Chapter 3 Improvement

Words : 2442 Updated : Oct 8th, 2023

Only Stanley knew what had truly happened. On the surface, his skills were lower than Troy's. His inner energy wasn't as strong, and his martial technique was also inferior. But after improving his first-level technique, it became as powerful as a second-level one, maybe even stronger. This meant that even when he fought head-on, his inner energy wasn't much weaker than Troy's. Plus, after merging with the Life and Death Bead, Stanley gained a special ability. His attacks could directly damage his opponent's life map! The Life and Death energy worked in two ways. The energy of life could heal and strengthen life maps, while the energy of death could harm and destroy them. Stanley's inner energy could shift between these two forms. This was why, despite Troy's Iron Eagle Claw seeming so powerful, it stood no chance against Stanley's punch. The moment their attacks collided, Troy's fingers snapped and broke. Injuries could damage the life map, but the reverse was also true—if the life map was directly damaged, it would manifest as physical injuries. "Boom!" Stanley stomped the ground, kicking up dust as his Raging Fist technique unfolded. He charged forward like an angry bull, full of unstoppable force. Troy, now panicking from his broken fingers, stumbled back, overwhelmed by fear and rage. "Get lost!" Stanley kicked Troy square in the chest, sending him flying like a broken kite. "Crack!" The sound of bones breaking echoed once more as two of Troy's ribs snapped. He hit the ground hard, unable to understand how things had turned so quickly. Just yesterday, he had beaten Stanley senseless with his gang. But today, everything had flipped. "Ahh!" "Ahh!" "Ahh!" Screams filled the training ground, one after another. The surrounding martial hall students stood frozen, their faces pale with shock. The silence was deafening. "Am I seeing things?" "Is that really Stanley? Did he just take down Ed, Isaac, and Troy?" The martial hall students were stunned, their expressions a mix of disbelief and confusion. Ed's arm was twisted like a pretzel, his bones misaligned and his life map damaged. Isaac had three broken ribs and lay unconscious on the ground. Troy was in even worse shape. His right hand's fingers were completely shattered, and two of his ribs were broken. These three, who were always the ones dishing out the beatings, were now lying defeated in front of everyone. What made it even more unbelievable was that the person who humiliated them in front of all the martial hall students was none other than the "nobody" they had beaten just the day before. "You little piece of trash! You dare hit me? You're dead!" Troy's face twisted in anger, filled with venomous hatred. "You still dare talk back? I said I'd beat you so bad your own mother wouldn't recognize you. I'll make sure your father can't either!" Stanley sneered, kicking Troy again. "You think a lowly nobody like you can compare to me? I'll make you pay for this!" Troy spat back, his voice dripping with hatred. "Oh, still threatening me, are you?" Stanley's eyes gleamed coldly as he stomped on Troy's left wrist. There was another loud crack, and Troy's wrist bone snapped. With his injuries mounting, Troy's eyes rolled back, and he passed out on the spot. "This Troy has always been arrogant because of his wealthy family. Now that I've beaten him so badly, he'll definitely try to get revenge." Stanley enjoyed the satisfaction of getting his revenge, but he knew there could be consequences. However, Stanley wasn't worried. As long as his skills continued to improve quickly, the martial hall would eventually notice and start to support him. When that happened, even the Zhang family wouldn't dare challenge the martial hall. After all, everyone in Yun Long shire county knew that behind each martial hall was the Peripatetic Sect. The Peripatetic Sect was one of the thirteen sects under the rule of the three palaces, six sects, and thirteen gates. It was the undisputed ruler of the region. After giving Troy a solid beating, the other martial hall students stared at Stanley like he was some kind of monster. "How is this possible? Troy's at the fourth level of the Lian Ti Realm, already strengthening his bones. Stanley is only at the second level!" "Stanley beat Troy in just two moves…" Everyone watched in shock, unable to believe their eyes, as Stanley slowly walked away from the training ground. ... The martial hall was vast, and every student had their own living quarters. When Stanley returned to his room, the excitement from his earlier victory began to fade. "It's just Troy I beat. I can't let this go to my head. I've heard Troy has an older brother, a student in the intermediate class. His level is probably at least fifth-level of the Lian Ti Realm." The martial hall students were divided into three classes: the beginner class for ages 10 to 13, the intermediate class for ages 14 to 16, and the advanced class for ages 17 to 18. Beginner students were usually between the first and fourth level of the Lian Ti Realm. In the intermediate class, the minimum requirement was the fifth level. If a student didn't reach the fifth level by the age cutoff, they wouldn't be held back—they'd be kicked out of the martial hall. As for the advanced class, only students who reached the eighth level of the Lian Ti Realm could stay. Those who didn't meet the standard were also expelled. Stanley was thirteen, and at his previous pace, he knew he wouldn't reach the fifth level before turning fourteen. If he were expelled from the martial hall, not only would he face ridicule, but he'd also disappoint his parents, who had spent all their savings for him to train in martial arts. "In three months, the annual evaluation will begin. I must reach the fifth level of the Lian Ti Realm to pass the assessment!" Stanley set his first major goal for his training. Time passed quickly as Stanley trained hard. He stayed in his room, having prepared food and water beforehand, devoting himself to his cultivation day and night. Troy's older brother, Hugh Zhang, learned about the incident and had been looking for a chance to get revenge on Stanley. But the martial hall had strict rules: no one was allowed to enter another student's living quarters without permission. Violating this rule meant severe punishment. For martial artists, uninterrupted training was crucial. The martial hall's rules were absolute, even for students from prestigious families. There had been an infamous case many years ago, when a wealthy family's son was ambushed during training by rivals. The boy's training was interrupted, leading him to lose control and die. The family responsible for the ambush was completely wiped out from Qing Yun City within three days. During his closed-door training, Stanley could feel the changes in his body. By absorbing the world's energy and converting it into Life and Death energy, his body was being transformed, and his training speed had increased several times over. On the second day of his seclusion, Stanley broke through to the third level of the Lian Ti Realm, and soon after, began strengthening his muscles and bones, pushing toward the fourth level. Five days later, Stanley advanced again, reaching the fourth level of the Lian Ti Realm. However, once he reached the fourth level, Stanley noticed that even his improved first-level technique wasn't as effective as before. The progress slowed significantly. The limitations of a first-level technique were becoming clear. "According to martial hall rules, once a student reaches the fourth level of the Lian Ti Realm, they are eligible to enter the library and choose a second-level martial skill." One day, Stanley finally emerged from his room. He needed higher-quality techniques to continue improving quickly. "Filthy commoner, you finally dared to come out!" Just as Stanley stepped out, he saw a well-dressed young man glaring at him with hatred. "Where did this mutt come from, barking around here?" Stanley didn't recognize the person, but the young man called him a "commoner" right away. Even the most patient person would feel anger rising. "You dare insult me?" The young man's face darkened, and his eyes flashed with killing intent. "You called me a commoner, so why shouldn't I call you a mutt? Do you think you're better than everyone else just because you were born into a wealthy family?" Stanley shot back with a cold smile. The young man's anger grew. "You've got guts, but the bigger your guts, the faster you'll die, commoner." Stanley wasn't fazed and scoffed, "Your brother was beaten and stomped on by the commoner you despise so much. So, what does that make him? And as his brother, what does that make you?" "You're asking for death!" The young man's body glowed faintly, and a wave of pressure rushed toward Stanley. The glow of inner energy—this was a sign of a seventh-level Lian Ti Realm fighter, whose inner energy had become pure and strong. Stanley's eyes narrowed. As he suspected, this young man was Hugh Zhang, Troy's older brother. Hugh was one of the top students in the intermediate class, and now he had reached the seventh level of the Lian Ti Realm. Stanley knew a seventh-level fighter would be tough to handle, but with his ability to directly damage an opponent's life map, he wasn't afraid. The commotion drew a small crowd of students, who began murmuring among themselves. "That's Troy's older brother, Hugh. He's at the seventh level of the Lian Ti Realm!" "Seventh-level fighters can choose third-level martial skills from the library. I'm so jealous!" "Stanley beat Troy a few days ago. Now Hugh's here to get revenge. Stanley's in big trouble." The crowd's conversations revolved around Hugh's impressive strength. Even though Stanley had defeated Troy, Hugh was clearly on a whole different level. "It's about to fight." The students watched as Hugh's inner energy radiated from his body, a clear sign that he was preparing to fight. "You broke my brother's fingers and ribs. I'm going to break all your limbs and shatter every rib in your body!" Hugh sneered. The martial hall's rules didn't allow killing, but crippling Stanley would be enough. A cripple would be expelled from the hall, and once he was out, the Zhang family would easily deal with him, like swatting a fly.

Chapter 3 Improvement

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