Chapter 22: You’re Just Here to Show Off, Aren’t You!

"Heh,"

"Actually, I'm a bit curious to see how you've fared after three years of martial arts training."

"How about it? Do you want to spar?"

"You should know, I'm practically half a Transformation-level martial artist now," Yang Fan said with a smug expression.

"So that's why you decided to come over—to show off. You really are something..." Chen Xian said, realizing the situation and feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

He was truly speechless when it came to this guy. If it were anyone else in his family, they would have kept this information tightly under wraps as a trump card. How could they possibly be like Yang Fan, running around to boast? Even though they were from the same family, this guy was completely different from his father.

Watching Yang Fan’s expression, Chen Xian couldn't help but think he was a bit of a simpleton.

"Tell me, you don't really think I can't fight, do you? Regardless of anything else, I have been training for three years."

"Besides, strictly speaking, you aren't half a Transformation-level martial artist. You're half an External-force martial artist and half an Internal-force martial artist. Those two are quite different!" Chen Xian teased.

"It's just that we haven't fought yet. Lately, I feel like I have all this energy with nowhere to vent. Whenever I see a stone pedestal by the road, I get the urge to kick it. It feels like there's nothing my fists can't solve."

"If I weren't afraid of being seen as a fool, I would have tried to lift that stone pedestal already," Yang Fan said with a grin.

Chen Xian shook his head and smiled.

"The strength you have now comes from external sources, not from your own diligent practice of every punch and kick. Because you haven't mastered this sudden surge in power, you're experiencing these urges. Just keep training, and it will improve."

"As you said, trying to lift that stone pedestal is actually a viable method."

"If you can manage to lift it for a while, those feelings will fade."

"Furthermore, in my eyes, you're just an ordinary person with a lot of strength. Only when you master the manipulation of force will you be a true martial artist."

"There is a reason why martial arts are divided into External-force, Internal-force, and Transformation-level, rather than Bone-tempering, Tendon-altering, or Marrow-cleansing."

"Don't you underestimate me," Yang Fan said, brimming with confidence.

"Fine! It seems that after all I've said, you haven't taken a word of it in. Let's spar, then." Chen Xian said helplessly, gesturing toward the outside. The living room was simply too cramped for a proper spar.

***

Downstairs, Yang Fan looked at Chen Xian, looking eager to start. Chen Xian couldn't help but chuckle at his demeanor.

"Then let's begin!"

Yang Fan scratched his head. "I won't hold back, then. You'd better be careful."

Without waiting for a response, he charged forward. As he drew near, he suddenly leapt into the air, delivering a powerful, heavy roundhouse kick aimed directly at Chen Xian’s waist and abdomen.

Chen Xian shook his head. Anyone who truly practiced martial arts would know never to leave the ground so easily. In the martial path, such a move was a major taboo.

Without the support of the ground, one lost the ability to leverage force. If the move failed to strike the opponent, the attacker would be unable to adjust their position mid-air, effectively becoming a sitting duck.

Chen Xian’s eyes flashed. He sank his weight slightly, his hands moving unhurriedly. He curled his fingers into the shape of a crane's beak.

As he stepped to the side to dodge the kick, his fingers snapped shut and struck downward toward Yang Fan’s thigh.

Chen Xian’s strike landed with pinpoint accuracy.

"Ouch!"

Yang Fan immediately clutched his leg and let out a howl. After the initial sharp pain subsided, he regained his composure, looking stunned.

"Damn, you’ve actually mastered real technique."

"Still, I don't believe that in just three years, you could be that good."

"Again!"

With that, he charged once more. This time, instead of using his legs, he threw a punch, putting all his brute force into a strike aimed at Chen Xian’s chest.

Chen Xian’s mouth curled into a slight smile. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, bringing his arm down in a swift arc and striking his "crane beak" against Yang Fan’s fist.

*Bang!*

"Ow!"

A cry of pain followed instantly. Yang Fan stumbled backward, looking at his own fist in disbelief.

"Tell me, just how far have you trained? How did you block my punch so easily?" Yang Fan asked in shock.

When Chen Xian’s fingers collided with his fist, it had sounded like metal striking metal. It felt as if he had hit a steel plate, and the pain nearly brought tears to his eyes. When Chen Xian’s fingers descended, it didn't feel like a hand at all—it felt like a crane’s beak from the heavens, delivering a vicious peck.

He had already completed the Bone-tempering stage; his bones were as tough as iron. How could Chen Xian possess such rock-hard fists?

Suddenly, a thought surfaced in his mind, and it wouldn't go away. Could it be...?

At this realization, Yang Fan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He recalled how Chen Xian had been obsessed with martial arts for the past three years, never missing a day, rain or shine.

"You couldn't possibly be..."

"Yes," Chen Xian nodded gently.

"Hiss," Yang Fan drew a sharp breath, deeply shaken.

"That means you’ve reached the first stage of the martial path in just three years. This is truly..."

"Your speed of cultivation is on par with the disciples of the great sects. It seems your talent for martial arts is extraordinary."

"It's a pity you started so late. If you had begun a few years earlier, you might have become a master of Internal-force or even a Transformation-level martial artist, just like those top-tier students."

"If that were the case, you could probably have founded your own sect by now. You know, in our Great Xuan, a Transformation-level master is entitled to establish their own school."

Yang Fan spoke sincerely, feeling a genuine sense of regret for Chen Xian. Even though he wasn't particularly fond of training and only had a superficial understanding of the martial path, he knew that Chen Xian’s rapid progress far exceeded that of an average practitioner.

"Actually, I don't think it's too late. Starting now is still in time." Chen Xian said with a faint smile.

If he had started training as a child, with his talent, he likely wouldn't be at Tianlan University right now, but at one of the twelve elite martial arts academies. In that case, he never would have encountered his current fortune, nor would he have obtained the Dragon-Tiger Pellet Sutra. While those academies were excellent, they didn't possess inheritances of that caliber for their students.

Thinking of this, Chen Xian felt that things were just fine as they were.

Hearing this, Yang Fan shook his head. "You have a great mindset. If it were me, I would have been regretting it for a long time."