Martial Arts Master

Through the gloomy corridor, across the old threshold, Lou Cheng and the others walked into the stadium of Wensheng School.

Through the skylight in the dome, the glazed tiles and the stone ring at the center were illuminated. The surrounding practice area showed clearly the many marks and signs of wear.

On the two sides of the stadium were raised platforms which were divided into several rows, the highest row had chairs exclusively for VIPs.

Here, it was hard to associate this with the character and style of the martial arts club at Songcheng University. The audience was dressed in formal exercise clothes or suits and ties as if they were watching an opera rather than an exciting fight.

“Old-timers, officials, celebrities, and students…” Lou Cheng could almost figure out most identities.

Next to him, Yan Zheke also felt the same way. She tipped her head and whispered in his ear, “It feels like a gathering of different schools from ancient times…”

“Right!” Lou Cheng was enlightened suddenly.

This is exactly the perfect summary of my feelings!

In ancient times, different schools had exchanges and fights to learn from each other. They also invited local senior masters of martial arts, officials, and trainers as guests and encouraged their disciples to observe and learn.

There was nothing wrong with this, but the atmosphere here was the complete opposite of what they were familiar with since their early years.

In that past, martial arts didn’t belong to the general public!

Common people were not even allowed to spectate and cheer!

There was no doubt that Lou Cheng preferred his noisy Martial Arts Club arena.

He discussed his thoughts with Yan Zheke and followed Geezer Shi into the locker room set aside for guest teams.

On a seat at the raised platform, Ye Youting watched Lou Cheng walking away wearing a light-colored coat over her shoulder. She said with a mixture of emotions spreading over her face, “Sister Lan, who do you think will win?”

The draw in the Yanling division would be held tomorrow evening. She didn’t hurry back with Jiang Lan since they couldn’t affect the final results.

Jiang Lan put his head in his hands and said with a smile, “Speaking of odds, Wensheng School is a potential winner. But Lou Cheng and Lin Que have their strengths and they’re the top among the Professional Ninth Pin fighters. If they’re in the Little Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament, they also have a great chance to defeat an Eighth Pin fighter in a one-on-one when the opponent is worn out with time. If they took the tactic of attrition warfare, I’m afraid Junior Brother Zhou would not be able to handle it.”

“Senior Brother Zhou is stronger than Wei Shengtian indeed, but not by much. Compared to the time when they competed with the Fearless Squad, Lou Cheng and Lin Que have made great progress…” Ye Youting didn’t explain explicitly but what she meant was clear. She was afraid that Zhou Zhengquan would lose even more badly than Wei Shengtian.

She paused, and then she said feeling curious, “Sister Lan, do you think Lin Que has entered into the Danqi State?”

“How could it be so easy to enter into the Danqi State?” Jiang Lan chuckled and said, ” Lin Que didn’t understand the meaning of “contract” until late March. It has been not more than two months since that. Without meticulous work, he can’t complete it. It took me an entire seven months to enter the Danqi State from since I mastered the “contract”. Even if he is gifted, without three to four months of laying the foundations, he won’t progress so quickly just as high buildings won’t rise from the ground without sound foundations.

“I see…” Ye Youting nodded, his eyes lost in thought. “But Wensheng School has a better chance to win. Junior Brother Hou, Senior Sister Zhuo, and Senior Sister Li are all strong Ninth Pin fighters.

Especially the former, I’m not so sure that we’ll definitely win.

…

In the locker room of the guest room, seeing the weary faces of Li Mao, Sun Jian, and others, Geezer Shi made a sound “Hey”, attracting all attention.

“Yan, what kinds of tactics do you think the Donglin Squad will take? how will they choose their formation?” He pointed to Yan Zheke and said with a smile, “Don’t be shy, and give us your opinions.”

“Right, right. Say something, Master Yan!” Guo Qing laughed.

Feeling confused and puzzled, Yan Zheke blushed, hearing their laughter. However, she didn’t refuse and said in a calm voice,

“The Donglin Squad definitely has watched the video of the fight between the Fearless Squad and us, and they’ll try to curbLou Cheng’s terri-terrifying strength.”

Speaking of her boyfriend’s great strength, she couldn’t help but chuckle. Then she controlled herself and said silently,

Yan Zheke, Yan Zheke. If it was a speech, a laugh would spoil everything!

You were not like this before…

As Lou Cheng was involved in this, he looked innocent and said quietly, “Is it so funny?”

Yan Zheke rolled her eyes to him, took a breath and continued seriously, “They don’t know our formations, so don’t know when to use Zhou Zhengquan of Eighth Pin in Dan stage, in response to the order of Lou Cheng and Lin Que. I think they’ll find settle for a compromise and let Zhou Zhengquan come out second.”

“In that case, if Lin Que goes first, he’ll begin his fight against Zhuo Yanjun, Li Shengnan or Hou Yue. All of them are of Professional Ninth Pin. Even if he knows who he is facing, barring an accident, he would not be able to enjoy a quick victory. That is to say, after using his energy, he then has to fight Zhou Zhengquan. If so, it’s a toss of a coin whether he can provide an advantageous situation for Lou Cheng. If Lou Cheng faces a full strength Zhou Zhengquan, he would not be able to show what he can do even if he has good physical stamina.”

“If Lou Cheng comes out first, with his terrifying strength, he does have a chance to compete with Zhou Zhengquan when his enemy is most alert and energetic. So he can create an opportunity for Lin Que to win. But Lin Que’s strength is average. After a fierce fight with the Mighty One in the Dan stage, does he have any hope to win in the face of the Professional Ninth Pin of Donglin Squad? But we have Senior Brother Sun Jian with us. We should fight for it.”

Hearing her detailed analysis, Sun Jian, Li Mao, and the others all nodded gently. It was likely that these were the tactics that Donglin Squad would use. Balanced and pragmatic!

By the way, they also grumbled silently. “Although we all know you’re Lou Cheng’s girlfriend, you can’t be so biased towards your boyfriend. Don’t always disparage Lin Que’s average strength. It is Cheng’s strength which is actually abnormal!

Is it because you want to display your affection in front of us damn singles?

Be careful. It might damage the harmony, atmosphere, peace, and unity of the Martial Arts Club!”

Sensing the long looks from the others and a curious gaze from his cousin, Yan Zheke couldn’t help but touch her blushing face.

Is there something wrong with my analysis?

Why is everyone looking so weird, except Cheng?

She restrained her confusion and added, “By the way, watch out for Hou Yue. He is currently undefeated in the group competitions, and the worst result was that he once asked to exit the ring because he got too tired. He never pushes himself to the limits.”

That’s to say, nobody knows if Hou Yue has any more aces up his sleeve!

All of these above had been discussed between Yan Zheke and Lou Cheng in private.

“Very good.” Geezer Shi nodded with a smile.

“Coach Shi, another thing…” Yan Zheke raised her hand, face flushed.

Oops, I forgot it. So embarrassing!

“Say it.” Geezer Shi nodded with a smile.

Yan Zheke spoke fast, “‘Water Sect’ focuses on nourishment and longevity, so all martial arts derived from it features good stamina and endurance. I believe ‘Fly Fall Punch’ of the Wensheng School is no exception.”

“Right. ‘Fly Fall Punch’ does have this feature. Zhou Zhengquan specializes in attrition warfare as a fighter of Eighth Pin in Dan stage.” Since Yan Zheke has identified his blind spots that were hidden deliberately, Geezer Shi simply explained a little bit more. “No matter Lin Que or Lou Cheng, compared to the time when they were in Yimo, they have improved. Don’t worry about it.”

“So what’s the biggest problem for us?” Geezer Shi chuckled and said, “Apart from our two leading fighters, all the substitutes are somewhat weak. Luckily Wensheng School did not apply for the special competition format because they wanted to spare him blushes and to win the match as usual. Otherwise, we would have zero chance to win.”

At that, Sun Jian, Li Mao, Yan Zheke and all felt embarrassed.

“But, with no more than one year of special training, you have improved so much. It’s quite pleasing.” After explaining their weaknesses, as an elder, Geezer Shi began to comfort them and said, “Li Mao, I’ve seen progress in your still stance recently. It won’t take a long time to reach Amateur First Pin since you’re so physically fit. Try your best to get your capability close to the Professional Ninth Pin by this November.”

Hearing Coach Shi’s words, Li Mao felt very excited. Although he did achieve some progress in his still stance, he still lacked confidence and would still get butterflies in his stomach. Now that he had heard this, he felt a sense of relief and certainty.

“As for you, Yan,” Geezer Shi looked at Yan Zheke and said, “with two or three more months of practice, your strength will be strong enough to do ‘Internal Training’. By then, you should ask for help from your family and try to improve your capability near to the Professional Ninth Pin by November too.”

“Yes, Master!” Yan Zheke set her mouth in a grim line and nodded, eyes shining.

Thinking that she was near to Professional Ninth Pin, the girl couldn’t restrain her excitement.

Lou Cheng’s Thunder Roar Zen was not only a battle style but also a form of internal training that integrated this into your flesh and bones. It was similar to Meteor force from the Ji Family. But the reason why Yan Zheke didn’t use it was because she was not physically strong enough to learn it. If she pushed herself, her five viscera and six bowels would be damaged. In the same way, Lou Cheng was not taught Thunder Roar Zen until this semester.

“Guo Qing, you’re so skilled in the Mountain-moving Punch, added to that you are talented. The Ninth Pins like Yan and Li Mao aside, attaining the Amateur First Pin is possible for you. Sun Jian, if you and Lin Hua continue special training in the next two semesters, hopefully, you’ll get the certificates of the Professional Ninth Pin before graduation.” Geezer Shi gave his comments one by one and seized this opportunity to educate them.

At last, he looked at Lou Cheng and Lin Que, and said with a grin,

“As for the order of play, don’t care too much about it. Bear our original purpose in mind. We came here for the hands-on experience.”

“Last time, Lin Que battled with a fighter of Eight Pin in Dan stage, so this time Lou Cheng will go instead.”

Then he said with a serious face,

“Lou Cheng, you come out first today!”

Lou Cheng took a breath and said in a loud voice,

“Yes, Master!”

What would it be like to face a fighter of Eighth Pin in Dan stage who is in his best physical and mental condition?