Chapter 76: Chapter 72: The Peculiarity of Bronze Flesh, Trouble at the Martial Arts School (2)

Barbells, iron balls, and other heavy weights were lifted and dropped countless times, thudding against the floor.

"Looks like we have another batch of clueless new faces."

"Heh, do you think they genuinely don’t know how hard this path is, or... are they just unwilling to admit how pathetic their own Martial Arts talent is?"

Guo Yun, Fang Jingyi, and a few others stood near the training hall’s arena. They watched the junior brothers who were training desperately, drenched in sweat, and shook their heads. Their eyes held an undisguised sense of superiority and amusement.

If breaking through in Fighting Skill were really that easy, this path wouldn’t be known as a special way to change one’s destiny.

"Everyone says it’s easy for us rich kids to break through, but they never consider that resources, wealth, and perspective... these are all part of one’s potential."

"If that weren’t the case, wouldn’t the world be in chaos?"

Guo Yun flicked his silver-trimmed sleeve cuff and spoke lightly. The others around him nodded in strong agreement.

"He’s not wrong. Brother Guo, you’ve said what’s on my mind. How could these people possibly understand how many resources we’ve spent to get this far?"

Someone chimed in, nodding, "And just talking about ’hard work’—we have plenty of brothers and sisters at home competing for their share every year. If we don’t perform well, our resources might get cut."

"Hey, now that you mention it, I’m a bit envious of Brother Guo. With only an older sister at home, you get the family’s full support... Speaking of which, Brother Guo, you’re probably about to break through before the rest of us, right?"

With that question, Guo Yun, dressed in a silver-patterned martial arts uniform, once again became the center of attention. Though his expression was smug, he feigned modesty, waving his hand with a reserved smile. "Oh, not at all. The Professional Level bottleneck isn’t that easy to overcome. I reckon I’ll need to consolidate my foundation for another three to five days."

"Speaking of which, there’s Jingyi."

He smiled, changing the subject and looking at Fang Jingyi. "Her younger brother is still young, so all the resources are focused on her. Now *that’s* the kind of potential we should all be envious of."

"Oh, please, Brother Guo. No matter how we compare amongst ourselves, aren’t we all still inferior to Senior Brother Shen?"

Fang Jingyi gave a faint smile and shook her head.

The others were momentarily stunned, but then they all broke into smiles.

"Brother Shen is no ordinary person, after all. His superior innate talent is one in a million. Plus, he’s personally instructed by a great expert like Master Luo. It’s only normal that we can’t compare."

Guo Yun chuckled as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and the others all nodded in agreement.

After some more idle chatter, a glint appeared in someone’s eyes as he glanced toward the training hall’s entrance.

"By the way, Brother Guo," he said, lowering his voice, "we were supposed to be resting well today to prepare for the hunting party... You didn’t ask us to come here just to cause trouble for that guy named Lu, did you?"

At his words, everyone’s expression hardened as they recalled the previous incident.

Facing their gazes, Guo Yun didn’t deny it. A scheming smile played on his lips. "The man doesn’t know what’s good for him. He actually rejected Brother Hui’s offer."

"You all heard it at the dinner table that day, right? This isn’t me trying to mess with him."

"But Brother Hui was probably just saying it offhand. Why would he care about some small-time character?"

The person who asked was a bit confused, feeling it was unnecessary.

But Guo Yun gestured for them to come closer and reminded them in a low voice, "I, on the other hand, think we can make good use of this."

"Don’t forget, Brother Hui has helped us out a lot. Maybe if we handle this well, we can make him happy and he’ll remember us for it, eh?"

"That’s true..."

Hearing this, the others grew thoughtful, agreeing that his analysis had some merit.

"But what if Master Luo blames us for it..."

"Hah, we’re all disciples of the dojo. We’ll just call it a friendly sparring session between senior and junior brothers."

Guo Yun said with a chuckle, confident he had it all planned out.

The questioner pondered for a moment. The others exchanged glances and gradually nodded, seeing no flaws in the plan.

In the end, he was just some dirt-poor kid from an orphanage. He had no background, his talent was ordinary, and he wasn’t highly regarded.

If they played a little trick and messed with him a bit, as long as they didn’t make too big a scene, they could just use the excuse that fists have no eyes. Even Master Luo would have nothing to say.

"Alright, we’ll follow your lead, Brother Guo."

Everyone agreed with a smile, no longer conflicted.

Fang Jingyi also found it amusing. She blinked her long lashes, deciding to join their plan.

STEP, STEP!

Just then, footsteps rang out. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

A young man with a buzz cut, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, slowly walked over.

Their gazes shifted to him one by one, and amused smiles soon appeared on their faces.

...

’The difficulty of advancing at the Professional Level far exceeds that of the Fighting Level. From now on, even basic Life Potions will have greatly diminished effects.’

He strode across the concrete training ground toward the training hall.

Lu Chao lowered his head slightly. While he felt a solid sense of confidence from having broken through to the Professional Level, he also felt the increased pressure of planning for the future.

Both Senior Brother Zheng and Brother Hao had told him that increasing one’s Life Energy after reaching the Professional Level was extremely difficult.

The nutritional resources required would also far exceed what he needed before—at least two or three times as much.

’My salary from the Patrol Department definitely won’t be enough. I wonder if the benefits will increase if I tell Captain Yang.’

’Brother Hao did say his sponsorship would double, but I should still look for other options.’

With that thought, Lu Chao looked at the training hall in the distance, and an idea gradually formed in his mind.

Previously, Master Luo’s attitude had subtly changed because of his performance, and he had taken the initiative to guide him several times.

’If he finds out I’ve broken through to the Professional Level, will he take me more seriously and offer some sponsorship?’

At this thought, he quickened his pace, stepping onto the concrete floor and entering the training hall.

"Senior Brother Lu!"

"Morning, Senior Brother Lu!"

Along the way, several junior brothers who were resting greeted him with respectful smiles.

Lu Chao smiled and nodded, glancing around.

Shen Tianchen was nowhere to be seen, and the true disciples like Zheng Wu weren’t around either. He thought for a moment and decided to head directly to the backyard.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Senior Brother Lu."

However, just as he was crossing the open space, a voice came from the arena to the side.

Lu Chao stopped and turned his head to look.

He saw Fang Jingyi and several other young men and women from the inner-city circle gathered together, sizing him up with strange expressions.

The young man named Guo Yun, in particular, dressed in an elegant, silver-patterned martial arts uniform, walked straight up to him.

"Senior Brother Lu, this junior brother has a question about his training."

"I was wondering..." He offered a smile and cupped his hands, but his eyes held a teasing glint. "If you might offer me some guidance?"

"Oh?"

Lu Chao’s gaze flickered as information quietly appeared before him.

[Carbon-Based Human]

[Life Energy: 39 (Healthy)]

"I’m busy right now. Junior Brother Guo should find someone else."

Lu Chao shook his head, refusing.

He just wanted to see Master Luo as soon as possible, report his progress, and see if he could obtain some resources.

He started to walk away.

But he didn’t expect it.

"Is Senior Brother Lu scared?"

Guo Yun suddenly raised his voice, turning to look at him.

The mockery and provocation in his eyes were completely undisguised.

The atmosphere in the training hall inexplicably fell silent. Many people stopped what they were doing and looked over, full of confusion.

"I always thought Senior Brother Lu had a solid foundation and extraordinary strength. I never expected you wouldn’t even dare to spar with me a little."

Guo Yun took two steps forward with a grin, closing the distance again. He looked Lu Chao up and down with contempt. "Could it be that Senior Brother Lu is afraid of getting hurt?"

The deliberate provocation was particularly grating. Lu Chao saw the challenge on Guo Yun’s face, and he also noticed the amused smiles on Fang Jingyi and the others standing behind him.

Senior Brother Xu and the others nearby frowned, exchanging confused glances. They vaguely sensed that something was off but didn’t understand the situation.

’Did Junior Brother Lu offend him?’

’But the two of them shouldn’t have any reason to interact...’

"Why has Senior Brother Lu gone mute?"

Seeing Lu Chao’s silence, Guo Yun took another step forward, leaving only half a step between them.

They were about the same height. Guo Yun’s lips curled into a sneer, and with a teasing look, he pretended to have a sudden realization. "Oh, it seems I’ve hit the nail on the head."

"It’s alright, Senior Brother Lu, no need to worry. My family has a little bit of money, so even if you get hurt, I can take full responsibility. Of course, if you’re really scared, then just pretend this junior brother never said—"

"I thought you were already at the Professional Level."

Suddenly, Lu Chao spoke, cutting off Guo Yun’s taunts.

Meeting Guo Yun’s stunned gaze, he shrugged and said, "I didn’t expect... you still haven’t broken through?"