July 2, 9:48.
Bai Xiao was sitting on a blue bus heading to White Bird Martial Arts Hall.
He was in the back seat when he received a phone call.
Contact: Bai Tang.
Bai Xiao: "Hello? Xiao Tang, what's up? Is something wrong?"
Bai Tang: "Bro, have you been tired from work lately? I remember you enrolled in a martial arts hall a while back, and you've been practicing your fighting technique every noon. Plus, you have physically demanding work in the afternoon and late at night, can your body handle it?"
Bai Xiao pondered for a moment. If it were the original owner of the body, indeed, he would have felt considerable pressure, otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to vent through boxing. But for the current him, he didn't seem to feel mentally exhausted, on the contrary, there was a kind of joy in it, feeling extraordinarily fulfilled. Not being busy for a day made him feel uncomfortable.
"No worries, I am in good shape, and I've gotten a lot tougher lately in the martial arts hall. You should try it when you have the time, it's very good for your body."
Bai Xiao responded softly.
"I'll pass, it probably takes a long time to see any results from training. I don't have any spare time recently, the project with my supervisor is about to start..."
Bai Tang's voice came through the phone.
Then, he continued.
"Bro, how about we get together tonight?"
"Let's have hotpot, I have something I want to talk to you about."
In the back of the bus, Bai Xiao thought it over for a moment and calculated the time. If all went well, the deliveryman's two professional skills could break through by 7:30. Then he could ask for a half-hour off from the Sakura Bird Bar.
He would then have two hours of free time.
It shouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, Bai Xiao also wanted to see the original owner's younger brother. The last time Bai Xiao and Bai Tang met seemed to be a month or two ago.
Since he had inherited the identity of the original owner, he could not avoid the original owner's relatives. In any case, he had to meet up and see how things were.
Based on the original owner's memory, Bai Tang, the younger brother, was fairly adorable. He had always been a well-behaved child, handsome, with good academic performance, and he knew how to flatter his older brother. The relationship between the brothers was always harmonious.
"He should be a nice guy..."
Bai Xiao pondered for a moment and quickly agreed to Bai Tang's suggestion.
As for the location, it would be on a street near Nanjiang University of Technology where Bai Tang attended. There was an Old Flavor Hotpot Restaurant there, generous and affordable.
With a beep, the call ended.
Bai Xiao got off the bus following the broadcast's prompt and arrived at White Bird Martial Arts Hall.
Under the enhancement of the Pure Heart State talent, he began to train fiercely. His Will Attribute had increased by 1.2 during this period, so his talent's duration was extended, allowing Bai Xiao to practice more fighting techniques.
Throughout the training period, Guo Hao still had that half-dead look, seeming to care a lot about Bai Xiao's gaze. With the cold, emotionless eyes of Pure Heart State, Bai Xiao was immersed in his world, not even noticing Guo Hao. Yet, Guo Hao was always affected, his punches and kicks becoming clumsy.
It seemed that the psychological shadow from that day wouldn't fade anytime soon.
In the front of the training hall, Zhang Hongtao took everything in.
He vaguely sensed that something must have happened between Guo Hao and Bai Xiao. Moreover, Guo Hao had suffered a big loss, making him seem a bit scared of Bai Xiao. However, Zhang Hongtao did not intend to intervene.
In his opinion, it was very likely that Guo Hao had taken the initiative to provoke Bai Xiao.
And then he got a bloody nose or met with rejection.
Guo Hao, such a hot-headed young guy, was far behind the composed Bai Xiao. It was good for Guo Hao to be taught a lesson by Bai Xiao, to change his rash nature, maybe allowing Guo Hao to achieve even more in the future.
At 3:30 in the afternoon, the training ended.
This time, Zhang Hongtao had nothing to do.
But Bai Xiao had something to attend to and couldn't stay for extra practice.
In the center of the training hall.
Bai Xiao walked up to Zhang Hongtao: "Coach, sorry, I have some work matters later on, so I might not be able to continue with extra practice today."
"No problem," Zhang Hongtao shook his head: "Actually, you just need to practice your skills during the training sessions every day, that's entirely sufficient. To be honest with you, Bai Xiao, once the Sandboxing course ends, I'm only going to recommend you for the elite class at the martial arts hall. Your match with Guo Hao wasn't really necessary..."
"Thank you, Coach."
"I'm going to give you a heads-up, even though I'll recommend you for the elite class at the martial arts hall, you can't be complacent, you should still give it your all..."
Zhang Hongtao squinted his eyes, speaking mysteriously to Bai Xiao.
"Bai Xiao, after entering the Elite Class, compete with the other geniuses and aim to rank as high as possible. There are some things I'd rather not say, but always remember, the higher your ranking, the better it is for you..."
"Understood."
Locker room. Bai Xiao had just changed out of his training clothes into his usual attire.
He packed his backpack and took out his phone.
On the phone, the screen suddenly lit up with a message.
Upon opening it, he saw it was from a YY friend: Zhou Bing (Baldy).
Zhou Bing (Baldy): Come quick, Bai Xiao, come see the show! That Chu Ming from Class Nine I told you about is going to fight with Wang Heng from Class Eight. I have no idea where their conflict comes from.
Bai Xiao looked at the glowing screen, hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to take a look. He had two hours of free time, which was quite ample.
As he walked out, the messages on his phone screen kept refreshing.
North-east corner of White Bird Martial Arts Hall, Training Hall Six.
As soon as Bai Xiao walked in, he spotted Zhou Bing's conspicuous bald head and the 185-centimeter-tall Kang Li standing beside him. They were both looking towards the center of the training hall, where two people were confronting each other from a distance.
On the left side, there was a spirited young man with pitch-black, sharp eyes, a high and narrow nose, and a small mole on the right cheek, his physique reminiscent of a cheetah's.
On the right side stood a rather handsome, black-haired young man in a casual posture, apparently paying no mind to his opponent. He had a pair of sharp, slightly upturned phoenix eyes exuding a faint scorn.
"On the left is Wang Heng who practices boxing; on the right is Chu Ming."
Zhou Bing, seeing Bai Xiao join him, whispered introductions.
"I've told you about Chu Ming before. Wang Heng is also quite formidable."
"This guy had sparred with Kang Li before and no winner was decided. Although Kang Li didn't exert his full strength, I reckon Wang Heng didn't either..."
"So you can think of it as if Kang Li himself is stepping up to fight Chu Ming. Let's just watch, and see if Kang Li can win..."
Kang Li, upon hearing his own name from Zhou Bing, turned his head with his thick eyebrows and large eyes exuding an intimidating presence. Obviously, Zhou Bing and Kang Li had a good relationship. Kang Li just glared at him before turning back to watch the match.
Bai Xiao also turned his gaze back to the action.
Just then, the two stand-offish individuals began their fight.
Wang Heng quickly shuffled left and right, with his gloved hands protecting the sides of his head, eyes looking up and watching Chu Ming diagonally. His eyes hardened as he took a Long Step forward and threw a straight punch towards Chu Ming's face. His fist was swift and heavy as if a spring had been compressed to its limit.
Whoosh! A black shadow suddenly swung from the side.
Chu Ming reacted faster, unleashing a Splitting Punch so fast and accurate that it landed on Wang Heng's forearm with a loud smack. Wang Heng's punch instantly deviated off course, losing all its power; his brows furrowed, clearly in pain.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Seizing the opportunity, Chu Ming took a step forward, pressed in and threw two punches, turning defense into offense, while Wang Heng retreated defensively, his initiative turning into passivity.
Subsequently, Wang Heng was completely suppressed, each of his punches restrained as if he were stuck in a spider web, unable to fully exert himself.
Meanwhile, Chu Ming was unruffled, seamlessly, and steadily disrupting Wang Heng's counterattacks, launching his own swift and precise attacks at Wang Heng's weaknesses.
In less than two minutes...
Bang, a straight punch savagely and cunningly hit Wang Heng's shoulder.
Wang Heng stumbled backward, clearly completely defeated.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
He breathed heavily, his brow twitching from the pain in his shoulder.
Fine sweat beads fell from his forehead, slipping past the small mole on the right side of his nose.
"Heh, heh..."
Ten meters away in the center of the hall, Chu Ming let out a cold laugh. His narrow eyes watched Wang Heng from afar, his pale black pupils gleaming with a hint of mockery.
"You're not up to it," he said, then, without waiting for Wang Heng's reaction,
he turned sideways and glanced at Bai Xiao and the other onlookers with an air of extreme confidence.
"You guys aren't up to it, either..."