Martial Saint!
Chapter 136 - 0125 Tiger Honor Perfection

Chapter 136: 0125 Tiger Honor Perfection

As May drew to a close, Su City was once again in the midst of the rainy season.

The weather forecast predicted that the continuous drizzle could last until late June. At Dragon City Martial Arts University’s training field, Lu Chenzhou was sparring with Wang Gang. Although Wang Gang was an outsider, he had registered beforehand and, after an inspection, was allowed to enter.

Lu Chenzhou’s figure was as agile as a swift house swallow, drifting and evading under Wang Gang’s fierce attack. In just a few steps, he moved behind Wang Gang and, before Wang could react, a powerful Tiger Venerate Mountain Cracking Palm struck, sending him tumbling through the air.

Wang Gang rolled several times before standing up.

"It’s really sick, you don’t even need to use your main martial arts to beat me. You’re truly deserving of being in the genius class... once my Vigorous Vajra Palm reaches Great Success, and I perfect the ’Three Peaks Stacking Mistake’ technique, I will come back for a rematch. I hope by then you haven’t reached the Eighth Rank."

Lu Chenzhou was progressing too quickly.

The first time they met, he was Fifth Rank, and Lu Chenzhou was Fourth Rank.

Now, he was Sixth Rank, and Lu Chenzhou was Seventh Rank... It’s good that Wang Gang was not someone else. If other people were friends with Lu Chenzhou, their mental state would have completely collapsed.

Lu Chenzhou chuckled and said,

"Ha ha, then you have to work hard."

He was about to reach Eighth Rank and didn’t want to demoralize Wang Gang.

Wang Gang patted the dust from his clothing before leaving and said,

"My Iron Crotch Skill will soon reach Mastery, and I’ll teach it to you then."

Lu Chenzhou laughed and replied,

"There’s no hurry. We have a teacher who is quite skilled in Hard Qigong at our school, Iron Pine Dragon Chen Jiu. I’ll seek his advice when I have time."

Wang Gang said enviously,

"That works too. It’s still better to be at a university, where they even teach Hard Qigong."

"I’ll be leaving first, see you next week."

"Mhm, be safe."

After seeing off Wang Gang, Lu Chenzhou returned to his villa.

With protective gear and Arhat Skill, he had little need for ordinary Second-Class Hard Qigong. His crotch remained one of his few vulnerabilities, and he could practice the Iron Shield Skill. Inner Boxing was the mainstream after all; there was no need to waste too much time on Hard Qigong.

...

Giant Elephant Fighting Hall.

This year’s Pingjiang District exchange competition was scheduled for May 31st.

Rickett was holding a special training session for Ricken before the match. After half a year of hard cultivation and training, Ricken’s demeanor had grown more mature and steady, with an inherent authoritative restraint.

After a bout of sparring with his son, it ended with Ricken being mercilessly blasted away.

Rickett stood tall and straight, eyeing his son.

His gaze was experienced as he softly said,

"After this competition, you should go abroad."

"Why go abroad?"

"You have stepped into Fifth Rank and are gradually grasping the true essence of fighting cultivation. Fighting is not just about training the body, but also the spirit. Da Xia calls it ’Spirit, Energy and Essence Combined’. Only those with both strong body and spirit can break their shackles and become extraordinary fighters. With your talents, you could have entered Pingjiang Martial Arts University, but the teachers there can’t teach you... The root of the Holy Image style lies in the extreme cold of the frozen Northern American land. I’ve spent countless efforts to find the only current Breakthrough Third Shackles follower of the Holy Image style for you, [Elephant King Belrand]."

"The Elephant King, the Fighting Master from the Earth List of the All Nations Martial Arts Tournament?"

"He is my teacher and the descendant of the last [Holy Image] titleholder. After the last All Nations Martial Arts Tournament, he went to the Silver Eagle Federation and secluded himself in the Mammoth Ancient Tomb Garden beneath the Northern Territory ice, refining his body and spirit, seeking the ultimate Holy Image state."

"I’m only of Low Class root bone, why would the Elephant King take interest in me?"

Ricken’s question caught Rickett off guard.

After a moment of silence, with a smile, he replied,

"Because you are the son of the Giant Elephant, you possess the potential to become the Holy Image."

Ricken’s eyes shone as he earnestly said,

"That’s right, I am the son of the Giant Elephant!"

Rickett sighed inwardly.

What a foolish child, he thought. The truth was that he had offered an [Ancient Treasure] that he had found years earlier while exploring South American relics to the Elephant King.

The treasure was a weapon used by ancient fighting families, possessing mysterious and enigmatic prowess, similar to Da Xia’s Inheriting Divine Weapons. It was also due to that relic exploration that he encountered an attack by a powerful malevolent spirit sealed within, and though he survived, it left him with an incurable condition. Since then, his cultivation could no longer progress an inch. Otherwise, with his Top Class root bone, Rickett might not have been unable to reach the Holy Image state.

After settling in Da Xia, feeling hopeless about his future, Rickett could only place his hopes on his progeny; out of three sons, none had even an Intermediate root bone. Picking the tallest among the dwarfs, he chose Ricken, who at least had the heart of a fighter.

Ricken did indeed strive to meet expectations.

He had good comprehension; at 18, he reached the Fifth Rank. Although not compared to Second-Class genius like Lu Chenzhou, he was already at the limit for someone of Low Class root bone. Rickett placed all his pursuit of the Holy Image Path on Ricken, his family’s last hope. Maybe this simple kid could bring him a surprise in the future.

"Father, aren’t you coming?"

"I have taken Da Xia citizenship as a foreign fighter and can’t leave the country lightly. Besides, I have to accompany your mother here. If one day you reach the state of a Martial Artist, you can return to Da Xia to inherit the fighting hall... Of course, if you have higher aspirations, you can continue to follow the Elephant King in cultivation. I believe in you."

Rickett seemed much older today.

Ricken felt a complicated emotion, his eyes slightly moist as he exclaimed,

"I will reach the Holy Image state!"

Rickett laughed and said,

"Good, that’s the spirit."

"Father, is Lu Chenzhou participating in this exchange competition? Before leaving Da Xia, I want to battle him once more, not necessarily to win or lose but to leave without any regrets."

"Come."

"Okay!"

"In fact, if he doesn’t come, you might have a chance to be the first."

"The meaning of fighting lies in chasing and defeating stronger opponents, in breaking one’s own limits. I know I can’t beat him; he must be Sixth Rank by now."

Rickett was immensely proud.

After being defeated by Lu Chenzhou twice, Ricken had genuinely grown.

He couldn’t help but remind him,

"To my knowledge, he’s Seventh Rank now."

...

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, it was May 27th, in the wee hours of the morning.

Throughout these days, aside from practicing Heavenly Pile and Hard Qi Gong, Lu Chenzhou spent all his time practicing Tiger Supreme Fist. With a rudimentary understanding of the subtlety of redirection, as he approached Perfection, this realization deepened. Yet, it seemed he was just short of breaking through the final barrier and needed to spar with someone to test his skills.

He unlocked his phone.

"Sister Shi, are you busy?"

[Hmm... Yes, you’re up early.]

Shi Ruyu glanced at her watch. It was only four o’clock.

"Sister Shi, I’m just a hair away from mastering Hua Realm."

[Understood, I’m getting up right now.]

Before long, Shi Ruyu arrived elegantly, clad in training clothes.

Lu Chenzhou was already waiting for her under the willow tree.

Shi Ruyu warmed up, smiling:

"Junior Brother, let’s go, I’ll spar with you for a while."

"Thank you, Sister Shi, be careful."

Lu Chenzhou stepped forward swiftly, suddenly changed direction, and side-kicked at Shi Ruyu’s knee. She lightly dodged, and as Lu Chenzhou quickly circled to her back, he followed up with a Tiger Venerate Mountain Shattering Palm.

Shi Ruyu, like a tumbling White Ape, evaded the blow. She blocked with her right elbow and her left hand, like gentle water, wrapped around Lu Chenzhou’s body, dissipating his fierce power.

She had used Hua Realm, making Lu Chenzhou’s attacks seemingly effortless to neutralize. He absorbed the lesson from Sister Shi’s palm strike. As her Hua Realm activated, it instantly dissolved his force.

Lu Chenzhou had an epiphany.

He altered his technique, requesting Shi Ruyu to intensify the pressure. Knowing that Lu Chenzhou could take a beating, Shi Ruyu struck with her full might, bursting forth with both overt and covert Dark Force, defending with Hua Realm, projecting a barrage of ferocious power through their physical contact and upon her junior brother.

Lu Chenzhou reflected while sparring.

He pondered the Hua Realm, the Fist Theory, and the year and a half of study that had passed. He attempted to understand the subtlety of Hua Realm exhibited by Shi Ruyu, with all his knowledge and realizations, thinking deeper and deeper.

Without Shi Ruyu realizing it, she showcased her understanding of Hua Realm during their sparring to aid Lu Chenzhou in his cultivation. Over 300 moves had passed, too close to call.

At one moment, Shi Ruyu leaped and spun right, her long leg lashing out like a mighty staff sweep of the Ace Sage. Paired with her Eighth Rank Dark Force, the strike bore immense power!

With an enlightened gaze, Lu Chenzhou smiled and reached out with a broad Tiger Claw to lightly grasp his sister’s ankle. Simultaneously, his entire body released a natural, overarching and revolving subtle strength. Shi Ruyu, caught off guard, was flung aside by Lu Chenzhou’s maneuver and regained her footing only after somersaulting.

She paused, then with a smile after reflecting, said:

"Congratulations, you’ve understood ’Yin Yang Umbrella Vortex Force’ within Hua Realm. Once this force is comprehended, even if thousands of raindrops fall upon the umbrella, what is there to fear? Any attack can easily be deflected. This is the essence of Hua! There are many techniques within Hua Realm, but ’Yin Yang Umbrella Vortex Force’ is among the more advanced. My understanding is of ’Heavenly Spider Entangling Silk Strength,’ which relies mainly on entwining to dissipate power, apart from which there are ’Weak Water Hundred Transforming Force,’ ’General Armor Removal Force,’ ’Old Willow Breezing Strength’... Every technique, although varied, doesn’t stray from the principle of leveraging and subtle strength."

"Thank you, Sister Shi, for sparring with me. I understand now."

Lu Chenzhou continued to practice the fist technique, deepening his comprehension of the "Yin Yang Umbrella Vortex Force." In his mind, two yin-and-yang interconnected black and white tigers seemed to be spinning, turning into a cyclone reaching for the heavens. Inside him, an indescribable power continuously flowed, pervading the meridians.

This was the Tiger Venerate Hua Realm!

Shi Ruyu suddenly remarked:

"From now on, you are a true master of Hua Realm, a first-class expert in the eyes of ordinary people in the world... Junior Brother, you are now shoulder to shoulder with me."

The last sentence carried a tone of satisfaction.

months ago, Lu Chenzhou hadn’t even attained a rank.

Back then, his Martial Arts was like a blank slate, the only color in his life being the Basic Boxing he didn’t care about practicing, indifferent to the views of those around him.

All those memories seemed to dissipate as if they were just from yesterday.

Today’s Lu Chenzhou had soared to the skies!

...

Upon returning to the villa, his parents were still asleep.

After showering, the opened acupoints within Lu Chenzhou continuously surged with Mysterious Power, his Qi-Blood value slowly rising, enhancing his physical conditioning.

Lying in bed, he looked at the Martial Arts Tree.

[Tiger Supreme Fist: Perfection]

"Exactly one year, neither more nor less."

The difficult training is honored in success!

Hong Fu’s words still echoed in his ears.

The Martial Arts Tree blossomed and bore fruit, nurturing a seed that resembled obsidian, larger than all previously formed seeds, signifying its distinction.

[Divine Seed · Mountain Forest Sovereign (Second Rank), located in the Fish Border Acupoint.

King of the Mountain Forest, the Sovereign of Hundred Beasts.

Effect 1: Tiger Wisdom level two, slightly improves general fist technique comprehension.

Effect 2: Tiger Form level two, slightly improves Tiger Form Fist Boxing comprehension.

Effect 3: Tiger Roar, capable of intimidating Hundred Beasts with sound and can cause some real harm to evil spirits.]

"The first two effects are enhancements to Black Tiger Fist, evolving from level one to level two, changing from ’a bit’ to ’slightly.’ It seems my comprehension has indeed increased a bit more. If Second Class martial arts correspond to a Second Rank Divine Seed, then First Class martial arts must be Third Rank... I wonder what the upper limit of Divine Seeds is? The boost to comprehension will only get higher moving forward, but the martial arts required for Perfection will also be harder.

The third effect is a good thing; it’s an enhanced version of Tiger Evil, no longer just an invisible deterrent but capable of actually causing harm to Void Things! In the future, when I face Void Things, even without Void-breaking Gloves, I will be able to restrain them to some extent. However, from the description, even if there is damage, it is very limited and can only serve a supplementary role. If I want to kill Void Things just by roaring, it would be difficult to achieve even if my throat was worn out."

In any case, I now have one more technique at my disposal.

...

May 28th, in the early hours of the morning.

After breakfast, Lu Chenzhou first visited the Qi Blood Measurement Room.

[Current Qi Blood Value 4.41, congratulations, you’ve reached Eighth Rank standards.]

"Eighth Rank..."

Three months, from Seventh to Eighth!

One breakthrough after another, there is likely no one in Fangshan High School who could achieve this.