Chapter 42: Sparring Partner No. 2 Goes Online

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Sparring Partner No. 2 Goes Online

"Then who lost just now?" Lu Yuan asked.

"I-I... if we had continued, wouldn’t you have lost?" Lin Siheng’s eyes flickered, growing increasingly bright. "Hehe, you’re just being stubborn, Lu Yuan. If you have the guts, let’s have another match tonight, or tomorrow. By then, you must be in your peak condition."

"Alright, it’s a deal!" Lu Yuan agreed readily.

"It’s a deal!" Lin Siheng clenched his fists. If he practiced for another day today, his strength could grow even more.

"By the way, about the question I asked you just now," Lu Yuan returned to the main topic.

"What did you ask me?" Lin Siheng was confused.

"I asked you, if you meet a girl you like, what would you do?" Lu Yuan repeated.

"I’m only five years old, and you’re asking me this?" Lin Siheng raised an eyebrow, then thought for a moment. "I wouldn’t hit her."

Lu Yuan rubbed his head, letting out a sharp breath. "That won’t work. It’s too boring. You pick a flower for her, then say you like her and only want to play with her from now on."

"Is that it?" Lin Siheng understood. Simple. "Play what? Practice martial arts together?"

Lu Yuan was speechless, but he nodded. "That works too. You can spar in the Martial Dao together, but remember, you must hold back your power. Be careful not to hurt her."

"Then what’s the point of that? Alright, I get it." Lin Siheng waved his hand dismissively. He would never need to use this anyway. He didn’t like girls.

[Congratulations on completing the task. The reward of 300 Experience Points has been received.]

Lu Yuan smiled. Three hundred Experience Points, plus the 307 remaining from last time, made a total of 607. He could upgrade the Nine Glories of Archery to the Minor Achievement realm now. He applied the points directly, bringing the Nine Glories of Archery to Minor Achievement.

Knowledge regarding the Nine-Arrow Linked Beads flooded his mind. Shifting his hands and making slight adjustments to his body and arms, Lu Yuan quickly mastered the technique of the Three-Arrow Linked Beads.

Not bad. The Three-Arrow Linked Beads constituted a Minor Achievement. The subsequent techniques were largely the same. Great Success would allow for the Nine-Arrow Linked Beads—firing nine arrows in rapid succession in the blink of an eye.

"Come on, let’s go eat breakfast." Lu Yuan took Lin Siheng to the kitchen.

During the breaks in his practice, he had already placed the ingredients into the pot and lit some firewood to cook. Aside from Pills, food was the most important source of energy for practicing martial arts. Sometimes, nutritional supplements were even more effective than Pills. After eating and drinking his fill, Lu Yuan waited for his True Qi to recover a bit before heading to the Demon Suppression Bureau.

"Elder Wu, wine!"

"Hmm... eh?" Elder Wu caught the wine bottle and quickly noticed something unusual. "Not bad, Eighth Grade. Keep working hard."

"I definitely won’t disgrace you." Lu Yuan smiled as he ran off to the training grounds.

As soon as he entered, he saw two pairs of large, bovine eyes glaring at him.

"Lu Yuan, I want to challenge you!" Yu Qiuyang glared at him furiously. "A head-on battle, and no Hidden Weapons allowed!"

This was an additional condition. He had felt far too stifled last night. To be restrained in a single move and extorted out of three hundred taels—he couldn’t swallow this insult no matter how hard he tried after going back. Since he had sworn not to use other methods to retaliate, and his martial prowess was definitely stronger than Lu Yuan’s, the solution was simple: challenge him directly and beat him to a pulp. He was going to take back everything he lost yesterday!

"After you fight him, I challenge you!" Jianng Hongfei added.

Today, he wasn’t just wearing Inner Armor; he had also strapped golden silk armor onto his legs, arms, and other vital areas. He, too, wanted to reclaim his dignity. He would absolutely not make the same mistake twice.

"Oh?" Lu Yuan swept his gaze over the two of them. "Fine, but it’s two hundred taels a pop. I never fight pointless battles."

"You... this is a normal challenge, no money is required!" Yu Qiuyang glared angrily. The Demon Suppression Bureau had rules for this.

"Then I decline." Lu Yuan spread his hands. If he didn’t accept, the challenge wouldn’t stand.

"You..." Yu Qiuyang nearly shattered his teeth from gritting them so hard.

"If you don’t have money, don’t hover around me. It’s a waste of my emotional energy," Lu Yuan said, pointing at Jianng Hongfei. "And that goes for you too."

Liu Zhi watched, dumbfounded. Brother Lu was far too domineering. So wild and uninhibited! Suppressing two arrogant young masters from aristocratic families... What a badass!

Mu Lingche’s eyes flashed slightly, filled with confusion. What exactly happened last night when he wasn’t looking? How did it turn out like this? This Lu Yuan...

"I have money!" Jianng Hongfei immediately declared, taking out his silver notes. Yu Qiuyang might be short on cash, but he certainly wasn’t. The New Year’s money he had saved since childhood and the gifts he received were all quite valuable. However, he didn’t have absolute confidence in facing Lu Yuan. The best strategy was for Lu Yuan to fight Yu Qiuyang first, and then he would...

"Then let’s do it," Lu Yuan beckoned. However, he walked over to Liu Zhi first. "Do you have any Qi Nourishing Pills on you? Give me two."

"I do." Liu Zhi quickly took out a porcelain bottle containing two Qi Nourishing Pills and handed it to him.

"Have someone deliver another ten Qi Nourishing Pills and two Bone Tempering Pills," Lu Yuan said, handing a stack of silver notes to Liu Zhi.

Liu Zhi stared blankly. He used up the ten pills given the day before yesterday? That fast? Giving it the maximum estimate, it hadn’t even been two days.

"Oh, okay, sure!" Liu Zhi agreed. It was simple enough; he just needed to have someone deliver a message later. Wait a minute, six hundred taels! Wasn’t this amount of money a bit off?

Lu Yuan popped a Qi Nourishing Pill into his mouth and looked at Jianng Hongfei. "Are we still fighting or what?"

"Aren’t we waiting for you? You’re taking pills!" Jianng Hongfei frowned, then his eyes widened.

"What, are you scared of a Qi Nourishing Pill too?" Lu Yuan was speechless. He turned to Yu Qiuyang. "How about this: I’ll accept your challenge as well. You can owe me the money for now and give it to me tomorrow."

"Are you that certain I’ll lose?" Yu Qiuyang retorted angrily. Then he realized something. That’s right. With a guaranteed win on his side, did he really need to fork over two hundred taels?

"You will definitely lose!" Lu Yuan nodded. He walked up to Jianng Hongfei. "Bare-handed, or with weapons?"

"Bare-handed!" Jianng Hongfei replied without hesitation. Exactly. He was wearing Treasure Armor and had Gang Qi protecting his body, so how could Lu Yuan possibly win? Lu Yuan was never his match to begin with!

"No using Hidden Weapons!"

"I don’t need them for you," Lu Yuan shook his head.

"Hehe..." Jianng Hongfei sneered, his eyes suddenly narrowing. "Take this!"

He threw a punch at Lu Yuan. It was still the Jianng family’s Flood Dragon Fist, surging with Gang Qi. Fast and ruthless!

BAM—

Lu Yuan also threw a punch. The Lu family’s Cyan Gang Fist! Having achieved Gang Transformation, possessing a Perfect Boxing Skill, experiencing improved bone structure, and even reaching Great Success in his Saber Technique... The power of Lu Yuan’s punch now was scarcely weaker than Jianng Hongfei’s Flood Dragon Fist.

BANG—

Their fists collided. Gang Qi exploded, sending blasts of sharp wind in all directions.

SMACK—

Both of them stepped back almost simultaneously. Jianng Hongfei retreated only one step, while Lu Yuan stumbled back three consecutive steps.

Jianng Hongfei’s face was filled with shock. He thought, "This kid actually completed his Gang Transformation!"

Lu Yuan, on the other hand, was full of excitement. How satisfying! This Jianng Hongfei could also serve as his sparring partner and help him with his Bone Tempering!

"Again!"

"Again!"

Jianng Hongfei roared as he charged forward, throwing punches once more. This time, he unleashed a barrage of forceful strikes, fully displaying the might of the Jianng family’s Flood Dragon Fist.

"Bring it on!" Lu Yuan shouted in greeting, meeting every single blow head-on.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The two men hammered their fists against each other. It was pure, brute force colliding with brute force—no flashy moves whatsoever. It was a sheer contest of power, physique, and the might of their boxing techniques...