After making up his mind, Lin Haotian immediately expressed his desire to apprentice to the elder who had brought him. He was brimming with enthusiasm and boundless passion, having resolved that no matter how difficult, he would persevere, reach that legendary realm of martial arts, stand at the pinnacle, and survey the world. With his own fists, he would reclaim everything that belonged to him.
However, to his despair, his elder informed him that not everyone possessed the talent for cultivation. Many individuals, even after a lifetime of practice, might not be able to cultivate true qi.
And he, Lin Haotian, was one of those without the talent to cultivate true qi. Even a lifetime would not grant him the opportunity to do so. Therefore, his elder refused him.
Lin Haotian was stunned on the spot, his heart turning to ash. He had finally found his life's purpose, only to be told that he could never achieve it.
Such a blow would be fatal to anyone.
Seeing Lin Haotian's despondent state, his elder, feeling a twinge of pity, told him that becoming a Xiantian Grandmaster did not necessarily require cultivating Xiantian true qi. There was another path, though it was a hundred or even a thousand times more arduous than cultivating true qi.
This path was the path of Heng Lian, or body tempering. The physical potential of humans was infinite, containing boundless possibilities. Cultivating the body to a certain level could indeed rival a qi-cultivating Xiantian Grandmaster. In fact, a Heng Lian Grandmaster would hold an absolute advantage in strength over a qi-cultivating Grandmaster of the same realm. However, this path was a thousand times more difficult than qi cultivation. In the vast martial arts world of China, there were very few Heng Lian Grandmasters.
During his earlier exchange with Zhang Fan, he had not felt the presence of true qi or inner strength within Zhang Fan. Relying solely on physical strength, Zhang Fan had easily withstood his strongest attack. Moreover, Zhang Fan's terrifying gaze had instilled infinite dread in Lin Haotian's heart.
Was Zhang Fan a Heng Lian Grandmaster?
The thought was absurd, yet Lin Haotian found it highly plausible. Once the idea surfaced in his mind, it lingered, and he found himself immersed in it.
"Then, how can I qualify to follow you?" Lin Haotian's throat was dry. Although he felt a trace of fear towards Zhang Fan, his desire to become stronger overcame this fear. Therefore, his words were exceptionally firm, unwilling to give up easily.
"When you can exert a force of a thousand jin, you will be qualified to follow me," Zhang Fan stated indifferently. He then glanced at Zhuo Tairan and Qiao Ruxin and led them downstairs, leaving Lin Haotian lost in thought.
"A force of a thousand jin?" Lin Haotian's mind was filled with these four words. Countless images flashed through his mind, and infinite fighting spirit surged within him.
As Zhang Fan approached the entrance, the numerous thugs gathered there quickly cleared a wide path for him, fearing they might block his way and daring not to impede him in the slightest.
In truth, when Lin Haotian had met Zhang Fan's gaze earlier, Zhang Fan had deliberately released his spiritual pressure, combined with the essence of his 'Thunder Fire Divine Eyes,' to exert pressure on Lin Haotian. Had Lin Haotian possessed a less resolute will, he would likely have screamed in terror under such a gaze.
However, Lin Haotian had passed the test. He had withstood Zhang Fan's pressure with his own tenacious will, and thus Zhang Fan was willing to give him an opportunity.
If Lin Haotian could, through his own efforts and purely physical strength, break through the thousand-jin mark, Zhang Fan would be willing to take him under his wing.
Achieving a physical strength of a thousand jin was equivalent to a martial artist at the peak of inner strength, and among ordinary people, it was considered quite formidable.
Lin Haotian possessed considerable talent in body tempering and had a determined will, making him quite promising. Of course, for Zhang Fan, Lin Haotian would need to undergo numerous trials to receive his true tutelage.
After all, the Dao cannot be lightly imparted!
As Zhang Fan departed, Qiao Yicheng also quickly led his subordinates away, leaving Liu Yufei and his companions still lying on the ground. Seeing that everyone standing had left, one of the sports students who was lying on the ground fumbled in his pocket and dialed an emergency number – 120.
...
What happened on the rooftop, though it felt long, actually took less than ten minutes from start to finish. Therefore, as Zhang Fan, Zhuo Tairan, and the others descended from the rooftop, a large crowd of students were still gathered downstairs. They dared not go up to witness the scene and could only wait quietly below for the outcome.
To the surprise of many students, Zhang Fan, who they expected to be in a terrible state, walked down completely unharmed. However, when they saw Qiao Yicheng and his group of subordinates descending, they understood.
It seemed Qiao Yicheng was backing him up, which explained why it ended so quickly and why Zhang Fan was unharmed. Perhaps Qiao Yicheng had mediated.
What puzzled them, however, was why Liu Yufei and his group never came down. A few brave students climbed to the rooftop and peeked inside. What they saw shocked them. The group of sports students, usually so arrogant, were all lying on the ground, battered and bruised. Liu Yufei and two other sports students even had broken arms, twisted at unnatural angles, a sight that made one wince.
Who could have done this?
If it were Qiao Yicheng and his gang, then Qiao Yicheng and his subordinates couldn't possibly have all emerged unscathed. Even with their numbers, they couldn't have achieved this.
A wave of confusion swept through the crowd. Soon, astonishing news spread among the students, apparently from one of Qiao Yicheng's subordinates.
Liu Yufei and the entire group of sports students were all beaten by Zhang Fan alone. Liu Yufei's arm was broken. Even more horrifying was the news that Lin Haotian, the top powerhouse of Donghai Seventh Middle School, had clashed with Zhang Fan. Despite giving his all, he couldn't budge Zhang Fan even slightly and was sent flying several meters away with a single kick, unable to withstand even one move.
This chilling news spread like a plague among the students. Zhang Fan's name became known to all the male students in the school due to this incident.
Donghai Seventh Middle School originally had three major school bullies. After Yi Feicheng graduated, only two remained. One was naturally Qiao Yicheng's faction, and the other was Wang Lei, a second-year student. As for Liu Yufei and his group, they hadn't formed any specific faction. However, by virtue of their status as sports students and their strong unity, no one dared to provoke them in the past. Even Qiao Yicheng and Wang Lei would not easily offend them, as it would be a thankless task.
But now, Donghai Seventh Middle School had a new, most unprovokable person: Zhang Fan, from Class Three, Grade Two. This person was ruthless and merciless in his attacks. The consequence of provoking him was to become crippled, just like Liu Yufei and his group.
Zhang Fan knew that such a major incident could not be kept from the school, but he didn't care. He calmly waited, expecting the school authorities to summon him.
However, to his surprise, after waiting all morning, he did not hear from the school. Instead, he received a call from Guang Tou Qiang.
ps: The fourth update is here. The fifth update will likely not be finished. Don't wait up.