Chapter 29: Void Phantom

Early in the morning, Zhou You left home and hurried to the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall.

He had already decided that today he would apply to Big Senior Brother Lu Qiang for the formalization assessment.

The internal mechanism of the martial arts hall eliminates the weak and keeps the strong; the capable rise and the mediocre step aside, leaving no room for you to keep a low profile.

Once formalized, the 1 portion of Tiger Bone Paste every 7 days becomes 1 portion every 3 days; only a fool would miss out on this benefit.

What's more, in order to confront the behemoth that is the Wild Fox Gang, Zhou You needs the martial arts hall as his backing.

Nothing is more important than the status of a Zhengshi Xuitu; it can protect his family and deter petty scoundrels.

"Hurry, hurry."

Just as Zhou You stepped into the gates of the martial arts hall, he saw many new disciples rushing in a certain direction.

"What happened?"

"Fang Guiqi is applying for the formalization assessment; it is said he cultivated internal force last night."

Zhou You's heart pounded violently a few times, and a sense of urgent crisis rose in his mind.

This mysterious roommate was Zang-ing a huge secret, actually choosing to apply for formalization on this very day.

Zhou You had clearly seen him discard all his Tiger Bone Paste; how could he still cultivate internal force?

This was very strange!

There were only two possibilities: he was gifted and could break through to internal force without Secret Medicine, or he had another channel to obtain Secret Medicine.

Regardless of which possibility it was, the existence of this roommate was far too dangerous.

Zhou You's heart stirred, and he quickly pushed through the crowd to run forward; he wanted to see what was going on.

On the flat ground of the Outer Courtyard, Lu Qiang looked at Fang Guiqi before him and confirmed once more, "You want to accept the assessment?"

"Reporting to Big Senior Brother, I have already cultivated internal force and am qualified to be listed as a Zhengshi Xuitu."

Fang Guiqi usually acted low-key, neither showing off nor revealing his hand; now, with only 3 or 4 days left until the hundred-day deadline, he could be said to have broken through at the very last moment.

There were not a few apprentices like him; after all, not every apprentice was like Li Hao, who had the talent and financial resources to shorten the breakthrough cycle.

"Good..."

Suddenly, an aged voice came from the Inner Courtyard, "Cough, cough, wait!"

Hearing this voice, Lu Qiang gave a start and turned to bow respectfully toward the direction behind him.

"Master!"

All the new disciples were shocked; what was happening today that even the Hall Master Wang Jianxiong was coming out?

Many of them had only seen Wang Jianxiong once since joining the martial arts hall.

This famous martial artist in the city usually trained Disciples in the Inner Courtyard and rarely appeared.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Hall Master Wang Jianxiong carried his pipe through the Inner Courtyard gate and walked onto the flat ground of the Outer Courtyard.

Several Inner Court Disciples followed behind him, and more Zhengshi Xuitu filed out from the side, among them the newly formalized Li Hao.

"Master, why have you come, old man? It is merely a trivial matter."

Wang Jianxiong waved his hand, "Don't mind me, you continue."

Lu Qiang turned to look at Fang Guiqi, "Fang Guiqi, you say you have cultivated internal force; verifying it is easy."

"Pick a Hardwood Stake and break it, and you can be formalized."

Fang Guiqi cupped his hands toward him, walked to the Hardwood Stake, and gathered his Qi; his body temperature rose, and his fists instantly swelled to the size of sea bowls.

The wind around them became turbulent; this was the influence caused by the circulation of internal force.

Zhou You stared at Fang Guiqi's limbs and bones; that's right, it was the sign of internal force erupting.

With a roar like a fierce tiger, he punched like the wind, the boom sounding like thunder, and the fist infused with internal force shattered the Hardwood Stake!

"Cough, cough, cough, not bad!"

Wang Jianxiong spoke, his tone actually carrying a hint of praise.

The apprentices expressed their envy one after another; Fang Guiqi had gained the favor of the Hall Master, his future was limitless!

But the next moment...

"Lu Qiang, you see it too, don't you?"

"Internal force is catalyzed by the flesh and blood, and it best reflects a person's inner essence."

"Look at his internal force; it is impure and merely a facade, unable to resonate with his physical body. He is clearly a... Void Phantom wearing a layer of human skin."

Wang Jianxiong's words left others unable to fathom his meaning, and by the end, it was as if swords were drawn and killing intent was overflowing.

Not good!

Hearing the two words "Void Phantom" at the end, Zhou You felt the hair all over his body stand up, and large patches of goosebumps rose on his skin.

Danger descended instantly without warning.

In his line of sight, Fang Guiqi was like a wild mountain cat with its fur standing on end, his body outline exploding like a sea urchin.

Whether it was his skin, clothes, or nails and hair, countless sharp, needle-like spikes instantly protruded.

In the time it took to draw a breath, he had become completely unlike a human.

An ominous aura permeated the air, and a suffocating sensation blanketed the Outer Courtyard of the martial arts hall.

"Master, please step back and let this Disciple deal with him."

Lu Qiang respectfully requested of Wang Jianxiong.

Wang Jianxiong shook his head, "This old bag of bones hasn't moved in a long time; it's a good time to loosen my joints."

He stood up and walked forward a few steps, "Did you really think the tiger had started eating vegetables? A mere Void Phantom wearing a layer of human skin dares to sneak into my martial arts hall."

"This is my territory; did you sneak in to serve yourself up as a meal for me?"

The aged voice suddenly rose in volume, like a dry thunderclap exploding on flat ground, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

Fang Guiqi's facial features were already distorted beyond recognition; his body hunched like a beast, and he crouched on the ground and leaped violently, the sound of him breaking the air like tearing silk.

This leap, both in speed and power, caused the expressions of the surrounding Apprentices to change drastically.

Even Li Hao, who had mastered Force, could not help but retreat a few steps; if he were pounced on by the opponent, he would surely die.

"Well come!"

Wang Jianxiong raised his withered right hand and pushed it toward the void; his skin inflated like it was being blown up, and silver patterns emerged on the surface.

In the blink of an eye, his right hand expanded into a silver Hu Zhua, striking Fang Guiqi in mid-air as fast as lightning and without the slightest error.

Fang Guiqi flew backward, crashing into a wall and causing a cloud of dust several meters high to rise on the spot.

"Master is mighty!"

Several trusted Disciples chimed in with flattery.

But the danger had not yet passed.

Suddenly, a phantom figure darted out from the dust.

It was Fang Guiqi.

This low-key new Apprentice no longer looked human at all; most of the skin and flesh on his body had peeled away, exposing wriggling mucus underneath.

"Void Phantom, what kind of monster is this exactly?"

Zhou You's worldview suffered a massive shock; it turned out there were even more mysterious existences in this world.

He had thought Fang Guiqi was at most a spy, but as it turned out, he wasn't even human.

During this time, what kind of thing had he been living with for three months?

"Watch out!"

Fang Guiqi lunged left and right; a few Apprentices were accidentally grazed, their bones and flesh as brittle as paper, easily torn apart.

With every pounce and charge, 'he' exerted at least a thousand catties of force, which was simply not something new students who hadn't mastered Force could contend with.

Yet Fang Guiqi suddenly made a sharp turn, actually charging toward the direction where Zhou You was.

Zhou You noticed that in the opponent's seemingly crazed eyes, a trace of cunning was revealed.

Fang Guiqi had just been heavily injured by Wang Jianxiong's strike and was feigning a loss of reason, but in reality, he was looking for a chance to escape.

Wang Jianxiong, leading the Inner Court Disciples, stood guard firmly on one side, and while the remaining new Apprentices were numerous, they were actually the weakest point.

Therefore, his ultimate goal was to carve out a path of blood and flesh to escape the Outer Courtyard of the martial arts hall.

"Fierce, cunning, cruel, and deceptive—what kind of creature is this exactly?"

Zhou You took a deep breath, his body temperature rising sharply as Force surged to his hands, ready to strike.

At this moment, only by fighting to save himself did he have a glimmer of hope for survival.