"Hmm? What do you mean I'm helping you with your cultivation?"
Strange images suddenly flickered through Bang's mind. The old man quickly shook his head, tossing those inappropriate thoughts aside.
What kind of weird phrasing is that?
Although he didn't quite understand, his body instinctively slipped into his "master" demeanor. He calmly sipped a cup of hot tea before speaking.
"If you want to learn martial arts, you'll need to pay tuition according to the dojo rules."
"Martial arts? Who said I'm here to train in martial arts?"
Bang: "…"
Just as the old man's brows began to twitch, Jason quickly added, "I recently awakened a new superpower. So I took a day off specifically to ask you for some special training."
After hearing that, Bang let out a long sigh.
From today onward, I hate superpowers.
But what can he do? He already accepted the gift.
He looked Jason up and down. The young man was smiling brightly, but Bang immediately recalled the scene of him punching the testing machine to pieces. The old man raised a precautionary warning.
"Let me make this clear first. I am not sparring with you if you plan to use that lightning thing of yours."
"Ah, that?" Jason opened his palm. A burst of electricity crackled in his hand before he casually snuffed it out.
"Don't worry, this time it's a brand new ability."
Bang: "…"
What does this brat think he's doing? Showing off?
The old man sighed internally. His hope of taking this kid as a disciple felt even more distant now.
Right. With all these strange superpowers, why would this kid even be interested in martial arts?
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Muffled explosions echoed from the back mountain, shaking the entire dojo.
Feeling the tremors under their feet, the disciples of the Flowing Water Dojo had already gone numb.
Can human training really make sounds like that?
As expected, Master's realm is something beyond ordinary people like us.
Among the crowd, Garou let out a cold snort.
That annoying guy… one day…
Back mountain.
BOOM!
The mountain peak that once blocked the view was gone, revealing the terrifying reality of the battle.
Two figures moved at blinding speed across the ground and sky, colliding and separating in an endless cycle.
The sounds heard inside the dojo were only echoes of their exchanges.
Jason was sent flying into the air before stabilizing himself. Sweat covered his upper body, and the AT Field before him shattered like glass before dispersing.
Even he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
"Hey, hey, hey. A punch like that could actually kill someone, old man! You're being serious!"
"Don't call me master when you need help, and old man when you don't!" Bang shouted back.
"Your weird force field hurts just as much, you brat!"
Jason's mouth twitched.
"Didn't you tell me to go harder? You said this was training, not a spar!"
"Heh…"
A strange smile appeared on Bang's face, as if something inside him had been unlocked.
"If it's not life or death, it's not training!"
"Dragon Fang Finger!"
In an instant, he crossed thirty meters and appeared in midair, his fingers thrusting forward with terrifying sharpness.
"Shit!"
Time seemed to slow.
Jason expanded his Absolute Field to block the strike. The impact rippled across the AT Field, pushing it to its limit.
Before he could even recover, a storm of attacks followed.
Bang's techniques flowed like water, continuous and unpredictable, hiding lethal killing blows within them.
BOOM BOOM BOOM.
The AT Field flickered under the relentless assault, nearly collapsing. Jason, forced into defense, was repeatedly struck by hidden tricks from the old man.
Pain and satisfaction strangely coexisted.
The more he got hit, the faster his AT Field improved. His control sharpened, allowing him to last longer under the old man's full pressure.
That evening.
Sitting with a cup of hot tea, Bang smiled in satisfaction.
"As expected, when you're old, a full-body workout is the best thing."
A stream of white steam rose from his mouth. He looked like someone fresh out of a bathhouse, completely refreshed.
"Ha…"
Jason, who had willingly served as a punching bag for the entire day, let out the voice of a man who had suffered injustice.
This old bastard really doesn't hold back when he gets into it.
Still, it wasn't without gains.
[Fantasy Card: Flash Step Technique]
[Card Type: Ability Card]
[Rarity: SR]
[Description: Footwork principles of the Flowing Water Rock Crushing Fist.]
[Effect: Flash Step]
Use fluid, water-like movement techniques for extremely fast and smooth repositioning.
Jason quietly absorbed the purple card's knowledge.
Ding. Sheep successfully harvested +1.
Hmm?
Bang suddenly froze. That familiar feeling appeared again around Jason.
His expression stiffened slightly.
Don't tell me this brat stole another technique again?
You haven't even become my disciple yet!
After spending the entire day at the Flowing Water Dojo, Jason felt quite satisfied with his gains.
Although Bang was a reluctant sparring partner, once training began, he fully shifted into the mindset of a true martial arts master.
Jason's fighting style had always been self-taught and instinctive. Many habits were already deeply ingrained, but through this session, he gained valuable insight into his shortcomings.
For example, Spider-Sense.
He had always used it passively for danger alerts, never thinking about further development.
Against someone like Bang, even Spider-Sense was not enough. Even when it detected attacks, it could not distinguish feints from real strikes.
The result was simple.
He got beaten up.
Fortunately, the AT Field's defense was strong enough that Bang did not actually intend to kill him.
By the end of the day, Jason only felt mental exhaustion, slightly pale but otherwise fine.
Getting beaten up was nothing. What mattered was discovering flaws in his abilities.
Only then could he…
No. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
Ability development could not be rushed. Now that he had a clear direction, one thing was certain.
He would get revenge for today's humiliation eventually.
"Want to stay for dinner? One of my disciples is quite good at cooking."
Bang was in a good mood. At first, he was a bit annoyed about having his techniques stolen, but now he felt like keeping Jason around for a few more days.
Finding a durable punching bag like this was not easy.
Thinking about it, joining the Hero Association was indeed a wise decision.
"No thanks. I can't eat anymore. I'm leaving."
Jason declined without hesitation, rubbing his temples.
"Come again next time~"
"Next time definitely not!"