Chinese martial arts: From human punching bags to martial arts mastery

The next day.

The night in Zhabei was disturbed by the roars from the "Beast Cage" underground boxing ring.

The stench of rust mixed with the smell of sweat wafted through the enclosed space, like a death knell, making the gamblers' eyes bloodshot, and their roars shook the tin roof.

Chen Feng, his back hunched, walked into the arena, his feet splattered with blood.

His faded shorts clung to his body, making him look thin and his eyes dull like rotten wood. He was still the same human punching bag that could be kneaded by anyone.

But the fingers hidden in his sleeve clenched tightly—his mother's cough, Xiao Aqiao's worried eyes, and the watchful sentries in the shadows all turned into scalding flames, burning his internal organs—he had to become stronger, strong enough to protect those around him in the impending crisis!

"It's that Iron-Headed Chen again! Those who bet on Black Panther's KO should hurry up and do it; it's a sure win!"

"I'll bet a dollar! This piece of trash won't last three rounds!"

"I'll bet a minute! Black Panther learned his lesson last time, he'll definitely go all out this time!"

"I'm betting on Black Panther to kill him in half a minute!"

The gamblers' shouts propelled Chen Feng to the center of the arena.

The light shone directly down, stretching his shadow long and thin, making him look like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"Damn dog, Deka!"

Black Panther entered the arena with a ferocious grin, his muscles bulging like iron blocks, his fists, as big as casserole dishes, clenched so tightly they cracked, and the ferocity in his eyes almost overflowing—the frustration of being "lucky" enough to make Chen Feng last the last match had made him a laughing stock in the underground boxing ring, and this time, he was going to break this yellow-skinned kid's bones!

"Clang, clang, clang—!"

As soon as the bell rang, Black Panther pounced like a cannonball, his fist whistling through the air as it aimed straight for Chen Feng's face, with enough force to shatter a brick. Clearly, he wanted to finish the fight quickly and regain face in front of the gambler.

"Rubbish!"

Chen Feng stood there blankly, his feet quietly taking a lunge step, and with the opening and closing of his arms, the stance of "Introduction to Hard Qigong" was already in place.

"Bang--!"

A dull thud echoed across the arena as Black Panther's powerful punch landed squarely on Chen Feng's chest.

The expected sound of a bone cracking did not occur.

Chen Feng merely swayed slightly, feigning exhaustion, but inwardly he chuckled, "This black panther's attack power hasn't improved at all; it's so pathetic! Its attack power is even weaker than my mom's rolling pin!"

Yes, the experience bars for hard qigong don't budge – this level of strength is even weaker than a black swan's henchman, not even reaching the threshold for the "beginner level" of hard qigong.

"Damn dog, Deka!"

Black Panther noticed the hint of disdain on Chen Feng's lips, and recalling his previous humiliation, he became furious.

"Hey--!"

He leaped into the air, raising his arms high above his head, channeling all his strength into his elbows, and smashed them towards Chen Feng's vitals with a whistling sound—this was his killing move, the Flying Elbow Smash, which he had practiced diligently for a week. It could shatter even a rock!

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (23/500)]

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (24/500)]

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (25/500)]

Although Chen Feng felt a sharp pain in his groin and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth, he was extremely pleased: "This week's wait wasn't in vain! This dry cell battery finally has some charge! That's great!"

Black Panther became even more frenzied after his successful attack, unleashing a series of deadly moves, including the "Neck Claw Charge," "Knee Strike to the Heart," and "Flying Elbow Smash," each delivered with all his might, as if he wanted to tear Chen Feng to pieces on the spot.

But the more he fought, the more alarmed he became. The kid's body was like cast iron. Every impact sent a shockwave through his arms, making his bones ache.

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (26/500)]

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (27/500)]

......

As time went on, Black Panther's physical strength began to decline rapidly.

Just when Chen Feng thought this "free dry battery" was about to run out of power, he suddenly had a brilliant idea—when the black panther's knee came down again, he suddenly lunged forward and deliberately rammed his abdomen into it.

A muffled thud—[Struck by a heavy blow, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (33/500)]

Chen Feng staggered back three steps, clutching his stomach and squatting on the ground, a pained expression on his face, but inwardly he was overjoyed: "This free experience pack, I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't squeeze it dry!"

"Kill Wadika!"

Black Panther felt as if his knee had hit a steel plate; excruciating pain spread along his leg bone, and his toes twitched uncontrollably.

But the gamblers in the stands were still waving their banknotes wildly, and those who had bet on Chen Feng being beaten to death were roaring and howling with red eyes.

"Hit him harder!"

"Kill him already!"

Seeing this, the black panther had no choice but to grit its teeth and continue its fierce attack.

Fists, knees, and elbows rained down, each impact leaving Black Panther's limbs numb and his bones aching. Yet, he had to pretend to be "enjoying the beating," roaring, "Useless trash, fall down!" In his heart, however, he cursed Chen Feng a thousand times over: "Is this kid made of iron? If this keeps going, my limbs will be ruined!"

Chen Feng completely entered "slacking off mode," doing only three things throughout: enduring the pain, feigning pain, and deliberately getting hit!

When Black Panther threw a punch, he would move closer and let the fist hit his shoulder armor; when Black Panther swept his leg, he would adjust his posture and let his calf hit the opponent's ankle; he would even deliberately let himself be knocked to the ground, causing the gamblers to ecstatic, and then slowly get up the next second, dust himself off, and his "indestructible and indomitable" appearance almost made the gamblers in the front row faint with anger.

"Is this Iron-Headed Chen some kind of unkillable cockroach? Black Panther, are you even capable?!"

"Useless! Can't even kill a human punching bag, you're just trying to rip me off!"

The gamblers erupted in chaos, slamming their fists on the table and cursing. Some were so anxious they wanted to jump up on stage and join the fray themselves, and the scene became so chaotic that it spiraled out of control.

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (37/500)]

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (38/500)]

Chen Feng ignored all warnings and continued to "cling to life" under Black Panther's attacks!

While willingly taking the beating, he gleefully calculated, "If I squeeze it for another three minutes, it'll ring. I can still squeeze a little more out of this dry cell battery!"

Black Panther grew increasingly desperate as the fight progressed. His hands and feet were already numb, and every punch he threw felt like he was wrestling with steel bars. The pain caused him to break out in a cold sweat and his vision to blur, yet he still forced himself to put on a victor's pose, a complete traitor who was "putting on a brave face."

finally--

"Clang, clang, clang!"

As the bell rang, Black Panther's legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud before the copper bell, overwhelmed with gratitude as if he were seeing his own father.

He staggered backward, his eyes filled with fear and frustration as he looked at Chen Feng, as if he had fought a battle more exhausting than losing a boxing match.

Chen Feng slowly straightened up, wiping the "blood" from the corner of his mouth—which was actually from deliberately biting his lip earlier. His face remained expressionless and taciturn, as if he hadn't been the one who had just been beaten.

In the backstage lounge.

The boxing ring manager walked over, carrying a stack of silver dollars, his face beaming. He patted Chen Feng on the shoulder and praised, "Iron Head Chen, you're really tough! Keeping you as a punching bag is totally worth it, not a loss at all!"

As he spoke, he generously tossed over two silver dollars.

The silver coin traced a silver arc in the air before landing in Chen Feng's palm, its heavy weight feeling exceptionally real.

Chen Feng picked up the Eagle Dollar, brought it to his lips, and blew on it. The crisp echo was particularly pleasant in the room.

"The rice supply is secured!"

Chen Feng felt a surge of joy, a fleeting glint in his eyes.

There are three types of ocean-going vessels on the streets of Shanghai.

Not to mention Zhabei, the silver dollars circulating throughout the entire Chinese-controlled area were all counterfeit silver dollars privately made by the Green Gang. Not only were they of poor quality and had weak purchasing power, but they could also buy at most 13 catties of moldy rice.

These Yuan Shikai silver dollars were of excellent quality and could be exchanged for 16 catties of rice on the black market, enough for the mother and Xiao Aqiao to eat for a while.

There's also the Mexican Eagle, whose purchasing power is terrifying!

Available soon.

Chen Feng frowned—Black Panther's "dry battery" power was too weak, and it could no longer allow his hard qigong to continue to grow.

He looked up at the manager, his tone still wooden: "Boss, if I were to be a punching bag for a stronger boxer, would I always get to give it to Eagle?"

The manager paused for a moment, then laughed, "Even stronger? That would have to be Muay Thai fighter Bo Qiu! He's a master of Ming Jin, more than ten times stronger than Black Panther. Can you handle him?"

In his eyes, Chen Feng's life or death was not important at all; the main thing was that he still had value to him!

"A master of Ming Jin (internal strength)..."

Chen Feng felt a chill run down his spine, and couldn't help but think of the "water rat" lurking in the shadows. With his current strength at the beginner level of Hard Qigong, he simply couldn't withstand a deadly attack from Ming Jin.

But soon, his eyes lit up with fervor: "Boss, next time you can bring two more Black Panthers, I still want the Eagle!"

Upon seeing this, the manager immediately burst into laughter: "Good! As long as you can hold on, I'll give you not just two black panthers, I'll gather three!"

The answer was positive.

"good!"

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Chen Feng's lips—he had truly earned the title of "the pinnacle of slacking off" by slacking off in the fiercely competitive environment and still getting performance bonuses.

Gripping the eagle coin tightly, Chen Feng turned and walked out of the boxing ring. Behind him, the gamblers continued their angry tirade, and Black Panther leaned against the wall, grinning.

His gaze was already fixed on the direction of Fan Gua Nong Heights.

"Relying solely on slacking off and taking a beating in the 'beast cage' is still too slow!"

"It's time to head to the boxing gym, Brother Juan!"