Bang!Cole's body slammed heavily into the ground. For a moment, he couldn't even make a sound—like he'd been knocked out cold.
"Cole… actually?""But he's a natural-born human! One of the top students in class!"
The surrounding classmates fell silent. After a long pause, someone muttered:
"Wait a second—didn't Fang Xing say before that he only managed that Cannon Fist once by pure luck, and couldn't do it consistently?""And you believed that? That's like when a straight-A student says, 'Oh, I didn't do well on this test.'""...You know, you make a good point."
"A-Xing, you actually took Cole down?"
Liu Wei stepped forward, patting his best friend on the shoulder.
"When did you get so strong?"
"Obviously it's because of my relentless, day-in, day-out training."
Fang Xing delivered that perfectly standard piece of nonsense with a straight face, then glanced over at Bai Lianyi, who was standing beside Liu Wei. He smiled, subtly tucking his right hand behind his back.
The truth was, Cole's physical strength was superior to his own—Cole had simply lost in terms of technique. Fang Xing's victory came from catching him completely off guard and hitting with full power right from the start. His knuckles were still aching.
"Fang Xing, you're really impressive. I look forward to facing you next time," Bai Lianyi said softly, almost delicately. "But… please, go easy on me."
"Of course. We'll improve together," Fang Xing replied with a nod.
After school.
On the embankment by the riverside.
Fang Xing tossed Liu Wei a soda bottle. "Honestly… I think Ouyang Qianqian is more suited for you."
Glug, glug—ahhh!
Liu Wei downed it in one go before replying, "Truth is, I feel like Qianqian and I are worlds apart… She's a natural-born human, and I'm just a broke, dirt-poor bio-mod. Actually, with Bai Lianyi… okay, I'm joking. We've been hanging out recently, but it's not like I'm chasing her. I do have a bit of a crush, sure—she's a good person. And those part-time jobs she's shared lately? They've been pretty lucrative."
"So it's all for side jobs and extra cash? Seems like you haven't forgotten your dream," Fang Xing said with a nod.
"Of course! I've been secretly working hard too, you know. Not as much as you, though." Liu Wei grinned broadly.
"By the way, there's a new gig—at Glorious River Mansion. You in?" Fang Xing asked casually.
Liu Wei shivered. "Glorious River Mansion… you mean…?"
"Yep. That one. Gu Yun's place," Fang Xing confirmed, entirely on purpose.
He'd gone out of his way to find this job—for Liu Wei's sake. Same class meant same schedule, and if they "accidentally" bumped into Bai Lianyi at Glorious River Mansion… well, maybe then Liu Wei would finally get the picture.
Sigh… brother, this is as far as I can help you.
"That Gu Yun woman… she's ruthless," Liu Wei hesitated.
"But she pays well," Fang Xing replied matter-of-factly.
"I suffered so much last time—"
"But. She. Pays. Well."
"I… I… fine! It's just for the money, right? I'll go!" Liu Wei grit his teeth.
"That's the spirit." Fang Xing smiled.
Glorious River Mansion.
In the villa's training yard—
"Let's get one thing straight: you take off the gravity suit first, then we'll spar," Liu Wei said quickly when he saw Gu Yun with her hair tied into pigtails.
"Relax, relax… This time I'm definitely going to master the Demon Blade and fully control its darkness!" Gu Yun said confidently, wooden sword in hand.
"Bring it!"
Liu Wei had learned from last time—he immediately held his wooden staff defensively in front of him.
"Good!"
Gu Yun's shout rang out as she slashed.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Her attack was even faster than before, the air filling with overlapping afterimages of her blade.
Three blade-shadows fell at once, striking Liu Wei's staff—
Triple Blade Slash!
Swish!
In a blur of motion, the staff vanished from his hands.
"Huh? Where's my staff?"
Liu Wei's eyes widened—then he yelped in pain as he was sent flying.
"Kill!"
Gu Yun's eyes gleamed dangerously. She stepped forward, dainty foot landing on Liu Wei's chest, wooden sword aimed right at his throat. Even with wood, a strike to such a vital spot could cause serious injury!
Clang!
A second staff flew in at the critical moment, blocking the sword.
Her eyes—still tinged faintly red—flashed, the wooden staff splitting under her blade as Fang Xing lunged in.
"Hah!"
His foot planted like a drawn bow, his fist sheathed in a layer of silver-white nanotech armor, like a gleaming gauntlet.
Bow Stance Cannon Fist!
His most practiced move—simple, but deadly.
Thud!
Silver fist met wooden blade. A huge force surged into him, pushing him back several steps.
This Gu Yun—she looks like a little girl, but her strength's greater than Cole's!Has she already broken into the Second Martial Realm and begun tempering her bones?Without my armor, I'd have to be crazy to punch a sword—even a wooden one!
Countless thoughts flashed through Fang Xing's mind in an instant. He took a deep breath, ready to have the armor cover his entire body.
But then Gu Yun trembled slightly, the crimson in her eyes fading. She looked him over and smiled in satisfaction.
"Beginner-level nanotech armor? Good… now we can spar properly, and I don't have to worry about accidentally killing you!"
"Wait, wait—" Fang Xing began, sensing trouble.
Too late. Gu Yun switched off her gravity suit, her delicate face taking on a bloodthirsty, almost giddy grin.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Half an hour later.
The same middle-aged man from before appeared in the training yard. He glanced over at Fang Xing and Liu Wei—pausing when he saw Fang Xing's nanotech armor.
"Nice armor. Next time, don't wear it. The impact feels different, and the training's more effective that way… but, fine, this time we'll let it slide. Sometimes you just need to vent."
He smiled.
"You're practicing the Twelve Forms of Military Combat Boxing, right? Only your first form has some bite—the rest are still raw. I can give you some pointers… twenty minutes should be enough. But I'll have to charge the standard rate."
Fang Xing and Liu Wei exchanged a glance. "Please, teach us!"
"I started with the Twelve Forms myself," the man said. "But I always preferred leg techniques. Here, I'll show you the 'Battle-Axe Kick.'"
He leapt and lashed out with one leg—
Snap!
The air itself seemed to split. A wooden pile several meters away exploded, revealing a deep gouge like it had been cleaved by a blade.
"Amazing… Uncle, you must be a real professional!"
Liu Wei was stunned. He'd seen Bai Lianyi's Battle-Axe Kick before, but compared to this… she was a child playing with toys.
"Nothing special. I eventually gave up on the Twelve Forms—simple moves, but hard to master. Still, if you hone them deeply, the 'Military Intent' they carry can be incredibly powerful."
He smiled again. "The essence of this kick lies in…"
Twenty minutes later.
Fang Xing and Liu Wei left with lingering excitement.
"So this is what it's like to get tips from a true professional?" Liu Wei stroked his chin. "Feels like he's a bit below Teacher Xia, but we paid less. Doesn't that mean we lost out?"
"Better than training alone. Teacher Xia Long is not only a professional, he's a career educator with tons of teaching experience. It's not the same," Fang Xing said, shaking his head.
He could tell Uncle Gu was frugal—he'd given them guidance in place of extra payment for taking injuries. Even so, Liu Wei might not see it, but Fang Xing knew he'd profited hugely.
His attribute panel was proof—
[Twelve Forms of Military Combat Boxing: 76/100 (Beginner)]
Not bad… that's overall improvement.Still, I'm no match for his daughter. Need to keep training.
Time passed quickly.
Fang Xing spent his days drinking medicine, training, occasionally working part-time with Liu Wei, and playing online games in his spare time. Life was full.
One day—
Happiness Community Residential Complex.
In the training room—
[Name: Fang Xing][Age: 16][Profession: Martial Artist][First Realm: Skin & Flesh (Skin Refining: 43/100)][Twelve Forms of Military Combat Boxing: 86/100 (Beginner)][Great Dragon Pile: 99/100 (Beginner)][Gate of All Worlds: 59/100 (Locating)]
"Last bit of nutrient solution…"
He poured the final 20 ml of D3-grade nutrient fluid into his mouth and began training the Great Dragon Pile stance.
He lost himself completely in the posture, cycling his blood and energy over and over.
Three hours later—
Something strange happened.
Roar!
His blood surged wildly, breaking through some unseen barrier. His bones shifted and resonated, the sounds overlapping until they became a dragon's roar.
[Great Dragon Pile: 1/100 (Proficient)]
"Leveled up?"
A smile spread across Fang Xing's face—his stance training had improved dramatically.
More than that, every movement now carried a subtle, profound quality.
Before, my stance was crude… so crude it was embarrassing to look at.
Comparing now to before, he saw countless improvements—and he was sure they would speed up his skin-refining progress significantly.
The next day—
[First Realm: Skin & Flesh (Skin Refining: 44/100)]
Seeing the progress bar move, Fang Xing couldn't hide his satisfaction.
"A Proficient-level Dragon Pile really is in a different league from Beginner level… At this rate, I can gain a point a day. My training speed's skyrocketed."
"If Proficient is like this, what about even higher levels? The future's looking bright—very bright!"
"As expected… the only thing I'm missing now is a proper cheat-like golden finger."
(End of Chapter)