Translator: Transn Editor: Lucas
The boy wearing an excited and surprised expression immediately closed his mouth upon seeing Lou Cheng’s gesture. He swallowed the last word he wanted to say and nodded fervently to show that he understood what Lou Cheng meant. He then moved to the other side and offered Lou Cheng a seat.
Smiling at him, Lou Cheng moved forward and sat down cross-legged in one smooth movement. He looked at the ring and saw Qin Rui fighting a Professional Ninth Pin fighter. The crisp, dull sound they made as they sparred resounded in the arena.
“Brother Lou, when did you come back?” the boy beside him asked quietly as if he was doing something secretive.
Lou Cheng turned to look at the ordinary-looking boy that he really could not remember. He let out a wry smile. “Yesterday. I thought I’d come here today to borrow the Strength Training Gymnasium, but I happened to see the fight here, so I decided to watch it.”
He raised the bag in his hand to prove his words.
“Oh!” The boy seemed like he had completely understood the situation. Glancing at the fight going on the ring, he said in an envious tone, “Ever since Senior Brother Qin mastered his meditation, his strength improved so rapidly. It hasn’t been that long, but he is close to becoming a Professional Ninth Pin fighter... ”
“His body condition is great. As long as he overcomes his visualization shortcomings, he will naturally improve quickly.” Lou Cheng smiled with gratification.
In July, Lou Cheng started to instruct and correct Qin Rui’s meditation methods. Qin Rui finally mastered it after he overcame his bitter emotions and went through a difficult four-month practice. That meant he had successfully overcome an important threshold in his martial arts way.
With his physical advantage of a 1.9 meter height, thick body, and long limbs, he could easily defeat a Professional Ninth Pin fighter now that he could use visualization in real combat.
The boy nodded, agreeing with Lou Cheng. He smiled fawningly and said, “No matter how quickly he improves, he is still no match for you, Brother Lou... Will you work part-time at our club again? I-I want a one-on-one class with you.”
Had the boy asked Lou Cheng yesterday morning, he might have agreed. Now he simply laughed and said, “I have many things planned this winter break, so I won’t have time for a part-time job. If you have any questions, you can ask Qin Rui for advice. If he can’t help, you can come to me if you see me free after my tempering. You can talk to me casually, no need for any formalities.”
Last night, he had sent Wu Qinggui his suggestions on the contract revisions. Now all that was left was to wait for Wu Qinggui’s confirmation after he returns from his business trip.
“O-Okay!” The boy next to Lou Cheng nodded in delight.
He too knew it was impossible for Lou Cheng, who had already reached the Sixth Pin rank, to take on a part-time job in a martial arts club. Fighters who were born to ordinary households could not afford a one-on-one class by a master of the Sixth Pin anyway.
Inside the ring, Qin Rui gave a full demonstration of his strength and fought his bearded opponent with full concentration. The referee of this match was a grey-haired old man with deep wrinkles. He could be a famous fighter who had settled down in Xiushan after his retirement.
Xiushan had beautiful scenery and good air quality. Many native fighters would sometimes return and live here for a period of time when they became old.
When the audience heard a crisp sound, Qin Rui took the opportunity to use his physical advantage to beat his opponent down.
“Good!” Lou Cheng applauded and cheered for him. He did not look any different than the other martial arts disciples and students around him.
They were the so-called onlookers.
Qin Rui had indeed made great progress, worthy of the applause.
Qin Rui shook his fist with satisfaction and saluted his supporters. He walked to the other side and sat beside Monk Wenguang, listening to his comments on his movements in the ring and further instructions.
The next match was between Jiang Shuiyan from Tiangao and Zhou Zhengyao from Xiushan. Both were close the level of Professional Ninth Pin, so they were so well-matched that neither could gain the upper hand.
Jiang Shuiyan suddenly attacked, making several sharp and smooth strikes against Zhou Zhengyao and finally pushing him out of the marginal line to win the match.
“Good!” Lou Cheng applauded again.
With the controlling ability of body refining state, she could blend the ‘sharp’ style with the ‘smooth’ style perfectly. This showed that she had mastered the basics!
This time, his applause did not blend in unnoticed, unlike before. The supporters of the Xiushan team were quiet and pitiful following Zhou Zhengyao’s loss. Lou Cheng’s cheering contrasted starkly against the quiet atmosphere, attracting heavy attention on him.
Jiang Shuiyan looked at him, surprised the Xiushan audience would applaud and cheer for her victory.
The audience here was not made of a general audience. Those here to watch the friendly matches were either the martial arts disciples or friends and relatives of the team members. They were definitely the kind to cheer for their own people and not celebrate the opponent’s victory.
She looked over and noticed a young man whose appearance was not outstanding but had a clean look. She nodded at him, appreciating his honesty and frankness.
The corners of Lou Cheng’s mouth upturned and he applauded again.
“You are pretty good... ”
“Xiushan people are quite friendly.”
“That guy is frank and honest. I like him... ”
The fighters of the Tiangao preliminary team glanced at him, whispering among themselves joyfully and excitedly.
The martial arts disciples and students were rather surprised. Following the sound, they looked at the man who had clapped. The moment they noticed the familiar figure, they immediately held back their scolding words.
Lou Cheng?
He came back?
Chairman Wei Renjie and Qin Rui were first shocked and then overjoyed. However, their reactions were masked by the referee announcing the start of the next round.
While the fighters fought, Qin Rui stood up and moved to Lou Cheng’s side. After pushing past the others, he sat down beside Lou Cheng and laughed.
“Yesterday you didn’t mention that you would come over.”
“My mom abandoned me, so I had no choice but to come here and have fun and borrow the Strength Training Gymnasium,” Lou Cheng answered casually, chuckling. “You have improved so much recently. I was a bit shocked earlier.”
“It is all thanks to your advice. Master Wenguang has been amazing as well,” Qin Rui said modestly, showing just a hint of pride.
Lou Cheng placed his hands on both knees and carefully watched the match. “Martial arts is ultimately all on you. You can’t force a cow that doesn’t want to drink. Not bad, you can try to get the Professional Ninth Pin certification this April. Oh, right, how many friendly matches will the team be fighting?”
He issued the question without much concern.
“The chairman wants us to fight in about ten matches and take the opportunity to fight with neighboring teams. This way, everyone can gather as much practical combat experience as possible. We are fighting the Fenhu preliminary team next and then the Bat team of Lening. Well, this team is very powerful because they have a Dan stage fighter. Last year, they even advanced to the second round of preliminaries. They are unfortunately still weaker than teams from provinces with strong martial arts basis, so they couldn’t move further... ” Qin Rui answered excitedly.
“I see,” Lou Cheng answered without concern. He was treating this conversation as a casual chat.
Friendly matches meant to be learning experiences were different from the formal matches. This time, the two teams had fought for eight rounds. This way, the leading and benched fighters of both teams all had the opportunity to fight. The fighters would exit the ring no matter the result.
The match came to an end at 10:30 AM. The Xiushan team won a good score, 5 to 3. Wei Renjie was incredibly proud of the team and talked with the coaches from the Tiangao team for a long time. In the end, he even invited them to lunch with his team.
After the fighters from Tiangao City walked into the locker room to take a shower and rest, Wei Renjie and Monk Wenguang came to speak to Lou Cheng warmly. “Lou, would you like to join us for lunch this afternoon?”
“It is okay, Chairman. There are too many people and I am unfamiliar with them. There is no meaning to it.” Lou Cheng frankly expressed his own opinions.
“Okay. Then I will find time to treat you a good meal privately.” Wei Renjie was not angered by his refusal. He even smiled and said, “I was planning to persuade you to help us fight in several preliminaries and win some matches for our team. But you improved so much recently that I am embarrassed to ask you for this favor. It is simply bullying to have let a Professional Sixth Pin fighter compete in the preliminaries!”
“Donor Wei is right. A Professional Sixth Pin fighter should be a leading player in district competitions. He can even join the Carry-over Competitions as a benched player.” Monk Wenguang carefully gave Lou Cheng a once-over while wearing a warm smile.
The preliminary was the fourth level professional matches in martial arts and the lowest kind. At third level, the matches were called Preparation Competitions of the northern and southern districts. In matches at this level, middle-sized clubs or teams would generally make the fighter in Inhuman level and high-ranked Dan Stage the leader and the Mighty Ones of Sixth or Seventh Pin the leading players. The Carry-over Competition was the second level of professional matches. Teams belonging to this level would have one fighter of physical invulnerability. They will make the fighters in the Inhuman level the leading players and bench the Sixth or Seventh Pin fighters.
In other words, Lou Cheng need not worry that he would not have a team to join even if he graduated now.
Lou Cheng was scared by Monk Wenguang’s odd gaze and smiled wryly.
“I should first try my best to win the University Martial Arts Games.”
Lou Cheng excused himself after chatting for a while longer and walked upstairs toward the Strength Training Gymnasium. Qin Rui followed him and asked in concern, “How will you settle your lunch? Why don’t I order extra and bring it back to you?”
“Nah, don’t mind me. I will just grab something nearby. I still have to continue my tempering later. ” Lou Cheng waved his hand.
“You still have to practice in the afternoon?” Qin Rui asked in surprise.
“I’m free anyway.” Lou Cheng sighed and laughed softly. “It’s not easy to catch up to Peng Leyun... ”
“It’s not easy to catch up to Peng Leyun... ” Qin Rui was stunned as he watched Lou Cheng disappear into the corridor. He suddenly realized how insignificant his self-pride was.
Lou Cheng was trying to be one of the best fighters of their country in his age group!
He truly belonged to a different level!
...
In the locker room, Jiang Shuiyan dried her hair with a towel after her shower as she used her phone.
“Sister Shuiyan, you fought really well today!” Huang Bing, a benched fighter, gave her a thumbs-up.
“Yes! Your performance shocked the Xiushan audience! They even applauded you!” The leading player, Tan Degao, also agreed with Huang Bing.
The other members began laughing and teasing Jiang Shuiyan, making her both happy and embarrassed. She added humbly, “The brother probably applauded because he thought the way I sparred was kind of nice and beautiful... ”
She suddenly recalled something and frowned.
Hesitantly, she said, “For some reason, that brother looked familiar... ”
“Familiar?” Tan Degao and Huang Bing also ransacked their memories. The more they thought, the more they felt the same. They too thought they had seen the young man who applauded somewhere.
Seconds later, Huang Bing’s eyes widened. He finally realized who the young man was. He blurted out,
“L-Lou Cheng!”
When the hype around a champion of a Provincial Youth Tournament died and there was no continued coverage, most of the audience who enjoyed martial arts or the games on TV would easily forget about him. They would only have a vague impression of him at most. But he was certainly a great fighter that they could not ignore as fellow fighters in this province!
“Lou Cheng?” Jiang Shuiyan’s mind also became clear. Surprised and delighted, she said, “Yes, it’s him! Lou Cheng!”
It really was him!
He had actually come to watch such a low-level match...
Lou Cheng! Tan Degao and others glanced at each other to seek confirmation and could not help falling into momentary silence.
After a while, Tan Degao sighed. “Shuiyan, even Lou Cheng is applauding you. You can stop being so modest.”
Jiang Shuiyan raised her head slightly and laughed.