Chapter 115: Straight Punch

After parting ways with the young man, Zhang Ze could not help but mutter to himself. He thought to himself that he was just trying to show off a little, so why on earth did someone have to come at him with a blade? If the young man knew what Zhang Ze was thinking, he would likely sneer at such a misunderstanding.

...

The minor episode passed. After returning to the dormitory and exchanging a few brief words with Leng Bingbing, Zhang Ze lay straight down on his bed. His mind was filled with the words Woody had said earlier that day. A sudden thought prompted him to get up and call Huang Ming.

*Beep~*

After two rings, the voices of Huang Ming and the Fat Man came through.

"Brother Huang, are you two at Wolf Tooth Mountain right now?"

"What are you doing there?"

Facing Zhang Ze’s inquiry, Huang Ming did not hide anything and quickly revealed the details of the mission. Upon hearing what Huang Ming had to say, Zhang Ze fell into silence once again.

After a long while, he asked, "So, there is still no news of Brother Wang, right?"

"That’s right..."

After chatting for a few more moments, Zhang Ze was about to hang up when he heard Huang Ming’s instruction from the other end.

"Xiao Ze, improve your strength as quickly as possible. We will have results here in three months at the latest!"

Zhang Ze was slightly stunned and replied instinctively, "I understand..."

With Wang Chao’s whereabouts unknown and the weight of Woody’s words from earlier that day, Zhang Ze did not sleep at all that night. He needed to seize every second to cultivate! He had to raise his cellular strength to 1000S as soon as possible!

...

Meanwhile, Li Sanqing and the young man were sitting in a coffee shop.

"Are you saying you ran into a new trainee?" Li Sanqing asked with a smile after hearing what Lu Mingyu had to say.

Lu Mingyu was the very young man with the dual blades whom Zhang Ze had encountered. His cultivation as a third-rank martial artist was, coincidentally, at the same level as Li Sanqing’s.

Lu Mingyu replied, "I asked him if he knew that guy named Zhang Ze, and he said he didn't know that idiot."

"I’m a third-year trainee and I’ve heard of Zhang Ze’s fame. How could he possibly not know him?"

"Heh~" Li Sanqing chuckled and said, "He said he didn't know Zhang Ze, but he never said he wasn't Zhang Ze himself!"

Seeing the surprise on Lu Mingyu’s face, Li Sanqing shook his head and reminded him, "The kid you bumped into was Zhang Ze!"

"Hey~ Why would that kid lie to me?"

"How would I know?" Li Sanqing couldn't be bothered to dwell on it and asked, "Did you gain anything from your trip to the Anqing Third Star Domain space this time?"

As the topic shifted, the playful expression on Li Sanqing’s face vanished. Lu Mingyu, however, remained his usual jovial self. Seeing that Li Sanqing was asking about serious business, he replied without hesitation, "You were actually right."

"I really did stumble upon a treasure trove in the Star Domain space this time!"

"Tell me about it?"

Lu Mingyu waved his hand and said, "Nothing to talk about yet. Let’s go pack it up and take it for ourselves one of these days!"

"Heh~ You’re quite something, kid!"

Ignoring Li Sanqing’s flattery, Lu Mingyu turned serious. "But there’s one thing—our current cultivation is still a bit too weak. To get the treasures from the place I found, we need at least fourth-rank cultivation! And we’ll probably need a sharp-witted helper too!"

Hearing this, Li Sanqing frowned. He asked in turn, "Can this place wait? I don't want us to wait until we break through to the fourth rank only to find it’s already been looted by someone else!"

"You can rest assured about that!" Lu Mingyu promised with absolute certainty. "Even if it takes another eight or ten years, that place isn't going anywhere!"

Li Sanqing nodded heavily and said, "I’ll be able to break through to the fourth rank in two months at most. When the time comes, we’ll find a helper!"

"You can break through to the fourth rank in two months?" Lu Mingyu widened his eyes in disbelief. "I reached the third rank before you, and I wouldn't dare claim I could reach the fourth in two months!"

"Just wait and see!"

...

Zhang Ze was unaware of their conversation. Having finished his night of cultivation, he washed up the next morning and set off for the training ground. When Zhang Ze arrived, Zhang Yue was already there. After the two of them warmed up for ten minutes or so, Woody arrived at the training ground as well.

"Alright~ Today, I will only teach you one martial skill—the Thrust Punch!"

Woody signaled for Zhang Ze to push a wooden stake over. As the latter was holding it steady, she suddenly threw a punch at it.

The wooden stake was at least half a meter in diameter, yet Zhang Ze was sent flying backward by the shockwave alone. Even with his 800S cellular strength, he felt a sharp, intense pain in his chest. When he returned to Zhang Yue’s side, he saw the mangled wooden stake.

The front of the half-meter-wide stake had been pulverized into powder, leaving a basketball-sized hole. Zhang Ze was certain that this was no ordinary wood! He had sensed as much from the weight of the stake when he pushed it earlier. Even so, it had been reduced to this state by a single punch from Woody. It was clear just how terrifying the power of that punch was!

...

Woody did not hesitate; she walked up to the two of them and began to explain the essentials of the "Thrust Punch" in a deep voice.

"The so-called Thrust Punch is actually a foundational martial skill in a martial artist's training."

"The Thrust Punch relies on using one's formidable physical strength at a single instant to unleash all the energy from every cell in the body."

"That is how it generates such terrifying, explosive power in a split second."

As she spoke, Woody tossed a thick wooden board to both Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue. The boards were about three centimeters thick and carried significant weight in the hand, clearly having undergone special treatment.

...

Woody said, "Your task today is to use the explosive power of your own cells to punch a perfect, clean circular hole through these two boards!"

*Boom!*

The moment the words left her lips, the board in Woody’s hand was instantly pierced by her fist, leaving behind a perfectly smooth circular hole. In Woody’s hands, the Thrust Punch possessed not only terrifying explosive power but also an exquisite, precise mastery of her own cellular energy.

Seeing this, Zhang Ze and the other did not hesitate and immediately began to imitate her. However, as soon as they started, they realized the material of the boards was extremely hard. Even for Zhang Ze, shattering it was no easy feat, let alone for Zhang Yue, who was only a second-rank martial artist. Consequently, both ran into different problems.

Zhang Ze had the strength to shatter the board, but he did not know how to control his cellular strength or how to trigger an instantaneous explosion. Naturally, he couldn't punch a clean circular hole through the board. Zhang Yue, meanwhile, found that with her second-rank cultivation, even shattering the board required significant effort.

...

"Are you an idiot?"

Before he knew it, Woody had appeared behind Zhang Ze and scolded him.

"Do you really think that in a fight between martial artists, it’s as simple as swinging your fist and smashing the opponent to death?"

Zhang Ze desperately wanted to ask, "Isn't it?" But for the sake of his own safety, he dared not speak to Woody like that. Fortunately, Woody wasn't just there to berate him; she soon began to guide him with care.

"When you exert force, you must learn to sense the state of every cell in your fist and be clear about every bit of energy they contain..."