“Senior Brother Chen…”
Only then did Du Feng squeeze out of the crowd, forcing an embarrassed smile as he sidled up to Chen Ping.
At the same time, he carefully offered Zhou Kai an apologetic smile.
Zhou Kai merely frowned slightly and gave no response.
“You really haven’t improved at all.”
Chen Ping patted Du Feng on the shoulder, neither too lightly nor too heavily. Every word and gesture was filled with the frustration of hating iron for not becoming steel.
Du Feng looked ashamed. Lowering his head, he said, “Then I’ll… I’ll continue taking them through the minor test.”
“Excuse me, Coach Chen, can the membership fee still be refunded?”
At that moment, someone in the crowd called out softly.
The scenes just now had made quite a few of the new students want to withdraw… So this was the style of Falcon Wing Martial Hall?
Wang Jinquan’s arrogance and tyranny, the other students’ cold indifference as they watched from the sidelines—all of it made them feel that if they continued staying here, they probably wouldn’t learn anything real.
Chen Ping nodded. “Go talk to the front desk. It can be refunded.”
Du Feng’s head drooped even lower. The matter of members asking for refunds made him feel even more ashamed to show his face.
“Continue training!”
Chen Ping looked at the chaotic first-floor training hall, his mood terrible to the extreme.
His words carried great weight. At his command, the students who had been gathered together scattered with a rumble, each going off to find equipment.
As for Wang Jinquan, who had been slapped unconscious, Yang Jing and the others hurriedly lifted him up in a fluster, called emergency services, and prepared to send him to the hospital.
Watching all this, Chen Ping shook his head, then turned to Zhou Kai. “Come with me.”
Zhou Kai asked, “Does my minor test count as passed?”
Chen Ping said as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, “In unrestricted combat, not one of these slackers is your match!”
The students who heard this did not even dare turn their heads. One by one, they lowered their heads and pretended to be busy with their own business.
But in their hearts, each had their own little calculations.
Some were disdainful, some jealous, some unconvinced.
……
“Chen Ping, this is what you called no talent? A yin-deficient body?”
In a martial practice room on the second floor, a middle-aged man with a goatee swept his gaze over Zhou Kai, then teased Chen Ping with a smile that was not quite a smile.
Zhou Kai stood to the side, his ears twitching slightly.
From the sound of it, Chen Ping had previously told this man that he was no good?
And now he had eagerly brought him over. Wasn’t this slapping his own face?
Zhou Kai subconsciously looked toward Chen Ping.
Their gazes met in midair for an instant. Chen Ping immediately shifted his eyes away calmly and said with an indifferent expression, “Martial Uncle Wu, that day I misjudged him… Now I feel that he can do it.”
The goateed middle-aged man was named Wu De, a figure of the master generation within Falcon Wing Boxing Gym.
When the hall master was not present, the gym was managed in his stead by him and several other martial uncles, each of whom instructed their own disciples.
Wu De nodded, not doubting Chen Ping’s words in the slightest. Clearly, he trusted him greatly.
He asked directly, “So, the reason you specially came to find me is…”
“If you want to teach him the Falcon Strike Technique, then teach him yourself.”
Chen Ping performed a rather traditional salute. “The proper procedures still have to be followed.”
Wu De chuckled and slowly walked up to Zhou Kai.
He raised his hand and struck Zhou Kai’s chest a few times, neither lightly nor heavily, then extended his fingers and pressed several acupoints on his arm.
He narrowed his eyes and considered for a moment before clicking his tongue.
“His innate foundation really is trash, but his comprehension and physical coordination are quite good… He’s a good seedling for practicing forms.”
“A pity. There isn’t much ceiling to him.”
Wu De looked at Zhou Kai with a smiling expression. “Kid, you’re not unhappy hearing me say that, are you?”
Zhou Kai shook his head, his expression calm. “Thank you for your assessment, Master Wu.”
In his heart, he was completely unruffled.
Ceiling?
It didn’t matter.
There was no limit to his effort and sweat.
Wu De was rather surprised by Zhou Kai’s composure. “Quite confident, are you? I hope that two months from now, you can still keep that confidence.”
He waved his hand and said to Chen Ping, “Take him to learn.”
“I know why you suddenly came to butter me up… The secret medicine can be given to him as an extra portion.”
“As for what you’ll say when your master returns, you can explain it yourself.”
“All right, get the hell out. Don’t let me see you again these next few days.”
“Yes, Martial Uncle.”
Chen Ping saluted.
Zhou Kai copied him. “Yes, Master Wu.”
……
“You’re pretty lucky. Martial Uncle Wu didn’t personally examine you.”
A short while later, Zhou Kai was brought by Chen Ping to his private practice room.
“From now on, you can choose three days each week to come over.”
“During those three days, I’ll spar with you like I did last night.”
Chen Ping suddenly turned around and looked at him with a solemn expression. “For students of the Falcon Strike Technique, the average time to enter the door is one month.”
“Those with somewhat better talent study for two to three months before they’re qualified to compete for the chance to become an apprentice.”
“Only someone who can master it proficiently within one month and make a name for himself in the ring can be considered a genius.”
“And the time I’m giving you is much shorter than that.”
“Enter the door in three days.”
“Become proficient in two weeks!”
Zhou Kai’s expression turned serious, and he replied in a deep voice, “I’ll do my best!”
To be perfectly fair, he wouldn’t need two weeks… One week would be enough.
He swept a glance over the panel. There were still nearly two hours left before the “Clear-Headed” state disappeared.
Not a single minute or second could be wasted.
Every bit stronger he grew in reality meant one bit more chance of survival in the nightmare.
Zhou Kai raised his eyes, his gaze burning as he looked at Chen Ping.
“Coach, if possible, let’s start now!”
Chen Ping’s gaze narrowed slightly as he stared at Zhou Kai for several seconds.
Even if this kid had gone back after dinner and taken a nap, he still had not closed his eyes from the early hours until now.
From his bloodshot eyes, it was clear that he was already exhausted to the extreme.
And yet he could still force himself to hold on through sheer spirit.
This… was he relying entirely on willpower to endure?
Chen Ping was secretly shocked. This kind of willpower, surpassing that of ordinary people, was in some sense also a form of talent.
“Get ready.”
Chen Ping nodded in indication.
Then he added, “Oh, right. From now on, call me Senior Brother.”
A strange light flashed through Zhou Kai’s eyes, and he immediately answered, “Yes, Senior Brother!”
Seeing Zhou Kai quickly enter the proper state,
Chen Ping took several deep breaths and adjusted his own emotions as well.
Then he began demonstrating the Falcon Strike Technique.
He also knew that for Zhou Kai, this learning pace was absurdly fast… But extraordinary people required extraordinary methods.
To let an uncut jade of outstanding talent gather dust in an environment of mediocrity would be the incompetence of them, his senior brothers, and proof that they lacked the eye to recognize talent.
Chen Ping slowly opened his stance. The five fingers of both hands spread apart, shaped like falcon claws.
Grabbing, hooking, twisting… A series of movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, graceful yet fierce.
As force was released and withdrawn, a succession of muffled explosions sounded from the air from time to time.
This set of boxing arts was highly pleasing to watch, and its practical combat value was beyond question.
Zhou Kai watched with complete concentration.
“The Falcon Strike Technique originates from the Eagle Claw Hand and Iron Wing Fist of ancient martial arts.”
“The founder of Falcon Wing Boxing Gym fused the two together, taking their essence and discarding their dross, and only then did this Falcon Strike Technique come into being. Later, on this foundation, he created the even stronger Broken Wing Style.”
“Today, the Falcon Strike Technique is the prerequisite martial art for learning the Broken Wing Style.”
“Since you’ve decided to enter Falcon Wing, your ultimate goal should be—the Broken Wing Style!”
“You must be prepared to devote the majority of your energy to the Broken Wing Style.”
Chen Ping demonstrated as he explained.
After he had gone through the entire set once, he began guiding Zhou Kai through practice step by step.
With the support of “Clear-Headed” and Zhou Kai’s own rather remarkable comprehension, every essential movement of the Falcon Strike Technique was being absorbed and digested by him at astonishing speed.
Without Zhou Kai noticing, on the panel before his eyes, within the skills column, a blurry shadow was flickering in and out of existence.