Chapter 25: Lethal Move
Seven days later.
Swallow Wing Boxing Hall, inner courtyard.
Smack! Smack!
Silhouettes flashed and shifted, accompanied by shouts, the sound of fists and palms colliding, and the dull thuds of sandbags being heavily struck, filling the air.
In a corner of the courtyard, Chen Yuan moved with an unusual footwork, his fists raining down continuously from various angles at Zhao He, who stood before him in a defensive stance.
Zhao He kept his hands guarding his chest, his face hidden behind his arms. His feet shifted slightly as he incessantly blocked the incoming punches.
The clash of fists and elbows produced dull echoes as the two exchanged moves.
However, as Chen Yuan's punches became faster and more fluid, Zhao He's responses gradually shifted from blocking to focusing more on evasion.
Suddenly, Zhao He's eyes sparkled as he seemed to catch something in Chen Yuan's movements.
He blurted out a suggestion: "Junior Brother, try the 'Flying Swallow Peck'!"
Chen Yuan's expression shifted slightly as his footwork immediately changed.
With a few steps of peculiar footwork, his speed increased significantly. At the same time, faint undulations resembling 'waves' appeared on the exposed skin of his forearms.
As the waves surged, his right fist trembled abruptly, and his entire body seemed to transform into a swift flying swallow diving from the sky, targeting its prey in the blink of an eye.
Smack!
The collision of fist and elbow created a crisp sound.
In the next moment:
Step, step, step!
Zhao He, who had been handling Chen Yuan's punches with ease, was suddenly forced back six or seven steps.
His body swayed slightly before he regained his balance.
"Junior Brother, your talent in boxing is truly astonishing!"
Zhao He shook his slightly reddened arm and looked at Chen Yuan, who had just withdrawn his fist, with admiration. "In just seven days, not only have you mastered the variations in technique, but you've also managed to unleash the lethal move with ease. Such rapid progress surpasses even some of our junior brothers and sisters in the courtyard who have been practicing foundational power techniques for over half a year."
"The 'Flying Swallow Peck' move you've honed, combined with the foundational twelve techniques you've already mastered, now gives you the strength to contend with a proper martial artist who has achieved basic power cultivation. Against ordinary individuals lacking such methods, even those with decent physical strength, three to five people would struggle to get close to you."
"This is all thanks to Senior Brother's guidance. If not for your company during these days of practice, I wouldn't have grasped the intricacies of the Little Swallow Wing Fist so quickly," Chen Yuan replied, his face showing a hint of joy.
Perhaps because this technique relied purely on skill without involving physical enhancement, the capabilities guided by the HuangTing Jade Codex were fully utilized, allowing Chen Yuan to master the Little Swallow Wing Fist techniques much faster than he had anticipated.
Zhao He gave a wry smile at his response.
Having known Chen Yuan's humble nature for a while, he had once admired it as a rare quality. But now, he felt that it created a subtle distance between them.
"There's no need for such politeness between us in the future," Zhao He said, shaking his head before changing the subject. "By the way, I've found some information on Zhang Hong, the person you asked me about earlier."
Chen Yuan's expression turned serious as he asked, "What exactly is this man's skill level?"
"This man did learn martial arts at a training hall in his early years, but he failed to break through to Strength Refining and eventually stopped learning. Nowadays, he works with the Slaughter Pig Gang, helping them collect debts. From what I've gathered, he recently got into a brawl alongside the gang against another faction. His martial skills seem to have stagnated, though his physical strength is slightly above average."
Zhao He relayed the details he'd uncovered. His father, being the leader of a gang in the western district, had no difficulty gathering such information from the streets.
Excellent!
Chen Yuan felt a surge of joy.
Through the Huang Ting Jade Codex, he had already collected Zhang Hong's physical attribute data. While Zhang Hong's physical attributes were significantly stronger than his own, Chen Yuan's primary concern was whether Zhang Hong had mastered any martial techniques.
If Zhang Hong truly had reached the Strength Refining stage, the gap in physical attributes would directly translate into a significant disparity in their abilities.
If Chen Yuan confronted him hastily, the outcome would likely be unfavorable.
But now...
Chen Yuan focused his mind and retrieved his current physical attributes and Zhang Hong's attribute data from the Huang Ting Jade Codex.
[Name: Chen Yuan]
[Stage: Strength Refining · Entry Level]
[Strength: Approximately 1.1]
[Constitution: Approximately 1.1]
[Agility: Approximately 1.4]
[Zhang Hong: Strength 1.4 (approx.), Constitution 1.4 (approx.), Agility 1.2 (approx.)]
After seven days of Strength Refining training, Chen Yuan's physical attributes had only improved slightly in the Agility category, while other attributes remained unchanged.
When compared, Zhang Hong's physique was noticeably superior in terms of strength and constitution.
However, with the entry-level mastery of Strength Refining, which integrates and channels the body's energy efficiently, the situation changed dramatically.
Even with identical physical attributes, whether one had mastered Strength Refining made a world of difference.
Take Zhang Hong as an example.
His Strength attribute was an impressive 1.4, surpassing even some of the Strength Refining disciples in the Swallow Wing Boxing Hall.
But since he hadn't mastered the art of Strength Refining, he could only utilize a fraction of his potential strength—at best, around 10% to 20%.
In comparison, though Chen Yuan's Strength was only 1.1, he could harness over 30% of it due to his training.
Moreover, his superior Agility provided a significant edge over Zhang Hong.
In this light, while Chen Yuan's physique appeared inferior to Zhang Hong's, his overall combat ability was actually greater.
"The time has come..."
A thought emerged in Chen Yuan's mind.
If he wanted to ensure an even greater margin of success, he could certainly wait for his physical attributes to improve further.
However, after seven days of training in Strength Refining, Chen Yuan had a startling realization: what Zhao He mentioned about the financial demands of cultivating as a Strength Refining practitioner was not only accurate but far beyond his expectations.
Take his own situation as an example.
In just seven days, merely maintaining his daily training regimen—without even starting the internal energy cultivation techniques—cost him the equivalent of the daily food expenses of a family of five.
And this was without purchasing the special ingredients commonly consumed by Strength Refining practitioners as part of their routine.
The expenses required for advancing further in cultivation would only grow exponentially.
Adding to that the money he spent earlier on purchasing the Blood Pill, his current savings would not last much longer.
He needed to plan ahead.
"By the way, I still don't know why you're so interested in this man's background," Zhao He said, pausing briefly as if a thought occurred to him. "If this Zhang Hong has given you trouble, I may not be able to do much, but I can certainly back you up if needed."
Chen Yuan shook his head.
Before mastering Strength Refining, he had considered seeking Zhao He's help to deal with Zhang Hong once he gained enough strength.
He even thought about leveraging his status as an official disciple of the boxing hall to pressure Zhang Hong into giving back the butcher shop business.
However, as he delved deeper into the matter, he realized the issue was far more complicated than it seemed.
If he used his identity as a boxing hall disciple to confront Zhang Hong or relied on Zhao He's connections, it could indeed force Zhang Hong to back down and potentially relinquish the butcher shop business.
But the business might not return to Chen Yuan's hands in the end.
Using either of those methods could entangle the matter with the factions behind both parties, escalating the situation beyond Chen Yuan's control.
In fact, it might even provoke the entire Pig Slaughter Gang, bringing him greater trouble.
More importantly, Chen Yuan considered himself an honest person. After suffering a loss, now that he had some power, he wasn't inclined to simply endure it.
But he doubted that someone like Zhang Hong—a gang member who had spent years navigating the streets—would swallow such a defeat quietly.
By comparison, if he could handle the matter privately, it would be much more secure.
After all, in a chaotic place like the western district, a person disappearing or dying was hardly uncommon.
Especially when dealing with gang members.
Chen Yuan smiled faintly and said, "Just some minor troubles, no need to trouble Senior Brother further."
"Senior Brother, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave for now."
Zhao He nodded and didn't press further.
Zhang Hong might have some status in the Pig Slaughter Gang, but as long as Chen Yuan asserted his position as an official disciple of the boxing hall, Zhang Hong wouldn't dare to offend him recklessly.
Moreover, Chen Yuan had always been steady and cautious, not someone who sought out trouble unnecessarily.
If this was merely a minor conflict of interest, it shouldn't escalate into anything significant.