Chapter 017 Apprentice of the Future

　　“Thank you... Uncle Zheng...and Master Wei...and your good well...Don’t... worry... whether I... will not hurt...get hurt. I am willing to take the trial!” The teenager spoke solemnly. By the end, his stutter was gone, and his resolve was clear.

　　At first, he’d only thought about passing this final test so he could hear the truest story of Chu Mufan—the person he admired most. But now, after hearing Wei Zhengdao’s solemn and righteous words, he’d been stirred to awaken the fighting spirit that had lain dormant in him for so long. His eyes shone with unwavering resolve, ablaze with passionate fighting spirit and determination!

　　This fiery look of resolve also sparked the interest of Zheng Feng, a martial arts fanatic. The burly man said no more; he simply led the teenager straight to the center of the area—onto the floor paved with high-performance polymer polyester compound, which was used for protection during sparring.

　　"All right! If we’re going to spar, then let’s spar. I, Zheng Feng, may be obsessed with martial arts, but I’ve never bullied the weak with my strength. I’ll temporarily seal the major acupoints in my body and suppress my internal energy to Level 1. But don’t let your guard down, kid—even without using internal energy, my martial arts moves and combat experience are still more than you can handle! Got it?" Zheng Feng kindly reminded the teenager, fearing that this promising young man might be careless and end up missing the chance to become Master Wei’s disciple!

　　The burly man tapped several points on his body in quick succession, simply sealing his own internal energy! With everything done, Gu Moxun and Zheng Feng stepped onto the area together. Standing face to face in the center, the intelligent butler system recognized that they were about to spar—the wide area slowly rose by one meter, forming a combat platform!

　　"Start!" Wei Zhengdao called out once he saw both of them take their positions. At the sound, the two nodded slightly, exchanged a fist salute (a traditional martial arts greeting), then stepped back to create distance and assumed their stances.

　　Since Zheng Feng was several levels higher than Gu Moxun, he didn’t adopt a combat posture—nor did he plan to use internal energy, not even Level 1. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back, exuding the demeanor of a martial arts master.

　　On the other side, Gu Moxun tensed into a combat stance, daring not to underestimate his opponent for a moment...

　　He placed his left foot forward and right foot back, keeping his center of gravity balanced. His left hand bent forward to guard his chest, right hand positioned behind to protect his jaw; he tucked his chin slightly and fixed his gaze firmly on Zheng Feng! The moment Gu Moxun assumed the stance, his entire aura shifted—as if he had become a different person entirely.

　　His eyes sharpened like arrows, brimming with the vigor of youth.

　　In an instant, his presence turned forceful, an invisible aura of dominance emanating from him. His gaze even held a restrained ferocity, a beast-like intensity, as if he might launch a fierce attack at any moment!

　　But to Zheng Feng, a veteran of countless battles, this only made him straighten his expression slightly.

　　Students from Mars Academy all carried this kind of ferocity—it was an aura forged through years of inhuman training and constant brutal sparring with one another!

　　"Good! Nice momentum! Come on! You attack first!"

　　After a moment of eye contact, Zheng Feng gestured for the teenager to make the first move.

　　Gu Moxun’s eyes sharpened. Maintaining his combat stance, he took a probing step forward…

　　Zheng Feng remained utterly unconcerned...

　　The teenager cautiously moved into striking range, then launched a flurry of combination punches at Zheng Feng! He showed his movements by two quick jabs with his left hand, followed by a straight right cross!

　　Slap, slap, slap! All three lightning-fast punches were parried away by the burly man with a single hand. Zheng Feng didn’t even shift his feet an inch! Though the combination was just a probing attack, the final straight right carried no small amount of force. Gu Moxun had held back some strength to avoid losing his balance, yet he never expected Zheng Feng to deflect it so effortlessly. Wei Zhengdao’s words echoed in his mind: There’s always someone stronger, and the sky has no limit! He dismissed any trace of luck and resolved to go all out, holding nothing back!

　　With eyes sharp as blades, Gu Moxun, after retracting his right fist from the combination, suddenly twisted his waist to channel its power. His right leg followed, driving a knee strike toward Zheng Feng! Thud!

　　The burly man seemed to have anticipated the move. Unhurried, he pressed down with his left forearm, blocking the teenager’s knee strike cleanly. Using the rebound force from the blocked knee, Gu Moxun stepped back several paces!

　　"Great punches—come again!" Zheng Feng praised.

　　The combination of punches and knee strike had been executed in one fluid motion, swift yet ferocious! Using the momentum from the knee strike’s rebound, the teenager dropped into a deep squat to gather force. With a powerful push from his legs, he lunged at Zheng Feng in an instant!

　　His fists blurred like shadows, fast as lightning! Zheng Feng’s eyes sharpened, and his thick hands moved in quick, sweeping arcs!

　　Slap, slap, slap! Sounds of clashing fists and limbs filled the air! The teenager’s punches rained down, but the burly man’s defense was even stronger—he always managed to anticipate where each fist would land, blocking them ahead of time!

　　They plunged into intense combat the moment they clashed. The more the teenager fought, the wilder his aura grew, and his gaze turned sharper by the second! The fierce exchange also stoked Zheng Feng’s fighting spirit. Letting out a loud roar, he parried the teenager’s rapid punches with both hands, then stepped forward into a bow stance. Twisting his body slightly, he drove his thick shoulder forward like a boulder, slamming toward Gu Moxun!

　　The teenager’s face paled in shock, but his hands and feet moved with impressive order. He turned his fists into palms, joining them together to push forward; at the same time, he lifted one foot, using both palms and foot to brace against the oncoming "boulder" of a body! Though he blocked the strike, the force of the shoulder charge still sent him staggering back several meters! For all his youth, the teenager shifted tactics with remarkable speed—his mind was far more agile than he looked! Zheng Feng, who held the upper hand, did not press his advantage. He still carried himself with the demeanor of a martial arts master...

　　The teenager’s eyes blazed with sharp intent. He took a running start, dashing forward at full speed! Keeping his right hand raised to guard the front and left hand drawn back to his waist, he leaped into the air toward the burly man. Then, using the momentum of his jump, he unleashed a left hook! Faced with this bold, sweeping attack, Zheng Feng could not help but shout: "Well done!"

　　He turned his left fist into a vertical palm, sweeping it across his waist to block, cutting off the teenager’s hook! But Gu Moxun’s left hook had only been a feint!

　　The moment Gu Moxun’s left hook made contact with the burly man’s left hand, his fist instantly transformed into a claw! He clamped down hard on Zheng Feng’s thick wrist. Then, merging his waist and stance (a martial arts term for unifying core strength with footwork), he gave a forceful yank. This pull wasn’t enough to topple the steady-footed Zheng Feng, but it sent Gu Moxun’s body twisting sharply mid-air! Twisting his waist, he wrapped his legs around the burly man’s back, withdrew his right hand, straightened his body, and darted up from behind Zheng Feng. With both arms raised high above Zheng Feng’s head, he prepared to bring his elbows crashing down onto the vital pressure point at the top of the man’s skull!

　　His movement and actions flowed like water, executed in one seamless sequence! This chain of intricate moves demanded not only extraordinary physical fitness but also lightning-fast reflexes— skills that couldn’t be mastered by mere hard work alone…

　　For all this description, every action between the two unfolded in the blink of an eye.

　　The teenager’s attack, like a mountain crashing down, was truly overwhelming! Even Master Wei standing aside couldn’t help but show a flicker of surprise! Zheng Feng, trapped as he was, was caught off guard at first, but he didn’t panic! As if he’d guessed the teenager’s intention, he acted methodically: first, he drove both elbows downward to pry Gu Moxun’s legs off his body! Using the rebound force from that elbow strike, he sent both palms shooting upward toward his own head—moving with surprising speed, his large hands slamming directly into the teenager’s elbows.

　　A powerful force jolted from Gu Moxun’s elbows, lifting his entire body! With his feet pried loose by Zheng Feng and no support left, the teenager was sent flying backward through the air…

　　Mid-air, the teenager twisted his body into a backward somersault, then landed on all fours—steadying himself firmly on the ground. Standing up, he moved with the sharp gaze of an eagle and the predatory gait of a wolf, his ferocity even more intense than before. Just now, the burly man had revealed a sliver of his strength: not only was his power immense, but every move he made struck with pinpoint precision!

　　In one blow, he’d neutralized the grappling technique the teenager had plotted for so long, leaving the boy’s limbs throbbing faintly, as if they could barely muster strength. That single strike alone had laid bare Zheng Feng’s prowess as a top-tier martial artist! Yet the teenager felt no fear—if anything, it stoked the savagery in his heart!

　　He couldn’t retreat, not even for a moment!

　　He had to win. He had to hear Chu Mufan’s story. He had to become as strong as Chu Mufan! Even if he faced a first-rate expert like Zheng Feng, he had to charge forward, holding nothing back— even if that ferocity turned him into a beast!

　　Recalling the teachings of Mars Academy, the teenager’s eyes blazed with thick, beast-like emotions as he dropped into a crouched, predatory stance on the ground! He pushed off hard with his hind legs, lowering his center of gravity and lunging forward at breakneck speed!

　　Zheng Feng’s eyes sharpened— he cast aside the slight disdain he’d held earlier! He spread his legs, also lowering his center of gravity, though his upper body remained steady: left hand forward, right hand behind his back. Even with his stance lowered, he still carried the bearing of a grand master.

　　Just as Zheng Feng braced for the teenager’s charge, Gu Moxun, the moment he reached the burly man’s front, dropped into a deep squat in a posture that seemed almost inhuman— twisted and uncanny. Then he leaped upward in a sudden bound, clasping both hands together above his head and slamming them down with all his might!

　　The punch roared with power, cutting through the air with a fierce gale! A chilling aura of death instantly filled the arena!

　　Caught off guard by this unexpected strike, the burly man hastily raised both palms to block!