Free Web NovelChapter 178: Chapter 122: Clarity of Thought, Visualization Breakthrough
"You two got dragged into this because of me."
At his words, Xiong Cheng opened his mouth to speak, a complex look in his eyes. Fang Xu’s expression was similar as they both looked at their captain.
Surprisingly, they found they didn’t hold any resentment.
Instead, their minds were filled with the memory of him ignoring those people’s backgrounds and standing up for them, demanding an explanation even if it meant offending the powerful.
"I can request a transfer to a different squad for you two."
After a moment of thought, Lu Chao said carefully, "That way, you can both stay in the Patrol Department, and those people won’t bother you again."
This was something he had seriously considered after leaving Ring Academy.
He felt that Xiong Cheng and Fang Xu had a right to know what was happening and why.
Besides, unlike him and Chen Xiao,
Fang Xu and Xiong Cheng had only just joined. They still had a choice. There was no need to drag them down with him.
But, unexpectedly...
"No, Captain."
Xiong Cheng, his head wrapped in bandages, shook his head.
"I might not be very capable, but I know who treats me well and who doesn’t."
He grinned, the movement pulling at the wound on his face, and said with a pained smile, "I think our Third Squad is great. I don’t want to go anywhere else."
Lu Chao and Chen Xiao were both stunned by his words. Chen Xiao couldn’t help but give him a friendly punch on the chest.
"Good man."
He nodded emphatically. He knew Xiong Cheng came from a poor family, so he understood how much courage it took for him to make this decision.
"What about you?"
Chen Xiao couldn’t help but look at Fang Xu, his face full of anticipation.
But...
Only silence followed.
Fang Xu lowered his head slightly, his eyes a storm of complex emotions.
He wanted to agree in a heartbeat, but the thought of the threats from Lin Zhou and his group gave him pause.
’It’s not just about me. My parents are already overwhelmed with business troubles. If I cause them any more problems...’
"It’s okay."
Suddenly, a hand patted his shoulder.
The voice was calm, almost carrying a hint of warmth.
Fang Xu looked up.
He saw Lu Chao standing before him with a smile. "Some answers should only be given after you’ve thought them through."
"No matter what you decide, in our hearts, you’ll always be a member of the Third Squad."
He spoke calmly, his eyes bright.
Fang Xu was grateful and nodded heavily.
"Hm?"
In that instant,
Lu Chao’s heart stirred. ’I’m suddenly reminded of Luo Qianshan.’
’The words I’m saying now are almost identical to what he said back then.’
In a flash, he completely understood Master Luo’s caution, his considerations, and the pressure he carried on his shoulders.
For a moment, his gaze wavered.
Lu Chao felt the thoughts in his mind become exceptionally clear. It was as if his Spiritual Power was slowly transforming, or as if a sun of Crimson Fire was about to coalesce.
Thinking about it, he calculated the days.
’It seems there are only a few days left until the arranged match with Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall.’
...
BOOM!!
A muffled explosion echoed.
A fist shot out, and the suspended punching bag swung in a wide arc, straining against its chains.
This was a spacious training room. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see the tall apartment buildings outside and the wide river that encircled the inner city.
A gray-white cargo ship was docked at the port on the opposite bank. Several hovercrafts streaked across the sky above, leaving white contrails in their wake.
BOOM!!
At that same moment, another explosion rang out in the training room.
Looking over, one could see the same fist striking out again. The punch was so powerful it made the air crackle, causing a nearby martial arts hall disciple to stare wide-eyed.
A powerfully built young man with shaggy, long hair stood before the punching bag. He was bare-chested, his muscles flowing like water, each line as clear and sharp as if carved by a master sculptor.
His fist shot out straight and true. The red leather punching bag, which had been swinging away, was just starting its return journey, pulled back by gravity.
In that instant,
the fist slammed into the bag.
A flicker of silver-blue lightning seemed to flash, carrying the might of a thunderbolt as it surged into the bag.
BOOM!!
A thunderous roar shook the eardrums of everyone present.
The disciples of the martial arts hall stared, eyes wide, as the red leather punching bag—weighing over a hundred kilograms and made from High-Level Exotic Beast Hide—violently exploded.
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!!
Countless fine grains of sand shot out like shrapnel, spraying everywhere.
The tough, red beast hide was shredded into tattered scraps that drifted through the air.
The scene plunged the entire martial arts hall into a momentary silence. Some stared in astonishment, their gazes fixed on the spot where the bag had burst.
The fist that had delivered the blow hung suspended in mid-air, with several wisps of silver-blue lightning crackling across its surface.
It seemed to be a manifestation of Martial Arts Power, or perhaps a sign of some powerful Secret Technique.
Finally...
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Lei, on achieving Minor Achievement in the Thunder Fist!"
An excited young disciple in the training room broke the silence. His cry was like a signal, and the other students training in the hall snapped out of their stupor, shouting excitedly as well.
"Senior Brother Lei!"
"As expected of Senior Brother Lei!"
"The Thunder Fist is a Mid-Level Martial Skill and Secret Technique! With a punch like that, I bet even an Elite Level expert would be seriously injured, right?"
"Haha, I’d like to see how Jinshi Boxing Hall plans to counter this!"
Amidst the excited shouts of agreement, numerous discussions broke out.
Standing in the center of the open space, the powerfully built young man known as Senior Brother Lei paid them no mind. He simply withdrew his fist slowly and looked at the figure walking toward him.
"Senior Brother Wu," he called out with a smile.
Wu Yuntao, dressed in a blue martial arts uniform with a lightning pattern, nodded lightly. His cold gaze fell upon the fist, where a wisp of silver-blue Martial Arts Power flickered and vanished.
"Junior Brother Lei, congratulations."
He knew exactly what this meant.
The core legacy of the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall was the Thunder Fist.
Only by truly mastering it could one be qualified to take over as the hall master in the future.
"Senior Brother Wu, don’t tease me."
"I remember you only took three months to master it. Compared to you, I’m still far behind."
Lei Chongming clenched his fist, seemingly dissatisfied with his own progress.
Wu Yuntao shook his head at his words and said honestly, "I had special circumstances back then. It was a fluke."
"Besides... the Thunder Fist is all about accumulation. Cultivation cannot be rushed. You don’t need to be so hard on yourself."
Reassured by his words, Lei Chongming gave a reluctant nod.
Then, after some simple movements to warm down,
he grinned, thinking about the upcoming competition.
"Senior Brother Wu, what do you think my chances are now?"
"Ninety-nine percent."
Wu Yuntao replied calmly, without a hint of hesitation.
A Mid-Level Martial Skill was incomparably powerful.
On top of that, his Life Energy foundation, which he had been suppressing for a long time, was just a hair’s breadth away from breaking through the 70-point mark.
One could say he was already unrivaled within the professional grade.
Even an ordinary Elite Level practitioner with less than eighty points of Life Energy could suffer a major loss and be severely wounded by him if they weren’t careful, a classic case of a lower-level fighter defeating a higher-level one.
In contrast, based on the currently available information, no one from Jinshi Boxing Hall was his match.
"Heh, I think so too."
Lei Chongming chuckled, then slowly clenched his fist as a cold light gradually filled his eyes.
"That old bastard Luo Qianshan never knew his own limits. Back when he was just a Wilderness Hunter, he repeatedly opposed my father."
"And at the last martial arts tournament, he had the audacity to use our hall as a stepping stone to make a name for himself in the city. Truly despicable!"
As he spoke, the smile vanished from his face.
The coldness and contempt in his eyes were undisguised. He looked at his fist, where Martial Arts Power once again gathered, forming a new silver-blue arc of lightning.
"So, this time."
"I’d like to see."
Baring his teeth in a grin, he said in a low voice, "I’ll personally break the spines of his disciples and crush their bones."
"What can he do then!"
...
CLICK!
That night, the door to the room closed.
Lu Chao returned to his bedroom but didn’t rush to rest.
Instead, he sat cross-legged on his bed, slowly closed his eyes, and carefully focused on the active thoughts in his mind.
For some reason,
ever since the incident at Ring Academy earlier that day, he had felt his thoughts become unusually calm and exceptionally active.
This was especially true after his conversation with Fang Xu, when he put himself in Master Luo’s shoes and looked back at the past.
His mind was clear, his thoughts piercing through illusion to find truth.
He felt as if he had broken through to the final secret of the first level of the Fixed Star Observation Method, Crimson Fire, causing the accumulated power from drawing in the celestial light to erupt ahead of schedule.
Thanks to this,
HUMMM!!
He looked inward, into the vast, dark sea of his mind.
A glimmer of light appeared, like an active wisp of consciousness, which transformed into a flicker of Crimson Fire.
Then, as if it were a signal,
countless invisible flames of Crimson Fire rapidly appeared and began to converge.
