Sparring (Please Bookmark)

Although Fang Xing had never missed a Martial Arts Class, he could not receive Xia Long's guidance in every lesson, especially when it came to hands-on practice.

He seized the opportunity and carefully experienced the differences.

After half an hour of Great Dragon Stance, they moved on to practicing the Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms.

Fang Xing performed each move meticulously, hoping to receive Xia Long's guidance.

Unfortunately, Xia Long merely glanced over them, nodded, then shook his head. "All of you have improved. That's good, but Martial Arts must ultimately come down to actual combat... If you can fight in real combat, anything goes. If you can't, then everything you say is bullshit. Now, split into pairs and begin combat drills..."

He tapped his wristwatch, and a blue screen immediately appeared before him.

Names like Fang Xing's continuously shifted across it before finally settling.

"First group, Bai Lang versus Qian Xun!"

Xia Long announced expressionlessly, "The rest of you, clear the area."

"Please enlighten me!"

Bai Lang was tall and lean, with a close-cropped haircut. He first gave a polite bow.

"Please enlighten me!"

Qian Xun wore a cyan Practice Clothes and had a pumpkin haircut. She bowed in return.

Smack!

The next instant, Bai Lang moved like a Bow and Arrow, shooting forward several meters and arriving before Qian Xun.

He brought his five fingers together and launched a cannon punch.

A crisp crack rang through the air. His Bow Stance Cannon Fist was clearly already highly practiced.

Bang!

The cannon punch missed. Qian Xun bent backward in a posture resembling an iron bridge, making it hard to imagine that her slender waist could bend to a full ninety degrees.

Then Qian Xun pressed both hands against the ground, her long legs winding upward as bonelessly supple as snakes, like two pythons strangling their prey.

The "Twin Serpent Leg" of the Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms!

The next second, Bai Lang was tightly wrapped up and brought to the ground, like prey coiled around by a Giant Python.

Naked Choke!

"I surrender!"

Bai Lang's face was flushed crimson. Fang Xing could not tell whether it was from lack of oxygen or excitement, but he did not seem particularly dejected.

"Damn... that kid really hit the jackpot."

Beside him, Liu Wei regretfully slapped his thigh. "Why wasn't it me?"

"Next group, Yi An versus Cole!"

Still expressionless, Xia Long called the next pair forward.

Yi An was small and skinny, with dark skin, while Cole had the typical appearance of a white man and stood nearly two heads taller than Yi An.

At the command, a vicious grin appeared on Cole's face. He drew back his right fist, then shot it out like an arrow.

Bang!

The punch was too fast. Yi An had no chance to evade and was sent flying backward. A harsh cracking sound even came from the arms he had hurriedly raised to block.

"One punch..."

The surrounding students were all shocked. "That punch from Cole... it's already incredibly close to 'A Cannon Blast Worth Ten Thousand Gold'..."

In the Bow Stance Cannon Fist, the word "cannon" was the true essence!

"So powerful... That big guy has the advantage of size and strength. It's such a huge advantage in the early stages of martial arts training, just like those exceptionally gifted people in ancient times..."

Liu Wei muttered as well.

"Although the Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms is only C-rank Martial Arts, reaching this level in First Year High School is barely acceptable."

Xia Long crossed his arms and secretly nodded, preparing to add Cole to his observation list. Still, he did not show much reaction as he said, "Two students, take Yi An to the Infirmary. Next group... Liu Wei versus Bai Lianyi!"

"Hm?"

At that, Fang Xing immediately looked to his side.

Liu Wei suppressed his excitement and calmly stepped forward. "Bai, please enlighten me!"

Bai Lianyi nodded gently. She looked like a white lotus, and her soft, delicate voice inevitably brought to mind lotus flowers in the south. "Be careful, Liu!"

Before her words had even faded, her figure flashed, and she was already in front of Liu Wei!

So fast!

Watching coldly from the side, Fang Xing was inwardly astonished.

Bai Lianyi's speed was probably the best in the class!

As a Biochemical Human, she had actually surpassed many Natural Human students in her martial arts progress. It was truly difficult to believe.

What was even more unbelievable was the terrifying whistle that followed!

Rip!

Bai Lianyi raised her right leg high, her white Practice Clothes snapping in the air.

The air seemed to be torn apart by a massive battle axe—and that axe was Bai Lianyi's long leg!

Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms—Battle Axe Leg!

Crack!

Fang Xing heard the grating sound of bones breaking, then saw Liu Wei sent flying as though he had been hit by a speeding train. He screamed in midair, "My arm..."

"It's fine. It's only a broken arm, isn't it? You there, take him to the Infirmary!"

Xia Long frowned.

What he did not know was that even the school Infirmary charged fees, no matter how cheap it was.

"Next group... Fang Xing versus Ouyang Qianqian!"

Fang Xing had originally wanted to escort his deskmate and friend to the Infirmary, but upon hearing his own name, he could only give Liu Wei an apologetic look and walk onto the field.

Liu Wei stopped groaning, refused the student who wanted to take him straight to the Infirmary, and stayed to watch from the side.

After all, one was his best friend, and the other was the girl he had a crush on.

After thinking it over, he still called out, "A Xing, go for it!"

In any case, a Natural Human student like Ouyang Qianqian had always ranked near the top of the class. She definitely would not lose.

Cheering for his friend was only natural.

Though he shouted encouragement, he did not think Fang Xing had any chance of winning.

"Please enlighten me!"

Fang Xing was in a good frame of mind. He flashed Ouyang Qianqian a carefree smile, assumed the stance of Military Body Boxing, and at the same time commanded his Nano Suit to abandon its defenses.

After all, this was merely classroom practice. There was no need to cheat.

"Please!"

Ouyang Qianqian held her hands like orchid blossoms, graceful and elegant as she suddenly struck downward. It was not a move from the Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms.

This was her family Martial Arts—Flying Orchid Finger!

It was a C-rank Martial Arts technique, particularly suited for training the flexibility and suppleness of the fingers.

Hmm, she's much weaker than Gu Yun... They're both from Natural Human families, but if Gu Yun came from a middle-income family, then Ouyang Qianqian is practically poor... Of course, no matter what, she's still better off than Biochemical Humans. We're born in debt.

Fang Xing shifted his steps, dodging Ouyang Qianqian's finger strike. Then he brought his five fingers together and formed the punch he knew best.

Bow Stance Cannon Fist!

His body was like a pine, his stance like a bow, and his fist like a cannon!

Boom!

A dull blast rang out in the air as Fang Xing drove a heavy punch straight ahead.

Yet Ouyang Qianqian seemed like a willow catkin drifting with the wind, retreating just enough to narrowly avoid the blow.

Willow Catkin Movement!

Then she twisted her body and arrived on Fang Xing's right. Her jade-like fingers lightly jabbed forward, carrying a sharp gust of wind.

Though the technique was fierce and vicious, her posture remained beautiful, giving others the feeling of a gentle spring breeze.

Fang Xing twisted his waist and advanced rather than retreating.

Smack!

Pain flared across his back, but he did not hesitate in the slightest. He spread his arms and went in for a bear hug.

"Ah!"

Accompanied by Liu Wei's cry, he and Ouyang Qianqian fell to the ground together.

It doesn't matter if you're stronger than me. I can drag you into the area I'm best at, then defeat you with my abundant experience.

Fang Xing smiled inwardly. The situation was now greatly in his favor.

After all, girls would always be at a slight disadvantage in ground fighting.

Liu Wei was definitely jealous enough to get a nosebleed.

But as he stared into Ouyang Qianqian's defiant eyes, he slapped the ground. "I surrender!"

Although he had dragged her down to an equal footing and even gained a certain advantage,

this female student's progress in refining her Skin and Flesh was definitely higher than his. Her physical foundation was stronger!

Though she might have held back somewhat during ground fighting due to her gender, it would still take considerable effort to take her down.

Why bother getting himself injured and looking miserable in the end?

After all, this was only a harmless classroom spar.

"Alright, stop!"

Xia Long nodded, then said to Ouyang Qianqian, who had climbed to her feet with an unwilling expression, "I've told you all before not to rely too much on so-called family Martial Arts. No matter how good a family tradition is, can it compare to the school? Or even the Federation Alliance? Ouyang's family Martial Arts clearly bears the marks of Ancient Martial Arts. She still cares about poise when attacking, which gave Fang an opportunity... The Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms was developed specifically for battlefield killing. There is absolutely not a single unnecessary movement. Even if the posture is somewhat inelegant, winning and surviving are what matter most... For example, if Fang had followed up with a Crocodile Roll just now, his chances of winning would have been high..."

He began instructing both sides on their tactics and responses, leaving Fang Xing feeling that he had benefited greatly.

Indeed, if Ouyang Qianqian had not made some mistakes at the beginning, he would not have been able to tackle her.

"Next group..."

After offering his guidance, Xia Long had the next pair of students come forward.

Yet inwardly, he stirred slightly. This Fang Xing isn't bad...

To Xia Long, Ouyang Qianqian was a student from a Natural Human family with family resources invested in her. Her progress in refining Skin and Flesh exceeded that of Biochemical Humans, yet she had been forced into such a position. She clearly lacked actual combat experience, so there was nothing much to say.

But Fang Xing was somewhat interesting. His combat instincts were good, and he had clearly experienced some real combat. He had also been able to decisively surrender at the end, showing that he understood the situation, knew when to advance and retreat, and understood trade-offs.

Moreover, every lesson seemed to show a bit of improvement from him, however slight!

That was somewhat remarkable.

Xia Long recalled the past.

Even excellent students like Bai Lianyi and Cole did not improve every single class.

Sometimes, various minor matters would even affect their condition.

But Fang Xing was different. Although his level was low and his moves unrefined, he advanced step by step with exceptional steadiness.

Perhaps Fang Xing has simply been in particularly good form lately. I'll wait and see...

It was only a minor matter, so Xia Long quickly set Fang Xing aside and prepared to observe him for a while longer.

"A Xing..."

Fang Xing walked over to Liu Wei and received a resentful glare from his deskmate. "You actually tackled Qianqian..."

"Ahem, didn't I surrender? Otherwise, if we had kept grappling, things would have gotten pretty ugly..."

Fang Xing coughed. In truth, he had mainly wanted to show off a little in front of Xia Long.

"How many years have we been friends? Our little boat is about to capsize... But first, take me to the Infirmary."

Liu Wei quickly gave up pressing the matter, and the two headed toward the school Infirmary together.

After passing a flowerbed, Fang Xing halted.

A girl stood ahead of them, dressed in snowy white Practice Clothes. Her bearing resembled a lotus flower in the south—it was Bai Lianyi!