Chapter 10: Taking Kickbacks (Please keep reading)

Half an hour later.

Guo Heng’s eyes shone with excitement, his spirit high as he declared, “It’s time to end this.”

“Brother, watch out!”

With that, his aura surged, his blood and qi roiled throughout his body, and he unleashed his full power.

“Roar!”

Guo Heng let out a loud shout, using his qi to drive his strength, increasing his power by a significant margin.

The force traveled through his fingertips like a tiger swiping its claws!

Guo Heng lunged forward like a vicious tiger, his momentum fierce, whipping up a violent gust of wind.

His fingers were thick, his nails rounded and hooked into claws, tearing through everything like a tiger’s paw.

Angry Tiger Pierces the Forest!

“Bang!”

Lin Qi sensed the danger and unleashed his own maximum power, exerting force suddenly.

“Roar!”

Lin Qi let out a roar like a tiger’s cry. His feet gripped the ground, his spine arched like a bow, and his strength flowed through his arms.

“Bang!”

A loud crash echoed as their tiger claws collided, a contest of pure strength.

With a sharp *crack*, Lin Qi felt a sweetness in his throat. The Guo Heng before him seemed to shrink, and his own body was forced to stumble back several steps.

Intense pain radiated through his protective gear to every part of his body, especially his chest, which emitted a series of dull thuds.

Lin Qi knelt on one knee, cold sweat pouring down. If not for the protective gear, his ribs would definitely have broken.

Guo Heng also retreated several steps.

He wore a satisfied smile. “Refreshing!”

“You’re quite good.”

“Take a rest, then we’ll swap!”

He turned and walked away immediately, clutching his chest once he reached his seat.

“I was careless. This kid’s blood-qi value and fist technique are lower than mine, yet he managed to go toe-to-toe with me for half an hour.”

“Hell, where did this genius come from?”

……

On his side, Lin Qi slowly stood up and walked to the side in silence.

His arms trembling, he took off his protective gear, spat out a mouthful of blood, and wiped away the sweat dripping from his hair.

“Qi-ge, drink some water!”

Jiang Tao walked over and handed him a red bottled sports drink.

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

“Taozi, this guy really didn’t hold back at all. If it weren’t for the gear, I feel like he would’ve beaten me to death.”

Lin Qi set the drink down and held his chest, warning him.

“You be careful too!”

“By the way, where did you get this sports drink?”

“They gave it to us. It’s free.”

“Alright, it’s my turn.”

After a brief chat, Jiang Tao patted Lin Qi on the shoulder, put on the protective gear, and headed out to meet him.

As for Lin Qi, he plopped down onto the black bench.

“Hoo~”

Sweat dripped from his forehead as he breathed heavily. At the same time, a light screen visible only to him appeared in his pupils.

【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 new insights into fist techniques... Fist Technique +0.5%】

【Fist Technique: First Realm 85.6% → 86.6%】

……

Lin Qi clenched his fist. His body was exhausted, but his heart was joyful.

“Fighting Guo Heng actually increased my fist technique proficiency by 1%. I thought it would take another day or two.”

“As expected, sparring with others is much more effective for improving fist techniques.”

Lin Qi usually sparred with Jiang Tao, but they never dared to use full force for fear of injury.

Being in his third year of high school, any injury that affected his martial arts path would be a huge loss. But today was different.

Usually, they held back, but today was different because they were getting paid, so Lin Qi had rarely unleashed his full potential.

“This Guo Heng’s strength is only slightly higher than mine. If I’m given a bit more time, I will surpass him.”

Lin Qi suddenly thought.

……

“Bang!!”

“Ah!!”

The battle in the center of the martial arts room caught Lin Qi’s attention again.

In the arena, Guo Heng swiped with his tiger claws, his fist momentum fierce, causing the air to crackle with sharp sounds.

This was the essence of fist technique—the force entering the body. As the saying goes, “A thousand gold is hard-pressed to buy a single crack.”

It meant the fist technique had been mastered to the point where the force generated formed muscle memory; once unleashed, it started from the spine and exploded through the muscles of the entire body.

Under his fierce offensive, Jiang Tao parried with ease. He practiced the Ape-Form Fist from the Five-Form Fists, which emphasized long-range strikes and hitting empty spaces.

His arms were both hard and flexible, allowing him to deflect the force of every strike, trading blows back and forth with Guo Heng.

“Bang, bang, bang!!”

Not long after, as the punches flew, Jiang Tao felt as if he were being surrounded by a ferocious tiger, about to be swallowed whole.

Dozens of seconds later.

“Ah!”

Jiang Tao’s body flew backward, sliding across the floor for a distance before coming to a stop.

Guo Heng also retreated several steps, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. A moment later, he spoke

“Very good. Your strength is excellent; you could rank among the best in our school.”

“This has been a huge boost for me. If you keep this up for a few more days, my Tiger-Form Fist will make massive progress.”

“By then, I can focus on practicing my blade techniques.”

“Sister Lian, these two are the ones.”

Guo Heng pointed at Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, having made his decision. He was very satisfied; today was truly strange, with two geniuses appearing back-to-back, neither of them simple.

Sister Lian, standing to the side, nodded. “I understand, Young Master.”

Jiang Tao took off his helmet, spat out a mouthful of blood, and smiled as he thanked him.

“Many thanks, Young Master Guo!”

He exchanged a glance with Lin Qi.

Lin Qi felt a surge of joy. If this kind of part-time job could continue long-term, the money earned would be quite substantial.

“However, Young Master Guo, look at my friend and me—we lasted longer than the others.”

“I, for instance, lasted nearly half an hour, and the injuries I sustained aren’t light. I need to rest and recover properly. You see…”

Jiang Tao suddenly smiled and made a gesture.

The woman in blue frowned and scolded

“We agreed on 1,000 yuan per hour. That is already the highest market price.”

“Don’t be too greedy!”

Jiang Tao wasn’t annoyed; he continued to smile and said

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

“And the injuries we sustained aren’t light; we need to buy a lot of medicine for treatment.”

“1,000 Xia currency is indeed a bit low…”

“So, we need more money!”

“We need more money!”

Lin Qi stood up and chimed in.

“Impossible!”

The woman in blue’s expression changed drastically, and she refused instantly.

“Wait a minute, Sister Lian. I remember the price my father set before was 2,000 yuan per hour, wasn’t it?”

At this moment, Guo Heng asked with a puzzled expression. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, instantly locking onto Sister Lian.

“2,000 Xia currency per hour?”

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged a confused look, then looked back at the woman in blue, Sister Lian.

Good heavens, she was taking a kickback?

She was skimming half of it! That was truly excessive.

They had only seen four people so far.

If it were 1,000 Xia currency per person, just for this day alone, she would have pocketed 4,000 Xia currency.

This kind of money was enough to make anyone jealous.

Jiang Tao and Lin Qi were exactly that.

Feeling Guo Heng’s sharp gaze, Sister Lian was suddenly drenched in cold sweat.

“This…”

……

A few minutes later.

Guo Heng looked at Lin Qi and the other and said

“This woman has been fired. Someone else will contact you later, and the sparring rate will be 2,000 Xia currency per hour.”

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao looked at each other, both wearing satisfied smiles.

“Many thanks, Young Master Guo!”

“Alright, I’m leaving now. My scheduled time is almost up.”

Guo Heng nodded, picked up his backpack, and prepared to leave.

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

From behind, Jiang Tao’s cheerful inquiry came.

“They’re all yours.”

Guo Heng waved his hand dismissively.

“Alright!”

……

(End of chapter)