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The leaves turned green, then yellow, and then withered.
In the martial arts practice field, the youths, dressed in light clothing, were shouting loudly as they sparred in pairs.
To practice boxing, one must engage in real combat.
Chu Ning's opponent was Tang Ruowei, and it was not a choice he had made, but one he had no say in.
Three months had passed, and the exclusion Chu Ning felt from his fellow students at the academy hadn't lessened much; everyone ignored him when choosing their sparring partners to test their martial arts.
And Tang Ruowei was just too strong.
In the entire academy, only Zhao Qin could confidently defeat Tang Ruowei, but Zhao Qin had a strong male chauvinist streak and was reluctant to fight a woman.
No one else was willing either, as losing to a woman would be somewhat embarrassing.
So in the end, it had to be Chu Ning sparring with Tang Ruowei.
The result was Chu Ning being thrashed for three months.
In terms of strength, Chu Ning had already surpassed Tang Ruowei, as he was consistently gaining four pounds of strength every day, bringing his power to the 700-pound mark, while Tang Ruowei's strength was only at 650 pounds.
But in terms of mental technique, Tang Ruowei had broken through to the fourth layer of "Bull Demon Strength," while he was still at the third layer.
The fourth layer of "Bull Demon Strength" allowed Tang Ruowei to unleash three times her strength when combined with the Bull Demon Fist, whereas he could only manage double at present, creating a gap between them.
There was not only a disparity in explosive strength but also in speed.
Every fight was a loss.
"Chu Ning, you said you'd defeat me today, just make sure it's not all talk,"
Tang Ruowei looked at Chu Ning; like always, he lost to her last time, but unlike before, he had fiercely declared that he would definitely defeat her next time.
This was the first time Chu Ning had said such a thing, which actually made her somewhat look forward to it.
"Don't worry, I will definitely give you a surprise today."
To be honest, having been beaten by Tang Ruowei so many times, Chu Ning also felt a fiery resentment; as a man, he was used to doing the overpowering, not being overpowered by a woman continuously.
Well, not that he couldn't overpower, just not in this way.
"Take this!"
Chu Ning made the first move, lowering his head and throwing a punch with his right hand.
Tang Ruowei shifted half a step with her left foot to avoid the edge of Chu Ning's punch, then turned her right fist into a knife and chopped at Chu Ning's right arm.
The moment Tang Ruowei's hand chop came down, Chu Ning retracted his fist, at the same time stepping forward with his left foot and fiercely swinging his bowed left arm at Tang Ruowei.
The two exchanged blows back and forth, and Chu Ning was acutely aware that Tang Ruowei was not unleashing her full strength; she was actually quite nice, as if she went all out, it wouldn't take long for him to fall.
It would not be sparring then, he would simply become a punching bag.
He was no bootlicker, even if Tang Ruowei was quite attractive, he wouldn't allow himself to become someone's punching bag.
After a dozen or so exchanges, sweat was visible on Chu Ning's forehead, while Tang Ruowei, aside from some disheveled hair, was mostly unaffected.
"Chu Ning, is this what you meant by being able to defeat me?"
When Tang Ruowei began to exert her strength, Chu Ning was forced to retreat step by step, and just as he was about to be pushed out of the bounds of the practice field, Chu Ning suddenly looked past Tang Ruowei and exclaimed, "Instructor Liu!"
Tang Ruowei frowned, wondering why the appearance of Instructor Liu was worth mentioning—it was quite normal for him to come by the practice field every three days to watch and give guidance during their sparring sessions.
But seeing the odd expression on Chu Ning's face, Tang Ruowei turned her head out of curiosity.
"This is the moment I've been waiting for!"
As soon as Tang Ruowei turned her head, Chu Ning gathered all his strength in an instant and launched his fist towards Tang Ruowei's chest.
"Despicable, sneak attack!"
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Tang Ruowei was annoyed but not panicked; although she had glanced behind momentarily, it was also a deliberate move to create distance from Chu Ning. Facing Chu Ning's incoming punch, she didn't retreat but advanced, throwing a punch of her own in return.
Then, Tang Ruowei saw a smile suddenly appear at the corner of Chu Ning's mouth. His clenched right fist suddenly relaxed, the north wind howling, and then in her widened eyes, she could see a mass of yellow fog rushing towards her face.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
The spicy and pungent smell, coupled with the burning sensation in her eyes, caused Tang Ruowei to close her eyes instinctively, her fists retracting. By the time she reacted and forcefully opened her eyes, it was already too late—Chu Ning's fist was less than an inch from her face.
Chu Ning pulled back his fist and, without waiting for Tang Ruowei to speak, turned and walked away.
"This is a lesson for you, and also for the world,"
With his back to Tang Ruowei, Chu Ning used his most magnetic voice to utter these words. He imagined that in Tang Ruowei's heart, he must seem very imposing at this moment.
"Why are you running so fast? Are you afraid I'll beat you up?"
Hearing Tang Ruowei's words behind him, Chu Ning's mouth twitched. He was clearly just walking fast—how did it turn into running?
Watching Chu Ning, who kept walking farther away without any intention of stopping, Tang Ruowei couldn't help but shout, "Come back, I won't beat you up. Instructor Liu hasn't pointed out our flaws yet."
But Chu Ning still didn't turn back.
This was indeed the last lesson he taught Tang Ruowei.
Real combat relies on more than just fist techniques; sometimes, combining various strategies and taking the enemy by surprise is the true path to victory.
"No need to shout. Chu Ning will leave the academy today and will no longer practice martial arts here,"
Instructor Liu Junshan, who was observing the students' sparring in the training field, spoke up. His words stunned Tang Ruowei and made all the other students halt their activities.
"Chu Ning's father was an arrest officer before his death. Having completed six months of training, Chu Ning can join the Government Office," Liu Junshan added by way of explanation.
As early as yesterday, Chu Ning had come to him and informed him about leaving the academy.
Truth be told, he felt it was a pity. Chu Ning's martial arts talent wasn't high, and his progress in the "Bull Demon Strength" technique was the slowest among the students. However, his enthusiasm for training remained unaffected, and most crucially, his strength was increasing steadily.
If Chu Ning had completed three years of training at the academy, even if he couldn't break through to martial master, he would be able to make that breakthrough within five years after leaving the academy.
He had wanted to discourage Chu Ning, but one sentence from Chu Ning convinced him,
"Instructor, leaving the academy doesn't mean I'm giving up on martial arts. It's just that there's an old aunt at home who needs care. By taking on the Government Office duties, I can look after her and also have money to buy some medicinal herbs to aid in my training. Even if breaking through to martial master takes a few more years, I think it's worth it,"
For the children of the wealthy and powerful, wasting a few years is not an option because they must strive for higher realms. However, for martial artists born into poverty, attaining the rank of martial master is already their lifelong goal.
To become a martial master, change their family circumstances, and nurture the next generation.
This is the path that martial artists born into poverty should choose.
Isn't that the very path he himself had taken?
So why stop Chu Ning?
"He should have left earlier. With his talent, staying in the academy is just a waste of time,"
"Exactly, every sparring session he's just getting hit. If I were him, I wouldn't have the face to stay in the academy,"
Some students murmured softly, and Tang Ruowei gave those people a cold glance.
Chu Ning's martial arts aptitude might not be high, but his strength was definitely not weak.
Every time she had defeated Chu Ning, it was by giving it her all. If she controlled her power and speed to match Chu Ning's, she'd be at a disadvantage.
Because every attack from Chu Ning was unexpected, striking from where she couldn't imagine.
Most importantly, she was continuously improving, but still had to give it her all to defeat Chu Ning each time. Didn't that also indicate Chu Ning's progress?
Those who looked down on Chu Ning had no idea—they weren't Chu Ning's match at all.
...
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