Martial Arts Master

August 27th, 8 P.M. In the Shengxiang stadium, the radio broadcast guided the ambience, drawing cheers from the audience in a sea of enthusiasm.

The third-fourth place match was in place to heat things up before the grand-finals took off!

Yan Zheke’s message arrived punctually.

“Charge forward lad for the prize of money! No cheers for today! Coach Yan will have to slave-drive you! [brandishing foil]”

Slave-drive…chuckled Lou Cheng.

“The weakling in me shivers! [shudders with head in hands]” he replied.

He added another line after that.

“I guess I have to give it my all! [getting all gung-ho]”

After a brief interaction, he signed out of QQ, and handed the unlocked phone to Ann Chaoyang. He repeatedly reminded him when they fist-bumped. “Only start taking pictures when I’m almost on the arena…Try your best to not reply anything when you are posting on the live-stream thread…”

Now that he’s out of excuses and reasons, he had to re-deploy Ann Chaoyang, the relatively reliable one out of the unreliable squad!

“Okay, okay,” replied Ann Chaoyang, bobbing his head up and down to show that he knew what to do.

Didn’t expect Lou Cheng to have this naggy side to him…

After his briefing ended, Peng Leyun moved closer to fist-bump him.

“Don’t play around too much and lose.”

Huh…play around too much and lose? Does he know about it? How Ann Chaoyang and I dissed him during his matches? The familiar quote took Lou Cheng aback.

He reddened when he caught on. Beside him, Ann Chaoyang coughed drily like someone who was caught red-handed bad-mouthing others…

“Haha,” replied Lou Cheng, laughing drily. “I won’t, I won’t.”

That’s when Ren Li extended her fist too, looking at him with a tinge of guilt.

“It was a slip of the tongue…” she admitted frankly.

“Haha, no biggie, no biggie,” replied Lou Cheng, forcing a smile on his face.

In the light-hearted mood, he swung around and walked towards the arena along the walkway, his steady steps masking his overwhelming presence.

The live-stream thread was wrapped in an equally cheerful and lively ambience.

“Is this match even worth watching? In a nap’s time, I’ll be hearing all about Lou Cheng’s victory!” jested “Okamoto’s Fan”.

“A Plumber Eating Mushrooms” raised his objections from a force of habit. “That’s where you are wrong. What joy it is to watch an exciting match that’s guaranteed to go your way, along with some icy beer and barbeque! That’s what life is about!”

“Go squat around the corner, you two! Don’t accumulate bad karma for my Lou Cheng! [whistles and deals a red card]” replied “Eternal Nightfall” Yan Xiaoling.

Her ally “Brahman” didn’t see it that way. “Snacks are ready! Waiting for the competition to start! [wags tail smugly]” she replied.

…

As the ebullient discussion went on, Lou Cheng stepped into the arena before his opponent, positioning himself on the referee’s left hand side. Without exerting his aura, he silently watched as Gusai walked closer, his flesh jiggling with every step.

Wrapped in a crimson Sadhu robe, his opponent was plump but burly like a frightening mountain of flesh, and his skin shone of dark gold. Every part of him was mysterious.

His stretched features appeared small, and his countenance less bitter than that of Wahku. A profound look resided in his eyes, but not much of enlightenment and discardment.

As Lou Cheng sized him up, Gusai was eyeing him as well. What he saw was an energetic youth, gentle and reserved in demeanor, wearing a slight smile on his lips like that of a normal, harmless university student. Yet the way he stood felt immovable, as if in his outbursts he could bring a terror comparable to a mountain crumbling before someone.

His breathing sped up, but he quickly regained control. As he strolled into the arena,without realizing it himself, he tossed a glance towards the referee with the corner of his eyes.

The Miluo referee, Wu Sheng, had a swarthy face, slicked back hair that was scarce in number, and a no-nonsense, solemn expression. Towards Gusai’s gaze, he did not return the slightest response, as though he did not see it.

He was experienced as an quasi-Inhuman mighty one.

Gusai looked away. Putting all his distractions aside, he stood across Lou Cheng with around 30 feet in between.

Wu Sheng glanced at the digital clock as it approached 8:10. He raised his palm, gesturing to his left and right respectively.

Abruptly, he swung his right hand down. His voice was hoarse but loud enough for the entire stadium to hear.

“Begin!”

The King of Youth Pro League third-fourth place match had officially begun!

The tensed muscles on Lou Cheng’s thighs clung tightly to his pants, leaving tight markings that were sharply-defined. At the same time, he swung his waist, shifting his centre of gravity forward, poised to pounce out like a brutal blizzard that finished brewing.

Standing across him, Gusai instinctively leapt to the right. But Lou Cheng merely stomped forward with his left foot. It was just a test.

Snap! Cracks unfurled on the ground as Lou Cheng dashed to his left, sweeping up gusts and devouring the thirty or so feet between them, seamlessly getting in the way of his dodging opponent.

Drawing a breath, Gusai rapidly lowered his body. His dark-gold glowing flabs began gaining definition, turning into muscles that could take one’s breath away. He planned to take Lou Cheng’s attack head-on with his Heart Reflection Punch.

At that moment, Lou Cheng adjusted his fascias, flexed his muscles and moved his feet correspondingly, changing his direction by force. A bang sounded as he smashed through the air, whipping up a frigid wind that fondled Gusai’s face.

Ascension to Heaven’s Stars, Shrilling Northern winds!

The strong wind made Gusai teeter, closing his eyes instinctively as he felt sharp blades scraping against his face.

Sidestepping, Lou Cheng pointed his toes inwards, kneecaps and legs pointing against each other, and swung out a fist.

Gusai’s ears registered a crisp bam. Unable to use Heart Reflection Punch in time, he directed all of his strength to his arm, raising it to defend his side.

Pom! Lou Cheng’s fist smashed into his forearm, caving it in. It sent ripples down his flab, but did little to move him.

Twisting his waist and taking another step, Lou Cheng circled to his opponent’s side, just as the latter was pivoting to find him. He flexed his arm and brutally slammed his elbow inwards.

Though he wanted to experience the Heart Reflection Punch and its killer move, The 6 Paths of Reincarnation Punch, he didn’t want to play around as much as Peng Leyun did; taking attacks head-on right from the get go. He decided to start off with a dogfight approach, and after he fully grasped Gusai’s fighting abilities, he could confidently proceed with further experiments.

That way, if anything went wrong, he would immediately realize it and perform a timely comeback, before it got to the heart-thumping point where defeat was possible!

Bam, bam, bam! In large strides, Lou Cheng moved as though he was dancing though flowers and trees. He moved in series of threes that consisted of punching, kicking and grabbing. The close quarter combat gave Lou Cheng a good idea of what his opponent could and couldn’t do.

This Theravada Sadhu is indeed gifted. His body is capable of absorbing damage, but at the same time packs a punch. His strength is close to mine, even though I’m at the Inhuman stage, he’s only at a slight disadvantage… but from what I can tell, their way of martial arts focuses more on their spirits, and not so much on intricate fighting moves…

With that judgement in mind, Lou Cheng backed away from the melee range and maintained his distance. Retracting his thoughts, he condensed an icy mirror with a glossy surface that produced a clear reflection of everything around him in a 4-inch radius.

It was as though his soul had left himself, and was now suspending in the air, emotionlessly scanning through the surroundings.

Once the Ice Mirror took shape, Lou Cheng immediately retracted his Qi and blood, pulled his arm back, and swung his shoulder out.

Bam! His punch shot out, dragging through the air at lightning speed, kindling a searing white flame that wrapped around it like a stylish glove.

With the break in between, Gusai caught his breath. Channeling his spirits, a look of misery filled his eyes as he lashed out with an ordinary straight. Dark gold radiance seeped out as it collided with Lou Cheng’s flame fist.

Boom!

Flames splattered, ripping away the dark gold on Gusai’s fist. Suffering from the combination of explosive Dan Force and waves of impact, Gusai dared not resist by force, and chose to retreat backwards. Lou Cheng felt a discomfort gnawing at his throat, smothering him. His lungs tightened and his insides burned, as though he was seriously sick.

Apart from that, his body felt weak. He felt as though he had been bedridden for a long time, and the days when he dominated the arenas seemed so far away.

Heart Reflection Punch, Illness!

In life, no one can escape the torments of illness, and everyone experiences it for a few times. Lou Cheng’s body remembered how it felt. And right now those memories were being provoked, resonating with the Fist Intent in Gusai’s punch, breaking through the barriers of time and giving him a serious illness. His limbs lost its strength, and his defensive movements turned abnormally slow. He could only watch as the opponent’s fist neared him.

It all felt too real, but from Lou Cheng’s towering view — in the reflection of the ice mirror, he saw his blood flowing vigorously like wild torrents. He saw his muscles, energetic and youthful, as though it could smash through walls and stomp through the ground at any any time. Not a trace of illness lay within him.

Everything from before was merely illusions spawned from the brain in response to the external stimulus, and the realisticness of it came from the hormone secretions!

It feels good to be healthy, thought Lou Cheng, comparing between his ill figure and his actual body. Taking a half-step with his left foot, muscles bulging, his right fist boomed out, warding off Gusai’s sneaky punch.

Their fists changed shapes in the dull thud. Gusai took a quick step backwards, his wavy Sadhu robes nearly catching fire. With another look of misery, he drew his fist back monotonously.

Heart Reflection Punch, Misery.

Lou Cheng chose to take it head-on. Concentrating and releasing his Qi and blood, his left arm grew in girth, sending out a vicious punch that went straight in its path.

The temperature in the area sharply fell. Gouts of water condensed on his fist as white mist enshrouded it. The sparkling fist landed on Gusai’s forearms, denting it, turning his muscles back into fat, and his dark gold complexion into a shade of pale.

The blow knocked Gusai back by six feet, marking the ground with two distinct lines through friction. His arms were enameled in a layer of white mist, and his lips quivered from the frost. On the other hand, Lou Cheng heard his stomach growl. An insuppressible hunger came over him, as though he had turned into a Sadhu himself, begging for a living in the sun and rain, binded by strict rules and forbidden to eat past noon.

The food tasted bland and dry and he ate with no joy. The discomfort from hunger made him feel as though his throat was reaching out for food. The rush of feelings came over him, and the only thing he wished for is to surrender at that instant, then head into a restaurant where he can stuff his face.

Or rather, hurry back to his own country, where he can gobble up all the delicacies he longed for!

Stir-fried eel, roasted eggplant from Old Liu Barbeque, beef and potato stew, braised pork ribs with lotus root, tomato and egg soup, Yuxiang shredded pork, spicy sautéed crab, braised crawfish… the resplendent images flashed through Lou Cheng’s mind, amplifying the empathy he felt for what a Sadhu had to go through.

Bam! He mustered up his strength, violently jerked his arm back and jabbed out. He had to fight for the delicacies!

Of course, the Ice Mirror had never cracked and merely felt a ripple. The clear reflection reminded him that he was not hungry in reality, keeping his emotions in check, suppressing any anxiety and impatience.

Bang!

The impact made Gusai stagger backwards just before he launched his counterattack, cracking the floor below him. He felt a fleeting confusion, unbelieving of how Lou Cheng could produce such violent force in his state of “hunger”.

Food makes the world go round! Swallowing his spit, Lou Cheng bounded after him in wide movements, his muscles clearly defined and rock solid, like that of a Heavenly God that descended to Earth.

Again, he secretly chanted, enthusiastically whipping out his right arm, hurling a punch that went towards Gusai’s throat like a lance. The imbued Emperor Yan force torched the surrounding air, pulling it into a condensed fireball.

White sparks danced in Gusai’s eyes. He dared not hold back, or make further attempts to gauge his foe’s power. Channeling his spirits, the light of Skandha shone in his eyes. He stepped forward and drew his arm back, rushing forward in silence.

6 Paths of Reincarnation Punch, Hungry Ghost Path!

By insidiously injecting insatiable greed into Lou Cheng’s mind, Gusai sought to drain his foe’s patience and fight with an unthinking bloodthirst.

The force was imbued in his punches, a subtle technique that oftimes left its victims unknowing. By the time they realized and tried to suppress it, it was always too late, for they were either on the verge of defeat or already defeated!

That was the reason why Gusai used it as a prelude!

Boom!

The fireball exploded, sending waves of flames rolling. The Sadhu robe at the region of Gusai’s arm was shredded to pieces, more cracks appearing on his dark gold aura.

His other hand rushed to protect his face, as he staggered backwards to neutralize the impact from Emperor Yan Force.

From its impact alone, his Flame Sect force was worthy of being ranked as top 3!

A ripple formed in Lou Cheng’s Ice Mirror, and its pellucid surface almost cracked apart, but at the same time it unreservedly revealed the infiltrating “spy”.

With preparations and a calm mind, he had detected the Fist Intent of Hungry Ghost Path!

Not bad at all… He calmed his thoughts as water turned to ice, suppressing his impatience and eradicating his greed. Method characterized his movements once again. He fought at a steady pace, not giving away any openings.

Astonished, Gusai tried activating Hungry Ghost Path twice more, yet it did not affect his opponent at all. The gleam in his irises flashed as he changed his Fist Intent out of desperation.

With a look that conveyed calmness and misery, he drew a deep breath. Lifting his hips, he raised his arm and sent a punch downwards, leaving the air undisturbed despite its speed and ferocity.

Lou Cheng lowered his hips, and raised his right arm from his lower abdomen,where he rested it. His backhand punch collided with his enemy’s fist, producing an echoing sound.

All of a sudden, Lou Cheng felt at peace as apathy came over him. He grew tired of the battle, the contest, and more so of defeating his enemy.

Why am I standing here? Who am I? Where did I come from, and where do I go next… At that moment, Lou Cheng seemed to have entered Kenja Time. No earthly desires could pique his interest, and all that was in his mind were philosophical questions about the world and himself. He hardly felt like dealing with Gusai’s glancing elbow blow.

6 Paths of Reincarnation Punch, Immortal Path(Deva and Human Path combined)!

This move “helped” people overcome their desires, eradicating their emotions and freeing them from the prison of mind. When used in combat, it could corrode the opponent’s fighting spirits by reducing the right hormone secretion, throwing them into a languid state where they do not wish to defend themselves. Even if they blocked out of instinct, they can hardly put any strength into it.

The 6 Paths of Reincarnation each had its own quirks!

But this status effect was two sides of the same coin with Ice Mirror—suppressing emotions and detering interferences. Lou Cheng adapted quickly, his status impeccably reflected on the lake in his mind. He drove his body to work, as though he was carrying out the cold, merciless will of the Immortal.

Hormones were unleashed as his muscles swelled up again. Turning around and extending his arm, he pushed a palm out that caught Gusai’s elbow. Flames gathered around. The explosion was coming.

Gusai hurriedly retracted his elbow, avoiding the fulminating flames. His opponent, unflinching in the 6 Paths of Reincarnation, felt like a god to him.

The gleam in his eyes turned red, turning his disquiet to strength. He lifted his waist, tensed the heels of his feet and struck out a low kick. When Lou Cheng defended himself with a whipping kick, he clenched and swung out his hammer-like fist.

Bang!

Lou Cheng straightened his arm and blocked it. His fighting spirits tumbled fiercely, and his blood gurgled more vigorously, stimulating his muscles and driving his fascias.

The desire for violence filled his body. A dark red could be discerned from his iris.

6 Paths of Reincarnation Punches, Asura Path!

A slight crack extended over the Ice Mirror, and the ripples almost turned to tides, but Lou Cheng barely managed to preserve it. He was pleasantly surprised to observe his Qi and blood turning more active under the influence of the Fist Intent of Asura Path. The hidden strength in parts of his muscles were being drawn out, similar to his state when activating the Fighting Formula, albeit less intense.

This isn’t half bad, thought Lou Cheng. He was learning more about his body from a new perspective. There were subtle changes in his muscles, fascias, organs and spirit under the influence of bloodthirst and violence; like the rate of metabolism at his cells level increasing. Some changes were good, and some were bad, but all of them served well as future reference.

Once he digested what he learned, the effectiveness of his Fighting Formula would increase by at least 20%!

Haha, what a good decision it was, playing around a little to experience the 6 Paths of Reincarnation Punch!

Muscles expanding and figure enlarging, Lou Cheng expanded into a giant. He stepped forward and flung his fist, delivering a blow from the above. Gusai’s feet sunk into the floor, blubbers bouncing.

Smack, smack, smack! Whack, whack, whack! After grasping what Asura Path did to his body, Lou Cheng delivered blows after blows as though he was on steroids. Gusai’s depression grew as he defended himself, coming close to a defeat.

All this time, Gusai did not see a semblance of Lou Cheng losing his composure.

What a monster!

Does the 6 Paths of Reincarnation Punch not affect him?!

Or am I simply not good enough?

Doubt rose up in Gusai’s mind; regarding the world, regarding life and regarding himself. He almost wanted to just screw it all and act impulsively and carelessly.

Luckily for him, with his decent mastery of Sixteen Insight Knowledges, he organized his thoughts and calmed down. A rainbow glow redolent of all worldly matters flicked across his eyes.

Smack! The flabs on Gusai bloated once more, expanding into muscles. He drew an arm back and clenched his fist, poised for an attack.

6 Paths of Reincarnation Punch, Human Path!

At that moment, he felt a savage force injected into him. His spirits sharply rose at the stimulation.

Could this be… From the corner of his eye, Gusai caught a glimpse at the referee, Wu Sheng. His demeanor remained grave and solemn, and his face emotionless, not paying him the slightest attention. However, without anyone noticing, he had lowered his left arm to face Gusai. A shade of dark blue flashed past.

So it’s a done deal…

I guess this is the critical moment…

The thought flashed across Gusai’s mind. With his unprecedentedly good state, he performed the Intents of life to the finest. When his attack was blocked by Lou Cheng’s burning fists, he injected his force into it, letting it run its course and turning the life to hell.

When one’s thoughts turns extreme, they will suffer pain and experience unescapable torment.

Hell doesn’t exist anywhere but in a person’s heart!

One thought can bring you to the human world and another could bring you to hell!

That was the ultimate essence of 6 Paths of Reincarnation Punch. The 6 Paths of Reincarnation that even Wahku had yet to master!

Applying both Human Path and Hell Path!

Boom!

The Emperor Yan force boomed, sending tides of flames tumbling at will. Gusai had to dodge while taking multiple steps back to avoid the danger and stop its remaining impact.

Lou Cheng’s vision fogged, as though he experienced ten years in that moment.

In the beginning of the ten years, he ran to and fro between the two countries, driven by enthusiasm. Then, as he and Yan Zheke became more preoccupied with their own lives, the frequency between their meetings gradually decreased…

They used to share every interesting tidbit with each other, but as time went on they grew too busy. Too busy for small talk. Conversing became a chore, increasingly monotonous and boring…

After two to three scandals, they grew suspicious of each other. Being together was becoming more and more tiring. Slowly, the relationship fell apart by itself…

When it came to that, he even felt a sense of release and freedom…

Ten years later, when he had already settled into another relationship, he returned to his school for its anniversary celebration. At night, when he revisited the long bridge, he saw a familiar silhouette. She wore a white shirt that bespoke her intelligence, and an elegant long dress that crossed her knees. She stood there glancing at the lake. Her face retained its beauty, but gained a hint of maturity over the years.

“How have you been?” he asked after a brief silence.

“Great,” she nodded with a smile, and without stopping she briskly walked past him.

When she had trailed off, far away from him, she mused to herself in a tone that teetered between amusement and sadness.

“When you confessed, you promised to wait for me forever…”

The deeply buried feelings surfaced at once, sweeping up strong winds and wild torrents in her heart. She wanted to turn around. To fix things. But when she saw the wedding ring on her finger, she buried those feelings once more.

The slender and beautiful silhouette gradually disappeared in the distance. His heart felt hollow as an intense regret filled him. Whenever he was reminded of it, he regretted it so much so that it felt like he lost a part of himself. On the day he heard that she got married, he spent an entire night sitting alone by the river…

All the happenings of his youth, gone with the flowing waters.

Seeing his enemy in a stupor, Gusai rushed forwarded, flinging his arm to deliver a punch.

Another ten years passed, then another. His hair had turned silver, but there was no one beside him to sing “When you grow old”…

The regret in him never faded with time, and the pain dug deep into his heart…..

The scenes flickered before him, overwhelming Lou Cheng with pain and regret. All he wanted was to redo everything, and this time, he’ll never let go!

No, this is not the future I want!

With his emotions unstable, he awoke the Ice and Flames in him, wanting to throw a punch at the abominable fate and his detestable self.

The rebalance between Ice and Flames brought out the Starry Sky. That was the first time he got to use it in actual combat ever since he could slightly manipulate the strength in his Jindan! With all his strength, he wanted to set things straight again!

Bam! His frame enlarged in an instant, his eyes pained and hideous, throwing out a punch at a speed beyond Gusai’s imagination. It hit him before the winning punch he betted on had reached its maximum momentum.

Boom!

Air currents exploded, leaving Gusai flabbergasted under the ridiculous pressure. His right arm rebounded right away after being struck, landing on his chest and shattering the dark gold around it, almost snapping his bones.

With an enraged roar, Lou Cheng dashed forward, swinging his fists at his opponent’s left arm that rushed to defend himself, unleashing his brute force in its full glory.

In the overlapping bang and snap, Gusai flew out backwards, his arm broken and his chest caved in, himself on the verge of passing out. Heavily wounded, he remained stunned, unable to comprehend what had happened.

The audience fell into silence. They can hardly believe their eyes. Lou Cheng’s last two punches were so terrifying that it made him look like a beast in human form.

The external force in Gusai was scattered by force before it was retracted.

Lou Cheng only snapped out of it when he saw his opponent helplessly fall to the ground. Only then he realized what he saw were all illusions, illusions that flooded him with pain just from thinking about.

Was my uncertainty and fear about my long distance relationships amplified?

Though the scenes he experienced were fictional, some parts of it did make sense and he took something out of it; to never make such mistakes and live a life of regret “again”!

The referee drew a difficult breath as though holding something down. He raised his right hand.

“Lou Cheng wins!” he rasped.

Shaking his head, Lou Cheng bowed, swung around and walked down the arena. He cursed Peng Leyun and Ann Chaoyun in his heart as he felt the weakness from manipulating the strength of the Jindan.

These two unreliable bastards! Telling me Gusai’s 6 Paths of Reincarnation Punch were nothing, and that it could be withstood with preparations…

What lies! The Path of Life straight up got him so good that he almost lost!

Right before he stepped on the stone stairs, behind him, the referee Wu Sheng opened his mouth and let out a mouthful of blood, splattering onto the gouges in the floor.

Wait, what? Why did the referee vomit blood? The audience exchanged looks of confusion, unsure of what to make out of it.

What made him vomit blood?