Chapter 267 - 10: Steady Improvement, Minor Achievement in Roaming Dragon

"I understand."

He nodded and didn’t press the matter further.

...

「Over half a month later.」

Gao Hu was forcibly transferred back to the city circle.

After several fruitless trips to the office to find Lu Chao, his exhausted body finally gave out, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Amidst the various discussions, Lu Chao, on a rare day off, arrived at the Storm Club.

He temporarily shut out all the noise from the outside world, completely focusing on his Body Technique Martial Skill training.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

With a series of quick steps, he weaved nimbly between rows of ironwood posts.

Each post was spaced half a meter apart. An ordinary person would have to watch every step to avoid falling, but he moved as if on flat ground, with complete ease.

Many people in the club watched this scene with curiosity in their eyes. ’When did Master Ge’s Hurricane lineage gain another Elite Level practitioner?’ they wondered.

As they wondered,

BANG!

Lu Chao leaped and landed on the ground.

The club floor trembled slightly. It was then they saw he was wearing a pair of silver metal combat boots, with solid iron plates strapped to his calves.

They were forged from silver steel, which was denser and heavier than ordinary steel. Together, they weighed at least a hundred kilograms.

These were training items Ge Hongfeng had specially prepared for him. According to Ge Hongfeng, they could, to a certain extent, help accelerate his progress in his Body Technique Martial Skill.

The corresponding price, however, was immense physical exertion.

Even for him, sweat was now trickling down as he felt a sore, aching sensation spread through the muscles, bones, and fascia of his legs.

He hadn’t felt this way in a long time, especially not after reaching the Elite Level.

Clearly, this type of training was having a significant effect on him.

Thanks to this,

[Life Energy: 90→93!]

[Potential Progress: 76%]

Lu Chao subconsciously glanced at his panel.

Without him even realizing it, his Life Energy had jumped up again.

The high-level resource sponsorship from the Hunter Guild had been fulfilled.

As for the Magic Power crystal,

Red Maple Shelter City truly lived up to its name as a super city circle. It was vast and resource-rich, and by commissioning the Hunter Guild for help, he had gathered many materials far faster than he could in Ring City.

He had already discreetly purified and consumed it, converting it into the most abundant nutritional resource.

THUD, THUD!

Just as the thought crossed his mind, footsteps approached.

"Senior Brother Lu, I’m about to start."

Song Yan, dressed in a silver, wind-styled Martial Arts uniform, walked over with a smile, a solid iron rod in his hand. He offered a brief reminder.

The two had gotten to know each other well during this time and were no longer as formal as they had been before.

Lu Chao smiled at his words, then walked to a special area next to the iron posts.

A rectangular area, two meters long and one meter wide, was marked on the floor. Behind it stood a perfectly smooth, vertical wall made of metal.

His task was to evade all attacks within the confines of this marked area, with the vertical wall as a barrier.

This was also part of the training for the Flowing Dragon Steps.

"I’ll be troubling you then, Junior Brother Song."

Lu Chao said with a smile, signaling he was ready.

Song Yan nodded in acknowledgment and soon charged at him with the iron rod.

WHOOSH!!

The iron rod cut through the air, creating a sharp whistling sound.

The sight made many onlookers’ palms sweat, but Lu Chao simply turned nimbly and dodged it.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Instantly, the afterimages of the rod filled the air as Song Yan gradually increased his force and speed.

He alternated between horizontal sweeps and downward chops, aiming for various parts of Lu Chao’s body.

Lu Chao, standing his ground, shifted left and right, sometimes ducking, sometimes stepping back, doing his best to evade the barrage of strikes.

Over the past half-month, he had already trained like this more than a dozen times.

At first, he wasn’t used to it and was often hit by the rod, only avoiding injury by relying on his Rock Martial Skill to endure the blows.

But now...

Unconsciously, he had begun to instinctively adapt to it all. The essential secrets and Mystical Skills of the Flowing Dragon Steps surfaced in his mind.

Martial Arts Power quietly gathered in his legs, making his movements even more agile. From time to time, he could even leap into the air briefly, planting his feet on the vertical wall to hang there for a moment.

"Excellent, Senior Brother Lu!"

"I’m going to put more power into it!"

His eyes lit up as he saw Lu Chao’s progress. Song Yan was inwardly impressed and didn’t forget to give another warning.

Lu Chao nodded, his evasive movements growing faster and faster.

The two-meter limit gradually forced him to tap into his potential, heightening his neural responses to their peak.

His [Flow State] talent also activated subconsciously, converting all his past learning and accumulation into fuel for growth.

For a moment, the afterimages of the rod tore through the air, creating a continuous, piercing sound like ripping silk.

Many of the newer disciples grew even more curious about Lu Chao’s identity.

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Storm Club, two Martial Artists were quietly observing the scene.

"Old Ge, it seems your friend’s disciple is truly gifted."

The speaker was an older man with graying black hair who looked to be in his forties. He wore a water-blue Martial Arts robe with a wave pattern on the back.

He watched the training scene below and said with a teasing smile, "It’s only been about a month, right? And he’s already mastered the basics."

"I suppose in a little more time, he’ll have learned your prized skill right from under you."

"Heh heh." Ge Hongfeng, standing to the side, chuckled and stroked his beard. "It’s fine, Old Feng. We’re all on the same side, anyway."

"I’d be thrilled if he learned it sooner. The faster he learns, the better his talent. Who knows, maybe he’ll even break through to the Superpower Level in the future?"

Hearing this, the blue-robed Martial Artist named Old Feng just smiled.

’The barrier to the Superpower Level isn’t so easy to break. High talent alone isn’t a guarantee. Comprehension and spiritual will are just as important—especially the latter. Only those who can perfectly control their own power can ensure the process of life transformation goes smoothly and truly break their limits.’

However,

"That makes sense."

He didn’t refute him, not wanting to make him lose face.

As they chatted idly, he watched the many disciples below and asked, "The City Guard Army sent someone over again yesterday."

"Commander Qin hopes we can send one person to serve as an instructor in the military camp. What do you think about this...?"

"What does Old Chen say?" Ge Hongfeng asked, inquiring about the opinion of the other Martial Artist.

Their three martial arts schools had always been on good terms. They had decided to merge into a single club mainly to stick together, so each person’s opinion had to be respected.

"He’s not really in favor of it."

Old Feng sighed. "The City Guard Army isn’t a peaceful place. The people in there, just like in the City Lord’s Mansion, are fighting amongst themselves too fiercely."

"However, I see the [Giant Bear Club] seems quite enthusiastic about it. If we don’t go..."

"Let’s put it off for a while longer," Ge Hongfeng said with a sigh and a shake of his head. "The affairs of the City Lord’s Mansion and those old, influential families are not for us to meddle in. It’s best if we can stay out of it."

"Mm."

Old Feng nodded, sharing a similar thought.

The situation in the Red Maple City Circle was simply too complicated right now; even a Superpower Level expert wouldn’t dare get involved rashly.

What’s more,

"I heard that old ghost is coming back."

He said suddenly, as if he’d just remembered something.

Hearing this, Ge Hongfeng’s gaze sharpened, and his expression slowly grew solemn.

He was just about to ask a few more questions.

"Hm?"

Sensing something, he suddenly turned his head to look down.

SHH-SHH-SHH!!

Piercing whistles echoed in the hall below, where the afterimages of the rod were tearing through the air, creating an even greater commotion.

Song Yan, in his silver Martial Arts uniform, was drenched in sweat, having begun to use his full strength at some point.

The iron rod swung left and right at a terrifying speed, leaving no openings.

Sometimes it chopped down like a War Axe, other times it swept low at his legs.

Any other Elite Level practitioner would have found it impossible to continue following the rules; they would have either blocked the attacks or left the designated area.

And yet,

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

One afterimage of the rod after another brushed past him.

Lu Chao dodged left and right, and then, just as an iron rod was about to hit him with a horizontal sweep, he suddenly leaped backward.

His feet left the ground, and he planted them firmly on the vertical metal wall.

A pale gray Martial Arts Power seemed to cover his legs, and the soles of his feet stuck to the smooth wall as if glued there, without the slightest gap.

One second, three seconds, five seconds...

It was as if he had broken the rules of gravity, clinging to the wall like a Gecko with his entire body parallel to the floor.

After a long ten seconds, he was still holding his position steadily.

In that instant,

Ge Hongfeng’s gaze sharpened on the third floor, a trace of astonishment flashing across his face.

’It’s only been a month, right?’

At his side, Old Feng noticed the change and also turned to look, somewhat surprised.

’The Flowing Dragon Steps... Minor Achievement?’

"Old Ge, I don’t think you were this fast back in the day, were you?"