The progress of Xin Yi Liu He Fist on his interface shot up rapidly, reaching 279/500 and almost catching up to the progress of the Rocky Pile Skill. At the same time, waves of enlightenment flooded his mind and etched themselves into his muscle memory, as if he had gained a whole new set of experiences.
Chen Yuan clenched his fists, his confidence soaring. If his confidence in challenging them at their door was ninety percent before, it was now ninety-nine!
Arriving at the Huo Courtyard, Chen Yuan ate his breakfast and practiced two sets of the Rock Posture to warm up before approaching Tao Ping.
Tao Ping stopped what he was doing and asked, "Ready?"
"Sorry to trouble you, Senior Brother," Chen Yuan said, cupping his fists.
The two of them then walked out of the courtyard, both wearing the training uniforms of the Huo Courtyard.
"Going out to run some errands, Brother Chen?" Sun Chengjie, who was practicing his punches, couldn’t help but ask upon seeing this.
Chen Yuan nodded slightly. "Just some private matters."
Seeing Chen Yuan’s nonchalant expression, Sun Chengjie didn’t press further. He had always kept Chen Yuan’s help with the sneak attack in mind. Thus, if Chen Yuan ever encountered any trouble, he would do his best to help.
The two of them walked through several long streets and finally arrived at the main gate of the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall. Above the gate hung a plaque with four large characters reading "Kaisan Martial Arts Hall" written in bold, flamboyant calligraphy. It looked quite imposing. The main doors were wide open. Looking in from the outside, one could see a spacious courtyard. Plum Blossom Stakes stood on the ground, while stone locks, Swords, Spears, and Halberds were arranged in the corners. Numerous energetic disciples were shouting as they practiced martial arts. At a glance, there had to be thirty or forty people.
It was much more impressive than a private establishment like the Huo Courtyard. Moreover, he had heard that this Martial Arts Hall was divided into an Inner Courtyard and an Outer Courtyard. The disciples of the Inner Courtyard were all initiated Martial Artists, capable of forming a formidable force together.
"What brings you two here?" a Martial Arts Hall disciple guarding the door asked flatly, glancing at the Huo Courtyard uniforms Chen Yuan and Tao Ping were wearing.
Tao Ping smiled slightly. "My Junior Brother wishes to issue a formal challenge to exchange pointers and have a friendly martial arts spar. I wonder if that would be permitted?" As he spoke, he slightly revealed his majestic vitality.
The blazing vitality made even Chen Yuan pause. Senior Brother Tao was usually unassuming and kept a low profile, but now he was finally showing the tip of the iceberg.
Intimidated, the disciple instinctively took a step back. He hastily cupped his hands and said, "Please wait a moment, Senior Brother. I will go call Senior Brother Hong."
Not long after, a burly man walked over with a smile. "Ah, it’s Brother Tao Ping! My Junior Brother doesn’t know the proper etiquette, please forgive him. Please, come inside."
Tao Ping waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing. We’ve dropped by abruptly and caused a disturbance. I hope you won’t take offense, Brother Hongtao."
After cupping his fists in greeting, Chen Yuan followed the two into the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall. Instantly, he could feel numerous gazes landing on him. Most were curious, but quite a few were hostile. His own gaze swept across the crowd before locking onto his prey: Chen Kai, who was hiding under a canopy and chatting idly with several disciples. Chen Yuan just quietly stared at him.
Chen Kai, whose attention had been scattered as he chatted, had noticed his half-brother even before Chen Yuan spotted him. His eyes were full of complex emotions—surprise, bewilderment, and finally, a hint of dread. He suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday. Both of his parents had returned without success, and his father had even been beaten up. He had been instantly enraged, to the point of planning to ambush Chen Yuan himself.
Yet, to his surprise, Chen Yuan had actually appeared at the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall at this very moment!
Was it a coincidence? No... obviously not!
As he looked at Chen Yuan’s calm face, an unexpected fear spread through his heart, making his body tremble slightly. His mother had said that Chen Yuan had laid down a harsh threat: if they provoked him again, he would cripple him... Chen Yuan... had actually come knocking!
But right on the heels of that fear, an even stronger surge of anger erupted.
"Is it this Junior Brother who wants to issue a challenge? May I ask what his current level of strength is? Does he have a specific opponent in mind?" After a few polite words, Hongtao looked Chen Yuan up and down and got straight to the point.
Chen Yuan cupped his hands. "Answering Senior Brother, I am Chen Yuan. I am currently still in the stage of cultivating my vitality and have yet to break through the Breaking Skin Barrier. My innate aptitude is Upper-Grade D. I have been with the Huo Courtyard for a little over a month and a half. I would like to challenge Chen Kai of your esteemed hall."
Hongtao raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t even reached the Breaking Skin Barrier, yet he came to challenge them? It seemed like a petty dispute. Furthermore, naming Chen Kai directly meant they probably had some sort of private grudge. However, he didn’t care about personal grudges. Since they had come under the banner of a formal challenge, it had to be conducted according to the rules.
Hongtao turned around to look for Chen Kai, only to see him already marching over furiously.
"Senior Brother, I’ll fight him!" Chen Kai declared sternly. His eyes were fixed dead on Chen Yuan, looking as though he wanted to swallow him alive.
Hongtao nodded slightly. Chen Kai also had an Upper-Grade D aptitude, and their time since starting martial arts was similar. It fit the rules. The Outer Courtyard disciples, always eager for a spectacle, quickly dispersed to clear a space for the two of them.
Stepping to the side to officiate, Hongtao announced, "A formal challenge to make friends through martial arts. Stop before serious injury; no lethal blows are permitted. Now, please bump fists."
Taking advantage of the fist bump, Chen Kai lowered his voice to begin his "friendly" greetings. "Chen Yuan! You’re such a despicable piece of trash! You even dared to beat your own father! And now you dare to come challenge me, trying to make me lose face in front of everyone? You’re a beast! But don’t think too highly of yourself—I’ll teach you a lesson in humility!"
He wasn’t afraid of Chen Yuan. They both had Upper-Grade D aptitude. However, Chen Yuan only had one tael and five maces of silver for food supplements last month, and he trained in the inferior conditions of the Huo Courtyard. In all three of those aspects, he was better than Chen Yuan! Even if Chen Yuan’s funding was raised to five taels this month, allowing him four taels of silver for food and medicinal supplements, Chen Kai still didn’t believe Chen Yuan could catch up to him.
Now, he would use absolute force to crush Chen Yuan, making him understand the true meaning of bringing disgrace upon himself! He would avenge his father and make his mother proud. It was also a great opportunity to make a name for himself in the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall; perhaps he would even gain the appreciation of the hall master! A hint of excitement crept into his vicious gaze. He was determined to thoroughly trample on this stepping stone that had delivered itself right to his door.
"Nice confidence," Chen Yuan remarked calmly. His only worry had been that Chen Kai would turn into a coward and dodge the fight. By jumping out on his own initiative, Chen Kai had saved him a lot of trouble. The provocation techniques he had prepared in advance were no longer needed. As for harsh words, he would let his fists do the talking.
During the short time it took to prepare, the feud between Chen Kai and Chen Yuan had also spread through the mouths of several disciples familiar with Chen Kai. Naturally, it was Chen Kai’s embellished version of the story.
Like how Chen Yuan was a cold-blooded ingrate who, for the sake of his own comfortable life, had cut ties with the Chen Family that raised him for no reason at all. Like how his mother had gone to reconcile with Chen Yuan, only to be met with vicious words and a threat that if she ever dared to look for him again, he would kill Chen Kai. Like how yesterday, his father—who was also Chen Yuan’s father—had personally gone to the Huo Courtyard to find him, only to suffer incredibly harsh humiliation and get beaten up by the beast that was Chen Yuan.
As these events were passed from mouth to mouth, these hot-blooded men instantly felt a strong disgust toward Chen Yuan standing in the ring. Such a heartless and ungrateful beast deserved to be beaten to death! Filled with righteous indignation, they all cheered for Chen Kai.
"Go Chen Kai! Beat this dog to death!"
"Don’t give him a chance to surrender! Beat him to death!"
For a moment, the clamor of voices reached a fever pitch.
Chen Kai’s morale instantly soared, his fighting spirit blazing. With so many people standing on his side, what did he have to fear? Justice would surely prevail!
Chen Yuan remained expressionless. He had long expected this while playing an away game; it was no different from trash-talking in the NBA. He just needed to use his strength to shut them up.
Hongtao didn’t say anything either. This sort of situation wasn’t something he could control. He cleared his throat twice and said, "After you state your names and styles, the match may begin."
In the ring, after putting some distance between them, the two stated their names and martial arts styles.
"Xin Yi Liu He Fist, Chen Yuan."
"Monument-Breaking Palm, Chen Kai."