Chapter 24

“Tap tap~”

It was September, the rainy season, and the entire city of Tianhai was shrouded in rain.

In the martial arts classroom, a roar like a furious lion echoed in everyone’s ears.

“Boom!”

Zhang Cheng lunged forward and kicked the boy’s spear out of his hands.

“Look at your movements—weak and limp. A spear thrust should strike in a straight line—where’s your line? Even my eighty-year-old grandmother stabs better than you.”

“Your spear technique is meant for the battlefield, to fight against calamity beasts.”

“A single moment of carelessness could cost you your life.”

“Your spear technique must be fast, precise, and brutal—every strike and motion must be perfect.”

“Do the basic spear drills ten more times, then practice the Stone Spear Art.”

The boy was scolded into a frenzy, his head ringing—he’d never been spoken to like this before, not as a genius—and he glared at Zhang Cheng with bloodshot eyes.

Zhang Cheng grinned.

“Want to hit me? Go ahead!”

“Crack crack!”

As he spoke, Zhang Cheng stretched his limbs, releasing a ferocious aura like a lion.

Seeing this, the boy’s gaze instantly cleared, and he silently resumed practicing the spear, drilling the basic techniques.

Zhang Cheng scanned the room and bellowed, his voice booming like a bronze bell:

“Why are you all staring at me? Get back to training.”

The onlookers immediately returned to their weapons, training diligently.

Zhang Cheng moved to another student and gave him a blunt, no-holds-barred critique.

After correcting several students, he walked through the martial arts room and said:

“If you dislike my teaching style, fine—tell me, and train on your own. I won’t say a word.”

“But if you chose to accept it, then endure it.”

“A martial artist cannot improve solely through self-discipline.”

“You need someone to push you, guide you, and unlock your full potential.”

“I guarantee that if you stick with this, in a year you won’t regret it—you may hate me now, but later you’ll thank me.”

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao separated, listening to Zhang Cheng’s words as they trained fiercely with their secret manuals.

Lin Qi marveled internally—Teacher Zhang’s teaching method was truly extraordinary.

On the first day, everyone thought Zhang Cheng was no different from an ordinary teacher.

But on the second day, he unleashed his true style, making them feel his unique approach.

Undeniably, the benefits were obvious.

His method also dramatically improved their martial arts.

“Shhh~”

As Lin Qi pondered, a sharp sense of danger enveloped him.

He glanced sideways—a flash of cold light struck.

Zhang Cheng, wielding a spear in one hand, thrust from the side, piercing the air with a whistle.

“Clang clang~~”

Lin Qi instantly swung his spear, forming a defensive circle as he retreated and blocked.

Cross-block!

“Quick reflexes!”

Zhang Cheng praised him and continued attacking with his spear.

“After learning a new spear art, there are three stages.”

“The first stage: mastering the technique.”

“The second stage: perfecting every movement so you can use it in combat.”

“The third stage: unlocking the three killing techniques.”

“Lin Qi, you’ve already passed the mastery stage—you can now apply the spear art in battle.”

“Dang~”

A powerful force surged through the spear, striking Lin Qi’s arms, numbing them and forcing him to stagger backward.

Zhang Cheng looked at Lin Qi with satisfaction—he’d been closely observing him lately and could clearly sense the boy’s rapid progress.

He possessed extraordinary potential—a true prodigy.

“Good thing I came—if not, this talent would’ve been wasted.”

Zhang Cheng thought to himself.

Nearby, someone whispered.

“It feels like Teacher Zhang is paying special attention to that Lin Qi—does he have great talent?”

“Great talent? Probably just pitying him because he’s poor,” Yang Lei muttered bitterly beside them.

Nightfall

Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym, Room A-128

The sound of rain was muffled; two figures in protective suits clashed fists, evenly matched.

“Boom! Pong pong!!”

After several rapid clashes of their fierce tiger claws, both stepped back several paces.

Guo Heng removed his helmet and gasped for breath:

“Enough!”

“I’m tired, Lin Qi—your strength keeps growing. Unless it’s real combat, I can’t touch you anymore.”

Lin Qi also removed his helmet, sweat-drenched but expression calm.

“Young Master Guo, why not train with weapons?”

Guo Heng walked to the corner, plopped onto a stool, and grabbed a bottle of energy drink, gulping it down.

!

“Gulps gulps~”

Within seconds, the bottle was empty.

“Huh~”

“Don’t call me Young Master Guo—call me Ah Heng.”

“Not yet. I don’t hold back when I fight, especially with weapons.”

“I’m afraid I might accidentally hurt you and ruin your cultivation. Good sparring partners like you are hard to find—I can’t afford to lose you all.”

Guo Heng explained slowly.

Lin Qi nodded. Though he’d only met Guo Heng a few times, their bond had formed quickly.

Now they were clearly friends.

He understood why a genius like Guo Heng was willing to befriend him and Jiang Tao.

It was simply because he and Jiang Tao were also prodigies—with talent worthy of Guo Heng’s notice.

“By the way, freshen up—I’m taking you to see something amazing.”

“Something amazing?” Jiang Tao asked, curious.

A few minutes later

Guo Heng led Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, now in their school uniforms, down the corridor inside Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym.

“Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym has independent training rooms, recovery rooms—and one other place.”

Moments later, the three passed through the corridor and reached its end.

Before them stood a metal door twice the size of a normal training room, with people constantly entering and exiting.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao followed Guo Heng inside and found themselves in a vast, open space.

Lin Qi was stunned—it was enormous, larger than their school’s martial arts classroom.

Before them stood row upon row of silver-white machines, elliptical like eggs embedded within cubic frames.

Much larger than ordinary recovery pods, each machine had a metallic prism beside it.

“Is this… a holographic virtual pod?” Jiang Tao exclaimed, eyes wide.

“Correct!” Guo Heng nodded.

“Holographic virtual pods can simulate over 90% of human sensory input—connect your neural interface to the helmet and experience true touch and sensation.”

“In real combat, you risk injury and can’t go all out—but in the virtual world, you can fight to the death without limits.”

“I’ve only seen them in the news,” Jiang Tao said, excited.

“Taozi’s right!”

Lin Qi kept a calm face, but internally he was just as curious, studying the holographic virtual pods.

“Holographic technology has made huge breakthroughs in recent years.”

“These pods are the masterpiece—allowing us to enter virtual worlds to improve our martial arts.”

“So we can play holographic games too?” Jiang Tao suddenly asked.

Guo Heng smiled faintly as he heard this.

"Of course, and I can tell you, full-dive games are incredibly fun—you can't even imagine how good they are."

Guo Heng’s words set Jiang Tao’s mind racing.

"But gaming is just a way to relax after training."

Guo Heng spoke and began walking inside.

"Heng Ge is here!"

Several people spotted Guo Heng and greeted him with smiles.

Guo Heng responded just as smoothly.

Soon, the three arrived before a full-dive virtual pod.

"Today, I brought you here to experience virtual-world competition."

……

(End of Chapter)