Martial Arts Master

Huahai University Martial Arts Club’s coach, Ge Lie, had often been teased by the team behind his back for being an “Akalin” (a character with minimal sense of existence in a Japanese manga). With regard to Ann Chaoyang’s request, he pushed his glasses up and said,

“Alright.”

He was a coach that had been around the universities’ martial arts circle for many years. Like Shanbei and Huang Qing, he was an expert in guiding newbies, pulling out the layers of body refining training, and training fighters who had just entered the Dan stage. However, he had little experience in training talented fighters.

With his coach’s approval, Ann Chaoyang slowly stood up and straightened his body. With his hair banded up, he looked around the changing room. With a casual tone, he said to Piao Yuan and Xing Jingjing,

“Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, we’re already in our final year in school. We’ve less than three months left before I have to say goodbye to everyone and report at Xinghai.”

“I still remember in freshman year, when I entered the school, I was of Professional Ninth Pin. Besides carrying airs around me, I had nothing else. It was thanks to senior brothers and sisters who were kind and generous enough to accept me. Only because of your kind acceptance was I able to grow and attain Dan stage before the annual Nationals, and fight alongside with everyone else for the highest honor of the martial arts circle — the Feitian Cup. ”

“Till today, I still remember that scene clearly. Remembering how everyone tried their very best, being moved to tears by the sweat of everyone. Remembering the indescribable crazy happiness. ”

“All of this seems to have happened just yesterday. But the senior brothers, sisters, and the teammates from my year have already left here long ago. They’ve started on the next journeys of their lives. Before the new semester started, I considered carefully, whether I should retire earlier and head to the Xinghai Club every day to train with the Mighty Ones with Physical Invulnerability, instead of going there every once in a while.”

“I’ll just be a little cheesy here. I feel that I can’t let go. I want to end what I’ve started well. I want to share with you guys the gripping joy and moving moments. I want to pass down the ‘DNA’ of being a champion. I want to pass it down to generations and generations of juniors to come. I want to tell you all this one line.”

He stopped for a little while. With a solemn expression and a louder voice, he said,

“We are champions!”

Piao Yuan, Zhang Dongliang, and the others were all moved by his words. Even the cold-hearted Xing Jingjing’s eyes wavered a little. Their hearts started to race and thump as Ann Chaoyang raised his voice into a cheer.

“We are champions!”

We must take back the honor that belongs to us!

…

Inside the locker room of the Songcheng University Martial Arts Club, seeing that Lou Cheng was asking for a fight, Geezer Shi clicked his tongue and said,

“It’s good to be young. Back in those days… Ay… Forget it. A good man never digs the past up. Go. Go and get the victory that everyone needs!”

“Yes, Master!” Lou Cheng nodded solemnly. His energy seemed to be spilling out of every cell within him.

Geezer Shi coughed twice. He looked towards Lin Que, Yan Zheke, and the rest.

“I don’t need to reiterate how important this match is, right?”

“No!” Lin Que, who seemed to be infected by Lou Cheng’s fighting spirit, chimed together with Cai Zongming and the rest of the team.

“That’s good that I don’t need to repeat myself. One more word: don’t look down on Huahai. But also, don’t be afraid of them. Just think about the highest honor to be won. To win, to climb to the top, we must overtake the past champions one by one!” Geezer Shi said these words seriously. Such a rare occasion for him to do so.

“Yes!” Lou Cheng and the rest nodded strongly. They came together in a circle again, each one had their left arm on the shoulder of the person next to them. Their right hands in the center, piled up on top of one and another.

They looked at each other. They all pressed their right hands down and pulled them back immediately as they cheered at the top of their lungs, shouting and releasing all the nervousness and excitement within them.

“Victory!”

After they had released the negative energy within them, Geezer Shi turned around and opened the door of the locker room. He walked out slowly.

Lou Cheng was about to follow him, but he was pulled back by Yan Zheke. He stopped in his steps.

“What’s wrong?” Lou Cheng asked curiously in a low and quiet voice.

The two became last in line, shielded from view by the teammates who were in front of them. Yan Zheke did not say anything else. She grabbed Lou Cheng’s clothes with both hands, got on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the lips.

Their tongues started to entwine. The girl responded to the deep kiss for a couple of seconds before she pushed away and stepped back. She blushed and her eyes were twinkling. With her hands in a fist, she said softly,

“Darling, all the best!”

Lou Cheng was still recovering from the sudden sweetness. He was still trying to figure out what had just happened. After being still for two seconds, he realized what Yan Zheke meant. Happily, he said to her,

“Darling, you too. All the best!”

He had a hard time tearing his eyes from her moist and glistening lips. He tried his best to focus again and both of them quickened their steps to catch up with Lin Hua.

Woo, he realized that they had been caught in action… Lou Cheng’s lips arched upwards. Each step became steadier and steadier. He ignored the teasing looks that Cai Zongming was giving him.

At the moment, the sound of the vuvuzelas echoed across the arena continuously. The arena erupted like large, passionate waves.

Once the teams from Songcheng University and Huahai took their seats, a silver-haired judge wearing a black martial arts suit appeared in the middle of the arena and signaled to both sides. Upon seeing this, the broadcaster announced,

“Huahai University Martial Arts Club against Songcheng University Martial Arts Club, competition start!”

“First round, Ann Chaoyang, Lou Cheng! ”

Boom, cheers erupted. It was like an airplane had flown past close to the ground.

Zippp!

Lou Cheng pulled down his zipper and removed his thin jacket. He stood upright.

On the other side, Ann Chaoyang stood up slowly and the white towel wrapped around his shoulders fell off.

The fight between the Heavenly Sons was about to start!

After giving Yan Zheke, Lin Que, and the rest of the team high fives, Lou Cheng started to take the steps up. With each step, his will got stronger. With each step, his momentum got stronger. Ann Chaoyang, on the other hand, was absorbing everything to keep within himself. The closer he got to the arena, the quieter he got.

Just as they were both about to take the step onto the stage, they saw each other. When their eyes met, there was a gleam in both pairs of eyes.

Within Ann Chaoyang, he felt that Lou Cheng was a tall and steady snow mountain. With each howl of the wind, he was closing in, giving the sense of “almighty” and “worship”. Within Lou Cheng, Ann Chaoyang was like the endless oceans with waves and currents ready to take in everything, swallow everything!

Bam!

As their eyes met, there were sparks like fireworks being set off.

This was a battle of the momentum, the comparison of the wills!

Deng, deng, deng! Both men’s footfalls started to be heavier with each step they took. They both arrived that their positions, forgetting the referee, forgetting the dialogue time.

After three minutes, neither had the upper hand. The referee raised his right arm, his voice ringing in the air,

“Start!”

With the sound still in everyone’s ears, Lou Cheng lifted both arms in a single movement. He had already visualized the lines of ancient characters in his mind. In a swift move and a low roar, a sign was born.

“Attainment!”

Bam, his body smashed through the air barrier, and without much effort, he closed the eight meter gap between them and appeared in the face of Ann Chaoyang. Following the strength of the movement, he slanted his body to one side. His muscles swelled up and became actual mountains of iron. He leaned towards his opponent.

With such speed, such force, even if the person was not made of flesh and was made of iron skin, he would probably not be able to take such a blow!

The match just started and Lou Cheng was attacking in full force. With Ann Chaoyang’s current level, it was impossible for him to avoid the blow!

Facing this, Ann Chaoyang quickly took in a deep breath, placed his weight on both feet, pulled strength from his waist and back, and pushed out his left arm.

Just as his palm came into contact with Lou Cheng’s right arm, he felt the tremendous crashing force and speed. He immediately contracted his fascia, shook his body, and took a step back.

Bam!

At the point where Lou Cheng’s Sticky Back was blocked, he pushed a force from his waist and back. Like it was in hiding, an explosive force moved forward with the earlier force and blasted the left side of his rival’s torso. The fist was surrounded in a layer of white mist, and in his mind there were the visuals of a huge frozen river.

Frost Force! Consecutive move!

At such close distance, Ann Chaoyang had no way to avoid the blows. He could only rely on his instincts. Two of his rib fascia vibrated, he raised his right arm, and extended his palm to block the front of the Lou Cheng’s fist.

Pam! The cold current gushed forward and the force rushed into his body, freezing Ann Chaoyang’s muscles, making his joints move slower.

However, at this time, Lou Cheng could only feel that within Ann Chaoyang’s body, there were only endless oceans. After putting his Frost Force in, it seemed to disappear almost immediately, without even the slightest ripple.

The Water Sect’s core force, the Ocean Force!

Just as the Frost Force was being neutralized by the Ocean Force, Ann Chaoyang blocked Lou Cheng’s left fist with so much strength that his veins were showing. He was about to release a force to capture it, aiming to pull and tear it apart!

Lou Cheng had already expected this. Calmly, he took in a deep breath and his left arm’s muscle and fascia swelled. It swelled so much that it pushed apart the five fingers of his rival, not allowing any chance for the strength to enter deep into his body.

At the same time, Lou Cheng’s thigh muscles were raised and the tips of his toes went straight for his rival’s knee joints — aiming for the common weak points.

Pam! Ann Chaoyang seemed to have “heard” some movement. So, instinctively, he did a flying kick and used his own leg to block the sudden attack.

Pam, pam, pam! Lou Cheng’s upper body did not move at all. Both of his legs were moving nonstop. They were like hurricanes continuously kicking and aiming for the rival’s knee joints and ankle joints. From the start to now, he was just attacking, attacking nonstop!

After those two rounds of near-death battles, he clearly understood the key winning element in a match where both parties were about the same level — whoever obtained the upper hand, that person would be closer to victory. The defending party would have to waste more effort and energy or have to adapt quickly so that he or she could have a chance to fight back.

First step first, all steps first!

Bam, bam, bam! Ann Chaoyang was also crazy fast in kicking. Perhaps he had used the Listening Skill and had barely avoided each blow, each attack.

When Lou Cheng saw that he would not have a chance to give a blow, he stopped suddenly and stepped onto the ground just as he released his left leg into a kick. With the force, he rebounded and threw out his elbow, shaking his right arm, releasing himself from Ann Chaoyang’s left palm. He went straight for his face.

This blow comprised of the release of the Zhu Rong Force and supernatural ability. The moment that it hits or gets blocked, it will release a blaze and burn the opponent’s face, making the opponent avoid in haste, exposing weak points.

Just at this moment, Ann Chaoyang’s hairs stood on their ends. He could sense danger. He tried to catch Lou Cheng’s left arm and tried to push it away so as to make Lou Cheng’s whole body move backwards and lose balance.

Following almost immediately, his torso released energy. Another hand pushed upwards and blocked the wrist of Lou Cheng’s right punch.

Bam!

Lou Cheng’s fist was pulled upwards by his body leaning backwards and the hit on the wrist. The fiery red flames brushed past Ann Chaoyang’s head, burning a few strands of his hair.

With his body leaning backwards, Lou Cheng went with the flow and retracted. Ann Chaoyang had tried so hard to turn the tables around. Since he finally managed to do it, he immediately made his move, turning defense into attack.

However, just as he took a step with his left foot, he felt that the floor was abnormally slippery. He was losing control of his body and he was about to fall!

Somehow, some time, the ground between the two of them was covered with a crystal clear layer of ice!

Earlier on, with every kick, Lou Cheng’s foot had released the Frost Force. He had set up a trap in secret!

Ice Sect, 17th move, Polar Ground!

This was one of the ways to use it!

Lou Cheng had intentionally moved backwards so that Ann Chaoyang could fall into the trap!

Slisshhh!

Ann Chaoyang’s left foot slipped! He lost his balance. His pupils contracted and he retracted his qi and blood.

Although, as a unique point of the Dan stage, to use the mercurial balance to control the body was not difficult, Ann Chaoyang was very clear that his rival would definitely grab this opportunity to launch attacks. If that was the case, he would unlikely be able to make any move just after regaining his balance. So he would be better off using Force Concentration to neutralize and counter the attacks while waiting for the opportunity to attack again.

As Ann Chaoyang started to concentrate his qi and spirit at his dantian, Lou Cheng did not choose to attack. Instead, he raised both arms and made a sign. He exhaled deeply before saying loud and solemnly,

“Army!”

Since you have   a secret skill and ability to absorb all mental attacks, I’ll use this move when you’re focusing all your energy in your abdomen! Let’s see what else you have that can take this move!

“Army!”

The surrounding atmosphere was terrible. The exchanges between the rivaling armies were cold and extraordinary.

Ann Chaoyang’s spirit was just recovering, and he had to face this move. In a split moment, he had entered into the abyss of no return and was just waiting to be taken down by his opponent.

He could not help but to shiver a little. His trembling movement dispersed the explosive impact of his Dan stage.

Bam!

Lou Cheng’s spirit and qi contracted and relaxed in a rhythm. His right arm was tight and he threw his fist forward, towards his opponent.

Ann Chaoyang was indeed strong. In such a situation, he had actually managed to lift both his arms.

Pam!

The forces of the two exploded. He was hit backwards and he lost his stance.

How could Lou Cheng let this chance slip? He took huge strides forward and consecutively visualized the Cold and Frozen and Frozen River diagrams. He lifted his left arm high above and made a warning pose!

Ssiii! Hooo!

The spectators were either taking in deep, cold breaths, or letting out surprised shouts.

From the moment the referee had shouted “Fight”, they were “tormented” by the nonstop fight between the two fighters. The spectators were out of breath, almost afraid that if they batted an eyelid, the tough battle would be over.

In the midst of this whole process, they only felt that Lou Cheng, who was on the offensive, had an impressive and strong fighting stance. He was exuding the essence of beauty and strength in all his moves. They were all on an adrenaline rush. Their souls were shaken.

Now Lou Cheng was ferocious and Ann Chaoyang seemed like he was going to lose!

“With inches, the line between life and death… ” With regard to the earlier half of the match, the guest commentator, Chen Sansheng, could not help but exclaim in awe.

Yan Zheke’s beautiful eyes were sparkling. She could see nothing else but her boyfriend.

Ann Chaoyang had just retreated when he saw Lou Cheng continue to make his aggressive advancement. He understood that victory and loss were just moments away. He immediately did visualization, moving his fascia, twitching his muscles.

Dang!

Both of his feet sank and suddenly his body was steady. The ground beneath the arena started to shake.

This second, he seemed to have transformed into the earth and become one with the arena.

However, just as he had steadied his body’s rhythm, Lou Cheng’s raised arm had become an iron rod. Bam, it smashed down and did not give him a chance to hide, nor did he have the chance to do Force Concentration and visualization!

Simplified Physical Invulnerable Move, Severe Warning!

Ann Chaoyang seemed to have given up all hope. Using little strength, he lifted his right arm and moved upwards.

Boom!

When Lou Cheng’s fist landed on the arm of his rival, it immediately released a cold wave, so cold that that it would freeze all thoughts and movements. At this very moment, he felt Ann Chaoyang’s spirit, qi, and blood contracting quickly.

This timing was perfect. Ann Chaoyang’s body was already showing signs of frost and his eyes were losing focus. But his Force Concentration was still ongoing!

Every sense felt like it was exploding and then contracting again. The freezing force was expelled out and Ann Chaoyang regained his focus. His body started to swell and he swung his left fist out!

To use such a method to neutralize Severe Warning, the person would need to have an accurate grasp of when Lou Cheng was going to strike. If not, it would be impossible to retaliate, because if they were too late, the mind would be frozen and unable to do the Force Concentration. If they too early, the cold wave would not have entered the body yet and the mind would still be in a daze!

“Lake and Mirror Liked Wisdom”! At this point, a famous saying appeared in Lou Cheng’s mind.

This was an ultimate skill of the Water Sect, and it was similar to Ice Mirror. One of those skills besides physical invulnerability that were terribly difficult to master!

Surprisingly, Ann Chaoyang had actually managed to master it!

As expected from a true disciple of the Queen of Thought!

Bam!

Ann Chaoyang’s left fist was like a swift dragon tearing through low ground, bursting through the shallow sand, and going straight towards Lou Cheng in the most elegant and agile form.

Lou Cheng did not have enough time to hide or enter the Dan realm. He could only follow what his rival did earlier. He raised both arms and tried to block the attack as it came.

Pam!

His body shook vigorously. It was obvious that he had lost his stance and was wobbling backwards.

At this critical moment, Lou Cheng drew back his qi and blood as fast as possible and sat on the gold carriage, maintaining his core and balance.

Ann Chaoyang let his arm follow the flow and swung his arm back again. He entered the Dan realm and used the water flow continuation pose to execute a Double Explosion. He shook his right arm, clenched tight, and smashed forward!

Lou Cheng knew that he could not avoid that blow. He sucked his dan thin, made his arms swell, and raised them up again as a shield.

Bam!

In the midst of the echo, Ann Chaoyang now had the upper hand. He took the opportunity to strike again.

Pam, pam, pam! Triple Explosion, Quadruple Explosion, Quintuple Explosion, Sextuple Explosion! To Lou Cheng, all he had in mind was that his rival’s attacks were very much similar to his very own 24 Blizzard Strikes. Each strike more powerful than the previous, each strike stronger than the previous. Plus, they had the smoothness and roundness of running water!

Bam! Bam! Bam! Septuple Explosion, Octuple Explosion, Nonuple Explosion, Decuple Explosion! He was still in defending position. Lou Cheng, who had trouble gaining strength from elsewhere, was being hit by Ann Chaoyang’s Deluge Stance into a retreat, wave after wave. Each step that he took backwards left a hole in the ground. Soon, there were cracks on the ground along with footprints.

However, although he was in such a situation, he did not panic. This was just being suppressed for a bit, being hit into a retreat.

After that night where we took down the building, I’ve already experienced such a situation. In addition, there’s no wall to restrict my retreat and to hurt my back!

Hendecuple Explosion! Duodecuple Explosion! Tredecuple Explosion… Within one breath, Ann Chaoyang went all the out till the 14th consecutive explosion. The hairband on his head was ripped and his mid-length hair was flying in the air. Lou Cheng tried his best to hold on. Although he had to retreat, he did not panic, but to face 14 consecutive explosions, the path that the two of them had went along was completely destroyed.

“The tables have turned. As expected from Ann Chaoyang. As expected from the Sleeping Tiger!” In the broadcasting studio, Chen Sansheng cheered on.

At some point, Yan Zheke, Cai Zongming, and the rest of the team all stood up. They were all looking nervously at the arena. The spectators were all roaring as the match heated up.

After the 14 consecutive explosions, Ann Chaoyang slowed down his crazy attacks. He changed his footwork and started to go around Lou Cheng. He pushed out his palm, palm after palm, each move with the Ocean Force weaved in.

Lou Cheng did not allow himself to continue being in the weaker position. He started to use the Frost Force and Zhu Rong Force in alternating order to fight back. However, the cold waves and hot currents continued to be absorbed and neutralized by his rival’s ocean like waves.

Of course, his forces had supernatural abilities and were stronger than his rival’s. Hence, Ann Chaoyang’s face started to change from pale to red in an alternating rhythm. He was definitely affected, and the effects of each move were compounding on top of each other!

Lou Cheng, too, was exhausted a little by the Ocean Force. His tendons and vessels started to swell and he started to have difficulty breathing, just like being pushed into the sea inch by inch!

Water Sect, 15th move, Drown!

While being locked in such a fight, Lou Cheng tried several times to use the Ice Burning and Snow Cover to break out of the momentum so as to catch a breath. However, Ann Chaoyang continued to be offensive. Since Ann Chaoyang was somewhat familiar with Lou Cheng’s moves, he never gave Lou Cheng the chance to break away.

With the match progressing till now, Ann Chaoyang’s eyes swept the surroundings. Suddenly, he decided to change his tactic. He visualized the diagrams of Crashing Waves and Crumbling Dam.

Pam!

All his muscles started to swell and he was floating in midair. His right fist pulled way back and thrashed straight forward!

Lou Cheng used the time when Ann Chaoyang was visualizing to do Force Concentration. He minimized the feeling of drowning and expelled the effect with a spray of his dan. He moved his waist and back and threw out his thick right arm.

Bam!

The sound was scary. It echoed across the arena. Lou Cheng, who had gone all the way out, was actually hit back two steps by Ann Chaoyang, who did not even use Force Concentration.

The simplified physical invulnerability of the Water Sect, Deluge!

It was impossible to defend against such a ferocious attack. It drowned any counter-attack intentions.

It did not have any freezing or numbing effects. It was pure power. Pure strength to stimulate the power to produce a force stronger than what the Dan could neutralize.

Of course, Ann Chaoyang would not dare to use such an exciting qi and blood move too many times. At most three times in one competition. This was a perfect time to use it!

Bam!

Lou Cheng took two steps back and steadied himself. Through the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed the border lines of the arena.

If he took another step, he would fall off!

Ann Chaoyang had held back for so long, waiting for this perfect moment to execute the Deluge!

He rushed forward. His mind was full of diagrams and images of crashing, dangerous waves that only kept growing taller and taller, and then the mind became the image of the dam walls crumbling against strong waves!

Bam!

The dam was reduced into gravel. The Deluge rushed forward. Ann Chaoyang’s right fist came straight out again! With terrifying strength, he hit Lou Cheng right off the arena!

“Lou Cheng has lost… ” In the broadcasting studio, Chen Sansheng sighed.

Cai Zongming and everyone else held their breaths. Yan Zheke bit her lip nervously.

Countless thoughts of defeat flew through Lou Cheng’s mind. Right behind him was the line of defeat.

He grabbed on to one of his thoughts and let his soul visualize a large red sun right in the midst of the bright sky.

This heavy and threatening “fireball” appeared. The hot currents within Lou Cheng’s body started to come together. They started to concentrate together, they started to compound into a ball together!

After that moment, the image that Lou Cheng visualized changed again. It became an image of a half-beast, half-man fire god, Zhu Rong, appearing and riding a red dragon. In one moment, the vicious burning fireball “calmed down” and became controllable.

The simplified physical invulnerability, Internal Explosion!

Bam!

With two legs straightened, he threw out his fists.

Bam!

The two fists solidified and Ann Chaoyang felt that something in his body had just exploded. He was boiling internally. His qi and blood were flowing irregularly, his mind was ringing and at his throat, he could taste rust.

He did not think much. Instinctively, he carried out the Force Concentration to neutralize the waves in his body.

Lou Cheng did not manage to avoid the crazed Deluge attack. He took another two steps back and fell off the arena.

In the midst of sighs of disappointment, his eyes were calm and cold, as cold as ice. He made a turn in midair, and with all the Power of Blaze channeled to his right hand, he swung it towards the ground.

A “fireball” appeared and exploded against the ground.

Bam-Pam!

On the ground next to the arena, there was a huge hole. There was thick smoke and dust everywhere.

Using this opportunity, Lou Cheng adjusted his muscles. Like an immortal, he rebounded “against the air” and returned to the arena with huge wings. Then he charged towards his rival!

With his body in midair, he concentrated all the cold waves and turned them into a crystal clear river. Then he threw it towards Ann Chaoyang. Ann Chaoyang was still carrying out Force Concentration to reduce the turmoil within him.

Almost immediately, Lou Cheng stretched out his right arm and aimed for his opponent. Within his mind, there were the images of Frozen River and Thunder Cloud Roaring!

There was a bright flash. An Chaoyang, whose spirit was contracting, was hit directly. On the surface of his body, a layer of frost appeared and slowly became a layer of ice. However, he quickly used his dan to blow and neutralize it. His body swelled and broke the ice layer.

The harsh cold caused him to be slow. Before he could react, in the midst of the thick fog, Ann Chaoyang saw the “descending” Lou Cheng charging towards him. Lou Cheng’s right arm was just inches from him!

Flying Immortal, Severe Warning!

Bam!

Instinctively, Ann Chaoyang lifted his arm to block Lou Cheng’s fist. However, his mind was void of thoughts. His thoughts were completely frozen.

Lou Cheng had just gained the upper hand with one move. His fist transformed into a palm. He did a cartwheel and flipped over Ann Chaoyang’s head. He used his hands to press and apply pressure on his temples.

Bang!

Lou Cheng’s feet landed on the ground, only feeling that the cold wave, hot current, and spirit were all gone and that he was left with emptiness. He almost caused the Jindan to lose its balance. At his back, Ann Chaoyang was just standing there, dazed and facing the arena spectators.

At this moment, the referee retracted his hands that almost tried to stop the match. He raised his hands and announced,

“First round, Lou Cheng wins!”