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ROAR——
A roar, beast-like, suddenly erupted on the battlefield.
Jiang Ning immediately saw Xiao Peng move within an arm's reach of Cheng Ran, and as he bellowed, his right foot stomped fiercely onto the ground.
THUD——
The flagstone beneath his foot instantly cracked, and the reaction force of his stomp propelled him violently straight into Cheng Ran's embrace.
Confronted with this impact, Cheng Ran was sent flying like a mad bull had gored him, his body tracing a parabola in the air, heading towards the wall near Jiang Ning.
At that moment, Jiang Ning had no time for surprise.
If Cheng Ran were to truly collide with the wall after Xiao Peng's strike, he would inevitably be bedridden for at least ten days to half a month, or even longer.
Cheng Ran was not only the closest friend to Jiang Ning in the entire Canglang Martial Arts Hall but also his best friend, so naturally, Jiang Ning could not stand by and watch Cheng Ran slam into the wall and sustain serious injuries.
The next moment.
Jiang Ning leaped like a White Ape pouncing, and moved directly into the path of the flying Cheng Ran.
He then reached out with his right hand to grab Cheng Ran's waistband, sunk his stance, and gathered strength from the soles of his feet as his entire body's power united as one.
The trajectory of Cheng Ran's flight instantly changed direction as Jiang Ning pulled him down from the air.
Jiang Ning's palm then moved to Cheng Ran's back, pushing upwards with force, like a Wild Bear lifting the heavens.
A breath later.
Cheng Ran fell to the ground with a thud, stirring up a circle of dust.
At this moment, the onlookers in the distance had already been stunned by the earlier fight.
"Brother Xiao Peng is indeed formidable, his 'Blindman Leaning on a Tree' move was executed to perfection, unexpectedly securing the advantage with a single strike."
"No wonder he is Brother Xiao Peng! Despite being at a disadvantage in Qi-Blood, he managed to turn weakness into strength, truly deserving of being Master Wang's True Disciple!"
"Indeed! To achieve such a feat, Brother Xiao Peng must have mastered or at least reached small success in the Bear-shaped Fist, right?"
"It must be so, as we heard from the conversation just now between Brother Xiao Peng and Brother Cheng. Brother Xiao Peng's strength exceeds four hundred pounds, and although Brother Cheng's Qi Blood Perfection circulates throughout his body, he falls short by about a hundred pounds in strength, which must be the result of Brother Xiao Peng's progress in the Bear-shaped Fist."
"Looking at it this way, Brother Xiao Peng's comprehension is truly exceptional!"
"Who could disagree! Within four months of joining, at least one boxing technique reached Great Success, another small success, and another mastered or small success, this efficiency certainly stands unrivaled here, doesn't it?"
"Not necessarily, oh! Don't forget about Jiang Ning, who reportedly reached the Martial Arts Entry level with five postures on the second day after joining, with budding Qi-Blood. And now."
As that person spoke, their gaze also fell on Jiang Ning, who at this moment had just helped Cheng Ran up from the ground.
The person continued: "Seeing how Jiang Ning stepped in to help just now, it's clear that his progress in the Five Animals Fist must be significant! These past days, it's also obvious that Master Wang values him more than us."
"..."
The crowd kept talking, endlessly debating about the recent commotion.
Meanwhile.
Xiao Peng was also somewhat surprised as he looked at Jiang Ning.
Then, the corner of his mouth curved into a slight smile.
"Such an impressive display of Power Manipulation, I had indeed underestimated this Junior Brother before!"
Afterward, he turned to look at the crowd behind him.
"Does anyone among the Junior Brothers know this Junior Brother's full name, and which family he belongs to?" Xiao Peng asked, pointing at Jiang Ning.
"I know!" Someone chimed in.
"Junior Brother Qian, please tell us!" Xiao Peng said.
That person continued: "That Junior Brother is named Jiang Ning, from a common household in the outer city!"
"So he's from a common household and has come this far, indeed not bad!" Xiao Peng nodded slightly, expressing his approval of Jiang Ning.
At that moment, he had felt a slight threat emanating from Jiang Ning, a threat concerning their entry into the Inspection Office in three months.
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But when he learned that Jiang Ning came from a common family outside the city, that thread of threat instantly dissipated.
Three months, no matter how exceptional his comprehension and how naturally he mastered boxing after his first attempt, or how readily he learned everything.
What if he made an entry in one day? To say nothing of one day of entry, even if boxing achieved great success within a month, in Xiao Peng's eyes, Jiang Ning still posed no threat to him at all.
Because Jiang Ning came from a common family outside the city, how could that kind of background afford the consumption of Qi Blood Perfection coursing throughout the body?
He himself had reached this point by consuming a Blood Storage Pill every three days and never being short of various medicinal aids.
Even so, it took him nearly a year to achieve Qi Blood Great Success and circulation through his limbs, at the cost of how much wealth?
Poverty breeds literature; wealth breeds martial arts.
The golden age for practicing martial arts is roughly twenty years.
Without a substantial family fortune, the martial path is ultimately limited.
Three months to achieve Qi Blood Perfection, full circulation throughout the body, and attain Martial Arts Entry.
He silently shook his head.
"I'm overthinking!"
"It's only Cheng Ran who poses a threat to my spot in the Inspection Office. Having just sparred with him, I could tell that his skin membrane is clearly different from mine. It will be effortless for him to develop a skin membrane and reach Martial Arts Entry in three months!"
"As for achieving great success in boxing, it might just be an opportunity for him as well. I must not underestimate him!"
"Three months is not a long time; I need to make the most of it too!"
"I must reach Qi Blood Perfection as soon as possible. Once the Qi Blood is perfected and the skin membrane is developed, it will be just like completing a water channel."
"Developing the skin membrane is equivalent to reaching Martial Arts Entry."
"If by then he meets the same requirements as me, it's likely that combat prowess will become the test! The Inspection Office will surely prefer martial artists who excel in combat. I can't neglect my actual combat training during this time."
Xiao Peng stood in place, pondering deeply with a contemplative expression flashing in his eyes.
On the other side.
Cheng Ran got up from the ground.
"Brother Cheng, are you all right?" Jiang Ning bent down to support him.
"Cough cough—" Cheng Ran coughed lightly, and immediately more blood spurted from his mouth.
He waved his hand, signaling that he didn't need Jiang Ning's support.
"I'm fine! My skin membrane is nearly formed, greatly improving my resistance to blows. It's just a minor injury!"
"Does this mean that Brother Cheng is not far from Martial Arts Entry?" A look of surprise appeared on Jiang Ning's face.
Cheng Ran nodded, "Indeed, not far. I will definitely reach Martial Arts Entry within a month!"
Then he took a few deep breaths and slowly exhaled, calming the surging Qi-Blood within his body.
"Thank you for just now, Brother Jiang!" Cheng Ran bowed with clasped hands toward Jiang Ning, earnest in his expression.
"There's no need for that, Brother Cheng!" Jiang Ning quickly grabbed Cheng Ran's arms with both hands.
In an instant.
Jiang Ning felt the strength contained in Cheng Ran's arms, and involuntarily, a force burst from his own arms to counter it.
But just as quickly, the force dissipated, and Cheng Ran stood up, looking at Jiang Ning with a complex expression, deeply shocked in his heart.
Just then, as his body was pulled by Jiang Ning's strength, what was initially headed towards the wall fell downwards instead.
As his body fell, he felt an unyielding, mountain-like force through his arm that Jiang Ning was holding, a force that was not weaker than his own and demanded attention.
Thanks to Jiang Ning's assistance and the supporting strength, he had avoided more severe injuries.
The force displayed by Jiang Ning when he acted was surprising, prompting this test.
After the test, he clearly felt the approximate strength of Jiang Ning.
Over two hundred catties!
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