A Stunning Talent

Back at the rented apartment, Yang Sheng's father took a large kettle from the kitchen.

He filled two large cups to the brim with plain water, one for Yang Sheng and one for himself.

After a moment of silence, Yang Sheng spoke.

"Is the family really that short on money?"

Yang's father lifted his cup and drank deeply.

He did not care when the water soaked his collar.

"The ten thousand yuan I gave Li Yan before was borrowed. I went looking for him yesterday, but he told the security guards about me. I couldn't even get through the school gates."

Yang Sheng suddenly recalled how the guard had proactively opened the gate for Liu Chang that afternoon.

"Since I couldn't get into the school, I filed a complaint against Li Yan at the reception desk. The person there told me to first get an application form from the academic affairs office, fill it out, and submit it to them."

"But the academic affairs office is inside the school. I couldn't even get past the gates."

Yang's father took another large gulp of water.

"So I waited outside the school gates until evening, but I never saw Li Yan come out."

"And business has been bad lately too. I figured I should earn whatever I could."

After listening, Yang Sheng drained his cup in one breath.

"You don't need to worry about money. I found some work at a boxing gym recently. I can make money too."

Yang's father sighed when he heard that.

How much could a student earn at a boxing gym in one day?

"You should still focus on your studies. The college entrance exam is less than a month away."

Yang Sheng stood up. "I was transferred to the High-Aspiration Class today. The teacher is very good and taught me many new techniques. I'll practice for a little longer before resting. Dad, you should get to bed early too."

Yang's father watched Yang Sheng enter his bedroom, both hands clenched tightly around his cup.

Yang Sheng said things like "The teacher treats me well" and "My classmates are very friendly" every time.

He knew Yang Sheng only said those things so he would not worry.

But ever since receiving the school's expulsion notice two days ago, he had felt increasingly powerless.

Even though he knew Yang Sheng was telling well-intentioned lies, lies would eventually be exposed.

"Forget it. The school's formal expulsion decision hasn't come down yet. I'll take things one day at a time and try to find some connections."

Back in his room, Yang Sheng carefully recalled his practice of the Heart-Piercing Elbow that evening.

His cultivation progress surfaced in his mind.

[Bright Force (163/500)]

The Heart-Piercing Elbow he had used to resist the truck had directly given him ten points of cultivation progress.

"It seems the more perfectly I perform it, and the higher the quality of the elbow strike, the more cultivation progress I can gain."

Fine, dense insights rose within him.

In his mind, he replayed that Heart-Piercing Elbow over and over, breaking it apart and piecing it back together.

He recalled every minute motion of force involved in that elbow strike, even the extent of every tremor in his muscles.

Suddenly, Yang Sheng opened his eyes.

His feet shifted, his entire body twisted, and he threw an elbow into empty space without any physical target.

In that instant, Yang Sheng could feel the air throughout the room being stirred by that elbow.

Though his elbow had struck only air, he felt as though he had solidly hit something tangible.

It was compressed air!

Bang!

A muffled boom sounded.

A battered punching bag over a meter away split directly into four pieces.

He had perfectly replicated the elbow strike he had used against the truck.

[Bright Force (164/500)]

Heart-Piercing Elbow, Initial Penetrating Force!

Early the next morning, while the sky was still dim.

Yang Sheng opened his eyes, got up, washed up, and got dressed.

It was only four thirty. Yang Sheng had slept for just over three hours.

Yet he did not feel the slightest bit sleepy.

His rapidly increasing cultivation kept his mental state full of energy at all times.

He simply reheated the medicinal meal he had brought back from Skysea Boxing Gym the night before for breakfast and wolfed it all down in a few bites.

Once he felt about half full, he headed straight out.

The mornings in May carried a slight chill.

But Yang Sheng wore only a thin, breathable summer training uniform. He practiced his punches as he ran.

Not only did he feel no cold, but if one looked closely, faint wisps of heat could even be seen rising from the top of his head.

When he entered the High-Aspiration Class's training room, it was pitch-black inside. Most students would not begin arriving for another hour.

Yang Sheng moved some wooden boards out of the storage room and began practicing meticulously once more.

He continued until the horizon began to brighten and the sun rose above the skyline.

Only then did the footsteps of other students gradually begin appearing around the school.

Jiang Tian was someone who liked getting up early.

He enjoyed strolling through the school in the morning. He had worked at Bay City Martial Arts High School for decades.

This place was filled with his glory.

When he arrived at the training room with his usual wooden cup of coffee, he was surprised to find that the room, which normally required him to turn on the lights, was already lit.

When he stepped inside, he found Yang Sheng drenched in sweat as he practiced the Heart-Piercing Elbow Jiang Tian had taught him yesterday.

Jiang Tian leaned against the doorframe, savoring his coffee as a gratified smile appeared on his face.

What a teachable student.

Seeing the wooden boards scattered all over the floor, he knew Yang Sheng had been here for quite some time.

There were no shortcuts in martial arts, only constant practice.

Jiang Tian loved that saying, and he had always lived by it.

Seeing a student earnestly putting those words into practice filled him with pride.

"My eye for talent has never been wrong."

Then his gaze lowered.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

The scattered boards each had only tiny dents on their surfaces.

But their backs were covered in cracks.

At that moment, Jiang Tian, the man respectfully known as Iron Tower, lost his composure.

The coffee cup in his hand shook, spilling some warm coffee.

To make sure his aging eyes had not deceived him.

Jiang Tian walked straight inside.

Noticing Jiang Tian enter, Yang Sheng quickly turned around and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Good morning, Teacher Jiang."

Jiang Tian ignored him and crouched down, picking up a wooden board to inspect it carefully.

After examining the first, he checked the second.

Only after looking over more than half the boards did he slowly rise.

He looked at Yang Sheng with a complicated expression.

"You've already reached Initial Penetrating Force?"

Yang Sheng scratched his head somewhat sheepishly.

"After you taught me yesterday, Teacher, I kept training. I started with the form and tried to figure out the core of its force. It wasn't until last night that I truly grasped the trick behind generating power."

Jiang Tian's hand tightened around his cup and trembled again.

What did he mean, it wasn't until last night that I grasped the trick behind generating power?

He had actually been mentally prepared. He knew this student of his was highly talented.

His talent for techniques far surpassed that of his peers.

But the Heart-Piercing Elbow was not a technique one could master through talent alone.

It required constant refinement and a grasp of its core power.

Even Lian Zhantian, his most talented student in the past, had needed three days to reach Initial Penetrating Force under his step-by-step guidance.

Yet this student had taken one night, without anyone to guide him.

Through his own exploration, he had reached Initial Penetrating Force!

Just then, Liu Chang arrived at the training room as well.

"Junior Brother Yang, why did you come so early!"

Jiang Tian asked, "You two met last night?"

Liu Chang said, "Junior Brother Yang ran into some trouble last night and called me. I still need to report it to you later. He practiced at the boxing gym and had already reached an advanced level last night. It was truly surprising."

Yang Sheng said, "Actually, after seeing Senior Sister Liu last night, I had some new insights after getting home. I practiced a few more times, and only then barely reached Initial Penetrating Force."

In other words, Yang Sheng had reached Initial Penetrating Force in only half a night.

Bang!

The coffee cup, which had already spilled nearly all its contents, instantly exploded as Jiang Tian's face darkened with black lines.