped behind his back.

His hunched body looked extremely thin and small compared to everyone else, and yet the moment the other man's gaze fell on him, Lu Chao's heart tightened sharply and his eyes stung.

It felt as though he had been locked onto by a fierce bird of prey or a savage beast.

Such high vitality.

In front of the Training Building, Lu Chao lowered his head slightly and avoided that gaze.

Through Zheng Wu's explanation, he learned that the source of that gaze was the master of Gold-Stone Martial Arts Hall, Master Luo—Luo Qianshan.

At this moment, he no longer had any doubts about the rumors.

Vitality was a comprehensive measure of all the human body's powers. The higher a person's degree of development, the higher their level of life was in essence, gradually approaching something inhuman.

And this pressure from a mere gaze clearly was not something ordinary people possessed. At the very least, it was stronger than any patrol officer he had ever seen.

"Junior Brother Lu, please wait here."

Immediately after, Zheng Wu gave him a specific instruction, then walked into the Training Building to explain the situation.

Feeling the pressure fade, Lu Chao obediently waited outside the building and took the opportunity to look over the surroundings.

The two-story Training Building stood alone on one side of the field. There were traces of renovation and reorganization, and the concrete beams and pillars were very solid and thick, painted with a fresh coat of white.

The space inside the building was not small, nearly a thousand square meters in total, and the concrete floor was rather level.

Several small rings occupied the center. A dozen or so sandbags were spread across the open spaces on both sides, some hanging and some standing on the floor. There were also barbells, kettlebells, iron balls, hard posts, and other equipment.

More than twenty martial arts hall disciples moved within, their auras vigorous as they practiced combat arts. Iron balls weighing several dozen pounds rolled in their hands like toys.

Occasionally, a few gazes swept over him, making him feel pressured, but most people were focused on themselves and soon threw themselves back into new training.

So this is the place where vitality is developed.

Lu Chao's eyes shone brightly. He was very satisfied with the atmosphere here. Everything was orderly, steady, and powerful.

Then he looked outside the building again.

Below the concrete steps was a rectangular concrete flowerbed, its surface covered with some faded red-and-white tiles.