Chapter 24: One Punch!

The practice area inside the gate was not particularly large, its floor paved with massive, exceptionally level bluestone slabs. A dozen or so students were scattered along the edges, watching the two figures standing opposite each other in the center with palpable anticipation.

The excitement on Brother Hu’s face was irrepressible. He kept knocking his fists together and dancing on his feet with quick, crossing steps; if not for the Hung Ga practice uniform he was wearing, one might have mistaken him for a boxer.

"Young man, do you not need to remove that monocle?"

Li Xia paused for a moment before realizing he was still wearing his power level scanner. He hesitated, then shook his head. The display currently showed Brother Hu’s power level as 3—a very high rating. For an ordinary person, a difference of even one point was enough to be utterly crushed, and Li Xia’s own baseline power level was only around 2.3. However, with his breathing technique fully engaged, he could reach 4, comparable to an adult wielding a shotgun.

Li Xia had used the scanning feature extensively, but now he wanted to test the combat assistance function.

"No, it’s fine." The Scout Type I looked delicate and fragile, but it was actually incredibly sturdy and durable; after all, in Dragon Ball, people wore them while fighting. If it shattered at a touch, it wouldn't deserve to be called an auxiliary combat system.

"You don't need to take it off?" Brother Hu was stunned, yet he felt no sense of being slighted. On the contrary, he grew even more excited. This was a master! This was absolute self-confidence! He wasn't a fool; the marble slab outside was still there, and Brother Hu knew he couldn't replicate such terrifying force himself.

"Hey, have you heard the story about Brother Hu?"

Li Xia’s ears twitched; the Scout picked up the hushed conversation below.

"What story?"

"Brother Hu once joined a large S&M group, and within a month, he was hailed as a top-tier 'S'!"

"Hiss! Brother Hu... had such a past?"

"Later, he got kicked out!"

"What? Why?"

"Because the group leader discovered that Brother Hu didn't actually enjoy it—he just purely liked hitting people!"

"Pfft!" Laughter erupted from both the sidelines and the center. Li Xia felt his stomach ache from holding back, his breathing rhythm disrupted. *The hell with 'liking to hit people'!*

Brother Hu looked confused. "What's wrong?"

Li Xia waved a hand, struggling to suppress his laughter, and straightened his posture. "N... nothing."

"Shall we begin then?" The passion surging in Brother Hu’s heart could no longer be contained. He loved to fight; he loved the feeling of fist against flesh. But ever since he had learned boxing and then apprenticed under Qi Guanjun to master orthodox Hung Ga, fewer and fewer people were capable of fighting him. Brother Hu could not bring himself to strike the innocent or the weak, and he disdained doing so. Now that he had finally encountered a 'master,' how could he hold back?

He cupped his left hand over his right and bowed slightly three times. "I am Qi Hu, fifth-generation successor of Hung Ga, student of Qi Guanjun! Today, I wish to spar with you! Let’s go until... no, let’s have a good, thorough fight!"

What a reckless fellow. Without even asking Li Xia’s background, he stepped forward with his right foot, touching his toes to the ground to form a false stance. This was a standard opening for real combat, and he lunged forward like a fierce tiger.

Li Xia was startled. Having just been laughing at the joke, his breathing had been thrown off, and he had only just readjusted. He steadied his mind, shifted his feet, and sidestepped the center line.

With a whistling sound, Qi Hu, who had passed him, used one foot as a pivot, his arm whipping around like a giant python.

*So fast!* Li Xia’s pupils constricted. He crossed his arms to protect his chest, but the force of the strike was surprisingly immense. The impact sent Li Xia stumbling back several steps.

"Oh—!" A gasp echoed from the watching students. Brother Hu looked puzzled; why did something feel off? But the instinct honed by years of martial arts kept his body moving. Southern Hung Ga emphasized long bridges and stable stances, focusing on explosive power.

Qi Hu let out a sharp cry, using his breath to drive his strength, and struck out with a palm. "Young man, if you respect me, Qi Hu, use your full strength!"

*Hiss—!*

The sound of air being sucked in, like a great whale drinking from the sea, resonated through the training hall.

*Thump!*

Li Xia’s heart beat heavily like a war drum. His blood seemed to boil, and for a split second, everything around him slowed down. Qi Hu’s palm looked like a claw yet not, the veins on the back of his hand knotted, his sleeves pressed against his arms by the wind, revealing robust muscles. Sunlight spilled through the skylight, and the tiny dust motes seemed to freeze in place.

*Hoo—*

Li Xia slammed his left foot hard onto the bluestone. A crisp *crack* sounded as fissures spread across the slab. Power surged from his foot, traveling up his spine. This was the first time Li Xia had executed a strike using the correct method.

*Total Concentration Breathing!*

In Qi Hu’s vision, the fist grew larger and larger until it filled his entire field of view. *Am I... am I going to die?* The shadow of death loomed over him.

But the fist brushed past his cheek and stopped by his ear. The wind from the punch stung his face, and his ears rang with a thunderous roar.

Qi Hu stood frozen, his body stiff. The once-noisy training hall fell into absolute silence. The students stood with mouths agape, eyes nearly popping out. What had just happened? It felt like a mere instant, as if the young man had skipped frames, appearing directly beside Brother Hu. And that massive sound of inhalation—was that something a human could produce?

"You... you guys look at the floor..." A student pointed, trembling, at the ground where Li Xia had stepped.

"Hiss—" The collective gasp of the crowd was perfectly synchronized, and far louder than Li Xia’s breathing had been. *Good heavens!* That was high-quality bluestone; even a hammer would struggle to break it, and he cracked it with one stomp? Many of the younger students couldn't help but gulp, looking at Li Xia as if he were a divine being.

Li Xia slowly retracted his fist. His arm and left leg throbbed with a dull, stinging pain. Checking his HP, he saw it had dropped by about 3%. A realization dawned on him. That strike had exceeded his body's limits. Even in the original story, the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps and Tanjiro’s father had undergone grueling training to temper their bodies before they could unleash the power of the Breathing Techniques. Even then, there was still a limit.

But he was different. Ordinary humans had caps, but he did not. As long as he had enough attribute points, he could continue to grow stronger indefinitely!

Brother Hu finally regained his senses. His body seemed drained of strength, and he stumbled back a few steps—a side effect of the massive adrenaline dump. His eyes shone with a feverish, burning light, as devout as a pilgrim seeking the Tao. He asked respectfully, "How... how can one train to reach your level?"

Before Li Xia could answer, a resonant voice came from the doorway:

"In your next life!"

Looking toward the sound, they saw a man standing at the edge of the field, hands behind his back.

"Master?!"