From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

Lu Yunzhou parked his car outside the Bajiquan gym.

There was a newly bought box of high mountain cloud tea on the passenger seat.

In last night's battle, he killed Zhuo Zheng and seriously injured Zhuo Chongshan.

Eighth-grade internal energy still lingered deep within the meridians.

When circulating internal energy, a feeling of tightness and distension always comes from the lower back and abdomen.

That force hadn't completely dissipated; even breathing carried a restless energy.

Lu Yunzhou picked up the tea box and pushed open the door to enter the martial arts hall.

Several wooden stakes in the yard had been split open, and Bai Xiaoxi was sweeping up the broken wood with a broom.

She looked up and immediately put down what she was holding.

"Mr. Lu, what brings you here?"

Bai Xiaoxi quickly came to meet him, her gaze falling on the tea box in his hand, her face filled with doubt.

Lu Yunzhou handed over the tea box.

"I've come to chat with Old Master Bai for a few minutes. I'll also be delivering a box of tea."

Bai Xiaoxi took the tea, looked down at it, and then looked up at him.

"Grandpa is in the backyard, you can go there yourself."

She stepped aside, holding the tea box firmly in her arms.

When Lu Yunzhou walked through the training room and into the backyard, Bai Heming was sitting at a stone table wiping a short knife.

The old man was wearing a gray exercise uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and an enamel mug sat on the table.

The blade was not sharpened, but the handle was polished to a shine.

Hearing footsteps, Bai Heming did not look up.

"You fought against an eighth-rank official last night?"

Lu Yunzhou stopped three steps away.

Bai Heming wiped the back of the knife with a cloth, then paused for a moment.

Lu Yunzhou placed the tea box on the stone table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"Zhuo Chongshan took Zhuo Zheng to the Tiger Soul Hall. Zhuo Zheng made the first move, and I killed him. Zhuo Chongshan chased after him, but I didn't stop him either."

He spoke decisively, without even changing his tone.

Bai Heming looked up at him, the cloth in his hand draped over the hilt of the knife.

"Zhuo Zheng is dead?"

"He's dead."

"Zhuo Chongshan is dead too?"

"They're all dead."

A breeze blew outside the courtyard, and the bamboo leaves at the corner of the wall rubbed against the tiles, making a soft rustling sound.

Bai Heming picked up his enamel mug and took a sip of the tea, which had already gone cold.

"What have they, grandfather and grandson, ever done?"

Lu Yunzhou recounted how Zhuo Zheng hired thugs, ambushed people, and brought them to his door, and also mentioned how Zhuo Chongshan suppressed the matter for his grandson and brought people to retaliate.

After listening, Bai Heming put down his cup.

"The Zhuo family has no one to blame but themselves for their current predicament."

Lu Yunzhou raised an eyebrow.

"If they deserve to die, why did you call me here in the first place?"

Bai Heming raised his hand and tapped the table.

"I agree with you killing them, but I don't mean I agree with you using murder to solve problems every time."

Lu Yunzhou pressed his palms on his knees.

"They want to kill me, I can't just stand there and take the beating."

"Fight back if you must, kill if you must."

Bai Heming stared at him, "But you need to distinguish whether you're fighting to save your life or to vent your anger."

Lu Yunzhou did not respond.

Bai Heming pointed to his chest.

"Your internal energy hasn't settled yet. You won last night, but the killing intent remains within you. If this continues, in the next fight, you'll be the first to be worn down by your own internal energy."

Lu Yunzhou lowered his head and gathered his strength.

As soon as the true qi from the seven orifices passed through two meridians, a sharp pain came from the chest.

He immediately stopped his technique, his brows furrowing.

Bai Heming's expression turned serious as he watched his actions.

"You have martial arts techniques, you have internal energy, and you've even seen blood on your hands. But all you can do right now is throw your power forward."

Lu Yunzhou looked up.

"This is the fastest way to win."

"Fast doesn't mean right."

Bai Heming got up and walked into the courtyard, stepping on a blue brick.

His body shape didn't change much, but his shoulders and back sank down first, and his waist, abdomen and legs exerted force at the same time.

The next moment, he punched a wooden stake in the yard.

There were no cracks on the surface of the wooden stake, but a muffled thud came from the ground behind it.

The stake inserted into the ground was shaken up, and the entire stake tilted backward.

Lu Yunzhou stared at the wooden stake, his gaze darkening.

Bai Heming withdrew his fist.

"Bajiquan emphasizes close-quarters combat, close-quarters fighting, and continuous strikes. Power originates from the feet, passes through the legs, waist, and back, and finally reaches the fist. True Qi is only responsible for amplifying this power; it cannot be used to propel you around randomly."

Lu Yunzhou got up and walked to the wooden stake, raising his hand to press down on the stake.

"Did I overexert my internal energy during my fierce battle with Zhuo Chongshan last night?"

"You treat every move as if it were your last."

Bai Heming raised his chin. "If your opponent takes a step back, you take two steps back. If your opponent blocks, you continue to increase your force. Fighting like this, even if you win, you'll still be injured."

Lu Yunzhou recalled the battle last night.

When Zhuo Chongshan first stepped back, he did not stop.

Even after the other party was injured and fled, he still chased them to the edge of the hidden door, not even giving them a chance to catch their breath.

Bai Heming walked to his side and placed his hand on the wooden stake.

"Try again, but don't use full charge."

Lu Yunzhou stood in front of the wooden stake, feet apart, back bent low.

He separated a strand of his true energy and sent it into his right arm.

The fist landed.

The wooden stake wobbled, and a shallow pit appeared on its surface.

The power was dispersed on the surface and failed to penetrate.

Bai Heming raised his hand and patted his elbow.

"The shoulders were raised, but the feet didn't follow."

Lu Yunzhou stood up straight again.

This time, he first stabilized his lower body, then rotated his shoulders and back with his waist, and thrust his right fist out along the wooden stake.

boom.

The wooden stake receded half a foot, and the soil cracked from the base of the stake.

Lu Yunzhou withdrew his fist, a tingling sensation spreading through his arm.

He didn't rush to continue; he first focused his energy back into his dantian.

Bai Heming nodded.

"This is what close-quarters combat is all about. When the distance is close, the shorter the moves, the more you need to concentrate your entire body into one powerful force."

Lu Yunzhou wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"What if my opponent is stronger than me?"

"Survive first, then think about winning."

Bai Heming returned to the stone table, picked up the tea box, and examined it for a few moments.

"You can suppress an eighth-rank cultivator now because of your cultivation technique and foundation. But when you encounter a ninth-rank cultivator, your strength may not be enough. At that time, whoever loses their composure first will collapse."

Lu Yunzhou sat back down in his original spot.

"I don't like losing."

Bai Heming opened the tea box, took out the tea leaves, and smelled them.

"Nobody likes it. But martial arts isn't just about who wins."

Lu Yunzhou looked at him.

Bai Heming put the tea leaves back into the box, his tone becoming serious.

"You need to learn to stop, control your temper, and control yourself. If you always aim to cripple or kill people, you'll eventually end up on a dead end."

Lu Yunzhou gently tapped his knee with his palm, stopping after three taps.

"What if someone blocks my way?"

Bai Heming looked at him, his eyes sharpening.

"Fight if you can, negotiate if you can. If all you have left is murder, others will use the same methods against those around you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yunzhou's fingers stopped on his knee.

The figures of Ye Churan, Feng Qianyi, Mu Qingying, and Shen Luoyan flashed through my mind one after another.

His jaw tightened, and he remained silent for a long time.

Bai Heming didn't try to persuade him further, but simply pushed the tea box aside.

"Stay for dinner, and I'll teach you three more tricks."

Just as Lu Yunzhou was about to agree, a loud bang suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

With a crash, the wooden door fell inward, the latch broke in two, and splinters of wood rolled over the threshold.

Bai Xiaoxi rushed over from the front yard, still holding a broom handle in her hand.

"Grandpa, someone has broken in!"