Chapter 112: Black Fist
Chapter 112: Black Fist
Kume Nansho thought for a while and came up with a compromise.
He decided to teach the kid for some time—Sakaki Tetsuhei, that brat, was completely useless at teaching disciples, so he figured he might as help guide the younger generation a bit.
This didn’t count as teaching, just some “guidance.”
Kume Nansho pondered for a long time before finally putting together a justification for himself.
…
Fang Jing felt he had made significant progress recently, and his attribute data had also improved.
He glanced at his recent stats and was quite satisfied.
Name: Nishizuka Tsukasa
Age: 17
Occupation: Primary Fate Devourer
Fate Hue: Bronze
Strength Attribute: 5.4
Physique Attribute: 6.5
Speed Attribute: 5.2
Stamina Attribute: 2.0
Mind Attribute: 2.7
The combat skills of the Dragon Division and Snake Division had advanced to a high level, and his Stamina Attribute had increased by 0.2.
Lately, he had also learned some other knowledge-based skills, so his Mind Attribute had improved as well.
(All three core attributes—Strength, Physique, Speed—had surpassed 5. I completely surpassed the limits of human athletes in the surface world. If I competed in events focused on physical ability, I could sweep all the championships.)
He clearly understood that after his three core attributes had risen across the board, he had grown to a terrifying level.
It still wasn’t enough! Not nearly enough! Far from enough!
Even when he killed Kuranaga last time, it was only because he had the help of that Fang Hunter girl. Without her Exorcism Blade, the outcome of the battle would have been uncertain…
“The only surprising thing was that after Kuranaga died, I also obtained a Fate Grade.”
Only, it wasn’t a common Miscellaneous Fate.
Instead, a strange Fate Grade had appeared.
Without even closing his eyes, he could clearly see through his consciousness that a new Fate Grade had appeared on his panel.
It was a Fate Fragment, only half complete. When it was stripped from the Corpse Hound, only half remained. Unlike other Fate Grades, this new one was just a faint, illusory shadow.
(Fate Fragment: Fierce Wrath)
(This is an incomplete Fate Fragment. Its lingering embers are nourished by fierce rage. The more “Fierce Wrath” burns, the stronger it becomes…)
“Only half… Why is it only half?”
Fang Jing couldn’t quite figure it out, but the strangeness of the “Fate Fragment” wasn’t limited to just this one or two aspects. There were plenty of other confusing points, and the only way was to explore them slowly.
He shook his head slightly, focused his mind, and turned his attention to his own body. His muscles remained soft yet tense, and he didn’t forget to maintain the fighting stance of the Huanzang Style.
Across from him, Kume Nansho didn’t adopt any particular posture. His feet were slightly apart, and his hands hung naturally at his sides.
Even so, Kume Nansho gave off a feeling of being as solid as a mountain.
“Don’t call me teacher. Besides, I haven’t taught you anything. We’re just exchanging moves…”
Even in this casual stance, Kume Nansho had no openings or flaws from head to toe.
His skills were ingrained in his bones; every movement he made had a strange beauty to it.
Fang Jing admired this greatly. He didn’t know how Kume Nansho had trained himself, but in his view, reaching such a flawless level must have taken an extremely long time.
Of course, someone like himself, who had the cheat of Growth Value, was probably an exception.
“Don’t just stand there foolishly. Attack as you please!”
“Alright!”
This was free sparring. During this period, Kume Nansho would practice with him.
The Cloud Dragon Willow movement technique was one thing.
But the Snake Division’s Coiling Flow technique couldn’t be learned through solo practice alone, so Kume Nansho had stepped in to personally guide him.
In addition to guidance, they also sparred with each other.
This sparring wasn’t a real fight; both sides were just demonstrating moves, aiming to stop their attacks an inch away from hitting the other person.
At first, Fang Jing wasn’t used to it, but as time went on, he became completely absorbed in the practice.
His hands and feet flew about, but he didn’t put any force into the movements—it was just going through the motions of the techniques and actions.
Kume Nansho’s movements were similar, but he was more experienced and moved with effortless ease.
Fang Jing would try shoulder charges, elbow strikes, and kicks aimed at him, and Kume Nansho would skillfully deflect or intercept them, while Fang Jing’s movements would halt mid-air.
Both of them moved, twisted, and shifted using the Cloud Dragon Willow footwork, almost as if they were dancing gracefully.
Fang Jing could feel that Kume Nansho was guiding him to move his body and, by using himself as a model, constantly “correcting” every one of his actions.
The exchange of attacks between them was both a demonstration and a form of instruction and correction.
During this process, Fang Jing’s mind grew calm. He found that he could control his body more and more freely.
The “Cloud Dragon Willow” movement technique had redeveloped his body, allowing him to control the pace of his limbs and waist movements more naturally. His mind guided his movements, unrestricted and free.
Kume Nansho began to quicken the tempo of his movements, and Fang Jing adjusted accordingly. The two of them were like musicians playing different instruments, moving freely as their melodies blended and harmonized, constantly integrating sound and rhythm.
Through this process, Kume Nansho continuously drew out Fang Jing’s latent ability, gauging his true level.
“Impressive. This kid is hiding his skills well. In terms of technique alone, he might have even surpassed Sakaki Tetsuhei…”
“With talent like this, calling it one in ten thousand wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Sakaki Tetsuhei said he’s only been learning for a few months—who knows if that’s true or not.”
“Perhaps this kid called Nishizuka really has what it takes to learn my Huanzang Style…”
Should he really pass on all the techniques of the Huanzang Style to him?
He still had some reservations about this.
Letting the Huanzang Style disappear into history along with him was just a helpless thought.
A big part of it was that finding an excellent successor was extremely difficult.
Another reason was that he was afraid of entrusting it to the wrong person.
The teacher he respected, who had taught him the Huanzang Style fist techniques, was killed by a traitor.
This was something he had never been able to get over.
Meeting a promising talent like “Nishizuka Tsukasa” made him hesitate. In the past, that man had also been a martial artist of exceptional talent, and the path he chose…
(Forget it. I’ll test him a bit more and see if he really has the potential…)
Halfway through the practice, Kume Nansho called for a stop.
Fang Jing hadn’t even broken a sweat, but he felt this kind of training was very beneficial for him.
Kume Nansho was indeed a skilled teacher.
“So, teacher, how am I doing with my training now?”
For Fang Jing’s question, Kume Nansho decided not to brush it off any longer and answered honestly.
“Your aptitude is pretty good. I have taught you almost all of Torrent Skill, Cloud Dragon Willow’s movement techniques, and Snake Division’s skills. The rest can’t be understood just by listening. I think you need to polish them in actual combat…”
“Actual combat?”
“That’s right. Are you interested in coming with me?”
He curled his finger and said to him with a grin.
It was a little surprising, but not too surprising.
Accompanying Kume Nansho, he and this mysterious martial arts expert arrived at an unexpected place.
They walked through a passage, and outside was a circular corridor with a very obvious curve. Although the space wasn’t very large, the clever layout gave people a relatively open view.
In the center was a large iron cage. Two fighters, bare-chested, were fighting with their bare hands, and they fought until they were covered in blood.
On the concave side of the wall hung many display screens showing exciting matches.
“Teacher, this is an underground boxing ring.”
Fang Jing knew at a glance that this was a place for illegal boxing matches.
The two fighters in the ring fought without any restraint, and there wasn’t even a referee in the ring.
“Of course. Isn’t it surprising? Even in Kitsuwa City, such places exist.”
Kume Nansho narrowed his eyes into slits.
“Moreover, they hold small-scale matches here. Although the venue isn’t very big, the local Iwamoto Group controls this place. Still, they make a good amount of money every day.”
“…”
Fang Jing glanced at the ring. The tall fighter roared and punched the other fighter until his face was covered in blood, and he spat out his teeth.
He leaped forward and drove his knee into the other’s chest, right over the heart.
The latter fell to the ground like a log with a loud thud. Seeing this beautiful KO, sharp whistles and shouts came from the stands all around.
The audience cheered and jumped for joy. The noise echoing in the enclosed circular space grew louder and more chaotic.
“Pretty boring…”
Fang Jing didn’t have much opinion about this. He hated meaningless, time-wasting behavior the most.
But this world was full of even more boring people, and most of their lives were spent wasting time.
Most of the audience in the underground boxing stands were people filled with madness, greed, violence, bloodlust, and destructive desires. Just being in this environment, he could almost smell a murky flow of certain emotions.
“It is indeed boring, but some people are always enthusiastic about these things…”
Kume Nansho shared the same view as him.
“You can also take free challenges in these underground matches; it’s a gimmick for the event. Nishizuka, are you interested in going up and giving it a try?”
“Challenge?”
Fang Jing frowned and asked, puzzled, “I remember this underground boxing ring is controlled by the local mafia, right? Won’t we get in trouble if we act recklessly?”
“The Iwamoto Group’s reputation is pretty good, and they don’t go too far… Speaking of which, you’re not scared now, are you!”
“Scared!”
Fang Jing said calmly, “I wouldn’t say scared, but I don’t want to deal with the mafia either. Those people always make things complicated.”
“Stop all the nonsense. If you want to do it, do it. If not, then don’t.”
Kume Nansho’s tone became a bit impatient. “I still have to go watch horse racing later. You’d better decide quickly.”
“Alright, I’ll do as you decide, teacher.”
Being told this, Fang Jing had no choice. He would just follow Kume Nansho’s decision. He always felt that this Kume teacher had an elusive way of doing things.
“Good, I’m glad you agreed.”
Kume Nansho chuckled softly. Suddenly, he also said with a serious expression, “But there’s one thing I need to clarify in advance. Let’s make a three-point agreement between us. When you go up on stage, you cannot use Huanzang Style’s martial arts, and you are not allowed to use Sakaki Tetsuhei’s Shaolin boxing.”
“What does that mean?”
Fang Jing was a little confused. Before coming, Kume Nansho said that his skills needed to be polished in actual combat. But now he was telling him to go on stage but not to use the skills he had learned. This contradictory intention naturally made him feel very strange.