Chapter 63: Li Shaojie

Before long, the door to the training room swung open from inside.

Li Ding had a towel draped around his neck. He casually wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the two people waiting outside. When his gaze landed on Shen He, a flicker of bewilderment flashed across his eyes.

He knew Shen He was a quick learner, especially when it came to martial arts—so much so that it was almost frightening. Yet, when he heard from Lin Helu that Shen He had completely exhausted the four senior disciples in just three or four days, he couldn’t help but marvel. This young man seemed to be learning even faster than when he had studied sanda under him. And he certainly wasn’t naive enough to think that mastering weapons was easier than mastering unarmed combat.

Li Ding said, “Come in.”

At his words, Li Jiaojiao beamed and squeezed into the training room. Shen He also stepped in.

At this moment, there was another man standing motionless at the center of the room, his upper body bare, sweat gleaming on his skin beneath the sunlight.

Li Ding closed the door behind them and approached. Looking at Shen He, he said, “I heard from that rascal Lin Helu that you want to challenge a master of internal martial arts?”

Shen He nodded. “Something like that.”

Li Ding smiled. “Well, you’ve come at just the right time. This is a master of internal boxing and my father’s last disciple—Li Shaojie.”

Shen He followed Li Ding’s gesture. The man standing silently in the middle of the room bore the mark of a sixth-rank martial artist.

A hint of surprise flashed in Shen He’s eyes. A sixth-rank martial artist—this was the strongest person he had encountered so far. Unfortunately, to achieve the feat of ‘defeating an opponent of higher rank,’ he needed to kill the opponent. Otherwise, if he were to actually take out a sixth-rank martial artist, the stat boost from ‘defeating a higher rank’ would likely soar to thirty percent—a terrifying increase. Combined with the power orb he’d obtained earlier, his strength boost could rise to thirty-five percent.

As if sensing something, Li Shaojie suddenly opened his eyes, turned, and fixed his gaze on Shen He. He spoke slowly: “So, you’re the martial prodigy Li Ding was talking about?”

Shen He glanced at Li Ding in surprise.

Li Ding shrugged helplessly. “What I said isn’t wrong, is it? You really are a martial prodigy—at least you’re far stronger than Li Shaojie.”

Li Jiaojiao giggled. “Brother, I didn’t expect you to hold a grudge like that.”

Li Ding shot her a glare. “What do you mean, hold a grudge? Am I wrong? You know better than anyone how fast Shen learns.”

Li Shaojie walked over, looking at Shen He. “I hear you’re naturally gifted with strength and a martial genius. Care for a spar?”

At this, Li Jiaojiao quickly took a few steps back in fright. Others might not know, but she was well aware that her senior brother was an utter martial arts fanatic. Whenever he encountered someone formidable, his first words were always, “Let’s spar.”

Seeing this, Li Ding leaned in to whisper in Shen He’s ear, “How about it? My senior brother also possesses natural strength. If you don’t want to fight, just refuse him. He’s got a good martial spirit and won’t force anyone to spar.”

Shen He grinned. “Sure, let’s spar.”

Hearing this, Li Ding shook his head, muttering, “This kid’s just as crazy—doesn’t even know his opponent’s strength and dares to accept outright.”

A smile appeared on Li Shaojie’s face when he heard Shen He’s answer. He turned and walked into the center of the room. “You’re straightforward—much better than Li Ding. My Bajiquan falls within the realm of internal boxing, so it meets your challenge.”

“In the entire city of Xiangxiang, there’s no one who can match me. Even in Henan Province, few can compete.”

“Be careful…”

Shen He smiled. “What a coincidence—I think the same of myself.”

He stepped into the ring, locking eyes with Li Shaojie. Without further ado, they both moved simultaneously, clashing in an instant.

As he felt the force transmitted through their locked arms, a flash of astonishment crossed Shen He’s eyes. He’d used thirty percent of his strength, yet he couldn’t suppress Li Shaojie. That level of strength was already double what an ordinary person could muster. The numbers never matched reality, but even so, Li Shaojie still had the upper hand—proof that Li Ding wasn’t exaggerating about his natural power.

Li Shaojie frowned. “You’re not using your full strength. Are you looking down on me?”

Shen He rotated his shoulders and neck. “Again.”

Without waiting for a reply, he lunged at Li Shaojie, this time using fifty percent of his strength. At last, a hint of delight flickered across Li Shaojie’s face.

The two traded blows furiously in the training room. In terms of raw strength and agility, Shen He had the advantage. But in terms of experience and cunning, Li Shaojie was streets ahead.

If not for Shen He’s superior stats, even his greater strength and agility would not have allowed him to last long against Li Shaojie.

Soon, Shen He relied on his raw numbers to withstand a heavy punch from Li Shaojie, then responded in kind with a kick that landed squarely on his opponent’s chest.

With a dull thud, Li Shaojie was sent flying three meters before crashing hard to the ground.

Li Ding and his sister stared wide-eyed at the scene. They knew Shen He was strong, fast, and a quick learner, but they’d never believed he could beat Li Shaojie. They were well aware how terrifying their senior brother could be.

But this scene shattered their assumptions.

Li Shaojie lay on the ground, catching his breath. Then he broke into a wide grin. “Exhilarating. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a satisfying fight. This time, I lost.”

He took a deep breath and sprang to his feet with a kip-up, rubbing his chest. Turning to Shen He, he said, “If your techniques were more refined, I probably wouldn’t have lasted this long. Still, your learning speed is impressive. During our exchange, I could feel you picking up some of my moves.”

“What Li Ding and the others said is true—you really are a martial prodigy. Want to learn Bajiquan from me?”

Shen He glanced at the lines of small text that appeared before him and shook his head. “I’ll pass. I doubt I’ll have much time to learn in the future.”

Li Shaojie gave Shen He a meaningful look. “Fair enough. But if you ever want to learn, you can find me through Li Ding. I hope you don’t fall behind in the days to come.”

He walked over to Li Ding, grabbed a clean towel from the table, wiped himself off, and left the training room.

Only after Li Shaojie left did Li Ding rush to Shen He’s side, staring at him as if he were a freak, looking him up and down several times before exclaiming, “Are you sure you’re not hiding some kind of monster inside that body of yours?”

Li Jiaojiao nodded in agreement. “I think so too. Xiao Xiao said last time that he almost revealed his true form once.”

Shen He: “…”