Chapter 2 Defeated

Words : 3009 Updated : Oct 8th, 2023

The next morning, Stanley slowly opened his eyes after a whole night of training. Surprisingly, he wasn't tired at all. Instead, he felt full of energy. Maybe it was because his progress had been slow for three years, so now his body was hungry, almost greedy, for energy. His body eagerly absorbed the world's energy all night long, and the results were clear. It wouldn't take long before he reached the third level of the Lian Ti Realm. Moreover, after the unexpected merging with the Life and Death Bead, Stanley noticed that his body had changed. The life and death energy was transforming him, making him stronger as he trained. He pushed open the door and headed toward the martial hall's training ground. Many students were already there, practicing hard. When some of them noticed Stanley, their expressions were strange. "Wasn't he beaten unconscious by Troy and his crew yesterday?" "I heard it's because this guy likes Yedda. He saw Troy bothering her and tried to play hero." "Him? A poor boy from a common family? He should take a good look in the mirror. A toad dreaming of eating swan meat!" "Yedda is the Liu family's princess. How could she ever like a nobody like him?" As Stanley walked, he heard people laughing and mocking him. It was impossible not to feel a little anger, but after what happened yesterday, he understood one thing clearly: without strength, he had no right to speak back. "If I can improve my technique, maybe I can improve my martial skills too. They both use inner energy, right?" In a quiet corner of the training ground, Stanley took a deep breath, calming himself. "Pop!" He suddenly moved into position and started practicing his fist technique. His punches were strong and full of force, cutting through the air with a whistle. This technique was called Raging Fist, a first-level martial skill. It was the only martial skill Stanley knew. The Qing Yun Martial Hall didn't teach skills for free. To get them, you had to either pay or have high enough skills to enter the library and choose more advanced techniques. Stanley's family had spent almost all their savings to buy this first-level technique. In this world, not everyone could learn martial arts. More than half of the people didn't have the talent for it. For commoners, martial arts was their only hope to rise in life. From the day Stanley entered the hall at ten, he became the hope of his family. As Stanley practiced the Raging Fist, his life map appeared in his mind, showing him the exact path of his inner energy as it flowed through his body during the technique. "Just as I thought, martial skills can also be improved using the life map!" Stanley was thrilled to find that his idea was working. His heart leaped with excitement. "Hah!" He stepped forward, his fists like a bull's horns, fiercely slamming into a wooden training dummy. "Boom!" With a loud crack, his fist shattered the chest of the wooden dummy, sending splinters flying. These wooden dummies were made of ironwood. Only those at the third level of the Lian Ti Realm or higher could damage them. Yet Stanley was still only at the second level. "Even though a third-level fighter could break a dummy, they wouldn't do this much damage. You'd need to be at the fourth level to do that." Stanley's eyes lit up as he looked at the damage he caused. If he could fight against a fourth-level fighter, wouldn't that mean he could hold his own in a real fight? "My improved technique really boosted my power!" Stanley felt a new sense of confidence in his future training. "Get out of the way! Are you all blind? Can't you see Mr. Zhang is coming?" An arrogant voice echoed through the training ground. Stanley looked up to see a group of rich young men strutting through the area. Many students lowered their heads, unwilling to get in their way. Among them was a well-dressed young man, surrounded by the others. When Stanley saw him, his fists tightened. "Well, look who it is! The poor boy from yesterday actually dared to show up here again?" A loud, mocking laugh came from the well-dressed boy. His words were full of scorn. The students nearby glanced over, recognizing the boy as Troy, a bully from a wealthy family. Yesterday, Stanley had rushed in when Troy was bothering Yedda, and Troy had beaten him badly, breaking his ribs. Troy had made it clear that he would beat Stanley every time he saw him. And now, seeing Stanley, he made a beeline toward him. "You filthy little nobody, you think you can go after Yedda? If you don't want another beating, get on your knees and beg. Maybe I'll let you off." Stanley stared at Troy, not saying a word. From what he knew, Troy was a fourth-level Lian Ti Realm fighter. Stanley didn't stay silent out of fear—he was calculating if he could win this fight. If I can… I'll make sure your own mother won't recognize you! Stanley thought, clenching his fists. "Hey, are you deaf? Mr. Zhang is talking to you!" One of Troy's lackeys stepped forward and swung a slap at Stanley's face. These rich kids always acted so arrogant. The one attacking was Ed Li, a guy from an average family who stuck to Troy like glue. He had been part of the group that beat Stanley yesterday. "Filthy commoner! Mr. Zhang is giving you a chance to beg, and you don't take it? Well, we'll beat you until you do!" Just as Ed's hand was about to land on Stanley's face, Stanley suddenly grabbed it. "What, you dare fight back? Looks like we didn't hit you hard enough yesterday!" Ed shouted, kicking at Stanley's chest. But Stanley moved swiftly, dodging the kick and twisting Ed's arm like a rope. "Ahhh!" Ed screamed like a pig, tears welling up from the pain. "You bark like a dog and spew nonsense. Even calling you a dog is an insult to dogs!" Stanley scoffed, kicking Ed away. Ed tumbled, clutching his dislocated arm, his face drenched in sweat from the pain. The students around them were shocked, but their surprise quickly turned to pity. They knew Troy and his gang well. If you resisted, they would only hit harder. "You little piece of trash, looks like you've gotten bold, huh? Yesterday, I let you off easy. Today, you'll be in bed for weeks!" Troy growled, stepping forward. "Maybe it won't be me who ends up in bed," Stanley said coldly. The crowd was stunned. They couldn't believe what Stanley was saying. Where did he get the confidence to say something like that? Troy was a fourth-level Lian Ti Realm fighter. He practiced second and third-level techniques that cost his family thousands of silver. Compared to Stanley, he was on a different level. "Mr. Zhang, don't get your hands dirty with this trash. Let me handle it. I'll make him lick your boots," a lackey named Isaac said. Troy smirked, nodding. "Alright, Isaac. Don't embarrass me like Ed did." "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. I'm a third-level fighter, and I just mastered a second-level martial skill. This won't take long," Isaac boasted. "Kid, I'll beat you with one move. Kneel down now!" Isaac shouted, stepping forward, his palm sweeping toward Stanley's head like a gust of wind. He wanted to make Stanley beg with just one hit. "Second-level martial skill, Cyclone Strike!" The crowd gasped. They recognized Isaac's move. "A second-level skill costs thousands of silver. His technique must've cost over ten thousand!" "I've never seen that much money in my life." The students were filled with awe. A third-level fighter using a second-level skill? No one from a common family could beat him. In the past, Stanley wouldn't have stood a chance. But now, he could see Isaac's life map, his energy flow, everything. Stanley's mind was calm, like still water. No matter what happened, he wouldn't be shaken. "Boom!" In an instant, Stanley struck out with his fist, the air whistling as it cut through. His punch, strong like a bull's horns, crashed into Isaac's chest. "Ha! I'm faster! You can't beat me!" Isaac sneered, thinking his Cyclone Strike would land first. But suddenly, Isaac realized his hand, inches from Stanley's head, couldn't move. "Boom!" Stanley's fist slammed into Isaac's chest, sending him flying with a scream. How is this possible? The crowd was stunned. Stanley had moved too fast, faster than any second-level fighter should be able to. Troy's face darkened. Something was different about Stanley today. He wasn't the weak nobody from before. Stanley stood silently, his eyes sharp, as if they could see through anything. Troy shivered, sensing something was off. In the past, Ed and Isaac would have beaten Stanley easily. But today, both of them had fallen. Suddenly, Stanley moved again, launching his Raging Fist straight at Troy. "Troy, you enjoyed beating me yesterday, didn't you? Well, today I'm going to make sure your own mother won't recognize you!" Seeing Stanley charge at him, Troy's lackeys took a step back, fear gripping them. They were no stronger than Ed or Isaac. "You filthy commoner! Do you think I'm as weak as those fools?" Troy roared, his fingers curling into a claw. His move, Iron Eagle Claw, was a third-level skill, much more powerful than Isaac's Cyclone Strike. "Boom!" Stanley's fist collided with Troy's Iron Eagle Claw. To everyone watching, it seemed certain that Stanley's fist would break under the strength of a third-level technique going up against a first-level one. The cracking sound of bones breaking confirmed their thoughts, and everyone was sure Stanley had lost. "Ahhh!" But to everyone's shock, it wasn't Stanley who screamed. It was Troy! Troy stumbled back, clutching his hand. All five of his fingers were broken, and his face was filled with disbelief. The entire training ground fell silent. No one could understand how this had happened.

Chapter 2 Defeated

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