The scorching July afternoon sun blazed like fire, and waves of heat poured in through the window, making the entire room feel like a steamer.
Lu Yuan let out a long breath and got up from his cooling mat.
He was drenched in sweat from head to toe after completing ten sets of strength training, leaving a large, distinct wet patch on the cooling mat beneath him.
Lu Yuan grabbed a tissue from his desk, haphazardly wiped his face, and then opened his profession panel.
[Profession: Fighter Lv. 4 (30/800)]
[Basic Professional Skills: Initial Body Forging Lv. 4 (41/800)...]
His profession Experience Points had increased by over ten. Just as before, with the [Absolute Focus] state active, every ten minutes dedicated to Martial Arts practice yielded 2 Experience Points.
Initial Body Forging, however, lagged far behind.
Ten sets of strength training had only granted him a total of five Experience Points.
After Initial Body Forging was leveled up to Lv. 4, without the support of professional equipment, it’s become much harder to earn Experience Points...
Lu Yuan glanced at the two black dumbbells at his feet. To think he had specifically bought two ten-kilogram fitness dumbbells not long ago; he hadn’t expected them to become useless so quickly. The ratio of Experience Points to time and effort invested is too low. It would be more efficient to focus on technique training at home.
While his stamina recovered, Lu Yuan considered his options and decided to enter the Consciousness Space to ’spar’ a couple of rounds.
"[Imaginary Enemy], activate!"
In a downpour-stricken alley, two figures were locked in combat.
A whip kick tore through the curtain of rain, sending droplets scattering.
Collision, heavy blow, separation, retreat.
Lu Yuan stood in the rain-slicked alley, panting slightly, his gaze fixed intently on his opponent.
The beam from a car’s headlight reflected in his eyes, making them gleam like two unwavering orange flames.
Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a hint of unfulfillment still on his face.
This battle in the Consciousness Space had still been quite difficult to win.
He had consciously focused on using Leg Skill to engage the opponent. After the fight, he felt he’d learned even more of the middle-aged man’s signature sharp Leg Skills and deepened his comprehension.
One day, I’m going to use my Leg Skill to literally kick you to pieces!
Recalling the numerous kicks he had endured during the fight, Lu Yuan silently vowed.
He got up, took a swig of water, and prepared for another round.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, a thought suddenly popped into Lu Yuan’s head—
If it’s an Imaginary Enemy, could I try to imagine someone else? For instance... Lin Zhiquin?!
In the deserted hallway, Lu Yuan stood alone.
Before him was a slightly ajar door.
It can really be done...
This scene was fresh in Lu Yuan’s mind; it was the second-floor office of the martial arts dojo he had just visited a few hours prior—Lin Zhiquin’s office.
Lu Yuan gently pushed open the door before him.
He saw Lin Zhiquin sitting quietly on the sofa before the coffee table, a nearly extinguished cigarette in his hand.
The two made eye contact for a few seconds.
Suddenly, Lu Yuan took a deep breath and flashed a smile at Lin Zhiquin.
"Coach Lin, smoking... is bad for your health!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Yuan shot forward and launched a fierce kick.
He sent the glass coffee table in front of Lin Zhiquin flying.
Shattered glass fragments flew in all directions.
Seizing the momentum, Lu Yuan spun and lashed out with another kick.
The whip kick, carrying a hint of vicious wind, sliced through the air, heading straight for Lin Zhiquin’s left temple.
Lu Yuan’s face was flushed with intense exhilaration.
He had wanted to do this back in the office, and now he was finally acting on it. Follow current novels on novel·fire.net
The feeling of shattering all taboos, of unleashing his darkest thoughts, resentment, and destructive urges, transforming them into an unbridled desire to fight and destroy...
Unfortunately, Lu Yuan’s thrill lasted less than a second.
Lin Zhiquin, whom he had locked his eyes on, sitting on the sofa, suddenly vanished.
Lu Yuan’s kick met only air. Just as he was searching for any trace of Lin Zhiquin...
The vanished Lin Zhiquin reappeared before him like a phantom.
Before Lu Yuan could react, he saw the expressionless Lin Zhiquin, cigarette held casually between his fingers, slightly raise a hand.
Lu Yuan’s pupils contracted as he watched, helpless, as a fist rapidly magnified before his eyes.
Until it filled his entire field of vision...
Lu Yuan’s eyes snapped open. He was panting heavily, his face slightly pale, his eyes filled with profound shock and disbelief.
Lin Zhiquin’s strength... is it really that strong?!
Although Lin Zhiquin had briefly shown his skill in the first Martial Arts class, producing an empty strike that cracked like a firecracker, his perfunctory, lax, and irresponsible teaching attitude since then had left Lu Yuan with a very poor impression.
His constant smoking during their midday interaction, the shift in his attitude before and after discovering Lu Yuan’s talent, his probing to see if Lu Yuan would privately participate in boxing matches...
He seemed more like a disheartened middle-aged loser, a gambler!
So, even though Lu Yuan knew Lin Zhiquin was a professional Martial Artist, he hadn’t thought his strength would be that formidable.
Yet, in the Consciousness Space, Lin Zhiquin, unleashing his full strength, had killed him in a single move.
The terrifying pressure he exuded was enough to make Lu Yuan feel a chill.
Lu Yuan instinctively touched his forehead.
Just now, in the Consciousness Space, Lin Zhiquin’s punch had landed squarely on his forehead.
If this were the real world... would my head have been blown off by that punch? Is the gap between the Amateur and Professional levels really this big... or is Lin Zhiquin’s strength inherently so formidable?!
Lu Yuan’s heart still pounded with lingering fear, and he couldn’t calm down for a long time.
He then tried again, setting Lin Zhiquin as the [Imaginary Enemy].
This time, however, he didn’t kick the table immediately upon entering as before.
Instead, he respectfully called out, "Coach," and then proposed a sparring match to Lin Zhiquin.
The outcome this time was vastly different.
Lu Yuan exchanged five or six moves with Lin Zhiquin before being ’beaten’ out of the Consciousness Space.
This time, it doesn’t seem as horrifying...
Lu Yuan pondered, fighting back a wave of intense fatigue, Does Lin Zhiquin’s strength vary so much depending on how he’s ’invited’ into the fight?
He spent the entire afternoon repeatedly testing this.
He used Lin Zhiquin as an [Imaginary Enemy] five times in total.
Twice, he kicked the table upon entering; once, he gave Lin Zhiquin the middle finger accompanied by verbal taunts; and twice, he politely stated, "Coach, I want to learn practical combat."
The result was Lu Yuan being taken out by a terrifying headshot punch three times.
The other two times, he and Lin Zhiquin traded blows for several rounds, allowing him to more thoroughly and comprehensively experience the vast disparity between them.
Even though it’s an Imaginary Enemy, different attitudes provoke different combat forms.
Lu Yuan rubbed his temples with both hands, trying to alleviate the stabbing pain in his head caused by activating the [Imaginary Enemy] skill multiple times in a short period.
That irresistible, terrifying punch that instantly took me out must be Lin Zhiquin’s killing blow against enemies. It’s triggered when he’s completely enraged, prompting him to use a lethal strike on me right from the outset.
Lu Yuan now understood what the phrase "deduce the course of combat" in the [Imaginary Enemy] skill description truly meant.
Different ways of initiating the fight naturally led to different results.
Even though the Imaginary Enemy was fictitious, they could still be provoked by his insulting actions and words, thereby unleashing combat power far exceeding their normal state.