Martial Arts Master

When the eight matches on the second day had ended, the top sixteen contestants for the Battle of the Warrior Sage were decided. The committee did a simple lot drawing on the spot. The first match-up already emitted the smell of gunpowder.

Dragon King, Chen Qitao vs. Super-Class, Zhi Hai!

A showdown between two titleholders!

One of the commanding Legendary Twins would go against a rising star who threatened his position.

Whew. Wisdom King fought two easy matches, but this match will tell the actual difference between him and Dragon King, thought Lou Cheng, sitting in his hotel room. He had not gone to the live venue since his match had ended the night before.

Soon, the second, third, and fourth match-ups were revealed:

Long Dam that Guards the Sea, Ma Xinghong vs. Kirin, Dong Baxian;

God-Slaying Saber, Lu Yongyuan vs. Queen of Thought, Fei Dan;

Sunny Star, Ren Li vs. Miss Charming, Luo Xian.

Woah, woah, woah… Lou Cheng found himself tongue-tied again at Ren Li’s good luck.

This wasn’t to say that Miss Charming, Luo Xian of Shushan study was weak. Her status as a first-pin testified to her strength. But among the top sixteen, there were only two Physical Invulnerability experts who weren’t super-class, and she somehow managed to get both.

Still, even so, Lou Cheng wouldn’t put his money on Ren Li, who was clearly a cut below.

As these thoughts passed, he heard his own name, followed by his opponent’s.

“Wuyue Club, Huang Ke!”

Spear King, Huang Ke!

This has to be intentional! First it was Long Zhen, now it’s Spear King! Is the committee trying to pull a publicity stunt?! Lou Cheng complained internally. These type of match-ups gave the media too much to work on.

Wuyue Club’s leader vs. the young, rising talent who stormed out of Wuyue Club after being ostracized.

Once these words were in print, they would tell a thousand tales of revenge, blood, and tears.

As a Physical Invulnerability expert who had six titles under his belt, Spear King, Huang Ke was a true blue super-class. Lou Cheng thought that he was even stronger than Heaven’s Equal Swordsman, Feng Zhi had he been in his prime. The reason why he wasn’t listed as one of the eight Mighty Ones was that he was forty-nine, nearing half a century. Although his mind was still strong, he couldn’t avoid the deterioration of his regenerative abilities.

Therefore, he had made a conscious effort to reduce his participation rate in title tournaments, like Empress Luo, and only fought for two titles at full strength. Unfortunately, he was unlucky enough to run into Warrior Sage, Dragon King, and Dong Baxian early in the rounds, halting his advancement before even reaching top eight. Therefore, in a result-driven industry, it wasn’t unusual for him to be given the cold shoulder.

On the other hand, he seemed to be inspired by the rapid growth of The Clown, Gu Jianxi, and seemed to have gained a second wind. In any case, he wasn’t an opponent to be sneezed upon.

In the hotel Wuyue Club the dull-looking Huang Ke with a broad forehead stood on the balcony gazing out at the lights of civilization.

When the results of the lot drawing were announced, he tilted his head slightly, tossing a casual look at the suite to his left which belonged to The Clown, Gu Jianxi.

He saw darkness and heard nothing, but he believed that Gu Jianxi was inside.

Compared to Lou Cheng, his speed of advancement was nothing to write home about. As the thought flitted pass, Huang Ke retracted his gaze and walked into the living room with his hands dropped low.

He glanced at the Hail Spear, which was at least 3.8 meters. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

“Find me the footage of the thirty most recent fights of Lou Cheng.”

“Yes,” his assistant replied politely, swiftly switching on his computer and making a copy of the data in a file he had prepared earlier.

Updating this information bank was his bread and butter.

Before sending the files, he went through them carefully and didn’t spot any issues. However, he had the strange feeling that he had left out one match that he couldn’ quite put his finger on.

…

Collecting his thoughts, Lou Cheng dipped his head to discuss the results with Yan Zheke, Cai Zongming, and his martial sister. Distractedly, he listened to the three remaining matchups being announced:

Sword King, Wu Qiao vs. Taoist Yunhe;

Empress Luo, Ning Zitong vs. Late-Bloomer, Liang Yifan;

The Clown, Gu Jianxi vs. Living Buddha, Shishan.

When the lot drawing ended, Ke Ke shifted her focus back on schoolwork. Lou Cheng rubbed his stomach and noticed he was hungry. After grabbing his phone and cashless wallet, he went on the hunt for supper.

After sating his appetite and bragging about his meal, he strolled back leisurely. In the hotel lobby, he saw Empress Luo stirring the contents of her cup with a silver spoon at the open-style cafe.

“Come, I’ll buy you a drink,” she smiled prettily as she spotted him.

Though they were far apart and her volume was soft, Lou Cheng heard her words clearly.

“Let me have the honor, else my master would reprimand me for my lack of manners,” said Lou Cheng, using Geezer Shi as an excuse.

Ning Zitong giggled. “Him reprimanding you for a lack of manners?”

Damn, it’s awkward to run into someone who knows Master well… Lou Cheng laughed drily and sat down across her.

Before he could say anything, Ning Zitong added with a smile,

“This is to celebrate your win against Feng Zhi. Let me.”

Sister Ning, I know about your long-standing feud with Ren Li’s sister, but you don’t have to take it out on the whole on Kongtong school. Heaven’s Equal Swordman is innocent. Women’s feelings are complicated… thought Lou Cheng.

He nodded his head in amusement.

“Then I shall take you up on your offer.”

After ordering a drink, Ning Zitong asked him with great interest, “Did you just come back from a stroll? Are you nervous after drawing the Spear King?”

Don’t be so gossipy… thought Lou Cheng, shaking his head.

“No, I got hungry, that’s all. To me, even the Ice God Sect feels rather distant, much less Wuyue Club. I’m not interested in their internal politics. Um, but I’m quite happy to have drawn the Spear King. He’s been specializing in the Ice Sect secret arts for twenty to thirty years, so it’s a good time for me to find out what I’m lacking.”

Ning Zitong sighed, visibly disappointed.

“Boring, boring.”

Wiping the disappointment off her face, she asked,

“What have you been doing since last night? All cooped up and not going out at all.”

Smiling, Lou Cheng said, “I was closely examining the footage of my past thirty to forty matches and looking for potential weaknesses.”

Ning Zitong was a little stunned. Then, she nodded slowly,

“It’s a good habit.” She sighed. “Ever since I received my title, I felt like my control over my body reached its finest form, and I began to neglect self-examination.”

She laughed, as though mocking herself. “And there’s one other problem. If I look at my fight footage from the past, I’ll probably think things like, ‘Oh, how beautiful and youthful I once was! How did I perform so well? The embodiment of grace! How did I do it back then?’ Comparing that to the current me is too much for the heart to take.”

To think that you are this narcissistic, thought Lou Cheng in amusement, not quite certain of hpw tp respond.

Fortunately, Ning Zitong was only taken by a moment of reminiscence and soon returned to the main subject.

“I expected the win against Feng Zhi to get to your head, but it seems like I was wrong.”

“Sister Ning, I am fully aware of where I stand. At best, I’m at the level of a new first-pin, and not a super-class as the media claims. What right do I have to not take Spear King seriously,” smiled Lou Cheng.

Due to the uniqueness of his fusion of cultivation and martial arts, he was already at the level of a low-tier second-pin after fortifying his Physical Invulnerability experiences and learning many secret arts. Then, with his mortal combat experiences and aid from laboratory training, he had improved his mastery of the Cosmic Universe Sect and mastered many Physical Invulnerability techniques. Afterwards, with his understanding of the Forbidden Sect Divine Arts, his mind strengthened, bringing about a definite change in his overall strength which finally brought him to the threshold of first-pin.

Ning Zitong shook her head, smiling. “Don’t underestimate yourself too much. At the Physical Invulnerability stage, improving one’s strength is directly related to refining one’s mind. In this aspect, you’ve combined and cultivation and the Nine Words Formula, so you are pretty much in a league of your own. Compared to us, you only lack experience and mastery, and all you have left to do is to blend your unique understandings into your moves. That’s how I see it.”

By refining the mind, martial artists gradually advance closer to the mysterious, dangerous cranial region, until it goes through a qualitative change. That’s when they enter the Forbidden Region. The peril and difficulty of this process could not be expressed in words.

“I see. Does Sister Ning have any tips?” asked Lou Cheng out of curiosity.

“Tips? Try converting your knowledge, experiences, and feelings into an intent. You have to, um, express it with your mind. That’s my take on it. You can try asking your Master too,” said Ning Zitong frankly.

Lou Cheng recalled his battle with Lu Yongyuan and Living Buddha’s holy land illusion. He vaguely understood something. Thoughtfully, he said, “In other words, I have to fuse my understanding of nature with the feelings closest to my heart and my own will, and express them through my mind to affect the opponent? Like a more advanced application of psychological warfare and contest of wills?”

Ning Zitong pondered.

“Something like that. One important part is that you have to explore your inner self and find the strength that has supported you along your journey till now.”

I’m good at that… Lou Cheng started to recall his experiences, and everything felt like it was yesterday, especially the times when he hit rock bottom and the period when this strength was vivid and surging.

Hm, it’s for love and for myself. It’s to protect my relationship, my family, and myself. This thought brought an odd expression to his face.

If I put all of these feelings into my moves and express them with my mind, wouldn’t my move be…

“What’s wrong?” asked Ning Zitong, puzzled.

“Nothing,” said Lou Cheng. “I just happened to remember an ultimate move I read from a comic.”

The ‘I Super-Duper Love You” punch…