Chapter Twenty-Eight: Your Friend Is Quite Something!

After understanding the official stance, Chen Xian could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. At the very least, the authorities were not forcing superhumans to join the Extraordinary Department, nor were they conducting large-scale hunts for them. Choosing whether or not to join was entirely a matter of personal preference, which was an exceptionally friendly attitude toward superhumans. Of course, these thoughts were merely his own conjectures; he did not know if they were truly accurate. Regardless, he had no intention of taking any risks. While joining the Extraordinary Department had its benefits, the official authorities would likely attach corresponding responsibilities to such generous treatment. After all, the government would not establish such a department without a significant reason. Chen Xian felt it was better to simply focus on practicing his martial arts in peace.

As these swirling thoughts passed through his mind, Chen Xian regained his focus. At this moment, his heart could no longer remain calm; it was somewhat restless. Glancing at the screen that remained lit, he didn't dwell on it further and logged out of the Martial Arts Portal. Even though there were still many things he hadn't finished reading and many functions he hadn't explored, he logged off anyway. He no longer had the heart to continue browsing. Besides, the portal would always be there and wouldn't vanish; he could return to it once his mind was at peace.

"I never imagined that information about the extraordinary, which I had sought in vain for three years, would be found so easily," he murmured. "My state of mind is too turbulent today; it is not suitable to continue reading. It seems my mental cultivation is still not strong enough; I cannot achieve true tranquility of heart. Three years, over a thousand dreams, and that surreal parallel life—although they have brought great changes to my state of mind, far surpassing that of ordinary people, it is still not enough!"

He knew that if his mental state were truly strong, seeing information about the extraordinary on the portal would not have caused such intense fluctuations. However, the current Chen Xian had not yet reached that level; it would take time. As for that strange dream, it had not reappeared in quite some time, as if it had simply vanished. He had pondered this matter over the past few days, but like the power of the extraordinary, it left him with no clues. Having no other choice, he had to let it go.

After closing the portal and shutting down his computer, Chen Xian walked out onto the balcony. "Whew..." He exhaled a long breath and stretched his waist, then slowly settled into the Dragon-Tiger Stance. The blood and energy that had been relatively dormant suddenly began to surge rapidly within him, and his mood lightened. "Truly, it is the core heritage of Longhu Mountain," Chen Xian sighed to himself. A single stance was enough to make his blood and energy so active and vibrant, let alone the actual combat techniques recorded later.

...

Outside Tianlan University, Yang Fan looked at his phone as it rang and answered it. "Pack your things. The master I contacted for you has arrived. He's at the gym right next to your building."

Hearing his father's words, Yang Fan's eyes lit up. The master who would teach him martial arts had finally arrived. He had been feeling quite impatient over the past few days; after all, possessing immense strength and a robust physique but lacking the ability to control them perfectly or unleash them with precision was incredibly frustrating. It felt like having a mountain of treasure but no way to excavate it. After listening to a string of instructions, Yang Fan hung up and hurried toward the gym.

In the spacious gym, Yang Fan scanned the crowd and immediately spotted a figure that stood out from the rest. Comparing the man to his father's description, he knew this was the master his family had hired. After calming his breathing, Yang Fan stepped forward and asked somewhat cautiously, "Excuse me, are you Master Li?" After Chen Xian's reminder, he was no longer as casual or flippant toward people in the martial arts world as he was at university.

"Hmm!" Li Gang looked at the boy in front of him with an unfriendly expression. As a master at the Xuanjing Martial Arts Hall, he had not wanted to come, especially after hearing he was to teach someone who had taken a shortcut by using "Holy Light No. 3." To him, martial arts required perseverance and grit above all else; using such a substance was equivalent to taking a shortcut and lacked the necessary dedication. In his view, such practices were nothing more than deviant ways, incomparable to a martial artist who had honed their skills for a decade. He believed such a person lacked a "martial heart" and would achieve little. However, even if he were unwilling, the fact that the boy's family had business dealings with the gym and could influence the master of the hall meant he had to be there. The fact that he could suppress his dissatisfaction and only speak with impatience showed that his temper was actually quite good.

Seeing the unfriendly expression on the master's face, Yang Fan's heart skipped a beat. *Damn! This master seems a bit unfriendly! The old man didn't tell me what kind of personality he had. I really should have prepared in advance!* Mentally wailing, Yang Fan braced himself and said, "Master Li, that's me."

"Humph!" Li Gang's tone softened slightly, losing its initial coldness. "A practitioner of martial arts should seek peace of mind. If you are this timid just because I seem unfriendly, how can you ever achieve anything in the martial way? Although I have some prejudices against you and did not want to come to teach you, since I am here, I will naturally do my best. I won't hold anything back, so don't worry about that. Now, we martial artists act directly; there is no need for pretense or beating around the bush. Since you have already completed the training of tempering bones, tendons, and marrow, I assume you are quite proud of yourself. Now, strike at me. Use every means at your disposal; consider this your first lesson."

Yang Fan looked at his master, who had suddenly changed his attitude, with some bewilderment. "Martial arts, martial artists... I think I'm starting to understand!" Yang Fan muttered, a spark of realization in his eyes, followed by a wry smile. Not long ago, he had already been humbled, and the arrogance he once held had vanished. Seeing Master Li's actions, he was instantly reminded of his spar with Chen Xian—if one could even call it a spar; it was purely a one-sided beating of a child. Now, facing a master from a martial arts hall whose level was even higher than Chen Xian's, how could he be as reckless as before?

"Master Li, I haven't mastered 'jin' (internal power), nor have I learned any punching techniques. I can only be considered an ordinary person with greater strength. How could I possibly fight you?" Yang Fan explained. He had already been crushed by Chen Xian and did not want to seek further abuse from this master.

"Oh?" Li Gang was surprised. "That shouldn't be. You don't seem like what your father described. Before I came, I did some research on you. In my eyes, you were just an ordinary person who suddenly gained power, and your heart should be infinitely inflated. I intended to use this spar to help you find your footing, to curb your sharpness, and to extinguish that ethereal and illusory arrogance, so you would know that even if you have completed the tempering of your tendons, bones, and marrow, you are still just an ordinary person. I didn't expect you to exceed my expectations. You aren't as your father said, nor have you developed unwarranted delusions due to a sudden increase in power. That is quite rare."

Seeing Yang Fan's demeanor, Li Gang was surprised, and a trace of admiration flashed in his eyes. *Still a talent worth molding!*

"Master Li, actually, I had already sparred with someone before this, but I was soundly defeated, so I have a clear understanding of myself," Yang Fan said, losing his initial nervousness as he looked at the now-amiable master. "That is why I don't want to spar with you."

"Oh? You've already sparred with someone? I really didn't expect that. Who was it?" Li Gang was surprised that someone had done what he intended to do—crushing the boy's arrogance before he arrived. But seeing the boy unscathed, he knew the person who had struck him had good intentions and excellent control. If it were a typical martial artist encountering such a greenhorn challenger, they would likely have taught him a harsh lesson, even without a grudge. The fact that the boy was fine made Li Gang curious. As far as he knew, the boy's family had not been in contact with any other martial artists besides their own gym.

"Master Li, it was a classmate of mine at university. He has been practicing martial arts for a long time, so I sought him out to test my own strength," Yang Fan explained. "I just didn't expect to be so easily defeated. It was because of my classmate that I gained a preliminary understanding of the martial arts world and martial artists, and lost all my arrogance."

"I see!" Li Gang looked enlightened, finally understanding why the boy was not as he had expected. "I never thought you would have such a friend. Excellent. On the path of martial arts, having a few friends is very good; after all, the era of fighting alone is over! Your friend, by pointing out your shortcomings through your spar, gave you a preliminary understanding of the martial way and helped you find your clear position—that is very rare. Your friend is a good one!" Li Gang couldn't stop praising him. In the world of martial arts, having such friends was incredibly beneficial. "As the saying goes, 'a good teacher and a helpful friend.' This friend of yours is truly a helpful friend to you. In the future, you should communicate with him more; you will surely gain a lot."

"Hehe," Yang Fan smiled proudly. The fact that his master could praise Chen Xian so highly made him feel honored. After all, this was his roommate; praising Chen Xian was effectively praising him.

Chen Xian, however, was unaware of what had happened at the gym.

...

Time flowed by as Chen Xian delved into the *Dragon-Tiger Pellet Canon* and martial arts techniques. In the blink of an eye, the senior year semester drew to a close. As seniors, their daily coursework was light. At this time, some were preparing for graduate school, buried in the library every day, while others were busy looking for jobs, running between various recruitment venues. Therefore, seniors had little presence on campus; at least, they were rarely seen in the various activities organized by the school. Similarly, interactions between classmates were almost nonexistent. Just as Chen Xian was holed up in his faculty apartment, obsessed with practicing martial arts, rarely seen by outsiders during non-class hours, the others were the same.

This semester passed slowly in this atmosphere of individual busyness. Over these days, besides practicing the Dragon-Tiger Stance and martial arts techniques, Chen Xian continued to ponder the mysteries of the *Dragon-Tiger Pellet Canon*. The book in his hands was now much thinner, with more of its contents committed to his memory. Only the final parts involving the practice of "Gang-Jin" (Hard Power) were not yet fully memorized; to avoid any ambiguity in his memory, Chen Xian had not yet destroyed the last few pages. But it wouldn't take much longer; after all, it had been nearly a semester, and no matter how obscure and difficult it was, he had memorized most of it.

On the balcony, Chen Xian held his stance for a while before beginning his drills. "Pop, pop..." His movements were fierce and forceful, like a dragon entering the sea or a tiger emerging from the mountains. The wind of his strikes whistled, creating faint sonic booms in the air. With his knees slightly bent and his center of gravity lowered, his body remained exceptionally steady. His feet shifted as he moved across the balcony, his palms transforming—sometimes his five fingers closed together like the beak of a crane, other times they spread out like the claws of a tiger.

White Crane Fist, Dragon-Tiger Grappling, Tiger Pounce...

One technique after another was displayed in Chen Xian's hands. They were sharp, powerful, and breathtakingly exquisite, unpredictable like a mountain goat hanging by its horns. Various styles flowed between his palms; two different traditions were operated with ease and merged so seamlessly that they seemed like a single, unified art. As he practiced, the blood and energy within his body surged like a tidal wave, his physique becoming increasingly tall and broad. His muscles were taut, with a faint luster flowing beneath his skin. Chen Xian felt that his blood and energy were so abundant they were ready to explode at any moment.

After transitioning through several sets of techniques, his pace slowed. A moment later, he finished, exhaling a breath that echoed with the faint sound of wind and thunder on the balcony. Glancing at his fingers, Chen Xian raised his arm slightly, closed his fingers, and pressed down sharply. "Pop!" A loud sound of breaking air erupted from between his palms, and a current of air was generated, rippling outward.

"As expected, after a semester of practice, with the help of the extraordinary power, my 'Ming-Jin' (Bright Power) has reached its limit. This speed of progress is truly..." Chen Xian sighed in amazement at his own progress.

At this moment, he suddenly realized that the semester was coming to an end, which meant exams were approaching. "Doesn't that mean...?" Thinking of this, Chen Xian's eyes brightened, and a hint of anticipation stirred in his heart.