Martial Arts Master

“Wonton seller” replied instantly when she saw Lou Cheng’s reply.

“Exactly! I’m still in shock! He won just like that? That was like, what, ten moves at most? [nods vigorously]”

“Fast as it was…” replied “Unparalleled Dragon King”, “It was bloody exciting! Violent, aggressive power that stems from savagery! I’m so pumped up I feel like dueling my dog! [slams table in approval]”

“I’m getting a little hard. [snickering]” replied “Okamoto’s Fan”.

“Hard? The f*** bro, you gay or something?” replied “A Plumber Eating Mushrooms”.

“Doesn’t the way Lou Cheng fight make your blood boil? It makes me want to drum my chest the way King Kong does it, then find a girl and get laid! Of course I’ll get hard! [shrugs while frowning]” replied “Okamoto’s Fan”.

“Pervert! You perverted old man!” reprimanded “Brahman. “…But, to be honest, when my idol was in full aggression, I, I really wanted to touch his muscles, *hides face*…”

“Haha, Little Brahman is fangirling! [laughs while covering mouth]” replied “Wonton Seller”. “Thinking back, I became an martial art enthusiast because I used to think Dragon King was really manly!”

“Thinking back? Teenagers below the age of 18 don’t get to use this phrase! [funny face]” replied “Road to the Arena”. “Thinking back, I began learning martial arts because I thought martial artists were experts at impressing girls!”

“Speaking of teenagers, where’s our elementary schooler? @Eternal Nightfall.” replied “Unparalleled Dragon King”, realizing the absence of Lou Cheng’s loyal little fan during the post-match celebration and discussion.

Yan Xiaoling popped up right after being tagged.

“I’m watching the replays, for the third time, “wipes drool”…”

“I’m speechless, you win…[sighs while covering face]” replied “Unparalleled Dragon King”, “Who would have thought, before the match started, that Lou Cheng would have such a clean sweep?”

“I think his morphing is nearing completion. His level is likely to be that of a genuine Inhuman soon,” guessed “Pig-Riding Knight”. “Banam is not the type to fight head on, once he made a mistake against someone from the same league, it’s not strange for him to get combo-ed to a loss.”

“You are right, but to defeat an Inhuman mighty one in about ten moves still blows me away… It’s a pity I don’t understand Shengxiangese or Nanzhengese, otherwise I could read their news and forums to see what they are saying— their compliments, their disappointment, and how they are blown away…” sighed “A Plumber Eating Mushrooms.”

“Give me a minute, I’ll go through the Japanese forums and see what they have to say. [heh-heh]” replied “Unparalleled Dragon King”.

Soon, he pasted the original comments he had copied, along with his translations at the bottom.

“How do we call him? A genius that appears only once every three thousand years?”

“To think I rooted for Banam for ten seconds.”

“Why ten seconds?”

“Cause he lost after ten seconds…”

“Even Kaori-chan can’t take Banam down this fast…”

“If Banam gave away an opening to Kaori-chan, she too can defeat him in ten moves, with the burst of strength she displayed when fighting against Veigar! Kaori-chan is the best!”

“China’s current generation is so strong.”

“The idiots in the martial arts association, open your eyes and see for yourself! Get off your high horses and reform the training system!”

“Crazy fight, terrifying samurai!”

“Brahman” replied with a “slams the table while saying hurry up”. “Keep going, Little Dragon, keep going! These replies have me over the moon!”

After replying, Lou Cheng didn’t pay special attention, merely glancing occasionally. That’s because the special alert on his phone rang.

“I just watched the replay for another time, thinking that you wouldn’t pick up your phone this fast. [blushing]” messaged “Yan Zheke”.

Pfft, she’s behaving like Yan Xiaoling! Barely holding it in, Lou Cheng sent a [brushes hand through hair smugly] reaction image. “Go ahead, shower me with your compliments, I can take it!”

To be frank, he was feeling a little smug after replying to everyone on the forums with his “Competition ended too quickly, didn’t have a chance to snap a shot” excuse.

Yan Zheke replied with [rolls eyes], then asked worriedly, “Banam’s last move is rumored to be extremely powerful, are you okay Cheng?”

“It’s pretty powerful indeed,” replied Lou Cheng. “Though a portion of my strength has returned, I’m still feeling pretty weak, as if all my stats are reduced. Had I not gotten Banam at the last second, things would have started looking dangerous.”

Of course, after getting hit by the mutated “Severe Warning”, the new “Internal Explosion Punch” driven by “Emperor Yan Force”, two rounds of beating enhanced by the Fighting Formula, a few times of Zen Strikes and suffering the after-effect from his ultimate skill, even if Banam braced through it all, he would be in a similar state as Lou Cheng. Definitely not in better shape.

What’s more, their way of martial arts only focused on exploring the treasures within the human body. Through that they activated their potential, completing bursts of strength. On the other hand, the “Force Concentration” practiced in China had other effects— regulating one’s own body and alleviating negative effects. He would be the one left standing in a slugfest.

However, that was only the case if Banam could not shake off his aggressive attacks. If Banam managed to put some distance between them, things would have worked out in his favor. Lou Cheng would have soon become weakened by the “darkness”, without any chances of further injuring his opponent. The tides would have turned in the blink of an eye.

“I see. I’m glad you are fine. [nods like a chick pecking on rice grains]” replied Yan Zheke. “Cheng.”

“Yeah?”

“You were so cool just now~” typed Yan Zheke, pressing her lips into a smile, her fingers dancing. And very manly as well, she thought to herself.

She sent the message and lifted her head, taking in the American-styled structures on both sides of the road from the bus window. In a garden, a topless youth was punching away at a sandbag.

The few martial arts enthusiasts will be saying good things about Lou Cheng again, they will be in awe, she thought, her gaze drifting into the distance as a dimpled smile surfaced. But soon she felt the same insuppressible melancholy.

Her compliment made Lou Cheng’s mouth curve upwards. The joy from the swift win over Banam was taking over— a strong urge to stand up and move around a little.

That’s when his heart tightened. Looking to his side, he saw Kaori Karasawa sizing him up from far. She was now in a yukata.

With her hair in a bun, she wore a demure smile on her lovely round face, adorned by her beautiful eyes. She looked nothing like the girl genius that violently destroyed Veigar, but rather an ordinary student attending a festive ceremony.

They locked eyes. Kaori Karasawa nodded slightly, a look deeper than a bottomless pool in her eyes, a mismatch with her age and demeanor.

Xinzhai Sect’s kungfu is both mysterious and violent. This is going to be hard , thought Lou Cheng.

Against her, even if I completed my morphing, the chances of winning are still slim…

His eyes drifted and happened to see Banam’s staggering silhouette leaving the changing room before exiting the stadium. Silent in his departure, just like in his arrival. On the other hand, Veigar never appeared again after losing to Kaori Karasawa. Wahku never spectated any matches either. Probably on his crude and endless training again.

Mouko Yamashita solemnly stared at the young man, who was a lot shorter than him, mixed feelings tumbling inside him.

“He makes a fine target, right?” Kaori Karasawa’s voice rang beside him.

Mouko Yamashita looked over his shoulders, creasing his brows in confusion.

“With a target like him, Mouko-kun must be feeling full of energy and free of sloppiness. If not, the chance to wash the shame will never come,” said Kaori Karasawa with a soft laugh, her brows creasing in modesty.

Mouko Yamashita fumed, his head buzzing loudly, feeling as if he had been looked down on. But he quickly calmed down, knowing that Kaori Karasawa spoke the truth and taunted him on purpose, to prevent him from numbing to defeat and accustoming to bearing shame.

“Thanks, I will prove it to you all!” he replied in a deep voice.

Yet a tinge of uncertainty emerged as he said it.

Can I really surpass Lou Cheng again? Can I really wash away the shame?

On the other side, Lou Cheng had kept his eyes to himself, smiling as he messed around on his phone.

Ann Chaoyang glanced at him, but the latter did not show any intentions of holding a conversation. Remembering his question before the match started, he took out his phone and went to the forums, searching for the reply.

“This is your excuse?” he blurted after a brief silence.

He’s that confident?

Lou Cheng tilted his head upwards.

“Yeah, I had it all thought out. That match was either a swift win or a swift loss, so my excuse stands either way. Thankfully, Banam was caught off guard from the get go,” he explained.

Okay… you sure had it all mapped out…. Ann Chaoyang felt a muscle twitch in his cheeks.

“Come to think of it, it seems like Banam has to get into physical contact to weaken his opponent with “Darkness”. If not, he wouldn’t have the need to make a sneak attack on you. As long as he kites around and lets time elapse, he will have a high chance of winning.” mused Ann Chaoyang.

Had that been the case, Banam would not have taken Lou Cheng’s killer move right off the bat…

“That’s right. I have seen parts of his footages from before and drew the same conclusion,” said Lou Cheng, nodding in approval. Then he thought of something and took a quick glance at Ren Li and Peng Leyun, who sat 33 feet away from each other. He lowered his voice. “After Ren Li advanced to Inhuman, did her “Hidden Scent” alter correspondingly and overwrite the limitations? In the past, she had that prerequisite where she had to hit her opponent with Plague Sect force. Also, the area of effect was fairly small,” he asked.

Without those two limitations, “Hidden Scent” would come close to an in game bug!

With Ren Li’s top notch Wind Sect footwork, she could run around all day after releasing her Hidden Scent and the victory will come to her by itself!

Ann Chaoyang glanced at Ren Li.

“That’s too ridiculous. But she’s definitely a lot stronger than when you last faced her.”

As they spoke, the arena has been restored to its original appearance, free from any physical traces left by the memorable fight.

After a round of theatrical performance, the referee took to the arena. The third match was impending.

Peng Leyun and Ren Li stood up at the same time, headed towards the arena from two seperate walkways, forgetting to even high five their teammates.

Watching them from the back, Lou Cheng chuckled, his phone in hand.

“Why doesn’t Ren Li get lost on her way to the arena?”

“This must be what they call true love…” replied Ann Chaoyang, smiling.

The battle between Peng Leyun and Ren Li (postponed from April thanks to Lou Cheng) was about to begin!