「The next morning.」
Chu Lingguang came to the Martial Arts Hall to train again.
"Hah!"
Hei Hu had arrived exceptionally early today.
As soon as Chu Lingguang walked into the Martial Arts Hall, he heard Hei Hu training with the Stone Locks, practicing the Heavenward Force. It was obvious that Chu Lingguang stealing the show yesterday had lit a fire in Hei Hu, who now wanted to one-up him in the Heavenward Force.
Chu Lingguang completely understood.
So, after breakfast, he also began practicing the Heavenward Force in the backyard. He wanted to see just how heavy of a Stone Lock he could lift now.
"Hah!"
He first attempted to lift the 180-pound Stone Lock.
"Junior Brother, don't be too hasty,"
Hei Hu said, with his hands on his hips.
He had just successfully lifted the 160-pound Stone Lock over his head.
He had thought the gap in their strength was closing, but he hadn't expected Chu Lingguang to try lifting the 180-pound Stone Lock right after arriving this morning.
"I'll give it a try."
Chu Lingguang chuckled.
He grabbed the Stone Lock with both hands and let out a sharp cry, "Hah!"
The Stone Lock left the ground, and he lifted it over his head with ease.
Hei Hu, who had been expecting him to fail, stared with his mouth agape in disbelief. He never imagined Chu Lingguang could already lift the 180-pound Stone Lock. It had only been two months and a few days since they both started practicing the Heavenward Force, yet Chu Lingguang's strength had increased by some sixty pounds. 'More than a pound a day?'
BANG!
Chu Lingguang threw the Stone Lock to the ground.
He bent over, gasping for breath with his hands on his knees.
'With my current strength, I should be able to try lifting the 200-pound Stone Lock,' Chu Lingguang thought to himself.
Lifting the 180-pound Stone Lock hadn't been a strain, but he couldn't just show off his cheat-level abilities in front of Hei Hu.
"Junior Brother, have you been practicing the Heavenward Force every day behind my back?" Hei Hu asked.
"My aptitude is poor. If I don't train this hard, I can forget about getting an A Class grade on the Qiao Pass exam," Chu Lingguang said noncommittally.
Hearing this, Hei Hu breathed a hidden sigh of relief. "You can't focus all your energy on a single Kung Fu, either. The exam will test more than just strength."
"You're right, Senior Brother. My main focus right now is on the Iron Mountain Saber Technique," Chu Lingguang said with a nod.
"How about we spar again today?" Hei Hu asked tentatively.
He hadn't been able to gain the upper hand in their Saber Technique practice yesterday, and it had been nagging at him ever since.
"Well..."
Chu Lingguang hesitated. His Saber Technique had improved immensely the previous night, and now boosted by his Body Technique, he was sure Hei Hu wouldn't be able to gain any advantage.
"Don't forget, Junior Brother, Master instructed us to spar for an hour every day," Hei Hu reminded him.
"Then please, enlighten me, Senior Brother."
Chu Lingguang stopped hesitating. He also wanted to see how his current strength stacked up against Hei Hu's.
"Come on!"
Overjoyed, Hei Hu took two sabers from the Soldier Landing Platform and tossed one to Chu Lingguang.
Chu Lingguang caught it and immediately executed a Little Ghost Scout, slashing toward Hei Hu's waist.
Hei Hu was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Chu Lingguang to strike first, and with a sucker punch of a move, no less. Fortunately, his reactions were quick. He executed a Great Dragon Tail Swing and successfully blocked the attack.
CLANG!
The sabers clashed, and Hei Hu's Sword Force seemed stronger.
Chu Lingguang didn't dwell on it. He reversed his grip and unleashed another move—Moon in the Water—slashing toward Hei Hu's groin. He was using the Lower Three Knife Techniques from the Iron Mountain Saber Technique, specifically targeting Hei Hu's lower body.
Hei Hu was startled, clearly not expecting Chu Lingguang's transitions between moves to be so much faster than the day before.
He hastily retreated, gripping his saber with both hands and bringing it down in a diagonal slash—Wind-Rolling Clouds from the Iron Mountain Saber Technique. Yet, before their blades could meet, Chu Lingguang suddenly switched tactics, executing a Scorpion's Tail Stab and thrusting at Hei Hu's chest.
Unable to keep up with Chu Lingguang's pace, Hei Hu could only focus on backpedaling. He didn't notice the Stone Lock behind him and tripped, crashing to the ground.
"Senior Brother, are you alright?!"
Chu Lingguang was taken aback; he hadn't thought Hei Hu would be so focused on the front that he'd forget to check behind him.
Lying on the ground, his face flushed red, Hei Hu still gripped his long saber, pointing it at Chu Lingguang.
"Excellent!"
Guo Wei's voice came from the doorway.
"Master!"
The two of them hurriedly bowed to Guo Wei.
"Master, Junior Brother cheated!"
Hei Hu said indignantly. He felt that Chu Lingguang hadn't followed the proper forms and had used a crude, thuggish fighting style that wasn't pretty to watch.
"All's fair in war. Be glad he's your junior brother," Guo Wei said meaningfully.
He truly hadn't expected Chu Lingguang's Saber Technique to have evolved so drastically overnight. 'It may be a crude style, but any Saber Technique that wins is a good one.'
Hei Hu was at a loss for words, his face red and unable to speak.
"What made you think to fight your Senior Brother with that strategy just now?" Guo Wei asked.
Chu Lingguang glanced at Hei Hu's large frame and said, "Senior Brother is tall and powerfully built. If I faced him head-on, I'd be injured within a few rounds. So I attacked from below, trying to disrupt his rhythm. I didn't actually expect it to succeed."
"Did you hear that?" Guo Wei asked, looking at Hei Hu.
"Thank you for the lesson, Junior Brother," Hei Hu said, completely convinced.
"Ah, but now my strategy is exposed. It won't be so easy to gain an advantage by pulling the same trick next time," Chu Lingguang lamented with a sigh.
He looked as though his ultimate secret weapon had just been revealed.
"Master is right. Real combat is the best way to improve your skills. Junior Brother, let's go again!"
Hei Hu was eager to go, wanting to win back a round.
"Alright," Chu Lingguang nodded.
The two started fighting again in front of Guo Wei.
This time, Hei Hu struck first and came out swinging. Chu Lingguang was immediately on the defensive. He barely managed to evade the first attack and was about to duck down to attack Hei Hu's groin again. But this time, Hei Hu was prepared. He didn't lose his composure and instead consecutively countered Chu Lingguang's moves.
Finally, with a roar, he unleashed a move—Riding the Wind, Breaking the Waves—and slashed down on Chu Lingguang's saber.
CLANG!
Chu Lingguang felt a surge of Power rush toward him. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger went numb, and it took all his strength just to hold onto his long saber. Instead, he let it fly from his grasp.
THWACK!
The long saber embedded itself in a wooden post behind him.
"Junior Brother, are you alright?!"
Hei Hu suppressed a grin and stepped forward to check Chu Lingguang's arm.
Shaking his head, Chu Lingguang went over and pulled the long saber from the wooden post.
"Good."
Guo Wei clapped in praise.
However, the smile in his eyes grew wider as he looked at Chu Lingguang. "Today," he said, "the two of you will practice the Spear Technique together."
"Yes!" the two of them replied in unison.
Chu Lingguang was startled. 'Did Guo Wei see through me?'
Hei Hu, thoroughly satisfied, nudged Chu Lingguang a few times with his elbow, looking as if to say, 'See, Junior Brother? It's thanks to me that you get to practice the Spear Technique today.'
"The spear is the king of long weapons. It is lauded as a weapon that can be 'Sweeping Thousand Soldiers' and an 'enemy to ten thousand men.'"
"When you hold it, you must feel its power and balance. It is another one of your arms."
Guo Wei took a thirty-pound Iron Spear from the Soldier Landing Platform. Rolling up his sleeve, he held the Long Spear out level with a single hand, letting Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu watch the vibrations that ran through the weapon as his muscles trembled.
When the Long Spear itself began to hum with vibrations, Guo Wei casually flicked the Iron Spear. Its tip flashed past Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu's eyes, and both felt a wave of sharpness wash over them, forcing them to instinctively retreat.
Hei Hu felt that Guo Wei's lecture today was far more profound than usual and wondered if Chu Lingguang would be able to understand any of it.