Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Non-combustible Trash
Inside the enormous villa, Yang Shen suppressed the urge to look around as he followed the sloppy man inside.
The man wasn’t even wearing shoes! He was walking barefoot the entire time.
And he was duck-footed.
’Aren’t rich people supposed to be the type who wear sharp suits, carry themselves with elegance, and have a distinctive laugh?’
’If you saw this guy anywhere but a villa, you’d think he was more of a vagrant than an actual vagrant.’
The middle-aged man swayed and casually pointed to the sofa, telling Yang Shen to rest for a bit while he went to take a shower.
After the man went into the bathroom, Yang Shen immediately called Xu Bamboo, but she still didn’t pick up...
’Is she really studying this hard...?’
He’d been too impulsive this afternoon. The 500 yuan had clouded his judgment.
It was a classic case of his left brain fighting his right brain, and his wallet making the final decision.
The middle-aged man came out quickly. He was a fast showerer, and he looked much more refreshed.
His hair was slightly curly, falling to his temples at a medium length and revealing a strong forehead.
The sparse stubble added a touch of maturity to his slightly narrow chin. His features were also quite handsome. Yang Shen had to admit the man had a "distinguished older gentleman" vibe, with a hint of an artistic flair.
If it weren’t for his red boxer shorts.
’You’d better be wearing those for your zodiac year, otherwise this is just weird.’
The middle-aged man beckoned him over and led Yang Shen to the basement. To his surprise, there was a training room of about 200 square meters, half filled with various training equipment and the other half an empty space.
The older gentleman took a set of training clothes from a locker. As he put them on, he said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Beiwang. For some specific reasons, I need a sparring partner who has some skill, but isn’t *too* skillful..."
"Of course, you could call it tutoring. That’s what Xu and I called it."
Yang Shen asked, puzzled, "What is your relationship with Xu Bamboo...?"
"I’m a friend of her father’s. You could also say I’m a friend of her mother’s... Hmm, you must be her classmate, right? Xu is an excellent student, so I imagine you’re not bad either. Your Martial Arts Realm should be Marrow Refining, right? Mid-stage or Late-stage?"
Yang Shen said without batting an eye, "Bone Training."
’It will be in a couple of days, anyway.’
Chen Beiwang was taken aback. "Bone Training... Well, Bone Training is fine too. My standards aren’t high."
"Xu already negotiated the terms for you. I have no problem with 500 yuan an hour. You can just have dinner with me, and I’ll reimburse your travel expenses. However, my schedule is irregular, so I’ll notify you in advance."
Chen Beiwang finished putting on his training clothes and stretched a bit. "I hear you’ve grasped ’Fist Intent’? That’s quite genius," he said. "I’ll be upfront, my combat skills are terrible. I’m just looking for you to go through the motions. At most, we’re just getting some exercise, so don’t be too rough."
Seeing that the man seemed ready to spar right away, Yang Shen also started warming up. "Don’t worry, I’ll do as you ask. I’ll do my best. By the way, Chen, what is your Martial Arts Realm?"
Chen Beiwang shook his head. "Don’t even ask. I’m only Innate."
Yang Shen stopped his warm-up cold. He stood up straight, his expression like he’d just seen a tiger with pig ears.
’Innate? Are you kidding me?’
’An Innate master hiring a high schooler as a sparring partner? Are you trying to get your kicks by smurfing?’
Chen Beiwang laughed. "My Innate status... is very watered down, especially when it comes to actual combat. But don’t worry, we’ll focus mainly on exploring techniques."
Yang Shen took a deep breath. "If I get injured..."
"I’ll naturally cover the medical expenses, plus extra compensation. Of course, I don’t think that will happen."
Yang Shen let out the breath he had just taken in. ’Oh well, I’m already here.’
’He’s a friend of Xu Bamboo’s parents, so he probably wouldn’t bully a kid. At the very least, I’ll get my 500 for today. If he comes on too strong, it’s not embarrassing for a junior like me to call it quits.’
Chen Beiwang cracked his knuckles. "Shall we get moving then? It’ll be a good way to sober up."
The strongest person Yang Shen had ever fought in his life was his Uncle, who was at Late-stage Marrow Refining.
After a moment, Yang Shen saw that Chen Beiwang wasn’t making a move. ’He’s in the Innate Realm, so it’s normal for him to be relaxed and waiting,’ he thought, and decided to take the initiative.
’Well, I’ll go first and look foolish.’
With a twist of his foot, he closed the distance. The Rising Sun Fist Intent naturally guided his strike.
"WHACK! THUD! BANG!"
Chen Beiwang went flying, tumbling head over heels before steadying himself. He immediately raised a hand. "Wait, wait... You’re at Bone Training?"
Yang Shen was even more bewildered than him. "You’re Innate?"
’Are you the Innate Shame?!’
’The path of Martial Arts has been passed down for thousands of years, like a great, flowing river... Don’t tell me you’re the non-combustible trash floating in it?’
————
「Half an hour later, in the basement training room.」
Chen Beiwang clutched his chest, sitting on a soft mat with a complete lack of dignity, muttering to himself:
"I’m finished, I’m finished! I knew I’d be bad, but I never thought I’d be *this* bad! Have I really gotten this much worse?!"
Yang Shen stood to the side, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
’I didn’t expect this either...’ he thought.
Chen Beiwang, it could be said, had shattered his understanding of the Innate Realm.
’Martial Arts is dead...’
’This one man has broken the power-scaling system!’
The man had no technique to speak of, was pathetically bad at actual combat, and by the standards of a Martial Artist, his limbs weren’t even coordinated.
Just a moment ago, when Yang Shen closed in for a short-range strike, the man panicked and tripped over his own feet.
But Yang Shen could also clearly feel that Chen Beiwang’s Power was actually immense; or rather, his fundamental physical attributes were far superior to his own.
The man was like a tractor with a powerful, roaring engine—full of brute strength he couldn’t use, and he even had trouble turning.
And Yang Shen was just straight-up beating on a tractor.
The key thing was, this tractor was afraid of pain.
Zhao Mengmeng had taken a Heart-Attacking Claw from Yang Shen and hadn’t whined for nearly as long as Chen Beiwang.
’What circumstances could possibly create such a useless Innate master?’
Chen Beiwang took a long while to recover before sighing. "Ai... Back when I was in college, I was considered a top student. Almost 20 years have flown by, and I can’t believe I’ve fallen off this hard..."
Yang Shen was surprised. "You went to college?"
Chen Beiwang gave a dry cough. "I’m a proper graduate of Jianghuai Sports Academy. I scored a 698 on my college entrance exams, was at Late-stage Marrow Refining, and by graduation, I was a Late-stage Innate. It’s shameful to think about now. I’ve given everything I learned back to my teachers... I haven’t seriously practiced Martial Arts in over a decade. I’ve been coasting on my past achievements."
"Young man, you’ll understand when you reach middle age. Your twenties are the peak of most people’s physical and intellectual abilities. After that, it’s all downhill."
’Your downhill slide has been pretty steep, then,’ Yang Shen thought.
But he was a free-spirited person. Yang Shen’s impression of Chen Beiwang improved slightly.
After finishing full-time study, it was normal for one’s Martial Arts level to decline if their profession wasn’t highly related or if they lacked the determination to improve and maintain their skills. His aunt, Tao Ying, was a classic example; she had dropped two major realms after ten years of raising a child.
Yanhua Country’s "Martial Arts selection mechanism," which ran from childhood to the end of the entire education system, was constantly filtering people out. But in the end, the ones needed to drive society forward were always just that small handful.
For most people, after obtaining their Martial Certificate and entering society, they wouldn’t maintain the intensity and comprehensiveness of "full-time study."
The exception was public officials. It seemed they had to undergo evaluations; dropping a realm would lead to a demotion.
For Chen Beiwang to go from Late-stage Innate to the Innate Shame over a decade, combined with his previous drunkenness, he probably had his wealth to thank for not falling further, since he could afford to eat well.
Chen Beiwang was quite self-aware. He threw up his hands. "I’m probably just one bad hangover away from losing my Early Innate Stage realm completely. I’ve really let myself go these past few years. But that’s also why I wanted to find a sparring partner. You’re a pretty good fit."
"Just go a little easier next time... By the way, why do you always like to attack the heart meridian?"
’An elbow to the heart, a claw to the heart... What kind of fetish is that?’
Yang Shen shook his head. "It’s not that I like it. It’s the style of my Fist Intent."
The "Rising Sun Fist Intent" carried the artistic conceptions of "Harmonious" and "Dignified and Proper," which tangibly influenced Yang Shen’s fighting style.
"Harmonious" meant his transitions between moves were exquisite and difficult to trace, like an antelope hanging by its horns, leaving no openings.
As for "Dignified and Proper"... in Yang Shen’s view, a direct frontal assault was the most dignified and proper thing of all.
Chen Beiwang clucked his tongue twice.
"A little interesting... Grasping Fist Intent while still at Bone Training, you might not see one of those in the whole country for years. This shows you have extreme talent in the way of Fist Techniques. However, I see you’re only using moves from the *Initial Realm Body Refining Fist*. With your talent, you should be training in another Cultivation Technique as well. Fists and palms are interlinked, and fists and spears can be integrated. Either path would work."
Yang Shen realized Chen Beiwang did know a thing or two. At the very least, he was 20 years older than Yang Shen and seemed very knowledgeable.
Of course, the most important thing was that he was currently "on the clock"—500 yuan an hour.
’Chatting? Chatting counts as time too!’
"I’ll try it when I get the chance. Most Cultivation Techniques besides the *Initial Realm Body Refining Fist* require a copyright fee, and I can’t afford that right now."
Chen Beiwang asked, "You’re short on cash?"
Yang Shen retorted, "Isn’t it obvious? If I didn’t need the money, why would I be here? To let you smurf on me?"
"I thought you were just trying to get on Xu’s good side, maybe pursue her or something..."
Yang Shen replied, "You’re being very disrespectful to the 500 yuan."
Chen Beiwang scratched his head. "Never mind, never mind. It’s almost time for dinner. Let’s go up."
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