Direct Disciple (2400+)

Translator: Cinder Translations

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TL/N: Direct and Personal disciple maybe used interchangeably.

That day, because of his conversation with Lin Hao, Chen Feng accompanied him all the way to the practice room.

Wu Tian, Pei Yue, and others were already inside, and the other passing students looked at him with envy and admiration.

By now, almost everyone in the core class knew about his special treatment.

A private meditation room, individual training.

He could be considered the only one like that in the entire branch martial arts hall.

"This guy..."

Wu Tian felt a twinge of pain in his teeth, as if the ones that had been knocked out were hurting again.

His aunt had been supporting him at first, but ever since Chen Feng broke through the Tiger Roar level, his aunt had suggested that he lower his stance and try to get along with him.

This feeling was something he had trouble accepting.

"Didn't you also break through to Tiger Roar and start training your bones?" Pei Yue said with a grin. After a day or two, he had recovered from the blow.

Wu Tian was somewhat tempted, but just then, he saw Cao Tong walking toward them, arriving at the door of the practice room.

"Hmm?"

Cao Tong suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on Chen Feng.

At first, his expression was calm, but when he sharply sensed the change in Chen Feng's physique and a faint feeling of danger, Cao Tong's eyes changed.

"You broke through to the Mighty Tiger?" His voice carried a hint of suspicion, while Lin Hao and the other students were confused.

Mighty Tiger? What is that?

"Mm."

Chen Feng nodded in response.

"Shh!!"

Cao Tong sucked in a breath, looking at him with astonishment.

In just two days, he broke through to the Mighty Tiger level? This kid's talent in physical strength was more terrifying than in martial arts?

"Want to spar?"

Cao Tong's eyes sharpened, and he immediately spoke up.

Had it not been for their previous interactions, he might have doubted Chen Feng's sincerity, but seeing how Chen Feng seemed uninterested in lying, he couldn't help but want to confirm it himself.

"Alright."

Chen Feng nodded, eager to give it a try.

Cao Tong was a well-known figure in the martial arts hall, already at professional level 7.

Some even speculated that he had surpassed this level and might become the next true disciple.

So, when the rare opportunity to spar with him arose, Chen Feng was naturally eager to see for himself how strong his Mighty Tiger breakthrough truly was.

"This spot is good. It's spacious."

Cao Tong quickly led him into the practice room and instructed Wu Tian and the others to step back to avoid any accidents.

The two stood facing each other in the center of the wooden floor.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding students finally came to their senses, their faces filled with astonishment.

"Is this for real? Coach Cao is actually going to spar with Chen Feng?"

"How is this possible? Has Chen Feng become strong enough to fight him?"

"Not necessarily. Maybe he's just going to let him have some moves."

Most of the speculation leaned toward Cao Tong letting Chen Feng show off some skills.

But Cao Tong didn't offer any explanations, just standing two meters away from Chen Feng, smiling as he said, "Go ahead, give it your best shot."

"Use your full strength."

At those words, Chen Feng took a deep breath.

If Cao Tong knew about his breakthrough to the Mighty Tiger level and still dared to speak like this, he must have the confidence to back it up.

Chen Feng didn't hesitate. He calmed his mind, forcing his emotions under control, and focused.

Whoosh!

A puff of white air escaped his lips, and a sense of oppressive energy filled the room.

Wu Tian and the others were all shocked, and even Cao Tong raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Then, under their gazes, Chen Feng suddenly bent his knees and stomped on the ground. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his original position.

Whoosh!!

His figure shot through the air leaving behind a smoking trail, now right in front of Cao Tong.

With a cold expression, Chen Feng stood firm, his spine straightening, and his right arm's muscles rolled like stones, forming an incredible amount of power.

Buzz!

A howling noise erupted as the tremendous force tore the air apart!

At least five hundred kilograms, surpassing the so-called peak professional level.

Boom!

However, when their palms met, to Chen Feng's surprise, Cao Tong simply stepped back and raised his palm to deflect the strike.

"Hmm?"

Chen Feng's gaze sharpened, and he soon felt a chill.

Boom!!!

A swift palm struck his chest, and the power was almost on par with his own.

Tch tch!

Chen Feng slid back two steps, lowering his head and looking at his chest.

A flash of white light vanished, trying to penetrate his skin, but was immediately blocked by his tough skin.

"Power?" Chen Feng asked, puzzled. Cao Tong's fist still hovered in the air, his eyes gradually growing bright.

So this was the Mighty Tiger level—there was no way he could have easily defended against his power otherwise.

"That's right."

Cao Tong nodded slightly and lowered his fist to explain, "What you're practicing is internal refining, which strengthens the five internal organs, thus generating power."

"From there, it repeats, expanding the power or practicing some true martial arts to increase its potency and unify it."

Whoosh!

As he spoke, Cao Tong's figure shot forward, leaving a blur in his wake, closing in on Chen Feng.

His eyes were bright, sharp, full of light.

"Keep going!"

"Don't stop!"

Boom!!

As their palms met again, Chen Feng stood his ground, his muscles feeling as heavy as cement blocks.

A blast of air surged, and the students around them widened their eyes in amazement.

Buzz!

In an instant, another palm struck.

The sound of rushing air was loud, and the white light gathered rapidly around Cao Tong's palm.

Boom!!

Another strike hit Chen Feng's left shoulder. The sensation on his skin felt strange, as if something were trying to crawl into his body through the pores.

Not daring to be careless, he stood firm as his body trembled violently.

This was the power of the Mighty Tiger. Once attacked, it would trigger a retaliatory shock!

Step step step!

Cao Tong staggered back several steps as the force was shaken off and forced out by Chen Feng's countershock.

"Haha, it's really Mighty Tiger! Truly impervious to blades and spears!"

Cao Tong laughed heartily, his tone filled with excitement and approval, even causing the other students to look on with envy.

But before anyone could respond, Chen Feng suddenly darted forward, charging like a spear.

If he didn't strike back, wouldn't he appear rude? He also wanted to see for himself what his full strength looked like.

Buzz! 

In an instant, over 500 kilograms of force gathered.

Without using the Explosive Fist, it was still a storm of punches.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!

A series of rapid punches.

Charging punches, whip punches, hooking punches.

White flashes exploded in mid-air, and Cao Tong reacted quickly, speeding up his palms to counter each blow, taking them head-on and deflecting them all.

Gradually, the two of them were engaged in combat, back and forth.

The terrifying intensity continued, and the surrounding students were already dumbfounded.

"Is this real?"

Someone muttered, and Pei Yue's face was numb, realizing he might need another couple of days to recover.

As for Wu Tian, his face had turned pale, gradually understanding his aunt's intentions.

Boom! 

Another punch collided, and both stepped back a few paces.

Chen Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing something unusual.

He had secretly used 20-30% of his Explosive Fist, and his strength had gradually increased to 600-700 kilograms.

But even with that, Cao Tong remained at ease, never showing any change in his expression.

"Is this... the power of internal qi?"

A thought flashed through his mind, but he didn't realize that Cao Tong was just as surprised.

"This kid is strange."

"Why does he seem even stronger than those few in the inner sect who have reached the Tiger Roar level?"

Cao Tong thought to himself, his hands swinging slightly to relieve the numbing feeling from using Internal qi for an extended period.

He hadn't fully tapped into his Internal qi yet, and using it for so long had a certain burden.

Not to mention, this kid's strength was unexpectedly high.

Just as he saw the other person readying himself again, with a look of full energy as if the warm-up was just finishing, he immediately raised his hand and stopped.

"That's enough! No more!"

"You've got really thick skin; this is no fun."

After finishing, Cao Tong turned around, his arms crossed in front of his chest, with a calm expression on his face.

"Did you all see? This is the real mastery of martial arts."

"Make sure you train hard, don't slack off!"

He deliberately lectured the stunned students, and from the corner of his eye, he glanced at Chen Feng. Seeing him slowly retracting his power, Cao Tong finally let out a sigh of relief.

Damn, that was close.

"Chen Feng, come, let's go."

"Okay."

Chen Feng nodded lightly. Though he hadn't had enough of the fight, he still followed quietly and walked away.

The students stood on both sides with complex expressions, and Pei Yue suddenly remembered what Wu Tian had said before.

So, talent really does vary.

"You must be a natural hard-style practitioner. Not only is your strength unusually great, but the effect of the secret medicine you absorbed is also stronger than others."

As they walked, Cao Tong praised him with many words. Chen Feng listened quietly, not explaining anything.

He knew the other person had misunderstood, thinking he had broken through to the Tiger Roar level just with the help of the Rock Tiger Pill.

As for the use of Explosive Fist, Cao Tong probably hadn't realized it and thought it was due to his natural body talent.

He didn't mind though and immediately asked a question that had been bothering him.

"Brother Cao, what exactly is Internal qi?"

He described the feeling he had earlier, where despite the other's strength being weaker, the reliance on Internal qi made them evenly matched.

He even sensed that this wasn't Cao Tong's full strength.

"Internal qi, it's the power hidden within the five organs and six bowels."

Cao Tong's expression became serious, leading him to the elevator door and pressing the button. "The martial arts path is a process of unlocking the mysteries of the human body, and that's why martial arts were once so glorious."

"Internal qi is both invisible and tangible. To a certain extent, it's also the integration of your entire body's power, but it's more sophisticated than just swinging fists or kicking."

"It can amplify the power of your moves, and it can also be used for defense, such as some experts who have entered the Internal qi level. If their Internal qi is strong enough, they can even resist ordinary bullets."

"That's about it. After you break through to the Tiger Might level with the Flame Tiger Stance, you'll naturally understand when you get a bit of Internal qi."

Cao Tong explained briefly, and Chen Feng seemed to understand.

Then, the two walked out of the elevator.

During this time, he also learned something else from Cao Tong.

"Above the professional level internationally, there's also the master level."

"The martial arts in the Platinum Federation aren't inferior to the martial arts styles of our Red Country. They call fighters who can exceed a ton of strength 'Fighting Masters.'"

"And we call it 'Entering Internal qi,' which they call 'Martial Arts Masters.'"

With just a few simple words, the martial arts world ahead of him opened up wider.

Chen Feng assessed his own strength and roughly understood his current level.

In his normal state, without a martial arts lineage, he was on par with those nearing the completion of their hard-style training.

When using the Azure Armor form or fully utilizing Explosive Fist, he could barely be considered at the master level.

A thought passed through his mind, and the two had already passed through the metal corridor and arrived at the familiar medicinal herb room.

The smell of herbs wafted through the cracks in the wooden cabinet. Third Elder, wearing a gray robe, was lying on a wooden recliner, resting with his eyes closed.

"Third Elder."

"Mm?"

Before Cao Tong could speak, Third Elder suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Chen Feng.

A sharp light flashed, and the next second, he vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already standing in front of Chen Feng, reaching out to grab his arm.

"How fast!"

Chen Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, not even seeing the other's movements clearly.

If not for the fact that he felt no malice in his perception, he might have reacted with force.

"Tiger Roar!!"

A surprised voice came from Third Elder. He stood in front of Chen Feng, sizing him up.

His cloudy eyes grew deeper, and soon, he revealed a broad smile.

"Good boy, looks like your talent in hard-style training is exceptional."

"Very good, very good. Our Flame Tiger lineage has finally found a gem."

He praised him repeatedly. Chen Feng remained calm, but Cao Tong beside him showed a look of envy.

He knew Third Elder's personality, and it was rare for him to praise a junior so much.

"Third Elder, as you said, if Chen Feng succeeds in his hard-style training in these few days, we'll bring him here."

"Is there something good going on?"

Suppressing his thoughts, Cao Tong quickly asked.

When Third Elder heard this, his smile faded, and he released Chen Feng's arm, nodding lightly before returning to his recliner.

"That's right, there is something."

"Ah?" Cao Tong was surprised, not expecting his guess to be correct.

"You're a core disciple, and you don't even know the latest news in the sect?"

He scolded Cao Tong lightly before turning his attention back to Chen Feng.

"The sect leader has come out of seclusion."

"He's going to select a direct disciple from this batch of core students. Each lineage can recommend one person."

"Chen Feng, how about it? Want to give it a try?"

(End of the Chapter)

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Translated 4 Series, 1.65K+ Chapters and 2.01M+ Words.