Astonishing progress: strong enough to scare Ma Hai, tough enough to shock the school beauty

Over the days that followed, Ning Chuan gradually adjusted to his new identity.

Life had few surprises. Every day, he traveled between home, school, and the Extreme Path Martial Arts Hall.

Since his martial arts could cultivate on their own, he could hardly be called busy.

Even so, Ning Chuan didn't slack off. He set aside plenty of time to study martial arts theory and deepen his understanding.

On the weekend, he also visited several antique shops with Guo Renyu.

Unfortunately, none of his martial arts reacted.

And so, as the days passed, Ning Chuan's strength steadily climbed. He grew stronger and began approaching Awakening Fourth Stage, High Level.

Even Awakening Stage Five was no longer far away.

After all, cultivation was a slow grind, and one had to climb the steps one at a time.

The process was extremely arduous and usually measured in years.

Ning Chuan had managed to reach this point mainly thanks to Savage Bull Force tempering him without pause, day and night. On top of that, by instructing Lu Mengyue, he was able to eat some ferocious beast meat every day to supplement his nutrition.

Of course, the former was more important by far. The latter couldn't compare.

Given only a little over ten jin of ordinary ferocious beast meat each day, even geniuses like Zhang Wensi and top students like Lu Mengyue would progress far more slowly than Ning Chuan.

His greatest improvement, however, was actually in his practical combat ability.

It was enormous!

That much was clear from his fights with Ma Hai.

Ning Chuan's attacks grew increasingly vicious, and his timing became more precise. With each fight, he came away with fewer injuries.

Especially in recent days, he had managed to turn an even match in his favor.

He had gained the upper hand completely in battle!

He had beaten Ma Hai down without giving him room to fight back!

However, he also owed that achievement to two B-grade martial arts, Vajra Body and Thousand Bones Combat Technique.

One afternoon.

In the woods behind the training grounds at Qingshan No. 1 High School.

Bang, bang, bang...

Over the past few days, dull, powerful sounds of collision had rung out from the woods at this time.

Today, however, the impacts were particularly rapid.

Not long after they began, a miserable scream rang out, and the sounds died away.

In the woods.

Ma Hai lay among the trees, his face black and blue and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He was a miserable sight, his face filled with grief and indignation.

Beside him.

Ning Chuan stood tall and straight, sharp as a freshly honed sword, without a single wound on his body.

"This... this isn't Teacher Su helping you!"

Ma Hai looked up at Ning Chuan, panic in his eyes, and said in a trembling voice, "It's simply because you've mastered a powerful body-hardening martial art!"

He was gradually beginning to understand.

At most, Su Yun's help would keep Ning Chuan from being bullied. There was no reason it should let Ning Chuan turn around and beat someone else up!

"Ma Hai, you've misunderstood."

Ning Chuan coughed lightly and tried to salvage the situation. "Actually, this is just a formal martial artist's method. It's simply too powerful!"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?!"

Ma Hai cursed in anger.

But when he saw Ning Chuan's indifferent gaze looking down at him, he promptly shut his mouth.

Ning Chuan's body-hardening martial art wasn't the only powerful thing about him!

If all he had was high defense, he could at most have fought Ma Hai to a draw. Yet Ning Chuan had taken little time to injure him and knock him to the ground, unable to get up!

"Whether you're an idiot or not doesn't matter!"

Ning Chuan stopped concealing it and admitted it openly. "I'm good at body-hardening, and I've mastered a powerful offensive martial art. So what?

Do you want to end our arrangement? Or rather, do you dare?

You don't want that knight-level martial artist's guidance anymore?"

Ma Hai said nothing.

Ning Chuan said no more either. He turned to leave, but after a few steps, he came back and smiled. "Oh, right, I almost forgot. You haven't transferred today's payment yet. Your sparring session today... no, you beat me up today, so you have to pay me!"

"I..."

Ma Hai gnashed his teeth, grief and indignation filling his heart.

Ning Chuan had just let it slip.

He was the sparring partner!

And he even had to pay for it!

There was simply no justice in the world!

Ning Chuan smiled. "Don't worry. After I go out, I'll make some red marks and swelling myself, so you can report back to Zhang Wensi."

Ma Hai took out his phone and transferred the money, feeling utterly aggrieved.

Then he watched Ning Chuan leave in satisfaction, his gaze full of irritation and anger.

There was also a trace of fear.

He didn't understand.

How had Ning Chuan become so strong in such a short time?!

It made no sense!

Time passed, and Ning Chuan's progress continued steadily.

Another Friday arrived.

Evening.

The Extreme Path Martial Arts Hall.

The vivid setting sun poured through a broad expanse of clear floor-to-ceiling windows into a private training room on the second floor, warm and gentle, displaying the full beauty of spring.

But two sabers, so fast they nearly trailed silver light, showed no appreciation for the scene.

They swept through the air with a howl, exceptionally fierce.

They clashed madly again and again, each impact accompanied by an explosive peal of thunder that surged and rampaged, seemingly ready to shred the light itself.

The two wielding the sabers were, of course, Ning Chuan and Lu Mengyue.

They were locked in a fierce exchange, fighting with Flash Thunder Slash.

And the battle was unexpectedly even.

"Whoosh!"

Lu Mengyue stepped diagonally with lightning speed, narrowly avoiding a slash from Ning Chuan that howled through the air.

Several strands of her beautiful hair, woven with pale cyan and light blue, were nearly cut off.

Lu Mengyue paid it no mind. Her eyes remained fixed on Ning Chuan, a trace of something unusual deep within them.

Half a month ago, she had fought Ning Chuan for the first time.

She knew his combat ability very well.

That awkwardness couldn't have been faked.

He had been an absolute novice in combat.

Yet today, he could fight her to such a deadlock.

True, with their strength and speed nearly equal, Ning Chuan had the advantage of Flash Thunder Slash at the Minute Subtlety realm.

But her five senses and neural reaction speed were all at Peak Awakening Stage Nine, far beyond Ning Chuan's.

It's only been a little over ten days, and his combat ability has improved this much. His talent for combat really is impressive!

Lu Mengyue marveled inwardly.

Ning Chuan's combat ability was still some distance below hers.

But the speed of his improvement made even her heart tremble faintly.

Bang!

The two sabers collided, and a spark burst into being in the air.

Lu Mengyue was distracted for a moment, and Ning Chuan seized the opportunity. Meeting her head-on with Flash Thunder Slash, he sent her staggering backward.

Swish!

Ning Chuan used Gale Step and closed in, moving with incredible speed as though a gale were driving his feet forward.

In an instant, while Lu Mengyue was still retreating, Ning Chuan had already caught up to her.

Gale Step wasn't high-grade.

It was only a bottom-tier E-grade technique.

But Ning Chuan's realm was high: he had reached the third realm, Mastery!

Once activated, it was like a gale sweeping through, carrying him more than ten meters in the blink of an eye.

"Flash Thunder Slash!"

Ning Chuan brought his saber down, silver light flashing as it cut through the air, giving Lu Mengyue no chance to regain her footing.

Bang!

Lu Mengyue swung her saber to block, but it took considerable effort. With the sound of the collision, she was jolted into another stagger.

Her Flash Thunder Slash was at a lower realm than Ning Chuan's.

She was at a serious disadvantage in a head-on clash.

Ning Chuan kept swinging his saber, using Flash Thunder Slash to press Lu Mengyue further.

After so many days of sparring, this was the first time he had held such a great advantage, with a hope of winning. He couldn't help feeling a little excited.

But Ning Chuan immediately cast the feeling aside.

His dark eyes grew calm once more.

In battle, one had to avoid distractions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunder burst from Ning Chuan's body as he swung one saber strike after another, each exceptionally fierce. The flashing silver light was like a cascading waterfall, nearly swallowing Lu Mengyue and leaving her no opening at all.

Across from him, Lu Mengyue remained calm.

She had been through many battles and knew how to respond. She devoted her entire attention to the fight.

Gradually, Flash Thunder Slash became easier for her to use.

Boom!

As Lu Mengyue swung her saber, the thunder bursting from her body was much deeper than before. It already sounded somewhat like the rumbling of a thunderclap.

And amid that thunder, the bottleneck of the foundation realm was completely shattered.

Lu Mengyue's Flash Thunder Slash officially advanced to the second realm, Proficiency.

Clang!

The tremendous sound of metal striking metal boomed out.

The next moment.

The saber Ning Chuan had raised to block was knocked straight out of his hand.

"Oh no!"

Lu Mengyue's gaze sharpened.

The instant Flash Thunder Slash broke through to the next realm, her emotions had surged, and she had unleashed her full strength.

Although she reacted quickly and hurriedly reined in her strength, she could hardly stop the saber.

After knocking Ning Chuan's saber away, the weapon in her hand continued its slash, striking swiftly toward his arm.

"Swish!"

The saber came at him, slicing through the air.

Ning Chuan remained perfectly calm. He spread the five fingers of his right hand and met it head-on.

"Don't-!"

Lu Mengyue couldn't help crying out.

If her slash struck Ning Chuan's arm, it would only break the bone.

But if it struck his fingers, then even though the saber was unsharpened, the power of that Flash Thunder Slash would sever at least three of them.

The latter injury was clearly more serious than the former.

Perfectly reattaching severed limbs without leaving any aftereffects was no simple matter.

Was he too flustered in the rush?!

Lu Mengyue thought anxiously.

But then.

Her gaze froze.

When the saber struck Ning Chuan's right hand, a golden light suddenly flashed across the skin of his palm.

Clang!

The saber sounded as though it had struck hard metal, producing a tremendous noise and sending several sparks flying.

The impact forced Ning Chuan's legs halfway into a bend.

Clearly, the force behind the saber was heavy.

Yet his right hand was completely unharmed.

Ning Chuan straightened up and shook out his hand. Smiling, he said, "Lu Mengyue, you finally broke through. Congratulations."

With his Flash Thunder Slash at the Minute Subtlety realm, he could naturally tell the level of Lu Mengyue's strike.

"How did you... do that just now?"

Lu Mengyue stared at Ning Chuan and asked in surprise.

"Just a body-tempering martial art."

Ning Chuan smiled without concealing anything. With a thought, he covered his palm in a faint, translucent golden film, a sense of toughness flowing through it.

This was an ability he had gained after his Vajra Body advanced to the third level.

He could actively transform his body into a "golden body."

In this state, his body was exceptionally sturdy, comparable to refined steel.

One could imagine how formidable it was.

However, with his Vajra Body currently at the third level, Ning Chuan still could not transform his entire body into a golden body.

The area he could cover with the "golden body" transformation was only half the size of his palm.

It lasted for about one second.