Martial Arts Master

In the afternoon, everyone in the Martial Arts Club arrived at Linghua University, also located in Songcheng. They easily defeated their opponents and won their second victory in the group competition. This meant they could successfully advance. What they needed now was another victory to avoid fighting Shanbei University before making the top eight.

In this match, Yan Zheke once again did a good job with her Professional Ninth Pin level strength. She combined Yin-yang Twist and 24 Blizzard Strikes to attack her opponent. Lin Hua also took the opportunity to defeat one of their Amateur First Pin opponents who had consumed a little stamina then. Lin Que ended the match by winning the leading player in three moves.

On their way back to the university, Lou Cheng and the rest only made it to the new campus at about six due to the terrible jam and had a delicious dinner in the university dining hall.

As usual, he and Yan Zheke took a walk to aid their digestion. She shook her hand and sighed thoughtfully.

“It’s pretty exhausting to fight like this. I still haven’t recovered yet.”

She fought Lou Ke today, who was also a Professional Ninth Pin fighter. She had to struggle hard to earn her victory. After the match, Lou Cheng planned on helping her relax and massaging her to relieve her fatigue. He had to give up for they were in the locker room of the other team and surrounded by Shu Rui’s shooting team.

Hearing Ke’s cutesy words, Lou Cheng remembered the new secret discipline he had mastered. He put on a teasing air and said, “How about I perform a magic trick for you? You won’t feel tired anymore after this!”

“Liar!” Yan Zheke glared at him, annoyed but also tickled.

“No, I’m serious. Just look at how sincere my eyes are.” Lou Cheng deliberately widened his eyes. “Let’s go over there and I’ll show you!”

He pointed to the lawn behind the trees. It was much more secluded compared to the busy main road.

“What are you going to do?” A shocked Yan Zheke asked in suspicion.

It was still bright out! Where has his shame gone?!

Not to mention that so many people were still passing by!

“Nothing, just an actual magic trick.” Lou Cheng chuckled. “Ke, are you thinking of something dirty?”

“Of course not!” Yan Zheke turned her head and denied his words, cheeks and ears flushed red.

She only followed her boyfriend to the lawn behind a tree after he promised not to do anything to her.

“Go on!” She stared at Lou Cheng, gnashing her teeth.

Humph. Since when did he learn how to perform magic tricks?

Lou Cheng smiled gently. He first visualized the word “Swordsman”, with its thick and long charm. One of his palms faced up and the other was knotted. He pushed air out of his chest and vibrated his vocal cords. At last, he recited the word in a low voice,

“Swordsman!”

The moment the sound was made, there appeared a blow of wind. The sky dimmed a little. Yan Zheke trembled, feeling that all the organs in her body shaking. A strange but familiar force entered her body in an instant.

Shocked, she opened her mouth bit by bit into a cute O-shape. While she was staring at Lou Cheng in bewilderment, she also subconsciously moved her body.

“How do you feel? You don’t feel tired anymore, right? What do you think of magic trick?” Reigning in his smugness, Lou Cheng smiled at her. But he also looked a little tired.

The external use of the Nine Words Formula added a fair amount of burden on his spirit.

“I-I’m really not tired at all… ” Yan Zheke answered him in a daze. She suddenly came back to earth and raised her right hand. Surprised and pleased, she blurted out, “You’ve mastered the Nine Words Formula? The ‘Swordsman’ Formula?”

How was this a magic trick? This was obviously a secret discipline!

The day before yesterday, Cheng said Coach Shi would be giving him the material, not had given him. How could he have already mastered it today?

Did this not seem a little too unrealistic?

That was why Yan Zheke thought about the Nine Words Formula when Lou Cheng brought up the magic trick that could relieve her fatigue.

“Yes, perhaps I’m fated with the formula,” Lou Cheng told her the truth in a joking manner.

Thanks to fate, Longhu Immortal and the Nine Words Formula merging with his Jindan had given him the key to practice this secret discipline!

“Fate?” Yan Zheke has always been smart, so she was somewhat doubtful.

Lou Cheng exhaled and said sincerely, “This involves a secret. I’ll explain everything to you in the future.”

“Okay!” Yan Zheke smiled and stopped her questioning.

She thought it involved a secret about Coach Shi.

They looked at each other and laughed. Lou Cheng then suggested, “I’ll use it again. Try and see if you can feel the changes in your body this time.”

“Okay.” Yan Zheke nodded, like a chick picking at grains.

Lou Cheng repeated the previous process. He knotted one of his hands and pronounced the word with a deep voice and a solemn expression,

“Swordsman!”

Wind swept them again, this time swirling into a whirlpool. What was more, the evening sky has turned much darker.

Yan Zheke closed her eyes and carefully felt the changes carefully. After a minute, she said very cautiously, “It’s like the external force is coming from you. Ah, it’s not really entirely external, it seems to be coming from a close yet far place. It refreshes my spirit, um, also helps me recover from exhaustion… But that relief is from the first time, not this time.”

Lou Cheng asked thoughtfully, “Then do you feel more energetic? Is your stamina better than when you felt the most energetic in the past?”

“No,” she answered with certainty.

“In other words, the ‘Swordsman’ formula can only relieve one’s fatigue, but not improving strength. Well, there’s also a possibility that I’ve just mastered it and haven’t achieve a profound level.” Lou Cheng was basically certain of the current effect of the formula. He smiled and said, “What do you think? Isn’t this magic trick wonderful?”

“Yes! It’s great!” Yan Zheke answered cheerfully, glancing at him. “Now I’m not at all tired. Earlier, I was thinking of finding a secluded area and get you to massage me. But I don’t need it anymore. In the future, you can just use this formula on me instead of massaging me!”

He seemed to be have done something wrong… Being a smartass only brought him momentary pleasure… Lou Cheng did not know if he should laugh or cry. “That’s different. The formula can’t help you ease your bruises and cure the external wounds… ”

As he talked, he noticed a sly grin on Yan Zheke’s face.

…

Near Weishui Lake on Monday morning.

Geezer Shi strolled towards Lou Cheng with his hands clasped behind his back. He could not wait to tease him.

“How is it? Have you mastered it? It’s been two days since we met!”

Lou Cheng remained calm. He set up a stance and knotted with his two hands. In addition, he said solemnly and seriously,

“Army!”

An odd, violent atmosphere enveloped their surroundings in an instant. Geezer Shi seemed to have seen thousands of soldiers on horseback charging furiously at him. Their iron heels stepped on the ground, making earth-shattering thumps. A thick murderous intent penetrated deep into his heart.

Any ordinary person facing such a violent scene would have peed in his pants. But being a powerful martial arts expert, Geezer Shi was not frightened. His pupils only shrank out of shock at Lou Cheng’s learning speed.

There were thousands of words he wanted to say. There are many emotions he wanted to transform into curses, but in the end he just gave a soft smile.

“Hehe.”

Did he just master the “Army” Formula in less than two days? With only a copied version?

The top level fighters of physical invulnerability, Fei Dan and Zhao Zhengrong, have not even comprehended these formulas with the original version!

This brat really needed to be dissected, or his various abilities would shock him to death one day… Geezer Shi scolded his disciple in his mind.

Taking out his wine pot, he took a sip of alcohol to help him recover from the shock. He pretended to ask casually,

“When did you master it? How many formulas have you learned now?”

Lou Cheng gave an placid smile. “I learned the ‘Swordsman’ formula the day before yesterday and the ‘Army’ and ‘Forwarding’ formula yesterday.”

“W-What?!” Geezer Shi choked on his alcohol and said after a moment, “Did the legacy of Longhu Immortal help you learn the Nine Words Formula?”

With his vast experience, he thought of the main point immediately.

Lou Cheng felt pleased to see his master losing his composure and honestly replied, “Yes, it’s linked to the Nine Words Formula. It helps me visualize the charm of the formula in reverse and allows me to understand the main points of this kungfu within half an hour. But I still need to rely on the Visualization Diagram.”

So he could not practice another six formulas now.

Geezer Shi did not continue his questioning to disguise his emotions and maintain his dignity as a master. He changed the topic and said, “Not bad. This is considered an addition to your previous adventure reward. If ‘Army’ Formula is Spirit and Vigor Secret Art, what about ‘Swordsman’ and ‘Forwarding’?”

Lou Cheng answered him frankly, “The ‘Army’ formula tempers the will. It doesn’t enhance the will, but rather make it sharper and harder to an extent. If I use it externally, I could suppress my opponent’s momentum and attack his spirit. The ‘Forwarding’ formula trains the mind. It can also be combined with Ice Mirror. If I use it externally, it won’t target on my opponent, but will influence my mind to help overcome negative emotions, such as fear, terror, fear, panic, and so on. As for the ‘Swordsman’ formula… ”

Listening to his disciple speaking so reasonably, Geezer Shi was actually speechless and could only nod in the end.

“Good.”

He planned on practicing the Three Words Formula of the Nine Words Formula later to check how long it will take him to understand the basics of the kungfu…

…

On December 8, a Sunday, the Martial Arts Club of Songcheng University easily defeated the Martial Arts Club of Yunxia Geological School. Li Mao, Cai Zongming, and Lou Cheng were the leading players in this match. They successfully advanced to the final eight as the winner of their group. Based on the rule that the winner of one group would fight with the second place of another group, they got their wish to avoid a match with Shanbei, Sanjiang, and Haiyuan.

Back in the new campus, the sky was already dark. When the members separated, they clapped each other on the backs as congratulations. But they were not too excited for they had already anticipated this victory before the district contest even started.

Their goal was not to be the winner of the group, but to enter the National Finals!

They would unleash their joy at that moment!

After bidding farewell with Cai Zongming, Lou Cheng who was carrying his luggage pulled Yan Zheke aside.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Zheke somehow guessed what Cheng wanted to say.

Lou Cheng bit his lip and shamelessly said,

“Ke, let’s sleep out tonight.”

That was right. After a period of exercise, he had become even more shameless. Now he could say it directly instead of just dropping hints!

“Ah… ” Yan Zheke never thought he would be this frank. Shocked, she immediately blushed.

How could he say these things so directly?!

How was she supposed to answer…

Only then did Lou Cheng realized he had forgotten to mention the key point. He added quickly, “It’s your birthday after 12 o’clock! I want to celebrate your 19th birthday with you. Don’t worry. I’ve booked two rooms!”

Yan Zheke suddenly recalled something Dirty Tong said.

“They’ll first book two rooms. Then they’ll shamelessly stay in the girl’s room… ”

Yan Zheke looked down, still blushing. She bit her lip and turned around to avoid his expectant gaze. She finally answered in a low voice,

“O-Okay… ”

The minute she agreed, she became strangely guilty. So she added, “I believe in you.”

“Great!” Lou Cheng could not mask his joy.

Just then, Yan Zheke’s phone rang. She took out her phone and found it was her mom, Ji Mingyu, calling.

“Empress Dowager… ” She reminded Lou Cheng and chose to answer the call.

“Hey, Ke. You’re probably back in campus?” Ji Mingyu asked with a smile.

“Yes, I’m here. Mom, are you calling to celebrate my birthday in advance? You haven’t given me your presents yet!” Yan Zheke said cutely.

Lou Cheng stood by her side silently, planning their date at night and the process of giving her the present in his mind. With his excellent hearing, it was easy for him to eavesdrop on the conversation over the phone.

Ji Mingyu smiled. “I’ve long prepared it. Your dad happened to be free these couple of days. We’re already here in Songcheng. What do you think? Are you surprised?”

Yan Zheke opened her mouth in shock and turned to the frozen Lou Cheng. She replied blankly,

“I-It’s really a surprise… ”