Chapter 70: Go Home

Waiting for Geezer Shi to call back, Lou Cheng filled up at a fast-food restaurant. He wanted to show off to Cai Zongming, but his QQ was offline, probably out on a date. He checked the forum and saw how stunned his online friends were by his victory over Ye Youting.

[I’m going to dig his background out from someone in Songcheng University... Such a character can’t be born from a stone!] "Unparalleled Dragon King" was murmuring like a human database.

"Pig-Riding Knight," the knowledgeable moderator, commented with a touch of emotion. [If Lou Cheng had always been this unbelievably powerful, winning every match with ease, I wouldn’t be so surprised. Peng Leyun is the same age and is already Eighth Pin. But... But, except for the fight with Tang Yue, he won all his matches by a narrow margin and was close to being knocked out several times. How could he suddenly become able to defeat Ye Youting? He’s no Super Saiyan!]

[Must be drugs... How boring! Although there’s no rule against it, the audience wants to see his true physical limit,] "Outspoken" criticized, who never liked Lou Cheng.

[Might be some secret technique that aroused his potential. Many sects have such things,] "Wonton Seller" replied carefully.

[Possible, but would he do that for just ten grand? The after-effects can be severe. Ten grand definitely can’t fix it,] "A Plumber Eating Mushroom" added after some thought.

[My idol is young and passionate. He might just fail to suppress his emotion and arouse his potential,] "Brahman" jumped in to defend Lou Cheng.

[That makes sense... Lou Cheng got pissed off by Ye Youting’s constant offense and lost his head, performing a forbidden technique despite the possible consequences. Sigh... He was so close to the Professional Ninth Pin certificate. But now... Who knows if he can ever recover. What’s the point?] "Unparalleled Dragon King" seemed to have recovered from the shock.

[I bet he’s gonna retire tomorrow,] "Beautiful World" said happily. [Ask Little Punch to inform Master Road of Ye Youting’s defeat. His loss to Lou Cheng is no big deal. Come back to the forum.]

"Road to the Arena" appeared out of nowhere. [I’ve been lurking... Damn it! Lou Cheng’s win over Ye Youting was terrifying. I thought it was my imagination after a night of drinking with Little Punch.]

[Haha. Master Road, Ye Youting’s defeat has made people forget about your loss. Welcome back!] Other users commented.

With no more forum members in the tournament, interest in the remaining matches dwindled. The official announcement of Lou Cheng’s early retirement due to a forbidden technique was met with pity, gloating, and hope for his quick recovery. However, the post about the live broadcast quickly sank to the bottom of the forum.

Lou Cheng saved the link, a digital witness to his first martial arts competition. Top eight out of over 800. Literally one in a hundred!

---

Inside the Yanling Martial Arts Stadium, Ye Youting sat next to Jiang Lan. She was still pale, but the throbbing green bruise was gone.

"You alright?" Jiang Lan asked, sipping her nutritional supplements. She had just advanced to the top four.

Ye Youting grinned. "I’m feeling pretty weak, but nothing serious. I've thought it through. The world is big, and strange things happen. One day or another, we meet an opponent who can suddenly explode..." She sighed. "However, I still can’t let it go. Sigh... How unlucky! He was such an easy target. How could he just turn into a monster like that? One day I’ll get even with him!"

Jiang Lan thought for a moment. "You better work harder, then. It only took him a few days to transform from immature to agile and calm. Plus his talents. As long as yesterday’s after-effects aren't major, he'll reach Professional Ninth Pin by the end of the year and catch up really soon."

The frost on Ye Youting’s forearm had convinced her that Lou Cheng didn’t use a secret technique to arouse his potential but underwent a physical mutation that awakened his supernatural ability.

Ye Youting let out a long breath. "I could have avoided the defeat. When I had him completely suppressed, I could have used the flood stance to exert my maximum strength and finish him in a few moves, giving him no time to mutate. Sigh... I just can't stop playing it cool and lording over my opponent."

"What can I do with you? You're turning 19 but still childish," Jiang Lan said with a sneer.

Ye Youting turned to face Jiang Lan, her eyes full of interest. "Sister Lan, you just told me to work harder. I'm thinking about starting a team. We could start from the preliminaries and go as far as possible. This will greatly increase our combat experience and help us digest our gains. Maybe one day it'll become the biggest martial arts group in Yanling. Are you in?"

The professional martial arts world was divided into four levels, with the top 12 most influential forces, including Shangqing Sect, Daxing Temple, and the Longhu Club. Each year, the last team would be replaced by the Carry-over Competition champion. The Carry-over Competition, the second level, had 12 regional clubs with Professional Third Pin or higher martial artists. The last two teams were relegated to the Preparation Competition, and the champion moved up. The third level, the Preparation Competition, had 12 teams in the south and 12 in the north, mostly with outstanding Danqi stage fighters. The last two teams were relegated to the lowest level. The lowest level, the preliminaries, was open to all.

If Ye Youting and Jiang Lan teamed up, they had a great chance of going far in the preliminaries for a share of prize money and government awards, which were available at all levels to encourage growth.

"Sign up for the preliminaries?" Jiang Lan was surprised but quickly smiled. "Sounds fun. I'm in for a year."

Ye Youting cheered, waving her fist. "Sister Lan, with you, our team will become stronger and go really far. One day it might surpass my dad’s club! What should we call it? Hmm... I’ll recruit more female fighters, and we can be the Pretty Soldiers Sailor Moon!"

"...I think I'm out..." Jiang Lan looked at her in disgust.

"Haha. It was a joke." Ye Youting chuckled awkwardly.

---

Shortly before his train's departure, Geezer Shi called back.

"I watched your match videos. Good job. You’ve fully mastered the 24 Blizzard Strikes and converted your talents in meditation, Yin-Yang Stance, and Condensation Stance into Listening Skill and mercurial balance. You pretty much met all the targets I sent you to this tournament for," Geezer Shi said in his coarse voice. God knows that wasn't the line I prepared for you!

Lou Cheng was proud and pleased. "Thank you, master, for giving me this opportunity, or it would have taken me a lot longer to get here."

"It was not supposed to be an opportunity..." Geezer Shi took a long breath. "Your use of the 24 Blizzard Strikes is proficient but also has many problems. Your foundation is weak, and your style is monotonous. The 24 Blizzard Strikes is not an advanced set. It’s not enough for all situations. I’ll teach you a new set when you're back at school. During this holiday, practice the Big and Small Hand Wrap for more options in close combat. I’ll send you some videos and information. You don’t need to go very deep. Use it with your Listening Skill and perform it once or twice whenever needed."

A new set next term! Lou Cheng was thrilled. "Yes! Yes!"

Feeling gloomy, Geezer Shi got to the point. "Your explosion during the fight with Ye Youting—others might not be able to tell, but I saw a great force of ice. Did you awaken an ice or frost-related supernatural ability?"

"Um... You might not believe it... but the awakened supernatural ability is fire-related..." Lou Cheng said sincerely. Don't blame me... I also find it hard to believe...

A long silence on the other end. He couldn't even hear Geezer Shi breathe. After almost a minute, Geezer Shi coughed, sounding exhausted. "Talk more when you're back at school." I saw ice and you told me fire... Are you kidding me?

Lou Cheng felt great after the call. Fatigue, a runny nose, and other cold symptoms seemed to have been alleviated. He passed the barrier and boarded the train, looking for his seat while thinking about his talents and supernatural abilities. His "Power of Blaze" was a backlash. He was pressing the Jindan while exerting the force of ice, causing an imbalance between ice and fire. This released a fire force that went wild before fusing with his cells and slightly changing his body. The force of ice was added to the Mega Avalanche and injured his opponent. Most of the force would disappear in room temperature, leaving little impact on Ye Youting. The Jindan was still there, replenishing his energy and physical strength.

After putting away his bag, Lou Cheng sat down and watched travelers outside. The feeling of going home suddenly became very real. When he left Songcheng University and stayed in the hotel, his mind was occupied by Yan Zheke and the tournament. He hadn't felt emotional about home until this moment. After all, I'm an 18-year-old away from home for the first time. I was born and raised in Xiushan, with 18 years of memories and most of my family and friends there. How could I not miss home? Anyone away from home misses home!

Lou Cheng took out his mobile and sent a message to Yan Zheke, who was still training.

[Heading home!]