Chapter 10: Kickbacks (Request Follow)

Half an hour later

Guo Heng’s eyes gleamed as he said with bright energy, “It’s time to end this.”

“Brother, watch out!”

With that, he unleashed his aura, his blood qi surging as he exploded with full power.

“Roar～”

Guo Heng roared, using his qi to amplify his strength, boosting it dramatically.

His power surged through his fingertips like a tiger’s claw slashing!

Guo Heng lunged forward with a thunderous punch, as fierce as a predatory tiger, his aura fierce and stirring a gale of wind.

His fingers thickened, nails rounded and curved into claws, tearing through everything like a tiger’s paw.

Furious Tiger Pierces the Forest!

“Bang!”

Lin Qi sensed danger and unleashed his maximum power, exploding forward.

“Roar～”

Lin Qi roared like a tiger’s howl, his feet gripping the ground, his spine bent like a bow, his qi and strength channeling through both arms.

“Bang!”

A deafening crash as their tiger claws collided, a clash of raw power.

A sharp crack echoed—Lin Qi’s throat turned sweet, Guo Heng’s figure shrank before his eyes, and his body involuntarily staggered backward several steps.

Intense pain transmitted through his armor to every part of his body, especially his chest, producing a series of dull thuds.

Lin Qi knelt on the ground, drenched in cold sweat; without the armor, his ribs would have been shattered.

Guo Heng also stepped back several paces.

He grinned with satisfaction: “That was exhilarating!”

“You’re impressive.”

“Rest up. Next one!”

With that, he turned and walked away, sitting down and clutching his chest:

“Careless of me—this kid’s blood qi and fist technique are lower than mine, yet he held his own against me for half an hour.”

“What the hell? Where did this genius come from?”

…

Lin Qi slowly rose to his feet and walked silently to one side.

His trembling hands removed his armor, spat out a mouthful of blood, and sweat dripped from his hair.

“Brother Qi, drink some water!”

Jiang Tao approached and handed him a red bottled sports drink.

Lin Qi took the drink, twisted open the cap, tilted his head back, and drank, his Adam’s apple bobbing rapidly.

“Taozi, this guy didn’t hold back at all—if not for the armor, I’d be dead.”

Lin Qi set down the drink and gripped his chest as a warning.

“You’ve got to be careful too!”

“By the way, where’d you get this sports drink?”

“They gave it to us—free.”

“Alright, it’s my turn.”

After brief small talk, Jiang Tao patted Lin Qi’s shoulder, put on his own armor, and stepped forward.

Lin Qi, meanwhile, plopped down onto a black bench.

“Phew～”

Sweat dripped from his forehead as he breathed heavily; within his pupils, a screen only he could see flickered into view.

【You observed Guo Heng performing Tiger Fist. You gained new insight—Tiger Fist +0.5%】

【You gained new understanding of fist techniques…—Fist Technique +0.5%】

【Fist Technique: Level 1 — 85.6% → 86.6%】

…

Lin Qi clenched his fists, exhausted but inwardly elated.

“Sparring with Guo Heng boosted my Fist Technique by 1%—I thought it’d take another one or two days.”

“Indeed, sparring with others improves fist technique far better than solo practice.”

Lin Qi often trained with Jiang Tao, but never pushed hard, fearing injury.

As a senior in high school, any injury affecting his martial cultivation would be disastrous—but now was different.

So he usually held back, but today was different: since he could earn money, Lin Qi unleashed his full strength for once.

“Guo Heng’s strength is only slightly above mine—if I get more time, I’ll surpass him.”

Lin Qi suddenly realized.

…

“Bang!!”

“Ahh!!”

The battle in the center of the martial arts chamber caught Lin Qi’s attention again.

In the arena, Guo Heng’s tiger claws struck, his fist technique powerful and resonant, producing sharp, crisp sounds—the hallmark of perfected internal force, the kind worth a thousand gold pieces to hear.

It meant the fist technique had been fully internalized: force generated from the spine, muscles exploding in perfect sequence.

Under his fierce assault, Jiang Tao remained calm and composed—he practiced Monkey Fist from the Five Animal Styles, emphasizing long-range, evasive strikes.

His arms were rigid yet agile, each movement deflecting force effortlessly, trading blows evenly with Guo Heng.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!!”

Soon, as punch after punch landed, Jiang Tao felt as if surrounded by tigers, about to be devoured.

After dozens of seconds

“Ahh!”

Jiang Tao’s body flew backward, sliding along the ground before stopping.

Guo Heng also retreated several steps, gasping heavily, drenched in sweat; after a moment, he spoke:

“Excellent. Your strength is remarkable—you rank among the top in our school.”

“You’ve greatly helped my progress. If you keep this up for a few more days, my Tiger Fist will improve dramatically.”

!

“Then I can focus fully on my sword technique.”

“Lian Jie, it’s these two.”

Guo Heng pointed at Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, deeply satisfied—today was extraordinary: two geniuses had emerged, both formidable.

The woman in blue nodded: “Understood, Young Master.”

Jiang Tao removed his helmet, spat out blood, and smiled in thanks:

“Thank you, Young Master Guo!”

He exchanged a glance with Lin Qi.

Lin Qi felt a surge of joy—if this side job could continue long-term, the earnings would be substantial.

“But, Young Master Guo, you see, my friend and I lasted longer than anyone else.”

“I held out for nearly half an hour, and my injuries are serious—I need proper rest and recovery. So….”

Jiang Tao suddenly smiled and made a hand gesture.

The woman in blue frowned and snapped:

“Agreed price is 1,000 Xia Guo currency per hour—that’s already the market peak.”

“Don’t be greedy!”

Jiang Tao wasn’t offended; he kept smiling:

“That’s not fair. High-quality sparring partners like us are hard to find.”

“And our injuries are severe—we need expensive medicine.”

“One thousand Xia Guo currency is a bit too low…”

“So we need a raise!”

“Raise the pay!”

Lin Qi stood up and chimed in.

“Impossible!”

The woman in blue’s face darkened instantly as she refused.

“Wait, Lian Jie—I recall my father originally set the rate at 2,000 Xia Guo currency per hour?”

Guo Heng spoke, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s, locking onto Lian Jie.

“2,000 Xia Guo currency per hour?”

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged puzzled glances, then turned back to the woman in blue, Lian Jie.

So that’s how it is—embezzling kickbacks?

She skimmed off half the pay—truly outrageous.

Right now, they could see only four people.

If each person pays 1000 Xia National Currency, just today they’d net 4000 Xia National Currency.

This money is truly envy-inducing.

Jiang Tao and Lin Qi were exactly like this.

Feeling Guo Heng’s sharp gaze, Sister Lian broke into a cold sweat.

“This…”

……

A few minutes later

Guo Heng looked at Lin Qi and said:

“This woman has been fired. Someone else will contact you later. The sparring rate is 2000 Xia National Currency per hour.”

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged a glance, both smiling with satisfaction.

“Thank you, Young Master Guo!”

“Alright, I’ll be off—my scheduled time is up.”

Guo Heng nodded, slung his backpack on, and prepared to leave.

“Young Master Guo, do you still want these energy drinks?”

Jiang Tao’s cheerful voice came from behind.

“They’re all yours.”

Guo Heng waved his hand dismissively.

“Got it!”

……

(End of Chapter)