I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

The next day, early in the morning.

The sky brightened with a pale white light, shrouded in a hazy morning mist.

Bajiquan Martial Arts School.

"drink!"

On the training ground, Feng Hui let out a low roar, clenched his right fist tightly, and threw a punch at the wooden stake in front of him.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, behind the seemingly motionless wooden stake, debris exploded like fireworks.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Feng, on your further improvement in boxing skills."

Upon seeing this, the two martial arts school disciples who were waiting nearby stepped forward to congratulate him, their eyes filled with admiration and envy.

"This is nothing. You've only just mastered the basics of internal energy transformation. You're still a long way from forging an iron body."

"With Senior Brother Feng's talent, it shouldn't be long before he's able to forge golden bones."

"Indeed, what does mere iron bones amount to?"

"No boasting, just remember the power I just taught you and strive to forge your own iron skin as soon as possible."

Listening to the two of them praising him back and forth, Feng Hui felt secretly pleased, but on the surface he waved his hand humbly and asked casually.

"What has Zhou An been doing these days? Have you heard anything from him?"

Thinking of Zhou An, Feng Hui couldn't help but recall the previous arena duel.

shame.

Even though he has now begun to temper his bones, he still feels a deep sense of shame whenever he thinks of what happened that day.

"This shame must be washed away, otherwise I will never be able to hold my head up in Ningshan City."

Feng Hui made up his mind.

Once I've forged an iron will, I'm determined to prove myself in front of this person.

He didn't need Zhou An to accept his challenge.

All you need to do is tell the other party that you have entered the Bone Forging Realm and have tempered your bones into iron.

The superiority and dominance of one's skill level cannot be overcome by opportunism; the gap between the two is as vast as an insurmountable chasm.

"Zhou An has been practicing diligently in the courtyard all day long and hasn't patrolled the streets for a long time."

"He probably knows he took a shortcut, so he doesn't dare to show his face in public and has to work hard to improve himself..."

The two men looked at Feng Hui carefully, and then spoke to each other, but their words were clearly more cautious and careful.

After all, this young master had been defeated by the other party before. If they were to excessively belittle the other party, it would be tantamount to slapping their own young master in the face.

"This person is extraordinary; he is not as simple as just taking shortcuts. If you encounter him in the future, you must not underestimate him."

Feng Hui nodded in satisfaction, and was about to say something more when he saw his father hurriedly appear on the training ground.

"You all go down, I want to test this wretch's martial arts skills."

Feng Guoqing, the owner of the Bajiquan Martial Arts School, gave the two boastful and sycophantic men a cold glance and walked toward the weapon rack on his own.

The two exchanged a glance, instinctively sensing that something was wrong, and hurriedly left the training ground.

Before leaving, the two saw their master picking and choosing on the weapon rack, his hand hovering over the Eight-Cut Sword several times before finally picking up a long staff.

Even so, it still sent a chill down their spines.

"Father, tell me slowly."

Seeing Feng Guoqing walking towards him step by step with a long stick, Feng Hui, who had just been acting like a know-it-all, panicked.

His legs began to tremble, and his face turned pale at a visible speed.

"Father, I have been getting up at cockcrow every day recently and have not slacked off in my martial arts practice. I am about to forge an iron body."

Seeing his father's hand tighten suddenly around the stick, Feng Hui quickly recounted his progress over the past few days, attempting to awaken his father's dwindling affection through his own diligence.

"Really? You're about to forge an iron body... Then why are your legs shaking?"

Feng Guoqing stopped in his tracks, his words ringing out, his teeth grinding together.

"Father, what exactly happened? If I have done something wrong, I am willing to accept the punishment."

Feng Hui snapped out of his daze and noticed that his father looked strange, so he asked a question as if he needed to survive.

Even if he can't escape this beating, he should at least understand what he's going to get.

"Last night, the Seven Mysteries Sect and all the major martial arts schools in the city cooperated with the government to encircle and suppress the Black Tiger Gang. While you were practicing martial arts, they returned to the city in triumph."

Do you know what this means?

Feng Guoqing's expression calmed down, and he asked the question word by word.

"How is that possible?"

Feng Hui's expression changed.

"I'm asking you, what does this mean?"

"This means that the Bajiquan Martial Arts School, which should have been included in the trip, was excluded from the core group by the government."

Meeting his father's gaze, Feng Hui's teeth began to chatter.

Bajiquan Martial Arts School is very strong, ranking at least in the top five among all the martial arts schools in the city.

But now the Black Tiger Gang has been wiped out without a word, and they have been excluded. This means that the government has doubted their stance and loyalty because of the previous martial arts competition.

"Good, not stupid."

Feng Guoqing nodded, and then... he twirled the staff in his hand, and a whistling sound of wind whistled through the training ground.

"etc......"

Feng Hui shouted.

"I can admit this mistake, but..."

"But what... but last night, Zhou An of the Seven Mysteries Sect, at the Iron Skin Realm, killed a Bone Forging Martial Artist?"

Feng Guoqing snorted coldly.

"What?"

Feng Hui's pupils suddenly contracted, and he began to feel dizzy, as if a huge rock had been smashed on his head.

"Zhou An, the Zhou An from the arena who killed the Bone Forging Warrior last night?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"Die, you wicked creature!"

Amidst Feng Hui's exclamation, Feng Guoqing swung his long stick directly at her.

As Lao Tzu, his strength was very subtle, causing Feng Hui to fly high into the air amidst his miserable wails.

Before it could even hit the ground, another sweeping stick came hurtling towards it.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

For a time, the sound of whistling sticks and screams filled the training ground.

"Reflect on your actions carefully. Don't be so smug in front of others just because you've made the slightest progress."

Seeing Feng Hui lying on the training ground like a dead dog, Feng Guoqing snorted coldly, threw down the long staff in his hand, and turned to leave.

"Skin-sharpening, bone-forging... Impossible, absolutely impossible."

As the long stick rolled down, Feng Hui lay on the cold floor, his eyes gradually becoming unfocused.

In a daze, he seemed to see an insurmountable chasm.

"Zhou An!"

......

"Achoo!"

In the courtyard, Zhou An sneezed unconsciously.

"This blood technique is truly wicked. I've only just begun practicing it, and it's already caused my blood and qi to surge, making me sneeze uncontrollably."

Zhou An sniffed, his gaze falling on the animal hide of the Blood Sword Technique with a hint of seriousness.

【Blood Sword Technique (Beginner 1/100): Practice 100 times a day, mastery within a year】

"After all, it is a secret technique that is directly performed using qi and blood, so we cannot be careless in the slightest."

Zhou An's expression was solemn as he began to mentally rehearse the execution and practice of the Blood Sword Technique to prevent any mistakes that could deplete his own vital energy.

While sneezing is nothing serious, given his current level of cultivation, such unnecessary stimulation is impossible for him.

Blood Sword Technique (Beginner 2/100)

Blood Sword Technique (Beginner 3/100)

After one round of deduction, the progress of Blood Sword Technique increased by five points.

"It seems I was overthinking it; my talent is still going strong."

However, sneezing is a serious matter; there might be underlying issues I'm unaware of. I'll need to go find Manager Li later and get some more medical books to consult.

Zhou An felt relieved and began to formally practice the Blood Sword Technique.

......