Translator: Cinder Translations
---
[Crimson Tiger Force: Blazing Flame (84%) +]
Over an hour later, in the quiet room of the martial arts school.
Chen Feng calmed his mind, suppressed his distractions, and fully digested the medicinal effects of the Flame Origin Pill.
He withdrew his gaze from the status panel and looked down at his legs.
Deep red energy slowly appeared, completely covering his calves.
"Almost there."
The two Limit-breaking points weren't enough to elevate the Crimson Tiger Force to the level of Steel Fire, but Chen Feng wasn't in a hurry.
He still had one more Flame Origin Pill left. He would take it tomorrow and, combined with the Limit-break points, it would definitely be sufficient.
He then took out a white jade porcelain bottle and poured out a Muscle Fortifying Tiger Bone Pill.
He chewed it up and swallowed it.
Outside the quiet room, the core disciples arrived on time, each holding a steel rod, a total of ten of them.
"Let's go."
Chen Feng removed his black shirt, revealing the muscled physique that looked like blocks of stone.
He sank his waist and assumed a horse stance, visualizing the Crimson Tiger.
No matter how turbulent the situation outside, he knew that in the end, it all came down to having enough strength.
Bang!
Suddenly, a muffled explosion sounded, and iron rods fell one after another.
No matter how hard the surrounding core disciples swung their rods, Chen Feng remained still, as if a gentle breeze was blowing past him.
"Senior Brother, is this the martial arts school of the Flame Tiger Sect?"
Outside the school, two figures walked down the street.
Both had tall and muscular builds. The person speaking on the left was about 1.85 meters tall, sporting a crew-cut hairstyle, appearing to be about 22 or 23 years old, wearing a sleeveless gray hoodie.
His exposed arms were muscular and knotted, as if he had been working out in the gym for years.
The person on the right was just over 1.9 meters tall, wearing a loose blue sports jacket, with long, messy hair covering his forehead.
Although his muscles weren't visible, his clothes were tightly stretched across his well-built frame. He also had a black backpack with a sports water bottle on his back, appearing to be in his late twenties or early thirties.
"Yeah, this is the Flame Tiger Sect's branch martial arts school."
"The Flame Tiger Sect has considerable influence in Nanjiang. Last time at the Southern Martial Arts Conference, they ranked 16th, and there are three True Intent-level masters in the sect. They're not weak by any means."
The man with messy long hair spoke softly, glancing at the Crimson Tiger Martial Arts School's sign a few meters away.
Through the glass windows, they could see some disciples practicing inside, throwing punches and kicks while sweating.
The hoodie-wearing youth froze for a moment when he heard this, staring curiously at the practice inside. He asked, "Senior Brother, didn't our master say that the Flame Tiger Sect was once stronger than us?"
"Why are they only ranked 16th now?"
"They've fallen behind, that was over thirty years ago."
The man with messy long hair shook his head and sighed. "The Flame Tiger Sect and the Flying Dragon Sect have always been rivals, fighting for supremacy. One of them had to lose."
"I see."
The hoodie-wearing youth's face darkened slightly. His initial intent to enter and spar had already faded.
He didn't like picking on the weak.
"Though the Flame Tiger Sect has declined, it once produced a grandmaster, so it still has some foundation."
"Especially in terms of strength, they're quite proficient in offensive techniques."
Seeing the youth's thoughts, the man with messy long hair patted his shoulder and smiled. "The Giant Elephant Technique requires some external force to stimulate it, and you're just about at the critical point of mastering it."
"In my opinion, this might be the perfect stepping stone for you."
When the words landed, the hoodie-wearing youth took them to heart.
Without mentioning changing places to train, he immediately stepped forward, planning to follow his senior brother inside.
Tap, tap!
Footsteps echoed.
However, someone was faster than them.
From a distance of seven to eight meters, an elderly and a young figure entered the martial arts school.
Looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the whole first floor of the martial arts school was visible, and soon, the sounds of sparring and teaching began to echo.
"Interesting, seems like they're from the Pine Crane Sect."
The man with messy long hair's eyes gleamed, and he quickly led the hoodie-wearing youth toward the school.
"Pine Crane Sect, Jiang Yuan, I request Flame Tiger Sect to teach me!"
On the first floor of the martial arts school, the loud voice echoed.
Several people, who had come to the school to work out, paused in surprise.
"What's going on?"
"It seems like they're sparring, I remember martial arts sects enjoy this."
"No, this doesn't seem like sparring. It feels more like a challenge to the school."
Discussions spread, and a 25-26-year-old martial arts instructor frowned.
He quickly sent someone to notify the second floor, while stepping forward to observe the elderly and young figures at the door.
The young man who had spoken, likely in his early twenties, wore a small braid and gray casual sportswear. His complexion was healthy, with a faint air of arrogance, his chin slightly raised as he spoke.
The old man next to him wore a traditional Chinese-style robe, embroidered with a white-feathered crane, and stood silently, exuding a calm demeanor.
"I am from the Flame Tiger Sect, Xu Li. May I ask the name of this esteemed senior?"
The instructor walked up, quickly recognizing the old man as the true authority figure.
His face remained calm, though he was internally displeased.
The Pine Crane Sect, from the neighboring Yongcheng, was a martial arts sect of considerable strength.
The two sects usually kept to themselves, and while visiting for sparring was common, being so rude, causing a scene for everyone to witness, was definitely uncalled for.
However, after a quick glance, the old man remained silent, his expression indifferent.
The young man with the braid immediately took the lead, speaking up, "You don't deserve to know my master's name."
"Quickly send out your strongest fighter, let's spar."
His arrogant tone was off-putting, especially with many bystanders around.
If they lost their momentum, what would happen to the reputation of the Flame Tiger Sect?
The thought crossed his mind, and despite his growing frustration, Xu Li suppressed his anger and cupped his hands. "Please, enlighten me."
"Oh? Just you?"
The young man with the braid, Jiang Yuan, sneered, looking around.
"Fine, let's do it. Tell me where we will fight."
"I should warn you, if someone gets hurt or something gets broken, don't blame me."
Xu Li suppressed his anger once again and motioned for them to move toward the first floor's sparring arena.
It was a spacious area designed for sparring practice, about ten meters wide and long.
The two of them walked over.
Tap, tap, tap!
The hurried footsteps echoed on the second floor of the martial arts school.
Core disciples led by their instructors filed out.
Dozens, almost a hundred, stood in the second-floor corridor or gathered on the first floor, surrounding the sparring area.
Six instructors stood in the front row, their expressions varied.
The strongest among them, Cao Tong, looked solemn, immediately recognizing the elderly man in the Pine Crane Sect robe.
"That's Qian Changsong."
Nearby, a newly promoted core disciple who had never heard of the name received an explanation.
"He's an elder from the Pine Crane Sect. He reached the third stage of inner strength a long time ago."
Cao Tong's face grew serious, feeling uneasy.
The third elder was away today.
That meant the key issue was...
"What about the Senior Brother?" he intentionally changed the title, knowing it wasn't good to keep it as is.
"We've already notified him."
"Good."
Cao Tong felt a slight sense of relief. He then turned his attention to the sparring area.
Xu Li leapt up and landed at the center.
Jiang Yuan, with his braid, sneered and immediately performed a graceful leap, landing steadily as if he were a crane.
The display of skill made Cao Tong and the others tense up.
"Perfect mastery of the Organ Training, seems like he's about to reach the next stage."
The strength is not weak, and the key is that the other party is still very young, probably just in his early twenties.
"With so many people watching, what? Do you want to suppress me with numbers?"
Jiang Yuan deliberately provoked and glanced around at the people, then immediately launched a surprise attack.
Whoosh!!
His fingers turned into claws, resembling a pine crane pecking forward.
White light covered his hand, and Xu Li focused in response.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two fought for several rounds, and soon...
Boom!!
A sudden, unexpected strike—Pine Crane strikes the river.
Xu Li was blasted off the stage.
"Junior Brother Xu!"
"Coach Xu!"
Some coaches and disciples rushed forward to help. They could see that Xu Li's face was pale, and his chest had been torn open by the force.
It looked as though the Pine Crane had pecked through his flesh, with fresh blood oozing from the wounds, skin torn and flesh mangled, nearly exposing bone.
"I... I'm fine," Xu Li said weakly, feeling ashamed. Cao Tong's expression was serious, realizing the opponent's malicious intent and the heavy blow.
He instructed someone to send Xu Li for treatment while suppressing his own emotions, preparing to go up and deal with it.
"Tsk tsk tsk, not good enough."
"If the coach is at this level, then you guys are probably just as weak."
Jiang Yuan stood on the platform, surveying everyone with disdain, forcing the core disciples to turn red in anger.
Wu Tian, frustrated and eager to go up, was held back by Pei Yue, knowing that he hadn't mastered the skills yet.
Lin Hao also frowned, but before he could speak, Jiang Yuan continued:
"Stop wasting time. Next! Hurry up!"
"If we lose again, maybe we should just rename the Flame Tiger School to the Weak Cat School."
Tap tap tap!
Footsteps echoed from the second floor of the dojo.
"Senior Brother!"
"Senior Brother!"
Some of the core disciples reacted and immediately shouted.
In an instant, all eyes turned toward them, including Cao Tong, who was preparing to step onto the stage.
"Oh? There's a Senior Brother?" Jiang Yuan looked up with a smirk, spotting a tall man in black, surrounded by core disciples, standing at the edge of the second-floor railing.
The man was tall and burly, calm and composed.
One was looking down, the other looking up.
Feeling slightly confused, Jiang Yuan thought to himself that he had at least trained with some true disciples who had reached the first stage of "Inner Strength" in the school.
Still smirking, Jiang Yuan raised his chin and pointed, continuing his provocation: "You seem to have some skill. What, do you dare come down and spar?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the dojo looked at Chen Feng.
"Cao Tong."
Chen Feng called out lowly, not moving an inch.
"Here!"
Cao Tong, with a cold expression, directly ignored Jiang Yuan and called out.
"Shut his mouth."
The atmosphere fell silent.
The elderly man in the crane robe at the door slightly opened his eyes and furrowed his brows, showing a cold expression.
However, in contrast, Cao Tong's expression brightened. He responded with a loud roar.
"Yes!"
He leaped up without hesitation.
Boom!
The towering, muscular figure landed on the stage, shaking the ground, and Jiang Yuan finally snapped back to reality.
You look down on me?
You want to shut my mouth?
His expression turned ugly, and he immediately erupted with killing intent, extending his hand and releasing his power.
Whoosh!!
Like a pine crane pecking forward, the air rippled with sharp, whistling sounds.
But Cao Tong remained unfazed, as did Chen Feng on the second floor, showing no signs of concern.
Cao Tong had almost broken through to "Inner Strength" previously, and recently, because of his own efforts, he had received a secret medicine and true skills from the school.
Considering the timing and sensing his nearing breakthrough, he knew he was close to entering "Inner Strength."
Boom!!
The clash of fist against claw sent a shockwave through the air. Cao Tong grinned fiercely.
"Kid, I've been pent up for a while now!"
Buzz!
A faint red energy flowed through his arm, covering most of his limb with power.
Clenching his fist, raising his elbow, and striking heavily!
Boom!!
The two fists met, and Jiang Yuan staggered back, retreating a few steps on the stage, stumbling into the ropes.
Cao Tong took advantage of the situation, rushing forward to deliver a humiliating lesson, just as Chen Feng had instructed.
"Good courage!"
Suddenly, Qian Changsong, who had been standing at the foot of the stage, seemed to have anticipated this moment.
A cold light flashed in his eyes, and in the next instant, he vanished into thin air, soaring into the air to land on the stage.
Screech!!
The real "White Crane Spreads Its Wings."
The afterimage hung in the air as a crane's call rang out.
Everyone felt a vibration in their ears. The tall youth in the gray sweatshirt outside the window had a serious expression.
Cao Tong, sensing the impending danger, gritted his teeth, ready to endure.
But in the next second...
Roar!!!
The sound of a tiger's roar erupted, shaking the dojo.
A flash of deep crimson energy surged, and the stage cracked beneath the force.
The deafening explosion sent Qian Changsong flying out of the dojo, crashing into several fitness equipment.
Boom boom boom! Crash!
He slid across the floor, leaving two long marks from his legs, stopping just before the window.
His face turned pale, and blood poured from his throat.
Qian Changsong stared at the towering figure in black standing in front of Cao Tong, feeling more shocked than ever before.
"So you're this weak."
With a calm tone, Chen Feng raised his right arm, covered with deep crimson energy.
He stood like a massive mountain, suppressing the entire scene, gathering all eyes upon him.
Without even glancing at Jiang Yuan, who was close by, trembling and pale, he looked down at Qian Changsong, who was seven or eight meters away, and simply gave a cold choice.
"If you can't even take one of my slaps..."
"You tell me, should you not kneel and beg for mercy? Or... you can prepare yourself to die."
(End of the Chapter)
---
Read (MF) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c162. [+5k Words]
Early Access at $5.
Translated (5) Series, (2K+) Chapters, (2.5M+) Words.
🎁If I can get 5 Reviews on WebNovel and ScribbleHub Combined, I'll do a mass release. (2/5)