Martial Arts Master

by Stayrr

Here martial arts are no longer intangible legends. They have been passed on from generation to generation and from century to century. After the confrontation with science and technology, they have completely integrated into modern society and all kinds of martial arts competitions are taking place across the country as superiority among scholars are hard to reach a consensus but

2. 33

Read Martial Arts Master - Chapter 33 online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 33: All Alone in A Foreign Land

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Warrior Sage Candidate? Phoenix Cup? Challenge Tournament?

Instantly Lou Cheng felt thrilled with some fear and intense eagerness.

"Master, what kind of tournament is this?" asked Lou Cheng after a deep breath.

Geezer Shi waved his hand. "How would I know? I got it from a contact. Google it. Everything's available online these days. Emm…"

He strolled away from the lake with his hands clasped behind his back.

"What a carefree master!" Lou Cheng whispered to himself while reading the invitation over and over again. His name and the serial number of this invitation were written in a corner. He quickly took his mobile out and started to search online.

"Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament…" As he typed in the name, many pages of results were returned with the first linking to the official website and the second to the forum of Longhu Club.

Err… After a moment of hesitation, Lou Cheng clicked on the second link and was redirected to a post from yesterday sent by a forum user he was quite familiar with.

The bragging Road to the Arena shared a picture of a gilded red invitation, identical to the one in his hand with the serial number and name blurred.

"Sigh. Just realized my martial arts soul was not buried completely. I'm very tempted to participate after receiving this invitation." Road to the Arena left a line of vicissitudes below the picture.

Invincible Punch, a martial arts school student very popular on this forum replied, "Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament… Master Road, what tournament is this?"

Road to the Arena responded with a big smile. "A new one hosted by the richest man of our province in Yanling. It aims to become one of the top ten Challenge Tournaments besides the five title matches in five years. This is to be the first one, so no experience, low prize, small-scale, weak fighters, and barely any propaganda. Just for practice. It's perfectly normal that you have never heard about it."

A new challenge tournament for practice… Lou Cheng gained a basic understanding of the upcoming competition.

Sea-Blue, a pretty active and popular female user of the forum posted a confused panda. "Master Road has shared the invitation with us. You are sure thinking about taking part in."

Road to the Arena replied a funny face. "Hard to quit! It's been so long since my last fight… I doubt I can make it to the top 16. What a shame for my Professional Ninth Pin level!"

Such a small world. An acquaintance in a random challenge tournament… Lou Cheng didn't reply but quietly watched the former Professional Ninth Pin martial artist bragging as he didn't want his amateur level to be laughed at.

"Anything special for the top 16?" Road to the Arena's reply was followed by Wonton Seller's head-scratching sticker.

Road to the Arena answered, "This Challenge Tournament has no restriction on fighters' rank or the number of participants. It offers different rewards for high standard fighters. The top 16 will each make 5,000 yuan. Make it to the top 8 and one will receive another 10,000. And the top 4 will be rewarded 20,000 more. The two in the final match will get an extra 40 grand each and the final prize for the champion is 80,000.

"In other words, the champion can make 155 grand in total whereas the runner-up gets 75,000. Pretty generous for the amateurs but not tempting enough to bring professional fighters all the way here. I bet only those of Professional Ninth Pin who happen to have some free time will sign up alongside a few of Eighth Pin who are very tight on money, which will pretty much be the level of the tournament. How many fighters can we expect? Well, only the best 16 are paid something. I don't think enthusiastic amateurs will make a journey for it. So probably just some locals will give it a try."

The words caused Lou Cheng several indrawn breaths. The level of the challenge tournament sounded much higher than what he had expected.

He thought it would be a competition among amateurs. But apparently, there would be quite some Professional Ninth Pin martial artists and maybe a few masters of Professional Eighth Pin who are very likely in the Danqi Stage already. Fighters of Amateur First, Second and Third Pin would be plenty!

"Master is giving me an opportunity to widen my knowledge greatly or, just as he said, he has no idea what this invitation will take me to?" Lou Cheng was lost in thoughts. Fortunately, he didn't have a very high expectation. He knew he only had three-month training, and although making rapid progress, he was probably stronger than those of Amateur Eighth and Ninth Pin. And if he could keep up the good effort, he might finish his apprenticeship in a year.

"Whatever. Just for the experience. Hopefully, I can fight a few rounds. Who knows I won't get super lucky to get all the good draws and make it all the way to the top 16?" Lou Cheng thought optimistically as his eyes moved down to read more of Road to the Arena's post.

"Pretty high end! I thought Little Arena you could make it to the top four!" Wonton Seller loved to put "Little" in front of everyone's name, despite their actual age, to drag them all to her level.

Road to the Arena Road sent a worn face smoking sticker. "No chance. I would be confidently aiming at a place of the top four taking a few years back. Now I need some really good luck to make it to the top 16. I don't even think about the top 8. My former martial arts teacher felt sorry for my lack of perseverance when he gave me this invitation. I didn't stick to the training."

"No matter what, Master Road, you are still the no. one on our forum." Beautiful World offered some comfort.

Pig-Riding Knight, the moderator of the forum, replied, "Keep us updated. We'd love to watch your legendary moves!"

"Sure! I'll do my best not to bring shame to our forum!" Road to the Arena Road sent a sharp-eyed face pushing glasses.

Invincible Punch, the martial arts school student, wrote, "Master Road, I'm not far from Yanling. When is the tournament? I'd love to give it a try. At least I can gain some practical experience."

"Sure. We can finally meet up in person for a drink or two," Road to the Arena replied. "You better hurry. The entry deadline is 8 pm tonight and the tournament starts at 9 am the day after tomorrow. Four to five rounds of knockout and then eight groups with four fighters each. Best two from each group will advance to the top 16."

"Okay. Got it. I'll buy a train ticket after I sign up for the tournament. It only takes one hour by the express train," said Invincible Punch.

He just failed to qualify the Professional Ninth Pin level in October, in desperate need of more actual combats.

A young girl Above the Sky also replied, "Don't forget to broadcast live. Dragon King is on Chinese New Year holiday. I'm so bored!"

…

Their conversation amused Lou Cheng. Ha. One regional competition and two online friends. What a chance!

With so many participants, no way I will be fighting them…

With a brief understanding of Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament, Lou Cheng left the forum and visited the official website for more details. The tournament would start tomorrow (the post was from yesterday) and last for ten days. One would have more than one fight on average every day if he could make it to the final, so those who had their eyes on the prize would aim at quick victories in the knockout and group competition stages to save strength and prevent injuries.

"Return train tickets, accommodation, and food…" Lou Cheng calculated the coming expenses and talked to himself, "Damn! This will empty my pocket!"

All the money I have saved up for my dates with Yan Zheke!

Putting away my new year lucky money, all I have for now is 500 yuan for going home and another 500 saved from my daily expenses. But the trip would cost a fortune. One train ticket to Yanling and one from Yanling back home. Ten-day of tournament… Well, I can't make it to the final, not even the top 16. The group competition stage… Maybe. Maybe I'm lucky. So seven days of accommodation plus meals… I can't even afford a cheap guesthouse…

Lou Cheng pondered over it and called his mom up for more money to cover an extra seven or eight days in school.

Fortunately, his mom was prepared for this when he planned to wait for Yan Zheke to go home together.

With an extra 500 yuan to cover his living expenses, he felt relieved and quickly purchased train tickets using a mobile app.

It was not the Spring Festival peak season yet, so tickets to Yanling was very easy to buy. To save money, he would take the 9 pm train which would arrive just after midnight. Luckily there were still a few tickets left from Yanling to his home city, which saved him some hassle to fight for tickets on different mobile apps.

"It will be quite late when I arrive, so I better take a room near the train station tonight. Tomorrow I can bring my luggage to the venue. If I lose, try to change my ticket home. But If I win, look for accommodation close to the venue…" Lou Cheng planned things out and tried to book it online in case everywhere was fully occupied.

After all this, he logged in his QQ to share this adventure with Yan Zheke.

Before he pressed the Send button, he suddenly became unsure about it.

It's probably a bad idea to tell her I'm going to a tournament. What if I'm out in the first round? How humiliating it will be when she asks how it goes! Better wait for a decent result and then share with her…

But what if she thinks I've been hiding it from her? How could I pretend nothing is happening and give her no hint at all?

After considering over and over again, Lou Cheng chose to be honest and sent a big smile.

"As you are not going back to Xiushan, I'll attend a Challenge Tournament for some actual combat experience."

By 9 am, Yan Zheke finally replied a jealous emoji with a pair of bright eyes.

"What Challenge Tournament?"

"Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament in Yanling. I heard it from Geezer Shi. I have nothing to do anyway. Might just give it a try. The tournament will start tomorrow. I'm taking an express train tonight." Lou Cheng briefed her with the general information of the Challenge Tournament.

"My flight is in tomorrow morning. Can't make it… Do your best! Don't bring shame to our Songcheng University Martial Arts Club! "I'll be watching you!" Yan Zheke sent a pair of piercing eyes.

The chat went on and off until 5 pm. Lou Cheng quickly packed his bag with some spare clothes, exercise clothes, and his laptop and left the rest of his belongings in his locker. "Will I have no clothes to wear when at home?"

His big backpack seemed much lighter than before. He said goodbye to Zhao Qiang and other roommates before knocking on the next door.

"Talker, my train leaves tonight. What about you?" He asked Cai Zongming.

Cai Zongming grinned. "I don't know yet. My love is coming to Songcheng and we will stay a few days for some fun."

Looking at his proud smile, Lou Cheng threw a punch on his shoulder and shouted,

"See you next year!"

"See you next year!" Cai Zongming waved.

With no sadness for parting, Lou Cheng rushed to the school bus stop. A ton of students were already waiting there. It took him half an hour to get on the bus.

Putting away his backpack, Lou Cheng took a seat. Weishui Lake with a thin layer of ice, teaching buildings at dusk, and lonely commercial streets; sceneries of the campus went backward quickly in front of Lou Cheng's eyes.

That was the moment when Lou Cheng finally realized he would be away for a month.

…

Yan Zheke went to bed early around 11 pm because of her early morning flight to Jiangnan the next day. Lou Cheng took a nap in the train and woke up ten minutes before the train arrived at Yanling.

Outside the window was a long night, strange lights ran fast backward. Lou Cheng looked blankly with sorrow and fear in his heart.

I'm going to a completely strange city!

I'm looking at completely strange views!

I know no one there. I feel no warmth there.

As the train came to a halt, he followed the crowd out of the station. A cold gust blew on his face, refreshing and biting.

Lou Cheng shivered. He said no to all illegal taxi drivers and small hotel agents and started to make his way to a nearby hotel along a wide road following the navigation on his mobile with the big bag on his back.

The road was quiet with few passers-by and trees on both sides like monsters standing with open mouth at night. Just like every other city but full of strange scents, Lou Cheng felt all alone in that strange land that night.

He'd never been to a strange place all by himself. His parents, relatives, or teachers and peers from the Martial Arts Club would be there with him. But this time, alone, he went there for his martial arts dream and a brand new start of his life.

Thinking about dreams, Yan Zheke and the Challenge Tournament, Lou Cheng took a deep breath. Then he started to run slowly in that evening, that strange city and that absolute hollowness and desolation. An old song he began to sing,

"I know my future is not a dream."

"I live every minute to the full."

"My future is not a dream."

…

The singing echoed in that cold night as his figure disappeared in the distance

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Chapter 34: Number 656

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

The small hotel near the station that Lou Cheng booked online was converted from a formal guest house into a youth hostel. Charging by bed instead of room, it was relatively cheap and perfect for poor students like Lou Cheng.

It was noticeably better than average youth hostels. According to all the reviews online, it was quiet, standard and less complicated.

It took Lou Cheng about ten minutes to jog to the hotel. He registered with his ID and a waiter led him to a twin room where the bed further in was already taken by a loud snorer who didn't hear the door opening at all.

Lou Cheng frowned but soon soothed the brows as he realized that was exactly what he paid a few dozen yuan for.

He waited for the waiter to leave before putting down his bag and locking up his valuables. He quietly entered the bathroom to brush his teeth, take a shower and piss, and then settled himself in bed with jacket and jeans off.

Not super soft but much better than a train seat, the bed touched Lou Cheng's body, comforted every inch of it and drove his emotions away.

A strange bed in a strange place in a strange city. Everything seemed so strange with no overlapping part with his previous life.

Snore, wind, and engine sounds now and then made Lou Cheng uncomfortable but also gave him an artistic feeling of isolation as if he was the only one on earth that's still awake enjoying the tranquility and the strangeness of the night.

Lou Cheng roused himself from all the thoughts and commanded himself to sleep to keep the best form for tomorrow's competition.

He sent Yan Zheke a message of his safe arrival in Yanling and then hid the charging phone under his pillow in case of a stealer. To overcome the noisy snore, he concentrated his spirit and qi on one item and started to meditate, throwing all the thoughts away in the glittery spinning nebula.

Lou Cheng had no idea when he fell asleep, but his biological clock woke him up at 5:30 sharp. No snooze, he got up and put on his jacket at once.

He felt refreshed after brushing his teeth, washing his face with cold water and combing his hair. Lou Cheng took his bag out and changed into the navy blue martial arts suit of Longhu Club. He then tiptoed out of the room with all his belongings and checked out with the astonished duty manager before leaving the hotel.

5 am on a winter morning was still pitch black. No breakfast restaurant was open and only a few cleaners were clearing the street of snow. Fortunately, street lamps were everywhere in this big city, illuminating the journey ahead through the biting chill.

Taking out his mobile, Lou Cheng opened a navigation app and searched for routes to the tournament venue. He murmured,

"Just over 20 kilometers. Not that far. I could just run over as my morning exercise before the fight."

Just over 20 kilometers? Not that far? A cleaner raised his head and looked at Lou Cheng in disbelief.

It's not close even for a taxi.

Moving his limbs a bit, Lou Cheng started to run with his backpack against the cold winter wind through darkness till the first beam of the rising sun. More and more vehicles appeared on the street.

It was close to 7 o'clock when he arrived at Yanling Martial Arts Stadium. He warmed up with still stance and fighting moves near the venue before he wolfed down five minced meat buns and a large cup of soya milk in a small breakfast restaurant.

Suddenly his phone beeped – a message from Yan Zheke. "Lazy Cheng, wake up! Don't be late for the tournament!"

In a strange land receiving these familiar words, Lou Cheng subconsciously cracked up. "The good-looking was up early! I'm already at the venue."

"You're hard on yourself for this competition. You didn't sleep until very late last night." Yan Zheke sent a touching head sticker. "How do you feel? If your fight is in the afternoon, take a power nap somewhere."

"Nervous and excited! Full of vigor!" Lou Cheng shared his true feeling and added a silly smile.

Yan Zheke didn't ask Lou Cheng to fight hard but chatted casually until she had to turn her mobile off on the plane.

Lou Cheng put his phone away and paced to the tournament reception with his backpack. He queued for a few minutes until a girl at the reception took his invitation.

The delicate, pretty girl wearing light-colored glasses scanned the invitation and typed the serial code into her computer to verify information.

"ID, please." She glanced curiously at Lou Cheng.

A student of no rank. How did he get this invitation?

Lou Cheng handed over his ID. The reception girl checked a few times carefully before giving it back along with a black round plate of half a palm in size with a relief sculpture of Phoenix. It bore a number 656.

"This is your number and tournament pass. Go to the stadium and check the draws on big screens to find out your opponent, ring and round. Wait there beforehand. If you need more information about your opponent, go to the help desk," said the delicate girl seriously and responsibly.

"Thank you." Lou Cheng smiled at her. "Just one more question. Where can I leave my bag?"

"At the service desk." The reception girl gave him a standard smile.

Yanling Martial Arts Stadium was much bigger than Lou Cheng had expected, which can accommodate 20 to 30 thousand spectators. A huge ring in the middle was surrounded by nine simply constructed rings separated with white lines. All ten rings would be used for the first few rounds with matches arranged one after another. The most interesting and exciting fight would take place in the central ring.

In group competition stage, the nine simply constructed rings would be removed and all matches would be arranged in the central ring.

Many screens had been installed in the stadium for spectators sitting afar to watch matches and for all to enjoy replays. Right now, the draws were shown. Lou Cheng got closer to one of the screens, searching for his number and name.

The screen turned a few pages and he finally found himself.

"Ring Seven, Round Five. No. 656 Lou Cheng, 18, no rank versus No. 237 Liu Yinglong, 22, Amateur Fourth Pin."

"God damn it. An Amateur Fourth Pin master in my first fight…" Lou Cheng grew sick at heart. "It's better than a Professional Ninth or Eighth Pin opponent, but still a pretty bad draw for me… I will be quite confident if I'm facing an Amateur Seventh, Eighth or Ninth Pin fighter."

Will it be my only fight? Do I need to change my train ticket to today?

Whatever… I'm here for actual combat experience!

In front of another screen were a few men also reading the draws.

"18, no rank. Brother, you're pretty lucky!" A bearded man wrapped in a dark down coat said to the head of the group with a grin.

The head of the group was a young man of average height with bushy eyebrows and pockmarks on his forehead. His most marked characteristic was his extraordinarily long arms almost reaching his knees.

Liu Yinglong's calmness welcomed cheers from his junior brothers and sisters. He shook his head and said, "Too early to cheer."

"Why? Brother, this is the best opponent, right? 18, no rank!" A girl in a martial arts suit looked confused.

Liu Yinglong took a deep breath. "There is another kind of fighters of 18 years old and no rank. Those disciples of a master from famous martial arts schools and clubs by direct line are not interested in amateur ranking events. They wait until they are ready to get a professional ranking directly."

"That's possible." The bearded appeared concerned. "Brother, let's get more information from the help desk."

Having ten matches happening at the same time, spectators are unable to watch them all. So, they read the draws and chose the fights that interested them and suited to their time. Then they would also get more information from the help desk to confirm which ones they were to watch. The help desk would also recommend outstanding martial artists and thrilling fights to the audience.

Lou Cheng carrying his big bag queued in front of one service desk. During the wait, he took out his mobile to check Road to the Arena and Invincible Punch's draw results.

In the Longhu Club Forum, a live broadcast post named Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament had been created where Road to the Arena sent a funny face. "Not bad. An Amateur Seventh Pin fighter for me. Looks like the Goddess of Fortune is on my side. Punch also got a pretty good draw. An Amateur Fifth Pin opponent. His advantage is obvious."

"Bring glory to the forum! If you can't make it to the group competition, get castrated!" replied Okamoto's Fan.

Beautiful World and several other female members also posted to encourage them. They demanded Road to the Arena and Invincible Punch to share a selfie.

"We will after the first victory!" Road to the Arena promised proudly.

Lou Cheng bared his teeth and felt jealous of their good luck.

At his turn at the service desk, he left his bag there and got information about his opponent and himself. Then he slowly stepped towards Ring Seven while reading the page.

"Liu Yinglong, male, 22 years old, the first disciple of Baiyuan Martial Arts School in Yanling. He started martial arts training at a late age of 20 but has quickly risen to Amateur Fourth Pin, best known for his arm boxing…" Lou Cheng's self-confidence started to collapse.

On the other side, Liu Yinglong also got Lou Cheng's information. He took a quick look and laughed out. "Thank goodness, not one of the monsters. Just a beginner coming for some combat experience, probably preparing for the next Ranking Event."

The bearded man in a dark down coat had a read. "Student from Songcheng University? How come he came all the way here for the tournament?"

"Maybe his home is nearby." Liu Yinglong didn't seem to care. "Your opponents are fairly strong. Buck up and be careful."

…

When Lou Cheng found Ring Seven, the tournament was about to start. The two fighters in the first round were already inside the ring. Few spectators scattered in the auditorium eying at the central ring.

"I can probably learn a thing or two by watching matches this closely…" He tried to comfort himself.

At nine o'clock sharp, a bell rang, signaling the beginning of the first Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament.

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Chapter 35: Ring Seven Round Five

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Sounds of punches, kicks and body collision echoed in the stadium. While watching the fight in Ring Seven, Lou Cheng unconsciously started thinking about his opponent. Amateur Fourth Pin. Baiyuan Martial Arts School. Specialized in arm boxing…

What are the features of arm boxing?

How big is a gap there between an Amateur Fourth Pin fighter and Brother Li Mao of Amateur Third Pin?

Can I prepare myself for his specialized moves?

…

The thoughts disturbed Lou Cheng from watching the fight. He took the closest seat in the audience stand and started to search for information about arm boxing on his mobile. He even watched a video where a fighter was using arm boxing in a fight to have a direct, solid understanding of his opponent despite a large amount of data it would consume.

"Arm boxing imitates moves of the monkey. Its footwork is very agile. In the video, the fighter appeared at the opponent's back right after their frontal engagement as if a ghost. His punches were thrown like a whip or a spear with abrupt explosive force throughout his body. Every strike sounded crispy and crystal…" Lou Cheng painted his opponent with his own understanding and planned his responses. "I have no chance regarding agility or flexibility. But a defensive fighter can't win. One mistake and I'll be hit. I don't know if I can handle one or two punches from him.

"Err… I only have a very brief understanding of him and his arm boxing. What does he know about me, besides my age, height, and study in Songcheng University?

"I haven't attended any Ranking Event or formal combat. Who knows what I'm working on and what I'm good at if I don't say? He-heh… This is a rather special advantage. Is it possible to make use of arm boxing's characteristics to set a trap for him? Considering he must be taking me lightly, he should be easily hooked…"

His strong points flashed across his mind one by one. Lou Cheng lost in contemplation with his mobile in hand. Gradually an idea came up and a plan was formed.

As his anxiety passed, his breath became calmer and slower. His feeling of unease and loss faded while expectation and eagerness grew.

"It might work.

"How could I give up without fighting?"

Lou Cheng suddenly rose with pride and enthusiasm. The haze and dark clouds above his head were gone. He could accept a defeat as long as he fought his best bravely. "This is the spirit and will of a real fighter!"

Back to Ring Seven, Round Three just finished and the two fighters of Round Four were trying to enrage each other by dirty swear words during the three-minute talk session. Lou Cheng looked around and noticed a group in black at the left side of the ring. Some of them had a down jacket on top of their martial arts suit and some were busy with the phone. One of them was very eye-catching as his arms were much longer than average.

"Long arms… Must be Liu Yinglong…" Lou Cheng observed thoughtfully. Liu Yinglong had also noticed him. He whispered to the bearded man, "Look, my opponent."

The bearded man looked over and laughed. "Just a young student. No wonder he comes all the way for some practical exercise."

Other members of Baiyuan Martial Arts School burst into laughter. Soon they all left for their ring except the bearded man, and a young girl concentrated on her mobile who had no fight until 2 pm.

Round Four lasted for a long time as the two fighters were well matched. After another ten minutes of stalemate, the tie was broken. The two were both out of breath.

With over 20 knockout matches lined up in the morning, no time could be wasted. The referee quickly took a sip of water and announced the start of Round Five, inviting the two fighters to enter the ring.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Lou Cheng could no longer hold back his panic, shivering from toes to teeth.

This is to be my first ever official martial arts fight!

Few spectators. No cheers!

He took a deep breath and concentrated his spirit and qi on one item to block most of the tension, leaving a reasonable amount to boost his adrenaline level which would push his body into the best form.

Leaving his jacket and all his belongings to the supervisor, Lou Cheng stepped into the ring after his number plate was checked. He stood at the referee's left-hand side, facing the long-armed Liu Yinglong.

"Three-minute talk time." The referee cut it right to the point and took this three-minute period to recover his strength to avoid slow reaction in case of accidental injuries during the coming fights. After ten rounds, he would change position with the supervisor.

"Talk time?" Lou Cheng's head was empty after the bow. "What should I say?"

If it were Talker, the opponent wouldn't have a chance to make a sound…

Not good at this psychological play, Lou Cheng stood there still, kind of cute and innocent.

Liu Yinglong smiled and spoke first,

"Don't be nervous. Take it as another daily practice."

The bearded man and the young girl on her mobile both laughed aloud. "Is Brother too used to mentoring junior members in school?"

Lou Cheng looked a bit embarrassed as if facing Brother Li Mao's instruction during the special training.

"Thank you." He responded politely.

Facing a rookie, Liu Yinglong saw no point in playing psychological warfare with words. He counted down quietly and adjusted his breathing to push his body to its best form.

In half meditation, Lou Cheng coordinated every muscle of his body to reach the most suitable state for exerting strength slowly.

Three minutes soon passed. The referee pressed his right hand.

"Fight!"

His voice was still in the air when Liu Yinglong stepped forward to take the initiative despite his higher rank. His right arm shook with strength streaming through his entire body, throwing a punch as if a javelin at Lou Cheng's chest, generating a crispy sound of wind.

To engage his raging charge, Lou Cheng got in the defensive position with his left arm blocking and right deflecting.

Bam! A dull sound came from their body contact. Lou Cheng felt heaviness on his body, realizing the opponent had slight superiority in physical strength.

Glad rather than surprised Lou Cheng felt as the slight superiority indicated the gap between them was not insuperable.

It meant the three-month training, strengthened by Jindan, had increased his physical strength to the Amateur Fourth Pin level!

For a split second, Liu Yinglong disappeared from Lou Cheng's sight and reached his back like a bounding ape, giving him to time to respond.

Liu Yinglong's softly hanging left arm was suddenly taut up like a whizzing whip. It cracked down towards Lou Cheng's neck, leaving a curve and crispy sound in the air.

A strike with his strength on top of the arm boxing's abrupt explosive force could easily crack a bone or even cause a coma or high paraplegia if the neck was the target. The referee held his breath, ready to interfere at any second.

Lou Cheng, as if he had foreseen this move, dodged with two strides forth without looking back. Liu Yinglong followed with corners of his mouth upward and threw another punch, attempting to corner Lou Cheng and force him out of the ring!

Lou Cheng slid left and Liu Yinglong followed closely. His right arm was again like a javelin thrown at Lou Cheng.

Right before the punch landed, his eyes froze as Lou Cheng suddenly straightened his back and pushed his spine, shifting his weight back to the right like a dragon rising out of the ford.

"Yin-Yang Stance!"

Lou Cheng's strongest point!

Playing on his footwork, Lou Cheng went to Liu Yinglong's back. He lowered his body and started to focus on a Brutal Blizzard and imagine the snow-capped land, whistling wind, and biting cold weather in his mind.

His mind concentrated on the chill as his strength chased the brutality. When his muscles were adjusted readily to launch one of the first eight moves of 24 Blizzard Strikes, the scene formed in his mind changed. A giant lightning bolt shot down from heaven, hitting a tree and starting a blazing prairie fire.

A numbing feeling hit his tailbone and a hot stream quickly flew through his body. Pushed by two different forces, a sense of swelling started to spread along his arms. Lou Cheng clinched his right hand into a fist and wielded it like a whip or a dagger, targeting at Liu Yinglong's neck. A whistling sound severed the air. Very similar to the last bout but the two fighters had switched their roles.

By the ring the young girl was still on her mobile, too concentrated to notice the change of tide. However, the bearded man who had been watching the match closely already smelled danger and stepped forward with his eyes locked on the two.

As soon as Liu Yinglong's powerful punch missed its target, he saw Lou Cheng disappear and almost at the same time heard the howling wind behind his back. Unable to dodge, he could barely take a step. His body tilted stiffly to save his neck from the brutal strike.

Bam!

Lou Cheng's punch landed solidly on Liu Yinglong's shoulder, pushing his entire body down with a sharp pain and the sound of bone cracking rising straight to his brain.

Liu Yinglong gritted his teeth as he swallowed the pain. He attempted to turn the table with an elbow hit but Lou Cheng gave him no opportunity. As his heart, calm and cold, gave continuous impetus to Brutal Blizzard, Lou Cheng turned sideways to parry the elbow hit and then smoothly lifted his right foot to launch another move of 24 Blizzard Strikes at the back of Liu Yinglong's knee.

Hit at the back of the knee, Liu Yinglong couldn't remain standing. As soon as he knelt down, Lou Cheng held his left arm behind his back, leaving his injured right arm alone, and kept him under control.

"Round Five. Lou Cheng won!" The referee called the result.

Upon hearing the result, the young girl raised her head away from her phone, seeing her senior brother kneeling on one knee held by the student of no rank.

What? What the heck?

What just happened?

She, full of confusion, turned to the bearded man, who appeared in a trance with his terrified eyes locked on Lou Cheng whose eyes were filled with coldness and craziness.

Brother lost the fight!

How is it possible?

A moment ago, he was winning. How did he lose the fight?

The opponent was a young student of no rank! Am I dreaming?

"Round Five. Lou Cheng won!"

When the referee's announcement reached Lou Cheng's ears, he felt unreal.

I defeated an Amateur Fourth Pin master…

Did I?

Everything seemed unreal until he let loose Liu Yinglong who then gazed at him with an odd expression on his face.

"You are very strong…"

"I am very strong?" Lou Cheng was instantly pulled back to reality.

I did just defeat an Amateur Fourth Pin master!

Everything went just as he has planned: exploit arm boxing's flexible footwork to hook the careless Liu Yinglong, leave his own back vulnerable deliberately to lure him to launch a reckless attack, hit him heavily with Yin-Yang Stance after he loses flexibility from the all-out attack, and then suppress him with Brutal Blizzard. If this plan didn't work, he would most likely be the one kneeling on the ground.

As Master said, most fights between two martial artists in the body refining stage or the Danqi stage, however long it lasted, all came down to one or two solid hits unless they were specialized in Iron Blouse or Golden Bell Cover. Normal bodies couldn't take bullets, nor could they stand solid punches or kicks. Some ancient martial arts book even claimed that between life and death was only one strike.

"Thanks for your instructions." Lou Cheng bowed to Liu Yinglong with a smile.

Watching the three of them walking away and frequently turning back with fear and surprise, Lou Cheng jumped out of Ring Seven. He got back his belongings and quietly squeezed into the crowd of fighters and spectators.

In a secluded corner, Lou Cheng let joy and excitement take over, smiling, jumping and throwing punches in the air.

"I won!"

"I did it!"

I defeated an Amateur Fourth Pin master!

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Chapter 36: Spectators Accumulated One by One

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

The bearded man in a dark down jacket and the young girl holding a cell phone followed behind Liu Yinglong, turning around to look at Ring Seven once in a while until streams of fighters and spectators completely blocked their sight.

Liu Yinglong advanced without a word, forming a great mass of depression over his junior brother and sister.

Finally, the young girl couldn't hold her tongue any longer. She asked timidly, "Brother, where are we going now?"

Liu Yinglong stopped. He answered in a very low voice after a few seconds,

"The Emergency Room."

The bearded man and the young girl exchanged a look with disbelief. "The student of no rank defeated our senior brother and injured him?"

Dead silence again shrouded them as they barged their way through the crowd towards the emergency ward.

Injuries were extremely common in martial arts competitions. Disability and death took place every so often. All formal tournaments cooperated with hospitals to set up an emergency ward somewhere inside the venue for immediate treatment.

…

Lou Cheng, with a huge grin on his face, paced around excitedly. Words couldn't describe how thrilled he was. He took his mobile back and logged on his QQ to share his victory with Yan Zheke.

"Ha-hah! I won my first ever official match! I won! I won!" His hands typed quickly, adding a proud smile in the end.

Of course, Yan Zheke was still flying in the air. She would get it as soon as 11 o'clock when she landed if there was no delay.

Lou Cheng calmed down a bit after sending that message. He decided not to inform Cai Zongming of this good news until after all were settled as he wasn't sure how far he could go. "In case I lost in the second round, he would laugh at me for days."

He opened the forum and clicked on the live broadcast post to check the progress of Road to the Arena and Invincible Punch but only to find out their fights were both scheduled in the afternoon. They were wandering about in the stadium and watching random fights in different rings.

"Unfortunately, my match attracted no attention. Not many spectators witnessed my victory…" Lou Cheng was upset for a second. He put away his mobile and moved to the central ring to broaden his views.

The central ring was reserved for more attractive matches which were usually between two finely balanced fighters. A martial artist of Professional Ninth Pin was not necessarily the key to a good fight as it could finish in no time if the opponent was weak.

Those reputed fighters were surely exceptions since many spectators came all the way to watch them fight. Their matches were undoubtedly arranged in the central ring.

A match just ended when Lou Cheng arrived at the central ring. Some spectators who obviously preferred close, live competitions than big screen videos were in a heated discussion.

"Baiyuan Martial Arts School is so strong. No wonder their reputation has spread to other cities in less than two years," A young man with acne said impressively to his friend.

His friend, short and stocky, nodded along. "Yeah. The fighter of Amateur Fifth Pin was only one level higher than the opponent, but he won the match so quickly with ease!"

"Ha-hah. He jumped up and down like a monkey in a dizzying pace. The opponent could hardly follow his rhythm. What's his name?" A middle-aged man wearing a black leather jacket interrupted.

"Something like Qin Zhilin, one of the better students of Baiyuan Martial Arts School." The young man with acne, probably a local, seemed to know Baiyuan Martial Arts School pretty well.

"Who is the best student of Baiyuan Martial Arts School? I'll go and watch his match." The middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket sounded very excited.

The young man with acne answered after a moment of thinking, "Their senior brother Liu Yinglong. Liu from Liu Bei, Ying like 'ought' and Long like 'Dragon'."

The man in jacket wrote the name down so he could check out which ring the fight was arranged at the service desk.

As he stepped away, the two youths opened their mouth almost simultaneously.

"Let's sign up for the Baiyuan Martial Arts School!"

Their conversation made Lou Cheng proud of himself. "He-heh! The greatest student of Baiyuan Martial Arts School has lost to me!"

Based on their words, Baiyuan Martial Arts School's arm boxing was very powerful. I probably shouldn't treat Liu Yinglong as an average Amateur Fourth Pin fighter. He might have reached the Amateur Third Pin combat strength.

Of course, the gap of one pin or two is not huge. Even the difference of three or four levels is not that depressing. The outcome of a martial art match results from the fighters' standard, body condition, mental state, style counteraction and mutual understanding. Ranks can't speak for the result or what's the point in fighting?

"In this case, which level am I of now?" Lou Cheng evaluated his level while watching the match in the central ring. "My physical strength was slightly weaker than Liu Yinglong. My flexibility and agility was not a match for him. But I'm way out of his league regarding body coordination, explosive force, and endurance. Concentration and sensation levels are hard to compare… My moves didn't fall behind, but my actual combat experience was poor… So… I'm probably of Amateur Fourth or even Third Pin already?"

The evaluation result was beyond Lou Cheng's expectation. From the actual combat, he gained a directly perceived understanding of his level.

In less than three months, I've already caught up with Brother Li Mao? Am I already of Amateur Third or Fourth Pin?

Err… Don't feel too good about me yet. Have a few more fights and then I can be sure about it!

…

Qin Zhilin from Baiyuan Martial Arts School won a fight in the central ring and attracted much attention and cheers. He felt proud and contented, too excited to talk.

He gathered with a few schoolmates who had just finished their fight in nearby rings and headed to the meeting place together.

"Hurry up! Brother Liu Yinglong must be running out of patience!" said Qin Zhilin with squinted eyes. He scored a swift victory. Probably as quick as Brother Liu Yinglong's whose fight took place earlier.

Another student from Baiyuan Martial Arts School joked along. "Brother's opponent was feeble and their match took place ahead of ours. He shouldn't blame us for being late."

He also won the first round.

Qin Zhilin and his mates talked and laughed all the way to the meeting stand where Liu Yinglong was already sitting, accompanied by the bearded man in a down jacket and the young girl on her mobile.

"Told you Brother has been waiting." Qin Zhilin suddenly noticed something was stuffed in Liu Yinglong's right shoulder.

"Brother, what happened?" He blurted out.

The other students also sensed the odd atmosphere since the vigorous bearded man didn't even greet them.

Liu Yinglong answered with no emotion after a long silence, "Injured during the match."

"No way! That kid hurt you? He… Isn't he of no rank?" Qin Zhilin stuttered. Among all the students of Baiyuan Martial Arts School, he admired Brother Liu Yinglong the most. Starting from scratch, he surpassed all his peers in two years and reached the Amateur Fourth Pin level. In their master's words, he was gifted for arm boxing.

How could Brother get injured this easily?

Another student from Baiyuan Martial Arts School seemed concerned. "Brother, your shoulder's injured. What about the following matches?"

"What do you think? Quit." A female disciple retorted.

Her voice was welcomed by an awkward silence from the bearded man and the mobile young girl.

"No more following matches. I lost already," said Liu Yinglong in a hoarse voice.

Lost? Did brother lose the fight? All disciples looked at each other and exchanged doubtful glances.

"Brother, that Lou something is actually a direct disciple of some great master from one of the big sects who just never participate in any Ranking Event? Which level do you think he is of?" asked Qin Zhilin as soon as he recovered from the shock.

After thinking for a while, Liu Yinglong replied, "The body acts like one and coordinates at will… He's not far from, if not already reaching, this description."

The body acts like one and coordinates at will? Isn't that a description for the Danqi stage?

Astonishment and fear appeared in several disciples' eyes. None of them could say anything.

Liu Yinglong rose slowly after a brief silence.

"Let's go back to the school."

…

After a few minutes of wait in the queue, the middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket smiled at the girl behind the service desk.

"Could you tell me the ring and round of the match of Liu Yinglong from Baiyuan Martial Arts School?"

He was too lazy to go through the draws on the big screens. Also, he had no idea if the match had already ended.

The girl at the service desk answered with a standard smile, "Just a minute, please. Liu Yinglong from Baiyuan Martial Arts School. Emm… His match has finished… He lost."

"He lost? Ha… Interesting. Who defeated him?" The man in leather jacket showed even more interests.

Liu Yinglong's strength could be predicted from Qin Zhilin's performance. How could he lose the match?

"A fighter named Lou Cheng. He… He is of no rank." The girl at the service desk girl suddenly stammered.

The man in the leather jacket was stunned at first and then relieved. "Must be a disciple of some big sect…"

"He is… He's an ordinary university student." The girl was in shock herself.

"What?" A chill went down the man's spine and gave him a panic attack. "Please give me his information. I'll watch his fight tomorrow!"

…

Back in the martial arts school, Liu Yinglong reported to his master Yu Haichao, the owner of the school. "Master, can you tell Lou Cheng's background? Which sect is he from?"

Yu Haichao, also featuring extraordinarily long arms and some grey hair, reflected on it. "Body coordination and weight shifting are basic skills of the Danqi stage. In the body refining stage, some stance training also focuses on these. Too many possibilities. The second strike you got from him, according to Dong's description, sounded like 24 Blizzard Strikes from the Ice Sect and the explosive force of the lightning and fire stance from the Thunder Sect. I can't be sure."

"Master, could you make a phone call to find out?" Liu Yinglong pleaded.

"For what? Who didn't lose a match or two? Warrior Sage did. So did Dragon King!" Yu Haichao shook his head.

Liu Yinglong continued to plead, "Master, it's not about revenge. I just don't want to lose like this."

Yu Haichao thought about it and took out his phone to dial a number.

He opened Baiyuan Martial Arts School in Yanling two years ago, but his relationships with several martial artists were enough for him to figure something out.

Martial artists had rapidly integrated into the modern world ever since they quitted fighting against technology. They were no monsters, nor were they foe of advanced technology. They were able to use technology, wield weapons and occupy resources.

Nowadays, martial arts began to become popular. Many criminals were rather powerful, significantly stronger than poorly armed cops. The police department had to recruit martial artists who were after power or retired from the professional circle to maintain peace and stability of the society. Recently the police department positions were pretty much reserved for martial artists to confront those skillful and heavily-equipped criminals. In the army, martial artists also form a great portion of the special forces. Only some of the high-tech and high-power units were still against disciples from martial arts sects to support their own new forces.

With such human connections, Yu Haichao quickly reached an answer and turned to Liu Yinglong.

"Same as what you found from the help desk. No other information available."

Liu Yinglong frowned. "It's strange."

"Yeah, very strange." Yu Haichao heaved a sigh and continued, "But what can we do? Should I go and watch his match tomorrow?"

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Chapter 37: Astonishing Strength

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Right before 12 o'clock, the last pair of combatants of the morning was ushered in the central ring. They went up the flight of stone stairs and went to each side of the referee respectively.

A clamor burst forth among the audience with sounds of voices rising and falling and flashlights shining.

"It seems like a long-awaited fight." Without the match table for others at hand, Lou Cheng looked around with hazy eyes.

He took the opportunity to ask a passing young man out of curiosity, "Enthusiastic audience, for which two?"

The man raised his eyebrows on his alien-like face,

"Don't you know that?"

"Why should I know that…" Lou Cheng thought adversely yet said smilingly. "I forgot to take a VS list,just looking around anyway."

The young man curled his lips and answered Lou Cheng's question, "It's a round of competition between fighters with highest ranks and closest strength today, Professional Ninth Pin VS Amateur Second Pin. You see the girl in pink and white martial arts suit? She is Ye Youting, Professional Ninth Pin, the daughter of Yiye Martial Arts School's master in Yanling, known for her tiger-simulate and leopard-simulate kungfu. Her opponent is Guan Yan, a disciple of Jiuzhen Martial Arts School, Amateur Second Pin specialized in throwing techniques."

Professional Ninth Pin VS Amateur Second Pin? A competition of sorts… As Lou Cheng had seen the masterly display of Professional Ninth Pin, he had no confidence in Guan Yan in the least. Seeing that it's merely a round of knockout, the rank difference was acceptably small for the audience.

Ye Youting was tall and slim with thick brows and straight nose. Her beauty was set off by the pink and white martial arts suit to a turn. Facing Guan Yan, she said,

"If you can take my three blows, I'll throw up the sponge."

The burly-set young man was apparently offended by her words. "Rank difference cannot deny my strength. Retract your offense!"

Guan Yan had come across Ye Youting several times in all manner of martial arts activities in Yanling yet without any conversation and competition with her. It was the first encounter that he had with her in the ring, only to find how arrogant the girl was! Knowing a person by repute was not as good as seeing him face to face!

A free and easy smile appeared on Ye Youting's face. "Have a try."

Silence smothered the ring during the remaining waiting time for referee's announcement.

"Fight!"

The voice was still in the air when Ye Youting spurted out, sending forth the sound of wind. Her move was just like a leopard sprinting to its prey with powerful bearing sufficient to overwhelm very many warriors.

The distance with Guan Yan was closed up in a flash. She slammed her foot down and threw a powerful punch with strength streaming from her feet all the way up to her fist at Guan Yan, just like a giant ax or a weighty hammer falling with intense oppression to the air and people around.

Guan Yan subconsciously evaded when Ye Youting's words flashed across his mind, As long as he could take her three blows, Ye Youting would directly throw in the towel.

"Three blows are not that hard for me!" With teeth gritted, Guan Yan poised himself for Ye Youting's strike with muscles in his arms bulged out. At one time, he sparing strength to cope with changes as unexpected moves were the only key for Ye Youting's victory with no more than three blows!

Pong!

With a dull thud sent out by the collisions of fists and arms, Lou Cheng saw Guan Yan's face turning pale, and the defense of his arms was unexpectedly breached by Ye Youting's surprising strength. The fists with remaining momentum straight hit Guan Yan's completely exposed chest, making him lose balance at once. Afterward, Ye Youting stamped the ground, turned her fist into an open palm and pushed Guan Yan down the ring.

She defeated Guan Yan of Amateur Second Pin with just one blow and one push!

With Lou Cheng's mouth slightly open, referee's voice fell on his ears,

"Ye Youting wins!"

The audience was not prepared for this shocking result. A short silence was replaced by noise and excitement until Ye Youting stepped down the ring.

"How large the gap is between Amateur Second Pin and Professional Ninth Pin!"

"A man of mark in amateur martial arts world was defeated with only one blow?"

"Have Ye Youting reached the level of Professional Eighth Pin?"

Even in the middle of the passionate discussion, Lou Cheng's heart was still fluttering with fear. The pride of winning Liu Yinglong faded away in great measure.

Ye Youting beat Guan Yan by mere strength!

Strength alone!

Lin Que, the same rank with Ye Youting and very close to the Danqi stage, tended to have a tiny advantage in strength when fighting with Chen Changhua and others of Amateur First Pin or Second Pin.

Was Ye Youting born with "superhuman strength"?

It made no sense. Even if she could not reach the Danqi stage, Ye Youting had no difficulty in passing the ranking events for Professional Eighth Pin or even Seventh Pin by her strength and well-mastered tiger-simulate and leopard-simulate kungfu. Unless significant progress made in a short time had prepared her for the ranking event yet to come, "superhuman strength" could not explain this shocking victory.

The other explanation was that the blow served as a clever trick. Ye Youting's punch force momentarily reached a rolling and crushing level resorting to the combination of extraordinary strength and explosive power.

Right, maybe it's the very reason! And that's why Ye Youting tried to irritate Guan Yan with the words of "three blows decide the fight."

She used a Lightning-and-Fire-Stance-like skill which could at most burst three or four times in a fight to win an impressive victory over Guan Yan.

With a clear understanding of the fight, Lou Cheng felt no relaxation, but even more admiration for Ye Youting, realizing the gap between himself and Professional Ninth Pin was still quite extensive. It seemed impossible to get away from Ye Youting's blow with leopard-fast speed while Guan Yan's crushing defeat was telling the story of confrontation.

How long would he take to bridge the strength gap with Ye Youting's blow if he combined Mega Avalanche in 24 Blizzard Strikes with the explosive force of Lightning and Fire Stance? Was there any chance to make it?

As this idea became clear, Lou Cheng went away from the arena and came to the service desk at leisure.

"Would you please give me the deposited bags?" Lou Cheng handed the number card and luggage card to the lady at service.

Owing to Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament, the hotels nearby were all in short supply. The reserved rooms would only be kept for customers up to 2 p.m.

The lady took the two round cards over to have a check. Immediately, she had a glance at the young man before she opened the storage room with the key and returned his backpack and the number card.

"Thank you." Lou Cheng put on his backpack, pocketed the number card and walked toward the exit of the gymnasium.

Watching Lou Cheng away, the lady suddenly turned around to her colleague, "Hey! Is that undergraduate with no rank, who beat Liu Yinglong from Baiyuan Martial Arts School?"

"Him? Not a superb guy he seems like…" Another girl gazed at Lou Cheng's back on tiptoe, "Looking forward to his performance in the second round tomorrow."

…

Upon entering the lobby of Fulin Hotel, Lou Cheng saw many people in martial arts suit queuing up at the Service to check in.

"Good business…" He came to the end of the line, habitually took out of the phone and logged into his QQ to see whether Yan Zheke had landed and replied his messages.

Lou Cheng saw Yan Zheke's profile of a cute cat winking at first glance accompanying the QQ beep sound.

"Just landed. Not bad. No shame brought to the Martial Arts Club of Songcheng University! " Yan Zheke sent a smiley behind sleeves a few minutes ago, "(microphone) What would you want to say about your first victory in official competitions?"

Lou Cheng subconsciously put on a happy smile and sent an emoji of a satisfied guy wearing a pair of sunglasses. "Say something?" "Uh… I would like to thank CCTV, MTV, and KTV… Oh, No, thank Yan Zheke, Coach Shi, Martial Arts Club and Lin Que."

After dozens of seconds, Yan Zheke replied a laughing emoji with one arm leaning against the wall and then a glaring face in a frown. "I mean it!"

Lou Cheng came to be serious, "I was quite nervous before stepping up the ring because my opponent had reached much higher rank than me. But I took it easy when starting to fight with only one thought in my mind that was to put my plan into practice and show my real strength after prior exercises."

"First of all, you had no rank. So 'much higher rank than me' does not make sense. Moreover, what's his rank?" asked Yan Zheke with a curious face of the Internet-celebrity cat.

Looking at the phone screen, Lou Cheng answered with a bigger smile, "Amateur Fourth Pin."

Yan Zheke immediately sent an emoji of a cat "dropping its dried fish out of scare." "Really?"

"Yeah! You are the last one I would lie to! " Lou Cheng expressed how much he cared about her by implication.

Yan Zheke replied a comforting emoji of touching the head, "Um. Cheng is always honest. But I want to know how you could win him? How could you improve your strength so fast? I don't understand! "

"The information makes winners. I gathered my opponent's detailed information before the competition, coming at his proficiency in Arm Boxing. So I searched some videos of this skill and managed to figure out its features, which was flexible footwork. They liked to move here and there in the fight to bring their opponents under control. "

Lou Cheng explained honestly to the girl he fell for. "According to the information, I made a plan that was to expose my back to him, deceiving him into believing that his footwork had put me in a desperate spot. When he allowed his mind to relax, I spun to his back and launched a deciding blow with 24 Blizzard Strikes and Lightning and Fire Stance. Afterward, I managed to keep calm and followed up the first handsome blow… Um, the key to this victory is that he knew nothing about me and took me lightly."

Yan Zheke replied a few minutes later. "Off the plane ~ Your description makes me feel personally participating in the fight and putting my wit against the opponent. It is extremely satisfying and marvelous! My grandpa has told me that the rank of martial arts represented a stable level over the long term. There are too many external factors in individual competition."

"I am the continuation of your martial arts dream… " Lou Cheng confessed his love in the heart. "You will have this chance in the future."

Yan Zheke sent a pathetic emoji. "Your progress is so impressive! Cheng, I didn't expect this from you! I can't slack off! "

Only four people were ahead of Lou Cheng in the queue for check-in, a senior, a young man and two girls in their early twenties. All of them were in dark cyan martial arts suit with hill-simulate patterns decorated on the cuffs and neckband.

They reserved two rooms at the hotel, took their room cards and left the service desk.

Walking down to the elevator, the young man with short hair turned his head and took a glance at Lou Cheng. "To participate in the Challenge Tournament?" He mumbled.

The senior turned his eyes to Lou Chen, only to find a student-looking young man with a silly smile on his face totally immersed in the cheerful chatting on the phone. He shook his head. "Just a martial arts lover to watch the tournament."

With no more words said, the young man pressed the button in the elevator with his iron-colored right hand of big joints.

Lou Cheng booked himself a twin room. He needed a good rest to recuperate and build up energy for the tournament as Jindan (the Golden Elixir) could only help him gather strength. It merely charged a little more than 100 RMB one day for the room, since the small room was poorly equipped, even inferior to express hotels.

Yan Zheke went to bed after chatting a while on account of getting up early and airsickness while Lou Cheng slept off with relaxed mood after the competition.

The curtain of night had hung down when he woke up. The dead silence in the room seemed to be relating to the coming of the day of doom.

Pulling himself together, Lou Cheng started to browse the forum and found both Road to the Arena and Invincible Punch won their competition. As agreed, they posted their pictures on the forum.

Road to the Arena had a good face with short hair parted on the side. The only flaw was his clearly visible black eyes. Invincible Punch was tall and handsome with a brush cut and dashing eyebrows, which attracted not a few replies.

The first round of more than four hundred competition was about to draw to a close. Lou Cheng did not feel like to go to the gymnasium. He went to a park nearby to do some exercise before having his dinner. After that, he came back to bed to chat with Yan Zheke and other classmates, as well as browse content posted in forums and videos in microblogs.

…

The next day at eight forty, a middle-aged man in a leather jacket arrived in the gymnasium. He approached a screen, looking for some details in the VS list with his wide-opened eyes.

"No. 656, Lou Cheng…" He murmured.

…

Following Yu Haichao the master of their martial art school, Liu Yinglong and other disciples stepped into the arena once again.

Looking at the big screen at a distance, Yu Haichao muttered to himself.

"No. 656, Lou Cheng…"

…

At the same time, Lou Cheng was also looking for his name in front of the screen to see who his opponent was in the second round of knockout.

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Chapter 38: The First "Come on"

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

"Ring Four, Round Nine. No.419 Hu Zheng, 20, Amateur Sixth Pin versus No.656 Lou Cheng, 18, no rank."

With the pair-up arrangement coming into his sight, Lou Cheng sent a message to Yan Zheke with delight immediately. "Luckier than yesterday, the opponent is of Amateur Sixth Pin."

After learning the drawing result that she had been waiting for, Yan Zheke replied an emoji with a proud laughing face. "Look, I bring you better luck!"

"Right! My luck yesterday was bad on account of you being on board and not keeping me company." Lou Cheng seized the chance to give compliments to her.

"My luck is in the unexpected encounter with Jindan (the Golden Elixir) and the pursuit of you!" He thought to himself.

There were still many competitions in the second round with more than two hundred at total and at least ten fights on each ring in the morning. Even though the total number were halved, the schedule for today's competitions was also a little bit tight, considering every match between fighters with close strength would take more time after many pure "fanciers" being knocked out yesterday.

Good luck was with Lou Cheng for he came across an opponent of Amateur Sixth Pin in the second round where the majority of the weak had almost been knocked out.

"He-heh." Yan Zheke replied a smiley with a cheerful heart.

She quickly sent the second message, "Just go to collect the fighter's information! Do not take enemy lightly as your opponent did yesterday!"

"Yes, Coach Yan!" Lou Cheng sent a modified version of the funny emoji to entertain his girl.

Yan Zheke replied with a serious yet cute emoji, "Good boy. Listen to your coach's analysis of your opponent later!"

While chatting and joking with Yan Zheke, Lou Cheng got the fighter's material from the service desk after queueing for a few minutes.

"Hu Zheng, male, twenty years old, high school degree, Yanling local, fitness coach, martial arts training partner, Amateur Sixth Pin…" Lou Cheng found a seat at corner and sent Yan Zheke the detailed information of Hu Zheng, "175 cm in height, 67 kilograms, won Ji Xiaoxing of Amateur Eighth Pin in the knockout."

Yan Zheke sent an emoji of standing erect in the wind. "The material has been updated with the result of the first round of knockout. There is no way for you to take advantage of your opponent's underestimation and negligence…"

Since Lou Cheng could see Hu Zheng won Ji Xiaoxing of Amateur Eighth Pin, Hu Zheng could also know Lou Cheng knocked out Liu Yinglong, the big brother of Amateur Fourth Pin from Baiyuan Martial Arts School. Apparently, Hu Zheng would be on full alert to his opponent without any underestimation and negligence today.

"I'm unlikely always to have the good fortune to encounter a conceited and thoughtless opponent. I have confidence in defeating the fighter of Amateur Sixth Pin open and aboveboard." Lou Cheng answered calmly.

"Yes! That's the spirit of a warrior." Yan Zheke sent a touching head sticker. "There are some features in common for such fighters as martial art training partners and fitness coaches. These muscle fighters employ miscellaneous moves in the competition which help them adapt to various types of opponents. On the other hand, they have no specialty in a certain move… I'll search more information for you…"

"Ha-hah!" Amused by Yan Zheke's cuteness, Lou Cheng answered with a pretended serious face. "How professional Coach Yan is!"

Time flew by while watching competitions and chatting with Yan Zheke. Most rings had ushered the sixth pair of fighters. "It has been the sixth fight. I feel a little nervous now."

"Moderate tension is a good thing." Yan Zheke tried to make Lou Cheng relaxed. "Then you'd better stop chatting and do some preparations. Fix your attention, calm your nerves, try to adjust your state and reflect on your moves.

"Got it," said Lou Cheng.

A message from Yan Zheke came to his sight when Lou Cheng was about to sign out QQ to save power.

"Cheng, wait for a moment. The last word for you!"

Followed this message was a voice one.

Clicking on it with curiosity, Yan Zheke's soft and clear voice rang into Lou Cheng's ears.

"Lou Cheng! Lou Cheng! Lou Cheng! Come on!"

Ecstasy abruptly hit Lou Cheng with brilliant fireworks blossoming in his heart.

The first "come on" for his ring journey!

Well over with joy, Lou Cheng replied unconsciously,

"I'll go all out!"

Yan Zheke sent back an encouraging fist emoji without a word.

The motivated young man clenched his fist heavily in the corner as if he had won all challenge tournaments. He favorited this voice message with solemnity and played it over and over again by his ears.

With surging courage in heart, he signed out QQ, left his seat, and stroke to the fourth ring full of strength.

…

"The fourth ring…" the middle-aged man in the leather jacket came near to the fourth ring, holding the VS list and some material of over a dozen of fighters whom he had some interest in.

He found a most suitable seat to watch the fight, waiting for the dark horse who won Liu Yinglong to show up.

Five or six rows away from him was Yu Haichao the master of Baiyuan Martial Arts School, who sit upright and quietly with his eyes glancing at the screen of competition information.

Beside Yu Haichao were his knocked-out disciples in dead silence.

Because Qin Zhilin's competition was arranged in the afternoon, he also came with schoolmates to see the undergraduate from Songcheng University who hurt and knocked out their big brother.

In the silence out of tune with the noisy gymnasium, Liu Yinglong suddenly raised his right hand.

"He is coming!"

Following the direction Liu Yinglong pointed to, Qin Zhilin saw a student-like young man in dark blue martial arts suit coming over,eighteen or nineteen years of age,of medium height, with short hair and a common face, leaving people with a gentle and composed impression.

"Perfect meditation and peace in the heart." A low, familiar voice came to Qin Zhilin's ear. He subconsciously took a look following the voice, realizing it was his master who had been keeping silent since entering the gymnasium. Yu Haichao, a martial art expert of Professional Fifth Pin, had participated in the competition of the second league. He started Baiyuan Martial Arts School in Yanling when getting aged after declining the invitation from the police force.

"Perfect meditation?" Qin Zhilin heard a deep breath from his brothers and himself.

Even the mighty ones of Danqi stage dare not declare themselves to be perfect meditation!

Yu Haichao stood up with his hands down to the knee. "This judgment is based on my encounters with many fighters of perfect meditation. Of course, there is no need for you to envy their genius, for your physique is also different from ordinary people."

"The little brother has entered a perfect stage with a talent for meditation. Great chance for him to reach the Danqi stage in the future."

Perfect meditation was not equal to absolute strength, which just meant less difficulty he'd experience to achieve Danqi stage.

Liu Yinglong turned his eyes to Lou Cheng again, realizing he still made nothing of his opponent. Every encounter with Lou Cheng brought a surprise or even shock beyond imagination to Liu Yinglong.

"Which level do you think he is of?" asked Qin Zhilin subconsciously.

Yu Haichao shook his head.

"How can this be seen directly? Watch the fight. "

People from Baiyuan Martial Arts School fell into silence once again.

…

Lou Cheng managed to calm down his rolling power and excitement a little bit until the end of the seventh fight in the fourth ring.

He concentrated his thoughts and started to reflect on his opponent when the eighth fight was going on.

"Hu Zheng definitely would analyze my fight features in the light of my performance in the first round of knockout. Liu Yinglong is known for his Arm Boxing, specialized in flexible and swift footwork. So it makes sense for him to conclude my specialty in dealing with flexible and guerrilla hit…"

"Facing me who won Liu Yinglong, Hu Zheng is supposed to fight with great caution and avoid flexible or guerrilla hit as long as he is not playing weak or has participated in the Ranking Event in the past one or two years…Huh? Can I take advantage of this?"

With many thoughts flashing and fight scenes staging in his mind, Lou Cheng finally freeze-framed the competition between Ye Youting and Guan Yan.

"Hu Zheng will surely give weight to his defense at the beginning… Um, I can attempt beating him with my utmost strength ignoring follow-up burst moves."

On careful comparison, Lou Cheng had confidence in winning Hu Zheng with strength. At this moment, Lou Cheng desired a carefree fight without considering whether Hu Zheng was playing weak or not.

Lou Cheng relaxed his nerves and started to watch the fight after making the decision.

The eighth fight came to an end ten minutes later. The referee announced the beginning of the ninth fight after taking a breath and some adjustment.

Lou Cheng VS Hu Zheng!

After handing in belongings and jacket, Lou Cheng stepped into the ring with the checked number card. Before him was strongly-built Hu Zheng in a karate-like suit.

The middle-aged man in leather jacket sat up straight, staring at Lou Cheng,

"A student he is! Do wonder his actual strength and specialty who beat Liu Yinglong…"

Yu Haichao, Liu Yinglong, Qin Zhilin and other disciples of Baiyuan Martial Arts School also turned their eyes and paid all attention to the ring where Lou Cheng was.

There was no need to make much ado about contemplation from the audience in the match. Vaguely sensing the atmosphere, Lou Cheng became more inspired with enthusiasm.

He had his audience in this match!

Looking at student-like Lou Cheng, Hu Zheng was weighed down with anxiety. He had been fully aware of that he would fight with a formidable enemy after receiving the opponent's material.

Baiyuan Martial Arts School was celebrated in Yanling. Hu Zheng was keenly aware of the power of Liu Yinglong's Arm Boxing, which he had long heard of. The young man opposite to him was exactly the one who knocked out Liu Yinglong.

Hoo… He heaved a breath and saluted with a decision made in his mind.

Anti-arm boxing was the only key to victory!

Lou Cheng returned a salute without a word. He prepared himself for meditation, adjusting his muscles little by little and compressing the strength of the whole body.

The bowstring should be pulled to the tightest to make the arrows shoot furthest, and the spring stretched to the extreme to produce most powerful recovery. Likewise, the power should be compressed to the utmost to generate "heaven falling and the earth cracking" as Ye Youting burst out a blow with force of terror.

Lou Cheng conceived a scene of towering snow-capped mountains in his mind with snow falling in a whirl which made it even more majestic. The terror was accumulated for a blow from commanding position.

"The third group of 24 Blizzard Strikes, Mega Avalanche!"

At this time, the referee raised his right hand and abruptly lowered it,

"The ninth. Fight!"

Suddenly, the snow-capped mountain started to quiver with accumulated power about to burst out. Lou Cheng felt that he became taller, overlooking Hu Zheng of similar height with himself. It was a feeling of looking down the passersby from the peak of the snow-capped mountain!

Boom!

In his conceived scene, a lightning hit the summit of the snow-capped mountain in the roaring of thunder, starting a blazing prairie fire. The accumulated snow suddenly collapsed, making a rushing and boiling flow of the snow water!

This was the most horrible blizzard between heaven and earth!

Feeling the rising hot flow from the coccygeal vertebra and ready-to-burst strength compressed in muscles, Lou Cheng took a few steps and clenched his fist at Hu Zheng with the momentum of collapsing masses of snow roaring and crushing.

With his arms raised to defend, Hu Zheng's sight froze with shock at Lou Cheng who seemed to be a giant, a towering mountain.

In the audience stand, Liu Yinglong got to his feet with a jump.

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Chapter 39: Mega Avalanche

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

At that moment, the Lou Cheng that appeared in front of Hu Zheng seemed to swell into a giant like a figment of his imagination. His fists cracked and the wind howled. He suddenly felt like he had lost the high ground, and his former arrogant grandeur seemed to have been buried by a collapsing mountain peak.

This kind of strength made Hu Zheng unwittingly consider high tailing it out of there, but he didn't dare let it show. However, he was already in his defensive stance, and there was obviously no time to retreat. This led to an even more dire realization; and all he could do was bite the bullet, hold steady, and try to change his style of blocking. He crossed both arms against his body.

This stance wouldn't be broken, but he'd also lose the opportunity to lead into a counterattack. It was the both the safest and also the most foolish choice. Hu Zheng was unable to think that far in advance!

Bam!

As the strike came forward, an oppressive sound filled the air and fell upon Hu Zheng's ears. At the same time, he felt an immense vibration across his body. Even though his blocking stance had still not been broken through, it was hard to receive such a blow with his arms stiffly pressed against his body, stuck on top of his chest.

Such frightening strength! Hu Zheng felt as if his arms were two sledgehammers slamming into him. His ribs ached, his balance started to falter, and his legs were unable to support him. He was going to topple over soon.

To maintain his balance, he could only stagger along and do his best to recover a steady sense of equilibrium.

At that moment, Lou Cheng had already come closer with his body leaning to the side. He lowered his left shoulder, moved forward a step, and crashed into Hu Zheng chest.

With the Avalanche Stance, unless you stopped it yourself, the power would run right over you!

Hu Zheng stumbled after being slammed by such a powerful hit, completely lost his balance, and flew towards the ground with a thud.

"Lou Cheng wins!" The referee declared.

"I lost, just like that?" Hu Zheng was in a daze, discovering he had already been thrown to the ground of the arena.

"I barely threw a single punch, and I've lost?

How many seconds had it taken!?

Did that kind of strength belong to an amateur?"

Nearby, above the spectator's platform, Liu Yinglong stared dumbfounded at his fellow disciple, his face white as death. After seeing Lou Cheng's striking power a moment ago, he'd realized with some disappointment that himself wouldn't have been able to resist this kind of frightening strength!

After going through Master Yu Haichao's analysis of yesterday's fight, he still hadn't been fully convinced. He thought that Lou Cheng still hadn't displayed any real power and would lose today's match like watching right into a booby trap. Going through the outcome of the previous fight, the disparity between the two fighters wasn't that big. He merely had a natural gift for meditation, impressive coordination and was adept at controlling his body. In other aspects, he wasn't as good as he seemed to be, and his victory was merely a fluke.

But after what he had just seen, any trace of arrogance and self-consolation in his heart had been thoroughly defeated. He was brave enough to recognize his disappointment.

Could it be that Lou Cheng hadn't revealed his true strength before and now was going all out? Yesterday when he had thrown that one punch, it seemed like it could nearly break a bone!

Knowing your own body's weaknesses wasn't a simple matter, but it was an unavoidable cruelty.

Beside him, Master didn't say a word. All of the Junior Sisters and Junior Brothers around them were silent. It was as if the entire world had gone still.

The man in the leather jacket had taken out his phone, intending on going home later to enjoy a recording of the most intense moment of the fight, but by the time he'd unlocked his screen and opened the phones camera function, the match was already over!

"This… Isn't this a carbon copy of what happened in yesterday's match?" As a fan, his understanding of the meaning behind the punch that had just been thrown wasn't as deep as Liu Yinglong's. It was that he was astonished at how Lou Cheng had defeated an Amateur Sixth Pin like Hu Zheng with merely one punch. It was similar to Ye Youting's exceptional victory over Guan Yan yesterday. After taking in all of the information yesterday, he'd come back to watch more matches in the ring.

Although Guan Yan was an Amateur Second Pin, and more skilled than Hu Zheng, his blocking stance in yesterday's battle had left an opportunity for a counterattack. It didn't seem like Hu Zheng's arms had been intersected too tightly, which showed you couldn't judge simply by rank.

After thinking thoroughly about this point, the man in the leather jacket put down his phone and clapped his hands, even though Lou Cheng probably couldn't hear it.

This competition did have some surprises in store!

"Uncle, what are you clapping for?" The young couple beside them stared past. They were looking at another match on the big screen.

Wasn't it brilliant enough a match to deserve applause?"

The man in the leather coat chuckled. "Just a moment ago a student with no rank defeated an Amateur Sixth Pin contestant. It was just like Ye Youting's victory over Guan Yan in the ring yesterday."

Ye Youting and Guan Yan's fight was the highlight yesterday, and this brilliant scene was being replayed on the TV screen. A shy girl who was part of the couple smiled softly. "Sounds more or less the same, but it's not the same. The difference in ranks is really big."

As a martial arts fan, the man in the leather coat gesticulated wildly to make his point, explaining once again that Guan Yan and Hu Zheng's defensive stances weren't the same. In the end, he said, "Even though there's a disparity, it's not that big. That no rank student is remarkable!"

The couple became quite intrigued. "What is he called?" What's his number? "We're going to see his match tomorrow. A lot of these performances are boring."

"He's called Lou Cheng, and his number is 656." The man in the leather jacket seemed as if he giving an endorsement.

…

""Lou Cheng wins!"

When the referee's verdicts hit his ears, Lou Cheng stomped his feet, stood up straight, and didn't pursue any further attack. All he could feel was a short burst of exhaustion in his body and a warmth in the spot where his Dantian was located, flowing through his whole body. Now that he'd calmed down and was tired, the Jindan was starting to work on its own.

In addition to the Mega Avalanche, he had added the Lightning and Fire Stance punch, so his body felt exhausted of all strength. He was much more tired than he had been after yesterday's fight, nearly more than Lin Que had been during his first match when he had used the Brutal Blizzard.

"This kind of power is still an immense burden and consumer of energy. If I relied on my own body, I could only get two punches out at best…" Lou Cheng sighed to himself inwardly.

Today's victory was more joyous than yesterday's, yet he was calmer. There was no longer the feeling of the victory being a fluke or not genuine. Going through today's fight, he was certain that he had already improved his abilities immensely and yesterday's victory was not by chance.

"I've managed to become an amateur master!"

Blinking in exhaustion and feeling a definite joy, Lou Cheng composed himself and walked outside the lines of the ring, looking for the supervisor to return his belongings.

Seeing this performance, the Baiyuan Martial Arts School Headmaster Yu Haichao, who had been calm and peaceful throughout, gasped and stood up.

"Master, what's wrong?" Liu Yinglong asked in shock.

Yu Haichao looked at the panic revealed in each and every face of his disciples, sighed and said, "With the combination of the Mega Avalanche in the Ice Sect's 24 Blizzard Strikes and the Thunder Sect's Lightning and Fire Stance, plus three minutes of concentrating his strength, this kind of power isn't at all surprising. What makes a Master like me concerned is that when he was done throwing that punch, I didn't see any sign of exhaustion!"

"This would leave me to believe that he could throw punches continuously for quite a while. Even if he didn't have three minutes to focus his strength, he could still retain 70 or 80 percent of his strength. That is quite frightening."

Liu Yinglong, Qin Zhilin, and the other disciples were stunned that their Master's evaluation was this high!

"Master, what rank do you think he is?" Liu Yinglong asked subconsciously.

Yu Haichao smirked. "It's impossible to tell simply from watching a single punch. Martial arts levels aren't all about physical power, but he's certainly no less than an Amateur Third Pin. Look, all of you, if just one or two of you can grasp meditation and master stance training afterward, at the very least your strength will improve significantly. Seeing another person's excellence, does it not make your hearts still?"

He seized the opportunity to teach his disciples. Certain still stances couldn't be performed in the martial arts ring, but if you were unable to grasp meditation, physical training would bring no serious results.

"We understand!" Liu Yinglong, Qin Zhilin, and the other disciples were all moved to a degree.

"All of you, watch more of his matches, perhaps there will be other rewards." Yu Haichao advised as he walked out of the martial arts with his hands behind his back.

…

Taking out his phone, Lou Cheng immediately looked out at the faraway viewing platform. While watching other Martial Arts competitions on the big screen, he logged onto QQ to give Yan Zheke the good news!

In the Martial Arts Club, when joining the partition contest, Yan Zheke had organized a cheerleading squad and put herself in charge of logistics. While it was necessary to have a phone number, text messages and these kinds of things were now outdated. Student clubs rather preferred to use QQ or WeChat.

"Hey, hey, I won!" "Easy victory!" "Thanks to Coach Yan's guidance!" Lou Cheng used three exclamation marks to express his joy, and as a way to jokingly praise Yan Zheke.

It seemed as if Yan Zheke had been waiting for the result, and she quickly responded. "Not bad. How is it that a child can teach you how to win?"

She was very interested in the details of the match.

"I knocked out Liu Yinglong. I'm sure he would pay attention to this point and thought I would restrain myself or use a similar kind of arm boxing move, so when I did this change in direction, all he could do was block first." Lou Cheng explained everything in minute detail, sharing his triumph with the girl of his dreams. "Considering this point, I planned right from the start to hit with a violent blow to see if I could break through his stance and get the upper hand. It's a lot like the match that I told you about yesterday."

Yan Zheke replied with an adorable emoji that had its finger pressed under its lip, "Cheng, I'm starting to think that you've got a natural gift for competitions!"

Lou Cheng sent an emoji of Crayon Shin Shan scratching his head foolishly. "I'm not as good as you say."

He continued to send a message. "As I had told you before, when Coach Shi discovered I had a gift for meditation, he privately taught me a few stance training styles. I took advantage of the three minutes during announcements to focus my strength, and compress my body's power to the limit. Then I used 24 Blizzard Strike's Mega Avalanche and the Lightning and Fire Stance together, and the punch was enough to make my opponent lose his balance. Then I got in close and threw him to the ground."

"Not bad…Cheng, every time I hear you describe a match like this, I can't help but imagine what would happen if it were me instead of you. What kind of reaction would I have, what would the result be? This lets me experience a great fight without even going out the door." Yan Zheke sent an emoji with sparkling eyes.

"You'd surely respond better than me!" Lou Cheng seized the opportunity to praise her once more and sent a blushing emoji. "If I can make you feel like this, I'm delighted."

Yan Zheke sent an emoji with its hands over its mouth, and then said, "I was online looking for your official competition information before, and in the end I could only find one short sentence of news: 'With the Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Tournament's first round finished, the athlete Ye Youting and others have easily smashed through the barriers.' Very nice!"

"I'm amongst those 'others', I'll have an opportunity for my name to show up later." Lou Cheng sent an emoji of a hand patting a head.

While talking, the afternoon competition came to a close. Yan Zheke sent a fighting emoji and said, "Since I've been riled up by you, as soon as I've eaten and relaxed for a bit, I'll find my grandma and grandpa to 'steal' some secret moves that have been handed down in the family, and I'll spend an afternoon practicing!"

"Haha, will they agree?" said Lou Cheng.

Yan Zheke sent a laughing emoji. "Relax, if I'm adorable and bat my eyelashes a bit, it absolutely can be arranged. My grandmother loves me dearly and has a kind heart. As long as I don't talk back and don't make her lose face, there won't be any problems."

"Then you need to be careful to keep a balance between work and play." Lou Cheng sent a concerned message. As he left out the arena, he picked up some fast food along the way.

In the afternoon while Yan Zheke was practicing martial arts, he browsed through forums and watched matches.

Suddenly in a forum's livestream, he saw Invisible Punch post. "Master Road is on stage. His opponent is some Amateur Fourth Pin guy."

"Is the 'Road to the Arena' match happening?" Lou Cheng looked at every single big screen and quickly found the 'Road to the Arena" who had posted his photo before. He and his opponent were in the three minutes of announcements period.

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Chapter 40: Brought Together by Fate

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

"Road to the Arena" didn't look much different from his picture. He obviously didn't use any beauty products or Photoshop skills. Lou Cheng felt a kind of happiness, as if he'd bumped into an acquaintance. Feigning ignorance, he posted in the livestream using an emoji with a blank stare. "I just finished an exam and saw this post. 'Master Road' and 'Invincible' are raising our forums prestige in Yanling! That Amateur Fourth Pin opposite him, what's his story?"

"Invincible Punch" apparently was watching the match at the same time, taking pictures and recording video while scrolling through the forum. After twenty or thirty seconds, he replied to Lou Cheng, "Oh, I'd thought you'd gone missing Tiger, but it turns out it's only exam season! Why would Master Road need to find out any information about an Amateur Fourth Pin athlete? Anyway, there's no real threat."

"Hmm, a little bit arrogant…" Lou Cheng whispered. Without leaving his seat, he could see "Invincible Punch" next to the arena. Everyone online wasn't too familiar with each other, so talking in person would surely be awkward, and furthermore, he had entered the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament. It would be hard to avoid being compared with the rest of the competition. Given the circumstances where the disparity in ranks was relatively large, this kind of thing could be avoided.

So he merely answered in a joking tone, "So Master Road is still chugging along despite his age?" He still holds the position of Number One Expert on the forum, and won't give us young people a chance!"

"You're talking as if Master Road's in his 70's or 80's." "Beautiful World" sent an emoji covering its mouth in laughter. "As for you Tiger, wait 10 years and it's likely that you still won't be Master Road's opponent, and still won't have the forum's Number One Expert title."

"I'm not saying that, I'm just joking. Why should I even have a rebuttal…" The corner of Lou Cheng's mouth twitched as he responded, "No, no, no, I'm helping 'Invincible' speak. He's got a plot to usurp the throne!"

"All of you wicked people want to cause trouble for me! If Master Road pops my cherry, what's to be done?!" "Invincible Punch" sent a terrified sticker.

"Okamoto's Fan" used a comical emoji. "Shouldn't you be happy to get your cherry popped on a date?"

Following along the same line of conversation, the moderator "Pig-Riding Knight", "A Plumber Eating Mushrooms", "Brahman" and others conversed excitedly, mischievously talking about the difference between condoms and contraception.

I couldn't even imagine junior high students being this filthy… Lou Cheng snickered and once again directed his gaze towards the match.

With impressive legwork, fast punches and elegant movements, "Road to the Arena" made other people as if they were looking straight at a tornado and that he was able to suppress his opponent so impressively, but Lou Cheng was a different person today than he'd been in the past. With one glance he could tell that his posture was awkward, and the force of his hits wasn't sufficient.

In the past, Lou Cheng mainly watched the top tier Professional Martial Arts Competitions and the Top 5 Title Matches. Containing near physical invulnerability and the highest level of Danqi state, these battles were already at an inhuman level. Using the famous He Xiaowei's description, the physical invulnerability of every Mighty One was nearly equivalent to that of a battle tank. So high was this honor that there was no need for the military, who mostly would prefer for the martial artists to destroy each other as they were considered a danger towards the country's security.

It was for this very reason that, before entering the Martial Arts Club, Lou Cheng didn't watch many "Dan Stage" and "Body Refining Stage" matches. He barely had any knowledge and what knowledge he did have wasn't that deep, but by observing the twenty or thirty matches throughout the National University Martial Arts Competitions Partition Contest over the past two days, in addition to the combat experience he had gained, his insight into these fights had become much sharper.

"Road to the Arena" looked rusty. His footwork and stance seemed like he'd been out of practice, causing his hitting power to be insufficient. If the opposition put in a little more effort, he wouldn't be able to relax so much. However, in recent years he'd been so busy with business and yet hadn't abandoned his training. His physical strength, power, and agility had all been maintained well. After going through two or three matches, he should be able to regain about 70-80% of what he had at his peak. Lou Cheng analyzed the situation with all his might, but got caught up in second thoughts. "If he and I fight hand to hand, how would I react, how to break his maneuvers…"

Using this thought, his constructed an image of the match in his mind. The Amateur Fourth Pin competitor had been replaced by himself, so he could watch and analyze Road to the Arena's every move, deducing how to employ which method. Unbeknownst to Lou Cheng, while simulating this fight, "Road to the Arena" had used his foot to kick his opponent out of the ring, ending the match.

"A Punch's Journey" instantly took a photo of his victory pose and uploaded it into a post on the live broadcast.

"Master Road defeated his opponent in three minutes!"

Lou Cheng discontinued the simulation in his mind and glanced at the photo. He could only see that Road to the Arena's forehead was sweating, sliding down his cheeks.

"He still had a big problem with his physical strength, which can't quite recover in a short period…" Lou Cheng nodded his head slightly as he watched the two opponents leave. He got up and headed towards the service desk and asked for a fighting sheet, looking for the information on the match that had just happened so that he could find out "Road to the Arena's" real name.

"Number 173, Zhou Yuanning, 29 years old, Professional Ninth Pin, from Heishan Province, is skilled at the Heavenly Wind Incantation's Wuthering Eight Movements. So "Road to the Arena" was nearly 30! It seemed to be true that he used to have a well-known ex-fighter Master. Heh, all of his big talk before looked like it had been made up. At best, it's been exaggerated by quite a bit." Lou Cheng thought as he asked for Road to the Arena's detailed information.

Heavenly Wind Incantation wasn't typically known amongst the people by that name, but rather was commonly called "Way of the Wind." The "Wuthering Eight Movements" of "Road to the Arena" had been passed down through generations. Even if he'd never officially become a master's apprentice, he must have received direction from a famous fighter.

Receiving the information, Lou Cheng went to a different arena to watch another match. A group of girls at the service desk waited for him to get far away, and then started to whisper in each other's ears.

"I checked. He won again! Looks like he is an expert."

"Mmm, most likely he thinks it's beneath him to join an Amateur Ranking Event."

"This is my favorite kind of man. I don't know what kind of opponent he'll encounter tomorrow. What do you think, should we recommend his matches to the audience?"

"Better wait and see, so we don't waste our energy."

Several girls in the forum were ecstatic. This way of exploring an expert was much more intimate and interesting than simply looking at official publicity.

…

Looking at one match after the other, Lou Cheng's mind gradually became crammed full with all kinds of styles, deducing how he would react. He did this until 4 o'clock, when he finally got out of his seat and headed out of the martial arts arena. He returned to his hotel room to put his coat inside and then went to a small park nearby. He then began to drill, going through all of the expected moves as if there was an imaginary opponent in front of him.

He disassembled the three sets of 24 Blizzard Strikes' Brutal Blizzard and Mega Avalanche, throwing them in random order and constantly reorganizing them. Lou Cheng practiced until he felt a kind of intoxication and icy coldness in the depths of his eyes. Although his calmness was nearly frightening, his hands and feet whizzed by with the ferocity of a madman.

As he changed his posture, he didn't limit himself only according to these three sets grouping, and instead threw all 24 hits indiscriminately, anticipating the moves from his imaginary opponent and adjusting accordingly. From all of the sloppiness of a novice in the beginning, he'd developed into this perfect image of a fighter.

The 24 Blizzard Strikes' style was aimed at beginner students, so it was easy to grasp quickly. At its core, there were three ideas: Brutal Blizzard, Biting Chill, and Mega Avalanche. Treating these as the foundation, it was possible for one to combine them into 24 possible hits within every attack.

Chops, elbows, swooping kicks, fast palms and sticking close to the body, a chain of all these hits, echoing out like a blowing wind, made it feel like there was a sudden explosion like an avalanche, vast and mighty, burying everything.

"Phew!" Lou Cheng withdrew his boxing stance and adopted his final stance with firing out a sharp breath of air.

The joy on his face was obvious. Under his abdomen, the Jindan warmly flowed with its ice and fire, healing his exhaustion.

Having mastered the 24 Blizzard Strikes at long last and reaching a higher level brought no small amount of pride.

Lou Cheng chose a random place nearby to eat and went back to the hotel. The very first thing he did was to turn on the computer, connect his phone, and save the voice message that Yan Zheke had sent earlier onto the hard drive so he could avoid losing it if his phone got damaged.

This was worth a lifetime's collection of memories!

After finishing this, he opened QQ and told Yan Zheke about how rewarding the training he'd just done had been, and Yan Zheke also shared with him how her afternoon training had gone with the moves handed down in her family.

Despite sitting in a shabby hotel room, being surrounded by an unfamiliar city, and hearing dialects that he couldn't understand in the park, Lou Cheng smiled and felt a serene comfort.

…

The next day at dawn, the man in the leather jacket had opted for a black down jacket. Dragging two similarly aged companions along, they all arrived in front of the big screen.

"I'm telling you, I noticed a very impressive expert, and he still doesn't have any rank…" the man in the leather jacket said, explaining the two past days' events. He lifted his head and looked towards the roster which was constantly refreshing itself. "Number 656, Lou Cheng…"

…

The couple from yesterday had brought with a few classmates. They all chatted nonstop as they approached the big screen.

"Yesterday I knew that expert, that No Rank Expert!" The boy from the couple pointed to the roster. "Ah, Number 656, Lou Cheng…"

…

Liu Yinglong, along with other disciples that had been eliminated, arrived at the martial arts arena and gazed at the big screen.

"Number 656, Lou Cheng…" he said silently to himself, waiting for the roster to flip to a new page.

Suddenly, he gazed his eyes and said with a smile.

"Interesting …"

…

Lou Cheng had wrapped a down jacket over his martial arts suit, and followed the crowd of people arriving at the nearby big screen. For the third time, he looked for his own name.

"Second arena, tenth match. Number 819, Jin Tao, 19 years old, Amateur First Pin. Number 656, Lou Cheng, 18 years old, no rank."

Seeing this information, Lou Cheng wasn't at all surprised. In the third round, the arenas had been reduced to five. Encountering an Amateur First, Second or Third Pin Expert was highly probable.

It's just that he was a little bit unlucky that it wasn't an Amateur Third Pin…

"Well, even if it's just so you can thoroughly measure your abilities, there is nothing to be afraid of. Even losing could have its fair share of rewards!" As he headed to the service desk and comforted himself, he informed Yan Zheke about the results of the drawing on QQ. He used a laughing emoji to say, "Fine with me!"

In a time like this, you couldn't say that one's character could protect you from any problem, so you had to pretend like nothing was wrong.

Waiting for Yan Zheke's reply, he went to the end of the line in front of the service desk and flipped through the forums. Under the live broadcast post, he could see that 'Road to the Arena' had posted something.

"Little Fist has good luck today! Got a guy with no rank, some guy called Lou Cheng!"

"Eh?" Lou Cheng was dumbfounded.

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A guy of no rank? Lou Cheng?

Isn't that me?

My next opponent is Invincible Punch from the forum?

Ideas and thoughts flooded into Lou Cheng's head. "How magical fate is!" After two knockout rounds, there were still over two hundred fighters left. "What a chance my friend from the forum is to be my opponent?"

He slid down to read replies. Unparalleled Dragon King, an overseas graduate, wrote, "I've googled. No big faction or sect has a disciple called this name. But don't lower your guard. A no-rank amateur needs more than luck to pass two rounds."

Unparalleled Dragon King had an extensive martial arts database covering all fighters in the National University Martial Arts Competitions, but he knew nothing about Lou Cheng.

Reading his reply, Lou Cheng muttered to himself, "Considering my current experience, my information is only available in the Police Department's household register and Songcheng University's Student Center…"

Road to the Arena sent a funny swelling face. "Rest assured. I'm pretty well experienced. Of course, I know those of no rank are not to be underestimated. No matter how much he looks down upon the amateur ranking event, he won't give up Professional Ranking Events. So he probably hasn't reached the level of Professional Ninth Pin! Well, if he's a hermit with no intention to attend any Professional Ranking Events, why would he sign up for this tournament? If he's not yet at the level of Professional Ninth Pin, he's, at best, of the same level with Punch. Why should we worry?"

"Many factors can affect the result of a fight between two of the same level. You are very confident in Punch!" Beautiful World interrupted.

Road to the Arena sent a grin. "Of course! Punch is mine! He reached Amateur First Pin over a year ago and had attended two Professional Ranking Events. I'm pretty sure his rich experience is ahead of that Lou Cheng."

"Maybe he has also attended a couple of Professional Ranking Events?" Brahman, a young girl who liked to shirk argument replied.

Pig-Riding Knight, the moderator of the forum, sent a sticker of knocking head. "That Lou Cheng is 18 years old. Having attended two or three Professional Ranking Events would make him 15 or 16 when he achieved the level of Amateur First Pin. His body barely finished growing at that age!"

Wonton Seller just came to the forum. "I bet ten packs of spicy sticks on Little Punch's victory!"

"I bet five cucumbers on Punch's lose!" Okamoto's Fan followed up with an amusing emoji just to achieve chaos.

The live broadcast post soon became a gambling post, with bets varying from five bags of instant noodle to six sausages, almost having Road to the Arena buried in their enthusiasm.

Road to the Arena posted,

"I bet a half-naked photo of Punch. If he dares lose, I dare post!"

After a rough calculation, Lou Cheng found over 80% of members of this forum supporting Invincible Punch. He had the intention to bet five duck necks on his loss, shitting on himself in exchange of some good luck, but soon he remembered the doomsayer Xu Wannian from Shanbei University Martial Arts Club. He decided not to curse himself and pretended he didn't see this post at all.

A reply from Yan Zheke with an emoji of untidy hair flying in the wind. "I chatted with my grandma only for seven or eight minutes and you've got yourself such a great opponent!"

"He-heh… I don't have much luck… You better bless me and strengthen me from now on," Lou Cheng responded in a joking tone.

You better be there by my side, lightening me up with your good luck…

Yan Zheke sent a pondering emoji with its hands crossed under its chin. "Well, we can't change the draw but we can prepare for the fight. Have you got his information?"

"Still waiting in line. More spectators today." Lou Cheng sent a smirk. "I can't make it to the top 16 or win the prize anyway. I've passed two rounds, and I hope my upcoming opponents are one stronger than another so I can gain even better combat experience."

Yan Zheke sent a smiley behind hands. "Cheng, you have potential to become a martial arts madman."

Lou Cheng came to the front of the counter while chatting. The girl at the service desk gazed at him and handed him the information of Jin Tao the Invincible Punch without asking him any question.

"You know me?" Lou Cheng was amazed.

The girl behind the counter smiled. "You are the only one of no rank among all the remaining fighters."

"I see." Lou Cheng came to the realization.

"Your opponent is of Amateur First Pin. Buck up!" The service desk girl tried to encourage him.

Lou Cheng was surprised for a second and then smiled. "Thank you!"

There are many good-hearted people in this world!

He quickly glanced through the information and picked the important content to share with Yan Zheke. "Jin Tao, 19 years old, a student of Jiuqu Branch of Haiyuan Martial Arts College, of Amateur First Pin. Coach, what do you think?"

Yan Zheke replied a sparkling sunglasses as if she was part of this. "Haiyuan Martial Arts College… I'll take a look at their martial arts courses. Hold on…"

"The internet is the best…" Lou Cheng gave a silent praise. Taking a seat by Ring Two, he opened that gambling post, or the live broadcast post again.

After lines of nonsense, Above the Sky brought it back on track.

"How is Little Punch now? Nervous?" asked Above the Sky.

Road of the Arena answered as if he was the spokesman, "He's been extremely careful but not nervous. He's not on his mobile so he can calm his mind and prepare his body for a good fight."

"What's that Lou Cheng's specialty? Of which level were his previous opponents?" asked Unparalleled Dragon King.

Road to the Arena used the ridiculous emoji again. "He knocked out the No.one student of Baiyuan Martial Arts School in Yanling and Hu Zheng of Amateur Sixth Pin. From his performance in the first round, his style probably has some restraints on arm boxing. However, I've told Little Punch not to assume as we didn't watch the match. He might be much stronger than the opponent. Better focus on himself and exert the best of his skills. He won't regret no matter what the result will be."

"Err… Focus on himself… So I can't do the same trick from my last fight yesterday…" Lou Cheng thoughtfully nodded.

Yan Zheke sent a proud emoji. "Quickly, praise me! I've found the martial arts sets taught in Haiyuan Martial Arts College!"

"Brilliant! Coach! I depend on you today!" Lou Cheng generously praised her, in a slightly exaggerated but also funny way.

Yan Zheke sent a smiley with its hands over its mouth. "Haiyuan Martial Arts College mainly teaches Tiger style, Bear style, Blast Punch and Shooting Fillip. Outstanding students have the opportunity to learn Nine Illness Hits derived from the lost knowledge of the Plague Sect. Your opponent's not yet reached Professional Ninth Pin so we don't need to think about the last one. I've gathered detailed introductions of tiger style, bear style, blast punch and shooting fillip along with their corresponding combat videos. Don't save your data. Take a good look at them."

Haiyuan Martial Arts College's blast punch was quite different from Lou Cheng's. It was more like lightning and fire stance completed with special force exerting techniques without inner concentration or imagination.

In ancient times, some martial artists followed imitative styles, pursuing exceptional combat strength by imitating ferocious beasts including tiger, leopard, bear, wolf, snake and divine elephant. Coming to modern times, the technology developed fast and firearms could easily kill any beast. Martial artists of such styles then reformed and turned to imitate guns and cannons, resulting in blast punch and Shooting Fillip of great explosive force as if powered by gunpowder.

Lou Cheng watched these videos one by one and discussed with Yan Zheke to quickly grasp the essence of the four martial arts styles to avoid suffering from lack of knowledge.

Time flew by and the eighth match was to take place in Ring Two. Lou Cheng sent Yan Zheke a smiley. "I'm going to calm my mind and adjust the state, and have all the threads of thoughts organized. Talk later."

"You can do this!" Yan Zheke replied an encouraging sticker.

Lou Cheng sent a wicked grin. "I was looking forward to a voice message."

"No. That was for yesterday only!" Yan Zheke added a smiley with its hands over its mouth.

Feeling slightly disappointed, Lou Cheng waited a bit longer before logging out his QQ and putting away his mobile. He concentrated his spirit and qi and put a curb on his emotion, adjusting his body for the match.

Ten minutes later, the referee in Ring Two announced the winner of Match Eight. Match Nine was about to take place.

Seven or eight rows higher than Lou Cheng on the stand, Road to the Arena put his phone down and patted Jin Tao the Invincible Punch's shoulder. "Little Punch, come on! Some members are still betting on your defeat."

Jin Tao, the Invincible Punch, took a deep breath and nodded.

"Master Road, don't worry. I'm feeling great right now. I won't dishonor our forum!"

He stood up and climbed the stairs into Ring Two. "I'm the next!"

Not far from them, the middle-aged man in a leather jacket suddenly perked up and spoke to his two friends, "About to start!"

The young couple also straightened their back and pointed at Ring Two while talking to their schoolmates, "The master we've been talking about is about to fight!"

Right next to the ring sat Liu Yinglong with a pair of bright, piercing eyes. He said to his junior brothers and sisters,

"It's time to see his true strength."

With only five rings left today, spectators on other stands also turned their eyes over.

Lou Cheng let out a deep breath and opened his eyes, walking down the stairs towards Ring Two. He didn't want to be disqualified by the referee for being late for his match.

His cell phone suddenly rang and a familiar ringtone came to his ear.

"Err…" Lou Cheng took out his mobile and saw Yan Zheke's name.

He immediately answered and heard her soft, clear voice,

"Good luck, Cheng!"

"Good luck, Cheng…" Lou Cheng was filled with joy. Everything suddenly brightened up, and the passage to Ring Two was coated with a layer of glory.

Before he could open his mouth, Yan Zheke already hung up.

Holding the phone, Lou Cheng swaggered towards the second ring, feeling fearless.

Rainbow comes after wind and rain. Behind a success are flops and failures.

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Chapter 42: Ferocious Tiger Style vs. Wild Blizzard Strikes

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Lou Cheng finished the ten-step distance in no time and stood by the ring, watching Jin Tao the Invincible Punch across the two fighters.

Tall and robust, Jin Tao of the strong frame had a brush cut and eyebrows like scimitars, handsome and masculine. The loose-fit martial arts college uniform seemed tight on his body.

To be honest, in the past several months messing around on the forum, Lou Cheng dearly envied Invincible Punch. Good looking, almost at the professional level, brisk and active, and popular among other forum users, he seemed to have everything Lou Cheng ever wanted. His presence made Lou Cheng feel inferior. The only thing he could overtake Jin Tao was his intelligence.

Now the mountain of his longings and desires stood right in front of him. The once so far away Amateur First Pin was right there. Would Lou Cheng cross the mountain or stop by it?

No other evidence was needed, Lou Cheng's eyes were enough to convince Jin Tao he was the opponent.

With no connection to the host of this tournament, Jin Tao was unable to get videos of Lou Cheng's first two rounds, but he took this student-looking young man the most seriously. In ancient times, the elderly, the minor and the monks required the most attention in the wild martial arts world. And when it came to the modern days, of no rank deserved the most care from any pros!

A friend of the middle-aged man in a leather jacket pointed at the ring and asked, "Old Zheng, which one is the sleeper you've been talking about? Left or right?"

Old Zheng pointed at Lou Cheng, "Him. The one to the left."

"He looks just ordinary." The middle-aged man wearing a leather cap shook his head.

Old Zheng laughed, "Ordinary or not, we shall see!"

The young couple was in the same situation. Their friends were wondering which one the fabled Lou Cheng was.

They looked around but couldn't find the middle-aged man in a leather jacket. Looking at each other blankly, they had no idea how Lou Cheng looked.

After a moment of thinking, the shy girl pretended to be mysterious. "You'll see once it starts."

Lou Cheng should have the upper hand, right?

The ninth match took seven minutes to finish. The referee took several deep breaths before calling for the next pair.

"Match Ten, Jin Tao versus Lou Cheng!"

Old Zheng and the young couple adjusted their sitting position, and Liu Yinglong and other members of Baiyuan Martial Arts School withdrew their attention from other matches and fixed their eyes at Ring Two.

Lou Cheng handed over his jacket, number plate, and other personal belongings to the supervisor before crossing the white line into the ring and taking a stand to the left of the referee, two meters away from Jin Tao the Invincible Punch.

On the stand, Road to the Arena kept the live broadcast post updated. "The match is about to start. Punch is more overwhelming than his opponent!"

He uploaded a photo, arousing a heated discussion. Some commented on Punch's handsomeness, some cheered for their forum member, and the other criticized Lou Cheng's looks, thinking he was nothing special.

Four eyes met in the ring. Jin Tao burst into laughter.

"Honestly, I was thrilled this morning knowing you are my opponent. My previous two matches with weak fighters were more like a warm-up. That's not what I'm here for. Don't disappoint me."

He sounded so confident as if he attempted to defeat Lou Cheng with his mental strength.

Having Yan Zheke's gentle voice echoing in his ears, Lou Cheng was full of energy and fearless. He smiled gently.

"I hope the same."

He remained silent from then on, no matter how hard Jin Tao tried to provoke. In his mind, the match scenes of tiger form, bear form, blast punch and Shooting Fillip appeared and then quickly vanished until a final decision was formed.

Since Invincible Punch will focus on himself, giving me no chance to make plans in advance, I better do the same and play offensive instead of defensive!

Playing offensive was not a decision prompted by a impulse but a result after considering all the factors. He was short of actual combat experience and quite far away from the Amateur First Pin level. In a defensive position, he would be easily upset or bewildered. His best chance would be suppressing the opponent with 24 Blizzard Strikes and giving him no room to counterattack, dragging the match into a stalemate. The longer he could make the match last, the more advantages he could enjoy!

After ten minutes, he will be exhausted at least!

Set on this idea, Lou Cheng held his spirit and qi. Thoughts in his head were settling like water forming ice. Half of him fell into a meditation state and the other half stayed sharp for all the movements around him and all the changes in his opponent's body.

This was the practical use of Condensation Stance with his meditation. Lou Cheng felt his soul separating from his body and floating up high to watch everything from above.

Without the last two fights, without the observation of dozens of matches in the past two days, without the breakthrough in 24 Blizzard Strikes yesterday, I won't be able to do this!

The referee raised his right hand and suddenly swung it down after checking his watch.

"Fight!"

Right after the referee's shout, Jin Tao the Invincible Punch approached quickly to Lou Cheng in an aggressive manner like a ferocious tiger coming down a mountain, giving Lou Cheng no chance to dodge.

As the distance between them was shortened, Jin Tao's body froze for a second and then expanded visually. He raised his right hand and launched a downward cut fist in the form between a grab and a slap, generating a loud whistle.

Roar!

When tigers howl with the rise of winds, animals flee in all directions with fear!

Lou Cheng dared not take Jin Tao's fierce advance lightly. In his head was a cold scene of a Brutal Blizzard. He lowered his weight and held his qi in his Dantian. His palms reached out like snowflakes, engaging Jin Tao's right wrist by his face and warding off this attack.

His arms shook a little, indicating the opponent's superiority in physical strength.

Bam!

Jin Tao's slashing fist suddenly turned into a claw with his four fingers shooting at Lou Cheng's face like bullets accompanied by an ear-piercing sound. This strike would certainly leave four deep holes in Lou Cheng's face if it hit solidly and there was not much the referee could do to stop.

Shooting Fillip! Fingers flicked like a gunshot!

Fortunately, Lou Cheng had watched combat videos of tiger style and Shooting Fillip and remembered clearly those wounds left in faces and hands. As soon as he blocked the slashing punch, he slid sideways to dodge the claw!

Bam! Shooting Fillip missed and Lou Cheng floated to the side of Jin Tao the Invincible Punch. He lowered his weight and threw out his right palm while thinking about a world of ice and snow. A stream of strength was half veiled.

Besides the Avalanche, another deadly element of the Blizzard Strikes was the formless coldness!

The second group of 24 Blizzard Strikes, Biting Chill!

Upon this strike, the sea in Lou Cheng's heart was frozen. Half of him remained in meditation and the other half stayed vigilant about the surroundings. He noticed a tiny muscle flick on Jin Tao's left thigh which dragged his trousers.

"This…" Lou Cheng didn't have time to think it through. Following his instinct, he quickly adjusted his muscles and pulled his weight back, gathering the veiled energy.

A lightning bolt struck in his head, starting a prairie fire.

At the same time, Jin Tao's left leg made a sidekick out of nowhere, giving out a crispy sound, fast, accurate and merciless, aiming at Lou Cheng's chest like a fierce tiger with an iron whiptail.

A solid kick like this would cause some severe injuries and end Lou Cheng's combat capacity!

Fierce Tiger Whipping Tail of Tiger style!

Switch to lightning and fire stance, Lou Cheng felt a hot flow running through his body into his right palm. He cut down using his right hand with great strength to perfectly block Jin Tao's chest kick.

Lou Cheng's body swayed as his hand engaged Jin Tao's leg. The explosive force from lightning and fire stance was merely enough to balance out this powerful kick. He secretly praised in silence. "The trump of Tiger Style lives up to its reputation!" The frozen lake in his heart reflected the difference in Jin Tao's strength through the muscles and pores touched.

Lou Cheng adjusted his muscles and shifted his weight accordingly as if a spring bouncing out with the energy absorbed from the kick. He clenched his left hand into a fist and shook his body to exert the abrupt explosive force, piercing into Jin Tao.

Jin Tao withdrew his leg, drop his weight and raised his elbow to block the punch. To his surprise, Lou Cheng's strength seemed slightly stronger than before.

Sensing the strength from the opponent's elbow, Lou Cheng's muscles adjusted and weight shifted, absorbing some energy from this block to throw a sudden upward kick with his right leg.

Pang!

Jin Tao responded with a right kick, meeting strength with strength in the air.

Taking back his right leg, Lou Cheng shot a hook, an elbow block and a low kick in a roll with no break in between. Jin Tao blocked his opponent's series of attacks but felt his blood running cold as Lou Cheng's strength seemed to be growing with each move. At the beginning of the fight, he was obviously on the downside but coming to this point of the match, he probably got the upper hand!

Different from flood and flame, harm from the avalanche wasn't immediate but damages from ice and snow grew increasingly dangerous and deadly over time. That was the essence of the first set of 24 Blizzard Strikes!

It required the wielder to listen to his opponent's strength and adjust his own weight accordingly to strengthen his following moves with energy absorbed from the opponent.

It was why Geezer Shi told Lou Cheng that 24 Blizzard Strikes was known for being ferocious and frenzied, but his mind should remain calm like a condensation of water instead of going wild with the moves.

A disturbed mind wouldn't be able to reflect the surroundings, sense the opponent's muscles and pores, or hear the difference in the enemy's strength!

How peaceful his heart could remain, how ferocious his strikes would become!

One bout of constant subtle muscle adjusting and energy absorbing would exhaust the wielder. Even Lin Que of Professional Ninth Pin could hardly maintain the suppression for two to three minutes.

Lou Cheng's kicks got faster and punches became heavier. Feeling like a lone traveler in a Brutal Blizzard, Jin Tao smelt danger and misfortune.

"It can't carry on like this!"

He took a deep breath and threw his palm to confront Lou Cheng's blast punch before dashing into his opponent by a sudden stride and a side dive.

His body seemed expanded, full of strength like an oppressive man-bear.

Giant Bear Hitting Tree move of Bear Style!

In the forest, a giant bear could easily break a tree with one impact.

The stage seemed to shake from the extremely fierce impact. Lou Cheng got into a defensive position, putting all the energy he had absorbed into defense.

Pang!

A dull sound. Lou Cheng had no advantage in this collision at all. He lost his center and was forced to take two steps backward until his muscles adjusted and his balance resumed. He managed to keep his footwork.

Jin Tao was also exhausted by the impact. He didn't push forward his advance but stood still to catch his breath and recover from the oppressive Brutal Blizzard.

For the very first time, the two were separated during this match, facing out each other.

After a moment of astonishment, Old Zheng stood up, cheering and applauding for Jin Tao's Tiger Style, Shooting Fillip and whip kick and Lou Cheng's three-minute wild defense. It was certainly the most exciting engagement since the tournament started. Anyone with some general martial arts knowledge and had watched some matches below the Danqi stage could taste the danger and forces. Old Zheng was completed infatuated with the fight in a cold sweat.

The smallest mistake in this bout could have led to a bitter defeat!

The young couple and some other spectators also clapped as this match was worth the wait. Their enthusiasm attracted more attention and more eyes to the second ring.

"I deserve my defeat…" Liu Yinglong sighed blankly.

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Chapter 43: A Better Word

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Zhou Yuanning the Road to the Arena unconsciously changed his posture. Holding his mobile tight, he was no longer in the mood for surfing the forum.

He pursed his lips and murmured to himself after a few seconds of pondering. "24 Blizzard Strikes from the Ice Sect… It seems he has mastered it…"

Seizing the short moment when the two were not engaging each other, he quickly wrote one line in the live broadcast post.

"Little Punch's opponent has inherited some great skills. They are deadlocked!"

When he finished typing, Lou Cheng was ready for another charge.

"Holy crap! Doesn't he need to catch his breath?" Road to the Arena blurted out.

…

Dashed back by the bear bump, Lou Cheng took his time to stabilize his weight. In his Dantian the nebula expanded and then shrank, spinning slowly to separate fire from ice and sweep away the weariness from the last series of strikes.

He yelled within himself, "Jindan is such a treasure! I would have been defeated if this fight took place before my fight with Liu Yinglong or before my victory over Hu Zheng. That Fierce Tiger Whipping Tail move would have been enough to end this match. My following Brutal Blizzard was all thanks to my full grasp of the set yesterday!"

After two days of fighting, observation, self-reflection and potential accumulating and extracting, for the very first time Lou Cheng felt shedding his mortal body and exchanging his bones. He was transforming from a martial arts student to an actual martial artist!

Taking no break to adjust or recover, he devised a scene of a fierce wind shrieking and howling, blowing up a blizzard in his mind. His back moved with the wind as his spine straightened segment by segment. He advanced swiftly and violently and the distance between him and Jin Tao was quickly shortened. His arm swung backward as if pulling a bow and then shot at Invincible Punch with full strength.

Jin Tao had just recovered somewhat when his opponent once again charged with a punch to his ear.

"Doesn't he need to adjust his breath? He should be more exhausted after the last bout of mad offense!" Having no time to spare, Jin Tao lowered his weight into a steady stance and waved his right hand to hinder this strike. His Shooting Fillip was ready and his Tiger Bayonet was about to spring out to prevent Lou Cheng from absorbing his strength.

Lou Cheng drew back as soon as their hands touched with no intention to absorb Jin Tao's strength. He followed up with another step forward and then turned sideways to launch an elbow hit. His explosive force pushed Jin Tao to withdraw while keeping his left hand out to block.

As their skin touched, a stream of strength reached Lou Cheng's heart. He quickly adjusted his weight to throw a whip kick with Jin Tao's strength.

Bam!

Immediately after Jin Tao warded off the kick, Lou Cheng attacked again, leaving him no room to perform his Shooting Fillip. Like an everlasting Brutal Blizzard, Lou Cheng's strikes hit Jin Tao again and again, colder and colder, and stronger and stronger. The gap between their physical strength soon disappeared.

Left with no other options, Jin Tao did another bear bump to force Lou Cheng to back off. However, it took Lou Cheng no time to once again charge at him as if he needed no rest at all. Old Zheng and a few others cheered in the auditorium, heating up the atmosphere.

Bang! Pang!

As the match continued, Jin Tao felt more and more terrified. The opponent got stronger by absorbing his strength. Meanwhile, he got weaker by large consumption of the energy.

"How long can his mad attack last?"

Jin Tao didn't have a clue but he knew he would soon become unable to counterattack if he stayed defensive any longer.

He made another bear bump to push Lou Cheng back, followed up with several big strides and then a powerful stamp with his right foot after a deep breath.

Bam!

The stamp was loud like an explosion and veins stood out in his temples. Jin Tao straightened his back and launched his right fist like cannon with all his strength. Towards Lou Cheng was an ear-piercing roar.

Blast Punch! Punch like a cannon!

This punch reminded Lou Cheng of Ye Youting from the day before. He knew it would be wise for him to avoid any frontal engagement, but it seemed impossible.

He took a deep breath, dropped his weight deeper and quickly adjusted his muscles, compressing all his strength to the extreme. Snow started to accumulate on the massive mountains in his mind with tremendous force.

A giant lightning bolt struck a withered tree, shaking those snow-capped mountains.

Boom!

Snow covered mountains collapsed and fell with great might, blocking all the light and turning the entire world into a huge grave.

24 Blizzard Strikes… Mega Avalanche!

The compressed force erupted and Lou Cheng struck with his fist. The collapsed snow mountains inside seemed to have made him stronger and taller, towering over Jin Tao.

Bam!

Two fists hit each other, sounding dull but heart shivering. As their arms separated, they both wobbled from the tie of the bout.

It was a tie!

He didn't have three full minutes to accumulate his strength and the opponent's blast punch carried great might, but it was a tie. It's a result of Lou Cheng's double explosion from Mega Avalanche and Lightning and Fire Stance and Jin Tao's wearing out.

Bam!

The dull sound sent a chill down Old Zheng and other spectators' spine. They knew it was about time for the match to end as the terrifying blast punch and the avalanche-like strike was already their boldest and fiercest attempt.

Jin Tao's body was almost hollowed out by the blast punch. Why didn't he use bear bump and blast punch at the very beginning? The former was not flexible enough and the latter was extremely strength-consuming. Facing an unknown enemy, one miss would leave him in a passive state. He had to play safe.

Breathing deep gulps to restore his strength, he felt certain Lou Cheng must be in the same shoe since that frightful punch must have worn him out!

When his power just began to recover, Jin Tao's eyes froze as Lou Cheng had started another attack. He didn't look tired, and his breath was steady and easy!

Steady and easy?

Stunned, Jin Tao stood stiffly when Lou Cheng reached him and launched an elbow hit at his chest.

Out of strength, Jin Tao raised his hand in a rush but Lou Cheng's elbow smashed in.

Feeling a sudden tightness in his chest, Jin Tao moved backward but Lou Cheng's right hand stretched out like lightning and pulled him by his left wrist for a knee kick.

A knee kick!

Bam! Jin Tao fell holding his stomach. The referee took a careful look at him before raising his hand.

"Round ten. Lou Cheng won!"

In the stand Road to the Arena stood up unconsciously and muttered,

"What kind of monster is this?"

Old Zheng gave a round of thunderous cheers and applause and said to his two friends, "Didn't I tell you! He's the real sleeper!"

"Excellent! How wonderful! Some parts I didn't get without a commentator." His friend also applauded.

The couple stood up clapping and talked to their schoolmates, "See! That's the mysterious master Lou Cheng we've been talking about!"

"Such a great match!" praised his schoolmates.

All spectators were cheering for Lou Cheng's victory as well as the defeated Jin Tao's great effort and outstanding skills. For a good, thrilling match!

Liu Yinglong, Qin Zhilin and other members of Baiyuan Martial Arts School remained silent. "How many bouts of Brutal Blizzard can I stand? Not even one!"

Not to mention Lou Cheng. Even the defeated Jin Tao was more than enough to kick their ass.

"Finally he's shown his true strength…" Liu Yinglong heaved another sigh.

The glorious victory echoed in Lou Cheng's heart. He couldn't wait to share the joy with Yan Zheke but also felt obligated to do something for this forum friend in case they would meet up properly in the future.

He reached out his hand to pull Jin Tao up and gave him a gentle smile.

"Thanks for your instructions."

He didn't use lightning and fire stance or Mega Avalanche in the last knee kick, so Jin Tao wasn't injured but lost combat strength due to the physical ache, for which the referee didn't interfere.

In case he had underestimated Jin Tao's strength, at least he kept his guard high, so eventually, the victory would still be his.

After this solid fighting, his understanding of his strength deepened. His physical strength and agility had lots of room to improve given more time on training and practice and he had probably reached the level of Amateur Second or Third Pin after mastering 24 Blizzard Strikes. Thanks to the immense physical power provided by Jindan, he had a chance to defeat an Amateur First Pin fighter by exhausting him.

Of course, he wasn't this good when he first arrived at Yanling. He had improved considerably after each fight and become much stronger during the challenge tournament.

Rubbing his stomach with tears of pain circling in his eyes, Jin Tao took Lou Cheng's hand and got up panting.

"You are so full of contradictions. For one second I thought your punches and kicks were weak and footwork was stiff, then the next thing I noticed was how unpredictable and mighty you were that you could foresee my Tiger Tail Kicks and press on waves of bold attacks."

Lou Cheng smiled without a word. He didn't know what to say, neither did he want to reveal his identity. He'd rather wait and see comments on the forum.

Ha-hah! Why am I so full of expectations? Why am I feeling so good!

"Lou Cheng…" The referee's announcement wrote down the name Lou Cheng in the audience's mind.

Zhou Yuanning, the Road to the Arena, had no time to update the post. He stepped down to hold Jin Tao and tried to comfort him. "This Lou Cheng is very skillful. He has mastered 24 Blizzard Strikes from the Ice Sect…"

He was implying the defeat was unavoidable.

Jin Tao the Invincible Punch sighed. "He is very skillful. But I have a better word for him."

"Which word?" Zhou Yuanning, the Road to the Arena, asked curiously.

Every moment of the last fight flashed back into his head. Those blizzard-like attacks bout after bout without any weariness and his steady and easy breath after the massive explosion…

He took a deep breath and answered in awe,

"Monster!"

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Chapter 44: Lou Cheng the Mysterious Master

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

In his down jacket, Lou Cheng grabbed his mobile and logged on his QQ to contact Yan Zheke. "Victory or defeat?"

Yan Zheke replied with a leer, "Must be a victory! I can sense your complacency through the screen! You defeated an Amateur First Pin master…"

She added a stunned dog sticker in the end.

"He-heh… It was impossible until someone asked me to do my best, so I exerted 200% of my full strength!" Lou Cheng used the word someone on purpose.

Yan Zheke sent a smiling behind hands emoji. "If I cheer for you one hundred times, will you defeat Dragon King?"

"I think Dragon King is more than 100 times stronger than me…" Lou Cheng responded with a "Don't scare me" sticker.

Yan Zheke gave him an "I'll scare you to death" sticker. "Come on. Tell me how you did it! I can hardly believe you are still the Lou Cheng I know! Be honest! Did you steal his cell phone?"

"Watchword check?" asked Lou Cheng with a grin.

"Uh… What watchword?" Yan Zheke sent an emoji with question marks flashing above its head.

Lou Cheng replied a looking into the sky emoji. "But I know you, Miss Yan Zheke, one of the most popular girls in our grade… Actually in the entire school. A girl smart, friendly and beautiful as you are expected to go to the capital or Huaihai for university. Who's to guess you are here in Songcheng."

It was part of their very first conversation. Lou Cheng repeated according to his memory and felt a touch of warmth.

Yan Zheke sent a blushing face. "You were a martial arts beginner back then. Who could have guessed you would defeat an Amateur First Pin master in such a short time! Hold on. You didn't say 'beautiful' last time! I knew you are a fake!"

"Really? I thought I was frank and open, telling you all the truth… I guess I was too shy…" Lou Cheng sent a shy emoji as a bright smile climbed on his face despite passers-by's stare.

The two joked on a bit longer before cutting back to the match. Lou Cheng typed quickly. "I didn't expect to defeat an Amateur First Pin master though I've mastered 24 Blizzard Strikes. I planned to do my best and forget about the rest. But he was playing extra carefully as he didn't know anything about my background. So instead of breaking out at the very beginning, he chose the well balanced Huxing, which gave me the opportunity to adapt to a fight of such intensity at my own pace without being pushed into a bewildered, passive state…"

He detailed the entire match to Yan Zheke. She used a fish-dropping sticker to show her palpitations for Lou Cheng noticing the abnormal movement at Jin Tao's thigh and blocking the fast, deadly Tiger Tail kick. She seemed very impressed by Lou Cheng's Brutal Blizzard which had improved so much that he could absorb energy from his opponent to supplement his strength.

Approval, support and admire from the girl he loved brought great joy and satisfaction to Lou Cheng, greater than overwhelming cheers and applause from the entire stadium.

Towards the end, Lou Cheng sent a cunning smile. "Then I, again and again, used 24 Blizzard Strikes to suppress him and exhaust him. After his final blast punch was easily warded off by my Mega Avalanche and Lightning and Fire Stance, I strode forward with an elbow hit and ended the fight by pulling him in for a knee kick."

"That sounds a little familiar…" Yan Zheke sent a lost emoji. "Got it! Brother Wu Dong was worn out by you before his rout!"

"Yeah. They are just bad at endurance." Lou Cheng laughed out loud.

Yan Zheke sent an ellipsis. "… I don't know what to say… If my cousin has your endurance, he would have nailed that three rounds against Guannan School."

Lou Cheng replied a silly smile with the text "not that good." "It's all changed since I started the martial arts training. My endurance was not bad but pretty far away from being formidable."

Once again, he foreshadowed for the truth that Jindan had been supplying him with physical strength. Otherwise, Yan Zheke from the same high school would quickly find out his long-distance running performance was just above average.

Yan Zheke didn't hold on to it but sent a miserable emoji. "Cheng, I believe you are already stronger than me. Sigh… I better get up!"

"Get up to practice?" asked Lou Cheng with a smile.

"No, to eat!" Yan Zheke replied a hungry face.

Amused by her cuteness, Lou Cheng responded, "Speaking of eating, I'm pretty hungry now. Almost forgot to eat!"

He grabbed his mobile tighter and zipped up his down jacket while walking out of the stadium passing by the service desk.

All morning matches had finished for a while, and very few people were at the exit. Girls at the service desk spotted Lou Cheng from behind with ease.

"Look! Lou Cheng! He defeated an Amateur First Pin master this morning!" The girl who tried to cheer Lou Cheng up pointed at him very proudly.

The girl next to her mused. "Indeed a sleeper. Not by luck at all."

"Fighters like this will certainly be popular among the audience. Shall we recommend his match tomorrow?" The cheering girl suggested.

Another girl laughed out. "Why so enthusiastic? Someone is fascinated by him?"

"Pooh. Don't be ridiculous. I'm just active and positive at work. It's for the audience's sake!"

Three girls teased each other for a while and decided to send the cheering girl to request from the supervisor.

She gathered some information and went to the supervisor's room passing the storage room. Three gentle knocks.

"Come in." A male voice came from the office.

She turned the handle and pushed the wooden door to let herself in, a little nervous.

"What's up, Ning Ling?" The supervisor was a middle-aged man bald in the middle of his head.

Making use of her youth and beauty, Ning Ling said with a smile, "Supervisor, we have discovered a very powerful fighter!"

"Very powerful? How powerful?" The supervisor put down his pen and leaned to the backrest of his chair.

Ning Ling handed over the information. "He came to our notice when several spectators asked for his information. He studies in Songcheng University, 18 years old of no rank. However, he has defeated Liu Yinglong from Baiyuan Martial Arts School and today an Amateur First Pin master."

The supervisor took over the stack of information, browsing while listening to her. All of a sudden, his hands froze.

After adjusting his very thin hair, he replied slowly while thinking,

"Sounds powerful… And could become a hot topic… You are very attentive and active at work. Good job."

"Well, tomorrow put his fight in Ring One."

Ring One is the central ring!

Coming into the fourth round, the difference in power between fighters was minor and mismatch was no longer a concern.

…

Yan Zheke went to have lunch with her family while Lou Cheng was sitting in a poor-quality chair with a simple plate of fast food and reading the live broadcast post on the forum.

In the post, Road to the Arena uploaded a half-naked picture of Invincible Punch on the way to shower after training with a sorrowful face. The smooth lines of his muscles were very attractive. Road to the Arena wrote, "Little Punch lost… Here's his picture as we have promised!"

Wonton Seller first responded to the picture with a nose bleeding sticker. "I suddenly felt grateful to that Lou Cheng…"

"Exactly! I would have bet on Punch's defeat if I saw this benefit coming!" Sea-Blue sent a throwing punch with tears emoji.

Beautiful World replied, "You are so mean! I must stay strong. Little Punch, I'm here for you!"

Sun, a beautiful girl who often shared her photos on this forum, followed, "My goodness… I'm falling for this young body…"

Wine Loving Cat sent a pair of eyes with hearts. "What a rare surprise for girls!"

Reading all the female members' comments, No Hooligans said, "Look at you! I'm seriously thinking about uploading my naked photos."

Okamoto's Fan replied, "Hurry! Take off your pants!"

"Holy crap! I thought you were my bro! How could you keep your eyes on my bum!" No Hooligans sent a ferocious emoji.

Their straying from the point as always amused Lou Cheng. Finally, Unparalleled Dragon King cut back to the topic and asked solemnly, "Any details about that Lou Cheng? I'm quite curious about his background. How is it possible that I know nothing about him?"

Invincible Punch replied, "A student from Songcheng University."

"From Songcheng University? Because of Lin Que, I've been watching matches of Songcheng University Martial Arts Club. There was no one named Lou Cheng!" Unparalleled Dragon King sent a puzzled emoji.

The young girl using the ID Brahman came out. "Wow! This kind of mysterious masters is my favorite!"

Pig-Riding Knight followed, "Any video of Lou Cheng's matches?"

"Let me see. There seems a replay on the screen. I'll make a video." answered Road to the Arena.

Not long after, he uploaded a video of two martial artists fighting fiercely. It was from Lou Cheng and Invincible Punch's match.

"Not bad," replied Lou Cheng after putting down his chopsticks. He copied the link and shared it with Yan Zheke. He also planned to download the video once he got back to the hotel room as a souvenir.

"24 Blizzard Strikes. He was indeed a student from Songcheng University." Unparalleled Dragon King commented, "His 24 Blizzard Strikes are already pretty good, probably as powerful as Lin Que's. How come nobody knows about him?"

"What a great match! Punch you've done great! It's just bad luck to have met such a strong opponent." said Wonton Seller.

Invincible Punch replied, "I know. To be honest, I blamed my bad luck for the worst draws when I failed the last two Ranking Events. But after today's match, I know I'm not that good and there are Heavens beyond Heavens. I'm still far from the Profession Ninth Pin level."

Reading genuine admiration from the one he used to envy at, Lou Cheng felt great about himself, filled with a sense of achievement and satisfaction. He tried to remain cool and reserved. "Invincible, you are very good already."

Pig-Riding Knight agreed, "Your opponent was apparently a pro. Punch, you've already done an amazing job in the match!"

"Ha! A pro? Come on! Praise me more…" Lou Cheng refreshed the site with a shameless smile for more comments.

He saw No Hooligans, A Plumber Eating Mushroom, Wine Loving Cat, Beautiful World and Sun talk about how mysterious this Lou Cheng was for being this powerful but not representing Songcheng University Martial Arts Club in the competition. They all found his 24 Blizzard Strikes aesthetic and fascinating, bold and fierce, making the audience tremble with fear.

Lou Cheng felt tipsy from all these compliments. He couldn't stop smiling and wanted so badly to impress Yan Zheke with these.

"An 18 years old pro. He will probably join the Longhu Club in the future. I love all the hidden, mysterious masters!" Brahman replied again.

Wonton Seller tagged Lou Cheng the Schrodinger's Tiger in her next comment. "Little Tiger, I remember you have joined the Martial Arts Club in your university. There is a hidden master in Songcheng University. Any mysterious master in your Martial Arts Club?"

"Of course!" answered Lou Cheng with a grin.

"Who? Who is that?" Wonton Seller sent a curious emoji.

Lou Cheng sent an emoji laughing with its hands at its sides.

"Me! I'm the hidden, mysterious master!"

"Very funny. Little Tiger, you are getting better with your jokes!" said Wonton Seller.

Beautiful World commented, "Tiger, you have grown pompous!"

Lou Cheng left the conversation after a laugh and put down his mobile, concentrating on enjoying his meal.

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Chapter 45: A Filled Holiday

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Honestly, if Lou Cheng had to tag himself, the word Foodie would for sure be somewhere there. When he first arrived in Yanling, he longed for the local cuisine but had no money to spare. To make sure he wouldn't be starving on the way home, every penny in his pocket must be spent carefully so he frequented those street vendors for simple, cheap meals.

Putting down his chopsticks, he found himself gazing fascinatedly at the roasted ducks just across the street. He murmured, "When Heaven is about to place great responsibility on a capable man, it always first frustrates his spirit and will, exhausts his muscles and bones, exposes him to starvation and poverty, exposes him to starvation and poverty, starvation…"

A mockery of himself. He took out his mobile and resumed his chat with Yan Zheke who was resting after lunch until her training time. Lou Cheng slowly paced back to the stadium.

The entire afternoon Lou Cheng went about from one ring to another, watching one match after another, observing and absorbing the essence of their moves and styles like a sponge soaking up water and devising responses and counterattacks as if he was inside the ring.

Back to high school years, knowing studying was his only way out, he was never this active, responsive or devoted, restraining himself from browsing forums, checking Tweeter and watching fighting videos.

When that afternoon's matches were all finished, he dropped his jacket back to the hotel room before heading to the nearby park to digest today's observations and temper his moves.

The palest ink is better than the best memory!

Punches were thrown like cannon fire. Lou Cheng's every move tore the air, howling and whizzing rhythmically, ferocious and crazy like a Brutal Blizzard approaching. As his practice went on, his strikes became more terrifying, roaring and thundering like a violent rush of water rolling down to devour all.

Daylight was ebbing away when a light snow started to fall like a shower of cotton. Flakes of snow danced in the air responding to Lou Cheng's moves. All the whiz and roars suddenly came to a dead silence which was soon followed by a deafening slap from his right hand with half of his full strength.

As soon as his right hand settled, his left palm reached out. His two palms took turns in attacking with no break in between, forming a soft yet dense web of strikes with random low kicks.

If Mega Avalanche were the most masculine and the most ferocious violence and craziness of 24 Blizzard Strikes, this palm set would be the most feminine and most deadly. Beginning with a sudden silent invasion, the chill advanced too fast for anyone to escape or resolve until the target was hit.

The second group of 24 Blizzard Strikes, Biting Chill!

Lou Cheng stopped after a few rounds of practice and let out a turbid breath in the shape of an arrow formed by white smoke. "This set lives up to its reputation as a derivation from the Ice Sect's lost knowledge! Every practice grants me new gains."

Lou Cheng took his mobile out immediately to share his joy with Yan Zheke, unable to wait until back to the hotel.

"I had this same feeling this afternoon during my training. This is probably the charm of martial arts." Yan Zheke added a shy smile. "Woo… My cousin asked me to go shopping together. I'm so tired (how pitiful)."

Lou Cheng sounded concerned. "Don't go if you are too tired. Just say no to her."

He joked along. "If you dare not say no to her, I'm happy to help!"

"No. She promised she would treat me to a nice meal. I'm very tempted." Yan Zheke sent a smile behind sleeves. "When it comes to shopping, my cousins are all monsters like you. They don't feel tired at all after three or even four hours!"

Lou Cheng thought about it and then sent a sticker of a man down on the ground. "I think I will lose."

My body is not tired, but my mind is!

The two chatted and laughed over dinner. Lou Cheng returned to the hotel and took off his clothes in the shower. Hot water ran down his body and cleared dust away from every inch of his skin and wiped fatigue off his mind.

He grinned and squinted comfortably, in a dream of a steaming mist.

The past three days were like a dream, but his growth was so real that he felt undergoing a transmutation and maybe brewing a pot of maturity.

As soon as he dried his body after shower, he quickly washed his clothes. He didn't bring enough clothes and the laundry service in such a shabby hotel didn't seem trustworthy. He had been in the same martial arts suit for three days. It was the perfect timing to change into the other one as he would be heading home in his regular clothes in three or four days even if this suit couldn't dry in time.

After all this, Lou Cheng turned on his laptop to download the video before putting himself in bed, soft and comfy, feeling the beauty of life.

He logged on his QQ on his mobile, intending to chat with Yan Zheke who must be busy with shopping. A familiar avatar sent him a message.

Dee!

"Fatty Jiang?" Lou Cheng muttered.

It was Jiang Fei, a good friend of his from high school, currently studying in Guangnan.

Fatty Jiang said, "Cheng, when will you come back? We classmates are planning a get-together."

"In four or five days." Lou Cheng answered vaguely. "Who will be there?"

Jiang Fei replied, "Not sure yet but quite some. Your school holiday starts so late?"

"I got delayed." Lou Cheng didn't mention the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament as Fatty Jiang would be stunned by his new identity as a martial arts master. He continued, "Any teachers?"

Jiang Fei replied, "Don't know. We'll see. It depends on what we will be doing. If we are going Karaoke, it's better to have no teachers around. But if we are going for some farm stay, we can invite them to play cards and go fishing."

"Count me in. Haven't seen you for an entire term." Lou Cheng sounded happy.

Lou Cheng sent an evil smile. "By the way, Cheng, I've got some gossip for you."

"What gossip?" Lou Cheng became interested.

Jiang Fei replied, "He-heh… On my way home, I saw Du Liyu on the train, holding hands with Song Li from Class Three!"

"Class Three? Yan Zheke's class?" Lou Cheng became wide awake. "They went to the same university?"

"Almost. Two universities in the same city. Somehow they've hooked up. He-heh… Just as the say goes, I treat you as a fellow-townsman, but you are up to no good." Jiang Fei was a fast typist.

A shot right in his knee… Lou Cheng wiped his forehead as if there was cold sweat. "Fatty Jiang, then what happened?"

"Then? I saw them and they saw me. They instantly let go each other's hands and begged me not to share what I saw with others. Considering our relationship, of course, I can tell you." Lou Cheng sent a smiley.

Lou Cheng laughed in front of the phone and typed, "You were such a huge third wheel… Hey, so many gorgeous girls in Guangnan. No love story to tell yet?"

"Pooh! Yeah, many beauties but not in our faculty. We've got only five of them. Five golden flowers." Jiang Fei sent a distraught face. "By the way, don't spread the gossip or they will scold me."

While chatting with Jiang Fei, Lou Cheng had already shared the news with Yan Zheke.

"Some gossip for you! Du Liyu from our class is in a relationship with Song Li from your class!"

Jiang Fei's remind came in after, making Lou Cheng's lips twitch.

For me, Yan Zheke is not one of the others!

A few minutes later, Yan Zheke sent a stunned dog sticker, "What? Song Li is in love? She didn't tell me anything before! I have to go and talk with her!"

"Don't mention my name." enjoined Lou Cheng.

Secrets are spread by people like Jiang Fei and I… I need to confess…

On the other side, Jiang Fei added, "Cheng, Old Cheng is asking me out for some drinks and BBQ. Talk next time."

Cheng Qili was another good friend of Lou Cheng's from high school. Their friendship deepened on their way home from school every day.

"Go ahead. Give him a punch for me. He never speaks unless he's spoken to. Never message me first!" Lou Cheng made a joke.

The dull and bitter high school life seemed joyful and beautiful when looking back after a few months of university. Those were the most precious and purest years of youth.

Yan Zheke questioned Song Li during her shopping, and it took her some good effort until she sent Lou Cheng a proud face. "You were right about them! They've been together for over two months! If you meet Du Liyu, tease him for me. He took the sweet girl sitting behind me without a word!"

"My class will have a get-together before the new year." Lou Cheng sent a "Rest assured" sticker.

"We also have but I can't make it…" Yan Zheke replied an emoji with untidy hair in the wind.

Their conversation continued casually, warm and pleasant. Lou Cheng also browsed his friends' updates on Shuoshuo.

He suddenly noticed Zhao Qiang, the head of his dorm room, changed his QQ name to Erudite and updated his status to Jiang-style Thoughts.

"Err…" Lou Cheng was lost but pretended he didn't see anything.

He checked the time on his mobile and then got back to his chat with Yan Zheke. While waiting for her reply, he opened the official website of Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament to read the latest match reports and the follow-up schedule.

He saw himself in the match highlights and struggled out of bed to download it. There were 103 fighters left for Round Four, so 51 matches would take place simultaneously in five rings next morning while one luckiest man would automatically advance to the next stage. In the afternoon 40 fighters would fight in Knockout Round Five while 12 lucky ones would get a direct pass to the next stage.

"Two matches in one day… Even if I don't have the luck to get one direct pass, my advantage in physical strength will be amplified to the max. Getting in the group competition shouldn't be a problem unless I'm facing a Professional Ninth Pin fighter. The only challenge left is the fourth round." Lou Cheng pondered his chances.

This is not a game. The consumption of physical strength will reduce one's power, lower his speed, and affect his general performance.

…

The next day, Lou Cheng got up at 5:30 as usual and started his daily practice in the nearby park.

He returned to the hotel at 7:20. He took a shower and got himself ready before greeting Yan Zheke on his mobile.

"Morning!"

Almost at the same time, Lou Cheng received a message from her.

"Morning!"

Tacit understanding made Lou Cheng smile. His day had a perfect start.

…

Old Zheng and other spectators started to enter the stadium. He walked to the big screen to check today's match table.

Subconsciously he was looking for Lou Cheng's number and name. With only 51 matches scheduled, it didn't take him long to locate the information.

"Him? This opponent is no easy target. The service desk recommended his match on the very first day." Lou drew a long, deep breath.

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Chapter 46: Know Oneself but Not the Enemy

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

The very first clear day in January for Yanling, gloom and heaviness faded away as the sun rose up, pouring down warmth and light upon the earth and into the hearts.

Wearing his down jacket on top of the black-edged white suit of Songcheng University Martial Arts Club, Lou Cheng hummed while striding into the stadium looking for his name and number on the big screen.

The fourth round of the knockout stage is the key and the biggest challenge to my advance into the group competition!

Making this far through difficulties and hardships, Lou Cheng had grown stronger and his expectation for the group competition had changed.

When he first got here, the group tournament was a dream floating high in the air. The tiny little chance he had in mind made he book the accommodation till the end of the stage, what if he got weak opponents and byes? "Nothing is impossible for the lucky one!"

Then the group competition came so close, right behind the door, one arm's reach away. His hopes ran high, and his mind went wild alongside heated longings and great thrill. He began to worry about loss and gain.

Please, not a Professional Ninth Pin master for my Round Four match…

Lou Cheng prayed in his heart before fixing his eyes on the number 656.

"Ring One, Match Six. No. 656 Lou Cheng, 18 years old of no rank versus No. 18 Wu Shitong, 17 years old of Amateur Second Pin."

"Not bad…" Lou Cheng was carried away by joy but soon came back to reality. "Ring One? The central ring?"

My match will be watched by a large number of spectators!

Although the number of viewers wouldn't reach 2,000 before the group tournament, gazes from hundreds of pairs of eyes were enough to cause fear and shivering. Standing at the focal point of attention was always appealing but hard to handle.

Taking a deep breath, Lou Cheng felt nervous and excited. He unlocked the screen of his mobile to report the draws to Yan Zheke but only to find a message with clasped hands from her sent three minutes ago.

"Not a Professional Ninth Pin… Not a Professional Ninth Pin… Not a Professional Ninth Pin…"

Lou Cheng was amused, with warmth and joy dancing in his heart. He typed his reply with a gentle smile. "I was wondering where this luck came from! It was you! I owe you a nice meal next term!"

Like a snack climbing up a wooden stick, Lou Cheng seized the opportunity to ask her out as soon as the new school term began.

Yan Zheke sent a drooling emoji. "Thanks in advance! So is he of Amateur Second or Third Pin?"

Lou Cheng waved his fists with excitement upon seeing her reply and muttered a silent yeah. After two failed plans, finally, he asked Yan Zheke out!

Sure enough, some mutual experience helps push the friendship naturally towards dating like sharing a meal or watching a movie together.

"Amateur Second Pin. Much better than my expectation." Lou Cheng sent a big smile.

Yan Zheke replied a proud emoji pushing up sunglasses. "Not bad. My pray for you worked! Don't lower your guard. No weak fighters can make it to the fourth round. He's of Amateur Second Pin after all. Shipwreck in a Ditch is a common scene."

"Thank you for your instructions, Coach Yan!" Lou Cheng grinned.

Soon it was Lou Cheng's turn at the service desk. Before his mouth opened, Ning Ling behind the counter spoke first with a bright smile, "Be careful with today's opponent. I'm sure you can defeat him!"

Her words ended in a rising tone, revealing her bubbly personality.

"Be careful? The opponent is not an easy target?" Lou Cheng smiled at her. "What's so special about him?"

"He is a home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple!" Ning Ling printed out Wu Shitong's detailed information and handed to Lou Cheng.

"A home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple?" Lou Cheng went blank and the information seemed to weight in his heart. He reached out to the piece of paper.

Daxing Temple was one of the top 12 forces of the highest martial arts level, alongside Shangqing Sects, Shushan Study, Yanzhao League, Wuyue Club, Longhu Club and Xinghai Club. Ranking No. three but with the strength to challenge the No. two, it had a long history of Buddhist essences and ancient methods.

It was not hard to imagine how strong its home practicing disciples could be!

"Wu Shitong, 17 years old, is a resident of Yanling and a home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple…" Lou Cheng read Wu Shitong's information but couldn't find his specialties. He had fought steadily in the past three rounds against fighters of Amateur Seventh Pin, Amateur Third Pin and Amateur Second Pin. "He's not an average Amateur Second Pin opponent. He must have some unique skills."

He took a deep breath and moved to the side to keep Yan Zheke updated.

Yan Zheke sent the stunned dog emoji. "A home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple! How come he's only of Amateur Second Pin?"

Tickled by her last comment, the heaviness on Lou Cheng's mind seemed lightened. "Probably due to his young age or just bad luck at Ranking Events."

That was not a joke. Luck played an important part in Ranking Events, because every year the number of martial artists upgraded to each level under Professional Fourth Pin was fixed. Only 10 to 15 percent of all applicants could be successfully qualified. Applicants would be divided into groups and the best two of each group could advance to the finals. If a capable but unlucky man got in a strong group with two martial artists just slightly better than him, he would be knocked out, watching those weak but lucky ones advance and qualify merrily.

Therefore, Lou Cheng started to treat Wu Shitong as an Amateur First Pin fighter.

It was also possible that Wu Shitong had only attended one amateur Ranking Event, so his current rank didn't reflect his real strength at all.

Yan Zheke sent a comforting emoji of touching the head. "No matter what, he's not a pro yet. You defeated Jin Tao yesterday and you will knock him out today!"

"Even if he is already a pro, the experience matters more than the result…" Lou Cheng said to himself before replying a chest tapping emoji. "Coach Yan, don't worry. I'm very confident after yesterday's fight. I have no fear!"

Yan Zheke sent an angry face. "… Daxing Temple is known for so many martial arts sets. We don't know his style so we can't prepare accordingly."

That was general knowledge of martial arts. Without consulting Google, Lou Cheng already knew Daxing Temple had Buddha Said Tripitaka and two sets of nine martial arts styles, Womb Realm and Vajrapani. Their bodywork Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill and Golden Bell Cover derived from Invariant Buddha of Womb Realm, Buddhist work Arhat Style from Chin Mudra of Vajra Realm, powerful set Sakya Elephant Casting from Yamantaka Esoterica, and combat styles Grand Stele Breaking Hand and Grand Stele Casting Hand from Vajrapani were all available for home practicing disciples to practice. To predict Wu Shitong's styles and skills without watching him fighting would be impossible.

"My fights are being replayed on the big screen as part of the tournament highlights…" Lou Cheng sent a shivering sticker. His opponent knew him very well but he knew nothing about him.

Yan Zheke responded seriously with no emoji, "Look for his previous fight on the big screen and I'll check on the official website."

It was almost nine when he received another message from Yan Zheke. "Nothing on the official website… Did he win too easily or too plainly?"

Lou Cheng felt sweet watching her busy searching for information for his match. This trip to Yanling was not only an opportunity for his martial arts skills and mental state to mature and improve, but also a gratifying push on his relationship with Yan Zheke.

Once she got involved in his business, she threw her effort, care, and concern into it and went beyond random casual chats.

As Cai Zongming the Casanova said before, the feeling that someone is in love with me is one of the three illusions in life. Don't be too optimistic!

"The Daxing Temple disciple is not in any replay on those big screens," replied Lou Cheng. He added a smiley. "Never mind. Just another kind of match experience. So I'm facing an opponent I know little but he knows me very well. Another training for my judgment and improvisation."

Thanks to the transformation that had taken place these days, he quickly accepted the fact and tried to comfort Yan Zheke.

Yan Zheke sent a nodding emoji. "Emm… That's right. Although we don't know his style and skills, we can still classify Daxing Temple's martial arts styles for home practicing disciples into groups and prepare for each group respectively. The more we prepare, the better you will feel in the ring."

"How smart Coach Yan is!" Lou Cheng gave a genuine compliment.

The pair started to gather information and discuss. During the preparation, Lou Cheng sought help from the girls at the service desk but none of them knew anything about Wu Shitong's special skills.

…

Once again Liu Yinglong came to watch Lou Cheng's match as if Lou Cheng was carrying forward his ambition and fighting for both of them. He took a seat by the central ring. After all, it would sound a lot nicer if the one who had defeated him made it to the top 32.

Other members of Baiyuan Martial Arts School were sitting next to him – none of them made it out of the third round.

"Wu Shitong. Not an easy opponent…" Qin Zhilin sighed. A Yanling local, he envied Wu Shitong dearly for his Amateur Second Pin rank and his home practicing disciple identity of Daxing Temple at the age of 17.

Liu Yinglong nodded. "Gonna be a fierce fight…"

…

Not far from them stood a sturdy young man in a red and yellow Daxing Temple home practicing suit. He stared at the big screen and murmured,

"24 Blizzard Strikes…"

…

When it came to the fourth match in the central ring, Lou Cheng had a simple idea of Daxing Temple's body refining and Dan stage styles and prepared a rough plan for each of them.

"I need to focus now." Lou Cheng sent a sticker of a waving hand.

Yan Zheke sent an encouraging fist. "I've lent you all my wisdom and good luck!"

Then she sent a voice message.

Lou Cheng couldn't cover his smile. He pressed to listen to her familiar voice.

"Come on, young man! Advance towards victory!"

His face had its full illumination of joy and the fear, discomfort, and unease disappeared from his heart. He added the voice message to Favorites.

The third cheering from Yan Zheke was no longer a surprise like before, but the warmth and mutual understanding gave him a feeling of home, simple yet lasting.

He put away his mobile and headed towards the central ring, towards the eyes of hundreds of spectators. His will to fight was boiling.

A home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple. So what?

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Chapter 47: Central Ring

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Lou Cheng set his heart at rest and kept his mind calm, concentrating his spirit and qi on one item and using Jindan to achieve an inward vision. His muscles moved little by little, adjusting and adapting. Everything but the match was forgotten and his full attention was given.

The central ring referee's announcement came as if from the clouds.

"Match Five. Ye Youting won!"

"Match Four and Five are over…" Lou Cheng opened up his eyes, revealing a deep pool inside his eyes. He strode towards the central ring leisurely and climbed that familiar yet strange flight of stone stairs.

How much I once envied those leading fighters of the Martial Arts Club for taking this journey to glory. Finally, it's my turn.

"One, two, three…" He counted his steps walking up the stairs and then stood to the right side of the referee.

He could feel hundreds of eyes gazing at him and hear thinly scattered cheers and claps. It was nothing like the sea of supporters and their thundering passion for Lin Que and Chen Changhua in Songcheng University Martial Arts Stadium, but it was completely for him!

At his eye level stood Wu Shitong, the home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple, in a red and yellow martial arts suit with lotus embroidered at the cuffs. Robust and average sized, his thin teenager beard above his lips gave away his infantility.

"A 17-year-old young boy…" This thought instantly melted Lou Cheng's last bit of fear for Wu Shitong.

His eyes moved up and saw a bold line of words on the big screen where their fight would be displayed.

"Daxing Temple Disciple vs. Mysterious Master!"

"Buddhist Zen Kung Fu vs. Lost Knowledge of the Ice Sect!"

Old Zheng and several other spectators who had watched Lou Cheng's matches in the past few days adjusted their position in the auditorium. The words shown on the big screen kindled their expectation and enthusiasm.

Martial arts, the ultimate of the physical body, ignited the desire and worship for the strong left from the primitive society.

"Has any of you watched the Daxing Temple disciple's fight? What's his specialty?" Old Zheng asked unconsciously.

On the first day, he watched the recommended match of Wu Shitong's but nothing was exciting enough for him to remember except his rigid palm style that left no chance for his opponent.

Old Zheng's friends shared a few glances while shaking their head blankly. "We were at work last few days. We wouldn't have taken our holiday now if not for your strong recommendation."

Old Zheng didn't respond. For some reason, his heart missed a beat and concerns for Lou Cheng started to develop.

Staring at the big screen, Liu Yinglong asked quietly as if speaking to himself, "Any of you watched Wu Shitong's match before?"

"I watched one. He performed Grand Stele Breaking Hand and Grand Stele Casting Hand. Pretty impressive!" recalled Qin Zhilin.

"He seems to follow the tough demon suppressing path…" Liu Yinglong nodded slightly, turning his eyes back to the ring with no more words and waiting for this fight between a dragon and a tiger to begin.

On a nearby stand, a young man with very short hair seemed surprised by what he saw on the big screen.

"Master, that's the student staying in the same hotel with us. He is here for the tournament."

He wore a dark cyan martial arts suit with mountain patterns at his cuffs and collar.

A senior man with very big earlobes laughed. "I'm old and dull now. Judge no one by appearances. He must be good fighting all the way to Round Four."

The short-haired young man held his own hands tightly, and his face appeared pale with an iron-gray shade. "He knows the lost knowledge of the Ice Sect."

"No wonder…" The senior man came to the realization. "Junior Ye, watch carefully. You might meet him one day in the ring. You are of Professional Ninth Pin already but don't underestimate an outstanding martial artist of the amateur level."

"Yes!" The short-haired young man nodded solemnly and said in an oppressive tone, "Master, I will make it to the top four! For my father's illness, you have helped me too much."

The senior man smiled. "A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. It's not just for the disciple, also for the master. Speak no more. Do your best. Your two junior sisters are waiting for a big celebration meal with you."

"Yes!" The short-haired young man clenched his fists tighter unconsciously and turned to the ring.

Those bold characters drew most spectators' attention to the central ring. For a second, Lou Cheng felt he was exposed under the spotlight.

It brings pressure as well as pleasure!

At this time, Wu Shitong began to talk with a gentle smile.

"I've watched your previous match highlights. Your 24 Blizzard Strikes was just so-so."

Lou Cheng encountered his very first talk-time provocation. Anger swelled his bosom. "Just so-so? Enough to kick your ass!"

With his spirit and qi focused on Condensation Stance in a half meditation state, he quickly returned to calm and reminded himself not to get affected by words, not to let emotion take control and not to make unnecessary mistakes in the match.

In a martial arts fight, emotion and spirit were just as important. Confrontation on the spiritual level was an inevitable thing to enter the higher league!

Calm and serene, Lou Cheng appeared undisturbed and replied with a slight smile, "I've watched many matches these days and have a vague image of yours. As a home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple, better be humble and merciful for the sake of your Zen style kung fu."

He told a white lie to pretend he had some understanding of Wu Shitong's martial arts skills.

Wu Shitong stood in shock with a trace of panic on his face but soon he resumed calmness, and the unease vanished completely.

"Buddha also has the fire. Besides mercy, there is Vajrapani suppressing demons."

Lou Cheng said no more. He kept a mysterious grin as if saying he had seen him through.

This was the most basic confrontation of hearts, happening in our daily life.

Wu Shitong also quitted talking and started to adjust his breathing. Heaviness and pressure built up in the rest of the three minutes.

The referee raised his hand up in the air. He took a glance at each of them and suddenly waved his hand down.

"Fight!"

Lou Cheng advanced in Snake Steps, shifting his weight as he quickly approaching Wu Shitong.

The audience gave a round of applause for the first attack of the match.

Wu Shitong's face slightly turned grave as he felt unsure about Lou Cheng's true target. He lowered his weight and got in a defensive position.

Lou Cheng suddenly shifted his weight and turned to the right side of Wu Shitong to slap rapidly with his left hand, generating a chill but no sound in the air.

In his mind was a cold scene before a massive snowfall.

The second group of 24 Blizzard Strikes, Biting Chill!

In the face of this extraordinarily fast palm, Wu Shitong remained calm. He raised his elbow to receive this slap.

Bam!

Lou Cheng's slap was withdrawn right after their skin touched and his veiled flow of strength was cut. He absorbed some energy from Wu Shitong to pull himself back to the front of his opponent.

Wu Shitong threw a crispy whip kick to his right but missed Lou Cheng by a split second.

Lou Cheng seized this opportunity to launch another fast slap with concealed strength at Wu Shitong's neck.

Keeping a reasonable amount of energy inside his body in case of the opponent's sudden strikes, his attack was more like a test.

Lou Cheng's right hand arrived when Wu Shitong just took his leg back from the whip kick. He took a deep breath and pushed out his hands with no time to accumulate energy. The push carried enough strength to break a stele. Lou Cheng could feel the great might and the tiny changes in Wu Shitong's muscles reflected in the lake of his heart as soon as their hands touched.

Lou Cheng adjusted his body and moved his weight to quickly absorb some energy from the opponent and spring to the side. He then started to attack with both of his palms, forming a soft yet dense web of strikes with some low kicks. His moves got faster and faster, intenser and intenser, putting Wu Shitong out of breath.

Lou Cheng was still holding some energy inside his body to cope with unexpected changes.

Gradually, he gained a preliminary judgment on Wu Shitong's martial arts style. "He's very likely specialized in tough palm work. With advantages from both Grand Stele Breaking Hand and Grand Stele Casting Hand, his one hit on my upper body or my head would be enough to end this match."

Obviously, Wu Shitong's footwork was also of the tough and rigid style, bad at flexibility and guerrilla hit. Lou Cheng's Biting Chill offenses perfectly restrained him.

"The fight would become a lot nastier if it was against Liu Yinglong and his arm boxing…" The thought was quickly replaced by the scene of a Brutal Blizzard in Lou Cheng's mind, infusing fierceness and craziness into the Biting Chill. The mirror-like cold lake in his heart kept on listening to every little change of the opponent's body and absorbing his energy to launch heavier punches and faster kicks. His disadvantage in strength was soon wiped out, leaving Wu Shitong no energy to counterattack like a lone man crumbling and falling in the Arctic.

Another burst of cheers and applause on the stands for Lou Cheng's storm of strikes.

Again and again Wu Shitong attempted to pull himself out of this predicament by some explosive moves from Grand Stele Breaking Hand or Grand Stele Casting Hand but Lou Cheng, learned from the fierce fight with Invincible Punch yesterday, played offensive firmly, using lightning and fire stance to push the Mega Avalanche and meeting strength with strength without slowing down his brutal, wild attacks.

Liu Yinglong frowned and spoke to Qin Zhilin quietly, "Wu Shitong is not as strong as I thought he would be. Is he only at the level of Amateur Second Pin?"

"I think it's the restraint between their styles. Those two palm sets are not for fun." Qin Zhilin reflected on this.

Suddenly Lou Cheng shook his right hand, throwing a punch like a spear at Wu Shitong's left arm with a crispy sound.

Bam!

Wu Shitong's left arm was pushed away by the mighty punch, leaving a big opening on his chest.

Lou Cheng pushed his advantage and absorbed more energy to throw out his left fist like a water dragon at Wu Shitong's chest.

Phew!

Wu Shitong's chest took a hit but Lou Cheng didn't feel any blood or flesh. His body was like a hard log, giving out an odd sound.

Lou Cheng's face changed and attempted to jump away but his wrist was grabbed by a hand with a faint layer of golden glow.

Golden Bell Cover!

Wu Shitong's fundamental skill is Golden Bell Cover!

He provoked during the talk time, played offensive during the fight and used Grand Stele Breaking Hand and Grand Stele Casting Hand during extreme crises to tell a damn near true story. A story about a home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple who is good at palm work!

It has gradually worn out my patience and caution, luring me into an all-out mad offense to suppress the opponent.

But everything turned upside down at the end of the story.

Lou Cheng saw Wu Shitong's smile with corners of his mouth upward and his infantility gone completely. He was questioning silently, "You have watched my fights. So what? None of them reached my Golden Bell Cover!"

His right hand firmly held on to Lou Cheng's left wrist.

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Chapter 48: Within A Small Space the Ability Manifested

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Lou Cheng's wrist was locked tightly as if chained by a metal clamp. His bones were suffering an awful pain. Staring at Wu Shitong's confident, calm smile, Lou Cheng lost his head.

In a flash, he concluded that Wu Shitong was truly bad at flexibility and agility, uncomfortable dealing with skirmish fight. His style was completely restrained by Lou Cheng's Biting Chill and styles like arm boxing or he would have achieved a much higher level than Amateur Second Pin. So he schemed to lure Lou Cheng into his trap by making up such a good story.

Once Lou Cheng fell for his story and had his wrist grabbed, Wu Shitong's disadvantages instantly vanished. He no longer needed to worry about some matter being neglected over another, his vital point being hit, or his body defense being broken. From this point, the story turned into his field of fierceness and toughness with an extra advantage of locking Lou Cheng's wrist. The result of meeting strength with strength within such a small area could easily be imagined.

This is the most difficult situation I've ever encountered!

Will this be my last scene in this tournament?

When Lou Cheng's solid hit resulted in nothing but his wrist being grabbed by Wu Shitong, Old Zheng and many spectators felt a chill down their spine. He rose up instinctively for a better view while giving out a cry unconsciously.

The sudden change of tide stunned Liu Yinglong, Qin Zhilin and other members of Baiyuan Martial Arts School. They could hardly believe he had lost the upper hand and fallen into extreme danger. His left hand was caught, limiting his combat range to a very small room in front of Wu Shitong who was specialized in Golden Bell Cover, Grand Stele Breaking Hand and Grand Stele Casting Hand. The outcome of the match could be foreseen.

The short-haired young man with a layer of metal glow on his hands stared coldly and blurted out.

"Golden Bell Cover!"

Screams and shouts echoed in the stadium. Road to the Arena who just won his match was about to watch a random fight with Jin Tao the Invincible Punch when this unusual disturbance caught their attention. They turned to the stands and then followed the viewers' eyes to a big screen where their eyes froze.

"Lou Cheng?" Both Invincible Punch and Road to the Arena were very impressed with this martial artist. Seeing him in such great adversity, their attention was fully drawn.

Thoughts and ideas flew across his mind, with panic, fear and instinctive struggle.

He shook his left hand in an attempt to break free but Wu Shitong's five fingers grabbed tightly like a metal claw. The pull and push worsened the pain at Lou Cheng's carpal but only earned him less than an arm's distance as Wu Shitong's right hand reached out.

Jindan in his lower stomach spun like nebula but didn't bring any change to the situation. Lou Cheng would have completely lost control over his head and fought unconsciously if not in the Condensation Stance state.

At this time, the slightly rippled lake in his heart reflected a rough picture of Wu Shitong's body muscles through his skin and pores around Lou Cheng's wrist.

Wu Shitong's right arm muscles twitched with strength coming through his waist from his right leg… Lou Cheng sensed the motion and became alarmed. In his head, a silver lightning bolt struck down from heaven and started a prairie fire.

Pang!

A hot stream rushed through his body. Lou Cheng kicked out his right foot with great explosive force!

His move was closely followed by Wu Shitong's fierce right kick like a solid whip with a crispy sound. His leg met Lou Cheng's kick to the side, giving out a dull sound of collision as if planned.

"His right arm slightly pulled back, building up strength for his left hand…" Again Lou Cheng heard a movement and responded quickly by instinct. He lowered his weight and threw out his right palm fast but quietly.

Bam! His right palm met the opponent's Grand Stele Breaking Hand halfway. Seemingly Wu Shitong was playing along Lou Cheng's plan, feeding his left wrist to Lou Cheng's right palm and losing all his strength.

"What…" The audience was lost and shocked by how lucky Lou Cheng had been for his two desperate moves to have blocked Wu Shitong's fatal strikes by chance.

Sitting next to the short-haired young man with an iron-colored touch on his hands, the senior man with big earlobes praised,

"Yes!"

He turned to the short-haired youth, "Junior Ye, his Listening Skill is much better than yours."

"Listening Skill?" The short-haired young man came to some understanding.

After the two successful blocks, Lou Cheng had completely calmed down. The lake in his heart became a mirror of ice, reflecting every little move of Wu Shitong through their contacted skin.

What looked like a bad ending might turn out to be good. His wrist being grabbed might not be such a bad deal after all.

My left hand can't move, neither can your right hand! And I can predict your attacks through this contact!

It's still too early to tell who will emerge victoriously!

"Exactly. Without great meditation ability and full grasp of Condensation Stance and 24 Blizzard Strikes, he wouldn't be able to hear this well. Wu Shitong has overplayed his hand." The senior man explained to the short-haired youth with a grin.

At this point, Wu Shitong also noticed how things were not going as he had planned. The opponent seemed to be favored by God, seeing through all his moves.

He didn't want to let go the advantage from grabbing Lou Cheng's wrist. A wicked idea formed and he twisted his right hand in an attempt to break Lou Cheng's carpus. "Be it successful or not, the pain will make him lose his head and calmness!"

Lou Cheng sensed the movement in Wu Shitong's right hand and followed along with the twist, resolving most of the power and absorbing some energy. Lying in the air, his right leg kicked like a soft whip towards Wu Shitong's left temple.

That was the weak point of all physical body training in body refining and Danqi stages!

According to the information, Yan Zheke had gathered, Golden Bell Cover was one of them.

Wu Shitong dared not neglect. He lowered his weight and raised his left elbow to his ear height to block Lou Cheng's kick. Right before he could launch his counterattack, Lou Cheng's left arm pulled back, adjusting his weight with the strength from Wu Shitong's instinctive twitch and restoring balance. He dived forward to shorten the distance between the two and absorbed more energy for a knee kick at Wu Shitong's crotch.

I doubt your body training has reached this part!

Wu Shitong's face turned pale. With no time for a flying kick, he moved his right leg slightly forth and received the deadly kick at his thigh.

Bouncing back from the collision, Lou Cheng adjusted his weight and absorbed more energy. The snow-capped mountain collapsed in his mind. White streams rolled down to devour everything. He threw another punch at Wu Shitong's temple.

24 Blizzard Strikes. Mega Avalanche!

Wu Shitong's left arm tensed for a powerful strike had to rise to protect his temple.

Pang! A heavy punch on his left arm. With much of his strength sucked by Lou Cheng, Wu Shitong no longer had any advantage in physical might. He changed his move at the very last second.

On the stand, Liu Yinglong, Qin Zhilin and other martial arts students could hardly believe their eyes. Old Zheng, the young couple and other spectators were muted with shock. They didn't understand how Lou Cheng in great adversity managed to turn the table.

The change of tide in the ring was beyond their knowledge of martial arts.

"Beautiful!" Road to the Arena and Invincible Punch clapped unconsciously for this intense battle.

24 Blizzard Strikes was a violent, brutal martial arts set that based on the wielder's Listening Skills.

To achieve such great Listening Skill, god knows how far Lou Cheng's Solemn Silence has gone beyond my expectation! Otherwise, that home practicing disciple of Daxing Temple wouldn't have given his such an opportunity!

After the block, Lou Cheng absorbed more energy and withdrew his left arm abruptly. Tightly held by Wu Shitong, he swallowed the pain on his carpus and exerted full strength to pull the opponent out of balance!

Wu Shitong was staggering when Lou Cheng strode forward to push him with his left hand. His right fist, bearing the force of a mighty avalanche, reached out towards Wu Shitong's temple.

Out of balance and unable to exert his strength, Wu Shitong got in a defensive position in great dismay. He raised his arm in a rush to protect his vital part.

The might of the avalanche reached its peak in Lou Cheng's mind. Hundreds of thousands of tons of snow pounded down, blocking the daylight.

Bam! His punch hit Wu Shitong's arm which went on to hit Wu Shitong's temple.

Bam! Instantly, a drumming sound started to echo in Wu Shitong's head. His vision blurred and the fingers of his right hand loosened up.

Lou Cheng grabbed his arm with his left hand, turned and leaned to throw a buttock!

Pong!

Wu Shitong's sturdy body was thrown to the ground. Lou Cheng advanced to push his advantage and lifted his toe at Wu Shitong's temple, about to kick.

"Match Six. Lou Cheng won!" The referee called after a careful look.

"Yes!"

"Beautiful!"

Most of the audience were lost until now. They realized Lou Cheng had turned the tide magically. They cheered and applauded for this fascinating match and for the powerful Lou Cheng.

The passion and heat in the applause touched the softest part of Lou Cheng. That glory belonged to him and no one else.

When his left hand got caught, he thought that was it. He had no idea his Listening Skill could save him from losing.

Within a small space the ability manifested!

"Staying calm is very important in battle." Lou Cheng realized his biggest gain of the day.

He put down his right foot and stretched out a hand to pull Wu Shitong up. With a gentle smile he said,

"Thanks for your instructions."

Lou Cheng would like to play cool and compliment his opponent for being able to drive him into great adversity briefly but decided to be humble.

In constant cheers and applause, Wu Shitong gazed at Lou Cheng.

"I thought I could win."

He walked down the flight of stairs, leaving Lou Cheng looking at this lone, isolated figure from behind.

Lou Cheng made it out from the fourth round of knockout!

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Chapter 49: The Glory of the Character

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

With the departure of Wu Shitong, the central arena seemed to be a kingdom only belonging to Lou Cheng, allowing him to receive cheers and applause alone. Pieces of blue stones underfoot were illuminated by the sunshine coming through the transparent dome, infected with a layer of golden light.

Lou Cheng was a little-cramped up. He saluted in all four directions, just like physically invulnerable Mighty Ones did in the Top Five Title Matches. In return, he won more enthusiastic applause and cheers.

He took a deep breath and turned to the edge. From the referee, he got back his jacket, cell phone, and other personal belongings. He then went away along the stone steps.

At this time, his vision suddenly came into focus. Near the arena stood: Ye Youting in a pink-and-white martial arts suit, Bai Song, who made huge impacts in former competitions, and other Professional Ninth Pin Mighty Ones that he remembered by watching competitions back in the day. In the further stands, he also found Wang Ye, who was famous for Iron Palm and lived in the same hotel.

They're all are in different positions, but every one of them had their eyes fixed on him!

All of a sudden, Lou Cheng felt an electric current running through him, as if he'd gone numb. He was filled with a subtle sense of accomplishment and a lingering joy flowed through him. Were the Mighty Ones of Professional Ninth Pin following his matches?

Clap! Clap! Clap! Ye Youting calmly gazed back at Lou Cheng as she applauded, indicating that he'd fought well. Beside her, Bai Song and other Mighty Ones of Professional Ninth Pin also nodded their heads slightly.

This was definitely an endorsement from the Mighty Ones. They recognized that Lou Cheng was getting close to their class!

His sense of accomplishment increased. Nodding respectively towards others, Lou Cheng headed towards the more remote stands to share his victory and recognition with Yan Zheke.

He was walking along the steps and looking around for a seat, when he heard a sudden call.

"Lou Cheng!"

Who was it? Someone he knew? Looking blankly at the person passing by, Lou Cheng was a bit startled. All he saw was an unfamiliar face.

This unfamiliar face belonged to a young man. He gave a thumbs-up, and shouted to Lou Cheng,

"Well done!"

Other spectators backed him up,

"Good job, young man!"

"Nice, yeah, the most exciting competition in the past few days!"

Looking at these unfamiliar faces smiling at him, shouting his name as if they knew him personally, praising his performance, two lines from a poem suddenly came in Lou Cheng's mind. "Do not fret that you don't know your self, for is there anyone under the sun that does not know you?"

In a strange city, thousands of miles away from home, he felt the warmth and joy that he felt going back to his hometown. This sensation slowly flowed through him, echoing in his heart. His sense of accomplishment was even greater than it had been a moment ago!

"No wonder Dragon King once said that when you tasted the joy of victory, you would never want to experience failure again…" Lou Cheng nodded as this idea flashed through his mind. With the shyness like that of a newly married empress, he quickly went to hide in the corner of the stands.

He unlocked his phone screen and logged onto QQ. He had wanted to send a dejected face to tease Yan Zheke, but the joy in his heart made him send a laughing emoji that had its arms on its waist. "I didn't fail to live up to the expectations of the organization!"

Yan Zheke soon replied with a giggling monkey emoji, "Not bad! But there is one question, who is the organization?"

"The organization's last name is Yan, and first name is Zheke. Fortunately, you've lent me some of your wisdom and character. I did nearly lose!" Lou Cheng answered with a grinning emoji.

Yan Zheke sent a fist-pumping emoji. "It's good that you know that! Was the match very thrilling?"

She was very interested in Lou Cheng's Martial Arts Competition.

This reminded Lou Cheng of what Cai "Casanova" Zongming had said, "To chat with a girl, it is essential to talk about her interests." Thank God! He and Yan Zheke's common interest was martial arts.

"Although Wu Shitong is one year younger than us, he's a very shrewd person. He seized the opportunity that I didn't know much about his martial arts. He deliberately adopted Pulsating Quake and Da Kai Bei Shou (Sudden Quake) stances, and he lasted for a long time, even though he'd been trapped by my movements. He slowly made me drop my guard, and when I seized a chance to hit him in the stomach, I found his fundamental martial arts skill was Golden Bell Cover. With the help of this methodical trap, he was able to grab my wrist." Lou Cheng described the scene that was still fresh in his memory once again.

Yan Zheke replied with a shocked-monkey emoji, "You scared me! If I hadn't already known that you won, I couldn't imagine how you'd make a comeback."

Such awe from a girl helped pump up Lou Cheng's sense of achievement. "Fortunately, my Meditation stance is good, and I've achieved Condensation Stance. After he grabbed my wrist, through that contact, I was able to hear more clearly. So I could discern what his actions would be, and could prevent him from attacking my weak points. Gradually I was able to build up superior power ."

"When has your Listening Skill been that good?" Yan Zheke sent a shocked onion emoji.

Before Lou Cheng could reply, she added, "I just looked through the official website. Your match video is on the top of the page. I'm watching it now, talk later!"

A brilliant match like this in the middle of the arena will receive the attention of the organizers without a doubt.

"Haha, remember to save it after watching. Send it to me when I'm back at the hotel." Lou Cheng replied with a slight smile. Then he fixed his eyes back to the central arena and watched the next competition. He observed the movements of both competitors and simulated his responses.

After a while, there was the sound of a QQ notification. Yan Zheke sent a cute emoji that was stuffing its face with snacks, "Even though you told me before, I was so worried that I was watching with only one eye open the entire time! Fortunately, your Listening Skill is awesome. Otherwise, you definitely would have lost. Cheng, you've grown strong so fast… During the final stage of the Listening Skill hand-to-hand combat, I had a feeling that you were no worse than my cousin."

"Listening Skill mainly depends on your Meditation level and Condensation Stance. I have this gift, and Coach Shi said you have it too." Lou Cheng took the opportunity to compliment her.

Yan Zheke sent a nodding emoji, "I've heard that once the ultimate level Condensation Stance and Meditation is reached, it belongs to the Ice Sect's Freeze Enemy Heart. It can effectively act against negative emotions, and can discern every move in the surrounding area, providing an analysis of the enemy's flaws…"

"Your words sound like they're from a book… Did you just look that up?" Lou Cheng sent a tittering emoji.

Yan Zheke sent a shocked emoji, "Don't expose me…"

They joked for a while, and Yan Zheke sent an emoji covering its smile with its hands, "I've gotten to go out."

"Go out for dinner?" Lou Cheng intended to watch the last competition at the Central Arena first, and then he would leave the martial arts venue to fill his stomach. Then he would wait for the fifth/final knockout round in the afternoon.

"No, heading back to my grandparents' house, to help my grandmother make rice cake. She always felt that homemade ones are better than the ones you can buy in a store. I'm gonna eat something on the way." Yan Zheke replied with a cute emoji of a monkey shaking its tail.

"Making rice cake…" Lou Cheng replied with a dizzy emoji. He had only seen rice cake in the supermarket and occasionally in restaurants.

"This is a New Year custom in lots of places here. Xiushan doesn't have it, so I know you don't know." Yan Zheke replied with a laughing monkey emoji.

Lou Cheng sent an emoji of a red face, "Xiushan's New Year custom is to make sticky rice cakes and pork sausage. Right, haven't you been using some new emojis today?"

"Haha, every time I see lovely and funny emojis I'll download or collect them. I feel like I'm more adorable when I'm using them." Yan Zheke replied with a clapping-and-laughing-monkey emoji.

While making conversation, Lou Cheng finished watching the competition. Afterward, he went out to eat a cheap meal nearby, then went back to the martial arts venue. He waited for the timetable for the fifth knockout round at 13:30.

"I have martial arts exercises in the afternoon, so I won't know the results of your match at the first instant." Yan Zheke sent a pitiful emoji,

"Don't worry, there are two matches today. With my endurance, as long as I don't come across Professional Ninth Pin player, I'm sure to win!" Lou Cheng talked big.

Yan Zheke sent a tittering emoji, "But my intuition tells me that this round you'll get the bye for this round. By the time the Group Competition comes around, today's timetable will be arranged, right? I can arrange it beforehand so that my martial arts exercises are either in the morning or afternoon."

"Then I'll stop talking so that my poor character won't influence your prediction." Lou Cheng gave Yan Zheke a good excuse to not get in touch with him first.

Time flew. At half past one, a number of large screens updated the timetable. It would begin at half past two, and end at five. This time there were three arenas.

Looking carefully, Lou Cheng searched for his name and number. At last, he found them in the last line.

"No.656 Lou Cheng is bye of this round… Bye of this round?" Lou Cheng stood up in surprise, and immediately sent a photo to Yan Zheke, "Fairy Yan, you're a bonafide Nostradamus! You say it and it happens! Beautiful!"

"Does this mean I'm in the Group Competition?"

Yan Zheke replied with a firecracker emoji, "Speak! How will you repay me! "

"By devoting my life to you…" Lou Cheng replied silently with a red-faced smiling emoji, "I still owe you a meal from before, so asking you out to eat again doesn't seem sincere enough."

"Indeed." Yan Zheke agreed with a emoji of a small monster nodding.

Thank God for this chance! Lou Cheng immediately pressed the screens keyboard, "How about checking out Song City and finding some local specialties? You'll be the guest."

"Uh, will we have time? We have special training next semester…" Yan Zheke sent an emoji of a head with question marks on it.

Lou Cheng felt her hesitation. He deliberately changed the subject, "Let's settle it now, and when the time comes we'll have another look, or l display even more kind-hearted and bring you some fine Xiushan food? You won't come back during the winter holiday, so you'll probably miss it."

"Yes! Yes, of course!" I want to eat all over the city on summer vacation! " Yan Zheke sent an emoji with sparkling eyes, and followed up with a sighing emoji. "But I want to eat the quail eggs next to Xinhua Bookstore, roasted eggplant from Liu's Barbecue, steamed beef pancakes from the back door of the school, sticky rice cakes from Wang's Rice Noodles…There's no way to go to all of these…

Lou Cheng smiled and changed the topic again. At the same time, he recorded all of the food that Yan Zheke had mentioned in his phone's notes.

When it was nearly two o'clock, Yan Zheke went to her grandparents' house to do martial arts exercises. Since Lou Cheng had won the bye for this round, he relaxed and crossed his hands as he wandered into the venue. He leisurely watched the competition and from time to time recorded some highlights, intending to share them with Yan Zheke in the evening.

During breaks, he occasionally recalled the things that happened over the past few days. It felt like a dream, much better than anything he had predicted before he came.

"I have entered the Group Competition!"

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Chapter 50: The Difference between a Jinx and a Lucky Dog

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Lou Cheng meant to call Geezer Shi to share his victory and progress in martial arts, but on second thought he'd rather wait until all his fights were over as he wanted to ask for advice from Geezer Shi after collecting enough information.

During the competition, Lou Cheng, like a sponge, eagerly learned from other fighters' secret moves and styles, and if fighters started to talk and rest, he just leisurely checked the information on the forum.

In the live broadcast post on Longhu Club forum, "Invincible Punch" had already sent a link to the video of Lou Cheng's morning competition along with a signing emoji, "It's getting harder for me to understand him. The Listening Skill he shows today is too impressive for me to catch up."

In secret delight, Lou Cheng kept reading other replies.

Without forum users being baits for attention, few were interested in a low-level competition like the Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament. In about three hours, only a handful of people clicked his video and left comments. Most forum users just sent meaningless posts, changed the subject or joked about "Invincible Punch" being half-naked in a published photo.

"A Plumber Eating Mushroom" was one of the few who watched Lou Cheng's video seriously. He replied, "How powerful his Listening Skill is! I have seen many Professional Ninth Pin masters, among which one or two who are direct disciples of some great masters from big sects can compete with him. If he could overcome his weakness, I'm pretty sure he'll soon pass the Ranking Event and achieve the Professional Ninth Pin in half a year or one year."

"Thanks for your compliment…" Lou Cheng tried to hide his joy.

"I kinda look forward to the fights from Songcheng University Martial Arts Club. It's just Songcheng is assigned to a division where Sanjiang Club and Shanbei Club are too powerful to compete with. Their chance of making it to the final will be slight unless Shanbei and Sanjiang run into each other beforehand." "Unparalleled Dragon King" agreed as well.

"Pig-Riding Knight", the moderator of the forum, added, "Hey, we are probably witnessing the first combat of a future master with physical invulnerability." （ a funny face typed in words）

"Brahman", the little girl on holiday after finals, sent an emoji shooting out golden stars and said, "Well done! I am hesitant to ask Uncle "Road to the Arena" to get an autograph for me. Perhaps Uncle "Pig-Riding Knight" is right about him. Then his first autograph will be of special meaning!"

"Hell no, I can never do it, meanwhile he is far from achieving physical vulnerability. Peng Leyun and Ren Li entered the Danqi Realm, ranking Professional Eighth Pin at the age of 18, not to mention that monk from Daxing Temple who is said to be a living Buddha." "Road to the Arena" firmly rejected her.

"Peng Leyun… Ren Li…" Lou Cheng heard their names many times since he had entered the Martial Arts Club. He could not see how good Peng Leyun was in person since Songcheng University was defeated by Xu Wannian this year. What a pity!

Lou Cheng continued to watch matches after reading all the replies. When Round Five began, competitions were mainly among experts. Four Professional Ninth Pin masters were assigned to the same round before the group competition. Unbelievable as it may sound, their fights were so magnificent that you definitely would not want to miss it.

Benefiting from their matches, Lou Cheng, with his mind full of fighting scenes, eagerly wished to find somewhere quiet to practice what he had just learned. Unfortunately, players getting the direct pass couldn't leave as there would be drawing lots and other relevant events coming after. Lou Cheng had to stick around and continued to grasp some excellent moves.

Lou Cheng also watched the match of "Road to the Arena", during which he and an Amateur First Pin master were inextricably involved. He got the victory only with the help of explosive force that came with Wuthering Eight Movements. But "Road to the Arena" was getting familiar with his moves and strength, recovering 70-80 percent of his level from his peak. His biggest problem lied in his strength, which got worse after fighting two competitions in a day. That also explained why he wanted to finish this match as soon as possible.

Around 4:50 pm, Round Five ended and the result of top 32 from the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament released.

Among eight or nine hundred participants, the most outstanding were these 32 combatants, and Lou Cheng was one of them.

Without the direct pass or endurance provided by Jindan, Lou Cheng may not be one of fewer than 5 % lucky ones. What mattered was his getting better in martial arts, both physically and mentally.

Staff busily prepared the central ring, setting the table with boxes filled with draws. Host, singers, and dancers came out to get the audience involved.

After their warm-up performances, the host invited three guests to draw lots. They were the mayor of Yanling, the chairman of Yanling Martial Arts Association who was once a Professional Fourth Pin master and Liu Zunyu, the chairman of Yanyu Group as well as the sponsor of this event. He was also a home practicing disciple of the supreme Kongtong School, an enthusiast for martial arts, whose companies were closely connected to Kongtong School, ranging from medicine, security to the real estate.

In this Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament, eight seeded players were "planted" into the bracket according to their pin and previous performances. By doing so, the best did not meet in group competitions, and the following competitions would be fiercer.

Huang Zhenzhong and Jiang Lan were Professional Eighth Pin experts in Danqi Realm, and fighters like Ye Youting, Bai Song, and Wang Ye were Professional Ninth Pin masters. No doubt these outstanding combatants would be picked as seeded players, and audience agreed with applause. Later the mayor started to draw lots, first announcing their names and then which group each was assigned.

"Huang Zhenzhong, the second group…"

"Jiang Lan, the fifth group…"

"Ye Youting, the third group…"

"Bai Song, the eighth group…"

"Wang Ye, the fourth group…"

"Li Xiaoyuan, the sixth group…"

…

As names released one by one, video highlights of the above 8 fighters were played on big screens for more information and attention.

Lou Cheng was so fascinated that he even recorded some marvelous moves by his cellphone.

When another round of singing and dancing finished, the chairman of Yanling Martial Arts Association reached a box with draws of the left Professional Ninth Pin masters and started to draw lots in the same order.

Only six Professional Ninth Pin masters were left, that's to say, two groups would be weak, leaving amateurs a chance to go for top 16.

Unconcerned and calm, Lou Cheng quietly listened to the chairman speaking.

"Gu Jiajie, the third group…"

"Qi Fei, the sixth group…"

"Zhou Yuanning, the fourth group…"

…

With the left six Professional Ninth Pin masters being assigned, the first and seventh groups were the weakest, dream places for every amateur.

Lou Cheng felt slightly nervous. He never thought about being the top 16 and winning the prize. Now, the situation had changed and he was likely to get a good draw. It might work. A jinx and a lucky dog are different!

5,000 yuan was too tempting for a poor like him, as if a hungry beggar's eyes gleamed with excitement when smelling the savory flavor of the meat. He had been saving private money for a rainy day. Still, he needed that 5,000 yuan for dating.

The chairman of Yanling Martial Arts Association picked out the last two draws, one of Amateur First Pin went to the first group meanwhile the other of Amateur Second Pin went to the seventh group.

Lou Cheng was a little disappointed at the result upon hearing someone whisper with cheers.

Next, singers and dancers came out so that video highlights of the second 8 fighters could be played. Lou Cheng's eyes were fixed on screens as everyone was likely to be his future opponent.

The last round of drawing began, Liu Zunyu, chairman of Yanyu Group, first addressed the event and then began to draw lots.

Lou Cheng got nervous when waiting for his draw, more nervous than him fighting in a ring.

"No. 656 Lou Cheng…" Liu Zunyu read out his first draw, deliberately adding the number as the left players were fewer than those Professional Ninth Pin masters, the audience was easy to remember them.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Lou Cheng's heart beat faster as he was not ready to get the first draw. Which group would he be assigned?

Followed by a hearty round of applause, Lou Cheng was warmly welcomed by the audience like a Professional Ninth Pin.

Liu Zunyu smiled, satisfied with audience's response, reaching another box to find out Lou Cheng's group.

"The fourth group!"

"The fourth group?" Wang "Ironpalm" Ye raised his brows with both hands on his knees, and "Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning wore a preoccupied look.

"The fourth group?" Lou Cheng was startled by this arrangement.

"Guess opponents always meet, tied together by fate. Once again I will meet my forum friend in the ring,

and I checked into the same hotel with another opponent. Amazing!"

Lou Cheng was astonished as well as slightly delighted at his draw. It was not as good as being in the first or seventh groups, yet he was relatively lucky since "Road to the Arena" was the weakest among all Professional Ninth Pin masters.

The "Invincible Punch" looked at "Road to the Arena," worried.

"Master Road, Lou Cheng is tough."

"Yep, I will take him seriously." "Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning relaxed his clenched fists.

Seeing "Invincible Punch" still worried, Master Road comforted him with a smile.

"Don't worry, Lou Cheng won't be a problem if I play safe."

Smiling secretly, Lou Cheng resisted his urge to send messages to Yan Zheke and waited for the draw result of the last player in case grief trod upon the heels of pleasure.

One by one, members of each group were finally settled. "No.245 Tang Yue, the fourth group"

"No.245, Tang Yue…" Lou Cheng memorized the name while carefully watching video highlights and introductions of each fighter on the screens.

"Ah, he is of Amateur First Pin…" Lou Cheng murmured without any delight. There were no such guaranteed victories here. Others might benefit from the locked battle between "Road to the Arena" and him.

Of course, it was much better than the other five groups.

Finish recording the video of Tang Yue, Zhou Yuanning, and Wang Ye's competitions, Lou Cheng sent a message to Yan Zheke along with a sneer emoji. "Your good luck helps me a lot. My group is rather weak, one Professional Ninth Pin, one Amateur First Pin and one Professional Ninth Pin who hasn't fought for several years."

When he finished typing, he went to the service desk for more information about three fighters and the follow-up schedule. He had a fight with Wang Ye tomorrow afternoon, following a morning fight with Tang Yue on the next day, and an afternoon fight with "Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning two days after tomorrow.

"Come on, Lou Cheng! We all think you can make it to the top 16!" Some girls at the service desk cheered for him with hand gestures.

Lou Cheng answered with a gentle smile,

"I'll try my best not to let you guys down."

"I have come this far, a real martial artist by no means gives in without a fight."

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Chapter 51: "Banished Immortal"

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

After collecting all the details, Lou Cheng was guided by staff into a small conference room where top 32 such as Huang Zhenzhong, Ye Youting, Wang Ye and Zhou Yuanning were already seated. According to the rules of the Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament, they had to sign a contract with the sponsor Yanling Group, pledging integrity during the competition.

As a newcomer, Lou Cheng looked around and sneaked into a corner as usual, waiting for the sponsor to show up.

"Hey, you were excellent yesterday with Wu Shitong, I dreamed of having your Listening Skill one day." A fighter greeted him with a smile as Lou Cheng sat beside him.

Turing around, that fighter, who had a delicate beauty like a girl but was not feminine, caught his eyes.

The fighter was a young student about Lou Cheng's age, handsome and graceful, with shoulder-length hair like an artist. At first sight, Lou Cheng took him as a pretty classical boy, and then he thought about a banished immortal.

"With his looking, he can just enter the entertainment circle and be an idol.

If Little Ming ever sees him, it must be a big blow to Little Ming's ego…" Lou Cheng secretly joked about the Talker and politely answered. "Thank you, thank you, guess I am just a lucky dog who has nothing to brag about."

"No lucky dog would have such powerful Listening Skill." The Banished Immortal shook his head with a smile. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself. Hi, Lou Cheng, I am Li Xiaoyuan."

Then came Lou Cheng's "ah ha" moment. "You are Li Xiaoyuan. I have just watched your video highlights on the screens. Your play is so graceful and marvelous."

Matches were recorded in a long shot, so spectators were informed of which player in the ring by narration rather than their appearance, which explained Lou Cheng's earlier confusion.

He was a seeded player, the strong one among all Professional Ninth Pin masters.

"Video highlights are tricky. As long as you take some time to edit, my cat and dog can be martial experts," Li Xiaoyuan smiled and said.

Lou Cheng relaxed a bit when he found that Li Xiaoyuan was not trying to show off and easy to get along with. "I don't know why your name seems so familiar to me. Have I seen your name somewhere else other than this competition?"

"That's your problem, how am I supposed to know the answer?" Li Xiaoyuan mischievously smiled and added, "But we might see each other in the next few years."

"Might?" Lou Cheng looked as puzzled as the Confused Nick Young.

Arousing Lou Cheng's curiosity, Li Xiaoyuan said with a smile, "Now Songcheng University Martial Arts Club has you and Lin Que. Sooner or later you guys would make it to the national final. Then we will meet again."

Upon hearing this, Lou Cheng finally recalled where he had heard about Li Xiaoyuan.

"Unparalleled Dragon King", the human databank, used to comment Lin Que in this way. "… Among all freshmen this year, Li Xiaoyuan in Guangnan University, Fang Zhirong and Feng Wen in Shanbei University all are better than Lin Que…"

Since Dragon King mentioned once, Lou Cheng had already forgotten about it, even "Road to the Arena" and "Invincible Punch" failed to mention Li Xiaoyuan in the live broadcast post.

"You are Li Xiaoyuan from Guangnan University?" Lou Cheng asked.

Li Xiaoyuan nodded, "When I get your profile, I am rather shocked to find out you are a student from Songcheng University. I roughly predict Lin Que's strength through videos, and he is indeed powerful. Songcheng has Lin Que and now you, a rather good amateur fighter, so it makes no sense that Songcheng wasn't top 8 in the district contest."

"Awkward…" Lou Cheng felt ashamed and subconsciously scratched his head. "I only start to make progress in martial arts recently."

After a few explanations, he changed the subject and asked, "What brings you here?"

Li Xiaoyuan took out his ID from the wallet and handed it to Lou Cheng. "See for yourself."

Lou Cheng blankly looked at it and then gave a careful look, on which "Yanling" stood out.

"You are local…"

As he was about to compliment Li Xiaoyuan's ID photo, Liu Zunyu, chairman of the Yanyu Group, came inside with other principals, followed by a bunch of impressive bodyguards.

Liu Zunyu said to the leader of bodyguards, "Old Sheng, hand out the contracts."

"Old Sheng, wearing sunglasses, was silent and secretive, average height and firmly-built. When he sent out the contracts, Liu Zunyu rolled his hands like a martial arts fighter and greeted them as a home practicing disciple of Kongtong School.

"Thank you all for attending the Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament. From my perspective, there is no need to sign any contracts. As a country has its state laws and a family needs family rules, rules are to set in this competition. I have faith in you guys, who will not lose competitions deliberately and trade your integrity for some gambling money. These contracts are to keep up the appearance." Liu Zunyu was a sweet talker, not wanting to put people on the defensive.

After his speech, other principals continued with detailed introductions.

Now the contract was passed to Lou Cheng. As a freshman not majoring in law, he just thumbed through pages and grasped the main idea. Any fighter who was involved in gambling on his/her own match would be punished according to the rules of martial arts circle rather than the law.

"Martial arts competition is designed to compete in strength, including both talent and preparations. Any behaviors are permitted as long as they are not against the law."

"Those who gamble on their own matches are despised by their mates and spectators who pay to watch a real fight. As for masters with physical invulnerability, they are rich and powerful, impossible to be bribed or threatened. However, for a small competition like ours, reputation must be prioritized for the following competitions to be held. In earlier rounds, there was fewer spectators and chance for fighters involved in gambling was slight. From now on, the following competitions will be broadcast live on Yanling television station and we have to take preventive measures." A Principal explained.

"I believe that everyone is familiar with rules of the martial arts circle. Abandon one's martial accomplishments by stabbing a knife into his/her each calf three times."

The last few words were spoken out ghastly.

Lou Cheng's mouth grew wide as he had never participated in any similar events. But on second thought, this proposal was reasonable.

Lou Cheng kept his bottom line, so gambling wouldn't be an issue for him. He picked up the pen and was ready to sign the contract.

"Don't you worry it might be an indenture selling yourself?" Came a low voice.

"Uh?" Lou Cheng stopped his writing hand and turned to Li Xiaoyuan with fear in his eyes.

Li Xiaoyuan still had no expressions and calmly said,

"Just joking."

He signed his name upon finishing the line.

"Come on, mate. Act accordingly please! Banished Immortal do not joke around!" Lou Cheng complained a bit secretly and signed the contract after scouring the pages.

When the whole process finished, top 32 all left. Lou Cheng was too busy to check the live broadcast post on the forum and see how "Road to the Arena" and "Invincible Punch" talk about themselves running into the old enemy. Dinner in a hurry, Lou Cheng got back to the hotel and started to search videos about Iron Palm and Wuthering Eight Movements on his computer.

"Even I am doomed to failure, I will lose with dignity."

Suddenly, his phone beeped – a message from Yan Zheke.

She sent a fist-cheering monkey emoji and said, "Not bad! Thanks to my good luck!"

"As a jinx, I admire you so much." Lou Cheng suddenly relaxed. "How am I supposed to repay you?"

"Ha, no rush. I haven't thought about it. Give me some time." Yan Zheke replied.

With a little disappointment, Lou Cheng brought up himself meeting Li Xiaoyuan from Guangnan University this afternoon. "Guangnan University is indeed a famous martial arts school with a long tradition."

"I agree. They made it to the national final by ranking the first in the district contest." Yan Zheke sent back a signing emoji.

Not knowing what to reply, Lou Cheng changed the subject. "I was watching the video of Wang Ye, my opponent tomorrow as well as a Professional Ninth Pin living in the same hotel with me."

Yan Zheke asked, "What is his specialty?"

"Iron Palm. I googled his previous matches and saw people's bones crack when they used arms as the defense." Lou Cheng used a fearful emoji.

Yan Zheke sent a shocked emoji, "How will you defend? His attack is horrifying…"

"Judging from the human structure, how people pull their strength and how they practice their martial arts, people would normally use their hands, arms, legs, and feet in defensive stance. Suppose their weapons are destroyed by their opponents, how can they defend themselves?"

"Anyway, I have never thought about winning him. Now I just hesitate between making side moves to avoid frontal conflict and playing defensive by continuing with the guerrilla hit, looking for breakthroughs then." Lou Cheng told her his plan.

"The former required good judgment on moves and martial experiences, while your Listening Skill can only be mastered through physical contact, right?" Yan Zheke gave her opinion.

Lou Cheng replied with a nodding emoji. "I prefer the latter as well."

Once they were physically touched, there was a chance to make a break.

"You said you wanna be top 16, so your biggest rivals will be the other two, rather than the Iron palm. By the way, how did you know that Professional Ninth Pin master was neglecting his practice in martial arts?" Yan Zheke asked.

"Because I knew him. He is my friend on Longhu forum…" Lou Cheng honestly answered.

Yan Zheke sent a smiley with its hands over its mouth. "What a coincidence! You guys could be sworn brothers in ancient times… What kind of martial arts is he good at?"

"Wuthering Eight Movements," said Lou Cheng.

Yan Zheke said, "Wuthering Eight Movements? I happen to know something. Drifting Wind is the footwork and Uninhibited Wind is the dodge skill, while Invisible Wind and Impenetrable Wind are similar with the Biting Chill applied in 24 Blizzard Strikes. Wuthering Wind and Wild Wind are like Brutal Blizzard, which few Listening Skills were required, and Long Juan Zhi Feng (Whirlwind) and Horrifying Hurricane are moves to kill and pull explosive strengths…"

She talked about her understanding of Wuthering Eight Movements. Lou Cheng then gained deeper insight through what she had talked and the videos he had been watching.

"Another opponent was specialized in Divine Elephant-simulate Kungfu, powerful in footwork and strength," Lou spoke out his mind while talking about Tang Yue. "You don't seem to be in a good mood, you use less emoji today…"

Yan Zheke sent a miserable emoji, "Yep, I am suffering from a stomachache."

"Stomachache? Is anyone around you? Let them take you to the hospital. Do not take medicine without prescriptions or just cope with the pain." Lou Cheng was so anxious as though he was the one who got sick.

The silence lasted for seconds, Yan Zheke sent out two words.

"Silly boy…"

"Huh? " Lou Cheng confused.

"Why am I a silly boy? I just care about you."

Yan Zheke sent an emoji with one drawing circles in a corner, "No need for a hospital… Eh… It's my period."

Lou Cheng finally got it, with face blushing immediately.

"I am such an idiot."

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Chapter 52: Worshipping Little Ming for Life

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Lou Cheng was concerned and felt sorry for the pains of a lady, but he was miles away, helpless and unable to do anything to make her feel better. He wanted to comfort her, but did not know how to express his views better since this was a sensitive topic. So he became frustrated, like a captured beast, unable to escape despite crashing all the walls that locked him up.

Suddenly, he thought of something, quickly logged out of QQ on his phone and logged in to the QQ application on his computer. He sent an expression of a brick smashing its head and typed, "It, it didn't occur to me. I've never met or gone through anything like this before…

Only in some health magazines or some lifestyle discussion threads…"

After sending the message, Lou Cheng checked his call records and called Cai Zongming. At this time, he badly needed guidance from the Talker.

Beep, beep, beep. Just as Yan Zheke responded, Cai Zongming also picked up the phone. "Hello, Cheng? "

"Talker, talker, I need some advice from you! " Lou Cheng did not bother greeting and went straight to the question.

At the same time, his eyes stayed glued to the computer screen to read Yan Zheke's response. She responded with sniggering emoji and wrote, "It'd be strange if you were familiar with such stuff…"

With one hand holding the phone and the other typing away on the keyboard, he asked, "Do girls hurt bad during this their periods? "

On the other side of the phone, Cai Zongming scoffed and said, "What are you talking about? It must be about your Goddess! Only she would make you so flustered. Good thing you didn't call in the middle of the night, or I'd have strangled you! "

"Haha," Lou Cheng laughed drily and continued talking, "So, tell me, how should I show concern for a girl when she's hurting but not dying of pain? "

"Yan Zheke's period is classified as private. It definitely cannot be shared with other men."

At this time, Yan Zheke responded to his text, "It's different from girl to girl. Some can hurt like they're on the verge of death and that feeling can last for a few days. Some others feel nothing at all, and continue drinking ice-cold drinks all the time. For me, it hurts very badly on the first day, but gets better on the second day. "

Lou Cheng's fingertips continued to dance across the keyboard. He was about to tell Yan Zheke to drink some warm water if she was hurting very badly.

"Hehe, everyone has their style of expressing care, you can say what you like, but asking a girl to drink warm water is what you mustn't say." Cai Zongming said with some interest in his tone.

Huh… Lou Cheng stopped typing and hit the "delete" button. He rewrote his reply, "I'm too naive. I thought I was almost there… "

While he typed, he asked Cai Zongming why he could not say so. "Why can't I say to drink warm water? Isn't it quite effective? Plus, she is spending the new year's at Jiangnan where is hundreds of miles away. I can't do anything more. "

"For this question, the Internet has many answers for you, but I think those are not enough to explain to you why not. Since you're my buddy, let Master Cai give you some free advice. " With a superior tone, like he was a master, Cai Zongming said, "For this thing about drinking warm water, it's about how sincere you are. Meaning, what the girls care about is not what you've said, replied or done, but what lies underneath! What they want to see or hear is the heart, the degree of concern and sincerity. That's the crux of the issue! "

The more Lou Cheng listened, the more confused he got.

"Could you say that again? This time maybe a little clearer? I don't quite understand. "

Yan Zheke replied to his text again, "You never had a female classmate who didn't feel well in high school? "

"Everyone has their days, don't they… " Lou Cheng added an emoji with an innocent expression and hit the "send" button. He did not and could not type any further.

On the phone, Cai Zongming explained, "Think about it. To say "drink warm water," these three words. How long did it take you? How much effort did you put in? "

"It's a blink of an eye thing. Just thought about it and was going to say it. " It seemed clearer to Lou Cheng now.

Cai Zongming laughed heartily and said, "Good thing you called me right? Look, to tell her to drink warm water doesn't even kill any brain cells and needed not much time. Isn't it too insincere and superficial? Isn't too little effort, too little heart on the matter? "

"I get it! " Lou Cheng exclaimed with sudden realization.

Cai Zongming clicked his tongue arrogantly and said, "We have a fast learner here. So, even if you have to kill some brain cells, think of a joke to make her laugh to distract her. Whether she laughs or not doesn't matter that much. At least she'd know that you're trying hard to make her feel better and not just brush off the issue. That would be way better than just to ask her to drink warm water. Since you understand the crux of the issue now, isn't it easier to show concern now? What you say or do isn't important, but the heart that you express when doing so, is what matters most. "

"What sincerity are we talking about here? For example, book a ticket immediately, fly there at night and appear at her door the next morning. If she's not better, insist on bringing her to the doctor, take good care of her and run errands. Once she seems better, get her favorite breakfast, and make her something good on your own. Of course, if you're not that close yet, you need not go to such extent. If she has family members around, consider the situation. if you have no money, consider even more thoroughly before dishing out such stunts… "

"Damn! Casanova, your words beat ten years' worth of studying! " Lou Cheng listened in awe and studied the contents of the computer screen at the same time.

Yan Zheke wrote: "You boys. Are you all so dense? Last time in middle school, a girl in our class had her period. She looked so pale. Yet the guy sharing her desk didn't realize, and asked her to help get breakfast. Who cares about breakfast! "

"I'm usually the one who brings breakfast for people… " Lou Cheng typed carefully.

After hearing Lou Cheng's praises, Cai Zongming said, "The essence of the heart by Master Cai has been passed down to you. How you want to make use of it, depends on how enlightened you are! I can only help this much! "

From the bottom of his heart, Lou Cheng complimented Cai Zongming,

"Talker! You're my idol! "

"Get lost. Don't think that you can escape giving me a treat with your words! I am expecting a feast when school re-opens! " Cai Zongming put forward his demands for a reward in a bossy manner and hung up.

After putting down the phone, Lou Cheng reread the messages that he sent to Yan Zheke. He realized that because he was texting and talking on the phone at the same time, his words seemed somewhat superficial. Since she had not responded, he quickly added another line,

"After listening to what you've said, I seem to understand something that had been bothering me for a long time! "

This was inspired by what Yan Zheke had written earlier, but it had too many words for someone who was typing with one hand.

"What had been bothering you?" Yan Zheke sent an emoji with a confused expression.

Lou Cheng replied with an emoji with a shocked expression, "There was this one time, my classmate seemed very ill. Once we ended class, she took sick leave to return home. Some girls sitting behind me had to support her and tied some clothing around her waist. At that time, I couldn't understand why they said that she was cold and yet they put extra clothing around her waist and not her shoulders. Something hanging from the waist to the thighs wouldn't be much use, right? When the other classmate came back, I asked her and all I got was a look from her. She just rolled her eyes at me. "

"I couldn't understand then, but now it's all clear to me. It was because of that thing and the clothes were to hide traces of it! "

"Probably like what the advertisements always play, it seeped through…"

"Haha, you're lucky that she didn't scold you. " Yan Zheke replied.

Finding that his words had raised her spirits, he gained some confidence. Following Little Ming's theory, he asked: "Does your tummy still hurt a lot? "

"It hurts. " Yan Zheke gave a short reply.

Lou Cheng sent an emoji with a gentle smile and wrote, "I know a way that could help to relieve the pain a little. "

"What way? " Yan Zheke sent a shocked emoji.

Lou Cheng said, "The 'Divert Attention' Spell! As long as you try not to think about the pain, it would not be that bad. "

"Although it doesn't sound like it would do any good, no harm trying. Who knows? What are you going to do to divert my attention? " Yan Zheke sent a pitiful looking emoji.

Lou Cheng paused and said thoughtfully, "I will sacrifice myself and tell you some of my most embarrassing moments! "

"Haha, how embarrassing are they? " Yan Zheke sent an expression of a silly looking cat waiting to be fed.

"During the military training in early September, we were split into teams and were told that the best performing teams would have the chance to take part in the final reporting performance right? "

"Little Ming deliberately marched badly, and after punishing him a few times and not seeing any improvement, he was kicked out of the performing company. He started to carry out 'heavy' responsibilities of cleaning, cooking and washing dishes. He escaped daily marches and had time to rest under the trees."

"After that, I picked up his bad marching skills. So when the officers were choosing people to march for the company, I intentionally marched badly so that I could be dropped off the list and joined the support team instead. "

Lou Cheng sent his messages in short sentences so that he did not spend too much time typing. Else, Yan Zheke would spend too long waiting for his text, and she will go back thinking about her cramps.

"And then? This is only something for people to envy about and not something embarrassing. " Yan Zheke typed.

Lou Cheng sent an emoji with a devastated crying face and wrote,

"We didn't have many good days before the officer gathered us and brought us to another toilet at the side of our camp. The officer said that there were too many classes living at the camping grounds, and since we were not participating in the final march, we should help out by cleaning more. "

"The moment Little Ming and I stepped in, we almost puked. "

Yan Zheke sent a laughing emoji, " Serve you both right for being lazy! This is what we call retribution! "

With a crying emoji, Lou Cheng replied: "When we came out to catch a few breaths of fresh air, the officer said that Songcheng University students are civilized. We were not anything like the school in front. Their students said that the toilet was too dirty and settled their business at the lake and bushes at the back. He made them pick up and clean up… Before he finished his sentence, Little Ming and I already gagged. Good thing nothing came out. "

"So gross. We girls took turns to do cleaning duties. Plus we're more particular about such sanitary matters, so it wasn't too bad. " Yan Zheke sent an emoji with blinking eyes and wrote, "Seems like the distraction tactic is working. Any more stories? "

Lou Cheng squeezed his brains for all the stories. From young till now, as long as they did not affect his image that much, he shared them with Yan Zheke. The stories lifted Yan Zheke's spirits and made her so excited that she seemed to forget about the pain in her abdomen really.

"Cheng, any more?" Yan Zheke was just like how Lou Cheng was when he was a child, listening to his mother's stories. Always asking if there were any more.

Lou Cheng's mind went blank for a moment. He seemed to have said whatever he could have, "I don't think I have any more to share… How about we think of another way to divert attention? "

Yan Zheke sent an emoji with a gentle smile and replied, "My tummy doesn't seem to hurt that much anymore. I can try sleeping now. Once tomorrow comes, I will be all fine again! Cheng, can you sing? Sing me a song. I'll be able to sleep with a song. "

This was a rare request from Yan Zheke, so without hesitation, Lou Cheng agreed, "Yes, I can sing. Though it may not be too good, at least I can keep the pitch. What song would you like to hear? "

After he sent that message, he logged out of his QQ on the computer and logged on his phone.

"You choose. " Yan Zheke sent an emoji that was secretly laughing.

Lou Cheng thought for a while. He held onto the 'voice message' button and started to sing, "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder where you are…"

"Haha, you're so funny, continue please. " Yan Zheke responded with a voice message, and sounded like she was in a good mood.

"Up above the stars so high…" At this point, Lou Cheng suddenly changed his melody and said, "the North Star fights! "

"Pfft! " Yan Zheke sent a "laugh-till-I-drop" expression.

The singing continued, lightly filling up the room. After some time Yan Zheke said, "Cheng, I'm delighted today. Good night. "

"Good night, see you tomorrow! " Lou Cheng replied with a gentle smile, through a voice message.

Yan Zheke sent another voice message. With a humorous and tone mimicking an advertisement, she said, "Big Baby, see you every day! "

Even though it did not say or mean anything much, filled with joy, Lou Cheng was all smiles.

Hehe, see you every day!

Oh wait, what's today's date? Need to note this crucial information down in the "Teeny Weeny Book"!

After Yan Zheke had gone to sleep, he smiled to himself for some time before he snapped back to reality.

"Holy crap! I still have a competition tomorrow and tonnes of martial arts video clips that I haven't watched! "

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Chapter 53: The Battle of Heaven and Man

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

After searching for a bunch of videos, with the notes he had gathered earlier, Lou Cheng started to watch the clips. He watched without batting an eyelid, continuously taking apart and analyzing the moves in his mind.

After a good half an hour, he shook his head and tapped the table top. He said to himself, "Too many videos, it's impossible to finish watching them, but I still don't know where are the most important and most representative… "

The Listening Skill required the meditation state. There must be an absolute focus, and this would take a toll on the mental state of mind. It was not something the Jindan could replenish. Also, after a round with Wu Shitong, and all that thinking for that conversation with Yan Zheke, Lou Cheng was a little sleepy already.

In his dilemma, he suddenly thought of an idea. He clicked on his "Favorites" folder and entered the "Longhu Club" forum.

This was something that "Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning would definitely do too. While searching for videos of his rival's past battles, and before he drowned in the abundant pool of information, he would be highly likely to seek help from the human databank, "Unparalleled Dragon King". This could help him secretly understand and verify the work he had done!

Under the live broadcast thread of the "Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament", when "Invincible Punch" announced that Lou Cheng was in the group competition with "Road to the Arena", the forum members who had little interest in Lou Cheng started to stir and participate in discussions.

"Master Road, it is time to do justice to our forum! " "No Hooligans" sent a ferocious looking emoji with a red band tied around its head.

"Beautiful World" responded, "That Lou Cheng bullied our Little Fist last time. Now it's his turn! "

"Outspoken" added, "I was just so annoyed when I saw that Lou Cheng beat Invincible. Master Road, you must teach him a good lesson this time! "

"Uncle Ring Master, could I have a photo with my idol before the match? The faces in the videos of the past matches were not clear at all! " "Brahman", a young lady asked enthusiastically.

Forum moderator, "Pig-Riding Knight" sent an emoji knocking its head and wrote, "You little fellow, siding with the outsiders! "

"Pig-Riding Uncle, have I? You've wronged me! Look at my pitiful eyes! I only want Uncle Ring Master to help me take a photo. I still support our people. I know very well that there's a difference between my new idol and a Professional Ninth Pin. " "Brahman" sent a crying emoji.

Aren't I a member of the forum too, can they not be so biased… Lou Cheng wiped off an imaginary tear of "hardship" and continued to browse similar comments that showed support for "Road to the Arena" and bashed him. Near the end of the thread, "Unparalleled Dragon King" shared his findings,

"Master Road, I have gone through the whole list of opponents on the website of the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament. I found that the Wang Ye in your group is very strong, someone who is not to be looked down upon among the Professional Ninth Pins. His Iron Palm is known to be a great crushing force. I have a couple of reference videos here. Watch them, maybe you will pick up something. "

"Road to the Arena" sent a handshake emoji. "Old Dragon, I was about to look for you to ask about this. Damn these higher-ups trying to mess with us. We can't rely on them for good strategies! "

Hehe, I am waiting for them too! Lou Cheng started to open these reference videos, he clicked "pause" to allow them some time to buffer, while he continued to read the comments behind.

"Unparalleled Dragon King" responded with a funny-looking expression, "I only talk on paper. How can I compare with the actual battles that you have fought, Master Road. It is just that these materials should be useful for you. "

"Old Dragon, what are the winning odds between Wang Ye and I? " "Road to the Arena" had not been participating in matches for some years. Therefore he was slightly restless and worried about meeting a formidable opponent from the Professional Ninth Pin level.

Based on Lou Cheng's judgment, the ratio of 2:8 was probably the best that he could get – "Road to the Arena", two, and Wang Ye, eight. Since he was just peeping into the forum, he could only keep mum and pretend to be someone in the crowd. "Unparalleled Dragon King" responded, "Probably 3:7. This is my personal view that cannot be a reference point. "

"I also think 3:7. " "A Plumber Eating Mushroom" wrote.

"Pig-Riding Knight", moderator of the forum, added, "You haven't been in practice for a couple of years. To be at a winning ratio of 3:7 with Wang Ye is already quite a feat. "

"I know. Sigh, if only I met him during the peak of my career… " "Road to the Arena" sighed and continued his question, "So, how do you guys think I should fight him? "

"Pig-Riding Knight" wrote, "Of course you should use your strength, the 'Wuthering Eight Movements', using floating nimble footwork as your main attack. Don't go up directly against him. Even if he gets a chance, you can use the outburst of the Horrifying Hurricane to block a few moves right? As long as you drag on, constant defense will eventually have loopholes and you'll have your chance. "

Lou Cheng nodded lightly. This was a customized way of fighting. However, considering the power of Wang Ye's Iron Palm, even if he used "Mega Avalanche" and the "Lightning and Fire" Stance, he would be unable to hold many blows. He would definitely be hit. Success seemed impossible. This is the sheer helplessness of being too weak.

"Road to the Arena" also gave a helpless expression, "If this was during my heyday, I wouldn't have any problem with such a strategy. But now, my physical stamina is in rapid decline. Plus, I've fought for four days straight, with two battles a day. I'd lose before any loopholes appear in Wang Ye's defense. "

"Master Road, I hope you don't take this to heart. To be honest, maybe it's best for you to give up the match with Wang Ye. Preserve your energy for the last match. The key to entering Top 16 doesn't lie with Wang Ye. It's with Lou Cheng and Tang Yue. " "Unparalleled Dragon King" commented.

Huh? After reading the comment, Lou Cheng realized that he had been silly all this time. He never thought about giving up the match with Wang Ye. He had not considered that once he had been hurt by the Iron Palm, it would be the same as giving up the rest of the matches.

Like today, though he was not hurt, the wrist that was squeezed by Wu Shitong still hurt. He could not imagine how bad it would be if he was hit by the Iron Palm.

"This strategic abandonment seems to be quite good an idea?"

From this thought onwards, Lou Cheng seemed to be lured by the devil, almost deciding that tomorrow's match will just be a formality, an act.

Then, at this very moment, he recalled why he did not consider the possibility of giving this matchup:

"I am here for the combat experience. The reward money may be very good and tempting, but that is not my ultimate objective. To give up fighting a Professional Ninth Pin defeats the purpose why I am here, right? " I should be racking my brains on what I can do best. Even if I have to lose, I must lose in the best manner. Only through this way can I realize where and what I have to work on, gain experience and, refine my martial arts…"

"To not bully the weak and not bow to the strong is the spirit of a fighter. Without this spirit, how I can fight and overcome hurdles and challenges? "

After a great internal struggle, Lou Cheng let out a sigh and his face had a peaceful smile.

He will take things as they come. Tomorrow he will just concentrate on battling Wang Ye, and he will not think about the matches after.

I am just this silly!

After making his decision, with a calm mind, he continued to read replies by "Road to the Arena":

"Old Dragon, I know you are right. As long as I can beat Tang Yue and Lou Cheng, even if I can't beat Wang Ye, it doesn't affect my position much, and I can still enter Top 16. Though this strategy can help me save some strength and increase my odds of winning the last few matches, I am someone with pride. Proud and arrogant, I still believe that I am a fighter in my heart. "

"As a fighter, to be able to fight a strong opponent is something that makes my heart pump with excitement and keeps my spirits up. I will fight Wang Ye with my best! "

As Lou Cheng read the words, he was full of pride. He did not imagine that the boastful "Road to the Arena" had this side to him. The term, "fighter", was truly magical.

"Road Master, I understand. This is the reason why I am only an amateur hobbyist and you are a professional fighter. " "Unparalleled Dragon King" wrote in response.

"Road to the Arena" used the funny-looking emoji and commented, "The main thing is because Top 16 only has 5,000 yuan as a reward. If it were tens of thousands or more, I'd probably take the strategic defeat route out."

Amused by what he had said, Lou Cheng almost laughed out loud. If Top 16 had that much an amount of prize money, probably even Professional Eighth Pin would have no status, because there will be much stronger fighters joining the competition.

Only in certain positions would one face certain temptations. An amateur like himself did not need to consider so much.

"A Plumber Eating Mushroom" wrote, "Master Road, I didn't like to call you this last time, but now I respect you. Fight with Wang Ye. Regardless whether you win or lose, if we have a chance to meet in person in the future, I will toast a drink. Let's discuss Tang Yue and Lou Cheng now. Hehe, think we have the brains and experience to battle such level of opponents. "

"I combine my wits and experience with Yan Zheke, not with you guys, so I will not stoop to your level…" Lou Cheng quietly argued.

"Tang Yue's specialty is the Divine Elephant-simulate Kungfu. He's tall and heavy, with great leg power. He is quite strong and powerful for head-on battles. You can treat him as a slightly weaker Wang Yue. " "Pig-Riding Knight" joined in the discussion, "As for Lou Cheng, I have watched the video clips of his two matches. I find that the fundamental strength of this person lies in two areas. First area is the exceptional gift for Meditation. Like Ring Master have said, his Mediation skill is very mature. The second area is his crazy stamina. This is probably something to do with supernatural ability or just a natural gift that he has. "

"Pig-Riding Uncle's analysis is very accurate. The martial arts that Lou Cheng has shown so far are very much inclined towards these two directions. For example, the Condensation Stance and Yin-Yang Stance that are from the state of Meditation. Originating from the Listening Skill and Readjustment of Core strength and supported by his crazy stamina, they'll give him the ferocious power of the 24 Blizzard Strikes." "Unparalleled Dragon King" wrote in support of the forum moderator's analysis.

"Road to the Arena" sent an emoji with a thoughtful expression and continued with the thread, "So to win Lou Cheng, I have to tackle these two areas? This type of physical stamina monster will become stronger and crazier as the competition goes on. It's either him getting stronger or us getting weaker. "

"Right, it's an abrupt explosive force. It's about not giving him the chance to use the Listening Skill and to draw extra force to retaliate. You can use the Wuthering Eight Movements to narrow his movement area. This will compel him to fight head on with you and not use the delay tactic." "A Plumber Eating Mushroom" shared his views.

"Pig-Riding Knight", moderator of the forum, also added more suggestions, "If he uses the 24 Blizzard Strikes to attack as a form of defense, then you can use the Long Juan Zhi Feng (Whirlwind) and Horrifying Hurricane to fight him. Make sure he doesn't have a chance to rise at all. This is the lesson that Little Fist taught us. Then, again, suppress his freedom to move. Try to finish off within the shortest timeframe possible. "

Reading how they were discussing enthusiastically how to defeat him gave Lou Cheng a funny and ridiculous feeling. Since he had to concentrate on the match with Wang Ye tomorrow, he did not think much of the discussion. He only recorded them in his computer's "Teeny Weeny Book", and would think about them when it is time to do so.

Mental fatigue hits him badly. He forced himself to finish watching the video clips, before showering and sleeping. The next day, he woke up on time and went to the park nearby to start practicing the moves to use against Wang Ye. They would be more extreme and powerful than yesterday's moves.

With a guarded mental state, tranquility with Meditation, Lou Cheng put his Dantian "Nebula" in his mind and felt its slow circular movements. He adjusted every muscle of his body to move along with it.

Normally, when the power was released, the core was still and steady, but for today's battle, Lou Cheng would maintain movement in the core. He would compromise a little on its power to gain some unpredictability in his footwork and body form.

Only if he exploited one area completely, then could Lou Cheng have some hope in winning Wang Ye!

After familiarizing himself with mercurial balance, the swaying and rolling, Lou Cheng's muscles were perpetually in adjustment mode. No matter a flying fist or leg, he would still be able to maintain the sway in his core, absorb the movement and adapt fully to any change of direction that his body moved in.

This method drained Lou Cheng's physical stamina very quickly. Within one-two minutes, he had to trigger the Jindan to replenish his stamina. He was also drained mentally but was not as bad as his physical stamina.

At about 7:30 a.m., he felt his brain go numb and quickly stopped his practice. He returned to the hotel, and sent a "good morning" message to Yan Zheke. He told her that because he was about to fight Wang Ye, he woke up earlier to train, and now he was going back to sleep to replenish his energy to prepare for the battle in the afternoon.

If he was going to do it, he would give his best. Even if he lost, he would not regret!

…

It was 1:30 p.m., cloudy skies and howling winds pressured the city.

The Yanling City Martial Arts Hall was full of people. It was much more crowded than before. Wearing the Songcheng University Martial Arts Club's white martial arts suit with black trims, Lou Cheng stepped into the main gate in good spirits.

This will be his first challenge and match with a Professional Ninth Pin of the Mighty Ones.

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Chapter 54: It Was Interesting

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Entering into the arena, Lou Cheng heard the decibels of hubbub zooming up. Noises converged above the gymnasium from all directions and dispersed to everywhere indoor along with warm air.

He lifted his eyes to the stand, which used to be virtually empty, surprisedly noticing crowds of spectators and flowing ones in the aisles. The stadium was much more boisterous than the former five rounds of knockouts.

Lou Cheng estimated the spectators at least 8,000, according to the proportion of vacant seats to the total number in Martial Arts Stadium of Yanling.

The amount of 8,000 left a boundless impression on the present people as the total of 10,000 did. Lou Cheng wagged his tongue, feeling like a drop in the ocean.

Many cameras had been set up in suitable places, some pointing at the ring, some at the stand and others moving with journalists, naturally creating a formal and solemn atmosphere.

Group competitions were not televised live on Yanling TV Station. What TV viewers saw were the edited videos containing some clips of the interview with randomly chosen fighters, spectators, and staff of sponsors. However, the crucial matches of the top 16 fighters were broadcast live to Yanling people.

Lou Cheng slipped across to the corner to avoid any disturbance from the crowd. He took a detour to the locker room and got in touch with the field staff waiting here.

"Mr… Lou, Round three for your fight. You can watch others' fights either in the seats for guests at the grandstand or by the screen in the locker room." Seeing much of the schoolboy in the contestant, the officer doubted if "Mr." was the appropriate appellation in this case.

Lou Cheng paused to think before he said, "I'm resting in the locker room."

The tactic he decided on for the coming fight was quite strength-consuming and spirit-pressing which demanded high concentration. Lou Cheng must conserve energy and build up strength before his fight.

"I'll remind you in due time." The officer answered with a smile and walked out of the locker room.

The empty and quiet locker room, which was well set off by noise and bustle outside, provided a good place for Lou Cheng to rest.

With a tranquil and enjoyable feeling, Lou Cheng sat in the middle of the metal bench, took out the phone and replied to Yan Zheke's messages.

"I'm sitting in the locker room of the gymnasium now. Are you feeling better about your stomachache?"

Yan Zheke sent a hush emoji, "Much better now! I survived. Cheng, your coming fight is quite energy consuming. Stop chatting and reserve yourself for the match."

"Emm… You don't have to cheer for me today." Lou Cheng sent a funny face.

Yan Zheke sent a smiling behind hands emoji, "Are you worried that cheering can't make a difference?"

"No, no, no. It is lucky for me to encounter an expert of Professional Ninth Pin. I have to bring my real strength into play for the better self-positioning and gap-filling. Your cheering for me will no doubt inflate me with fake strength. " Lou Cheng sent a sneer emoji.

Yan Zheke replied with a face in tears of joy, "You're honest!"

"Of course!" A characteristic smile unknowingly crawled on Lou Cheng's face,

Yan Zheke sent an emoji of a numb face looking up into the sky, "Well, may you demonstrate your spirits and characteristics in the coming fight!"

"It sounds familiar," replied Lou Cheng with a quizzical face.

Yan Zheke sent a laughing emoji, "I happened to hear it in the speech given by the principal last time…"

"Puff …" Lou Cheng chuckled and sent a fighting emoji, knowing that Yan Zheke was trying to liven things up and calm his nerves. "Fortunately, the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament did not invite the principal to present a speech… Rest assured that I mean to test my strength today. Victory is worth celebrating while failure a matter of no regret."

Yan Zheke sent a touching head sticker,

"Give you a word of advice then. My grandpa often said it to my cousin, "Enjoy the fight and enjoy the martial arts! "

"Enjoy the fight and enjoy the martial arts …" Lou Cheng chanted the eight words silently. He sent a waving emoji, signed out QQ and closed his eyes for rest.

How long afterward it was that the door of the locker room was knocked on. Lou Cheng opened his eyes seeing the officer walking in.

"It's your turn, Mr. Lou." The officer gestured for him to go to the ring.

Lou Cheng patted his black-edged white suit into place, stood up, took a deep breath and walked out of the locker room. Before him was the soaring dome, a dark mass of countless spectators and the shining ring.

…

Once again in the stand sat Liu Yinglong, Qin Zhilin and other disciples of Baiyuan Martial Arts School.

"Why do we have to see Lou Cheng's fight again, big brother? We have seen what we should see and learned what we should learn. A clear understanding of his characteristics!" Qin Zhilin thought they could have made better use of the time instead of being Lou Cheng's audience.

Liu Yinglong smiled, "I just want to see what surprise he can create…"

"Surprise? Any chance for him to win Wang Ye of Professional Ninth Pin?" Qin Zhilin scoffed.

…

In the seats for guests were Ye Youting and Jiang Lan of Danqi Realm sitting side by side.

"How long can he stay in the ring…" Ye Youting said abruptly, watching Lou Cheng stepping toward the ring along the shining aisle.

Jiang Lan looked quiet and refined, a young girl in her twenties. She smiled gently, "I just hope he will not give up on the fight and consume some of his opponent's energy. Wang Ye is a strong contender for the champion."

"Lan, you give too much weight to Wang Ye." Ye Youting turned around, her eyes shining with the desire to win.

Jiang Lan smiled gently, Wang Ye is known as a ferocious fighter. His Iron Palm is quite brutal and vicious. He just consumes very little strength unless he encounters well-matched opponents. Quite the reverse for me. The consumption of energy and strength is being accumulated from every match. I don't have the confidence in defeating him before my physical strength drains.

"I'm also a ferocious fighter…" Ye Youting whispered.

…

After handing in his phone and other belongings to the match supervisor, Lou Cheng stepped up the flight of stone stairs into the ring. Before he came to a stop, a burst of cheering swept the whole stadium.

The cheering was from his audience which grew from zero to the current scale in previous matches.

Lou Cheng felt a glow of pride at the thought of his audience whose cheering stirred his blood. He had entered the optimal state for the fight. In front of him stood firm Wang Ye in dark cyan martial arts suit.

"Group Four, Round one: Wang Ye of Professional Ninth Pin whose Iron Palm holds the ring in awe versus Lou Cheng, a mysterious dark horse whose name is spreading like wildfire in martial arts world!"

"Will Wang Ye succeed in defending the honor of Professional Ninth Pin with his Iron Palm or Lou Cheng create another dark-horse miracle?"

In the broadcast of the martial arts stadium, the announcer shouted the names of the two combatants in a rather provocative tone.

The enthusiasm of the audience was kindled again in a flash. Mr. Zheng, the couple and all other spectators were cheering even more wildly.

The referee took a glance at the electronic clock and the two fighters,

"Three-minute talk time."

The voice was still in the air when Lou Cheng saw a glimmer of smile come to the lips of Wang Ye. The young man of short hair said to Lou Cheng,

"You're really an interesting opponent. I've watched your fight videos in which your growth is visible. You are getting ahead in actual combats at an alarming rate in just a few days. How daunting you are!"

"I should have thrilled at an opponent like you and brought your forte into play for mutual learning. Yet, I'm sorry that I have to score a quick victory this time to save my strength for the following strong opponents as the prize money of the tournament means an awful lot to me."

Lou Cheng felt appreciation and regret in his sincere words.

He smiled,

"I'm sorry that you can't make a quick victory this time."

They smiled at each other as some mutual understanding developed.

Lou Cheng and Wang Ye did not care about the psychological tactics. They patiently waited for the referee's announcement in silence.

"Fight!" Suddenly, the referee waved his right hand down.

Lou Cheng spurted out from his assured poise in a flash. He adjusted his muscles to shift his weight nimbly, like a terrifying snake tearing into its prey.

Dropping his weight deeper and lifting iron gray hands in the air, Wang Ye stayed put and made no preparatory judgment.

Lou Cheng took a step abruptly right to the left of Wang Ye. He stroke a blow with bitter chill soundlessly and swiftly.

Pang!

Wang Ye abruptly pushed his right hand through the space under the left underarm. His Iron Palm was gleaming with metallic luster and renting the air even without any preparation. He meant to confront Lou Cheng's tough attack with toughness!

Lou Cheng remembered that the same palm badly injured the metacarpal bones of a fighter of Amateur Third Pin in the second round of knockout.

He adjusted his weight. His dashing right palm made a curve with its force fading away, while the whole body of him made a seemingly deliberate dodge to the back of Wang Ye like a ghost.

Before Lou Cheng stood firm to launch his attack, the muscles on Wang Ye's left leg had been adjusted readily to give a Horse Kick!

Wang Ye's left leg strangely kicked out of nowhere with abrupt explosive force streaming through his entire body, comparable to Jin Invincible Punch Tao's Tiger Tail Kicking tactic, fast, accurate and merciless.

Before balancing his weight, Lou Cheng took another smooth step to Wang Ye's right side, perfectly dodging the kick. All audience was stunned by his swift moves which seemed like going against human dynamics.

Lou Cheng carried on with his weird posture, his right arm whipping to Wang Ye with abrupt explosive force, who had just withdrawn his left leg.

Wang Ye had watched Lou Cheng's match videos, fully aware of his extraordinary control over muscles to adjust his weight. The Hai Di Lao Yue (a martial tactic) and Horse Kick were expressly prepared for the fight with Lou Cheng. Yet it was still a surprise for Wang Ye that Lou Cheng could make a continuous change of weight even dealing with attacks at the same time.

Wang Ye's face turned serious. His right hand abruptly waved backward from the left side and stroke straightaway to Lou Cheng, making a short and rapid sound of friction.

The unique skill of Iron Palm – Back Thrust!

The mighty Back Thrust caught everyone present unawares. Liu Yinglong and other spectators were filled with apprehension, thinking Lou Cheng had no choice but to confront it with toughness. Once it happened, the ring would be Wang Ye's stage!

Yet, what exactly happened next stunned the audience again. Lou Cheng swiftly made another step backward, successfully dodging the Back Thrust and moving to the back of Wang Ye all over again. Yet the explosive force of his right arm faded away.

"Mercurial balance…" Ye Yuting muttered to herself in the stand.

Jiang Lan said in a whisper,

"Interesting …"

"I almost believe him to be a fighter of Danqi stage if his force had not faded away, far from body acting like one and coordinating at will.

Gladder than surprised, Wang Ye felt at the center of the ring, with the wild enthusiasm for martial arts climbing to his face.

What an interesting opponent!

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Chapter 55: That Was My Story

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

"Mercurial balance!"

Zhou "Road to the Arena" Yuanning blurted out with astonishment. No one showed a deeper interest in the match than he did.

What shocked him was not only Lou Cheng's extraordinary control over muscles to adjust weight, but also Wang Ye's laudable patience and persistence in the fighting with the opponent!

Jin "Invincible Punch" Tao took a deep breath and let out it slowly. "Perfect Meditation is a miraculous skill in martial arts… Master Road. To keep mercurial balance would exhaust the wielder, the same for Lou Cheng although he boasted freak strength. Apparently, he is determined to go all out in this bout, not sparing his energy for the following two matches."

"Facing the mighty opponents and proving real strength, a real fighter Lou Cheng is!" "Road to the Arena" said with appreciation and admiration. "I assumed that he should strategically give up on this bout."

Ignoring the spectators around him who had no understanding of mercurial balance, Zhou Yuanning began to cheer and applaud as if there was no one else watching the fight at the stand, the sound of which echoed through the temporarily quiet martial arts stadium.

Followed by Zhou Yuanning's applause, Jiang Lan, Huang Zhenzhong, Ye Youting, Li Xiaoyuan and other master hands also started to clap for the two combatants in the ring. Although no physical contact had been made since the fight started, the heart-shaking subtle shifts in close combat adequately demonstrated how proficient the two fighters were in martial arts!

"Mercurial balance…" Wang Ye felt thrilled with intense eagerness. With his back against Lou Cheng, he made a slight adjustment and whipped his left arm toward the opponent before he moved.

Pang!

His left arm swept the air with a dull roaring sound as if a soft whip, bringing his body to turn left from the waist up. This attack made it impossible for Lou Cheng to dodge to the left. It seemed to push him to move to the opposite.

It was Wang Ye's first move to take the initiative in this bout!

As a fighter of Professional Ninth Pin, his self-adjustment and reattack were even quicker than Lou Cheng's move to dodge!

Lou Cheng quickly adjusted his weight and took two steps backward, safely avoiding this whip palm and the trap set for him.

Wang Ye followed along with the whip palm to turn around and twisted his waist to launch a whip kick with the right leg as if a bolt of lightning accompanied by an ear piercing sound. The explosive force could be easily imagined!

Wang Ye still stroke with the front sweep, blocking the way on Lou Cheng's right side and narrowing the range of his dodging.

Lou Cheng maintained rhythmic breathing and adjusted his muscles, to keep his weight flowing like liquid mercury in all directions. Whatever direction he wanted to move toward, he just needed to spring lightly without any preparation to make or inertia to overcome. That was the essence of mercurial balance and one of the characteristics of masters of Danqi Realm!

Lou Cheng moved his weight and took a step naturally to the left of Wang Ye in an implausible manner. Without lowering his weight into a steady stance, he launched a downward cut with the fists toward the opponent's exposed side, sending out the sound of wind.

Wang Ye's whipping right leg stopped abruptly as if planned. Following a quick touchdown on tiptoes, he opened his left elbow and thrust at Lou Cheng's right side with fingertips as if a sword.

It was hard to imagine how severe his injury would be if Lou Cheng were hit by the five fingers of iron-gray shade like a spearhead.

Lou Cheng swang backward in a flash with his "flowing" weight, perfectly dodging this thrust.

Wang Ye pushed his advantage and took a step forward. His two arms stretched backward to make a bow and pounded to Lou Cheng's temples in a breath with a strong smell of iron and the sound of renting the air.

Strike the opponent's ears with both fists!

Lou Cheng moved his weight again and took steps backward to evade Wang Ye's Iron Palm.

Wang Ye slightly adjusted his posture, seeing Lou Cheng stepping to his left. He rushed up and swept a powerful left-to-right kick at Lou Cheng with extraordinary strength streaming from his back all the way down to his tiptoe.

Lou Cheng had no choice but to move his weight again to draw back.

There was no collision between them since they started to fight!

"Wang Ye is narrowing Lou Cheng's movement room…" Ye Youting totally fixed on the fight in the ring. After all, Wang Ye was a tough combatant for any fighters who aspired for the championship.

She noticed that Wang Ye's continuous attacks were to narrow Lou Cheng's moving range for the guerrilla hit, rather than hitting the target or forcing Lou Cheng to meet strength with strength.

"It's more than that." Jiang Lan opened her mouth with a slight smile. "Didn't you notice it? Lou Cheng was increasingly close to the edge of the ring?"

Ye Youting seemed stunned. She fixed eyes on the ring, noticing that the two combatants were moving closer to the stand from the center of the ring. They were just a dozen of steps from the edge of the ring for the moment!

"Fighting in the ring is different from that on the actual battlefield, where the fighters' room of movement is confined to the ring. Fall means failure. That's why guerrilla hit is not recommended in this case. Wang Ye is exactly taking advantage of this characteristic of Lou Cheng to push him to the edge of the ring. Once Wang Ye managed to do so, Lou Cheng will have only two choices that he jumps down and admits defeat or meets strength to strength. Jiang Lan laughed. "Wang Ye possesses two prerequisite abilities for this strategy, the great sensitivity to the opponent's coming movement and the superb control over his own movement… Nevertheless, the fight with Lou Cheng has consumed not a little energy of him."

Lou Cheng swang between left and right, trying to dodge to the back of Wang Ye to break away from this difficult position. Yet, the great disparity in strength made his tactic and efforts in vain. He had no alternative but to step steadily and slowly to the edge of the ring under the opponent's terrifying attack and accurate judgment.

Lou Cheng took a quick glance at the stand near at hand out of the corner of his eyes and heard irrepressible screaming from the audience. The situation was clear that it just took three or four steps for him to fall down the ring.

No collision was made until now, which made the audience feel bored. The cheering and applause were just from master hands of martial arts or the supporters of Lou Cheng and Wang Ye who were accumulated along the way of matches.

Seeing Lou Cheng was forced to the edge, a majority of the audience became wide awake and absorbed in the fight again, sending out various sounds.

Wang Ye promptly gathered strength in his right leg and launched another front sweep like a soft whip, continuously narrowing the moving space for Lou Cheng.

Watching the surging right leg of Wang Ye accompanied by frightening sound, Lou Cheng suddenly lowered his weight and stood firm!

Lou Cheng had already visualized a scene of towering mountains in his mind with snow accumulating gradually. The terrifying majesty was almost at hand.

Boom!

A silver-white lightning flashed across the sky and shot down in a moment, starting a blazing prairie fire and shaking the ten-thousand-year-old blanket of snow capping on the mountain.

Boom!

The snow-capped mountain started to collapse, hundreds of millions ton of white snow falling and rolling down, swallowing everything around.

Lightning and Fire Stance! Mega Avalanche!

A numbing feeling hit his body and a hot stream quickly flew through his veins. Lou Cheng clenched his hands into fists and wielded them down like a giant hammer, targeting at Wang Ye's whip kick.

He seemed to come into a desperate spot and couldn't avoid a head-on collision as Jiang Lan, Ye Youting, Zhou Yuanning and other fighters expected!

Bump!

The fists met Wang Ye's whip kick. Lou Cheng slightly adjusted his weight to lever up Wang Ye's right leg while banging on it.

In a twinkling, Lou Cheng lowered his weight and rolled himself to the back of Wang Ye through space under his right leg!

The two fighters' positions were shifted in a flash and Wang Ye came to the edge of the ring!

Lou Cheng straightened his spine, jumped on his feet and turned aside with body pressing forward. His avalanche-like strike outrushed to Wang Ye which meant to bump him out of the ring!

Lou Cheng had been waiting and restraining himself just for this chance!

This tactic was inspired by the story that Wu Shitong told to him. He deliberately tried to dodge any attack, whatever palm or kick, to mislead the opponent into believing his incompetence for a head-on confrontation. What Wang Ye excelled at was Iron Palm which was also the attack that Lou Cheng must try to avoid. There was nothing special in his whip kick, just a martial arts move driven by strength. Wang Ye was inferior to Ye Youting in strength. So it was probable that Mega Avalanche and Lightning and Fire Stance could confront Wang Ye's whip kick!

To lose ground was to keep the Mercurial balance and mislead Wang Ye.

The edge for Lou Cheng was also the edge for Wang Ye!

Once Lou Cheng seized the opportunity to lever up Wang Ye's leg and roll to his back when he launched a whip kick, the position of attack and defense were momentarily shifted.

Lou Cheng did not have confidence in defeating Wang Ye by only one strike normally. Yet, there would be a chance of winning if he launched the strike on the edge of the ring. According to the match rules, to bump the opponent down the ring meant the attacker's victory!

The key to defeat Wang Ye was to lure him into the trap that he designed for the opponent!

"This is the full version of my story!" With the thought flashing across his mind, Lou Cheng dashed forward on his side in an aggressive manner.

The unexpected shift in situation brought the audience screaming with excitement and surprise.

A brisk touch as his right foot landed, Wang Ye took two steps forward, precisely dodging Lou Cheng's deadly dash. He followed up with the movement of the body to turn around. Yet, he had been already on the edge of the ring!

Seeing this, Lou Cheng took a deep breath and restarted the shooting-down lightning and collapsing snow in his mind.

He turned aside with left shoulder lowering down. He was going to dash to Wang Ye with his whole body, even if Wang Ye launched his Iron Palm! Lou Cheng was determined to dump Wang Ye backward even just one step at the risking of doing himself an injury!

He had decided to go all out to win this bout without considering the consequences and possible injury since the start of the fight!

How pathetic for people to be over cautious to take any action in their life!

"Impossible…"Ye Youting, Zhou Yuanning, Jiang Lan and other master hands blurted out. They never expected Lou Cheng should create a turning point for the victory and put Wang Ye in a desperate spot.

A complicated expression appeared on Wang Ye's face. He raised his right hand, took a step forward and pushed straight ahead at lightning speed with veins standing out in his temples strangely.

Pang!

As if an iron block slapping the air which changed the pressure, a strange wind blew to the face of Lou Cheng who was just one step from Wang Ye.

Lou Cheng was drinking air into his lungs to make this strike more powerful. Yet his breathing temporarily broke off under the pressure of the wind.

His move slowed on account of the suspending breath and failed to bump out in time. Wang Ye slid forward with his right hand halting at Lou Cheng's temple.

"Wang Ye wins!"

The referee's announcement quieted all audience in the stadium. They were still immersed in the continuous shifting of almost-victory and almost-defeat. Even Lou Cheng himself also fell in a trance.

"I'm defeated?"

Wang Ye put away his Iron Palm, looked at Lou Cheng and sighed,

"Much to my surprise, you managed to force me to use the trick which was prepared for master hands of Danqi Realm!"

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Chapter 56: The Taste of Failure

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

It seemed that Lou Cheng was still immersed in the combat, which he could beat the mighty one of the Professional Ninth Pin at last with only a collision. He looked a little bit confused, and not until Wang Ye started talking did he come to himself.

"Yes, under such situation which both sides are so close to each other that the outcome of this combat would come out in a minute. And both Wang Ye and I are over the edge of failure, so what matters a lot is who can seize the opportunity. Once I didn't hit that blow I would lose that competition.

The only regret is that I had taken the initiative position!"

Although Lou Cheng had said to himself that he wouldn't feel pity even when he lost the combat only if he had tried his best. But when failure did happen to him, he still felt very upset, regretful and painful.

"A fighter without strong desire to win is not a good fighter…" Lou Cheng quietly comforted himself.

For example, his own idol "Dragon King" Chen Qitao always held strong desire to every battle. So he was often criticized for being not graceful when he failed and being not considerate when he won, not like Qian "Warrior Sage" Donglou as a master temperament. But people who liked Chen Qitao regarded this as his true temperament which pushed him step by step to the current position.

Looking into Wang Ye's sincere eyes, Lou Cheng said with a frail laugh of sadness. "I have tried my best and created the only best chance, but I still lacked a little strength which made the victory slip away. I was going to say that I was convinced, while I found that I couldn't say it sincerely. All I have in heart now is a stronger desire, so I hope that I could beat you one day in the future."

And through this fight, Lou Cheng has realized his shortcomings and has kept them in mind to force himself to improve his strength. But for these shortcomings, he did not have to play so difficultly and he would not stick into such a dilemma.

Wang Ye smiled and said,

"Actually, you didn't fail this match. At least I beat you at full stretch."

Hearing this, Lou Cheng broke into a laugh. Recalling what he had said before the official competition, he felt more relieved. So he saluted politely and said, "Next time I will not set such tiny target."

Spitting out the turbid Qi, he turned away and walked towards the stone steps by ignoring all the surrounding hustle and bustle of the crowds.

The taste of failure is terrible! No matter how I failed, for me, those were real failures. There is no such an idea of glorious failures.

The audience in the stands didn't understand so much about Mercurial Balance and compression range of the contest and found them annoying. However, continuous transitions in the final stage still made them excited. They all felt pitiful for Lou Cheng didn't grasp the chance. Otherwise, they could witness another miracle which meant a fighter without any rank has beaten an expert of Professional Ninth Pin!

"Unfortunately, Lou Cheng is so close to the victory." Mr. Zheng clapped his hands and said regrettably.

His company also sighed for him and said, "Lou Cheng has achieved such a great degree. Although he failed, he played this combat without any pity."

Liu Yinglong felt thoughtful and said to his teammates such as Qin Zhilin. "Every time I watch the competition, I find Lou Cheng plays much better than last time. In the first battle, I have never thought that he could one day almost beat such an expert of Professional Ninth Pin. Comparisons are odious…"

Qin Zhilin still felt unbelievable and said, "He has gone so far that he almost could beat an expert of Professional Ninth Pin."

He still remembered what he had said before this combat, and he almost could witness such a "miracle" within an ace.

Not only the audience was talking about last battle, but also the professional fighter.

"One palm which can influence the breathing rhythm …it is good … ", Jiang Lan whispered for a while. Then she turned around and asked Ye Youting with a smile, "What would you do if you are in the final dilemma like Wang Ye ?"

"At first, with my leopard-shaped speed and agility, he has no chance to play guerrilla hit. Secondly, though I can't hit the last palm like Wang Ye, I still own stronger power than Lou Cheng. That is to say, Lou Cheng can't hit me down the ring whether by his Mega Avalanche or lightning and fire stance." Ye Youting answered proudly. "Even if I lose the center of gravity which gives Lou Cheng such a chance that I can also catch this chance to fall down the ring with him at the same time. So the worst result would be a draw."

Jiang Lan initially smiled, followed by a sigh and said, "A draw… Lou Cheng is such a remarkable guy. He has the advantages of the excellent ability of meditation and extraordinary physical strength, and he also is pretty good at fighting. He does well in absorbing the experiences of others to use those on himself. So if he could reach the Professional Ninth Pin that he has 90 percent of chance to beat Wang Ye in this battle."

"90 percent of chance to win…"Ye Youting froze for a while, she never have thought that Sister Lan who looks very gentle while within the heart she behaved very proudly could give such high praise to Lou Cheng.

"Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning kept silent for a long time, then he spit out the turbid gas and told "Invincible Punch", "I have imagined that Lou Cheng would try his best and wouldn't give up strategically. But I never expected that he could push Wang Ye to the edge of failure…."

Losing this competition didn't mean the failure of his ability, but because of the limit of the Challenge Tournament.

And "Invincible Punch" Jin Tao also watched very carefully. Hearing these words, he smiled bitterly and said, "I think over and over. If I were in Lou Cheng's position, I would never create such a good chance. All I can do is to lose the competition as soon as possible."

Zhou Yuanning thought over and said, "I would neither have such patience to fight like Lou Cheng if I change the position with him, nor I could fight back to win the competition like Wang Ye if I were in the same trouble."

"Master Road, don't feel disheartened. What you are good at is different from them, so if you change the position with Lou Cheng, you would not be restricted by Wang Ye. Facing with his iron palm, you can totally fight back. And with your Wuthering Eight Movements, you would be faster and agiler than Lou Cheng. Although Lou Cheng's movement is strange, it makes him keep close distance with Wang Ye which furtherly narrows his movement range." Jin Tao comforted Zhou Yuanning and said, "As for Lou Cheng, whether with the guerrilla hit, with physical movements or with agility, he is incompetent in the presence of your Wuthering Eight Movements."

Zhou Yuanning said confidently, "Hey, be easy. I am confident that I wouldn't be beaten down so easily. The enemies like these two can really make me excited and blood boiling! But now I have to deal with the next opponent."

After saying that, he stood up and walked through the aisle and towards the ring to fight with Tang Yue.

The second combat of the fourth group!

…

Lou Cheng found a place in the stand to watch the combat, and got a lot comfort and encouragement from the unfamiliar and enthusiastic audience.

He responded to them slightly and sit down quietly, then took out of his cell phone, opened QQ to send Yan Zheke a heartbroken face.

"I need comfort!"

It seemed that Yan Zheke has always been waiting. And soon she replied with a emoji of touching the head then sent a smiling face. "Who said that if he wins the competition, he would go wild with joy, while even if he loses the competition, he would never feel regretful?"

"Never trust men when they are boasting…" Lou Cheng wiped off the cold sweat on his face and felt less upset than before.

"I can understand it because Dragon King is my idol. As a fighter, you should have a strong desire to win." Yan Zheke sent a tittering emoji. "I am watching your competition video now."

Lou Cheng replied with a shocked face, "So soon?"

"Well, because it is a group competition. Whenever it is finished, the official website would update the competition video. And when it comes to the final 16 maybe there would be a live show." Yan Zheke sent an emoji shooting out red hearts from its eyes and said.

Yan Zheke replied with a shocked-monkey sticker. "Oh my God, you can even make the Mercurial Balance now !"

Lou Cheng felt delighted for her surprise and gradually got leisurely about his failure. Then he pretended to be very modest: "I had experienced such similar understanding when I started practicing martial arts. Now I just used it for actual combat. And I had practiced it for a long time this morning before I could play it in this battle. Also, it would waste a lot of my energy and make me feel fatigue."

"You only practiced for this morning…" Yan Zheke sent a small monkey sticker with its red butt sweating.

"Don't praise me like that, I'll be proud!" Lou Cheng deliberately replied with a joking tone. And Li Xiaoyuan saw him not far away and he put up his thumb to praise Lou Cheng for playing such an awesome competition.

Lou Cheng nodded with a smile and then continued to discuss his competition with Yan Zheke. At the same time, he paid more attention to watch the combat between Zhou Yuanning and Tang Yue in the central ring.

Tang Yue was tall and strong. Although he was very overweight, his fat could help to protect his body, so that he could rampage like an elephant and ignore most of the attack which is similar to the Golden Bell Cover. And he had thicker arms and more powerful legs which were full of strength, so his every attack made people feel been trampled. Lou Cheng thought that if he hit a fighter with amateur four or five Pin, then he probably not be able to stand up again.

Although he was not flexible enough, sometimes he was still pretty agile. For example, when Zhou Yuanning has seized the opportunity to reach for his back, he made his right hand like the elephant trunk and then throw back it which almost hurt Road to the Arena.

Flexible in footwork, Zhou Yuanning came back and forth like the wind. Once a blow failed, he would immediately walk away, to escape from Tang Yue's "trampling" and collision and to waste his energy.

Yan Zheke replied me with a small monkey with untidy hair flying in the wind when both sides stuck into a stalemate. "… at the moment that you flash behind Wang Ye, I thought that you would have won. Only with such limit practice that you can almost beat the Mighty One with Professional Ninth Pin…"

"Haha, I just told a good 'story' with patience." Lou Cheng felt a little proud. Thanks to the shock and appreciation from his beloved girl, he eliminated the negative emotions of failure, and he could prepare the competition for the next day wholeheartedly.

They chatted with each other all the time while the battle on the central ring also came to a crucial juncture. Zhou Yuanning seemed to become physically down. So it was difficult for him to maintain such a high intensity of agility. And he waited and grasped the chance when Tang Yue has consumed a lot. He plays a set of strokes-the Long Juan Zhi Feng (Whirlwind)!

When they started to fight, Tang Yue slowed for one shot so his head was hit by one palm and his fat could not protect him anymore. Because he had lost his directions, he was bounded by Zhou Yuanning and could never fight back. And after the referee announced his victory, Zhou Yuanning also seemed very exhausted because he breathed heavily and sweated profusely.

Lou Cheng watched this battle with reflections. He began to analyze the movements of those two people and their advantages and shortages and interpreted his own corresponding actions.

After the last competition, he had dinner quickly nearby and then told Yan Zheke that he had to practice martial arts tonight, so he had to wait until nine o'clock to chat. Because the competition was in the next morning, he couldn't practice it next morning. Otherwise, he would lose his energy.

In a small park, Lou Cheng imagined Tang Yue as his enemy and changed his playing style which applied into the battle with Wang Ye. He practiced it very carefully, and his gesture and motion were so professional that sometimes it would make some consonant sound and sometimes it just kept silent.

…

The next day, after having done his morning warm-up, Lou Cheng took out his mobile phone and chatted with Yan Zheke. Once again he reached the Martial Arts Competition Hall of Yanling.

He said to himself silently:" I should be careful and never belittle this competition. There is no way that only by fighting with a person with Professional Ninth Pin could I beat the expert with Amateur First Pin easily."

He remembered that he won the competition with "Invincible Punch" Jin Tao of Amateur First Pin by the energy provided by the Jindan.

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Chapter 57: Momentum

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

In the locker room, a few fighters were resting to attain mental composure and waiting for the next competition. And Lou Cheng sat in the corner and held his phone to chat with Yan Zheke online wholly relaxed.

"My battle is the seventh competition in the morning, so I have to wait for a while." He sent the message added a sticker which an onion was in the hot spring.

To keep with Yan Zheke, he also downloaded new sticker packages.

Yan Zheke replied with a sticker which an onion was blinking. "Are you nervous?"

"No, after fighting with the mighty one of Professional Ninth Pin, I get used to the battle with the mighty ones of Amateur First Pin. It's no big deal. Well, of course, I won't be arrogant or despise any opponent. I know that my overall strength is still inferior to the fighter of Amateur First Pin." Lou Cheng sent an emoji of a dog with a sinister smile.

Yan Zheke replied, "You have stated a good reason, what should I say? Do you want to continue this conversation or not?" (The other party does not want to talk to you, and throw a dog to you)"

"Thanks for the good guidance from you-Coach Yan that I can have such a cool mind." Lou Cheng snickered and said to his master secretly in his heart. "I am sorry to wrong you this time, but it is all for getting a girlfriend…"

Yan Zheke replied with a sticker which an onion was pushing up its glasses: "Well, you have got the point. Last night, I saw the competition video of Tang Yue and I found that you could play the same style just like your last competition with Wang Ye. And he is much weaker than Wang Ye because his action is not agile enough that he cannot compress your movement range. So you can beat him in any way."

"How professional Coach Yan is! As long as he fails to use fists several times and with his heavy body, his consumption will inevitably increase. So my chance is coming." Lou Cheng sent a small monkey emoji which was wagging the tail and showing red heart.

Yan Zheke sent a small complacent monkey emoji and said, "But he should have seen your competition yesterday, so he must have realized these things. Today he would make changes, you shall pay more attention."

"Stay easy, I will also change my play style correspondingly!" Yan Zheke soon replied with the emoji of a giggling monkey.

The fighters were in and out. And some went to the ring to play the combat. Others went back to the locker room bath to change clothes. Unconsciously, Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke had talked until the fifth competition began.

"I have to go to have a rest and adjust my condition." Lou Cheng sent an emoji with a hard-working face.

Yan Zheke sent a smiling emoji. "Do you still want my encouragement today?"

"Of course!" Lou Cheng said, laughing secretly, "At first I want you to sing a song to encourage me, but this kind of heavyweight encouragement should be put into the battle with Zhou Yuanning. So today you can do it easily."

He advised it because he thought of that he had sung for Yan Zheke.

Yan Zheke sent a fake annoyed emoji, "You think too much. Can't believe you want me to sing a song!"

After this message, she immediately sent a voice which was slightly different from the past.

"Cheng, Fighting!"

Feeling warm and delighted, Lou Cheng collected the voice with a smile. He quit his QQ, put away his phone, and closed his eyes to rest his mind.

Compared with the slightly nervous he felt before the competition with Wang Ye, he was calm at this time. He seemed to have no concerns, so he didn't use the Jindan (the Golden Elixir) to achieve concealment of spirit and qi. Although ideas went ups and downs, these all disappeared with no trace. All the sounds around him were amplified, but none of them could affect his mind.

This state was very wonderful as if all the emotions and the thoughts about the battle had been released.

If you even didn't experience, how could you see your true heart?

Lou Cheng suddenly awakened from this subtle experience and he seemed to get some reflections.

Without looking at the electronic clock, he stood up by instinct, went to the locker room entrance, and opened the door.

Outside the door, the staff just was there with his right hand curved, yet he had no time to knock on the door.

Seeing the door just opened by Lou Cheng, the staff looked surprised. He paused and said, "Your competition is about to start, you can go to the ring now."

The staff thought that Lou Cheng should have seen the electronic clock that he could come out just before he knocked…

Lou Cheng smiled. "Okay, thank you."

The wonderfully peaceful state had gradually faded, he felt that he experienced a little change, but he could not tell what the change was.

He began to walk and keep the harmonious rhythm. Lou Cheng adjusted his own state so that his muscle and spirit became active.

It was dark in winter, while the road from the locker room to the ring was bright under the lights on both sides.

…

In the stands, Ye Youting was drinking nutrition which was used as supplements for herself, because she had just won the competition with a fighter of Professional Ninth Pin. She sat there alone without the company of Jiang Lan who had been so close to her these days.

When Lou Cheng was almost stepping on the stair and his momentum gradually upgraded, Jiang Lan came out of the aisle leisurely then reached the seats.

"Hey, Lan! Where did you go?" Ye Youting asked.

Jiang Lan smiled and answered, "Just go out to make a phone call. By the way, I went to the betting station outside and I betted on the victory of Lou Cheng."

"Isn't it a violation of contract?" Ye Youting didn't even look at the contract carefully.

Her father and Liu Zunyu were good family friends. And before the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament, her father had looked through the contract and even provided some amendments. So she signed up this contract with the greatest reliance.

Jiang Lan sat down and put off her fur hat, "Of course I don't violate the contract. I do not bet on my own competition. Why should I care about others for I just want to earn some money?

"That makes sense, I also want to bet on Lou Cheng." Itching to have a try, Ye Youting intended to gamble with her private money.

Jiang Lan glanced at her and said, "You don't need to do that. After two fights yesterday, people all regard Lou Cheng as the winner. You wouldn't win so much by betting on him. I just did it for I passed by the betting station."

"Well, OK." Ye Youting nodded and gave up this idea.

Yesterday, Lou Cheng almost beat the seeded player—Wang Ye, while Tang Yue had struggled for a long time and at last lost the competition with a former professional player of Professional Ninth Pin. The apparent contrast between Lou Cheng and Tang Yue made the audience had clear tendency to bet, so the odds changed.

"If Tang Yue wins this battle, people who bet on him would earn a lot." Jiang Lan said.

But as a professional fighter, she was still very confident of her own insight, especially this was just a fighting between fighters in the degree of body refining.

While Zhou "Road to the Arena" Yuanning was adjusting his state to prepare for the fight with Wang Ye, at the same time he was watching the confrontation between Lou Cheng and Tang Yue on the ring.

"I hope Tang Yue can waste some energy of Lou Cheng…" He sighed.

"Invincible Punch" Jin Tao by his side said weirdly, "Consumption… After I have watched so many competitions about Lou Cheng, I find that Lou Cheng basically has no consumption, in other words, he can recover extremely fast… He is a monster… He didn't get hurt by the Iron Palm yesterday."

"Haha, I know, this kind of thing would not happen very often." Zhou Yuanning had the experience as a former professional fighter, so he behaved rather calmly and said, "Take it easy. Today's competition is in the morning while the competition tomorrow is in the afternoon. So that is to say, I have a day to recover my energy. My physical weakness will not influence me in the first few minutes. All I hope is not get hurt in the next competition…"

Fighters were discussing the competition. The audience was cheering for Lou Cheng. Some of them appreciated Lou Cheng for they felt pity for him after they watched the competition yesterday. Some were the supporters of Lou Cheng from the beginning. But most of the cheering people were the audience who had bet on him.

On the ring, Tang Yue looked at Lou Cheng, and said with a wry smile.

"I saw your competition yesterday, and I know that your play style would completely restrain me. How pathetic I am! But since I stand here, I would never give up. I have made some adjustments. Hope they can be useful."

He seemed to be so calm that he had said his plans. However, Lou Cheng couldn't tell whether it was his trick which was to disrupt his plans to find an opportunity or not deliberately.

Looking at this overweighted opponent, Lou Cheng showed no emotions and said with a calm smile,

"Everyone has his own characteristics. What I played with Wang Ye may not be perfectly suitable to deal with you, and my comprehensive strength is worse than you. The reason why I looked sharper than you is that people have their own strengths and weaknesses, I and my strength seems stronger compared with your weaknesses."

"And of course, I will play my strength at full stretch, so that not to give you the opportunity to find my weaknesses."

He said very naturally without showing off but filled with strong confidence.

The confidence came from all the fights he had played these days; the confidence came from the good chance he had made in the fight which he played with a fighter of Professional Ninth Pin.

Seeing that Lou Cheng was so confident, Tang Yue had lost some of his momenta. He even fell in a trance and recalled the past.

Once upon a time, he was so confident, too.

Once upon a time, he front swept all the opponents below the Amateur Third Pin relying on this piece of the body. His fame rose like a rocket.

However, the subsequent failure gradually made him lose his indestructible confidence. Although he also had the desire and the belief to win the competition, and he also had the basic confidence, all of them were not strong enough and not tough anymore.

He often told himself that this was all belonged to the inevitable outcome of life, and this was bound to the price of maturity. But within his heart, he still admired such free will and such confidence.

He did not speak again. It seems that he wanted to borrow some confidence from the past which was so strong that he thought he could kill any opponent.

"Fight!" Suddenly, the referee waved his right hand down.

Lou Cheng began to walk towards Tang Yue with Snake Steps.

He adjusted his muscles to make the center of gravity slosh like mercury. Due to it, people could not determine which side he was going to hit.

Then Tang Yue took a deep breath and sit down his crotch to make a defensive stance. He stretched out his long and thick arms and looked like a sumo wrestler in the street fighter competition.

With his gravity floated a little, Lou Cheng suddenly changed his directions, and then he moved to the left side behind Tang Yue like a ghost, at the same time he stretched out his right palm as quickly as electric with strong momentum and no sound.

Tang Yue didn't realize this for he still kept his stance. It seemed that his ribs were going to be hit by the Biting Chill Palm of Lou Cheng.

However, after having a fierce fight with Wu Shitong, Lou Cheng had an instinctive intuition, so he realized what Tang Yue would respond next after he adjusted.

"Tang Yue would take the advantages of his fat to take the non-critical attack beating on his unimportant body parts. And then at the same time, he would fight back. In such a limited time, maybe I can't completely escape from his attack by Mercurial Balance. Once I move carelessly for only one time, I would be hit by his terrifying arms and fat legs, and then I would probably be hurt."

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Chapter 58: Never Seen Anyone like You

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Illuminated by his inner light, Lou Cheng instantly grasped Tang Yue's mind and understood his defense was a mere trap.

Except for his vital part, he had no intention in defense.

After his loss to Zhou Yuanning, Tang Yue no longer hoped for qualifying. All he wanted was a decent leave from the tournament. Wang Ye was too powerful an opponent, so Lou Cheng, known as the strongest fighter of under Professional Ninth Pin of this tournament, was the only target for Tang Yue to take.

Among the thoughts, Lou Cheng's heart settled like an ice mirror. Peacefully and leisurely the hidden strength in his right palm broke out.

A crispy sound came from the shake of his forearm. His palm rose up like the head of a snake and sprang out towards Tang Yue's face. His fingers turned into sharp fangs, aiming at the opponent's temple with no portent. Many of the spectators made a fist unconsciously.

Quick and quiet, coldness could go on everywhere, making it impossible to stop it.

Lou Cheng had never got an opportunity to perform this side of Biting Chill or tried to trigger the hidden strength to change moves. Finally, in front of Tang Yue's extreme offenses, the big fish got out of the small pond.

His fingers pierced rapidly towards Tang Yue's vital part. Surprised but not rattled, Tang Yue swung up his left arm to block.

He had studied too many videos of 24 Blizzard Strikes and such a move change was nothing new to him. He didn't expect Lou Cheng to see through his intention at such an early stage but it was not enough to throw him into frenzy.

Pang!

Lou Cheng's fingers sank into Tang Yue's arm as if it was a piece of fat meat, too soft to feel any strength or cause any harm.

Without turning sideways, Tang Yue lowered his weight and threw a left side kick, tearing the air and starting the wind.

Seemingly in front of Lou Cheng was a violent giant elephant, kicking with its full strength to stamp the opponent from an elevated position.

Tang Yue's kick was as powerful as Jin Tao's blast punch. Lou Cheng couldn't parry it until performing Mega Avalanche and Lightning and Fire Stance simultaneously!

Lou Cheng didn't want to parry as once his weight dropped, he would lose the flow and all his advantages. Instead, he adjusted his muscles to absorb energy from the rebound and moved to Tang Yue's back before the side kick's arrival.

If Tang Yue didn't raise his left arm to protect his temple, his sidekick would probably hit Lou Cheng!

Tang Yue withdrew his left leg after the miss and stood still like a piece of wood, waiting patiently although Lou Cheng was right behind him.

Lou Cheng continued to shift his weight. Suddenly his left arm tightened, shooting at the back of Tang Yue's head like a spear. He was unable to exert his full strength but this part of Tang Yue's body couldn't stand much force either!

Woo…

Tang Yue smelt danger. His right hand swung backward and downward like an elephant trunk, cracking towards Lou Cheng. The power and terror were very close to Ye Youting's explosion.

Elephant style! Sweeping Elephant Trunk!

Lou Cheng adjusted his weight and moved away swiftly. His left hand drew a curved line in the air to dodge the offense and avoid frontal confrontation. He treated Tang Yue as if he was the weaker Wang Ye with thicker layers of fat who would play offensive against every offense in spite of massive consumption of his energy. Considering Tang Yue's body build, he was probably suffering more burden.

Tang Yue resumed his standing posture as soon as Lou Cheng was forced to step back. He had no intention to attack and stuck to guarding his vital parts, easy, simple, reducing vitality consumption and earning time to breathe and rest.

The core of his fight today could be summarized into one word,

"consuming"!

Tang Yue knew he didn't have Wang Ye's accurate move prognosis and excellent body coordination to limit Lou Cheng's area of guerrilla hit, so he figured out this strategy instead.

He wasn't confident that he was better than Lou Cheng regarding physical strength, but no one's strength could last forever. Sooner or later his opponent would be tired and exhausted. Sooner or later.

Lou Cheng's maintaining Mercurial Balance would consume much more than Tang Yue's steady defense. His mental burden would also be much heavier than Tang Yue's who needed only to watch several vital parts of his body. Even if his physical strength could stay high, his mental focus would drop over time, making it hard for his weight to keep shifting, which would become Tang Yue's opportunity.

Besides, the wind had been at Lou Cheng's back since the beginning of the tournament. He was very close to defeating the Professional Ninth Pin Wang Ye. Wouldn't he take the opponent lightly and feel too good about himself? The other side of confidence was called pretension!

If his strikes kept on missing, he would become impatient and made mistakes!

Once the decision was made, Tang Yue's mind settled on playing defense like a giant elephant ruling the central land.

Lou Cheng continued to move around and attack Tang Yue's vital parts. In return, Tang Yue either blocked the strikes or met offense with offense. The match came to a stalemate and neither of them could gain the upper hand.

The perplexed audience found the match very exciting, one on offense and the other defense with frequent collisions and equal chance to win. Almost sickened by their concern for the outcome of the match, they couldn't help yelling out their support.

Ye Youting yawned, bored by the match. "What are they waiting for? Is it a martial arts match or an endurance competition?"

"What else can they do? Tang Yue's style is completely restrained by Lou Cheng's. The gap between their overall strength is pretty much nothing. Tang Yue has to play this way." Jiang Lan was engrossed in her mobile. Now and then she glanced at the ring.

Ye Youting worked hard to stop herself from lying down and sighed, "It Looks like Wu Shitong is quite smart. Of a similar style with Tang Yue, he would have been cornered into the same situation of an endurance competition if he didn't set up a trap for Lou Cheng. Unfortunately, he overreached himself.

"Ha… You will enjoy the next match. Zhou Yuanning is an expert at Wuthering Eight Movements, best known for his smooth and agile moves. Lou Cheng's immature Mercurial Balance is exactly what Zhou Yuanning likes." Jiang Lan smiled.

Different styles had different restraints!

15 minutes passed. Tang Yue in defensive position had exhausted himself. As he panted slightly, Lou Cheng to his side was still calm like a deep pool with no impatience in his eyes or imbalance in his breath. His physical strength seemed still at its peak.

"How is it possible?" Tang Yue was filled with panic.

Before he could think about it, Lou Cheng already moved away, throwing a downward cut with fist at his eye.

No point sacrificing his eye for such a battle of honor, Tang Yue crossed his elbow to block the punch.

Bang! Tang Yue turned his left fist into an elephant leg and punched downwards with full strength to smash the opponent into a meat pie.

He could tell Lou Cheng would for sure dodge this punch by moving to the other side.

At this moment, Tang Yue's eyes fixed as Lou Cheng lowered his body and solidified his weight.

In Lou Cheng's mind, a majestic glacier mountain with strength accumulated for millions of years suddenly collapsed against the bright lightning bolts, rolling forward and devouring everything.

Lightning and Fire Stance! Mega Avalanche!

Pang!

Lou Cheng's right hand reached out, warding off Tang Yue's stamp. His body sank a little bit.

"Lou Cheng warded off my attack?

How the heck did he ward off my attack?"

Very confident in his own physical strength, Tang Yue was shocked but soon came to realize that he had been drained and weakened considerably!

"It can't go on like this!

Lou Cheng doesn't seem tired at all."

Tang Yue gritted his teeth and made a decision. As Lou Cheng's weight was fixed, he thumped the floor with full strength before withdrawing his left hand, dashing into Lou Cheng like a mad elephant.

Elephant style! Crazy Elephant Charge!

Even a tiger, lion or bear would avoid frontal confrontation with a mad elephant as a touch meant injuries and a collision death.

The ground seemed to shake under this massive force but Lou Cheng remained calm as if he had seen this coming. He advanced instead of dodging away, grabbing and pulling Tang Yue's left arm while squatting down himself.

The force in Tang Yue's bump and Lou Cheng's casting technique dragged Tang Yue into the air over Lou Cheng.

A giant elephant's weight was hard to move but once changes occurred, it couldn't adjust due to its huge inertia. Tang Yue tried his best to control his body but failed. He fell to the ground. A harrowing fall!

Dizzy and confused, he heard the referee's announcement.

"Lou Cheng wins!"

He saw Lou Cheng drew his leg back.

After shaking his head, Tang Yue stood up and saw a big smile on Lou Cheng's face.

"To be honest, I have never met anyone that volunteered to compete on physical strength consumption with me."

How courageous!

Staring at Lou Cheng's calmness and ease with zero fatigue, Tang Yue felt sick in his heart with emotions floating. He blurted out, "Will you ever feel tired?"

"Of course," said Lou Cheng sincerely. "If you could hang on half an hour more, I would collapse."

"Half an hour?" Tang Yue's lips twitched and walked away at once. He seemed to be holding his tears.

"Half an hour more… Better you just kill me!"

Looking at his back, Lou Cheng spoke to himself, "I'm serious. Half an hour more and I'll be exhausted. Practice and actual combat are quite different. But my physical strength can probably last another one hundred bouts!"

The restraints of the opponent's style gave him a relatively easy victory.

On the stands were waves of applause and cheers for the wonderful match.

"I don't understand why they don't just go for a marathon?" Ye Youting rubbed her nose while pissing on the audience's appreciation level.

The second round of Group Four Lou Cheng scored a win, coming back from the edge of the cliff and heading towards the top 16.

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Chapter 59: Odds

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Getting his personal belongings back from the supervisor, Lou Cheng walked down the flight of stairs towards the locker room for a shower. Although not tired from the endurance match, he sweated quite a bit.

Applause and cheers surrounded him and his name echoed in the air. Lou Cheng grinned and squinted, enjoying this victory parade like a general on his triumphant return.

This was the taste of victory!

His only guilty conscience was about the use of Jindan. He longed to master it quickly, making it part of himself.

As walking into the locker room, Lou Cheng unlocked his mobile and wrote Yan Zheke a message on QQ, starting with a big smile.

"Mission completed!"

He took a quick shower and rushed out for the match between Zhou "Road to the Arena" Yuanning and Wang Ye, with the former one being the last obstacle before him to the pass of the top 16 and a powerful opponent second only to Wang Ye.

On his way out, he received Yan Zheke's reply with a monkey swaying its tails and flashing its heart. "Terrific! Defeating an Amateur First Pin master, although with advantages from the styles, indicates you are of a similar level. Cheng, what shall I do? I'm kind of jealous of you now. Let me give you some punches next school term."

"Deal! I'll be lying on my back waiting for your ravage!" answered Lou Cheng with no hesitation but a bright smile.

In the meantime, he whispered to himself, "Kick me hard, so I know you love me much!"

"Don't trick me. I'm no match for you (pitiful)." Yan Zheke replied in a joking tone. "Study Zhou Yuanning's match carefully. I'll go to the official site and watch your last match."

Lou Cheng sent an emoji of sweeping off a cold sweat. "Nothing exciting. A match of endurance between mercurial balance and hard defense. Take a quick look at the beginning and the end and skip the rest."

He took a seat on the guest stand. In the ring, a short entertaining performance was followed by the conversation time between Wang Ye and Zhou Yuanning. The audience could see every move and hear every word of theirs on the big screen.

Before the fight started, Yan Zheke had already finished watching the previous match and sent over a yawn. "The same guerrilla hit and mercurial balance. How come it was so fascinating yesterday but this boring today? But your last throw was perfect. One split second later and you would have been knocked over by Tang Yue, possibly out of conscious. Very risky!"

"How could I try without enough confidence in succeeding?" Lou Cheng was delighted his self-satisfied move was recognized by the girl of his love. "Exciting or boring, it's pretty much up to the opponent. I can't control (Honest face)."

Yan Zheke wrote back instantly. "They made their decision in response to your ruthlessness, coldness, and ridiculousness (Face of happiness)."

Lou Cheng broke into a laugh, with joy all over his face. If Little Ming was there, he would most likely call it a spring rush instead of joy.

"Zhou Yuanning's match is about to start!" He noticed the referee looking down on his watch.

Yan Zheke replied an emoji of an onion pushing up its sunglasses. "Watch carefully! I've prepared a few videos of Wuthering Eight Movements for you. Study thoroughly! It's recommended by my grandpa!"

"Say thanks to grandpa for me!" Lou Cheng shamelessly called grandpa in his head as warmth filled up his heart. He answered with a sneer, "You have prepared already? Best coach ever! How can I ever repay your hard work? I'll make it to the top 16 and earn a share of the prize! Hey, please tell your grandpa I said thank you!"

He had forgotten entirely about his actual coach Geezer Shi.

Yan Zheke sent an emoji of gleaming white teeth. "Better be grateful for my kindness! Err… You seem to care about the prize a lot?"

"Of course! With the prize I can treat you to a better meal!" Lou Cheng made it sound a bit flirtatious on purpose.

It was not taught by his love coach Cai Zongming but a self-realization. He believed their relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds after the menstruation incident. Some reasonable flirtation was necessary so his romantic fantasy wouldn't become a tragedy of the bestie of the other gender.

It took her a dozen seconds to reply a proud smile. "You grateful soul."

In the ring, the match had started. Zhou Yuanning, as expected, was playing guerrilla hit, circling Wang Ye like the unpredictable and ever-changing wind, flexible and fast. Whenever an opportunity appeared, he would approach and hit rapidly with no hesitation and withdraw once missed.

In the face of such an enemy, Wang Ye couldn't attack like in the fight with Lou Cheng who was much slower and less agile. He intended to limit the opponent's sphere of activity by the prognosis of Zhou Yuanning's moves and his own body coordination. He chose to play safe defense like what Tang Yue did in the last match.

Different from Tang Yue, Wang Ye's sharp eyes and rich experience allowed him to watch his entire body and at the same time solve Zhou Yuanning's strikes and counterattack. A few times he almost got the opponent by his Back Thrust and Horse Kick and was very close to snatching the victory.

Seeing the match entered a stalemate, Lou Cheng wrote Yan Zheke a message on QQ. "I'm watching the match. I think my Mercurial Balance and guerrilla hit are way from enough to handle Zhou Yuanning's Wuthering Eight Movements. I must change my style and exploit my other advantages."

"You defeated the Arm Boxing master before he could give you a proper taste of guerrilla hit. This is to be your first real experience with a martial artist of the guerrilla hit style. Another great opportunity to accumulate experience." Yan Zheke sneered, making fun of him using his own words said before the fight with Wu Shitong.

Back then Lou Cheng said, "Just another kind of match experience. So I'm facing an opponent I don't know at all but he knows me very well. Another training for me."

Yan Zheke continued, "I checked a few gambling sites. For your fight with Zhou Yuanning, they offer odds of 2-1 on you and 1.5-1 on Zhou Yuanning. So the pros don't think there is a big gap between the two of you… Err…"

She had been watching for Lou Cheng's odds since Lou Cheng told her about fighting in good faith. Odds of winning this match and getting in the top 16 and top eight and even the odd 565-1 for winning the championship. If he did perform a miracle, a bet of 100 yuan would generate a benefit of 56,500 yuan (without other profits).

Certainly bets for such a small tournament were placed at the furthest corner of all the gambling sites, receiving attention from only professional gamblers or true martial arts enthusiasts.

"Hmm? Such a small difference?" Lou Cheng was surprised. He honestly considered Zhou "Road to the Arena" Yuanning much stronger than himself.

His attention turned back to the match while waiting for Yan Zheke's reply which took her a good while. "I've read through the comments. Many people seem concerned that Zhou Yuanning might get injured in the fight with Wang Ye. The odd will probably change after this match."

"That makes sense. My heart almost skipped a beat." answered Lou Cheng in a humorous manner.

Yan Zheke sent a laughing emoji. "You are more and more interesting. I was chatting with my high school classmates. One of them said he met a martial arts genius who started training at the age of 17 and reached Professional Ninth Pin within two years. How enviable! But I said it was not a big deal. I have a friend who started when he was 18 and defeated an Amateur First Pin within four months. He will achieve Professional Ninth Pin in less than a year."

"None of them believed me. They called me a bluffer who had changed in university, no longer pure and lovely. But I was telling the truth! (Erkang face)."

Lou Cheng was immensely pleased as his martial arts progress had made Yan Zheke proud. How exciting! His reputation had spread to the next class. How satisfying!

"Ha-hah. I wouldn't believe it myself if it was not me. I would ask you if he had superpower or maybe he was the reincarnation of Buddha." Lou Cheng complimented himself, leaving no trace behind.

Yan Zheke sent an emoji laughing behind its hands. "They did ask those questions but I didn't answer. I said he had talent in meditation and insane endurance. Then they called me a liar… I didn't mention it was you Lou Cheng from the next class."

"I'll show them my strength one day." Lou Cheng burbled. An idea suddenly came to his mind. He casually asked a question that had been bothering him for a long time, "No one spoke for you? Err… There must be someone in your class chasing after you."

A beautiful and friendly girl as Yan Zheke never lacked admirers and unrequited love…

Lou Cheng's heart went much faster after sending that message, scared of receiving any bad news. Swayed by considerations of loss and gain, he got distracted from the match.

A few dozen seconds later, Yan Zheke replied a numb emoji. "My cousin gave me a nickname."

"What kind of answer is this?" Lou Cheng was confused. "What nickname?"

"Classmates Killer…" Yan Zheke sent an emoji drawing circles by the wall. "I didn't want it. In high school over a dozen boys confessed to me or sent me love letters… More or less the same in my middle school… So… Classmates Killer…"

"Phew… This many!" For the very first time Lou Cheng felt how popular Yan Zheke actually was. He replied a cheeky smile. "Those who dared not confess or deliver love letters must be more."

"Such as me…"

Yan Zheke sent back an emoji sighing with its palms facing up. "I pretty much only hang out with girls. Still… Having mass admirers is worse than having none."

Lou Cheng's heart settled half but still concerned about if he would be considered one of the bad admirers. He sent an emoji of touching the head. "Don't worry about that nickname. You are a student. Of course, people around you are your classmates. You do nothing wrong."

"I am also one of your classmates…"

"Exactly!" Yan Zheke agreed with an emoji of a cat nodding.

As Lou Cheng was about to ask about her current admirers to learn about her potential enemies, the fight between Wang Ye and Zhou Yuanning reached the climax.

Wang Ye's defense was solid with few mistakes which were made up with his deadly Iron Palm that kept Zhou Yuanning in the distance.

The offensive moves had drained Road to the Arena's physical strength. He started his final attempt Horrifying Hurricane, circling Wang Ye and stirring up a whirlwind around him. Every hit of his was powerful as Jin Tao's blast punch. It went on and on, displaying his skills as a Professional Ninth Pin martial artist.

Wang Ye gave reactive responses and confronted offense with offense. Sounds of collision carried a metal touch.

Almost one minute passed and the two figures separated after a dull sound. Zhou Yuanning took a few steps back, his hands shaking as if trying to get rid of the pain. Wang Ye appeared normal. He advanced quickly and threw another strike.

Zhou Yuanning took a deep breath, attempting to dodge with his footwork but failed due to his lack of strength. Wang Ye's palm landed on his back.

"Wang Ye wins!" The referee announced the result.

Lou Cheng was not surprised by the outcome. He watched Zhou Yuanning's hands recover slowly, with no serious injury. He felt sorry and glad.

Sorry that Zhou Yuanning was not injured. Glad for the same reason.

He saw Zhou Yuanning turned to the stand, where he was sitting.

As the four eyes met, sparks flashed.

It would be a no-holds-barred match tomorrow!

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Chapter 60: Burn with Passion

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

As their eyes met in the distance, like an ignited engine, Lou Cheng's fighting spirit was fired up. The initial regret that he felt disappeared.

"Yes, Zhou Yuanning have left the martial arts world for a few years and is no longer as formidable as he was during his prime. Plus, he has already fought for a day, with continuous matches. His physical stamina should be almost depleted. With his fatigue levels at their peaks, he will be unable to recover fully anytime soon. With such handicap, why should I be afraid to challenge and fight him? Why do I have to pin hopes on Wang Ye injuring him further?

No!

Such battles are not for me!

It is good that he was not injured. Else, even if I won and got the prize money, I would be filled with regrets and feel that I have ridden on Wang Ye's coat tail to win.

To give my utmost to beat the formidable ones, and step honorably into Top 16 is what I wanted. It is what I desired – the martial arts aspiration that I pursued!

If I lost, it would only mean that I had not attained the level. All I needed would be more training and hard work to make up for it. Then, I would return stronger than before!

The prize is essential, but this is not the only way to earn money, and there is no way to turn back time if there are any regrets."

After self-enlightenment, Lou Cheng dispelled the irrelevant thoughts from his mind and looked straight into Zhou Yuanning's eyes. Without fear and any sign of retreat, warm blood pumped through his body as he trembled with anticipation.

"Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning's eyes met with Lou Cheng's. Even though Lou Cheng was seated at the guest seats, Zhou Yuanning could feel the determined and sharp look of Lou Cheng. It was intimidating.

"Such a nostalgic feeling. Just like the old days when I was in the martial arts community…" Zhou Yuanning murmured softly, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning stronger than ever.

Lou Cheng took a deep breath and broke the eye contact. He calmed himself and picked up his phone. Lou Cheng was reminded of what he wanted to ask earlier, and sent a cheeky smile to Yan Zheke saying,

"So, how many suitors do you have now?"

"The prize money is not as important as the competition, but tomorrow's fight doesn't seem as important as this matter…"

Yan Zheke sent an emoji that was counting intently with its fingers and typed, "Maybe about four… four clearer ones…"

Four! Lou Cheng was shocked! And, these were only the clear ones!

Actually, with Yan Zheke's popularity, four suitors were not so many. The bigger question was whether the four included him?

What did she think of him?

For a moment, Lou Cheng was lost, he pretended to be calm and replied, "Haha. That's less than I have imagined. Who are they?"

"Because most of them didn't continue after I rejected them, so those don't count…" Yan Zheke replied with a "cold sweat" emoji.

"Not bad at all, I like such decisive people! Of course, please don't reject me…" Lou Cheng softly prayed and sent a "sneaky smile" emoji. "These four are warriors? "

"I don't say it clearly. It'll be so embarrassing if I misunderstood and rejected someone who was not interested, right? I can only keep my distance from them and reduce as much contact as possible." Yan Zheke added a sighing onion head emoji after her messages.

"So, I'm one of the unclear ones… But from our interaction these days, she hasn't kept a distance from me, nor did she reduce contact…" Lou Cheng was a little disappointed at first, but when he analyzed the situation, he got a little happier and seemed to see the light of victory.

"Of course, there's the possibility that she hasn't realized that I'm chasing her…"

Though Lou Cheng was going through an emotional rollercoaster, he controlled himself and made sure that none sneaked into the words he typed. He sent the next message, "There must be a high school classmate among those four warriors (cheeky action)."

"Yup, there's one. If it were not because we're in the same class, and I didn't want to embarrass him, I would have put him on my blacklist. So now whenever I log on QQ, I just appear offline as if I'm never there." Yan Zheke replied with a tearful emoji clenching its fists and shaking its head.

Secretly pleased, Lou Cheng responded. "The good thing is that he is not at Songcheng, if not, you'll be so annoyed."

"I also have them at Songcheng. There are two in our academy. Luckily, one of them is a senior brother, so our schedules don't match. During his free time, I'm always at the Martial Arts Club. The other, he doesn't say anything yet, so I'll just pretend I don't know and try not to be in contact with him. If not, it's too troublesome." Yan Zheke sent back an emoji with a blur look.

"Haha, too popular has its woes too, huh." While he sent back the message, Lou Cheng was glad that he had the chance to understand Yan Zheke's current love life better.

Yan Zheke sent an emoji of a monkey chanting. "Yeah, just a bunch of annoying admirers."

"How about the last one? Also not clear?" Lou Cheng was not going to let go of any chance to obtain useful information about his love rival.

Yan Zheke sent a thinking monkey emoji and wrote,

"Why do you ask so much?"

"Damned, just make the mistake that Little Ming has reminded me not to make – when chatting with girls, never let them feel that you're asking too much or what to know too much…" Lou Cheng laughed dryly and pretended that it was nothing important, "Just asking, because I don't have any experience, nor I have any girls chasing after me. Just curious."

He pounced on the opportunity to praise himself, and showed that he did not have any relationship issues!

Yan Zheke sent an emoji with a naughty smile, "Someone said before that we should never believe the words of a boasting man…"

She quoted what Lou Cheng said yesterday to tease him.

"It's true! Just look at my sincere eyes!" Lou Cheng added a righteous looking emoji with huge eyes.

"Alright, alright. I'll believe you for now." Yan Zheke sent an emoji that was trying to hide its laughter, and wrote, "For that last one, it is nothing much. I ruthlessly rejected him a few times. He recently hasn't been bothering me."

"Not bad, not bad! This is how it should be!" Lou Cheng felt proud of Yan Zheke. She was exactly how Little Ming had analyzed her to be. A girl who would be terribly hard to woo, if not, she would already have a boyfriend and he would not stand a chance at all.

"This could be a good thing, or a bad thing. Good being that I did not need to worry about things like love rivals, and bad being that I may not succeed and I could be rejected any time.

She said she had four clear suitors. Looks like they don't include me. She hasn't realized my interest, or could it be that she knows, but because she is chatting with me so she's pretending not to be aware?"

Since he was not confident about finding out more, Lou Cheng tried to change the topic, "I'm going to return to the hotel soon. Gonna focus on preparing for tomorrow afternoon's fight! All for the prize money! All for giving you a better treat!"

"Hehe. Let me know when you reach the hotel. I'll send you the video clip that my grandfather recommended." Yan Zheke sent a sniggering emoji.

The whole afternoon and night, Lou Cheng watched the video clip. He exchanged views about the Wuthering Eight Movements with Yan Zheke. When he went to the little park to practice, he felt the movements slowly forming within him.

"If the Wuthering Eight Movements can fight the guerrilla hit tactics, I don't need to rely on Mercurial Balance and have to change how I fight the first two battles." Lou Cheng wrote to Yan Zheke.

Yan Zheke sent an emoji with crossed arms in deep thought and said, "If you use the Wuthering Eight Movements continuously in one go, its force will be great and difficult to defend against. Though you had leveled up quickly, you don't have much actual fight experiences. If you use Tang Yue's or Wang Ye's fighting style, I am afraid you cannot hold it until his stamina drops. If he uses the defend-to-attack tactic, he could wait to attack. In any case, it's a difficult fight."

"In the forum, I read "Road to the Arena" discussion with the others, and realized that they have prepared various tactics to deal with my strengths. It seems like they are modifying their moves. For example, using abrupt explosive force to bring out more power. So, I thought about this, if Zhou Yuanning uses tactics that he isn't used to fight me, he might have some obvious points of weakness, especially when he is attacking…" Lou Cheng shared his thoughts. He wanted to express some opinions on his strategies, especially since things were so volatile during battle. What he had planned might not be useful during the fight, so considering and preparing alternatives would be a good idea.

The two of them texted for a long time. Soon, it was 10:30 p.m. and Lou Cheng had to prepare to rest. He had to get up early tomorrow to practice.

"Cheng, don't read the Longhu Club forum before your match tomorrow. It's easy to be swayed by the words of others, especially those that dislike you. Your mood may be unnecessarily affected. " Yan Zheke gently reminded him along with her good night.

"Don't worry. I'll be able to control myself. Oh yes, what's the current bet ratio?" Lou Cheng asked.

Yan Zheke sent a secretly laughing emoji and wrote, "For him, the bet rate is one to one point three, and for you, one to three. Most are on his side."

This ratio included the bet amount.

"This means that majority still think that there is quite a big difference in level between Zhou Yuanning and I…" Lou Cheng logged out QQ, and closed his eyes.

…

"One to one point three, one to three…" Next day's afternoon, Zheng and his gang stood in front of the betting station, looking at the betting ratio of Lou Cheng and Zhou Yuanning.

One of his friends laughed and said, "I'll bet 200 yuan on Zhou Yuanning. If Lou Cheng wins, I'll take it that I bought happiness. If Lou Cheng loses, at least I have some cash as a consolation."

"Not bad, that's a good idea!" Zheng and a couple of his friends agreed readily.

After placing their bets, all of them looked at Zheng who had not made his move.

"Zheng, you're not placing your bet?"

After thinking for a while, Zheng said, "I think I'll bet 1-200 yuan on Lou Cheng winning."

"You think he can win? His victory over Wang Ye was due to careful, strategic planning. But such opportunity only comes once. Once his plan is made known, it will no longer be effective." His friends shared their views and tried to persuade him to do otherwise.

"Who knows? Anyway, it's just 100 yuan. I'll just take it as a ticket to the Challenge Tournament." Zheng took out his wallet and said jokingly, "You all should also bet a little on him. If he wins, you could recoup some of your losses."

…

"Sister Lan, you're not buying?" Ye Youting was holding on ten 100-yuan bills.

Jiang Lan grumbled in a frustrated tone, "I can't predict, so maybe I won't bet."

"Why can't you predict? Zhou Yuanning's fighting style can suppress Lou Cheng so well. They also have such a gap regarding general combat power." Ye Youting returned her friend's question, surprised that she had a hard time deciding.

Jiang Lan shook her head and said, "But Zhou Yuanning's weaknesses and issues are equally obvious."

"Alright, it's up to you. I'll just place my bets!" Ye Youting said confidently.

…

"Eldest senior brother, you're betting on Lou Cheng?" Qin Zhilin looked at Liu Yinglong, astonished.

Although he was called the eldest senior brother, Liu Yinglong was also a young chap. He smiled and said, "Just take this as a reward for him showing us such brilliant fights. Just trying my luck, who knows, we'll have a miracle."

Similar conversations could be heard at the different betting stations. The betting ratio was still under adjustment, but it still favored Zhou Yuanning's win.

…

"Master Lu, it's the first duel of the afternoon." "Invincible Punch" Jin Tao, and "Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning walked towards the martial arts hall together.

After hearing Jin Tao, Zhou Yuanning took a breath and said, "Not bad, no need to wait too long."

When he saw the lit screen of Jin Tao's mobile phone, he asked, "What are the comments on the live broadcast post?"

Jin Tao laughed heartily and replied,

"Everyone is rooting for you, Master Lu, to beat that Lou Cheng. Grass said that Lou Cheng's real level is not even at Amateur First Pin, so you can rest assured and beat the shit out of him. Outspoken commented that Lou Cheng's fight over Wang Ye was a lucky win, no big deal at all. Old Dragon, Plumber and Pig-Riding Uncle want you to make good use of your intelligence. The girls, Little Wonton and Sea-Blue, declared that if you lose, they will upload half-naked photos of themselves. The Brahman girl claimed that she supports you, but asked for photos right after saying so."

"Heh." Zhou Yuanning laughed lightly and straightened his sleeves. "Help me respond to them. Tell them that I am thankful for everyone's support and will not let them down. In the name of the half-naked photos!"

"As for that Brahman girl, tell her that I'll take photo with her new idol—as the winner of our fight."

As they talked, the two men entered the crowded stadium.

…

In the locker room, Lou Cheng opened his eyes. His eyes were unfathomable, dark and peaceful like still waters.

He looked at the digital clock. Seeing that the competition was about to start in a couple of minutes, he stood up and started to stretch, before taking out his mobile phone. After logging on QQ, he sent a message to Yan Zheke,

"Going for the fight now."

Yan Zheke replied speedily, "… What song do you want to hear?"

Lou Cheng's heart skipped a beat, secretly pleased, he wrote back, "You still remember."

Before his fight with Tang Yue, he had asked Yan Zheke to sing at the last fight of the group competition.

"Quick! What song! If not, I'm going to take it back!" Yan Zheke's messages came in furiously.

Lou Cheng thought for a while. He smiled to himself and started to type,

"Young for You, especially the climax of the song."

After waiting for a while, a long voice message was sent over. He tapped on the icon to listen, and Yan Zheke's clean and mature voice went,

"Run forward, towards the cold eyes and laughter

The vastness of life cannot be felt without hardship

Destiny does not allow us to kneel and beg for forgiveness

Even if the hugs are filled with warm blood"

"Continue to run, with the pride of youth

Life's brilliance can't be seen unless we persevere

Rather than to live mediocrely, why not burn with passion

There will be a day where it will grow again"

While listening to the singing, Lou Cheng pushed the locker room's door open.

Let's burn with passion!

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Chapter 61: Wuthering Eight Movements

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

This route, from the locker to the arena, Lou Cheng had already walked twice. He could imagine the surroundings with his eyes closed. The crowd that grew continuously, the shadows that stacked continuously, the trumpets that children played and lights that lit the gloomy winter day, the cameras set up at every corner. And, in the midst of this chaos was the limestone stage, representing the honor and glory of the fighters.

No number one for academics, no number two for the fighters, not convinced yet? Let's fight it out!

As Lou Cheng climbed the stone steps, images of what he did after waking up from his morning nap, replayed in his mind:

Accommodation was only booked till today, and he would make his way home at 8 tonight;

The front desk called, reminding him to check out by noon and gently telling him that there were no more available rooms for him to extend his stay;

He first packed his laptop, mouse, charger and the rest of his things, and then he put on the freshly laundered Longhu Club martial arts suit, tried to look for a bag to put the clothes he just changed out of, and squeezed them into his huge backpack. After all of these, he went around the room one last time to check for things that he might have missed out;

With all his things back in his backpack, he felt the room in which he stayed for several days seemed strange again, but he would forget here. He would always keep it in the corner of his memory because it was a witness for his growth day by day, his reborn for the first time in his martial arts journey, and his independent entry into unknown territories for the first time in his life;

Throwing the big, heavy backpack over his shoulder, and looking at the room for the last time before closing its doors, he took the room card to the front desk to check out, and from that moment onwards, the only thing left between him and Yanling was this last round of the Challenge Tournament;

From this moment, besides his bank card and mobile phone, he only had dinner money and a ticket back home!

The backpack sat in a cabinet in the locker room. After this round, would he hop on the transport home just like how it had been arranged, or would he overcome all obstacles, win the prize, change his ticket and move to a better hotel?

With all these thoughts swirling in his mind, Lou Cheng could not help but be amazed at how far he had come since he decided to join the tournament.

Looking at how much he had developed regarding martial arts level, to mental maturity, he could call himself a real fighter with pride!

He stopped at the left side of the arena and looked towards the other side, where Zhou Yuanning stood. Zhou Yuanning just stepped out of the locker room. With the light under his feet and around him, step by step he climbed the stone stairs and soon, he stood opposite of Lou Cheng.

"This person will be my final opponent for this Challenge Tournament. Will he be a stepping stone and push me forward towards the next level, meeting stronger rivals?"

As Lou Cheng's thoughts started to settle, Yan Zheke's singing continued to ring in his ears. He was a little bit nervous yet a little excited, with warm blood pumping through him, all ready to take on his strong opponent.

Lou Cheng started the conversation,

"I'm glad that you were not injured by Wang Ye."

The voice was deep and mellow. It flowed into Zhou Yuanning's ears. He was a little taken aback, and was overwhelmed by the sense of rivalry and fearless confidence that Lou Cheng was exuded.

"I am very pleased to have the opportunity to fight you in your best form." Zhou Yuanning gave a small smile and looked straight into Lou Cheng's eyes. Without any glimmer in his eyes, he said, "To be able to defeat an opponent like you, would probably be my biggest achievement in this tournament and much more rewarding than any prize money out there."

Lou Cheng was not used to exchanging such sharp and provoking words, so after saying his true thoughts, he fell silent. His original plan and intention returned to his thoughts for one last time.

After going through seven battles in six days, "Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning was showing clear signs of exhaustion. For a fighter who used the guerrilla hit style to fight, this meant that he was handicapped and his hands were tied. Since Lou Cheng was now well-known for his crazy physical stamina, Zhou Yuanning would not choose strategies that involved him waiting till Lou Cheng made a mistake. He would have a better chance at creating a larger gap between them when he was starting off. This would help to throw the rhythm off.

This also meant that Zhou Yuanning would use his speed, agility and quick footwork. With the continuous execution of Kuang Bao Zhi Feng (Wild wind), Long Juan Zhi Feng (Whirlwind) and others, he would attack Lou Cheng madly. This would lead to great pressure on Lou Cheng, and Lou Cheng might just slip up during the defense.

Lou Cheng did not have much actual fight experience, and had been avoiding "stress tests". Lou Cheng had quite a bit of experience in constantly moving around to avoid hits, and to wait for a chance to attack, or to attack proactively to bring down his opponents. He had not tried the pure defense tactic yet.

For the current situation, the results were not difficult to predict!

"I can almost be sure about the fighting tactic that Zhou Yuanning will use, but how is he going to determine what I'll do?" Lou Cheng tried to think backward.

"From the comments on the live broadcast post of the Longhu Club forum, they seem to think that I will use the Mercurial Balance to move around and tackle Zhou Yuanning. So they suggest Zhou Yuanning make use of the Wuthering Eight Movements to move around quickly. At the same time, he could narrow his movement space to compel me to fight head on.

"Similarly, based on my fight with Jin "Invincible Punch" Tao, Zhou Yuanning is aware that I have another choice of strategy. That is to fall back on my crazy stamina to hold against my opponent, turning the attack into defense. I can use the Brutal Blizzard to hold down and delay the rival, not giving a chance for any retaliation until the winning bell rings.

He is probably well prepared to handle these two fighting strategies and will decide his moves as they fight.

Perhaps I can use this method to lead him on…" Lou Cheng retracted his thoughts and started his concealment of spirit and qi to enter meditation.

Dispelling all random thoughts, it seemed like he had entered the most silent world. The shouts and cheers around, the trumpet sounds, all seemed so far away, but yet as clear as the sound of the wind around him and his breathing.

"Fight!"

The referee announced the start of the last tournament of the afternoon!

Just as the referee ended his sentence, Zhou Yuanning moved his torso. It was almost like his body was creating wind itself. He moved swiftly to Lou Cheng. In a split second, the distance between the two fighters was so small that they could feel each other's breath.

Such speed and agility were as almost excellent as Ye Youting's Leopard-Simulate's. This was just Zhou Yuanning's level after all these years of non-practice, almost unimaginable how quick he was during his heydays.

Lou Cheng was all prepared with his core, swaying non-stop. When Zhou Yuanning burst out in speed, he curved his back and bounced back, just like a dragon soaring into the sky. He moved rapidly to the left, displaying the perfect standard fighting stance of Mercurial Balance.

Zhou Yuanning had expected this response, so with a tap of his toes, his body transformed into a small arch and went after Lou Cheng with tremendous speed.

Wuthering Eight Movements! Uninhibited Wind!

Just as Lou Cheng started his guerrilla hit, there was a sudden drop in his core, and an image of highlands and mountains covered in snow appeared in his mind.

Boom!

Lightning cracked across the arena, lighting up the entire area with blinding white light, ruffling the layers of soft white snow.

Boom!

A huge avalanche from the snow mountains started to tumble down!

Lou Cheng's left shoulder dropped and he stepped forward. Instead of avoiding the chase, he went straight on into a clash with "Road to the Arena" Zhou Yuanning, just like a huge avalanche threatening to cover and smother everything in its path. His ferociousness shocked the audience.

By using the Mercurial Balance to step aside, he led his opponent to think that he was going to use the run-to-defend tactic but once the opponent was near, he would immediately retaliate with the most devastating avalanche and even the most horrifying avalanche!

Facing this attack, Zhou Yuanning who was as light as the wind, stopped his movements abruptly, almost like a galloping horse pulling to a stop, standing, with its feet in the air. He seemed to have lost his regular rhythm, breaking loose from all restraints.

With a pause, he rebounded and rose again. With the loudest shriek, he moved swiftly forward, breaking through the oppressing explosion of Lou Cheng, causing a huge stir in the flow Qi.

Phoom!

The two fighters collided into each other and queer sounds of an explosion could be heard. As if a hurricane swallowed him, Lou Cheng's strength was suppressed and his core was rocked. He could not help but step back two steps. Zhou Yuanning also stepped back a step, and with a light tap of his heel, he propelled forward again, bringing him to the side of Lou Cheng.

Wuthering Eight Movements, Horrifying Hurricane!

Smack! Zhou Yuanning released an abrupt explosive force. With a light shake of his right arm, he aimed to hit Lou Cheng's neck with a tilted palm.

Lou Cheng's body just steadied itself. Without enough time to adjust his core balance, his left arm moved up and blocked that blow.

Just as he was about to borrow some strength from his rival to "listen" and steal possible movements, Zhou Yuanning's strength exploded like the lit gunpowder. Lou Cheng could not borrow the short and explosive power bursts at all, nor could he "listen" to any movements.

Smack! With quick body movements, Zhou Yuanning had made his way behind Lou Cheng and launched an attack with his left fist.

Lou Cheng's back arched, pushing his body aside to avoid the hit. Following the flow of body movement, his legs straightened, and he swept himself behind like a lashing whip.

With a tap of his feet, Zhou Yuanning leaped again. Going along with the sweeping movement with incredible speed, he avoided the leg attack and remained behind Lou Cheng.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Zhou Yuanning's limbs were in constant movement, continually attacking Lou Cheng. Like a tornado, he circled Lou Cheng, hitting him mercilessly.

Lou Cheng felt trapped. He was having a hard time blocking and avoiding all the blows. If it were not because of the Mercurial Balance that helped him to sway away, he would not have been able to withstand the never-ending blows.

"If this continued and if he started to use "Invisible Wind" and abrupt explosive forces to attack, I would be thrown into a state of confusion. It would mean serious trouble and I would possibly lose.

Although I have expected Zhou Yuanning's movements, and have made the necessary defenses and responses against them, I still get into this disadvantageous situation. This is a clear display of vast difference in levels."

At this moment, Lou Cheng's back took a strong hit, sending ripples through his body, reaching his frozen heart.

Not good!

Zhou Yuanning added a Silent Palm amongst his abrupt explosive force!

Without any time to think, Lou Cheng started to react based on his battle instincts. He lunged forward, creating some distance between his upper body and Zhou Yuanning's palm. Using his left leg, he swept aside, flipped his body up and kicked. Zhou Yuanning had no choice but to retract his palm attacks to avoid the kick.

After adjusting his muscles, and changing his core, Lou Cheng regained his balance. His left leg touched the ground and he straightened his back to stabilize himself. His right fist was in combat mode, ready to lash out anytime to block Zhou Yuanning's attacks. Lou Cheng's back was stinging with pain. He took a hit, but since he managed to move forward, he did not absorb the full force of Zhou Yuanning's palm. It would probably be a bruise or swelling.

"Good thing I was quick!"

Lou Cheng was feeling lucky. Though he was expecting an attack from Zhou Yuanning, his opponent did not move any forward. Instead, he retreated a few steps back, creating some distance between them. He was breathing slowly and deeply.

"Why isn't he continuing his attacks and pressure on me? Given the situation earlier, with just a few more attacks, I'd probably not be able to hold on any longer…"

Oh yes! Yan Zheke mentioned the difference between the Brutal Blizzard and the Long Juan Zhi Feng (Whirlwind) of Wuthering Eight Movements. While the Brutal Blizzard depends on the listening skill and breathing to execute continuous attacks, the Long Juan Zhi Feng (Whirlwind) has to be done in one breath to maintain its speed and continuity. Once the fighter runs out of breath, he has to pull himself back and regain his breath. It's the unique characteristic of Long Juan Zhi Feng (Whirlwind). So Zhou Yuanning did not change his strategy, it was just that he had reached his limits for this wave…"

His mind turned at lightning speed and he took the chance to carry out an attack. However, once he was close enough, Zhou Yuanning had already regained his breath. Lou Cheng took another round of whirlwind attacks. This made him think,

"With Zhou Yuanning's stamina, he can probably make maximum five rounds of such attacks…

It's already so strenuous to defend one round, how many rounds can I take? "

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On the stands above, Ye Youting clapped slightly. Regret on her face, she said,

"Pity."

Zhou Yuanning was about to succeed to make a little fortune. But Lou Cheng was more alert than he thought. Lou Cheng fell ahead by chance, and saved himself from a bad situation.

Jiang Lan also sighed, "Pity indeed. Missing this opportunity will be the most regrettable thing for Zhou Yuanning in this competition. He was too cautious. Abandoned for many years, he had lost not only physical statement and skills, but also his spirit in the chest. If he had not considered to retreat a few steps and directly used the last Qi, the winner would be him.

Do not use the ventilation means that if he can't beat Lou Cheng in one or two hits, Zhou Yuanning will lose the speed and movement advantages. In the extreme situation, once he is controlled under Brutal Blizzard by Lou Cheng, he can't retake a breath. So deciding between seconds really needs the spirit and courage."

Speaking of which, Jiang Lan shook her head. "The scale of victory begins to change."

"Huh? Lan, do you mean that Lou Cheng is more likely to win? That's impossible. Zhou Yuanning has the physical strength to make four or five rounds of attacks." Ye Youting frowned.

Jiang Lan smiled and said, "Just wait and see."

Unlike them, the audience couldn't calmly analyze. Their mood was just like a roller coaster. Firstly they were worried or happy for Lou Cheng beaten by a palm. And then they were shocked by his self-save from the edge of the cliffs. Even people who bought Zhou Yuanning for the winner could not help but applause and applause.

Just in a moment, the situation had changed around. This was the Martial Arts Competition!

Lou Cheng's Mercurial Balance couldn't keep up with Zhou Yuanning's move. Even though Lou Cheng used a guerrilla hit like this, he was often wrapped by Zhou Yuanning. In the face of the upcoming second round of Long Juan Zhi Feng (Whirlwind) and the expected thrilling situation, he was quite nervous.

But with the experience from the last round, his treatment of similar conditions was no longer rusty. Some things got into the instinct.

"As long as Zhou Yuanning is in my sight, whether it is an abrupt explosive force, or Invisible Wind, I have quite a chance to hold it. But I am most afraid of his sudden attack from the back and the dark view corner…"

The idea flashed. Lou Cheng lifted his right arm, framed by the face. He blocked Zhou Yuanning's palm from the side.

The two had just collided. Zhou Yuanning stepped to Lou Cheng's back side. He had no Mercurial Balance, as anomalous as a phantom. But he became more chic and uninhibited, like the wind.

Lou Cheng got a similar idea as soon as he was in a similar situation, He decided by instincts in his mind, He set up the right arm suddenly, and then made a rejection, driving the body a half turn, snapping to the opponent.

He imitated Tang Yue's Sweeping Elephant Trunk!

Wind echoing, Zhou Yuanning changed his footwork and bent his back and bombed up to the left.

At this time, Lou Cheng adjusted his muscle. His spine bounced as the dragon, and the center of gravity changed with it. He scattered the right arm, turned the waist, tautened thighs, and used front Sweep of the left leg to face Zhou Yuanning's coming towards!

If he hadn't had Mercurial Balance or excellent muscle control ability, he would be lucky not to hurt his waist, and he would be simply not able to kick the legs.

Of course, the premise was always to leave spare capacity, which had long been prepared!

Pang! Zhou Yuanning couldn't escape anymore. He put the left arm down, blocking Lou Cheng's whip kick. Then he got down slightly and got a short loss of flexibility.

With this contact, Lou Cheng "heard" his movement and borrowed a little power. He put left leg down, twisted his back, and turned to a positive position. His right leg kept up to make a strike, as the north wind in the coldest winter, to get Zhou Yuanning under the suppression of Brutal Blizzard.

Zhou Yuanning looked the same, and it seemed there was a storm forming in his dark eyes. His right hand fisted, suddenly made a chop hit, fast as a gust of wind.

Bang! He took Lou Cheng's attack in the face. And he hit back this whip kick, making Lou Cheng nearly lose his gravity center, so Lou Cheng couldn't keep Brutal Blizzard.

Wuthering Eight Movements burst into its extreme, Horrifying Hurricane!

After a block, Zhou Yuanning made the distance again, and re-did the breathing.

"See?" Jiang Lan pointed to the arena, and said to Ye Youting.

Ye Youting frowned with her face puzzled, "This guy gets enlightenment?"

"I have completely watched videos of his competitions before, the initial sentiment and rusty is obvious. That is, he is constantly absorbing nutrients of battles and the competition experience. A battle, an improvement, that's what makes him today. And he has not been suppressed in several warfares, only passive defense experience. Be faced with Zhou Yuanning, the beginning is rusty, and there are flaws. When he adapted it, with experience, the victory balance will surely be changed." Jiang Lan said.

Ye Youting turned to her with confusion. "Are you saying that he was a standard rookie before? This growth is too fast, right?"

"Some people are really good at growing in fighting. Of course, the weaker he is, the more gains he will get. Didn't we have such a period that we could get obvious progress from each battle?" Jiang Lan sighed.

Ye Youting was silent for a moment, and asked, "Sister Lan, who do you think might win?"

"Of course it is Zhou Yuanning." Jiang Lan laughed, "If he is the current level, he is not worthy of the reputation of Professional Ninth Pin."

After she said that, Zhou Yuanning narrowed the distance again, the venue seemed to have a wind echoing.

Lou Cheng felt surrounded by a real small tornado and covered in the feeling of being attacked from all directions.

Woo! Strong and weird winds blew. Lou Cheng's heart chilled a bit. Instincts made him fear. A silver lightning instantly split his mind and stimulated a prairie fire.

Lightning and Fire Stance!

Heat flow rushing, Lou Cheng used the right arm to push by force, racking in front of him. And it ran into the "Single strap" of Zhou Yuanning.

Bang! Lou Cheng's body shook. The arm was almost pressed to the front. He felt the other side of the majestic vigor. If he didn't use Lightning and Fire Stance in time, he might be already broken up.

Zhou Yuanning stepped to the side. His body leaned ahead and his left fist hit from the bottom, like the spring bouncing from the extreme point.

Lou Cheng dare not neglect. Bent left arm suddenly opened, as if a spear ready to cast, blocking back. The lightning in his mind continued to strike down, more like towering snow peak collapsing.

Bang! Muffled sound broke out. Lou Cheng's avalanche trend did not even match the average with Zhou Yuanning. The center of gravity once again shook. He did not borrow the force and failed to interfere with Zhou Yuanning's move.

In the next short period, Zhou Yuanning launched continuous attacks from all directions. Each hit was more many problems were enlarging than Lou Cheng's Mega Avalanche plus Lightning and Fire Stance. He was pressed to crumble, and it seemed that the hurricanes never stopped.

Bang! The sound of block continued. Although Lou Cheng had Jindan (the Golden Elixir) to add strength and was not afraid of acting slowly, many problems were enlarging gradually during the convergence between moves under this pressure.

"How long can he insist on this level of mad attack?"

The idea had just flashed. Lou Cheng saw Zhou Yuanning once again come to the front, as if he was the embodiment of the storm, hitting with the body and fists. The air was full of sounds of whistling!

Lou Cheng just dealt with the rear side of the mad attacks, and the current position was also very awkward. In the face of this hit, the force was not fast enough, and the convergence was short half a shot. Lou Cheng could barely make a block of posture. A bad feeling arose.

Bang!

Lou Cheng's defense shelves were opened directly. His chest was completely exposed in the following attacks of Zhou Yuanning, just like the situation in which Ye Youting beat Guan Yan.

Judging by his previous experience, the outcome of the competition outcome was obvious. Once more hit again, Zhou Yuanning would win easily.

But Lou Cheng did not want to admit defeat. His heart was calm as a lake, cold as if he could turn water into ice. Countless ideas rose up and down. He kept looking for the only way to escape from the follow-up attack.

"Not bad!" Surrounding shoutings exclaimed ears. Ye Youting gently applauded for her coming pocket money.

At this time, Lou Cheng suddenly turned down. It seemed that he left the center of gravity. His right leg kicked, driving the body to a half turn, and snapped to Zhou Yuanning's fist coming to his chest.

Iron Bridge Moves! Dragon Turning Over Moves!

These were not secret skills, but the extreme self-confidence of the ability to control one's gravity center. He was restructuring the broken 24 Blizzard Strikes!

Of course, there was no way left for Lou Cheng!

Bang! His right leg kicked Zhou Yuanning's follow-up attack. Because he kicked from the bottom, the rebound was naturally from the top, as if someone hit the "lever"!

Pang! Lou Cheng bounced his spine, upped his back, and then leveraged to stand up again, like another kind of Carp Jumping Moves. His right arm jittered, pumping to the front enemy.

Zhou Yuanning stepped immediately to his right side, and made a blast punch.

Suddenly, Lou Cheng's right arm stopped. He pierced the left palm under the armpit, and dangerously sheltered Zhou Yuanning's attack.

When he took advantage of the opportunity to bounce, he had known how to deal with the follow-up attack!

He deliberately beat with his right arm, revealing the corresponding flaws to emulate Wang Ye. He used Hai Di Lao Yue (a martial tactic) to attack Zhou Yuanning!

Pang! Fists crashed, and the strength broke out. The two men equally split.

Huh? Lou Cheng felt the power of Zhou Yuanning were weaker than before.

"Does he hold the breath to the end?"

An idea stroke to him. Lou Cheng subconsciously thought of the trend of the strong wind. Broke out ahead, he sharply strode to Zhou Yuanning. He believed in his judgments without considering other possibilities and with his heart having no slightest shaking.

When he had just formed a gesture, Zhou Yuanning began to make a distance by Drifting Wind. The "strong wind" in his mind echoing louder, he strode to chase Zhou Yuanning.

"My judgment was right!"

Although he didn't know his speed, the distance between them was enlarging. But he had taken the first hit, it wouldn't be that hard to catch him like before. He had begun to chase, the distance was far not safe for Zhou Yuanning than the former pranayama.

Zhou Yuanning could not hold. He opened the mouth and spat out a big mouth of dirty air. His stature slowed a bit.

Lou Cheng immediately kept up, lowered the shoulder and racked the elbow. He rammed ahead, like the avalanche torrent tearing the wall.

Zhou Yuanning shortly breathed and put down the waist and hips to block Lou Cheng's hit. Too late to use abrupt explosive force, with the short power, the body appeared shaking.

Lou Cheng "heard" the change. He borrowed strength and put the body in the right position. The right-hand fisted out like blast punch. A storm seemed to come in between the two sides.

Bang! Zhou Yuanning blocked a few times. Because the Qi was not going through, he could never escape from Lou Cheng's crazy ferocious attacks. He briefly lost advantages of gestures.

As the battle remained intense, Lou Cheng made a sudden burst, like a rage in silence.

"Open!"

He fisted his left hand and seemed to inflate. Condescending and pilgrimage crashing, his Qi was difficult to stop.

Bang! Zhou Yuanning's defensive stance was directly broken up. His arms opened, exposing the empty place between the chest and abdomen, as what Lou Cheng did just then!

He forgot his identity and used the same fall. He tried to use Iron Bridge Moves and Donkey Roll to escape, and then to come to revive. But his body suddenly felt empty. Lacking the support of Qi in the chest, he straightly fell.

He had come to the limit of the last Qi!

Lou Cheng used a stride, and shortened the distance. He crouched a bit. His arms hammered, tearing the air, making a crisp sound, and stopped above the throat of Zhou Yuanning.

"Lou Cheng wins!"

The referee's voice echoed between them, far as if it came from the horizon. The entire martial arts stadium was in silence, you could hear the dropping of a needle.

Lou Cheng got into a trance, like dreaming. Today's battle was so far the most thrilling one to him. Twice fell to the edge of failure, he was so close to going back home.

Relying on luck, strength, judgment, spirit, and bravery, he caught that fleeting dawn!

The winner or the loser was decided in a moment!

"Bonus, I'm coming!"

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Chapter 63: The Phone

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

"He won… …" Above the stands, Ye Youting's expression was distorted. She was not only amazed at the competition's changes, but also in pain of her own pocket money.

If Lou Cheng was struggling to survive Zhou Yuanning's bombing attacks, supported by physical consumption to get the victory, she could reluctantly accept. But the reality was that after Zhou Yuanning's most ferocious wave of attacks, Lou Cheng immediately counterattacked and beat the opponent. The physical advantage was part of the factor, but not the main factor!

This was so unbelievable that she couldn't believe her eyes!

Beside her, Jiang Lan felt slightly lucky and laughed, "Luckily, I did not bet."

Ye Youting glanced at her and said, "Sister Lan, do not mention the pot that doesn't boil… how did he win?"

"I have told you, Zhou Yuanning's problems and shortcomings are also obvious." Jiang Lan smiled and said, "Haven't combated for many years, the biggest impact is not only the decline of martial arts and physical state, but also the faded Qi in the chest. The first two can be maintained by the daily hardships, while the latter one can't be polished with non-combat. It's like a sharp sword, abandoned for a long time, does not get any conservation, sooner or later it will be blunt. In some situation that needs bravery, it becomes not confident enough."

Ye Youting thoughtfully said, "No wonder the martial arts need combats, momentum and the Qi in the chest. In the arena of less life-threatening, losing his spirit, having little confidence in his own judgment, and being hesitant at the crucial moment, will lead to defeat to the weak. Not to mention the ancient battles which decided to live or not to live in seconds."

"Yes. Zhou Yuanning at least had two opportunities to get down Lou Cheng, but he lost them due to over-cautious. Lou Cheng took the change. He attacked without hesitation. And he brought the battle to an end ahead, so he didn't have to use the endurance." Jiang Lan touched her hair.

Professional fighters were shocked by the result, not to mention the audience. A strange silence arose in the martial arts venues. Only the sound of naughty children playing the trumpet occasionally echoed. They played, and stopped, timidly watching around. They did not understand why adults suddenly stopped talking.

After twenty or thirty seconds, a variety of voices broke out, exclamations, praises, applause, cursing, and crying.

Zheng's face flushed. He crazily clapped like he could not feel any pain. After a long time, he excitedly looked around the companions and said with a smile, "Lou Cheng is really great. He even beat a Professional Ninth Pin!"

Although he was a former Professional Ninth Pin, still a Professional Ninth Pin!

"I did not expect that, really…"

"I thought he would be the strongest under Professional Ninth Pin…"

"Zheng, you are awesome. You enjoyed the competition, and also got the bet to win the money!" The companions responded differently.

Zheng laughed, "Counting the basis, it's only three hundred yuan. Shall we cut some marinated pork intestines, have a mix pig head meat, and buy a few bottles of wine and have some fun at my place?"

"Sure! Take advantages of you big rich!" A bet was immediately left behind.

…

"Lou Cheng won…" Qin Zhilin rubbed his eyes. He suspected that he just had an illusion. How could he see a Professional Ninth Pin knocked down by Lou Cheng?

Liu Yinglong stared. After a long time, he sighed and said, "It is only a few days, how do I feel like it's several years? At the beginning, I still felt that carelessness caused my failure. But now, I am sure the gap between us won't disappear in a short time… Oh, I doubt that he is a different guy…"

"He did it?" Qin Zhilin turned around and looked at senior brother.

Liu Yinglong looked to the arena, solemnly nodded, "Well, he won, he really won. He beat a Professional Ninth Pin."

"…I can not believe that I witnessed the birth of a miracle…" Qin Zhilin murmured.

In other places, young couples and other audiences were still crying and abreacting. For many people, after witnessed the weak overcame the strong, they would naturally divide into two mentalities. One would be jealous and fearful, worrying about the inherent orders (ones that hated and reviled and wailed for the purse were based on other reasons). The second would compare their own with admiration. The strong were no doubt awe-inspiring, but the weak body could challenge the strong and get the victory, that was more worthy of admiration. One day, maybe you could do it yourself.

In their sight, Lou Cheng looked so-so on the arena, but he had the spirit of youth and heroism.

…

Seeing Zhou Yuanning stand up, Lou Cheng was in a little trance. Happiness echoed in his heart, resulting in a refreshing feeling, like going through the hardships in the ocean without any hope, tasting all the dangers, wandering between life and death, and finally witnessed the horizon. That touching moment, that moment of joy, no one could describe with words and sentences!

This is the best taste of the victory!

He really beat a Mighty One of Professional Ninth Pin!

Even if he was not in the best state, and even if he had multiple weaknesses, he was still a Professional Ninth Pin!

Because that he was a member in the forum, his heart was filled with the joy of winning, Lou Cheng said in a very graceful opening,

"I had almost lost twice."

Yes. If Zhou Yuanning dared to fight more resolutely, more bravely, this time the one came to celebrate the victory would be Zhou Yuanning rather than him.

So this was a comprehensive contest of fortune, strength, judgment, spirit, and courage.

Zhou Yuanning shook his head, and responded earnestly, "Only once, that is, when I hit your back. If I had taken the risk to attack, perhaps the result would not be the same. As for the second time, I was rather greedy. When you stood up again, my Qi was close to the limit. I should immediately pull away from the distance. But with the regret of missing the previous opportunity, I became greedy, and made one more attack. That showed you my weakness, so you won. Huh, I should be more thoughtful."

"No, I mean when you took my Iron Bridge Moves, you directly gave me a whip kick. You would be more likely to win," Lou Cheng recalled that time, sincerely said.

Because he succeeded from a bad situation, his Dragon Turning Over Moves actually had a lot of flaws. But his courage beat Zhou Yuanning, so he chose a more secure way.

As for Zhou Yuanning, this was Challenge Tournament, not a Life or Death field.

With a little trance, Zhou Yuanning exposed a bitter smile, "Right…No wonder the old people often say 'fists fear youth'. Except for physical invulnerability, they are also afraid of the physique and strength of young people, as well as their courage and bravery."

After saying that, he did not have the mood to say something more or to take photos. He walked to the stone steps, quickly left the arena, his personal items were locked in the locker room, no need to get back from the competition supervision.

Standing in the arena above, looking at the back of Zhou Yuanning disappearing at the end of the lights, Lou Cheng felt that he had become the king of this bluestone site. He was the only king, accepting the worship, enjoying the authority.

…

"Lord Lu…" Jin Tao waited for a long time outside the locker room until Zhou Yuanning came out. After a shout, he did not know what to say. The words of comfort at this time were more like opening a scar and poking the wound.

Zhou Yuanning's hair was dripping water. He bitterly smiled, "Do not say anything. Accompany me for three or five bottles."

"Sure!" Jin Tao replied immediately.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Yuanning said, "I won't come to the forum until a week later. Too shameful… Half, naked, photos… Can you help me to send them?"

He had set up the rhetoric but was defeated by the unknown, so he got embarrassed and decided to post new topics after things had faded away.

…

Lou Cheng got back his phone from the competition supervision office, and then he went to the locker room. Ecstasy rolled in his heart. He could not wait to share it with Yan Zheke.

Honestly, if Zhou Yuanning didn't go that fast, he would like to blow his identity in the forum. Meet forum friends in person!

Logged in QQ and was going to send a message, he saw the collected voice before. Clear and passionate songs echoed around his ears, a bit fascinating.

Subconsciously, he slid his finger. He called out the address book and made a phone call to Yan Zheke.

At this moment, he would like to hear the voice of Yan Zheke once again. He would like to tell her his victory personally!

Mobile phone ringing came into his ears. Lou Cheng was a little nervous and a little apprehension, but more was happy and expecting.

"Hello, Cheng?" The line got connected. Yan Zheke's familiar voice came through the phone.

Lou Cheng blurted out, "I won!"

The other side of the phone came into a short moment of silence. The breath seemed to be heavier. "Really? Cheng, don't trick me."

With more surprises in her voice, Yan Zheke had already believed his words.

"Listen to the cry around." Lou Cheng turned the phone into hands-free in the locker room, and put it towards the stands. The cry of "Lou Cheng" was endless.

"I, I feel like I'm in the dream. Frankly, don't be angry, I had no confidence… " Yan Zheke said.

Lou Cheng turned off hands-free. And he walked into the locker room, sitting on a metal bench, smiling, "I did not have any confidence either, but didn't I have your refueling song? It was more powerful than ordinary ones. It at least helped me double my strength!"

Yan Zheke made a low laughter that was hard to suppress. After a while, Yan Zheke said, "You are so funny… "

Finished. The two appeared silent, breath across the handset and radio was vaguely heard.

"It feels that I can't talk without emoji pack." Lou Cheng made a joke.

Yan Zheke smiled, "That is, the talk has become unfamiliar. Quickly, honestly account, how do you beat Professional Ninth Pin?"

She deliberately used the tone of online chat to resolve the embarrassment of their first phone call.

"I almost failed twice… " Lou Cheng described the keys of the competition again. In the middle, he focused on the interaction with Yan Zheke, rather than finishing their talk in a breath. When he talked about his winning, the chat became smooth and familiar again.

"Hey, thanks to Coach Yan for telling me the Qi of Wuthering Eight Movements, or else I could not catch the opportunity." He took the opportunity to commend Yan Zheke.

Yan Zheke smiled, "I make a living on my head!"

"And on a cheerful song," Lou Cheng said humorously.

Yan Zheke snorted. "I was just in a whim."

Then, she quickly changed the topic. "Cheng, I found that you will be considered as the second expert of the martial arts community at the beginning of the new term!" How long is it? I always feel you are possessed by an alien."

Her voice tone ended with laughter, teasing Lou Cheng's ears. The joy in Lou Cheng's heart gradually became long and increasingly meaningful. He smiled, "I think your Yin-Yang Stance and some 24 Blizzard Strikes are good enough. But you have no actual combat experience. And when you have it, you will have the strength of Amateur Third Pin. How about this? In the new term, I accompany you to combat, and let Coach Shi be the referee."

He instinctively wanted to have more contacts and common experiences with Yan Zheke.

"Well, you shall be a good sandbag!" Yan Zheke said with a ferocious tone.

…

When the two talked happily, Wang Ye finished the competition. He walked into the locker room, and he saw Lou Cheng making a call. He gave him a thumbs-up.

Lou Cheng smiled in response while introducing the sixteen lottery rules to Yan Zheke, "… That is to say, the first of each group picks the second to avoid the same group."

"Tomorrow your opponent will be Professional Ninth Pin or Mighty Ones of Danqi Realm…Cheng, I can only say that enjoy the fighting and enjoy the martial arts," Yan Zheke said in a joking tone.

The Professional Ninth Pin in her words is the best ones, not the ones like Zhou Yuanning.

Lou Cheng replied with a smile. "I think so. Tomorrow I'll just enjoy the competition and enjoy the fighting. And sooner I will be able to get the bonus. Hey, I can carry luggage to find delicious food in Yanling."

I can also find a better hotel to stay!

Between the words, he thought of the big backpack in the cupboard. According to the original plan, he should go to the station and return to Xiushan. Who would actually predict that he could reach the last sixteen! At the beginning, even he dare not do such a fantasy. That was too outrageous. However, if this best sixteen from Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament do not seize the time to set the hotel, it is possible that he will sleep on the street…

"Yanling's special food? Let me see." Yan Zheke said excitedly, "… there seems to be a mutton soup with bing which is quite famous …"

"Then I'll try it!" Lou Cheng said with pleasure.

They had talked for over forty minutes. Lou Cheng's mobile phone got hot, and the power went straight down. If Yan Zheke's grandmother didn't look for her, Lou Cheng felt that they could go on.

In the later QQ chat, he booked the hotel, which was four or five hundred yuan a night. Quite expensive, but he had a bonus and he was young. He would like a luxury.

This time, he booked for two nights. He did not want to be in a hurry. And the return ticket was not able to get due to the arrival of the Spring Festival. He had to wait for the next round.

When tomorrow's battle was finished, he should call to cheer to master. And he should go to Little Ming to show off. After returning home, he would have courage and self-confidence to say about learning martial arts. At least his performance showed that he was able to make a living of this… Lou Cheng thought.

At almost five o'clock when the sixteen against table was sure, Lou Cheng saw his own name and that familiar and unfamiliar enemy:

"Ye Youting-Lou Cheng!"

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Chapter 64: Stealing Some Relaxation Time

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

So it was that bewilderingly strong woman?

Lou Cheng wasn't moved in the slightest, and he even wanted to smile. To be destined to fight a well-known Professional Ninth Pin, and who had gone as far as the Danqi Realm at that! Under the circumstances of the drawing, it was simply a matter of probability, so going against Ye Youting didn't impact his morale even a little bit.

"I'm going up against that bewilderingly strong woman that I mentioned earlier." Snickering, he casually sent a message to Yan Zheke.

Having just gone through the fight with Zhou Yuanning, his understanding about his own current level was incredibly clear and precise. His pure physical strength was about that of a Second or Third Pin, but when you brought the Danqi into the picture, there were a lot of advantages. It had transformed his physical strength so that if he was able to fully show what he was capable of and was free from any restraint, his fighting ability was that of an Amateur First Pin. Under these circumstances, his mind, physical condition, and willpower were all steadily rising in every respect. There had been a hope when he'd challenged a Professional Ninth Pin with obvious flaws such as Zhou Yuanning, but that was his current limit. He didn't have any alike of going all out against an even stronger opponent.

In the journey of martial arts, confidence was very important, but knowing oneself was also important!

Lou Cheng had the right outlook. He understood that even though he had progressed so much in four months, he still had some weaknesses that were just as obvious. A few days of actual combat wouldn't be enough to make up for those deficiencies. He had to think about the big picture!

Yan Zheke replied quickly with a giggling and clapping monkey emoji, "Not bad! Before you were studying her when she won the second round, and tomorrow you've got to right back. Before you were just a like carefree Buddha roaming around without a care in the world. That's all in the past now. Now, this girl, Ye what's-her-name, she's skilled in Tiger Style and Leopard Style, and has fast speed, nimbleness, and also a bewildering strength. How terrifying, so terrifying that it's hard to handle…"

"There's no need to speak in riddles, are you saying that I'm afraid that I'll lose so easily just like that? I'd still like to leave this little Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament with a little dignity." Lou Cheng purposely used an emoji with an expression of being wronged.

Yan Zheke replied with an emoji of a singer smoking "You said it, not me. To put it simply, enjoy the fight, and enjoy the martial arts."

She was teasing him again.

"Haha, well first off I don't want to think about this tournament until tomorrow afternoon. Tonight I'm going to relax and take it easy." Lou Cheng declared cheerfully, not wanting to spend the night once again pouring over and analyzing videos of the fights.

As for the Top 16 Athletes Competition, there were 4 rounds in the morning and 4 rounds in the afternoon. In the afternoon the important matches would be broadcasted by the Yanling television station. Although there wouldn't be a massive amount of people watching, it would still be an average amount.

However, it was hard for martial arts fights to last for three hours in the four rounds. As a result, in between they would surely put on some song and dances, Chinese Boxing and other performances as well as other activities that would interact with the crowd. Since this was the first year, all tickets for the Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament were free to attract as many eyes as possible and bring in as many people into the arenas as possible for the experience.

…

"Lou Cheng?" Ye Youting stared at the fight roster dumbfounded. She gnashed her teeth in anger for quite a while, "All of my money!"

Beside her, Jiang Lan chuckled, "I didn't expect you two to bump into each other. In that case, I can bet for you to win tomorrow."

"I'll make him see what happens when he makes me lose money!" Ye Youting deliberately allowed herself to smile villainously.

After the 16 athletes had gathered in the conference room and signed the contract about maintaining their integrity, they each were due to receive a 5000 yuan bonus.

When Lou Cheng had walked in, everyone's eyes focused on him. They were full of curiosity and sizing him up, but there was also a sense of appreciation there as well. Compared to last time when he had silently slipped into the corner, now it seemed like he had become the focal point of the group.

This was inevitable. Since it was a fighter of No Rank going against a Professional Ninth Pin Fighter, no matter where you went it was worth following!

Li Xiaoyuan waved Lou Cheng over, beckoning him to come and sit down. Lou Cheng obviously wanted to be together with people that he knew, so he turned in a semi-circle and headed towards the corner. Ye Youting glared as he passed by her.

"What's she glaring at me for? I haven't done anything to provoke her have I?" Lou Cheng was baffled. He had no idea why, and didn't feel like going over to ask. Anyway, after tomorrow they could go their separate ways and never have an opportunity to run into each other again.

"Do you owe Ye Youting money?" Li Xiaoyuan said, making fun.

Lou Cheng shook his head in bewilderment. "I don't know her at all."

"It could be possible that she has a crush on you and suspects that we're in an adulterous relationship." Li Xiaoyuan laughed softly and put on a serious face.

A grin appeared at the corner of Lou Cheng's mouth, and he shot him a glance. "My friend…watch yourself, you don't want to start using these kinds of hardcore jokes. You're a nice and proper artistic young man!"

This easygoing guy's outward appearance really had the air of being a bully!

"Ah, life's so short, isn't it fine to joke around a little bit? Also, Ye Youting and me don't get along very well. So if she sees someone that looks like me, of course, she'll hate them." Li Xiaoyuan spread out his hands.

With all of the people here in Yanling, and all the local young people's most esteemed fighters, how could it not be possible for you and Ye Youting to cross paths?"

Hearing this gossip, Lou Cheng asked with interest. "How did you rub her the wrong way?" "Or is it that she rubbed you the wrong way?"

Li Xiaoyuan lowered his voice, "It's mainly that I think she looks weird, and she heard about that from other people."

Lou Cheng subconsciously looked towards Ye Youting. Her eyebrows were thick, her nose straight, and although her eyes weren't really big they had a spark to them. She seemed quite smart and pretty. Although she certainly wasn't as stunningly beautiful as Yan Zheke, she was far from being odd looking.

"You really think that she looks strange?" Lou Cheng asked, also lowering his voice.

Li Xiaoyuan nodded seriously, "Yes, really!"

Lou Cheng thought for a moment, and patted Li Xiaoyuan's shoulder. "My friend, my honest advice is that you need to get your eyes checked."

When he was done speaking, he added one more sentence, "Why is it that I still think you're joking?"

With a relaxed look on his face, Ye Youting said, "Since I was a kid until now, my tastes have always been attacked by other people, and you're no exception."

While they'd only met each other twice, they genuinely got along with each other. Lou Cheng was waiting to say something when the man in charge of the competition had already come up. Behind him, a bodyguard carried a black suitcase. He opened it, just like in the movies, and inside there were bright red 100 yuan bills. Another bodyguard held a machine used to count bills and detect counterfeit money.

"Originally we wanted to give everyone a card each with its own unique password, but for 5000 yuan it seems like this won't be necessary. We can just directly give you cash." At the same time, the man in charge took a wad of cash and fed it through the counting machine, which happened to come to 5000 yuan exactly. It was obvious that they had prepared earlier.

After testing every pile, the bodyguards gave out the money according to the order of seating. A feeling of deep satisfaction came upon Lou Cheng as the thick and sturdy wad of bills landed in his hand.

Money had a real power to it!

If he didn't have this money, he'd have had to sleep outside in the street that evening. If he hadn't used a private room or gotten money from a refund on his ticket, he'd have had to go hungry tomorrow!

If he didn't have it, he wouldn't have been able to enjoy some good food, and would have had to nibble on some snacks as he'd done before!

If he didn't have it, he wouldn't have been able to make ends meet and take Yan Zheke out on a date at the beginning of next semester!

Also, this was the first time in his life that he'd earned money on his own without depending on anyone else. He no longer was a little kid that had to depend on his Mom and Dad!

…

On the bus, Lou Cheng carried his luggage. He'd changed into some regular clothes and casually looked down at the GPS. He still had two stops to go until he arrived at the Mr. Zhang's Tanling Lamb and Noodle Soup shop that Yan Zheke had mentioned before.

He'd found a nearby bank before and put a majority of the money he'd been given into his account. He only kept 1500 yuan on him for the hotel room and daily living expenses and necessities. He felt that this budget was more than sufficient.

"It feels like I've become a millionaire." Lou Cheng snickered as he sent the message to Yan Zheke

Yan Zheke sent him an emoji with its hands covering its mouth and said, "It's true! You're really awesome Cheng. Other people on work study programs don't make even close to that much money in a month!"

"You're too much… " Lou Cheng said, using a Dodge emoji.

Yan Zheke replied with a laughing monkey emoji. "I learned from you!"

As they cracked jokes between each other, Lou Cheng got off the bus. He looked at the map for directions and turned down a small alley. At a nondescript residence that was at least 20 years old, he found Mr. Zhang's Tanling Lamb and Noodle Soup shop nearby. It wasn't even 5:30, and already people had started lining up next door. The inside was packed to the brim. It was obvious that business was booming at this spot.

After waiting for a half hour, it was finally Lou Cheng's turn. He was led to the smallest kind of table there was, which was for four people.

"It feels weird sitting at a table for four all by myself… " Lou Cheng said and sent a blankly staring emoji to Yan Zheke.

Yan Zheke used an emoji of an onion pushing up its glasses, "So you're experiencing the misery of being single? That's why I never go out to eat alone."

"How about I put my phone across from me and pretend that you're here?" Lou Cheng said with a wicked grin.

Yan Zheke sent a scolding emoji, "So I can see but not eat, do you want to not be friends anymore?"

Time passed quickly as they spoke, and the food that Lou Cheng had ordered arrived quickly; a creamy, milky-white lamb and fish soup, some sliced lamb meat, and some white flatbread that was a recommendation of the shop owners.

Lou Cheng first drank a spoonful of soup and after pondering over the flavor for some time, he was unable to help himself and took a few more mouthfuls. It was so good that he would give 128 thumbs-up.

It was said that for this restaurant's lamb and fish soup, they first boiled some Crucian Carp and then added some previously sauteed lamb meat while it was stewing. Then they put in some secret seasonings, continuously cooking until the broth became milky white, had a full, robust flavor and didn't contain a lot of greases.

The white flatbread was produced in a way similar to the puffy buns in the Northeast. Using your hands, you broke it into several pieces and put them into the soup where it would absorb all of the beautiful flavors of the juices. Biting down on it, the tastiness of the soup and the freshness of the wheat bread all came together. It was enough to make a man drool.

On the other hand, the slice lamb meat appeared to be quite average, although it indeed wasn't bad.

Lou Cheng took a picture while he talked and ate and sent it to Yan Zheke, who glared at him fiercely as she was reminded. He'd soon already cleared his plate, even though the portions at this restaurant were not small at all. One helping here was the same as three or four in Jiangnan Province.

Patting his stomach, Lou Cheng felt warm from head to toe. In the cold wind he didn't need to zip up his down jacket. Ever since winter had arrived, he hadn't had to wear any kind of wool sweaters or jackets. With his blood and Qi pumping after physical training, a simple pair of long johns and a down jacket was more than sufficient.

…

Although the room at the new hotel wasn't as quite as good as the picture Lou Cheng had seen at the front desk, it wasn't bad. There was a lot of room, it was arranged nicely, the facilities were new, and the carpet was thick. More importantly, the internet was high-speed!

Lying down on the bed, Lou Cheng felt a wonderful kind of relaxation, as if every single cell in his body was yelling out in song.

He took out his phone and skimmed through the forums as he spoke with Yan Zheke. Just after entering the live stream, he saw the young girl "Brahman" say to Unparalleled Dragon, Invincible Punch, Pig-Riding Knight, A Plumber Eating Mushrooms and others.

"All of the bullies have suddenly come out to pick on me because I'm so young!" All of this talk about how my new idol is only like an Amateur Second or Third Pin and how he's surely no match for the Uncle Ring Master, and all of this talk about how my new idol is not even close to being the same as a Professional Ninth Pin. It actually made me skeptical and did not support his victory!" Boys can handle this kind of thing, but girls can't. You all have to show me some sympathy!"

In contrast to the tone of her questions, she used a laughing emoji with its hands on its waist, so it was obvious that she was just showing off and being cocky for her new idol Lou Cheng!

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