High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Taking a Kickback

「Thirty minutes later」

Guo Heng’s eyes lit up, and he said energetically, ”Time to end this.”

”Brother, be careful!”

With that, he unleashed his aura. The Qi and Blood in his body surged as he erupted with his full power.

”ROAR—”

Guo Heng let out a great shout, channeling his Qi to augment his strength, which increased by a large margin.

Power shot through his fingertips as he swung his hand like a tiger’s claw!

Guo Heng suddenly threw a punch, lunging forward like an Evil Tiger. His imposing aura stirred up a fierce gust of wind.

His fingers were thick and his nails were rounded, curved into a claw that looked like a Tiger Claw ready to tear everything apart.

Furious Tiger Penetrating the Forest!

BANG!

Lin Qi sensed the danger and also erupted with his strongest power, abruptly unleashing his strength.

”ROAR—”

Lin Qi let out a great roar like a tiger’s, his feet gripping the ground. His spine bent like a bow as power flowed through his arms.

BANG!

With a loud crash, their Tiger Claws collided in a contest of strength.

With a CRACK, a sweet taste filled Lin Qi’s throat. The image of Guo Heng before him began to shrink as his body was forced back several steps.

Intense pain shot through his body, even through the protective gear. His chest, in particular, let out a series of noises.

’Without this gear, my ribs would have definitely been broken,’ Lin Qi thought as he knelt on one knee, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Guo Heng had also been pushed back several steps.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face. ”Exhilarating!”

”You’re very good.”

”Take a break. Next one!”

He immediately turned and walked away, clutching his chest as he sat down.

’I was careless. This kid’s Qi and Blood Value and Fist Technique are lower than mine, yet he somehow managed to fight me head-on for half an hour.’

’What the hell? Where did this genius come from?’

...

On the other side, Lin Qi slowly stood up and silently walked to the side.

His arms trembling, he removed his protective gear and spat out a mouthful of blood. Sweat dripped from his hair.

”Brother Qi, have some water!”

Jiangtao came over and handed him a red bottled sports drink.

Lin Qi took the drink, twisted it open, and tilted his head back to drink, his Adam’s apple bobbing quickly.

”Taozi, that guy really didn’t hold back. If it weren’t for the gear, I feel like he would have beaten me to death.”

Lin Qi put down the drink and clutched his chest as he warned him.

”You be careful, too!”

”By the way, where’d you get this sports drink?”

”They gave it to us. It’s free.”

”Alright, it’s my turn.”

After some brief small talk, Jiangtao clapped Lin Qi on the shoulder, put on a set of protective gear, and went forward to face his opponent.

As for Lin Qi, he plopped down on a black bench.

HAAAH...

Sweat dripped from his forehead as he breathed heavily. At the same time, a screen of light that only he could see appeared in his vision.

[You watched Guo Heng perform the Tiger Form Fist. You have gained a new understanding of the Tiger Form Fist. Fist Technique +0.5%]

[You have gained a new insight into Fist Technique... Fist Technique +0.5%]

[Fist Technique: First Realm 85.6% → 86.6%]

...

Lin Qi clenched his fists. His body was exhausted, but his heart was filled with joy.

’Fighting Guo Heng actually raised my Boxing Realm by 1%. I thought it would take another day or two.’

’Sparring with others really is more effective for improving my Fist Technique.’

Lin Qi usually sparred with Jiangtao, but they never dared to use too much force for fear of getting injured.

As a third-year high school student, if an injury affected his Martial Arts, the loss would be too great. But things were different now.

So they usually held back when they fought. Today was different, however. Since there was money to be made, Lin Qi had a rare chance to go all out.

’Guo Heng is only a little stronger than me,’ Lin Qi suddenly thought. ’If I had a bit more time, I would surpass him.’

...

BANG!!

AHH!!

The battle in the center of the Martial Arts Room once again caught Lin Qi’s attention.

In the ring, Guo Heng struck out with his Tiger Claw. The force of his fist was immense, making the air crackle with sharp sounds.

This was the sign of power projection penetrating the body, a mark of having mastered the essence of the technique. As the saying goes, a sound like that is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

It meant his Fist Technique had reached a high level of proficiency, where power generation had become muscle memory. The moment he exerted force, it would start from his spine and erupt through every muscle in his body.

Under his ferocious assault, Jiangtao parried with surprising ease. He had learned the Ape Form Fist from the Five Elements Fist, which emphasized attacking from a distance and striking at openings.

His arms were both hard and flexible, and he was able to deflect the force of every blow, trading moves with Guo Heng evenly.

BANG! BANG! BANG!!

Soon, as more and more punches were thrown, Jiangtao felt as if he were being surrounded by a fierce tiger that was about to devour him.

「A few dozen seconds later」

”Ah!”

Jiangtao’s body was sent flying, sliding a short distance across the floor before coming to a stop.

Guo Heng also stumbled back several steps, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. After a moment, he spoke.

”Very good. Your strength is impressive. You’d rank among the top at my school.”

”This has been a huge help to my improvement. A few more days of this, and my Tiger Form Fist will have improved immensely.”

’Then I can focus on my Saber Technique cultivation.’

”Sister Lian, it’ll be these two.”

Guo Heng pointed at Lin Qi and Jiangtao, making his decision. He was very satisfied. ’What a strange day,’ he thought. ’Two geniuses popping up one after another, and neither of them is simple.’

The nearby Sister Lian nodded. ”I understand, Young Master.”

Jiangtao took off his helmet, spat out a mouthful of blood, and said with a smile,

”Thank you, Young Master Guo!”

He exchanged a look with Lin Qi.

’If this part-time job can last for a long time, the money we’ll earn will be quite substantial,’ Lin Qi thought with a surge of joy.

”However, Young Master Guo, as you can see, my friend and I lasted much longer than the others.”

”I lasted for nearly half an hour myself, and my injuries aren’t light. I’ll need some time to recover properly. You see...”

Jiangtao suddenly smiled again and made a hand gesture.

The woman in the blue robe frowned and scolded him.

”We agreed on 1,000 an hour. That’s already the highest price on the market.”

”Don’t be too greedy!”

Jiangtao wasn’t annoyed. He just kept smiling as he said,

”You can’t put it that way. High-quality sparring partners like us aren’t easy to find.”

”Besides, our injuries aren’t light. We’ll need to buy a lot of medicine for treatment.”

”1,000 Xia Country Coins really is a bit low...”

”So you have to add more money!”

”You have to add more money!”

Lin Qi stood up and chimed in.

”Impossible!”

The face of the woman in the blue robe changed drastically as she instantly refused.

”Wait a minute, Sister Lian. I remember the price my dad set was 2,000 an hour, wasn’t it?”

Guo Heng asked doubtfully, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s as it locked onto Sister Lian.

”2,000 Xia Country Coins an hour?”

Lin Qi and Jiangtao exchanged a confused glance before looking back at the blue-robed woman, Sister Lian.

’Holy crap, she’s taking a cut?’

’She’s taking half of it right off the top. That’s really going too far.’

So far, they had only seen four people.

’If she skimmed 1,000 Xia Country Coins from each person, she’d net 4,000 Xia Country Coins for just one day’s work.’

’That’s enough money to make anyone’s eyes turn red with envy.’

And Jiangtao and Lin Qi were no exception.

Feeling Guo Heng’s sharp gaze, Sister Lian immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

”This...”

...

「A few minutes later」

Guo Heng looked at Lin Qi and Jiangtao and said,

”That woman has been fired. Someone else will contact you later. The sparring price is 2,000 Xia Country Coins an hour.”

Lin Qi and Jiangtao looked at each other, both breaking into satisfied smiles.

”Thank you, Young Master Guo!”

”Alright, I’m leaving now. My next appointment is soon.”

Guo Heng nodded and was about to leave with his backpack.

”Young Master Guo, do you still want these sports drinks?”

Jiangtao’s cheerful voice suddenly called out from behind him.

”They’re all yours.”

Guo Heng said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

”Alright!”

...