Chapter 10: A Deal

A red robed man in his early twenties entered the Pointers Hall and as expected, except Zixin, there was no one else in the hall. 

"Junior Brother, are you ready to receive pointers from me?"

"Senior Brother, how should I address you?" asked Zixin.

"Bao, call me Senior Bao." answered Bao.

"Junior Zixin greets Senior Brother Bao." said Zixin as he cupped his fists and greeted the man 

"Junior Zixin, let's not waste time with formalities, do you want pointers or not? Don't waste my precious time."

"Okay, Senior Bao, I'm ready when you are."

"Then let's spar!" shouted Bao while lunging at Zixin. Zixin crossed his arms over his chest and took on the full brunt of his attack. Zixin was pushed back a few steps by the punch but he didn't incur any damage. 

"Mhm?" Bao frowned while looking at his trembling hand. 

'Such strong bones!' he exclaimed inwardly.

"Senior Brother Bao, please enlighten me!" shouted Zixin while running towards Bao. Bao then channelled Spirit Qi around his arms, strengthening them. 

[Fist Technique: Buffalo Ox Punches!]

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! 

A barrage of punches landed on Zixin's body, leaving dents on his flesh and slowly pushing him back. Zixin only protected his chest and face and endured the excruciating pain without groaning even once. Bao was relentless with his attacks but soon, fatigue hit him and he knelt on the floor with one knee while panting hard. Beads of sweat covered his forehead and his clothes were sticking to his body because of the sweat. 

"Senior Brother Bao, thank you for your pointers, I learned a lot from you but it seems it wasn't enough. Please pay up." said Zixin. 

"Junior Brother, quite an impressive body you have there. Such defence is something I haven't seen in a long time in the sect. Continue to work hard." said Bao while throwing a small bag with blood pills inside. Zixin opened the bag and started counting the pills to see if Bao had played tricks on him or not. Bao then stood up and walked towards the door but as he was about to leave, an idea struck him and he ran towards Zixin. 

"Junior Brother, how many people know about your defensive capabilities?" asked Bao.

"Just you."

"Just me, great! Junior Brother, do you want to make a fortune? Judging by your board, it seems you've already thought about a way to maximise your defensive capabilities but it will take too much time. Let's do it this way, I'll get you people to fight and I want ten blood pills per person I bring, how does that sound?" said Bao. 

"Deal." Zixin had already predicted what Bao wanted to say and Bao was indeed telling the truth. His plan would take too long and everyone would quickly realise that his defense was far from being simple and they would then stop challenging him.

"Great, Junior Brother, return to your cave abode and wait for me to come to you. Don't worry, I already know where you live. In fact, I know everyone in the sect."

"Then I'll wait for your good news in the morning, Senior Brother." said Zixin before leaving with his small board. This act was to ensure that no one else awake would challenge him unexpectedly and discover his secret. 

The next day, Bao came to find Zixin and they both left for the Pointers Hall. Once there, Zixin was shocked to find a long queue of disciples waiting to give him pointers. When everyone saw Zixin walking with Bao, they quickly connected the dots. 

"Bao, is this the newcomer you were bragging about yesterday, he isn't even a cultivator. Once my turn to fight him comes, I'm gonna break his bones one by one."

"Bao, you're gonna regret making a bet with me! I'm gonna take those blood pills and buy myself a new weapon."

"Bao, make sure the boy lasts until it's my turn. It would be a shame to come here for nothing, afterall, who can bully rookies better than me?"

Many disciples were fired up after seeing Zixin because he didn't look like a powerful opponent, heck, he didn't even look like a cultivator so everyone thought he was easy pickings. Seeing so many people, Zixin was also happy because it meant that today, he would find out the limits of his bones or even finally perfect them and move on to the second volume. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, please calm down. As promised, I brought my Junior Brother for all of you to give him some pointers and since you've all signed your names on the contract book, there's no way to go back on your words. Without further ado, let's give the Junior some pointers, begin!"

The first person in the queue quickly jumped to the stage. Everyone could see that he was eager to finish off Zixin quickly. As soon as the match began, he went all out. 

[Beast Arts: Roaring Violent Ape!]

Veins covered every part of his body, increasing his power, speed and defence. Swiftly, he appeared in front of Zixin and attacked him with a hammer punch. Zixin was forced to his knees by the overwhelming power this disciple had. After that, he beat up Zixin the same way an ape would beat up its challengers. 

Punching his back again and again, picking him up and throwing him away, biting and even scratching him with his sharp nails but that outburst of strength didn't last long and soon, the disciple collapsed from fatigue and Zixin won the battle. The disciple paid the blood pills he owed and left the stage with great difficulty. 

"Everyone, for fear of losing consciousness before you pay, please give me the thirty red pills agreed upon. Worry not, I Bao, am a frustrating person. I'll definitely give you your pills back if you win." said Bao after watching the first fight. If someone lost consciousness from exhaustion before paying the agreed amount then problems were bound to arise. 

The disciples didn't complain and just gave Bao the agreed upon thirty blood pills. 

"Thank you for your trust, I won't disappoint you."