Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Reunion

Inside the Iron Hand Sect martial arts center, the atmosphere was fiery, tinged with a hint of agony.

"Alright, that’s it for today’s practice. Everyone, head home and rest."

The training finally ended. The group of disciples looked as if they had just been fished out of water. Every single one of them had their clothes soaked with sweat, muscles aching, and legs wobbling as they walked. Supporting one another, they grimaced and shuffled toward the exit of the martial arts center.

Even so, as they passed by Fang Chen, they forced themselves to perk up and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your hard work, Grandmaster!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Grandmaster!"

Though their voices were laced with exhaustion, their gratitude was entirely genuine.

The hellish special training over the past few days had yielded significant results. They could clearly feel a tangible improvement in their control over their strength, their execution of moves, and even their physical endurance. Painful as it was, the gains were undeniable.

Fang Chen gave a slight nod. His gaze swept over the crowd, intentionally pausing on Yang Fan for a moment.

The kid was similarly drenched in sweat, and his Aura was heavy. He had clearly reached his limit as well. Yet, he gritted his teeth and stood a bit straighter than the rest. Aside from his ragged breathing, he didn’t let out a single groan of pain or complaint. Instead, his eyes held a stubborn determination that seemed to grow brighter the more he was ground down.

Fang Chen praised him inwardly, "His temperament is indeed quite good. He can withstand being tempered."

Talent might vary, but this ability to endure hardship and maintain an unyielding spirit was equally precious on the path of the Martial Dao.

Once the disciples had departed one by one, Luo Wu wiped his sweat and walked over to Fang Chen, his face filled with admiration.

"HAHA, Master, this... is truly worthy of you!" he exclaimed. "The defensive Body Forging Technique you simplified and adapted based on the true essence of the Iron Wall Strike is incredibly effective for Ordinary Martial Artists building their foundation!

"Even though it’s still an ordinary Martial Skill, the Force Manipulation Techniques and methods of power generation inside are on a completely different level!

"Just from these few days of intensive practice, let alone those kids, even I feel like I have a new understanding of my control over my muscles and bones, as well as my Perception and neutralization of incoming force!

"The combat and strike-resistance capabilities of our disciples have advanced by leaps and bounds! There are a few stuck at a bottleneck who feel like they might grasp Qi Sensing at any moment!"

Listening to Luo Wu’s report, Fang Chen’s face remained placid, but he weighed the situation in his mind. He had deconstructed and lowered the complexity of profound Martial Arts principles, integrating them into basic training precisely to consolidate the foundation of these ordinary disciples as much as possible. It seemed the results were quite good.

"It’s good that it’s effective," Fang Chen said calmly. "The foundation of the Martial Dao is like laying the groundwork for a building. The more solid it is, the taller the building can be in the future. The hardships they endure now are paving the way for their future." He looked at Luo Wu. "As the master of this center, you need to thoroughly understand the principles within. In the future, when I’m not around, polishing the foundation of these disciples will depend on you."

Luo Wu immediately turned serious and replied, "Yes, Master! This disciple will certainly study it diligently and never dare to slack off!"

"It’s a pity that despite the special training over these past few days, not a single one has broken through to the True Martial Realm," Fang Chen remarked. "It seems Xia Chu’s breakthrough experience belonged solely to her; others cannot simply emulate it."

Fang Chen briefly tidied up in the martial arts center and changed back into his casual clothes. Just as he walked out the main doors, a crisp voice, carrying a hint of playful teasing, drifted over from the side.

"HMPH, I heard someone sold me out for a hundred thousand yuan?"

Fang Chen followed the voice and saw Xia Chu leaning gracefully against a nearby wall.

The afterglow of the sunset coated her in a soft golden outline. Today, she wore a simple white dress, her long hair draped smoothly over her shoulders. Wearing a bright and slightly mischievous smile, her sparkling eyes locked onto him. She was so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Fang Chen’s face. He avoided answering the accusation directly, asking instead, "How did you know I was here?"

Like a Little Deer, Xia Chu walked briskly over to him. She tilted her chin up slightly, a touch of smugness in her tone. "Of course I have my sources! HEHE!"

Fang Chen pondered for a moment before understanding dawned on him. "It was Yang Fan who told you, wasn’t it?"

The smugness on Xia Chu’s face vanished instantly as she pouted. "Ah? That’s no fun. How did you guess it right away?"

"It’s quite simple," Fang Chen said, looking at her. "Among the people we both know, who also knew I was operating out of the Iron Hand Sect lately, it seems there’s no one else but him."

"Mhm, I’ll give you that. You’re smart," Xia Chu nodded and explained. "Yesterday was my birthday, right? My family threw a party, and I invited all my old classmates.

"Yang Fan also found an opportunity to come over. Originally, I thought he was going to say something annoying again...

"But it turned out he came to solemnly apologize to me. He said he was immature before, apologized for bothering me so much, and promised he would never do it again.

"And then... he quietly told me that you come here often."

She blinked, asking curiously, "Hey, when did you recruit Yang Fan as your lackey?"

Fang Chen couldn’t help but chuckle and shook his head. "Recruit what? We’re classmates, just helping each other out."

Xia Chu looked at Fang Chen, her eyes curving into crescents, brimming with smiles. "Honestly, Chen, I’m starting to suspect you have a Succubus physique! Why does it feel like everyone around you is perfectly willing to revolve around you and let you influence them?"

Fang Chen’s Spiritual Power sensed the fluctuations in Xia Chu’s emotions. The feelings she broadcasted were like summer sunlight—warm and bright, filled with joy, pleasant surprise, and sweetness. There wasn’t the slightest trace of resentment or gloom to be found.

This only deepened the guilt in Fang Chen’s heart. He was uncharacteristically sheepish as he said, "You... aren’t angry? I couldn’t make it to your birthday party yesterday, and there was also that..."

Xia Chu shook her head. Her smile remained radiant, but her tone was unusually earnest. "I was a tiny bit disappointed at first, but I figured it out later. Compared to those who clearly can’t promise a future but still string people along, you drawing a clear and direct line to keep your distance, Chen..."

She paused to think, as if searching for a more fitting phrase. Finally, her eyes lit up. "...actually makes me feel more grounded and at ease. It shows you have a strong sense of boundaries, knowing what should and shouldn’t be done, and that you won’t casually give people unrealistic expectations."

Having said that, she naturally reached out to link arms with Fang Chen, just like she used to do.

However, Fang Chen tactfully raised his hand to evade her grasp. At the same time, he pointedly glanced at a spot behind her and coughed softly.

"AHEM, AHEM. If you do that, I’m going to have to pay a million yuan, you know?"

Xia Chu blanked for a second. "Huh?"

Following Fang Chen’s gaze, she turned her head and saw her mother, Zhao Xinlan, leaning halfway out from behind a large tree not far away, with a bodyguard standing right next to her.

"HMPH!" Xia Chu immediately stamped her foot, puffing her cheeks in anger. "I can’t believe they tracked me! I already agreed with them that I would just see you once and say a few words before heading to Celestial Mist City! No way, I have to go make it clear to them to stop following me!"

She quickly turned her head back to Fang Chen. "Chen, wait for me for a sec!"

Then she jogged off toward her mother.

Fang Chen watched as Xia Chu conversed in hushed tones with her mother. A short while later, looking like a victorious general, Xia Chu jogged back with a light step, a sly and gleeful smile plastered on her face.

"HEHE, all taken care of! I fought for ten precious minutes of freedom! Let’s go, Chen. There are too many prying eyes here. I’ll take you to a nice, quiet place!"

"Where to?" Fang Chen had barely uttered the question.

The very next second, he felt his feet become weightless, as if he had stepped onto an air cushion. Before he could even process what this bizarre sensation was about, his feet were actually slowly lifting off the ground!

Fang Chen’s pupils constricted slightly, his body instantly tensing up.

"I’m... flying?"

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