Zhang Hong was gone.
Light as a feather, his presence and departure barely made a ripple.
The Jinshi Boxing Hall continued to recruit disciples, teaching Fighting Skills, tempering bodies, and developing Life Energy day after day.
Although some of his martial brothers would occasionally mention Zhang Hong's name, their talk would usually end with a shake of the head and a sigh, or it would spur them to train even more desperately.
"Why bother?"
"If you don't have the talent, you should just accept your fate sooner rather than later."
Surrounded by a crowd, Shen Tianchen stood on the training grounds. When he heard about the matter, he just shook his head dismissively, thinking little of it.
In stark contrast...
BAM! BAM!!
The sound of fists exploded as Lu Chao, drenched in sweat, threw a continuous barrage of punches on the sparring platform.
His ferocious assault was like a volley of hard stones, whistling through the air as they shot straight for his sparring partner, Zheng Wu's, face.
Whip fists, straight punches, smashing fists...
He pressed forward relentlessly with his Shifting Sands Footwork, advancing step by step.
Finally, the muscles on his body, like stacked stones, suddenly erupted with power.
BOOM!!
The punch landed with the force of boulders colliding!
The resulting shockwave made the air within a two-meter radius howl, and a faint white air current flashed for an instant.
Lu Chao's feet scraped against the ground as he was uncontrollably forced back, dissipating the momentum.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!
After five or six consecutive steps, he slid to the edge of the platform. His right arm felt sore and numb, trembling slightly.
He looked at his opponent.
Zheng Wu, who had been on the defensive the entire time, had thrown a punch for the first time. His right arm was still extended, not yet lowered.
"Very good, Junior Brother Lu."
The deep voice sounded as Zheng Wu lowered his arm and walked over slowly.
"Your coordination of 'Hard Stone Flurry' and 'Shifting Sands Footwork' is excellent, and your grasp of the Seventh Skill, 'Colossal Rock Quake,' is also quite good."
"It seems you're not far from achieving Rock Hide."
With an appreciative expression, Zheng Wu walked up to him, checking him for injuries as he spoke.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Zheng."
HUFF! HUFF!
After thanking him, Lu Chao took deep breaths, raising a hand to wipe away his sweat.
His chest heaved violently and his muscles ached all over. He felt more exhausted than he ever had before.
Even though Zheng Wu had suppressed his strength, holding back to the level of an ordinary Fighting Level practitioner, he had still put Lu Chao under considerable pressure.
"Still thinking about Junior Brother Zhang?"
Zheng Wu asked suddenly, sensing something was off.
Lu Chao was silent for a moment before giving a slight nod.
He had indeed been affected. For the past two days, he couldn't stop thinking about that lonely figure's desolate departure.
With a soft sigh, Zheng Wu shook his head and said no more, simply handing him a bottle of Muscle Recovery Oil.
"Although you made some progress with your Fighting Skill today, you've overexerted yourself and might have strained your muscles and tendons."
"Rub it in twice a day when you get back, especially on key areas like your limbs, chest, and back. Don't let any hidden injuries linger."
He added a few careful instructions.
Lu Chao nodded, committing the instructions to memory, then hopped off the platform and walked to the rest area.
"Senior Brother Lu, you were amazing just now."
"You were going toe-to-toe with Senior Brother Zheng! Looks like you're about to break through to the Fighting Level, right?"
A sycophantic voice came from his side as a towel was handed to him.
Lu Chao paused, slightly taken aback, and looked at the person.
He was short and chubby, about 1.72 meters tall, with a bowl cut.
His name was Li Dong, a disciple who had joined the boxing hall after Zhang Hong left. For the last couple of days, he had constantly been following Lu Chao around.
"Thanks."
After a moment's hesitation, Lu Chao accepted the towel.
Then, looking at the departing Zheng Wu, he explained softly, "Senior Brother Zheng is a Professional Level expert. When we spar, he's holding back most of the time."
"Also, time for training is precious. This kind of stuff..." He glanced at the towel and the full glass of water, then shook his head gently. "I'll take care of it myself from now on."
...
CLATTER! CLATTER!!
That evening, a tram made its way through the streets, traveling at a steady speed through the Iron Ring District.
Outside the window, night was gradually falling, and a whistling sound filled his ears.
After leaving the martial arts hall, Lu Chao quickly finished his dinner and rushed straight to the Dreamfire Bar.
'Master Luo once said that if you break through to Rock Hide, you're 100% guaranteed to reach the Fighting Level.'
'And if you reach the Fighting Level, you can also achieve Rock Hide...'
Standing by the window, Lu Chao gripped a circular handrail, thinking about what he had learned from Zheng Wu today, as well as Master Luo's past words.
They seemed like two identical statements, but upon careful comparison, he noticed a difference.
According to the [Life Energy Development Theory], the process of developing Life Energy is, in essence, the accumulation of Life Energy.
Every breakthrough is a qualitative change in energy and a leap in life itself.
This process not only requires a massive amount of nutritional resources to fuel it, but also a method to guide and support it.
A Martial Arts discipline like the Golden Stone Fighting Skill is the key.
Using the techniques of Martial Arts, one guides the Life Energy and Martial Arts Power within the body, causing it to circulate slowly to temper the physique, strengthen the spirit, and gradually empower one's life force.
In other words,
A Martial Arts breakthrough is the guiding of that qualitative change.
Without the state of Rock Hide, it's impossible to control and guide the power within the body to break through the twenty gates.
This is precisely why Martial Arts disciplines are so precious, requiring exorbitant tuition fees to learn.
'For me, relying on the boost from [Basic Resilience], as long as I train enough, I can definitely break through.'
'But the key is...'
His eyes flickered as Lu Chao looked at his watch.
A new deduction notification had appeared.
[Your bank card ending in XX92 has been charged 800 yuan today. Deduction successful! Current balance: 1,205.49 yuan.]
[Political Affairs Department: You have paid this month's rent... Friendly reminder: You are scheduled to repay 1,000 yuan for your welfare loan on the 11th of next month...]
'I'm out of money.'
Helpless, Lu Chao once again felt a wave of pressure.
The higher his Life Energy, the greater the cost to maintain its development.
Because of this, his daily nutritional supplements were getting more and more expensive, consuming almost all the spare cash he had.
Supplements, beast meat... these were all major expenses.
'No wonder those senior brothers at the Fighting Level are always complaining about being broke, even though their jobs pay well. They even have side gigs at other companies.'
'Looking at it now, the cost of maintaining their Life Energy development must be a truly significant figure.'
His eyes flickered as an idea began to form in Lu Chao's mind.
'Maybe I should try getting a loan?'
'But getting a loan isn't that simple. The interest rates are too high, and for someone like me with no background or assets, I'd have to use my organs as collateral.'
'The fate of that Senior Brother Wang is a living example... Besides, I've heard some loan companies, worried about 'damage to assets,' might demand surgery at the time of the loan to remove and replace the mortgaged organ. They might even rent it out to a third party for a second stream of profit.'
The thought flashed through his mind, but Lu Chao quickly dismissed it.
The risk was too great.
CLICK!
As he was lost in thought, the tram arrived at its stop.
The familiar North Street of the Iron Ring District appeared outside the window, and Lu Chao saw the bar's sign not far away.
After taking a deep breath to calm his racing thoughts, he finally got off the tram.
...
"YEAH!!"
"Hit him! Hit him!!"
"Silver Wolf, wreck him!"
Intersecting neon lights swept across the room. The bar was filled with a clamorous din, exceptionally noisy.
Lu Chao changed into a suit and put on an earpiece. He stood at the edge of the first-floor bar counter, glancing toward the center of the room.
A small fighting ring, a dozen or so square meters in area, rose from the floor, enclosed by a circular chain-link fence.
A pillar of incandescent light shone down on two bare-chested, muscular men wearing boxing gloves, who were currently trading blows inside.
A flying kick through the air, a tackle to the waist for a takedown...
The scene wasn't overly bloody, but it won the crowd over with its exaggerated moves and charged atmosphere, igniting the restless and wild feelings in the heart of every patron.
"This idea of Brother Hao's is brilliant."
"Ever since this ring was set up, the bar's foot traffic has gone up by at least thirty or forty percent. Tsk tsk, now we're the liveliest spot on all of North Street."
Xiaoyang's voice, full of pride, came from the side. He was holding a tray, having apparently just finished delivering some drinks.
Lu Chao heard him and nodded, also feeling a measure of admiration for Brother Hao's methods.
A month ago, after Lord Xu's visit, Brother Hao had someone set up this ring, which resembled an octagonal cage.
The rules seemed bloody—the fight only ended when one person was knocked down and couldn't get back up.
In reality, however, the muscular men who went up to fight were all Brother Hao's subordinates. The seemingly dangerous bouts were actually more of a performance.
They looked exaggerated, but the actual damage was minimal.
Most of the customers who came to relax didn't understand the inner workings; they just found it exciting and fun, and the bar's business boomed as a result.
"This is a good thing."
The better the bar's business, the more secure his security job was.
"No doubt about it."
Chuckling and nodding, Xiaoyang walked to the bar, ordered a drink, and added in agreement, "Brother Hao is one of the Three Elites of the Iron Ring, but he's the most loyal and generous to us."
"No matter what, the more popular the bar is, the better."
As he spoke, he also mentioned the other two 'big shots' who came from the same orphanage, as well as an invitation from Lin Ze and the others to get together at the end of the month.
Lu Chao's gaze shifted slightly. Hearing this, he thought of Wu Yuntao from the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall and wondered who had higher Life Energy—him or Senior Brother Zheng.
BZZZT!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a voice suddenly came through his earpiece.
"Ah Chao, come to the office for a second."
'Brother Qiang?'
Slightly startled, Lu Chao looked up at the second floor.
At the end of the surrounding walkway was Brother Hao's office.
The solid wood door, engraved with a gold border, was a deep, heavy blue-black and was rarely opened.
At that moment, Zhou Qiang, dressed in a black suit, was standing at the doorway, beckoning to him.
A guess formed in his mind. He immediately ended his chat with Xiaoyang and turned to head up to the second floor.
...
"Brother Hao, Ah Chao is here."
Dark marble tiles covered the floor, and an exquisite, brilliant crystal chandelier cast a soft glow.
The lavishly decorated office had both a leather sofa and a mahogany cabinet against the wall, inside of which were displayed bottles of expensive red wine.
Lu Chao followed Zhou Qiang into the office and looked ahead.
A wide, red, solid wood desk sat in front of the window, with leather-bound books arranged neatly on top.
Behind it, the back of a brown leather chair blocked most of the view. Only after Zhou Qiang announced their arrival did the chair swivel around, revealing a figure.
"Brother Hao."
Lu Chao said respectfully. Chen Junhao, dressed in a white suit and with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked over at him.
"Mm..."
Chen Junhao looked him up and down, a smile spreading across his face. "Yes, not bad. You've gotten a lot sturdier."
"Looks like you've really been putting in the work at Jinshi Boxing Hall. No slacking off."
Slightly taken aback, Lu Chao quickly relaxed.
'It's not a secret where I train. For Brother Hao, finding out would be as simple as asking a single question.'
"Here, have one?"
Suddenly, Chen Junhao tossed a half-open pack of cigarettes onto the desk.
"I don't smoke, Brother Hao."
Lu Chao said with a hint of helplessness. The boxing hall had specifically instructed that disciples shouldn't smoke or drink before mastering the Fighting Skill, as it would damage the lungs, affect blood circulation, and hinder the development of Life Energy.
"Good. You have principles."
Instead of getting angry, Chen Junhao nodded, a hint of gratification in his smile.
He then settled back into his chair, leaned against the backrest, and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Training in martial arts costs a lot of money, but you've never once asked to borrow any from me."
"Tell me, what's your plan?"
He seemed curious.
Lu Chao thought for a moment but didn't answer right away.
"Go ahead and speak freely. I won't get angry."
"Because I already owe you a lot, Brother Hao."
After a moment's hesitation, Lu Chao looked at him and met his gaze frankly. "Besides, if we went by the book, with collateral and interest, I definitely couldn't afford it."
"But if you didn't do that, it would put you in a difficult position with your many friends, Brother Hao."
He explained tactfully, and in truth, it was just as he said.
He had already incurred too many favors and was embarrassed to trouble Brother Hao further by putting him in an awkward spot.
Hearing this, Zhou Qiang, who had been standing silently to the side, relaxed his expression. As for Brother Hao, after a brief moment of surprise, he let out a laugh.
"You kid..."
He chuckled, gently tapping his cigarette-holding fingers in Lu Chao's direction a few times. His expression was somewhat complicated.
It seemed to be a mix of gratification and wistfulness.
Finally, he pulled open a drawer of the solid wood desk and casually tossed a bundle of cash over.
"This is..."
Completely surprised, Lu Chao instinctively caught it.
A quick glance told him it was a full ten thousand yuan.
"You also went through a lot and got a scare that night."
Putting the cigarette back between his lips, Chen Junhao said with a chiding laugh, "You sure know how to keep your cool, kid, holding it in all this time. But do I look like the kind of person who'd be that stingy?"
"Just consider it... a little something for your trouble!"