Martial Arts Master

Inside Cai Zongming’s room, He Zi cast a disgusted glance at the ecstatic Yan Xiaoling.

“Don’t mind her. It takes a while for her to return to normal.”

Lou Cheng laughed and looked around at them.

“Initially, I would have been satisfied as long as one of you attained the Dan Stage. That would mean our Martial Arts club is on the right tracks. I could never have imagined that, in less than one year from my departure, Deng Yang and He Zi would both grasp the concept of withdrawing and pass their promotions. Well done! I’m impressed!”

He raised an approving thumb.

Diffident, the bright and outgoing Deng Yang smiled dorkily while scratching his head, repeating the words, “No, no. Senior Martial Brother Lou is way, way better than me.”

In front of his idol, he was always nervous and ill-at-ease.

Lou Cheng chuckled and shook his head. Turning to Mu Jinnian, Wang Dali, and the others, he went on.

“Don’t get affected by this. Though I brought up numbers when I talked about the chances of you lot attaining Dan Stage, it was merely an average based on the entire sample. There will always be outliers. Deng Yang and He Zi making the breakthrough don’t mean you guys no longer have any chances. Look at the Daxing Temple and the Ice God Sect! Based on the number of Dan Stage martial artists they have, the probability of success is off the charts! One must dare to dream! Who can tell the future for certain?”

“Understood!” When the crowd had given their solemn replies, Xiao Ming laughed and teased at him.

“Cheng, why are you talking like an elderly official doing an inspection? What’s next?” He crafted a voice. “This is the place where I lived and fought. The traditions here are excellent. I hope everyone gives their very best in training and fights!’”

“Talker, you should really become a standup comedian,” Lou Cheng clapped back out of habit.

Cai Zongming had already made up his mind. Once he graduated from university, he would return to his hometown and take over his father’s company. In the future, when suitable chances arose, he might consider selling the company and making a change in career.

Since his body was still in a weakened state, Lou Cheng excused himself before long. He and Cai Zongming found a quiet and secluded place, where they chatted while drinking tea until it was evening.

…

“La la la~ La la la~” Yan Zheke paced up and down in her room with visible excitement.

She picked up her phone and scrolled through the forum. Suddenly, she saw a repost of a news link from ‘All The Good Names Are Taken By Dogs’.

The title flashed past her eyes while she was scrolling. Suddenly, she frowned and scrolled back, clicking into the contents of the link. The reporter’s words were as such:

“According to someone close to Lou Cheng, the former Heavenly Son of China will fully recuperate after three to four months and step onto the arena once more…”

Former my ass, you dumbass! scolded Yan Zheke internally. She looked down further.

“From the feedbacks of the Martial Arts Association, it seems like Lou Cheng has yet to sign professional contracts with any associations, including the Longhu Club. That is to say that he’s now a freelance Martial Artist…”

“Considering the power, stage, and aptitude he has displayed in the past, even if he needed three to four months to recuperate, there should definitely not be a lack of pursuers. We expected to see various associations flocking to him while waving their cheques in the hope of recruitment. However, we aren’t seeing any of that. What does this tell us? Could it be that in the eyes of the big associations, Lou Cheng is now a high-risk investment with diminished potential?”

“Yes, a high-Pin Dan Stage Martial Artist will most certainly be welcomed with open arms by many associations. However, to teams participating in top-tiered professional matches, they have limited worth. Do they lack Inhumans? Not at all! What they lack are Martial Artists with the potential to make it to Physical Invulnerability in the future!”

“The cold treatment towards Lou Cheng could perhaps tell us a little something.”

When she was done reading through the article, Yan Xiaoling’s mouth gradually turned into the shape of an O. She had a notion that the reporter’s source of information came from her own post, but she would never have thought that so much stuff could be made up from her simple line…

It was a waste of talent for you to not become a novelist!

Puffing up her cheeks, Yan Xiaoling quickly scrolled through the comments and reposts.

“We are talking about a grave injury that took an entire year to recover. How is it possible that it wouldn’t leave a mark and cost him a portion of his potential?”

“It’s so sad when you think about the unstoppable Heavenly Son of China, Lou Cheng, turning into an unsuccessful, old Inhuman one day. So very sad.”

“This story tells us that life is unpredictable and we should enjoy ourselves while we can. So, to the cutie that commented before me, wanna hook up?”

“Are you guys for real?! Do you really think Lou Cheng needs your sympathy? At any rate, he’s still an Inhuman Mighty One. Even if he can’t attain Physical Invulnerability in the future, his future life will still be better than yours by a hundred folds!”

“Honestly speaking, if Lou Cheng shifts his eyes away from top-tiered professional matches, he could pretty much choose any second-tiered team.”

“@Poison Milk Hierarch, what do you think?”

Poison Milk Hierarch’s profile picture was now a photo of his shiny, bald head. He reposted twice in a row, saying, “What do I think? I have not seen Lou Cheng, or have any reliable information, so what can I think? Do I look like the type of person who makes baseless surmises?”

“Still, it reminded me of the past cases of Martial Arts geniuses who have had their wings snapped off before they reached their fullest. There weren’t many cases, but it definitely wasn’t rare either. Most of them ended up regularly competing in lower-tiered matches and slowly became commonplace.”

Whew. Seeing that makes me a little more at ease! Yan Xiaoling scrolled down to read more comments.

“Lou Cheng is pretty popular. Many of my friends like him. Even if he ends up in second-tiered professional matches, I think he would regularly appear on the headlines and not just become commonplace.”

“To the previous commenter, I have to disagree with you. Martial Arts enthusiasts are only interested in two types of martial artists. The first being Physical Invulnerability Mighty Ones that have made a name for themselves, and the second, being talented martial artists who have the potential to make it to Physical Invulnerability in the future. If Lou Cheng slums among the Inhumans for ten or so years, how many will still pay attention to him? Every year there are up and coming talented fighters who might even be blessed with good looks. Who would waste the effort to support a former Heavenly Son of China past his time? ”

“Forget about ten or so years. As of present, how deserted has his Fan Club Forum become after he made that Weibo post? How many still pay attention to him? A Martial Artist with no future is like ice cream on the ground. Who would crouch down to lick it?”

“Sigh. You are right. The world is a cruel place. ”

You are wrong… Yan Xiaoling mumbled silently. Switching back to the forum, she sent a [roars at the sky] emoji.

“Ahhhhh! That damn reporter called Sensi or something! I’ll remember you! Ahhhh! I have to do something!”

She felt as if her tiny chest was about to explode.

In the past, she certainly felt anger when she saw news deriding or vilifying Lou Cheng, but this time was hands down the worst. That’s because the news had originated from her post!

“Calm down, Little Nightfall, calm down! Here, take this chopping knife,” wrote ‘Brahman’. She had no idea what was going on, but always welcomed drama.

“Little Nightfall, you are in Moshang, right? I’m here as well. How about we meet up and discuss if there’s anything we can do?” wrote ‘Nie Qiqi’ thoughtfully.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh! I’ll kill him for sure!” Yan Xiaoling was still caught up in her own world.

“Sister Qiqi, are we going to have an offline meeting? Count me in! I’m near Moshang! I’m in my first year of high school now, so I can apply to watch the Nationals!” assented ‘Brahman’ excitedly.

“What are you talking about?” Yan Zheke scrolled up in perplexion, then wrote, “Me, me, me! I’ll go as well!”

“Then we’ll consult the others later. Lou Cheng will be back in the arena soon. We have to do something,” wrote Nie Qiqi uncertainly.

“I’m fired up!!!!” Yan Xiaoling immediately tagged ‘Unparalleled Dragon King’, ‘Wonton Seller’, and the others.

Brahman went to a few QQ groups that were rather quiet these days, and spammed, “Lou Cheng will return soon. If anyone’s interested, go to the forums to discuss what we can do for him. If no one’s interested, I’ll come back and ask again later!”

In a moment, the active members were fired up and raring to go.

…

Lou Cheng, who had returned to the middle of Mount Yanbing, also saw the article. He even received many inquiries on his recent status. He replied to all of them with “Better than expected. Currently recuperating.”

Shaking his head, he closed the article. After more than half a year of torment, he could already deal with such sensational speculations with a better mentality.

Other than the first line, the entire article was filled with surmises and suppositions. Even if he retorted, there was not much to start from. It’s true that when one is full of openings, they no longer have an opening.

Plus, having potential or not is not something he can prove with words. Arguing is a reporter’s field of expertise, and anything he says will be twisted and used against him.

Right now, the only way to retaliate is by seeking out a path to make the great leap and become a Physical Invulnerability Mighty One. That would be a slap on the face to the nay-sayers!

Work hard! For the sake of my little fairy and myself! Lou Cheng laid down his phone with new-found motivation.

That was when he received a message from Cai Zongming.

“Are you coming to watch our competition the day after tomorrow?” inquired Talker.

“Of course. I have already gotten a guest ticket,” replied Lou Cheng with a smile.

Inside the hotel, loud cheers came from Yan Xiaoling and the others around Cai Zongming.

…

Two days later, in the Siling Martial Arts Stadium at seven thirty pm.

Lou Cheng entered through the guest entrance, walking along the corridor, and found his own seat.

He wore black-framed glasses, appearing before the crowd without any form of disguise. This was the first time he made a public appearance since getting injured in August the year before.

He felt that him getting a guest ticket wouldn’t go unnoticed by the reporters, so there was no use in disguising himself. Plus, he would be exposing his usual disguise.

His paleness attracted attention, and his steps were slightly unsteady. As he walked, many looked at him with pity, empathy, sentimentality, and sympathy in their eyes. Some regarded him with looks that seemed pleased by his misfortune and unkindly interested.

After a long and gruesome walk, he finally sat down on his seat. He paid no heed to others and directed his eyes to the big screen that was showing replays from yesterday’s matches, the introduction of teams that were participating today, and advertisements.

At seven-forty pm, from the corner of his eye, he saw two reporter-looking people trying to approach him. Just as he was about to instruct the security to keep them away, he noticed that the scene on the big screen had changed. It was no other than himself that appeared on it.

That was the past him, young and naive, at the start of the Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament!

Eh? What’s going on? Lou Cheng gazed in perplexion. The scenes kept changing, from him fighting against ‘Invincible Punch’, to him losing to Iron Palm, to him winning the former professional Ninth Pin ‘Road to the Arena’, to him defeating Ye Youting with that horrifying burst of strength.

There were photos and clips of his fights. The scenes from the beginning of his Martial Arts journey reappeared before his eyes.

Following that, Lou Cheng saw himself defeating Yi Moquan and Cheng Anjing and putting a finger to his lips. He saw himself losing to Zhou Zhengquan. He saw himself taking down strong enemies and clinching champion in the Provincial Youth Tournament. He saw himself when he first met Peng Leyun. He saw himself when he had that draw against Ren Li. He saw himself when he finally took down the Great Devil and lifting up the Feitian Cup. He saw himself duking it out with other Inhumans at the King of Youth Pro League. This went on until the scene of him defeating the Daxing Temple monk at the Battle of the Kings.

From youth to adulthood, from a haughty teenager to a matured man, everything that had happened in his Martial Arts journey played before Lou Cheng’s eyes. It also baffled the reporters and audience.

That was when the video approached its end. Appearing either alone or in groups, there was Yan Xiaoling and Little Wonton, who Lou Cheng knew, and a bunch of other people who he didn’t know. Their backgrounds had mountains and lakes, each varying from the others. Their looks differed greatly, each bearing its own traits.

They appeared in individual, shrinking frames that aligned with each other. At the end of the video, there were almost a thousand people on the screen. They shouted a name at the same time, producing a thundering sound that echoed through the whole stadium.

“Lou Cheng!”

The reporters started. Another cheer erupted from the other side of the grandstand.

“Lou Cheng!”

Lou Cheng looked over subconsciously. Then he saw Yan Xiaoling, the ponytailed ‘Brahman’, and faces that seemed strange and familiar to him at the same time.

They hoisted a large signboard, on which the following words were clearly written:

“We are always here with you!”