Summer passed and winter approached, the autumn chill deepening.
Fashion was a free-for-all this time of year. Some people wore short sleeves and shorts, while others were already in sweatshirts and long johns. Whenever they crossed paths, they each thought the other was crazy.
The hidden benefits of martial arts advancement included strengthening a Martial Artist's resistance to harsh weather.
Yu Fei finally managed to convince his mom to put his thermal shirt and long johns back in the closet, showing off the "new armor" he'd gained after his skin-shedding.
Yu Wei's protests, however, were futile. She resentfully added another layer of clothing.
Gao Yunxiang invited Yu Fei to the martial arts hall where he worked.
The man was exceptionally thorough.
He told Yu Fei that as a gold-medal coach, he had a few free slots. When Yu Fei couldn't refuse, Gao Yunxiang signed him up for a free membership card.
The Aurora Martial Arts Hall's business was divided into two main categories. The first was similar to a fitness club, primarily targeting ordinary people who had not yet begun their martial arts journey.
The other category was for Martial Artists.
Gao Yunxiang took him to the core area for Martial Artists. The students here were a mix of teenagers and adults, and their martial arts abilities were generally before the Three Gates.
The hall earned its money from instruction fees and the price markup on energy liquids and supplements.
With the membership card from Gao Yunxiang, Yu Fei could use all the training equipment and receive coaching for free for three months.
By this point, Yu Fei's supply of Vitality Elixirs was nearly gone. The energy liquids his parents had bought and the ones Gao Yunxiang had given him were long used up, so his training intensity had decreased recently.
Here, Yu Fei ran into Du Mingxuan. Gao Yunxiang was his personal coach.
Mr. Du had paid good money; Du Mingxuan was Gao Yunxiang's VIP student.
Gao Yunxiang had been worried that Du Mingxuan might object to him bringing Yu Fei along for training, but he never expected them to be classmates. The atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.
Of course Du Mingxuan had no objections. During their martial arts class, Yu Fei had held nothing back while helping him learn the Linear Style, sharing all his insights. Now, Du Mingxuan had fully grasped the basics of the Linear Style and was gradually becoming proficient.
To be honest, Du Mingxuan felt that Yu Fei's instruction was more effective than Gao Yunxiang's, so he was delighted by his arrival.
"Mr. Gao, you might not know this, but Fei is probably the most advanced and the strongest Martial Artist in our entire sophomore class right now."
After finishing a set of exercises, Du Mingxuan drank a bottle of energy liquid and spoke to Gao Yunxiang, passing another bottle to Yu Fei at the same time.
Before he could refuse, Du Mingxuan continued, "Fei, you helped me a lot in martial arts class. I actually want to ask for your continued help, but that would waste your time. As a token of my apology, I'll cover all your expenses here at Aurora!"
With a grand wave of his hand, Du Mingxuan announced that from now on, the young master was footing the bill.
Yu Fei accepted the energy liquid and said with a laugh, "Is Young Master Du trying to be my sugar daddy?"
A swig of the energy liquid washed away some of Yu Fei's fatigue.
The little raise Mr. Yu had gotten was just a drop in the bucket compared to the costs of martial arts, which was why he was so grateful for Gao Yunxiang's kindness.
As a student, he had no way of making money and was desperately short on resources.
Yu Fei had never asked Mr. Yu for anything extra; it was already hard enough for his father to support the family.
But he couldn't just accept Du Mingxuan's goodwill so easily.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Young Master Du, but let's not mention this again. After all, even though your old man is loaded, making money is never easy."
He was happy to accept Du Mingxuan's generosity, but Du Mingxuan's magnanimity was built on his father's support. Yu Fei didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for him.
Du Mingxuan laughed. "I'd love to lock Fei in the training room twenty-four hours a day to practice with me!"
Yu Fei's refusal only made Du Mingxuan think more highly of him. He had a way to get his father to agree.
Gao Yunxiang brought out three sets of protective gear, tossing one set each to Yu Fei and Du Mingxuan.
"Alright, you two, stop bickering. Yu Fei, how about you spar with me? Let me see what you've got."
Yu Fei's spirits lifted at the words. To be honest, sparring with his classmates at school, including Jiang Yifan, was no longer helpful. He didn't have an accurate gauge of his own current strength.
"Okay! I'm ready."
With that, he started putting on the protective gear.
Du Mingxuan's interest was piqued. "I'll be the referee!" he said eagerly.
The two quickly took their positions on the sparring platform. Du Mingxuan raised his right hand high and swung it down hard.
"Begin!"
Gao Yunxiang adopted a defensive stance, gesturing for Yu Fei to attack. As a martial arts senior, he felt that handling a young kid like Yu Fei, who had been training for less than half a year, would be a piece of cake.
One's martial arts realm could advance rapidly with talent, but mastering techniques and gaining combat experience wasn't so easy.
Yu Fei didn't hold back. He advanced and launched a flying kick.
His Yin Stream Shattered Jade had reached the minor completion stage, allowing him to conceal the force within his attacks.
On the outside, the Linear Style; on the inside, the Yin Stream Shattered Jade.
His strikes seemed straightforward, but by combining control over his power with the judgment from his Super Speed Reaction, he could change his attack four times in a single blow.
Gao Yunxiang was a seasoned veteran and could tell at a glance that the force Yu Fei was using belonged to the Linear Style.
There wasn't a single Martial Artist in the Yu Kingdom who didn't know the Six Harmonies Killing Fist.
But while everyone knew the Six Harmonies Killing Fist, very few ever mastered it to a profound level.
It was like how everyone could write, but very few were true masters of calligraphy.
He could see the skill in Yu Fei's kick. It flew like a sharp arrow, aimed straight between Gao Yunxiang's nose and mouth.
Gao Yunxiang shook his head slightly. 'He's a true genius! But for the next year or so, I can still keep you in check!'
Gao Yunxiang had a very clear understanding of his own abilities. His half-lifetime of hard work was equivalent to only a year or two for some geniuses.
And Yu Fei was just such a genius.
'Still too green, though,' he thought. 'The Linear Style is powerful, but it lacks variation!'
When the kick was still three feet away, Gao Yunxiang confidently raised his left hand to hook it, certain he could grab Yu Fei's ankle and throw him.
But unexpectedly, just as he raised his hand to his forehead, the kick changed direction, driving viciously toward his chest.
This threw him into a momentary panic. Gao Yunxiang quickly clenched his right hand into a fist, executing a Mountain-Blocking Hammer to defend his chest with an attack.
Gao Yunxiang's change in movement was crystal clear to Yu Fei. With his Super Speed Reaction, he could even see the coach's micro-expressions; the surprise in his eyes was completely exposed.
Yu Fei channeled a sliver of Yin energy, using softness to overcome hardness. The kick suddenly chopped down toward Gao Yunxiang's abdomen like a sharp axe.
Having misjudged two moves in a row, a fine sheen of sweat instantly broke out on Mr. Gao's forehead.
Gao Yunxiang roared internally, 'Fuck, this kid's Yin Stream Shattered Jade is definitely at a high level.'
He'd wanted to show off, but ended up making a huge fool of himself.
In his desperation, Gao Yunxiang could no longer afford to be modest and unleashed the Bengchan Jin, a technique that almost no one practiced.