CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44 12_1

"Coach, you were quite harsh."

The figure in a white martial arts uniform rubbed his chest as he got up from the mat, his handsome face exuding a keen enthusiasm.

Lin Zhiquin didn’t respond, simply saying lightly, "Get ready. I’ve arranged a match for you tonight."

"A match?..."

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

His immersive training recently had almost made him forget why he was training in the first place. He hadn’t expected this day to arrive so quietly.

"Take a shower, eat at the canteen, and meet me in the parking lot."

"Okay."

With that, Lin Zhiquin turned and left.

Lu Yuan didn’t delay either, toweling off his sweat and heading straight for the changing room.

After a quick shower, he opened his locker door while changing.

The half-length mirror on the back of the door reflected his current appearance.

Lu Yuan had grown taller.

Over the past ten days or so, he had probably grown about two centimeters, nearly reaching 1.8 meters. With shoes on, he would definitely be over that.

His bare upper body exhibited well-defined, smooth muscle lines, while the thighs and calves of his lower body were proportioned and firm.

This was what Lu Yuan was most pleased with. Even though he loved martial arts and enjoyed pushing his physical limits time and again, seeing his strength increase progressively, he didn’t want to become a muscle head.

Staring at the handsome, boy-next-door face in the mirror, Lu Yuan pulled up his professional panel.

[Name: Lu Yuan]

[Age: 17]

[Strength: 11]

[Agility: 11]

[Physique: 11]

[Intelligence: 11]

...

[Class: Fighter lv4 (781/800)]

[Basic Professional Skills: Initial Body Forging lv5 (max)

Basic Fist Skill lv5 (max)

Basic Leg Skill lv5 (max)

Basic Step Skill lv4 (620/800)

Basic Capture lv4 (535/800)

Basic Palm Skill lv3 (324/400)

Basic Finger Skill lv3 (134/400)

Junior Professional Skills: Advanced Leg Skill lv3 (23/400)

Advanced Fist Skills lv1 (89/100)

Intermediate Professional Skills: Crane-shaped Pile lv2 (21/200)]

[Attribute Points: 1]

[Skill Points: 0]

His four-dimensional attributes showed that both Agility and Physique had increased by 1 point. The former had naturally increased when Crane-shaped Pile advanced to Lv2. The latter had increased because he had practiced Initial Body Forging to Lv5, its maximum level. It had to be said, the Crane-shaped Pile truly deserved its classification as an Intermediate Professional Skill. Just breaking through the first minor realm had increased an attribute by 1 point.

However, during the past ten-plus days of practice, he had indeed felt his body becoming increasingly... ’nimble’? Or perhaps ’agile’ would be a better word. ’Relaxed,’ even.

Perhaps Crane Sect martial arts always focused on agility; cranes are known for their light movements, after all—Crane Light Walking, Lu Yuan speculated.

In fact, the increase in Physique was also closely related to the Crane-shaped Pile; it was because he practiced it that the experience points for Initial Body Forging had risen so quickly. Then, his Fist Skill also naturally advanced, rewarding him with 1 attribute point. His Advanced Leg Skill had also leveled up to Lv3.

This was arguably the greatest achievement of Lu Yuan’s ten-day special training.

Now, in the Consciousness Space, he could rely entirely on his Leg Skill to effortlessly "kick the stuffing out of" or "kick to pieces" the middle-aged man in the rain alley!

Lu Yuan’s growth was fully represented in data form on his professional panel. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was reborn.

Today is my first official combat match. To be on the safe side...

After some thought, Lu Yuan allocated his unspent attribute point to Strength.

THUMP!

With the 1-point increase in Strength, Lu Yuan clearly felt his muscles tighten abruptly all over his body. There was a slight feeling of swelling, as if something had been stuffed inside him.

SWOOSH!

Lu Yuan quickly threw a punch at the mirror.

The sound of tearing air accompanied a gust of wind from his punch, blowing the locker door backward until it slammed against the cabinet with a CLANG!

My strength has increased a lot. It feels like it’s increased by about half its previous amount. I’ll only know the specific value after testing it on the Fist Strength Machine...

Lu Yuan was very satisfied with this improvement.

With all his attributes at 11 points, he could easily handle 12 points of Strength.

Even if an eighth or even ninth-tier opponent shows up tonight, I could probably take them on.

Lu Yuan was full of confidence.

After training alone for so long, he was extremely eager for a real, visceral fight. Having been "instantly killed" so many times in the Consciousness Space by Lin Zhiquin and Qin Feng, his nerves had hardened.

Anyone below the professional level is fair game! We martial artists...

Lu Yuan quickly reined in his grandiose thoughts, rapidly got dressed, and after one last glance at the panel, hurried out the door.

「Later」

Fearing that vigorous exercise later might make him vomit, Lu Yuan only ate until he was about 70% full in the canteen before heading straight to the parking lot.

Lin Zhiquin was already waiting in the car.

He got into the car.

Without further ado, they headed straight to the Mosa Fight Club in the south of the city.

Upon arrival, they went all the way down to the second underground floor.

This time, Lin Zhiquin took him straight to the preparation room. Besides changing into his fighting attire, there was also... picking a mask!

"Just choose any one that you like..."

Lu Yuan gave a cursory scan; there were about forty or fifty masks of different styles laid out before him. Most were based on some kind of animal, slightly stylized and modified to look bizarre or demonic. The predominant styles were ferocious, monstrous, and grotesque.

As Lu Yuan looked them over, his eyes suddenly lit up. He spotted a greenish-black mask that somewhat resembled a dragon.

Just as he was reaching for it, a large, dark, rough hand, its back covered in black hair, snatched the mask first.

"Haha, this mask is pretty cool. It suits me."

Lu Yuan frowned and turned to look.

His gaze shifted slightly upward, and he saw a man standing right beside him. He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, muscular, covered in dark hair, and, in his vest, resembled a black gorilla.

The strong man sensed Lu Yuan’s inquisitive gaze and slowly turned his head.

He looked down at Lu Yuan, his eyes indifferent.

This gaze reminded Lu Yuan of his previous life, back in sixth grade, when he was playing games in an arcade. The junior high students who came over to take his machine had looked at him the very same way.

"A little brat who hasn’t even finished puberty dares to come here? Aren’t you afraid of being beaten to death on stage?"

The muscular man in the vest curled his lips into a sarcastic smile, put the dragon mask on his face, then turned and left.

Lu Yuan stood rooted to the spot, remaining quiet for a moment.

Suddenly, he raised his head and looked at Lin Zhiquin, who had remained expressionless throughout.

"I thought the contestants participating in this competition would be as polite as they were last time."

Lin Zhiquin replied indifferently, "That’s just a minority."

"So, that means most of them aren’t very polite?"

Lin Zhiquin replied indifferently, "That’s also a minority."

"Okay."

Lu Yuan shrugged and took one last look in the direction the man in the vest had gone.

Then he calmly turned back and continued to select his own mask.

This time, he didn’t hesitate much, simply choosing a mask that looked like a three-eyed goat.

Pretty ordinary, just sort of cool.

He carefully fitted it onto his face and then sat in the lounge, waiting patiently.