Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

Chu Hong arrived at his single dormitory room, arranged his belongings, and then turned to look at Song Yue:

"Senior Sister Song, when are we going to see that strange man?"

Having received such a great favor from the Song family, Chu Hong naturally wanted to settle the matter as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if we keep dragging this out, the Song family will also have objections.

Song Yue leaned against the doorway and teased:

"Junior Brother Chu, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Does that mean you want to marry me as soon as possible?"

Although Chu Hong explicitly rejected Song Yue that day.

But Song Yue was not embarrassed or depressed by this; instead, she would tease Chu Hong about it from time to time.

Completely uninhibited, displaying the bold and unrestrained spirit of those from the martial arts world.

This made Chu Hong feel embarrassed.

Seeing Chu Hong's discomfitured expression, Song Yue comforted him:

"Junior Brother Chu, don't worry. That strange person will only appear around the middle of the month."

"You've just entered the gate; take your time and reflect before proceeding."

Chu Hong estimated that it was only the third day of the eleventh lunar month.

That means there are still more than ten days before I can see that strange man.

That's good, it's a good opportunity to practice the boxing technique more deeply and push it to its highest level.

After Song Yue left, Chu Hong quietly opened the panel and looked at the data on it, feeling excited.

Heaven rewards diligence.

[Effect: Reflecting on all methods, diligent study and practice will surely yield results!]

【Hun Yuan Zhuang (Da Cheng) 1/4000】

【Nine-Forged Fist (Minor Success) 1836/2000】

【Swift Step (Minor Mastery) 562/2000】

【Glazy Legs (Beginner) 248/500】

During this period, he only slept for two hours a day, spending the rest of his time practicing martial arts.

Martial arts training requires a balance of relaxation and rest. If you only practice standing meditation or the Nine-Forging Fist, anyone will experience discomfort in their body over time.

However, if you alternate between Nine-Forging Fist and Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), this problem will not occur.

Therefore, Chu Hong's progress in the Nine Forging Fist was only slightly slower than that in the Hunyuan Stance.

Of course, he would occasionally practice the Swift Wind Step and the Cold Light Leg. He didn't make much progress in either, but it made his martial arts training less boring.

At the current pace, the Nine-Forging Fist technique will definitely be mastered within seven days.

"It seems that Pang Hai's Nine Forging Fist is only at the Great Perfection stage. Once I've mastered it, I'll find a way to 'learn from' him."

Both being masters of internal strength, Chu Hong didn't think he was much weaker than Pang Hai.

He planned to test the waters after mastering the Nine Forging Fist technique before making any further plans.

The thought had barely formed when footsteps sounded outside the door.

The lingering effects are coming.

He stood at the door and sincerely invited Chu Hong:

"Junior Brother Chu, Senior Brother Pang meant well. Be magnanimous and don't embarrass your senior brother."

"What's past is past. Your senior brother wasn't targeting you on purpose, so why are you still holding a grudge?"

Yu Wei was unaware of the details.

They assumed that Chu Hong rejected Pang Hai because Pang Hai had given Chu Hong a few words of "education" when they returned from suppressing the bandits, which Chu Hong resented.

Chu Hong declined calmly and politely.

"Senior Brother Yu, I'm going home. You can go and celebrate on your own."

"Also, please don't interfere in Pang Hai's matter, Senior Brother Yu."

He knew that as Pang Hai's last disciple, many disciples would try to curry favor with him.

Yu Wei is just one example.

He's only inviting me here without my permission because he wants to impress Pang Hai.

However, his deep-seated grudge against Pang Hai prevented him from celebrating with a clear conscience.

I can't bring myself to sit down and eat or drink with my enemy.

Upon being rejected again, Yu Wei's face instantly fell:

"Hmph, Junior Brother Chu, don't push your luck. Senior Brother Pang is doing you a favor by inviting you."

"You, who rose through the ranks by relying on connections, actually think you're someone important?"

"If you know what's good for you, just agree obediently, otherwise your senior brother will definitely teach you a lesson: there are some rules in our inner courtyard that you have to abide by!"

As he spoke, he clenched his fists together, wriggling restlessly, his expression full of threat.

Chu Hong understood in an instant.

Yu Wei's approach is to first be polite and then resort to force; in short, those who can't change will only cause trouble for themselves.

But he showed no fear or trepidation in the face of threats:

"Senior Brother Yu, please have some self-respect."

"Your tricks and methods are no match for me. Save your breath."

"Can't do anything to you?!" Yu Wei's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Very well!"

"Junior Brother Chu, it seems you're quite confident. In a few days, I'll show you how powerful your senior brother is in the testing arena!"

Chu Hong tilted his head, looked at Yu Wei's ferocious expression, and said as if suddenly realizing something:

"Senior Brother Yu, are you issuing me a challenge?!"

"Okay, I'll take it!"

"Let's settle this with our skills!"

Chu Hong knew that Yu Wei was a "veteran" master of internal strength, but he was not afraid.

Despite years of lingering internal energy, the Nine-Forged Fist technique has only achieved minor mastery.

With such limited ability, they dared to overestimate themselves and try to teach me a lesson; it's utterly absurd.

Yu Wei was stunned by Chu Hong's imposing aura and it took him a long time to recover before he said sternly:

"Alright, alright, you're issuing a challenge, huh?"

"Fine, you'll regret it!"

"Alright, let's see who regrets it then! You, or Pang Hai?"

"Bang!" Chu Hong slammed the door shut, shutting out the lingering noise.

He understood that this was Pang Hai testing him.

This is also the first wave of overt killing moves.

As long as he is outmatched, there will be a series of schemes to be devised until he achieves his goal.

However, he was not worried. If they were going to fight, they would fight to the very end!

Fight until they are terrified.

One lingering effect is hardly enough to satisfy one's appetite.

Pang Hai, you're not getting away either!

Soon, news of Chu Hong's disrespect towards Pang Hai, his provocation of Pang Hai's remaining power, and even his challenge to Pang Hai spread rapidly throughout the martial arts school.

The disciples immediately became interested.

"What? Senior Brother Yu invited Chu Hong to the celebration, and Chu Hong not only refused but also spoke rudely and even issued a challenge?"

"That's right. I heard that Senior Brother Yu went to invite him on behalf of Senior Brother Pang, but this is the result."

"Didn't Chu Hong just break through to the Dark Force stage? Where did he get the courage?"

"Who knows? Maybe they just want to show off."

"Heh, a piece of trash who rose to power by relying on resources. Just wait, Senior Brother Yu will definitely beat him until he begs for mercy on his knees."

With the disciples adding their own embellishments, everyone unanimously began to look forward to the examination eight days later.

They really wanted to see what kind of confidence Chu Hong had that made him dare to challenge the veteran An Jin.

I'd love to see Chu Hong suffer a crushing defeat and be humiliated.

Upon hearing these distorted rumors, Chu Hong did not rush to refute them. Instead, he continued practicing his boxing, waiting for the situation to develop further.

Song Yue tried her best to defend him, but given the prevailing situation, no one believed her.

As for Zhuang Chengfeng, he seemed not to have heard the rumors and never showed up.

They did not cancel the challenge between the two.

"I was wrong all along. Why bother looking for those useless people outside to get rid of him?"

"With so many chess pieces in the hall, we could have put them to use long ago."

Pang Hai was somewhat annoyed at this moment; he had discovered it too late.

If it were earlier, before Chu Hong had even reached the level of Dark Force, or even the level of Explicit Force.

If you let the apprentices in the museum do it, Chu Hong's grave is already overgrown with weeds.

However, after thinking it over, he felt it wasn't too late.

Taking advantage of Chu Hong's recent advancement to internal strength, we should strike him down.

Although it might offend the Song family, the Song family is currently in dire straits, so how could they possibly stand up for a crippled Chu Hongqiang?

"That's how we'll do it, but the residual effect alone isn't enough."

"We need to arrange another one, just to be on the safe side."

"If that still doesn't work, I'll have to do it myself."

Pang Hai was full of confidence.

This time, he has a huge advantage and is sure to win.

-----------------

Eight days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chu Hong closed the panel and confidently arrived at the inner courtyard martial arts arena.

A dozen or so disciples stood in a row.

The courtyard walls were covered with auspicious messages from the outer disciples.

They were all very excited, waiting to see how Chu Hong would be humiliated today.

Zhuang Chengfeng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the entire area, without driving away the outer disciples.

He simply announced:

"Today, we will test your martial arts training progress. As usual, you will spar in pairs."

"You must show me your full potential and demonstrate your abilities."

"But you are all fellow disciples, so you must be careful not to hurt anyone by accident."

After explaining the simple rules, he took out a list from his pocket.

"Match 1: Chu Hong vs. Yu Wei!"

The entire room fell silent instantly.

A series of gazes fell upon them, each carrying a hint of schadenfreude.

Most of the blame fell on Chu Hong.

No one expected the main event to come so quickly.