Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 12: Strength Exposed

Jiangnan Base City, main urban area.

Thunder and Lightning Clubhouse.

The two fought fiercely for more than ten minutes before the battle ended.

Ning Ze stood on the arena with the same dashing air, holding his sword in one hand and pointing it at his throat, this time without his hands behind his back.

Wan Dong's eyes were somewhat confused. After the battle, he felt only one thing: powerlessness.

Despite his superior strength, his opponent was impenetrable and had an impenetrable defense, leaving him with no way to attack.

He didn't even know how he lost, nor how he managed to hold on for those ten minutes...

The faces of the martial artists from the surrounding Thunder Martial Arts School were ashen.

Ning Ze went to Shu Yi's side to protect his girlfriend. He looked around and smiled awkwardly, "Um... seniors, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

silent.

Everyone was looking at him with hostility.

However, this also cleared the way for departure.

Shu Yi weakly grabbed his sleeve and whispered, "You're being so fake in letting me through."

Ning Ze quickly waved his arm and bumped her waist, "Don't talk nonsense!"

He said righteously, "It is truly an honor for me to have the opportunity to compete with the genius of the Thunder Martial Arts School today. I have benefited greatly from the battle. Seniors, I am a little tired, so I will take my leave now."

He felt helpless; he hadn't done it on purpose, and Ning Hua hadn't taught him how to fix matches!

He's a martial artist with extensive combat experience, while Wan Dong is so weak he hasn't even taken the martial artist assessment yet. This guy doesn't have any cultivation manuals!

Ning Ze didn't even know how to act...

Whose fault is this?

These people just wouldn't let him leave, what could he do?

They could only accept another 2000 million with tears in their eyes.

After saying that, Ning Ze steeled himself and walked out. When he reached the center of the farewell crowd, his phone beeped: "Your card ending in 3386 had 20 million RMB deposited into your ICBC account at 08:45 on July 16th. Balance: 40,014,325 (ICBC)."

The atmosphere suddenly turned chilly, making one's hair stand on end.

Ning Ze, without looking to the side, pulled his girlfriend along and walked quickly outside. He didn't need to look to know that the martial artists from the Thunder Martial Arts School were already furious.

Originally, he intended to let Zhai Yanke hear the sound of the money arriving in his account, and he did hear it just now, but he was stopped and forgot to turn it off.

Shu Yi huddled up like a little quail, her body pressed tightly against Ning Ze, looking weak and helpless.

The two walked out the door and then walked several dozen steps.

Ning Ze glanced back and saw that no one was chasing after him through the glass doors of the lobby on the first floor. He breathed a long sigh of relief.

In fact, he was quite proud of himself. What was it like to be invincible among the young people present?

He had never experienced such a glorious moment before. It was as if the spotlight was shining on him, and he was the protagonist on the stage. He wished he could stay a little longer.

But reason told him that if he stayed any longer, someone might lose their mind.

What are the consequences of slapping the face of the Thunder Martial Arts School?

Just thinking about it for a moment made Ning Ze's scalp tingle.

In particular, this was not a competition between two martial arts schools; the higher-ups of the Limitless Martial Arts School were not present. This was purely his personal action...

A martial artist values ​​face the most!

Having offended nearly half of all the martial artists on Earth, can he still venture into the wilderness?

"Mmm!"

Lost in thought, Ning Ze accepted a warm bear hug and a passionate kiss.

"Zeze! You're so handsome!"

Unable to contain her emotions, Shu Yi made a bold move she had never done before.

Ning Ze felt a slight sense of satisfaction, but he was extremely embarrassed. No one had ever called him that in elementary school; he had learned it from his mother!

"Don't call me by my nickname in public, and if you get emotional, just call me 'husband.' Actually... I've been trying my best to fight this battle."

He sensed that everyone had some misunderstanding, and any rational person would not want to stand out in this way; it was too dangerous.

He was indeed acting seriously, but their fighting strategies were not on the same level, and Wan Dong simply ignored the flaws he deliberately exposed.

How can a one-person show not be awkward?

He tried to explain, hoping that at least those around him could understand, which would be a form of psychological comfort.

"Pfft."

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because as soon as it was, Shuyi burst into laughter, almost doubled over.

Ning Ze's lips twitched; this time, he wasn't trying to make people laugh.

Today, it's really strange that no one believes him when he tells the truth.

After laughing, Shuyi scolded, "You're so mean! You went easy on them so obviously. Were you being considerate, or were you deliberately trying to embarrass them?"

"Let's go, we've had a very fruitful day. I'll take you to explore the underground alliance."

Ning Ze decided to give up explaining; in his entire life, the word "letting things slide" had never existed.

Ninghua's standard is that a mistake equals getting beaten up.

The greater the mistake, the greater the physical pain.

So, in the battle just now, he fought with all his might, but he still had to act. He intentionally exposed his weaknesses to put himself at a disadvantage, but his opponent didn't seize the opportunity.

He couldn't fathom Wan Dong's thinking. The Wind Slash was an extremely sharp and deadly sword technique; a casual strike from it was too much for the other side to defend against, and they hadn't even noticed it coming...

He could only hastily stop when he was about to be defeated, trying to prolong the battle as much as possible.

It was really tiring after all that fighting.

For the first time, he realized that fighting could be so difficult!

As for Zhai Yanke, he didn't care at all. He just beat him up as usual and gave him some money. Why bother with someone like that?

The two enjoyed their date and casually discussed how to splurge a little.

……

VIP room on the second floor of Thunder Martial Arts School.

The four chief instructors looked thoughtfully at the video recording in the lobby on the first floor.

At this moment, the hall was silent, and after half a minute someone spoke.

"Wan Dong's loss is understandable. I feel like he's stronger than me." A mid-level warrior with rich combat experience said with a somewhat grim expression. After fighting in the wilderness for twenty years, he couldn't beat a newcomer. This kind of experience was really not good.

"Every move was a killing blow, every move was a restraint. Golden Fire Bear has a good son, hmm... he's trained him well too." A powerful warrior sighed, still recalling the battle just now.

"Wan Dong is still too inexperienced. The difference in combat experience between the two is too great; there's simply no comparison. And..." The arrogant general who had previously been so arrogant squinted, "I don't know if I'm seeing things, but this sword technique, with its deadly moves at every turn, and its fierce attacks like a raging storm, you can feel its immense power even standing below the stage. The secret manual he's practicing must be the top-tier manual, 'Wind Slash'! Wan Dong was completely stunned; he couldn't even see these deadly moves. However, since I didn't see the sudden outpouring of sword energy, I'm not entirely sure."

Top-tier secret manuals are rarely practiced and are not commonly found.

He had already acknowledged Ning Ze's combat strength and didn't feel much ill will towards him. He could sense that Ning Ze was trying to save face for everyone, but Wan Dong, who was fighting him, was too weak, and the two couldn't communicate on the same wavelength.

Strength doesn't grow overnight; every bit of strength comes with a price. Such combat experience is not something that can be acquired in a day. That lame junior general is truly skilled! He actually trained such an outstanding son.

As a fellow martial artist, he was very pleased to see such an outstanding young man!

……

Upstairs VIP room.

"Sizzle!"

The display screen turned off, and a four-pointed star flashed briefly in the center.

The burly head instructor put down the remote control and asked in a deep voice, "What do you all think?"

"The 'Wind Slash' truly lives up to its reputation. This kid's swordsmanship is also very sophisticated. If we have similar physical abilities, even I would have to be cautious under such a powerful sword technique." Old Zhang's eyes were very serious.

"He's elegant but harbors deadly intent. The two sides are not even in the same league. We underestimated him. Wan Dong is still too inexperienced. Perhaps after several months of training in the wilderness, he can withstand a few blows in a fight, but to win..." The head instructor, with a gloomy face, shook his head and said, "Unless Wan Dong also cultivates a top-level secret technique, he has no hope of winning at all."

Old Zhang squinted and said, "This kid is too good at hiding his strength; he even fooled the martial arts school! His strength is at least 2800kg now. Even if he only gained 200kg a month, he still increased his strength by more than 1600kg during his first absorption of cosmic energy!"

"I even feel like he has hidden strength. I suspect he might have already mastered the first level? He only passed the martial arts combat assessment on July 1st, and it's only been half a month!"

The three were filled with shock. To have mastered the first level of the Wind Slash in just half a month was simply too exaggerated.

An absolute fighting genius!

Thunder Martial Arts Academy does not log in to Extreme Home. They have their own internal network, and information about martial arts practitioners' combat assessments is obtained through multiple channels simultaneously. Only the higher-ups of Extreme Martial Arts Academy can access information about purchasing martial arts manuals.

"You've met this kid, what do you think of him?" Old Zhang asked in a deep voice.

Park Nam's eyes were full of thought as he asked with a puzzled look, "According to the supply station's data, he only stayed in the wilderness area for one day the first time he entered. A genius like him wouldn't just wander around and come back. There's no beast tide in City 096, and even martial arts teams are relatively few. The Warfire Squad is the strongest one, so there's no danger for them. They have no reason to come back."

"But they did come back, and they traveled back in the sweltering heat of the day, the whole team seemed a bit impatient. After returning, the rest of their team set off for the wilderness again, but Ning Ze alone returned home to cultivate. Everyone, don't you find that strange?"

Old Zhang seemed to have figured something out and hurriedly said, "When people come back from the wilderness, it's either because there are casualties, family matters, or someone has achieved a breakthrough in something."

"You mean he grasped the art of power generation on his very first day in the wilderness? And that was only a week after passing the skill assessment!" Old Zhang was quite agitated. "Bullshit, the Limitless Martial Arts Academy actually produced such a genius!"

Park Nam nodded slightly, indicating that this was exactly what he meant.

Then, he narrowed his eyes and said in a slurred voice, "And... don't you all think he fought too easily?"

"Even with rich combat experience, one should be more serious, but he showed no tension from beginning to end. Even when he was cornered by Wan Dong while holding back, he remained as if he were strolling leisurely."

"What makes him so confident? I even felt he was overconfident a few times and was about to be defeated. His movements were exceptionally coordinated!"

"But I feel something's off. What do you guys think?"

"You mean this kid's movement technique is quite subtle?" Old Zhang felt a real toothache.

Park Nam didn't say anything, but took out the remote control and played the footage of the battle.

ten minutes.

The VIP room fell silent, with only the battle footage playing on the screen.

Being able to serve as the regional head instructor of the Thunder Martial Arts Academy is certainly not something to be taken lightly; after careful observation, they also discovered something suspicious.

The video continued playing, and then repeated for another ten minutes after that.

"As expected... his movement technique is definitely at the 'Subtle Level'. He dodged eight times almost by a hair's breadth, and his unhurried demeanor clearly showed that he was confident. He had not only mastered the power exertion but also the 'Subtle Level' movement technique." Old Zhang felt a tickle in his teeth.

The gloomy-faced head instructor laughed. "Since he's Golden Fire Bear's son, he definitely won't join our martial arts school."

"Trying to hide it? Then expose him!"

"You think you can just walk away after slapping my Thunder Martial Arts School in the face? Do you really think we can't see through things? That's what's truly shameful."

"Such a genius, my Thunder Martial Arts Academy can afford to lose! Consider this month a loss for Thunder Martial Arts Academy, but we'll continue next month!"

Park Nam laughed upon hearing this. "That's a good idea. I tried to invite him on the train but couldn't even open my mouth; that kid politely declined. Now he's getting his revenge. He actually gave me a hard time. How could he face me for appreciating his talent?"

"Trying to hide under the noses of us high-ranking generals? No way!"

"Hahaha."

The four head instructors of the Thunder Martial Arts Academy burst into laughter. They were perfectly capable of taking on the genius that the Limitless Martial Arts Academy was trying to hide!

Since we can't recruit them anyway, we might as well save face.

……

Qingquan Street, Extreme Branch.

This is a four-story branch martial arts school. Although it is only a branch school, it covers an area of ​​20,000 square meters, which is not much smaller than a large shopping mall.

The first floor is where beginners train, and a tall man, eight feet in height, strode confidently across the floor.

"Creak!"

"Giggle!"

One person, two different footsteps, his right leg with its bright gold prosthetic leg was particularly eye-catching.

Ning Hua's sharp gaze swept over the surrounding trainees. His solemn expression made him appear very stern. If he found a trainee making a mistake, he would kick him without saying a word, followed by a series of "kind" but earnest lectures, using himself as an example.

The trainees looked tense during the training, but they gritted their teeth and persevered, showing great determination.

The intermediate and advanced students on the second floor have already gone through this ordeal, so he can only come to the first floor to be educated from a young age.

After looking around, Ning Hua sighed inwardly, "Not bad, they're all good kids. They've got some of Xiao Ze's resilience. They're not afraid of being hit, and they're not nervous about being scolded. If they work hard now, there will be fewer accidents if these kids become martial artists in the future."

He looked down at his golden prosthetic limb, a slight smile on his face. He hadn't expected it to still be useful after his injury. These martial arts school kids weren't so obedient.

Young people are all stubborn. If it weren't for "it," it would be impossible for them not to feel resentment after being beaten.

"Ding...ding..."

A crisp notification sound rang out. Ning Hua looked down at the gold watch on his wrist. When he saw the caller ID, his expression changed drastically, and he quickly started the call.

"My lord," Ning Hua said with great respect.

The video features a gentle and refined young man. Powerful martial artists generally appear quite young, with only a few who break through to higher levels showing signs of age.

"Ning Hua, you're telling me your son is a genius?" Manager Dongfang's expression was somewhat puzzled.

Ning Hua's expression froze for a moment, then he said seriously, "Yes, I can assure you, he has absolutely mastered the 'Subtlety Level' movement technique!"

Manager Dong's expression turned somewhat strange, his eyes flashing with anger. "I wasn't talking about movement techniques!"

Ning Hua blinked, feeling a little flustered. What had Manager Dongfang heard? What happened today?

He leaned down and asked in a low voice, "Did something happen to him?"

Manager Dongfang said expressionlessly, "He's at the Thunder Martial Arts Gym!" His eerie gaze seemed to say, "Are you trying to become a traitor?"

Ning Hua's eyes gradually widened, finally becoming round. He solemnly declared, "Sir, I absolutely have no intention of changing the department name. If he dares to cause trouble, I'll break his legs!..."

Manager Dong's expression softened somewhat, and he gently interrupted him, "Alright, I understand. Now, tell me properly about your son. Why did the Thunder Martial Arts School say he was hiding his strength? Why, besides mastering the 'Subtlety Level' movement technique, are there rumors that he's also mastered power generation?"

Ning Hua was taken aback, but then realized that the kid had gone to fight. He was a little worried, but it wouldn't be too dangerous in the base city. He could only answer Director Dongfang's question first, and then ask Ning Ze.

"My lord..." he began to recount Ning Ze's growth process.

(End of this chapter)