[Martial Arts Capital, White Tiger District, Qianxia Group Subsidiary Inn]
In the inn hallway, Chen Kong and Liu Ma dragged their suitcases, the wheels making a light 'clack' sound as they rolled over the wooden floor, searching for their guest room on the corridor.
Before long, Chen Kong found the double room for himself and Liu Ma. He inserted the room card, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Since Vivian wasn't in a hurry to rest, she followed them in.
Chen Kong tossed the backpack from his shoulder into a corner and flopped onto the soft bed by the window. The mattress instantly sank down, and the bedsheet still carried the unique scent of being freshly sun-dried.
Vivian, standing nearby, curiously surveyed the surroundings. She noted that while the furniture was somewhat aged, much of it bore the corporate logo of the 'Qianxia Group.' Clearly, the Qianxia Group's business in the White Tiger District of Martial Arts Capital was far more extensive than she had imagined. This also indicated the vast wealth of the Qianxia Group.
While Vivian, the 'information hub' of the trio, was constantly gathering various 'information' about Martial Arts Capital, Chen Kong was sprawled on the bed. He turned his head and asked Liu Ma, who was not far away: "Liu Ma, so the badge challenge in Martial Arts Capital, besides requiring us to learn the corresponding martial arts style, also arranges opponents based on the challenger's strength?"
Since they had only chatted briefly in the inn lobby earlier, Chen Kong still had only a superficial understanding of the rules of Martial Arts Capital and wasn't entirely clear. Based on this challenging rule, they might not be able to acquire enough 'Martial Arts Badges' before the start of the Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament. It was a headache.
Hearing Chen Kong's question, Liu Ma paused his action of tidying his backpack, looked up and said: "Yes, the badge challenge in the Martial Arts Tower is indeed that complicated."
"I once went to the Maple Leaf Tower for a badge challenge, and I failed without even touching the opponent's clothes."
Hearing this, Chen Kong immediately sat up. He was very clear about Liu Ma's strength. Although Liu Ma at that time had probably only completed Star Core Awakening and not Star Source Awakening, his strength was definitely no weaker than an average Level Two Star Envoy. For an opponent who was only a Level One Star Envoy to defeat the former Liu Ma showed just how powerful the people in Martial Arts Capital were.
"Even you were completely helpless?"
"Yes, you can't deny it. The Tower Keepers in Martial Arts Capital are different from the Star Envoys outside."
"They specialize in one single style, and they have completely mastered a certain 'Way'. Therefore, even if their level is low, they can easily defeat high-level outsiders in that specific domain."
At this point, Liu Ma paused, and then said in a reminiscent tone: "Kong, the challenge rule for the Maple Leaf Tower was to touch three bells on the Tower Keeper's body within three minutes."
"I thought that since I could Goldenize and had enough stamina, I'd make it. But that Tower Keeper was like a loach!"
"I lunged left and right, but forget about touching the bells, I didn't even graze his clothes. In the end, he even smiled and patted my shoulder, saying, 'Young man, go practice for two and a half more years!'"
"Of course, if I had challenged some Martial Arts Towers that suited my own advantages, I should have been quite successful."
Hearing this, Chen Kong couldn't help but sigh: "What a hassle. I originally thought you just had to fight, and winning would get you the Martial Arts Badge. I didn't expect to have to learn some style..."
Just as Chen Kong was lamenting, Vivian, who was next to them, spoke up.
"Martial Arts , Martial and Way both must be present."
"For example, the 'Shattered Rock Style' of the Rock Tower emphasizes using stillness to counter movement. You first need to learn to use Star Energy to simulate the hardness of rock on your body, so that the Tower Keeper acknowledges your 'Way'. Only then will he proceed to the 'Martial' combat part with you."
After saying this, Vivian immediately took out her tactical tablet and handed it to Chen Kong.
"Take a look. This is a challenger's video I saw on the Martial Arts Capital official website."
With a touch of curiosity, Chen Kong immediately watched with interest.
In the video, the challenger condensed fire-attribute Star Energy and threw a punch at an old man across from him.
However, the old man simply raised his arm to block, and his arm instantly became covered with rock-like Star Energy patterns. When the challenger's fist struck it, it didn't even leave a white mark. Instead, the challenger was shaken back three steps.
In the end, the challenger punched over a dozen times, but the old man remained motionless. The challenge failed.
Afterward, the old man smiled and said, "Young man, the Shattered Rock Style emphasizes 'using stillness to counter movement.' Mere brute force is not enough."
Hearing this, the challenger angrily threw his Star Energy gloves to the ground and left with his head bowed.
"Holy cow..."
Chen Kong finished the video, rubbed his chin, and said with a bit of uncertainty: "We have to learn a style and defeat the Tower Keeper. The Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament starts in less than three months. Do we have enough time? How about we try the Feather Tower first? Since both Liu Ma and I have learned the Feather Style, the challenge should be easier, right?"
Hearing Chen Kong's suggestion, the water Liu Ma had just sipped almost sprayed out of his mouth. He quickly waved his hand to stop this foolish idea.
"No, no, no! Don't go to the Feather Tower! That place is one of the Five Towers and they don't get along with our Qianxia Group!"
Under Chen Kong's puzzled gaze, Liu Ma leaned closer to him and whispered: "Do you know why my Big Sister put the Qianxia Group in the White Tiger District?"
Chen Kong shook his head, indicating that as an outside associate, he couldn't possibly know such internal secrets of the Qianxia Group.
In response, Liu Ma whispered: "That's because Big Sister's parents divorced when she was young."
"At that time, she followed her father and came to our White Tiger District, while her younger sister stayed with their mother in the Vermilion Bird District."
"So..." A flash of lightning crossed Chen Kong's mind, and he seemed to understand something.
"Exactly." Liu Ma nodded, confirming Chen Kong's speculation.
"The Feather Style we learned is not the genuine Feather Style at all, but one that Big Sister modified herself."
"So, the techniques we've mastered are more accurately called the Qianxia Style rather than the Feather Style, and they are miles apart from the authentic style of the Feather Tower."
"And that's not even the main thing. The most crucial part is..."
"What is the most crucial part?"
Before Liu Ma could answer, Vivian interjected: "The most crucial part is that if you display the Qianxia Style at the Feather Tower, the Feather Tower people will immediately recognize it and make things difficult for you. After all, in the eyes of these people, the orthodoxy of the style is everything... If they let two outsiders win, wouldn't they become the new 'outsiders'?"
Hearing Vivian's words, Chen Kong fell silent. According to this reasoning, if they displayed the Qianxia Style at the Feather Tower, they wouldn't be there for a Martial Arts Badge challenge; they would be there to 'challenge the school's reputation'. The former is still a friendly sparring match; the latter could genuinely cost them their lives.
Just as Chen Kong was about to say something, the area outside the inn suddenly became noisy.
With a hint of curiosity, Chen Kong pushed open the room window and looked down. He saw a large crowd excitedly converging towards a certain spot, as if there was something good to see.
Chen Kong turned his head, exchanged glances with Vivian and Liu Ma, and the three of them immediately headed downstairs without hesitation.
Although they were all a bit tired and needed to rest, watching a crowd is an instinct etched into human DNA. With a commotion clearly brewing outside, how could they possibly miss it?
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