Canglang Martial Arts School
Chen Hour (7-9 AM)
The sky was clear, without a single cloud. The sun had already risen, and the courtyard was sweltering.
"Junior Brother Jiang, how about a spar?" Cheng Ran suddenly suggested, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Jiang Ning.
Ever since Jiang Ning had come to his aid two days ago, Cheng Ran had been unable to calm his mind after feeling the strength in Jiang Ning's arms.
From that moment, he had been deeply curious about Jiang Ning's current level of strength.
The reason he proposed this spar was purely to satisfy his curiosity to see just how strong Jiang Ning was.
It wasn't about gaining combat experience, as he had initially claimed.
In his view, true combat experience came from fighting opponents of similar strength, not from sparring with someone vastly outmatched.
Cheng Ran had already achieved full circulation of qi and blood throughout his body, and the strength in his single arm far exceeded 500 jin more than double what he had felt from Jiang Ning at the time.
Such a massive gap in strength made any fight between them akin to an adult versus a child, completely mismatched.
In his eyes, such a disparity couldn't possibly provide any meaningful combat experience.
The sparring proposal was solely to satisfy his curiosity about Jiang Ning's strength and level of fist technique mastery.
In the courtyard, Jiang Ning thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Alright."
His reason for agreeing was simple.
Xu Yunfeng, the man who posed the most direct threat to him, was also someone who had achieved full circulation of qi and blood.
In Jiang Ning's eyes, Xu Yunfeng and Cheng Ran were theoretically on par in terms of strength.
By sparring with Cheng Ran, Jiang Ning could get a rough idea of Xu Yunfeng's capabilities.
As for any information that might be revealed during the fight, Jiang Ning didn't care.
Laying low wasn't his priority right now.
In this world, there was no such thing as "this person's talent is too terrifying; they must be eliminated."
Appropriately showcasing one's talent brought far more benefits than drawbacks as long as it didn't exceed the understanding of ordinary people or make him seem like a monster.
A moment later.
Crack, crack
Cheng Ran stretched his limbs, loosening up his joints.
"Junior Brother Jiang," he said, "you make the first move. I'll control my strength."
"Then be careful, Senior Brother Cheng," Jiang Ning replied.
In the next instant, Jiang Ning's body moved.
He erupted forward like a tiger pouncing down a mountain, his qi and blood surging through his right arm.
In just a few steps, he closed the distance of less than two zhang (about 6 meters).
"Good move!" Cheng Ran's eyes narrowed as he saw Jiang Ning's right hand, spread like a tiger's paw, coming toward him.
He shifted his right foot slightly, sinking his stance.
Facing Jiang Ning's strike, he had no intention of dodging.
In his eyes, there was no need, and it would be embarrassing to do so.
Cheng Ran clenched his fist and unleashed half of his strength.
Bang
Fist and palm collided, producing a dull thud.
The powerful force of the impact forced Cheng Ran to take half a step back, but he quickly stabilized himself, having held back some of his strength.
What incredible explosive power!!!
Cheng Ran was inwardly shocked, and his gaze toward Jiang Ning changed instantly.
Only after this exchange could he truly gauge Jiang Ning's strength.
The Tiger Fist technique has reached minor mastery!
"That palm strike, with the momentum of a tiger descending the mountain, unleashed a force of a thousand jin."
"I underestimated him before!"
Cheng Ran couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. Such talent in fist techniques was unheard of, something he had never seen before.
If he hadn't witnessed it himself, he wouldn't have believed it.
A newcomer to the martial arts school, having practiced for just over ten days, had already achieved minor mastery in all five forms of the Five Animals Fist.
This was what he admired most and what shocked him the most.
Such talent in fist techniques left him in awe.
If only I had such talent!
Realizing Jiang Ning's extraordinary aptitude, Cheng Ran couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"No wonder Master Wang has been so attentive to Junior Brother Jiang these days."
"Not only has he allowed him to stay at the school long-term, but he's also provided him with some of the benefits of a true disciple three bowls of medicinal soup a day."
"With such talent, who wouldn't be eager to take him as a disciple?"
Cheng Ran also understood that Jiang Ning's rapid progress and current achievements were partly due to Master Wang giving him special treatment.
But even knowing this, he didn't feel any sense of unfairness.
To him, this was completely normal. Not just Master Wang he would have done the same.
A good teacher was hard to find, but a disciple with exceptional talent and character was even rarer.
Now that he fully understood Jiang Ning's martial arts achievements, Cheng Ran had only one thought:
He can only be a friend, never an enemy!
Even if Jiang Ning didn't get the chance to join the Inspection Bureau, Cheng Ran had no idea how far Jiang Ning could go in the future.
But he knew that with such talent, even if Jiang Ning came from a humble background, anything was possible.
Perhaps one day, Jiang Ning's name would shake the entire Guangning Prefecture.
A sincere smile spread across Cheng Ran's face.
"Instantly unleashing a thousand jin of force Junior Brother Jiang, your talent is remarkable!"
Jiang Ning stopped his retreating motion and shook his hand. Even with the surge of qi and blood, the intense collision had left his right palm slightly sore.
But instead of feeling discouraged, the pain only fueled his fighting spirit, making his blood boil with excitement.
"Senior Brother Cheng, again!" Jiang Ning's eyes burned with intensity.
"Alright!" Cheng Ran agreed readily.
In the next moment, the two moved simultaneously.
They closed the distance between them in an instant.
Boom
Boom
Boom
Their fists collided repeatedly, each strike landing with raw, primal force, unleashing the most visceral form of combat.
"This is what a real fight between men looks like!" Cheng Ran grinned as they separated.
Jiang Ning also smiled broadly. In his vision, a prompt only he could see appeared:
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
So combat can also increase fist technique experience.
At this moment, Jiang Ning finally understood.
His gaze toward Cheng Ran grew even more intense, filled with fighting spirit.
"Again!!"
With a sharp shout, Jiang Ning moved like a white ape pouncing forward.
"Alright!" Cheng Ran responded.
Facing Jiang Ning's direct assault, he unleashed 50% of his strength.
His fingers spread like a tiger's paw, slamming toward Jiang Ning.
But in the next instant, Cheng Ran's expression changed.
Jiang Ning's speed shifted from extremely fast to extremely slow, and with the agility of an ape, he struck at Cheng Ran's opening.
Thud, thud, thud
Cheng Ran was forced to take three steps back, his face slightly flushed.
After a moment, he asked, "Was that the principle of motion and stillness from the Deer Fist?"
"Yes! Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Cheng," Jiang Ning replied.
"Again!" Cheng Ran said, his breathing steadying as his eyes burned with fighting spirit. He wasn't ready to concede.
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