Su Lang came from the shared yard, his body still rather putrid, but hell, it was a handyman residence who cared, rather he didn't care after getting his body back finally.
The first thing that came into his sight was Old Yang's body lying on the floor with his arm bent the wrong way; he was still breathing, which was good.
'In this fucking place, luckily, he survived... although I cannot stand the righteous sects... the dark guilds are disgusting compared to them. No honour, no justice or even brotherhood.'
"Oh, if it isn't Senior Brother Mao Di~ you look as plump as ever."
"Su Lang! Get here and face me for practice, or I'll tell the Outer Court Elder!"
Mao Di was a pretty, handsome male with long black hair tied in a high ponytail, sharp eyebrows and fierce eyes, but his nose was high, and his lips were too plump, making him look a little fat even if he was only slightly chubby.
Su Lang wasn't provoking him for the sake of it but to observe!
His eyes watched every movement.
Simple things from how his Qi moved to the stance and how his body and muscles moved because the body of Su Lang's former owner didn't learn ANY martial arts and just let them beat him without even trying to steal their techniques.
Because the Dark Guilds were nothing like Big Sects, they were all about the results, stealing what you can learn and making it your own.
He knew that performing the role of "Training Dummy" was a gruelling task, but with his newly found cultivation and the other gift circling through his mind, he wanted to test it out before getting excited...
'Is it a golden finger like that fool's world called them?'
"Good; normally, you try to run away like a rat." Honestly, Mao Di wasn't the worst in this Guild, and it was mostly caused by his uncle, who was an outer elder and put pressure on him to break through the 2nd Layer of the Earth Cycle.
"However, did you grow again? Your dragon is huge, but why are you now taller than me? Even your muscles look nice... Fuck! I am mad at you, Su Lang! Let's fight!"
"Phew, Senior Brother Di, Please Teach Me!" Su Lang said, his hands waving for him to come as he took the basic stance, like a horse, his legs at shoulder width and both hands facing the sky at his waist with clenched fists.
Mao Di's hands began to glow like the shimmering sun, a pale orange light. It flickered faintly with a slightly violent and strange pulse.
At first, it seemed like a completely mastered technique, but Su Lang could see with his new eyes it was flawed! Mao Di smiled towards Su Lang, who remained idle. "Now take my fully mastered Morning sun flowing fist!"
As he said this, the punch of Mao Di pushed out towards Su Lang, his arm snapping out with the slight rolls of fat wobbling—his fist clenched tight as the flames billowed, his arm straight as he thrust his shoulder forward, his fist impacted the tight abs of Su Lang.
The entire movement was something he practised, filled with moderate power.
Snap.
Old Yang on the floor could hear the snap of his elbow, then the sound of meat being impacted.
Following the movement of Mao Di's punch, each of Su Lang's abs tightened like a wave, reducing the impact damage as the flames caused a slight burning heat on his bare flesh, leaving a dark pink mark.
'Hmmm... what is this strange feeling...'
Mao Di began to follow up, the same attack but with his left, as he sent several fists to barrage Su Lang's body, his face smiling each time he felt the tight abs of his opponent tensing and burning from his attack.
"Sorry, Junior Brother! I am a bit intense today!"
Su Lang could have dodged after the first blow, his eyes were strange, and he began to realise that he could see the flow of Qi and the muscle movements of Mao Di in a slightly slowed time, nothing drastic, but he felt this might improve with his cultivation!
That wasn't all...
Each blow caused his abdomen to hurt slightly, but strange energy quickly replaced the pain...
Snap! Pa-Pa!
Two blows from Mao Di smashed into the body of Su Lang, forcing his body to take two steps back, the pain shooting through his body once again... It became a strange trickle of black Qi parts going around his body like a little circuit, the other to his eyes as it started to enter his skin and muscles...
Not just that...
After four blows, he could feel his cultivation improved, only slightly... but the moves of Mao Di, his stance... his attack, the Flowing fist... Su Lang's mind and eyes seemed to have mastered them at a better level than him!
Su Lang took a deep breath and ignored the slight bruising on his body—this time, he watched slowly; Mao Di's hands began to glow, and his muscles tightened like a hydraulic pump before they jabbed towards him.
"Haa.."
With a sharp breath, Su Lang's right fist suddenly tightened, a dark black Qi filling his fist, imitating Mao Di, who was too focused on his furry attack that seemed to be doing more damage, yet Su Lang didn't move...
Su Lang could feel the flow of the Qi, his muscles, and how it felt to tighten and move each one to create this attack. He almost used it against Mao Di with his full power... Then his mind snapped awake!
'Don't be like those stupid hero's in the dumb novels... He is related to an Elder... don't just beat him like a fool...'
"Senior Brother Di! I have a request!"
"Haa....Ha..... What is it, Junior Brother Su?" The poor Mao Di was sweating badly after 6 punches, but he looked at the current Su Lang and didn't feel disgusted—he took the blows and was rather polite to him.
"Can I try the technique on you? I managed to break through to the First Layer last night! I think it's thanks to your teachings!"
"Eh...but...." Mao Di looked upset or rather scared of pain.
Su Lang knew his character as the outer disciples bullied this boy. He came to the Handyman area to train.
"How about this? Every 6 punches or techniques you use on me, I'll throw only 1! Think about it, you are getting much stronger with this technique, but your defence is low, so you don't advance!"
"...."
Mao Di began to think to himself, in all truth, he wasn't bright. But the way it was worded and the fact he could punch 6 times and Su Lang didn't show any dislike made him feel confident as he smiled back.
"Okay, junior brother Lang!" The first time he said Su Lang's first name, the dynamic changed so simply.
Was it the 1st Layer? Or the offer to help him? Su Lang wasn't sure but smiled as they took position again.
Mao Di held the same position with both hands at his waist and legs shoulder wide. "Go on, Junoir Brother! Take your Punch!"
A smile came to Su Lang's face as his right hand began to glow with a black flame—he didn't plan to hurt Mao Di and would only practise the essence of this technique learning the ebb and flow, then train it at full force later against a tree or rock.
'Rather than be the clueless hero that beats and face slaps, let me slap his face with the person's acceptance and become his friend, use his Elder uncle to gain access to more resources and powerful people to train this body against!'
Snap!
His fist was fast, accurate and filled with explosive power, but he cut the power to half just before it hit Mao Di. As it collided with his soft fat, digging into his abdomen, the fat man shot several metres away, rolling in the dirt, before his face landed in cow shit.
'Well, shit...'
It was now that Su Lang discovered his power, and the "Demon Emperor Battle Body" was a greater body-tempering skill than he thought...
"Senior Brother Di! Let's make it 12 punches for 1!"
The angry face of Mao Di instantly faded, his stomach hurt, the burns leaving him with a slight terror, but the handsome face of Su Lang being so kind and willing to take so many blows made his slow mind forget the feeling of his stomach and liver throbbing in pain.
"Okay! But don't cry if you get hurt!"
Old Yang recovered shortly after... and watched them train for 2 hours.
"Strange, normally that fat Di would fight the boy for 5-6 hours and torment him... Now he is exhausted and can barely lift his arms after 2... while Su Lang... looks more vibrant and his muscles seem even more... refined?"
While Old Yang was confused, Mao Di seemed to have gotten brain-damaged from all the blows, his face dirty and filled with sweat and exhaustion, but there was a smile on his face...
A masochist?
Or maybe he was just a lonely 16-year-old boy with no friends, and it was his first time not being mocked or scowled at by Su Lang?
"Junior Brother Lang... Do you want me to speak to uncle? Since you've reached the 1st Layer, you should be exempt from this task now... I can..."
"NO!" Su Lang interrupted.
He also realised that Mao Di seemed to have grown his technique and was getting stronger through this training. In the end, Su Lang threw his punch during the 12 of Mao Di's, which became like a miniature fight.
Although Mao Di was covered in bruises and his nose was a little bloody, his face didn't make him realise he was beaten like a fool...
"Mao Di, I think we should keep training like this. Can you not feel your technique has improved? Let's not stop until you can unleash 24 Morning Sun flowing fists in rapid succession!"
Su Lang couldn't let this fat money pig go... In one session, his cultivation had visibly increased the small rock of Qi in his abdomen, now a quarter full!
'From the Rat's memories... this should take a few days for a high-level genius, a normal genius a week or even a month for low-talent people!'