Chapter 3 Kunpeng

The quiet piano music echoed through the air like a gentle stream, and the humming of the air conditioner was amplified in this environment,

It was a small, not-so-spacious room with little shelves mounted on the walls around, neatly displaying some delicate silver and black ornaments.

On the left side of the room was a small counter, behind which a young clerk was yawning, her pretty face lightly made up with eyeshadow and foundation. The entire shop was filled with the fresh scent of her perfume.

"Whoosh." The bead curtain at the entryway was suddenly swept aside.

A tall, skinny boy walked in, his pale face framed by messy hair, dressed in the Ping City Third Middle School uniform. His white sneakers seemed a bit out of fashion.

However, judging by the boy's confident demeanor, he probably didn't realize the lethal effect his appearance had on the young female clerk.

The beginning smile on the young clerk's face faded immediately after she realized he was a dowdy high school student.

As a clerk at a store selling high-priced Mithril ornaments, while she didn't receive many customers, she could easily tell at a glance that a simple rural student was certainly not among those likely to buy anything.

"Do you have any longswords for sale here? The kind used in martial arts performances?" the boy asked straightforwardly as he approached the counter.

"Longsword?" Although he didn't look like a paying customer, the clerk managed a slight smile. "Little brother, this is a jewelry store. How could we possibly have a longsword here?"

"But I saw one here before."

"Saw one?" The clerk hesitated briefly, "Oh, you mean that katana? That was a collectible item of our store owner's, taken back a while ago. It was a decoration, not for sale."

"Your store owner?" the boy paused.

"Yes, our owner also runs the Kunpeng Martial Arts across the street."

"Kunpeng Martial Arts?" The boy turned his head to look through the clear bead curtain at the door, and saw a large signboard on the second floor of the building opposite, boldly declaring 'Kunpeng Martial Arts'.

"Excuse me, then."

"No problem."

This boy was Lin Fei, who had wandered around and finally found this jewelry store, but he hadn't expected this result. Originally, he had planned just to ask the price so that he could save up for it, but now...

He knew about Kunpeng Martial Arts; it was a well-known martial arts club in the city that offered training in Sanda, combat techniques, boxing, Taekwondo, self-defense, and also provided a comprehensive training facility and equipment. But, he wasn't sure if they offered Sword Dao training.

So for now, he would just have to make do with a wooden stick. The fees for Kunpeng Martial Arts were high, certainly beyond what his family could afford.

Lin Fei walked to an advertisement showcase near the building's entryway and noticed a poster that caught his eye.

'Recruiting Talents—Urgent hiring at Kunpeng Martial Arts for two Muay Thai instructors, two Sword Dao instructors, one boxing instructor. Applicants with high level certification preferred, with a monthly salary of over 5000. Additionally hiring...'

The rest was ignored by Lin Fei as the salary was incredibly attractive for that time.

"If my Basic Sword Technique is really strong, perhaps I could give it a try..."

He had practiced combat sports for many years and knew a bit about these circles; normally when a martial arts gym advertised urgent hiring, there must be an urgent need, possibly due to some special circumstances, like their reputation being tarnished.

In venues like martial arts clubs, it was customary to have one or two instructors always present to control the situation.

These instructors didn't come out normally, but made appearances only when challenges arose, and had to be truly capable to handle the situation.

In his previous life, he had also participated in training at a martial arts club and witnessed a challenge. Every instructor there had been defeated until a fierce man appeared and quickly knocked the challenger to the ground. He had never seen this man in the club before.

From that incidence, he understood the general rules of such organizations.

"Let's go in and see first."

Entering the club, a refreshing coolness hit him face-on, the air conditioning set very low.

The lobby on the first floor was rather empty, and a pretty receptionist sweetly greeted him, making Lin Fei feel a bit uncomfortable.

"To observe the training, please go to the second floor. If you wish to enroll, register here first." The receptionist's smile was automatic, probably from smiling all day, making her facial muscles stiff.

Lin Fei nodded and headed upstairs.

The long hallway had rooms on both sides, some closed and some open, with occasional shouts and the rapid sounds of hitting coming from within.

Some burly men walked out wiping sweat with towels, some in pristine white Taekwondo uniforms, others bare-chested with bulging muscles.

Lin Fei even spotted a couple of women amidst the men. As a few muscular men passed, they carried a strong odor of sweat.

Walking down the corridor, Lin Fei cautiously peered from outside into the rooms. Soon, he found a large room filled with cheering sounds.

Inside, the room was packed with people.

It was as large as an indoor sports arena, probably the largest training space in the whole building.

There were about a hundred people surrounding a sort of boxing ring platform in the center, whistling, swearing, cheering, all mixing into an incredibly noisy atmosphere.

Heavy hitting sounds kept coming from the platform.

"Kill her! Kill her!"

"Damn, even women dare to enter the ring! Change it from Kunpeng to 'little bird' already! Hahaha...."

"Why bother resisting, just shut down Kunpeng altogether!"

"Come on, An Ying! Come on, An Ying!"

In the mix of noises, Lin Fei barely made out a bit of information.

"As expected, it must be a challenge."

Fortunately, he was taller than average and carefully avoided several burly men with dragon tattoos on their arms, finding a good spot to watch the arena.

Although his physical condition was poor now, his former combat skills were still intact, enough to take down an average adult who didn't know combat technique.

However, those who could get in here probably knew a thing or two; it was best to avoid conflicts if possible.

On the spacious arena, a woman dressed in a black tight training outfit was intently facing a bald, shirtless man. Neither had any protective gear; it was clearly a real fight, and it had just begun.

The woman had a beautiful face and coldly stared at her opponent. Her figure was splendid, and her skin reflected an ivory-like sheen under the indoor lighting, clearly well-maintained.

The muscular opponent, however, wore a lewd smile, his eyes constantly roaming over the woman's body.

"Ding!" The clear ring of a bell signaled the start of the fight.

The man suddenly swung a fierce punch toward the woman's head.

The woman deftly dodged to the side, twisting on the ball of her foot and delivering a low sweeping kick.

"Bang!" Her kick was not with the back of her foot but fiercely jabbed with her toe right into the man's kidney area.

"Thunk." The man immediately fell to his knees, clutching his waist and wailing in pain.

The crowd suddenly went quiet. Clearly, nobody expected the woman to be so fierce, instantly taking down her opponent. Such skill was almost at a professional level in Lin Fei's previous life.

But one fight wasn't everything; the next match involved a sanda coach from the woman's side, who was quickly defeated by the opponent.

After that, he didn't watch any further and quietly left.

Such a level was indeed low; Ping City was only a third-tier city, so it was normal for the average standard not to be high.

If it was just at this level, with his previous life's experience, he could catch up quickly.

After leaving the room, Lin Fei recalled the steps and angles of the Basic Sword Technique while heading downstairs.

He had a rough idea of Kunpeng Martial Arts' standards; even if the Basic Sword Technique wasn't great, he could quickly become an instructor using his foundation from his previous life.

However, the more he delved into the Basic Sword Technique, the more he marveled at the extreme and lethal nature embedded within it.

Each targeted area was severely detrimental to the enemy.

The entire sword technique was divided into the Sword of Death and Remnant Sword.

As the names suggest, one part was focused on killing the opponent, and the other was aimed at crippling them.

The deeper he studied, the more mesmerizing he found the power of the Sword of Death, which he sensed could exceed his imaginations.

"Bang." A burly arm collided harshly with Lin Fei.

"Fuck your mother!" The burly man, who was about to go upstairs, instantly became furious and turned around on the staircase to kick at Lin Fei.

"Shit!" Lin Fei was even angrier and kicked back without thinking, his mind already inflamed from being interrupted at a critical moment.

In his previous life, he was just like this; usually calm, but incredibly irritable if disrupted while focusing on something.

"Bang!" The burly man's kick landed squarely on Lin Fei's leg, and after a brief clash, Lin Fei's face turned pale as he slumped against the handrail, clutching his thigh in evident pain.

The burly man looked grim and was about to kick him again when he suddenly felt a twist in his waist. Urged by his companions and after swearing loudly, he spat on the ground and continued upstairs.

"Don't let me fucking see you again, asshole!" the burly man cursed as he went upstairs. Others around seemed used to such incidents, paying little attention.

"Wait till you're crippled, idiot!" Lin Fei's eyes were chilling as he glanced at the burly man's retreating figure. Rubbing his thigh, he calmly stood up.

Although he had clashed with the burly man, injuring his muscle somewhat, he had been studying the Basic Sword Technique, whose steps were also extremely vicious and covert, involving peculiar ways of channeling force and targeting vulnerable points.

The kick he had instinctively executed incorporated this skill.

It might have appeared that he had taken the brunt, but unless something unexpected happened, according to the sword technique's description, the burly man would experience partial paralysis in his lower body after three days. All nerves below his waist would weaken.

If he was lucky and treated promptly, he might recover. If not, he could say goodbye to any career involving physical activity.

This channeling technique was harmful; it hurt the opponent severely but also the user.

Of course, this was because Lin Fei's current physical condition wasn't up to the mark. If he had managed to react faster just now, he could have dodged the man's attack first and then kicked him from the side, like the woman had done. Eliminating the opponent without injury.

But now, although he had a professional fighter's instincts, his physical fitness was far below par.

If that burly man hadn't started the fight by kicking at him on the staircase, Lin Fei wouldn't have been so harsh.

Rolling down the high stairs would have resulted in serious injury or broken bones at the least.

"I really need to work out more." Lin Fei left Kunpeng Martial Arts with a look of displeasure.