Chapter 24: The True Face of Zhang Cheng

"Tap, tap."

It was September, the height of the rainy season, and the entire city of Tianhai was shrouded in a deluge.

Inside the martial arts classroom, a roar like that of an enraged lion echoed in everyone’s ears.

"Bang!"

Zhang Cheng lunged forward, kicking the spear out of the hands of the boy standing before him.

"Look at your technique—limp and powerless. A spear stroke should be a straight line; where is your line? Even my 80-year-old grandmother’s spear work is steadier than yours."

"Your spear skills are meant for the battlefield, for fighting against calamitous beasts."

"The slightest negligence could cost you your life."

"Your spear work must be fast, precise, and ruthless. Every single move must be executed to perfection."

"Practice the basic spear techniques ten more times, then move on to the 'Boulder Spear Technique.'"

The boy was berated so severely that his head was spinning. As a prodigy, he had never been scolded like this before, and he stared at Zhang Cheng with bloodshot eyes.

Zhang Cheng grinned.

"Want to fight me? Then make your move!"

"Crack, crack!"

With that, Zhang Cheng began to stretch his limbs. A fierce, wild aura, reminiscent of a male lion, emanated from him.

Seeing this, the boy’s eyes cleared instantly, and he silently returned to practicing his basic spear techniques.

Zhang Cheng scanned the room and shouted, his voice booming like a bell:

"What are you looking at? Get to work!"

The onlookers immediately scrambled to practice with their weapons.

Zhang Cheng moved on to the next target, offering a harsh, face-to-face critique. After correcting several more students, he paced through the room and spoke:

"If you don’t like my teaching style, that’s fine. Tell me, go practice on your own, and I won’t say another word. But since you have chosen to accept my guidance, then you will endure it."

"A martial artist cannot improve their strength through self-discipline alone."

"You need someone to provoke you, guide you, and push you to unleash your full potential."

"I guarantee that if you can endure this, you won’t regret it in a year. You may hate me now, but you will thank me later."

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, training separately, listened to Zhang Cheng’s words and practiced the techniques in their manuals with all their might.

Lin Qi marveled to himself; Teacher Zhang’s teaching method was truly extraordinary. On the first day, everyone thought he was no different from a typical instructor. But by the second day, Zhang Cheng had unleashed his full intensity, letting everyone experience his unique approach. It had to be said that the benefits of this method were glaringly obvious. The improvement in their martial arts was unmistakable.

"Swish!"

Just as Lin Qi was deep in thought, a sense of intense danger washed over him.

He caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye—a flash of cold steel. Zhang Cheng was thrusting his spear from the side, cutting through the air with a piercing whistle.

"Clang, clang!"

Lin Qi immediately whirled his spear, dancing it into a defensive circle as he retreated and parried.

Block!

"Fast reflexes!" Zhang Cheng praised, brandishing his spear to launch another attack.

"There are three stages to learning a new spear technique."

"The first stage is being able to execute the technique proficiently."

"The second stage is mastering every move so that you can utilize them in actual combat."

"The third stage is grasping the three great killing moves."

"Lin Qi, you have already moved past the proficiency stage and are now capable of applying your spear skills in combat."

"Clang!"

A surge of overwhelming force was unleashed with the spear, traveling into Lin Qi’s arms. The impact left his limbs numb and forced him to stumble backward.

Zhang Cheng looked at Lin Qi with satisfaction. He had been keeping a close eye on the boy lately and could clearly sense his rapid progress. He possessed extraordinary potential—a truly promising talent.

"Good thing I came, or such a rare talent would have gone to waste," Zhang Cheng thought to himself.

Not far away, some students were whispering.

"Why does it feel like Teacher Zhang is so focused on that guy Lin Qi? Is his talent really that good?"

"Good? Hardly. He probably just gives him extra attention because Lin Qi’s family is poor," Yang Lei muttered sourly from the side.

...

That evening, at the Chiqiong Martial Arts Center, Room A-128.

The sound of the rain was muffled. Two figures wearing protective gear stood in the center, their fists colliding in a clash of equal strength.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After a series of fierce, tiger-claw strikes, both retreated several steps.

Guo Heng removed his helmet and panted, "Let’s stop here."

"I’m exhausted. Lin Qi, your strength is growing stronger by the day. Unless it’s a real fight, I can’t handle you anymore."

Lin Qi also took off his helmet. Despite being drenched in sweat, his expression remained calm.

"Young Master Guo, are we not practicing with weapons today?"

Guo Heng walked over to a corner, plopped down on a chair, and grabbed a bottle of energy drink, gulping it down greedily.

"Gulp, gulp."

A few seconds later, only an empty bottle remained.

"Whew."

"Don't call me Young Master Guo. Call me A-Heng."

"It’s not time yet. I tend to lose control of my strength, especially when using weapons."

"I’m afraid of accidentally hurting you and hindering your cultivation. It’s not easy to find good sparring partners like you two; if you both run away, I’d be the one losing out," Guo Heng said with a shrug.

Lin Qi nodded. Although he had only met Guo Heng a few times, they had grown close very quickly. They were already friends.

He knew exactly why a prodigy like Guo Heng was willing to befriend him and Jiang Tao. It was entirely because they, too, were talented; their potential was high enough to earn Guo Heng’s respect.

"Right, go wash up. I’ll take you to see something good."

"Something good?" Jiang Tao asked, curious.

A few minutes later, Guo Heng led Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, now changed into their school uniforms, through the corridors of the Chiqiong Martial Arts Center.

"Besides the individual training rooms and the infirmary, the Chiqiong Martial Arts Center has one more place."

A moment later, the three of them reached the end of the corridor.

Before them was a large metal door, twice the size of a standard training room, with a constant stream of people entering and exiting.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao followed Guo Heng inside, only to find a vast, wide-open space. Lin Qi was secretly startled; this place was even larger than the martial arts hall at their Second High School.

What caught his eye next were rows of massive, silvery-white machines, resembling oval-shaped eggs encased in cubes. They were much larger than standard recovery pods, and each machine had a metallic prism standing next to it.

"Is this... a holographic virtual pod?" Jiang Tao asked, his eyes wide.

"That’s right!" Guo Heng nodded.

"Holographic virtual pods are said to simulate over 90% of the human body. They allow us to connect our nerves to the virtual headset, providing real tactile sensations and experiences."

"In reality, combat often leads to injury, which prevents us from going all out. But in the virtual world, it’s completely different. You can fight with everything you’ve got—even kill."

"I’ve only ever seen these in the news," Jiang Tao said, his expression filled with excitement.

"Taozi is right!"

Lin Qi looked calm on the surface, but inside, he was just as curious as he stared at the holographic pods.

"Virtual technology has made huge breakthroughs in recent years."

"These holographic virtual pods are masterpieces that allow us to enter a virtual world to hone our martial arts skills."

"Doesn't that mean we can play holographic games, too?" Jiang Tao suddenly asked.

Guo Heng’s lips curled into a faint smile.

"Of course. And I can tell you that holographic gaming is an incredibly exhilarating experience—you can’t even imagine it."

Guo Heng’s words left Jiang Tao’s imagination running wild.

"But playing games is just for relaxation after training," Guo Heng said, beginning to walk further inside.

"Heng-ge is here!"

Someone spotted Guo Heng and greeted him with a smile, and it wasn't just one person. Guo Heng responded with practiced ease.

Soon, the three of them arrived in front of a holographic virtual pod.

"I brought you here today to let you experience the competition of the virtual world."