22: Chapter 22 The Rich Little Fatty

What was his strongest asset right now?

Blood energy? Not really.

Combat experience? It was okay, but it couldn't compare to the experience honed daily by professional coaches.

Martial arts techniques?

Thinking of this, Lu Cheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

That's right. Martial arts techniques!

He possessed the Collapsing Fist - Three Styles: Origin and the Origin-level Wandering Step; wouldn't guiding students who had just awakened and hadn't even grasped how to exert their force be a piece of cake?

"Martial arts hall instruction..." The more Lu Cheng thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

In this era, martial arts halls were everywhere. They didn't just enroll full-time students; they also frequently recruited temporary teaching assistants, sparring partners, and basic instructors.

With his current strength, there shouldn't be any problem teaching basic martial arts techniques to low-level students.

Plus, this job paid quickly. If he did it well, it would definitely be ten times better than a regular part-time job.

Lu Cheng immediately perked up and started searching online for recruitment information from several large martial arts halls in Rong City.

Soon, page after page popped up.

[Zhenfeng Martial Arts Hall: Recruiting basic fist technique sparring partners. Requirement: Body Refining Realm, Skin & Membrane Stage or above.]

[Shenghu Organization: Recruiting temporary instructors. Requirement: Mastery of at least one basic martial arts technique at the Proficient level.]

[Bailian Martial Arts Hall: Long-term recruitment for martial arts teaching assistants and combat sparring partners. Salary negotiable.]

When he saw the four characters "Bailian Martial Arts Hall", Lu Cheng's fingers paused slightly.

In Rong City, almost everyone knew this name. It was the number one ranked martial arts hall in the entire city.

Whether it was the teaching staff, resources, or the quality of the students, everything was top-tier. Those who could train here were either wealthy, talented, or both.

Lu Cheng narrowed his eyes, and a smile slowly spread across his lips. "Fine." "If I'm going to go, I'll go to the best one."

Early the next morning, as it happened to be the weekend, Lu Cheng ate a quick bite and headed out.

Bailian Martial Arts Hall was located near the downtown area of Rong City. Just the commute took Lu Cheng nearly an hour.

When he arrived at the location and looked up at the five-story building with its black-gray metal style, he couldn't help but "tsk" and think, "They are really rich."

Standing at the entrance was a massive black stone tablet, engraved with two bold, elegant characters! Bailian!

Just standing outside the door, one could feel the heavy yet passionate atmosphere inside.

Students coming in and out wore uniform training attire, and their blood energy fluctuations were generally quite strong.

Looking down at his own school jacket, which had been washed until it was slightly faded, a poor high school student braving a top-tier martial arts hall—it would make for a good story.

As soon as he entered the lobby, a young woman at the front desk stood up politely. "Hello, how can I help you?"

"I'm here to apply..." Lu Cheng showed the recruitment page on his phone. "Martial arts teaching assistant, combat sparring partner, either is fine."

The woman was clearly stunned for a moment. Her gaze swept back and forth between his face and his school uniform; she obviously hadn't expected the applicant to be a high school student.

However, she was very professional and quickly resumed her smile. "That's fine. Please register your information first."

Lu Cheng took the electronic tablet and quickly filled in his name, age, cultivation realm, and specialized martial arts techniques.

When he reached the "Cultivation Realm" column, he didn't hide anything and wrote directly—Body Refining Realm, Tendon & Bone Stage.

As for martial arts techniques, the "Mastery level: Three Styles of Crushing Fist" and "Wandering Step" weren't even in the books at the Origin level. If he wrote that down... he was afraid it would cause unnecessary trouble.

After he finished and handed it back, the receptionist took a look, and her expression immediately became somewhat subtle. Body Refining Realm, Tendon & Bone Stage... Mastery level: Three Styles of Crushing Fist and Wandering Step???

The receptionist's eyes brightened. If she remembered correctly, hadn't the high school students just undergone talent awakening two days ago?!

"Please wait a moment. I will contact the coach in charge of assessments for you." "Sure."

Lu Cheng leaned to the side to wait and casually looked around the interior of the martial arts hall.

The training area was exaggeratedly large. Punching posts, speed testers, strength machines, reaction targets, and blood energy testing chambers were all available. Even the combat area was divided into low-level and high-level sections.

The air was filled with a faint scent of medicinal agents and perfume.

Just then, a snort of laughter suddenly came from not far away. "A high school student applying to be a coach?"

Lu Cheng turned his head to look. The speaker was a young man in gray training clothes, in his early twenties, with a sturdy build and clearly defined arm muscles, obviously from years of training.

Two other people were standing next to him, their expressions also somewhat mocking.

The young man looked Lu Cheng up and down, his tone carrying a hint of contempt. "Has the threshold for Bailian Martial Arts Hall become so low now? They'll let just anyone in?"

The receptionist looked a bit awkward and was just about to smooth things over when she saw Lu Cheng turn his head, his tone very calm. "It's an application, after all. I have to try."

"Try?" The young man acted as if he had heard a joke. "Kid, this isn't the place for your class group chat bragging." "If you want to be a coach, you have to let your fists do the talking."

Lu Cheng nodded. "That's quite a coincidence." "I was thinking the same thing."

As soon as these words were said, many people around looked over. The smile on the young man's face instantly faded a bit. "Kid, you've got a big mouth."

At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing a black coach's uniform walked over from the nearby training area. He wore a silver-trimmed coach badge on his chest, clearly indicating a high status. "What's the racket?"

The receptionist immediately gave a brief summary of the situation. Upon hearing this, the middle-aged coach glanced at the electronic tablet and then looked up at Lu Cheng a few times. "You're the one here to apply?" "Yes."

"Body Refining Realm, Tendon & Bone Stage, Mastery level Three Styles of Crushing Fist and Wandering Step??" The middle-aged coach read it out, his eyebrows slightly raised. "You want to be a martial arts teaching assistant?" "I want to earn some money." Lu Cheng was very honest.

A few low chuckles immediately rang out around them. A high school student with Mastery level martial arts proficiency? It would be a ghost story if anyone believed that. Were students these days so ambitious and unrealistic?

"If you're at the Mastery level, I won't take my salary this month!" The young man in gray clothes laughed outright.

The middle-aged coach didn't laugh; he just nodded indifferently. "If you want to apply, you can." "Bailian Martial Arts Hall doesn't look at age; we look at strength."

He raised his hand and pointed to the combat area nearby. "Zhao Lie, you go and spar with him."

The young man in gray was stunned for a moment, then his lips curled up. "Sure." "It just so happens I haven't finished my warm-up today."

Someone nearby muttered in a low voice: "Zhao Lie is at the peak of the Body Refining Realm. This kid is about to be in trouble."

Lu Cheng heard it, but he didn't say anything; he just flexed his wrists and stepped into the combat area.

Zhao Lie followed him in. After standing still, he twisted his neck, which emitted a series of clicking sounds. "Kid, it's not too late to admit defeat now." "When I strike... I don't always know my own strength!"

Lu Cheng looked at him and grinned. "I also want to test today just how tough a sparring partner from a top-tier martial arts hall really is."

Zhao Lie's eyes darkened. "Asking for a beating!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he stomped his foot and lunged forward violently.

The blood energy of the peak Body Refining Realm exploded instantly. His speed and power were far greater than that of an average student. His fist, carrying the sound of wind being torn, smashed straight toward Lu Cheng's face. His movements were clean and efficient; this was clearly not just for show.

But at the very moment the fist was about to land, Lu Cheng's feet slid. Wandering Step.

His body tilted slightly, and he seemed to drift away along with the opponent's fist wind, just barely dodging the blow.

Zhao Lie's expression changed slightly, and he immediately twisted his waist to change his move. But Lu Cheng didn't give him a chance to follow up; turning his steps, he had already cut to the side.

"Nice footwork!" Zhao Lie shouted in a low voice and turned around, throwing another heavy punch.

Lu Cheng once again changed directions to dodge this punch. The Origin-level Wandering Step, combined with Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck, allowed him to avoid every strike from Zhao Lie as if he were flowing water.

He lowered his shoulders slightly, exerted force from his waist and hips, and clenched his five fingers. Three Styles of Crushing Fist, first punch!

Bang! The punch landed on his shoulder, and a dull sound of impact instantly exploded.

Zhao Lie only felt an exceptionally solid force transmitted from the punch; his whole arm went slightly numb, and his expression changed instantly. This kid, something is wrong!

But before he could adjust, Lu Cheng's second punch followed up smoothly. The power was even heavier than the first!

Zhao Lie hurriedly raised his hands to block, his body forced back two steps by the impact. The people on the sidelines suddenly went quiet.

A high school student who could knock back Zhao Lie, who was at the peak of the Body Refining Realm? What kind of joke was this?

Zhao Lie gritted his teeth, his blood energy fully exploding. He pushed off his feet and lunged forward again, clearly having been provoked into real anger.

Lu Cheng's eyes lit up. Well played.

The next instant, instead of retreating, he advanced. Using Wandering Step to get close, he cut in, his fist momentum suddenly tightening. First punch to initiate. Second punch to stack momentum. Third punch... explosive release!

Boom! The wind of the punch exploded.

Zhao Lie was hit head-on by the layer-upon-layer stacked power. He let out a muffled groan, unable to steady his feet anymore. He stumbled back "thump, thump, thump" for several steps, finally landing on his butt on the floor.

The entire combat area instantly fell silent. Zhao Lie sat on the ground, completely stunned. He had lost?

Him, a peak Body Refining Realm cultivator, being knocked over by a high school student?

"How about that? About how much is your monthly salary? Shall we settle up?"

Zhao Lie spat a mouthful of phlegm into a nearby trash can and then looked at the middle-aged coach not far away. "Damn it! Lao Wang, give my this month's salary to this kid!"

Lu Cheng hadn't expected this guy to be serious; he was quite a character.

The middle-aged coach in the distance narrowed his eyes slightly, and his originally casual expression finally became a bit more serious. "It is indeed a Mastery level of proficiency, and there is also an unknown explosive martial arts technique; the preliminary estimate is B-level."

Lu Cheng shook his hand, his expression still quite calm. "So, does that mean the application is passed?"

The middle-aged coach looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then suddenly asked: "You just said you could also teach the Three Styles of Crushing Fist and Wandering Step?"

"I can teach them." Lu Cheng nodded. After mastering the Origin level, his understanding of these two martial arts techniques had reached its peak.

Lu Cheng dared to say that even the mayor of Rong City did not have as thorough an understanding of these two martial arts techniques as he did.

As soon as these words were out, someone nearby gasped.

A martial arts teaching assistant and simply being able to fight were not the same concept. The former required that you not only knew it yourself but also knew how to break down the movements, explain the exertion of force, correct errors, and guide newcomers.

The middle-aged coach stared at Lu Cheng for a while. Just as he was about to continue asking, a voice full of surprise suddenly rang out from the side. "Awesome, buddy! You actually knocked back Zhao Lie?!"

Everyone turned to look. The speaker was a little chubby guy wearing a custom-made training suit that was obviously expensive. His face was round, and his forehead was covered in sweat; he had clearly just finished training.

But that wasn't the main point. The point was that he was followed by two attendants carrying bags; it was the standard configuration for a rich young master.

The little chubby guy looked at Lu Cheng with shining eyes, as if he had found a treasure. "Brother, can you really teach?"

Lu Cheng glanced at him. Money from this kind of wealthy chubby guy was the easiest to earn. "Definitely!"

"Great!" The little chubby guy slapped his thigh, and his whole demeanor became spirited.

"My dad told me I must get the Three Styles of Crushing Fist to the Entry level recently, and I have to know Wandering Step, too, or else my allowance will be cut in half next month!"

"But those coaches teach too fast as soon as they start, and I can't understand it at all!"

Before he could even open his mouth, the little chubby guy waved his hand very ostentatiously. "How about this!" "You come teach me!" "One thousand per hour!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many people around couldn't help but gasp. One thousand per hour?

This price was already quite high. Body Refining Realm martial artists had limited blood energy, and martial arts techniques couldn't be used indiscriminately. The stronger the martial arts technique, the more blood energy it consumed.

The vast majority of Body Refining Realm martial artists usually only used D-level or C-level martial arts techniques. Only a few people at the peak of the Body Refining Realm could use B-level martial arts techniques as a trump card.

And techniques like the Three Styles of Crushing Fist and Wandering Step were precisely in a very comfortable position. The power was sufficient, the consumption was low, they were suitable for low-level martial artists to practice repeatedly, and the market for them had always been huge.

Especially for students who had just awakened and were just starting out, these two martial arts techniques were simply the most practical basic configuration—the first martial arts techniques that every high school student in Rong City had to learn.

When Lu Cheng heard "one thousand per hour," his eyelids twitched slightly. This price was actually a bit beyond Lu Cheng's expectations.

The middle-aged coach stood to the side and didn't stop them, but he gave Lu Cheng a meaningful look. Clearly, this sort of thing was not against the rules at Bailian Martial Arts Hall.

As long as you really have the ability, whoever is willing to spend money to find you, that is your skill.

Lu Cheng was silent for two seconds, then looked up at the wealthy little chubby guy and slowly revealed a very sincere smile. "Fine, one thousand per hour. Your teaching assistant, Lu Cheng, is very happy to serve you!"