Chapter 039: A Glimmer of Enlightenment

The portly Gu spent a night cultivating in the Spring Delight Courtyard, his strength breaking through to a new level. Seeing Qian Baidu charging toward him, he met the attack head-on, refusing to be intimidated.

“Heh, you stinking rascal, let me show you the power of my Level Six Fist!” he crowed.

Watching the commotion from the sidelines, Meng Chuchu’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Gu Ge, that fat fellow, is already a Level Six Martial Apprentice! How is that possible? How could he advance so quickly?”

Bang! The two clashed, and the lower-ranked Qian Baidu was sent stumbling backwards seven or eight steps by Gu’s punch.

“Level Six Martial Apprentice! You damned fatso, you’ve leveled up again! But don’t get cocky—watch my Mortal Grade Advanced Martial Skill, Heart-Shattering Dragon Claw!”

As Qian Baidu unleashed his advanced martial skill, Gu showed no fear. He too displayed the Mortal Grade Advanced Martial Skill that Xin Lang had taught him: “Dragon Subduing Ten Thousand and Eight Palms.”

Bang, bang, bang...

They exchanged several blows. Although Qian Baidu had a slight edge in technique, his talent shining through, Gu’s superior strength gave him the advantage. After several hard-fought exchanges, Gu’s clothes were torn in many places by Qian Baidu’s claws, but Qian Baidu was even more battered—bruises marred his face, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“Bah!” Qian Baidu spat out the blood in his mouth, gasping, “You damned fatso, don’t get smug. Today, I, Qian Baidu, will rid the world of your menace!”

“Come on! I paid for every woman I courted, and I haven’t touched your sister! Why are you so worked up?” Gu retorted.

“Don’t you dare mention my sister!” Qian Baidu was suddenly enraged, as if a nerve had been struck, and he launched a ferocious attack at Gu.

“Hey, I only mentioned her, I never actually courted your sister! Damn, you’re really coming at me!”

Gu tried to dodge, but it was too late. He could only summon all twelve layers of his strength to meet Qian Baidu’s Heart-Shattering Dragon Claw.

Bang, bang, bang...

Despite Qian Baidu’s fierce assault, he was still forced back by Gu’s power.

“You damned fatso, today I’ll kill you, rid the world of evil, and uphold justice!”

Boom! Driven by overwhelming anger, Qian Baidu broke through during the fight, advancing to become a Level Six Martial Apprentice himself.

Bang, bang, bang...

They battled again, this time evenly matched, their fight intense and unresolved.

“Another Level Six Martial Apprentice! Incredible! This is a fortune! Our Rising Sun Academy has truly struck gold!” Meng Chuchu exclaimed inwardly.

Though Level Six Martial Apprentices occasionally appeared at Rising Sun Academy, Qian Baidu and Gu were different. Not long ago, they were only Level Two or Three Martial Apprentices, and in just a few days, both had advanced to Level Six! Xin Lang had already brought immense surprise to the academy, and now Qian Baidu and Gu, two more prodigies, had emerged.

“I must tell my sister this good news!” Meng Chuchu couldn’t wait to see how the fight ended, and hurried straight toward the principal’s office.

Inside the principal’s office at Rising Sun Academy.

After hearing Meng Chuchu’s report, Meng Linglong was shocked. “You say both Qian Baidu and Gu Ge have advanced to Level Six Martial Apprentices?”

“I saw it with my own eyes, there’s no mistake,” Meng Chuchu replied.

“How could they both undergo such drastic changes? If Qian Baidu advanced, it’d be barely plausible, but Gu Ge is impossible—he didn’t even pass the entrance exam! Has another Xin Lang appeared?” Meng Linglong mused to herself.

“Now that you mention it, I realize Qian Baidu and Gu have something in common!” Meng Chuchu said.

“What do they have in common?” Meng Linglong asked.

“Recently, both of them have been getting close to Xin Lang! It seems their rapid advancement only began after interacting with him!” Meng Chuchu explained.

“Xin Lang again!” Meng Linglong said to Meng Chuchu, “Chuchu, you still need to help your sister—”

“Stop!” Meng Chuchu interrupted, “My dear sister, spare me! I don’t want to investigate Xin Lang any further. If I keep this up, all the confidence I’ve built over the years will be shattered by him! If anyone’s to go, let it be you!”

Meng Linglong felt a strong urge to investigate herself, but after some thought, she decided to wait and observe the three of them a bit longer.

...

Outside Xin Lang’s dorm, Gu and Qian Baidu fought until they were both exhausted, then each went to Xin Lang for healing medicine and retreated to recover.

Before leaving, the limping Qian Baidu glared viciously at Gu. “You damned fatso, just wait—tomorrow morning I’ll come again to rid the world of your evil!”

Gu’s face was swollen like a pig’s head, but he retorted, “You stinking rascal, I’m not afraid! Whoever doesn’t show up tomorrow morning is a coward!”

Xin Lang dedicated himself daily to seeking a breakthrough in internal force, while Qian Baidu and Gu trained diligently, not for internal mastery, but to defeat each other. Every morning, they brawled outside Xin Lang’s dorm, never stopping until both were exhausted.

Half a month flew by, but Xin Lang still had no insights into internal force. He achieved little in that period, but Qian Baidu and Gu changed considerably—both advanced to Level Seven Martial Apprentices, and their mastery of the advanced martial skills taught by Xin Lang was now superb, almost rivaling him.

The summer sun was scorching, and all the martial academies in Nine Suns City entered their annual summer break. Rising Sun Academy was no exception.

Outside Xin Lang’s dorm, Qian Baidu and Gu lay on the grass, utterly spent from their daily duel.

Qian Baidu, panting, said to Gu, “You damned fatso, the academy’s on break now. I’ll let you be for a while, but you’d better train hard—when the break’s over, I’ll beat you so badly your own father won’t recognize you!”

“Hmph! You’d better train harder yourself, or you won’t even be able to protect your sister!” replied Gu, whose head was swollen like a pig’s.

Xin Lang had just returned from his morning practice. Seeing the two sprawled on the ground, he glanced at the rising sun in the east and asked, “Why did you two finish earlier than usual today?”

“Ah! Boss, you finally noticed us!” Gu cried out excitedly.

For half a month, Gu and Qian Baidu had battled outside Xin Lang’s dorm, and this was the first time he’d greeted them.

Xin Lang, still without any insight into internal force after half a month of focused training, felt the need to relax. Thus, he finished his morning practice earlier than usual.

He tossed three bottles of “Red Flower Blue Silver Dew,” a healing elixir, to each of them. “The break’s started, I’m going away for a few days. Use these sparingly! Oh, and Qian Baidu, remember to settle your medicine bill when the new term begins.”

PS: Update preview—starting at midnight today, there will be a burst of chapters, with two released in succession. Brothers, please check them out!