Chapter 92: The True Strength of a Master (4K)

Chapter 92: The True Strength of a Master (4K)



"Big Brother Master!"

Xue Jing called out, his eyes fixed on the broad and sturdy figure before him, his voice still shaken from the close encounter with death.

That fleeting moment was perhaps the closest he had ever come to death. The overwhelming speed that left his body no time to react and the bone-chilling cold he felt on his neck...

He had no doubt that if that palm had touched him, his neck would have been sliced through like tofu.

'So, this is... the gap between me and a true martial arts master?'

Xue Jing's eyes flickered with a mix of awe and despair.

The power disparity was immense.

He was almost completely helpless, his life hanging by a thread at the mercy of his opponent.

Fortunately, he was not alone...

Meng Boshang turned his head slightly, offering Xue Jing a brief nod and a slight tug at the corners of his mouth, as if trying to reassure him with a smile.

His massive hands, like sandbags, clamped firmly onto the wrist of the person in front of him, unyielding as iron clamps, silently exuding an astonishing display of strength.

Following the arm in front of him, Xue Jing's gaze landed on the figure across from them.

The neatly combed silver hair, the aged and shadowy face still bearing a mix of shock and anger, and the invisible force rippling around his body, carving thin, long grooves into the floor.

"Jiao Hongyuan, you shameless old dog," Li Qi, seated in his wheelchair, spoke up, his voice cold.

"Your good-for-nothing son comes to challenge my disciple, loses, and yet you dare to take action against mine?"

"Decades have passed, and the teeth you lost to me have grown back? Do you think I'm a soft persimmon, to be squeezed at your whim?"

Jiao Hongyuan remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the deep human-shaped indentation in the wall, where Li Chengxuan was embedded.

"Master..."

Li Chengxuan's muffled voice echoed from within the wall.

Jiao Hongyuan's expression changed, and with a twist of his wrist, he unleashed a burst of force, freeing his hand from Meng Boshang's grip.

In the next instant, he flashed over to the wall.

As he moved, Meng Boshang extended his muscular, knotty arm, shielding Xue Jing behind him.

"Chengxuan."

Jiao Hongyuan called out, seeing that Li Chengxuan was embedded too deeply and would be difficult to pry out. He slashed his hand through the air a few times, cutting open the wall.

The reinforced concrete offered no resistance; it was like clay under his palm blade, smoothly sliced through, leaving a gap that was as sleek as if cut by a divine sword.

"Crackle, crackle—"

Debris rained down, dust billowed, and Li Chengxuan struggled free from the wall, looking utterly disheveled. His entire body was covered in fist and foot marks, his clothes were torn, and his exposed skin was bruised and discolored.

"Hiss—"

However, despite his appearance, he seemed to be in surprisingly good condition. He drew in a sharp breath, cradling his crooked, injured fingers, the bones visibly protruding.

"Master, I was careless."

Li Chengxuan lowered his head as he spoke, his eyes on Jiao Hongyuan.

Not far away, Zhu Shan Ying heard these words and immediately pouted in dissatisfaction:

"What carelessness? If you lose, you lose. Don't make excuses!"

"Everyone here saw it clearly!"

The surrounding disciples, intimidated by the inhuman power Jiao Hongyuan had displayed earlier, were hesitant to speak up, but they all nodded in agreement.

There was no room for carelessness; it was simply a gap in strength.

Jiao Hongyuan spoke softly to Li Chengxuan: "We'll talk about this later."

He turned to face Li Qi.

Then, to everyone's surprise, he bowed and said loudly, "Old Man Li! I was in the wrong just now. In my eagerness to protect my disciple, I lost my temper and took action against yours. I apologize to you here and now!"

"In a few days, I will host a gathering and invite all our peers. In front of everyone, I will formally apologize and compensate you for any losses. You name the price!"

"How does that sound?"

Jiao Hongyuan's sudden change in attitude, from his aggressive intrusion and attack on Xue Jing to this humble apology, was a stark contrast that left everyone stunned.

Li Qi narrowed his eyes, sensing that something was amiss.

This old dog didn't strike him as the type to back down so easily.

When something seemed out of the ordinary, there was usually a hidden motive.

As a martial arts master, Li Qi was keenly aware of the principles of combat.

The more your enemy doesn't want you to do something, the more you should do it.

Though he didn't understand Jiao Hongyuan's intentions, Li Qi knew he shouldn't agree to his proposal.

"If apologies worked, why would we need to practice martial arts?"

Li Qi scoffed.

"If you truly want to apologize, then cut off the hand you just used against my disciple. Only then will I accept your apology."

"You go too far!" Li Chengxuan shouted angrily.

"You're the one who goes too far! You're a good-for-nothing brat who needs help wiping his ass after taking a dump, and you dare to bark here?"

Li Qi lashed out with a string of curses, his spit flying.

He pointed his finger at Li Chengxuan's nose, about to stand up, and scolded, "You're as brainless as your mother when you came to challenge us, and you still have the face to make a scene after losing! If you were under my tutelage, you would have been kicked out and flushed down the sewer long ago!"

Li Chengxuan, with his finger pointed at his nose, wanted to refute, but these were the bitter truths that he found hard to argue against. He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words, and his whole body trembled with anger.

Jiao Hongyuan frowned and gestured to Li Chengxuan to stop him from speaking. Then he turned to Li Qi and said, "Seventh Master, your demands are a bit excessive."

Li Qi laughed. "Excessive?"

Without further ado, he turned to Meng Boshang.

"Boshan, it's time to teach this dog a lesson."

Meng Boshang's clear-cut features remained unmoved, and he nodded slightly. Without any visible bodily movement, his waist-length hair, which hung loosely, suddenly began to swirl and coil up of its own accord, readying for battle.

Xue Jing stood beside him, awe-struck.

This was the realm of 'Jin Da Sishao', where one's power permeated even the subtlest parts of the body, allowing control over one's hair.

One could even use their hair to pierce through a person, killing with a single strand.

Jiao Hongyuan's expression changed slightly.

"Wait a moment!"

But Meng Boshang paid him no heed.

In the blink of an eye, his massive, muscular frame disappeared from its original spot.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of Jiao Hongyuan.

That sandbag-like fist of his swung towards Jiao Hongyuan's aged face.

The surrounding air trembled as ripples of force burst forth from the fist's edge, causing everyone to squint against the blast.

As the direct target of this punch, Jiao Hongyuan felt an immense oppressive force.

"Limit Fist! This young man is already nearing his limit and is just a step away from breaking through and soaring beyond the dragon's gate!"

Jiao Hongyuan, with his wealth of experience, immediately recognized the level of this punch and was astonished.

If he were twenty years younger, he might not have been afraid, but as the saying goes, young fists are feared by old masters. He had not yet broken through his limits and was not a 'Eternal Immortal'. His physical state could not maintain its peak, and with age, his body had already declined. Now, facing this powerful punch from a vigorous youth nearing his limit, how could he possibly block it?

He could only lift his elbow, relying on his old but sharp and powerful force, trying to split and divert as much of the punch's power as possible, causing their elbows to collide.

"Bang!"

A deafening explosion shook the entire seventeenth floor of the Zulong Dojo, shattering all the glass. The violent airflow blew everyone back, forcing them to shield their faces.

The entire building trembled slightly, causing countless people to wonder if an earthquake had occurred.

Xue Jing was very close, and as the punch exploded, he instinctively narrowed his eyes. The force of the wind blew him backward about fifty feet, and he couldn't see a thing.

In the chaos, he heard the sound of something shattering in the arena.

After about ten seconds, when the airflow subsided, he finally opened his eyes and looked towards the arena.

At this moment, all the equipment in the training hall was in disarray, broken and shattered. The ground was cracked in several places, the walls were riddled with cracks, and there were even a few large holes.

However, Jiao Hongyuan and Li Chengxuan's figures had disappeared, and Xue Jing only found a puddle of viscous, mercury-like blood where they had been standing, almost solid in its consistency.

The figure of the senior brother, Meng Boshang, was also nowhere to be seen.

"So, this is... the true strength of a martial arts master?"

Xue Jing looked at the chaotic scene in amazement.

If someone told him these people were superheroes, he would believe it.

Just the aftermath of that punch was like a map-wiping attack.

"So, I've just been a little chick until now?"

Xue Jing couldn't help but sigh.

His strength had skyrocketed in the month since he started training, and he had thought he was already pretty strong.

Now, witnessing the true power of these martial arts masters firsthand, he realized how far he still had to go.

"Clack, clack—"

The sound of a wheelchair rolling closer came from beside him.

Xue Jing turned his head and asked, "Master, what's the situation now?"

Li Qi rubbed his eyes, which had been blinded by the wind and sand, and said, "That old dog Jiao Hongyuan took a direct hit from Boshan's punch, grabbed his disciple, and ran away. Boshan chased after him, and they're probably still fighting."

Xue Jing walked to the shattered floor-to-ceiling window and looked outside.

The fierce wind howled around the skyscraper, causing his clothes to flutter noisily. He focused his enhanced vision, granted by his Lv5 Aim, into the distance and faintly saw rings of airflow bursting forth in a certain direction, moving farther and farther away.

That must be the commotion caused by Senior Brother Meng Boshang and Jiao Hongyuan's battle.

"Master, what should we do now? Should we try to help?"

Xue Jing turned back and asked.

Li Qi ran his hands through the sparse hair on either side of his bald head.

"No need. Jiao Hongyuan is old and frail; he's no match for Boshan. We'll just wait for news."

"Hmph!" Xue Jing glanced at the ravaged Zulong Dojo, a cold snort escaping his lips.

"This isn't over. That old dog, I'll flay him alive!"

As he spoke, he turned towards a figure attempting to sneak away.

"Where do you think you're going, kid?"

Su Bijing, who had been trying to slip away in the chaos, froze at the sound of Xue Jing's voice. Reluctantly, he turned back, offering an awkward smile.

"I-I just thought I'd be in your way..."

Xue Jing glanced at Su Bijing, then leaned in and whispered something into Li Qi's ear.

Li Qi's expression shifted as he considered this new information.

"I see... No wonder Jiao Hongyuan was so eager to make peace. He must be trying to cover something up."

His gaze fell on Su Bijing, who was sitting meekly on the ground, and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

"Kid, you've caused quite a mess."

A sense of foreboding filled Su Bijing at these words.

...

"Whir-whir-whir-whir-"

A helicopter hovered overhead as Xue Jing and Xu Ren stood some distance away from the Zulong Dojo skyscraper, engaged in conversation.

"Before, I only had my suspicions, but now it's almost certain that there's something fishy going on at the Golden Wind Dojo." Xue Jing stated.

"That man was a personal disciple of the Golden Wind Dojo, so he must know something. You can handle the interrogation." Xu Ren, clad in a sleek black tactical outfit that accentuated her slender figure, directed her subordinates to escort Su Bijing onto the helicopter, then turned back to Xue Jing.

"If we gain any valuable information from this, I'll put in a good word for you at headquarters."

Xue Jing blinked, feeling a mix of emotions.

If they did obtain valuable information, it would be largely thanks to Li Chengxuan, not him.

That ungrateful brat had suddenly shown up to offer himself up, and now his master was in hot water too.

Whether or not the Golden Wind Dojo was connected to the Cockroach Monster, they were clearly hiding something unsavory.

After this incident, the Golden Wind Dojo would be in big trouble, even if they managed to survive.

"Why don't you consider joining White Crow officially? I really think you're suited for this line of work." Xu Ren offered.

"I've looked into your records in detail. On October 9th, you were confessed to by a female classmate..."

Xu Ren proceeded to recount the events of Xue Jing's recent life, from his classmate's confession to the encounters with the Cockroach Monster and everything in between.

"...and now you've been sought out by the suspicious Golden Wind Dojo. You seem to have a unique talent for attracting trouble. It's truly remarkable and perfect for this line of work."

Xue Jing was speechless.

What did she mean by trouble finding him?

Wu Youqing had also mentioned his ability to attract Divine Relics, but now it seemed like trouble in general was drawn to him.

Thinking about it, that did seem to be the case.

Was this some sort of ancient novel protagonist's 'Troublesome Body'?

Xue Jing waved his hands in denial.

"It's just a coincidence... There's no such thing as a troublesome body type. We should believe in science."

Xu Ren stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"Don't be too quick to dismiss it. Ever since the death of God, strange things have been happening all over the world. Take Divine Relics, for example—each one is a mystery that science can't explain."

She continued, her tone filled with implication.

"Who knows? Maybe the reason trouble keeps finding you is that you're being influenced by a Divine Relic, and we just haven't discovered it yet."

Xue Jing: "..."

He shook his head and began walking towards the Zulong Dojo skyscraper.

"Alright, enough of that. You handle things from here; I'm heading back."

Xu Ren smiled but said no more.

...

Xue Jing stepped into the elevator of the skyscraper and glanced at the panel.

['You've engaged in a real battle...']



Ignoring the string of experience gain notifications, he looked at the bottom of the panel.

['Fitness increased to Lv8 (107/6000)']



['Health increased to Lv6 (29/3000)']



Both Fitness and Health, which had already been at the upgrade threshold, had leveled up.

Xue Jing clenched his fists, feeling the noticeable enhancement in his physical condition, and couldn't help but feel pleased, though a sense of dissatisfaction lingered.

Whether it was Jiao Hongyuan, who could have taken his life with ease, or his senior brother, whose punch kept him at bay, both had made him starkly aware of his own shortcomings.

Suppressing the restlessness within, Xue Jing muttered to himself,

"No matter, I'll take it slow. One day, I will..."

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end