(First update today!)
The dust scattered by the impact hung in the air as an invisible wave spread between the two of them. Boom!!
Wen Zheming's fist stopped against the tightly tensed muscles near Mu Fan's elbow. The flesh there was visibly sunken and purple, yet beyond that arm, Mu Fan's defiant gaze was just as clear!
"Hmph." Wen Zheming let out a soft grunt, stared at Mu Fan, then slowly supported his right arm with his left and withdrew it.
The Great Advancement Cannon Fist he had forcibly unleashed had nearly numbed his entire right arm and drained all strength from his body. He would need time to recover.
This kid actually knew a defensive fighting technique. But it didn't matter—his arm looked useless now. Wen Zheming grinned.
Mu Fan maintained that posture without moving. His arm did indeed seem badly injured, but unfortunately, Wen Zheming could not hear the furious roar in his heart.
It hurts like hell!! It hurts like hell!! It hurts! It hurts!
Mu Fan had cursed the man across from him a hundred times in his heart, but his face remained wild and unyielding as he stared at Young Master Wen, ready for another attack at any moment.
His right arm looked terrible, but only Mu Fan knew the true situation.
That was merely a stress response from the tissue beneath his skin. His muscles had indeed taken a heavy instant blow, but while defending himself, Mu Fan had unknowingly used Half-Arm Guard, an advanced fighting technique that demanded both strength and endurance.
By an unexpected twist, the opponent's tremendous force had been conducted through his entire body and into the ground, canceling out nearly half of it. Mu Fan's arm only hurt now...
Young Master Wen was smiling? Mu Fan suddenly noticed. Seeing him support his own right arm, the sense of danger in Mu Fan's heart faded away.
Mu Fan slowly lowered his arm and said with complete sincerity, nearly angering Young Master Wen—who was standing there recovering—to death.
"Young Master Wen, are we still fighting?"
Still fighting?... Fighting?... Right?...
Wen Zheming felt blood rushing to his head, and his vision darkened. This stubborn bastard had truly infuriated him. Wasn't he worried about his own nearly ruined arm? And he was fucking asking whether they were still fighting?
Since he was five, he had trained under combat experts in the military. He had fought and struggled since childhood, used the finest body-tempering fluids on the planet whenever he recovered from injuries, and endured hellish training beyond what ordinary people could imagine in a lifetime. At twelve, he had been sent into the reserves. At thirteen, he had killed and seen blood. Three years later, he returned to normal society and became the ruthless Young Master Wen, whose name was passed around in whispers.
Still fighting? And now he was being seriously asked that question by a sparring partner from a martial arts school.
I... fight your damn head! In the end, Wen Zheming spat. His right arm truly could not be raised anymore; he had exhausted himself.
"Hmph." Young Master Wen did not want to say another word. This kid had actually endured a strike with Level 17 strength!
Looking at Mu Fan before him, Young Master Wen's expression shifted unpredictably.
Mu Fan relaxed his stance, his right arm hanging at his side as well. He was easing the pain. Once he felt that he could move it a little, he calmly walked over to Wen Zheming, looked at the fierce, sharp young man before him, and spoke softly. "Young Master Wen."
Wen Zheming finally put away that gaze he used for lower life-forms. In any situation, strength was a person's best calling card. The kid before him was qualified to earn a higher regard from him.
"Speak." Wen Zheming uttered the word without the slightest emotion.
"I wonder whether Young Master Wen's word still counts?"
Hearing Mu Fan say that, Wen Zheming immediately knew what he wanted to talk about. Frowning, he said coldly, "Go on."
"Man Kun, whose leg was broken on the first day, is my friend." Mu Fan considered his words before speaking slowly.
"And?" Wen Zheming's brow twitched.
"He's my friend." Mu Fan looked straight at him.
"Are you sure you want to bring this up with me?" Wen Zheming's expression turned grim. The faint appreciation he had just begun to feel vanished completely.
"I'm sure." A harmless smile curled across Mu Fan's lips.
Wen Zheming said nothing. As he looked at Mu Fan and met those calm, indifferent eyes, the improved mood he had regained after venting began to fade.
Suddenly feeling that it was all rather meaningless, Young Master Wen waved his hand. "Man Kun, right? I understand."
Mu Fan remained standing there without moving.
As though he had not seen Mu Fan at all, Wen Zheming leaned back onto the sofa and directly pressed the martial arts school's internal call button.
"This is Wen Zheming. Send Chanisen up."
Then he looked at Mu Fan and waved dismissively. "Go. Chanisen will tell you shortly."
Mu Fan narrowed his eyes, gave Wen Zheming a deep look, then turned and left the room.
After coming out, Mu Fan did not go downstairs. Instead, he headed straight to Training Room 4. He reached it after passing through two corridors and making a turn. He verified his identity and entered. Their sparring session had lasted less than an hour, so the fat man had not arrived yet. Mu Fan went in and sat directly in a training chair.
"Hiss, it hurts, it hurts!" With no one around, Mu Fan hurriedly rubbed his arm.
It had turned completely purple. The little Mu Fan in his heart instantly teared up.
But Mu Fan did not know that, over the next while, the entire martial arts school would nearly boil over.
Chanisen went upstairs and came back down soon after, excitement written all over his face. Young Master Wen was very satisfied!!
Wen Zheming had not mentioned Mu Fan at all. After Chanisen entered the room, he directly tossed over a card and said that one hundred thousand Star Coins were for Man Kun, while fifty thousand were for the big guy from yesterday afternoon. After waving his hand, he left through the private passage. Before leaving, he said meaningfully, "This martial arts school isn't bad."
Wen Zheming had truly left! That alone was enough for Chanisen to toss his hat into the air. Not to mention that Young Master Wen had clearly shown no dissatisfaction toward the martial arts school. The card he tossed out before leaving had specifically named Man Kun and Jerff. Was this really the savage Wen Zheming he knew?!
How could he let Young Master Wen pay? But if he misunderstood Wen Zheming's intentions again and sent it back, only to have it refused, wouldn't that be courting death? Shrinking back, Chanisen decided that the martial arts school would pay another sum. Man Kun, whom they had originally planned to cut ties with, could stay in logistics, while that big fellow Jerff was truly lucky. Just a little that leaked through Young Master Wen's fingers was enough for him to work himself to death without food or rest for more than half a year.
Chanisen went downstairs beaming, humming a tune as he passed through the Training Field where the sparring partners and coaches trained, completely ignoring everyone around him.
Behind Chanisen, the people in Training Field 5 on the first floor, who had wisely behaved themselves, exchanged uncertain looks.
"What did Chani take?"
"Did he have a kid?"
"Bullshit, his wife isn't pregnant."
"Then he became a father out of nowhere!" A rather dull-looking sparring partner nodded with certainty.
"Idiot." Everyone around him cursed him in unison.
Chanisen suddenly remembered. Where was that kid Mu Fan?
So he turned around and asked, "Where's Mu Fan?"
...Everyone fell silent.
"Mu Fan?"
Everyone was dumbfounded. Hadn't he gone upstairs? And hadn't Chanisen gone upstairs too? Why was he asking them?
"Mu Fan didn't come down?" Chanisen suddenly felt that everyone at this martial arts school was incredibly stupid.
"No, no. Didn't he... go upstairs earlier? We, we didn't see him come down." Someone stammered out a reply.
Chanisen frowned and called over a staff member nearby.
"Check where Mu Fan is."
"Please wait, Mr. Chanisen. Let me check... He's in VIP Room 4 on the third floor."
"That kid is interesting. Give him a two-thousand bonus later." Chanisen was in an excellent mood and prepared to return to his office to have a good talk with Mu Fan. What a remarkable kid!
Acting on the thought, Chanisen turned and scolded the person who had just spoken. "You can't even speak properly. You're as useless as trash. Learn from Mu Fan!" Then, with his hands behind his back, he stepped into the suspension elevator.
While everyone was still utterly confused—what had Mu Fan done so well? What had he done?—the cleaning staff came down from the third floor carrying two broken Punching Targets.
"Tsk, tsk. What kind of freaks are in Room 1? These things have ultra-tough Luo Thread Cotton and Energy-Absorbing Rigid Springs inside! They're punching targets designed for Level 15 strength, and they still got wrecked!"
The voice was neither loud nor soft, but it carried perfectly to the group nearby.
Boom! The entire Training Field instantly exploded into an uproar.
Man Kun and Jerff at the martial arts school had been seriously injured, and then some kid who ate ten boxed meals had continued on to another job after finishing his sparring session.
Punching targets designed for Level 15 strength! Smashed to pieces!
Mu Fan!!? The group looked at one another and nodded blankly.
And so, the legend of the martial arts school's strongest sandbag... was born on that day.
*********
PS: Thanks to reader "Yesterday's Beauty" for the generous reward!
At the same time, I recommend a new game-category work by a friend, "Pig God System." This shameless little companion has written a game novel with a distinctly different flavor. He has plenty of chapters saved up, so readers with similar tastes may want to check it out.
Li Ge had always liked chatting before, but today was his first official request for votes. So I sincerely ask everyone to casually send a recommendation vote after reading. Many thanks to you all!
(Ahem, ahem. To climb the rankings this week, Lord Black is rolling around and acting cute to beg for favorites and recommendations!)
Before you continue