Beating Up Tang San

For more than two months, Old Jack had been urging Jiang Chen to join the Martial Soul Hall for training, but Jiang Chen stubbornly refused.

In the end, Old Jack had no choice but to shamelessly ask for a work-study student spot from a few neighboring villages.

Jiang Chen still wanted to stick to his original plan: to team up with Tang San and, after a decade or so, seize the chance to ascend to godhood.

More importantly, he had to think about his own life.

If he just went straight to the Martial Soul Hall, would the big shot Tang Hao let him off easily?

Jiang Chen thought it was unlikely. Even if Tang Hao didn't kill him outright, he'd probably be locked up in a dark room the moment he was caught.

So from his perspective, joining the Martial Soul Hall was impossible. Unless... no, there was no unless.

Three more days passed. Now, only one day remained before they were to depart for Noding City.

Early that morning, Jiang Chen guessed that Tang San's training session at the mountaintop was nearly finished, so he headed up the mountain.

Tomorrow they would leave for Noding City, but before that, Jiang Chen wanted to publicly give Tang San a good beating to avenge the humiliation from last time.

In the days following the tribulation, Jiang Chen hadn't visited Tang San's house once. He had spent almost every moment buried in practicing that strange fist technique and body movement.

After three days, he had basically gained control over that bizarre punch power, and hardly stumbled anymore...

The "Three Thousand Thunder Movements" footwork was incredibly difficult. The countless unbelievable twists and turns nearly left him injured, but after three days of training, some progress was evident.

With slight slowing, he could execute most directional changes.

That was enough for him. The Three Thousand Thunder Movements had no fixed steps — once he grasped the key, he could change directions at will.

This would definitely be enough to counter Tang San's Ghost Shadow Illusion.

Moving at lightning speed, within minutes Jiang Chen reached the mountaintop and caught Tang San just as he was finishing his session.

Tang San's greatest fear was anyone witnessing his training — even his father was unaware of his secrets. So Jiang Chen's sudden appearance sparked his displeasure.

The Purple Extreme Demon Eye and Xuan Tian Gong were his biggest secrets. If exposed, he wouldn't hesitate to kill to keep them safe.

But seeing Jiang Chen only arrived after he finished, Tang San's irritation eased somewhat.

"Early morning visit—what are you doing here? Don't tell me you want to cause trouble again?" Tang San asked warily.

He couldn't help but think this way. Last time Jiang Chen snuck up early morning and nearly withered the entire mountaintop. Tang San remembered it clearly.

Jiang Chen flashed a confident grin and got straight to the point: "I lost to you last time. I want a rematch."

"Oh? You sure about that?" Tang San sized him up from head to toe with a half-smile, the blatant disdain making Jiang Chen's teeth itch.

"Heh, this time, I'm going to beat you till you're crying for your mom."

Tang San furrowed his brows. He sensed something different about Jiang Chen today — a powerful aura radiating from him, born of absolute confidence.

He returned a smile. "Alright then, let's see how much you've improved. Don't make me carry you off the ground again."

"You'll be satisfied!" Before the words were out, Jiang Chen surged forward, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

Tang San shook his head and deployed Ghost Shadow Illusion. "You won't catch me. No matter how fast you are, without adaptability, you're just trash in my eyes—"

BANG!

Before Tang San finished, a strong force hit his backside, sending him flying forward.

"What was that again?" Jiang Chen tilted his head, smirking.

Tang San, still airborne, twisted his waist to steady himself. Upon landing, he staggered back several steps from the powerful impact.

"How could you possibly keep up with me?" he blurted, disbelief written all over his face.

He clutched his sore backside where Jiang Chen had kicked him — the sting was still sharp.

"Nothing's impossible. Want another kick?" Jiang Chen teased, closing in again.

Tang San wasn't about to admit defeat, chalking Jiang Chen's kick up to luck. After all, combined, they had over thirty years of life experience across two lifetimes. If he couldn't beat this kid, all those years of training would have been wasted.

Watching Jiang Chen's rapidly approaching figure, Tang San smiled confidently and unleashed Ghost Shadow Illusion once more. The intricate footwork dazzled the eyes, leaving a string of afterimages atop the mountaintop.

But to his shock, Jiang Chen followed his every move as if glued to his shadow, moving with ease.

"That fancy footwork of yours is all flash and no substance," Jiang Chen muttered from behind, then launched a flying kick that struck Tang San's backside again.

Tang San's heart skipped a beat. Tightening his core, he soared up once more. Yet before he could land, Jiang Chen was already there waiting.

Seeing Tang San fall toward him, Jiang Chen's eyes gleamed with excitement. He threw a punch with full force.

"Crane Control, Dragon Capture!" Tang San shouted sharply, redirecting Jiang Chen's punch to the side.

Jiang Chen was a little surprised but immediately adjusted his footing and dodged away.

Tang San landed steadily and looked toward Jiang Chen not far away, his heart struggling to remain calm.

In terms of straight-line speed, he admitted Jiang Chen was a bit faster, but he had the Ghost Shadow Illusion technique.

This body technique had been refined over hundreds of years by the Tang Sect—capable of dodging even a hailstorm of hidden weapons. And yet, now, he couldn't shake off the pursuit of a six-year-old child!

During the chase just now, he had carefully observed Jiang Chen's movements. Jiang Chen didn't really use any refined footwork—just blunt, straightforward directional changes. No matter how exquisite Tang San's steps were, Jiang Chen always turned aggressively, cutting the shortest path to keep up with him.

To Tang San, it was unbelievable. How could a human possibly make such extreme directional changes at high speed without falling? Wouldn't his waist snap?

But Jiang Chen had done exactly that.

He had no idea how much hardship Jiang Chen had endured to master this technique, which was only now starting to show results.

"How do you do it?" Tang San finally couldn't hold back and asked.

"It's a body technique I created myself," Jiang Chen laughed heartily, completely unabashed. Seeing Tang San struggle to hold back his frustration secretly pleased him.

Tang San's temper flared at Jiang Chen's grin. "Hmph, then let me see if you can dodge me."

With that, he charged at Jiang Chen once more.

After a while, Tang San stopped in despair.

Jiang Chen was just too strange—changing direction at will, leaving Tang San choking on dust behind him, never once even brushing the corner of Jiang Chen's clothes.

"Now, let's settle this with fists and kicks. You can't escape this time," Jiang Chen said with a sly smile.

Ten minutes later, Tang San lay bruised and battered on the ground, his eyes vacant, wearing a look that said he was questioning his entire existence.

He, the most talented disciple the Tang Sect had produced in a hundred years, had actually lost to a six-year-old kid!

And the most important thing—how was he supposed to go home looking like this?