Chapter 42: Sparring Partners, Zhaijin Lou

Zhou You spent the entire day testing the limits of his Basic Lightness Skill, and the feedback he received was very satisfying.

Lightness Skill is a product rooted in reality; it is not wire-fu, nor is it special effects. Actual operation still adheres to objective laws.

Lv2 Basic Lightness Skill can instantly increase speed by 2 times, achieving the effect of running 100 meters in under 5 seconds.

As for lightness of body, although he cannot achieve the exaggeration of leaving no tracks on snow, he can still walk in the dark and land without a sound.

"Almost forgot."

Zhou You patted his forehead; the remaining Experience Points were no longer enough to upgrade Yanxing Quan to the Jinli Level.

He had been too focused on the pleasure of leveling up just now, and in the blink of an eye, he only had a little over 400 Experience Points left.

"Need to spend a few more days to consolidate."

Zhou You's plan was to integrate the Basic Lightness Skill into his fist techniques, erupting at a critical moment to catch the opponent off guard and secure a one-hit kill.

Skill levels can be raised via Experience Points, but actual combat experience must be gained through bitter training.

After another 3 days, Zhou You finally raised Yanxing Quan to the Lv8 level.

Li Hao, this nominal sparring partner, suddenly came to find him.

"Tonight at Zhaijin Lou, Senior Brother Shen is hosting a banquet for you to celebrate your promotion to full member; Senior Brother Xu and I will both be there to keep you company."

It turned out that Senior Brother Shen had been away on business for some time and had not been in the city.

He had only returned to the martial arts hall yesterday and immediately set about organizing a banquet to celebrate for Zhou You.

"I will definitely arrive on time."

Zhou You cupped his hands, "Thank you on my behalf to Senior Brother Shen."

Although this senior brother was buying people's hearts, he was generous and made one feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze; he was truly worthy of his upbringing in a wealthy family.

Zhaijin Lou is a high-consumption establishment; ordinary well-off families would not dare to set foot inside.

After delivering the message, Li Hao did not leave, but instead stopped and looked at Zhou You.

"Anything else?"

Li Hao nodded; he had only learned today about Zhou You's battle record of fighting two Jinli martial artists from the Wild Fox Gang alone, injuring one and forcing the other to retreat.

As an Apprentice who had just mastered Jinli, this result was simply a miracle.

Li Hao asked himself that if he did not use his trump cards, he would also have to retreat three steps when facing two Jinli martial artists.

Although the Jinli martial artists in gangs were mostly "wild paths" discarded by martial arts halls, they were still not comparable to ordinary people.

The disparity in numbers was enough to erase minor differences in strength.

In a two-on-one situation, for Zhou You to achieve a complete victory showed that he was no ordinary person.

"Zhou You, you and I are sparring partners. We haven't exchanged blows in so long; since we have time now, shall we practice?"

Zhou You smiled after hearing this; he had the exact same intention.

The two sparring partners stood in a corner of the training ground, each took their stance, and after cupping their hands to each other, they began to spar.

"Whoosh!"

A fishy wind whipped up as Li Hao rushed toward him, starting with the Tiger-Subduing Fist.

In his fist wind, besides the characteristic fishy smell, there was also an ominous aura that made one's heart tremble.

Zhou You guessed that this ominous aura was very likely the killing intent of the Thousand-Army Breaking Evil Fist.

The Thousand-Army Breaking Evil Fist was originally a fist technique for killing in the military, introduced as a large number of retired veterans joined the City Gate Guard.

"Well come."

The opponent's punches were straight and steady, the force never waning; the closer he got, the stronger the sense of oppression.

But in Zhou You's view, neutralizing it was simple; he could easily circle behind his head using the Basic Lightness Skill.

But sparring isn't fought that way; if you use all your trump cards right from the start, it's meaningless!

Li Hao definitely had reservations, which is why he used the Tiger-Subduing Fist and did not bring out his family's Thousand-Army Breaking Evil Fist, attempting to test Zhou You's strength.

Correspondingly, Zhou You also intended to use only the Tiger-Subduing Fist to probe his bottom line.

Crackle, pop!

Zhou You and Li Hao exchanged blows, their movements as swift as a gale; as their fists and arms collided, ear-piercing explosive sounds rang out.

The clash of Jinli was more violent than the explosion of firecrackers, and the fluctuations in the air were visible to the naked eye.

Their targets were all the opponent's weak points, and their Defense was directed at the corresponding areas, tearing and pushing, attempting to blast open the opponent's Defense.

The Tiger-Subduing Fist is fierce and sharp, prioritizing momentum, incorporating the tearing, pouncing, and charging postures of a fierce tiger into the fist technique.

The two sparred like wild beasts, their fingertips tearing through clothes and leaving streaks of blood on their skin.

"This guy's strength and Defense are not below mine."

Through the exchange, Zhou You gradually figured out Li Hao's bottom line.

After all, the opponent started earlier and turned into a full member faster than him; it was not strange that he could train to this level.

However, in terms of speed, if Zhou You used his true level, he could decide the winner in three breaths.

There was no other reason; the advantage of the Basic Lightness Skill was too great, enough to form a crushing advantage.

"Hmm, looking at his eyes, he is calm and unhurried; he must also be hiding a trump card, perhaps the finishing move of the Thousand-Army Breaking Evil Fist."

Zhou You's guess was correct.

Li Hao was also secretly shocked; if he did not use his ultimate trump card, he could not defeat the opponent at all.

His attitude toward Zhou You changed; this person was qualified to be his sparring partner.

Both of them had their own calculations; without using their trump cards, it was hard to determine a winner, and continuing to fight would just be a waste of energy.

It wasn't a life-or-death battle, so stopping here was enough.

"Let's stop here."

"Good, let's stop together."

With a loud boom, a thunderclap struck the flat ground, and then it returned to calm.

Zhou You and Li Hao stood facing each other more than ten meters apart; the surrounding ground was pitted and scarred, with even one crater the size of a water vat.

Traces of the residual force were everywhere, and the surfaces of the stones had been brushed, the scratches looking as if they had been chiseled out.

"Zhou You, I admit I underestimated you; from now on, I acknowledge you as my sparring partner."

Li Hao nodded toward him.

A well-matched sparring partner meant that he could identify his own shortcomings during practice and strengthen his cultivation in a targeted manner.

In the great battle just now, Li Hao had received unprecedented feedback and gained a great deal.

Now, he truly accepted Zhou You as his sparring partner.

Zhou You was noncommittal; having a sparring partner he could fight to his heart's content was also beneficial for him.

There was just one thing: he would leave the evening massage to himself to handle, as he did not like being touched by a man.

"Haha, I almost forgot, I still have to go to Zhaijin Lou for dinner tonight, I need to change my clothes."

Zhou You and Li Hao looked at each other and laughed heartily, finding it quite amusing.

The clothes on their bodies had been torn and shredded by the force during the sparring match just now, becoming tattered.

Going out looking like this, they wouldn't even be able to enter the front door of Zhaijin Lou and would surely be stopped at the door as beggars.

Zhou You returned to his room to wash his hands and face, and changed into clean clothes.

Time quickly reached evening, night fell, and lanterns were hung in every corner of the martial arts hall, casting firelight onto the ground and walls.

He left the martial arts hall and headed toward Zhaijin Lou.

Zhaijin Lou was located on the most prosperous street in the city, where every inch of land was worth an inch of gold.

The street was bustling with heavy traffic, and the passersby were either rich or noble, wearing silk and gold or jade ornaments, their expressions leisurely.

"You've finally arrived; Senior Brother Shen is waiting in a private room on the second floor."

Xu Ying was waiting under a pillar in front of the Zhaijin Lou entrance, and seeing Zhou You arrive, he pulled him inside.

A private room is not cheap!

Zhou You estimated that this meal would cost at least several dozen taels of silver.

He sighed to himself that, in this life, unless someone else was treating, he would never be willing to open his own wallet to dine here.