Chapter 64: Give It Your All
Chapter 64: Give It Your All
After finishing his meal and bidding farewell to his grandmother, Jiang Cheng set off, changing into his Falcon Fist Gym training attire. As he walked down the street, the gazes directed at him diminished by ninety percent.
Even those who did glance at him did so fleetingly, swiftly averting their eyes.
On the street, not only did the pedestrians avert their eyes, but even the street vendors seemed to noticeably decrease in number.
Additionally, several members of the Wild Wolf Gang loitered on the street. Whenever they spotted a vendor pushing a cart to set up a stall, they would immediately approach and inspect the vendor's stall permit.
This stall permit shared similarities with the Falcon Fist Gym membership card, but it was not as sophisticated. The membership card had a photo for verification and could be scanned, while the permit was merely a numbered plaque indicating the stall's location and had an expiration date, typically valid for one month. Vendors had to renew it promptly at the end of each month, and if lost, they would need to repurchase a new one.
Consequently, the Wild Wolf Gang members were particularly vigilant during the beginning and end of each month, and anyone caught trying to take advantage of the situation would face severe consequences.
Given these restrictions, most people dared not risk violating the rules.
However, when they saw Jiang Cheng approaching in his Falcon Fist Gym attire, several Wild Wolf Gang members did not avert their eyes like ordinary people. Instead, they stared directly at him.
Jiang Cheng walked straight ahead, paying no heed to their stares, and passed by them without a second glance.
As Jiang Cheng entered the gym, one of the gang members muttered, "He's quite the cocky one, isn't he?"
"Aren't all those from the Falcon Fist Gym like that?" replied another gang member with a cold laugh.
Anyone could sense the resentment in his tone.
This street was a hard-won territory for the Wild Wolf Gang, and their status was unspoken. Ordinary people treated them with reverence, as if they were their ancestors. However, the three martial arts gyms on the street did not fear them, and the gym members openly showed their disdain.
Even so, the gang leader had no choice but to tolerate them and even tried to maintain a good relationship.
This situation left the gang members feeling frustrated and resentful.
Nevertheless, they dared not provoke the gym members. Although most gym members only learned superficial martial arts, some possessed genuine skills. If the gang targeted them, they might not suffer any harm, but a substantial compensation fee would be inevitable. Paying such a hefty sum would surely draw the attention of the gang leader.
However, the situation had now changed.
The Wild Wolf Gang was preparing to flee, and even they didn't know where they would go next. The three martial arts gyms on the street seemed to have an unspoken understanding, and none of them spoke as they gazed at the Falcon Fist Gym with uncertain eyes, deep in thought.
As Jiang Cheng climbed the stairs to the second floor, he was still the earliest arrival.
Setting his short stick aside, he began practicing his foundation training.
After two days of practice, he could now maintain the stance for eight to nine minutes, and on a few occasions when he was in a good state, he could even reach ten minutes, earning him three experience points each time.
Time passed slowly, and gradually, other members of the Falcon Fist Gym began to arrive.
Seeing Jiang Cheng's early arrival and his solitary practice, the premium members had long gotten used to this sight.
They recalled their initial days at the gym, when they too had been eager not to waste their money. Over time, they realized that martial arts training was not a one-day affair, and short-lived enthusiasm meant little. It was the ability to persist for months or even years that truly mattered.
At one point, Zhao Xiangyu paid a visit and asked Jiang Cheng if he had encountered any trouble the previous night. Upon learning that he hadn't, he reminded Jiang Cheng to be more cautious in the future before heading upstairs.
Jiang Cheng turned and looked up at the wall clock.
There was only a quarter of an hour left until nine o'clock.
At that moment, Zeng Shixiong would descend from the third floor.
Thinking of this, Jiang Cheng's heart raced with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Finally, when the second hand reached twelve, footsteps echoed on the stairs.
At the same time, the others on the second floor looked over and greeted him.
Zeng Zhiting nodded slightly.
Just as he was about to walk down the stairs and approach the group, a somewhat unfamiliar voice sounded from the side.
"Senior Brother Zeng, could you please give me some pointers on my staff technique?"
As the voice fell, the nearby senior members were taken aback.
But when they recalled that this newcomer came every day with two short sticks, they understood.
Zeng Zhiting turned to the person in front of him, paused for a moment, and then recognized who he was.
"It's Junior Brother Jiang, of course."
Without hesitation, he agreed and glanced at the others, "I'll give Junior Brother Jiang some pointers first, then I'll come to you all."
"Sure, sure."
The others nodded in agreement.
After all, they had plenty of time, and there was no rush. Watching the spectacle was entertaining enough.
At this moment, Jiang Cheng also brought over the two short sticks.
Seeing that Jiang Cheng was holding dual sticks, Zeng Zhiting's eyes flashed with surprise. After all, aside from long weapons that required both hands to wield, most short weapons were typically held with one hand.
He took a closer look at Jiang Cheng's grip on the sticks and his overall body posture, and his eyes narrowed as he asked, "Have you practiced before?"
"?"
The senior members nearby exchanged glances, sensing that something seemed amiss.
In their eyes, even if Jiang Cheng knew how to use dual sticks as weapons, he was still a novice, capable of intimidating others at best.
Otherwise, how could he not even know how to stand in a stance, requiring Zhao Xiangyu to start from scratch and teach him step by step?
The usually stern Zeng Shixiong now seemed more focused, as if he had discovered that this newcomer might have some real skills.
"I've practiced for a few years on my own, but without any guidance, it's all self-taught," Jiang Cheng explained with a bitter smile.
"Hmm."
Zeng Zhiting paused for a moment before saying, "Follow me."
He headed towards the left side.
There, wooden dummies and other training equipment were set up.
Jiang Cheng followed him.
The senior members exchanged curious glances.
"What do you think? Should we go and watch?" someone asked.
"Forget it. He's just a newcomer. What's the point of watching him? Even if he's practiced the short stick for a few years, didn't he say he's been practicing on his own?" another member shrugged dismissively.
"Judging by Senior Brother Zeng's expression, that kid might actually have some skills. It won't hurt to go and take a look."
"Xiao Li, what do you think?"
Sun Xiaoli thought for a moment and replied, "Let's go and watch. It's rare to see Senior Brother Zeng giving pointers on staff techniques. Maybe we can learn something too."
"That's true."
The others agreed that her suggestion made sense, so they followed along.
Zeng Zhiting led Jiang Cheng to a training dummy.
The dummy had a complete upper body, legs, and below that, a round ball, resembling a roly-poly toy standing upright.
"Use your full strength to strike the dummy in front of you."
Zeng Zhiting stood by, observing Jiang Cheng's power, speed, and accuracy to gauge his skill level.
(End of Chapter)
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