Chapter 94: One Mastiff Fights Ten Tigers

"Woof!"

Li Hao's eyes were brimming with hot tears, "Her Mastiff Fist is pure and perfect; she has already reached the level of refined Force. This arm of mine was broken by her."

At the beginning, Bao Shi Nu ignored Wang Yan's provocations, carrying her vegetable basket and taking a detour to avoid her.

Yet Wang Yan was relentless, mocking the other's family-inherited Mastiff Fist, saying that no matter how well practiced, it was just a mad dog, no match for her own Meng Hu Quan.

"Ignorant of the bigger picture, sharp-tongued and mean, narrow-minded."

Zhou You's impression of Wang Yan took shape through every word Li Hao spoke.

Once it involved a dispute between sects, the situation instantly became serious.

Bao Shi Nu put down her vegetable basket and directly beat up the guards beside Wang Yan.

Who could have imagined that the daughter Bao Tiefeng married off was a Force expert who outshone all the Outer Courtyard Apprentices?

Li Hao and several companions joined forces, only to be beaten by her until they were rolling all over the street, howling in pain.

The only one who remained unscathed was the culprit herself, Wang Yan; the woman didn't even have the slightest interest in touching her.

"Later, fellow disciples arrived one after another to help, but they were all knocked down by her punches."

After this conflict, Bao Shi Nu's name, 'Ao Nu', spread like wildfire, and her reputation soared.

As for Li Hao and the others, they became stepping stones; the defeated apprentices added up to a round number, exactly 10 people.

Busy-bodies named this incident 'One Mastiff Suppresses Ten Tigers'.

In this conflict, the reputation of the Mastiff Fist overshadowed the Tiger-Subduing Fist.

For the past few days, the face of the Hall Master Wang Jianxiong had been dark; he frequently lost his temper and punished several disciples.

Fortunately, because Wang Yan was the one who actively provoked the incident, and she was the culprit, he did not pursue the fault of Li Hao and the others for their defeat.

However...

"Losing to a woman is just too shameful."

Li Hao flexed his arm, "Actually, my injuries healed long ago; I just didn't have the face to go out and see people."

"It's fine, just be a bit thick-skinned."

Zhou You was not one to comfort others; he was just curious about how strong that Ao Nu was.

As the meme 'One Mastiff Suppresses Ten Tigers' spread further, the damage suffered by Li Hao, one of the ten tigers, grew greater.

"I have no choice but to feel shame and then find courage."

Li Hao's expression became serious, "Zhou You, you must help me master... the General Unloading Armor Great Cloak."

"I'll help you, it's just a matter of a word."

In the following days, Zhou You studied medicine refining while practicing with his sparring partner, Li Hao.

Li Hao became ruthless, vowing not to leave the house until he mastered the ultimate technique.

The key to this Hard Qigong, the General Unloading Armor Great Cloak, lay in the path of the Force circulating through the chest, abdomen, and back, weaving into nodes, swelling and strengthening in one breath to push the body's defense to a level beyond its limits.

In layman's terms, it used Force like steel wire to weave a soft armor, resisting cutting, blunt force, and other damage, especially effective against group attacks.

This Hard Qigong was very difficult to practice; the requirements for organizing the Force reached a perverted level.

Li Hao's natural talent was already considered above average, but alone, he still couldn't find the way in and remained stuck.

Now, after suffering a setback and reflecting on his pain, he had to seek help from his sparring partner, Zhou You.

"I am about to circulate my Force; if there is anything wrong, help me keep an eye on it."

Li Hao sat cross-legged in the center of the martial arts field, removing his upper garments and baring his body to him.

He circulated the practice method of the ultimate technique, and the Force moved under his skin, gradually showing signs of bulging.

At this moment, a strange feeling emerged in Zhou You's heart.

It was as if he were facing a practice model, observing from a third-party perspective from above, with every detail clearly in sight.

This was an experience he had never had while practicing alone.

Those involved are confused, while bystanders are clear; many detours happen without one realizing it oneself.

If someone were there to point out and correct, the efficiency would surely increase significantly. Inner Court Disciples were personally guided and taught by Hall Master Wang Jianxiong, enjoying unique advantages.

As for Outer Courtyard Apprentices like Zhou You and Li Hao, they could only rely on sparring partners and their own hard work to achieve anything.

"Wrong!"

Zhou You's gaze became sharp, and he reached out to point out a mistake.

The Force bulged in place a few times, and through Zhou You's guidance, it was finally led into the correct path.

The Force broke through the path like a hot knife through butter, condensing into a crucial node.

"Hoo!"

Li Hao exhaled, his eyes opening to reveal a brilliant light, his face full of exuberant joy.

After Zhou You's guidance, the bottleneck that had troubled him for months was easily overcome; the day this Hard Qigong would be mastered was not far off.

Crossing this threshold, he went from the initial entry of Force to the Intermediate Force level, advancing to a higher grade.

"Zhou You, it seems I was wrong; closing the door to build a cart is not advisable, mutual help leads to success."

This General Unloading Armor Great Cloak originated from the fist techniques of the City Gate Guard; the correct way to practice it was for comrades-in-arms who lived and died together to spar and improve.

To keep the secret, Li Hao had practiced alone and made no progress.

It was not until he sought Zhou You's help this time that he made a breakthrough, realizing that his previous approach had been wrong.

"Now that your strength has improved, can you still fight Bao Shi Nu?"

Hearing Zhou You's question, Li Hao's expression became heavy; he pondered for a long time and shook his head, "I can't beat her."

"Her Mastiff Fist is endlessly crazy, growing stronger as the opponent grows stronger; even if I can block one punch or ten, she still has millions more."

"Unless I suppress her with absolute strength, it is difficult to contend with her strange Mastiff Fist moves."

"Zhou You, only when I have mastered the General Unloading Armor Great Cloak will I have the confidence to wash away my shame."

If it were a senior Apprentice of the Outer Courtyard, such as Senior Brother Xu Ying, who has pure and skilled force and has mastered the Triple-Layer Technique, he could fight it.

But, the opponent is a woman, so winning wouldn't be glorious!

Therefore, even with the miserable defeat of one Mastiff suppressing ten tigers, no one at Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall clamored for revenge; they really couldn't afford to lose that much face.

"Skill +1, General Unloading Armor Great Cloak lv1, Experience Points +10."

Zhou You guided Li Hao in his cultivation, and by drawing inferences from other instances, he directly mastered the basics of this skill.

As he breathed, force circulated, weaving into a net across his chest and back, with nodes forming one after another.

Hard Qigong, as the name implies, is a cultivation method that strengthens the body's defense.

"Skill: General Unloading Armor Great Cloak in operation, defense 65 (+5)."

Executing this ultimate move grants +5 defense; once the technique is withdrawn, it returns to a normal state, equivalent to detachable soft armor.

Beneath Zhou You's skin, it felt as if a layer of cowhide were embedded, not with a dead, stiff touch, but with a resilient, rebounding quality.

A punch landed on it, the sense of resistance suddenly increased, triggering the skill's passive defense.

The rippling muscles seemed to turn into a quagmire, the fist slid away, and the force was diverted to the side.

Another punch followed, hitting the center of his chest; he felt a slight dullness, but nothing happened.

Instead, the fist was bounced away, buzzing and trembling, with the force returned completely intact.

"This level of defense is amazing!"

Zhou You tried cutting it with a knife, but couldn't; he tried sawing, but the skin was like rubber, repeatedly dragged without breaking.

The defense boost from General Unloading Armor Great Cloak can definitely be used to catch an opponent off guard and counter-kill during a fight.

No wonder Li Hao treated it like a treasure and only revealed it to Zhou You to save his own life? "What if I stimulate it with blood-Qi?"

Zhou You took a deep breath, and several blood streaks appeared on his chest, wrapping around a palm-sized area.

His fingertip lightly touched that area, and *clack*, his finger bone dislocated from the impact, and a bone-piercing pain struck.

I played too hard, I messed up! (End of chapter)