24: Chapter 24 Lin Zhan's Challenge

The daily routine at the base passed day by day in this kind of boring yet fulfilling cultivation.

Wang Pingan's strength was growing rapidly in secret.

But what he displayed outwardly remained that of a "weak foundation" but "fast progress" lopsided genius.

His persona was firmly established.

And just when he thought that the days would continue to be this peaceful.

An unexpected person came looking for him.

Lin Zhan.

That taciturn, human-shaped beast who only knew how to wrestle with a pile of iron lumps every day.

That afternoon, Wang Pingan had just come out of the gravity room, his whole body looking as if he had been fished out of water.

Lin Zhan was blocking the doorway.

He was still the same, wearing a black training uniform, arms crossed, like a wall.

He didn't speak, just looked at Wang Pingan with his calm, unruffled eyes.

Wang Pingan felt a bit creeped out by his gaze.

"Something up?"

Lin Zhan nodded.

He stretched out a finger and pointed to the sparring room not far away.

The meaning was obvious.

Fight a match.

Countless thoughts flashed through Wang Pingan's mind in an instant.

Why did Lin Zhan want to fight him?

Testing him? Or just itchy for a fight?

How much force should he use?

If he won, would it expose his strength and attract unnecessary trouble?

If he lost, would it make him think he was too weak and not want to play with him in the future?

The balance between these was hard to gauge.

He glanced at Lin Zhan's expressionless face and those eyes filled with fighting intent.

Wang Pingan smiled.

"Alright."

He knew this battle couldn't be avoided.

Moreover, he also wanted to experience for himself just how strong the recognized strongest person in this base really was.

In the sparring room.

The two stood facing each other.

There was no referee and no audience.

"Let's begin."

Lin Zhan's deep voice rang out in the empty room.

Before the words had even faded.

He moved.

No probing, no maneuvering.

Just the simplest, most direct punch!

Boom!

The alloy floor under his feet sank slightly due to this immense explosive force.

His whole person, like a crazed bull, charged toward Wang Pingan.

The oppressive feeling rushing toward him made Wang Pingan's breathing hitch.

So strong!

Wang Pingan's eyes instantly turned sharp.

He dared not be even slightly careless.

He shifted his footwork, unleashing his Master-level Phantom Step.

His whole body, like a leaf in the wind, drifted lightly backward for several meters, narrowly avoiding Lin Zhan's powerful punch.

Lin Zhan's punch missed, without the slightest pause.

He exerted force from his waist, forcibly twisting his body, and his other fist, like a cannonball leaving the barrel, slammed toward Wang Pingan again.

The wind of the fist whistled, carrying a sharp sound that tore through the air.

Fast!

Fierce!

This was Lin Zhan's fighting style.

No technique, just using the purest strength and speed to completely crush you!

Wang Pingan's figure turned into afterimages in the small sparring room.

His Phantom Step had already been pushed to its limit.

He was like a top-tier matador, maneuvering through Lin Zhan's storm-like attacks.

Every dodge was just right.

Every evasion was handled with ease.

It looked dangerous, but in reality, Lin Zhan's fists couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes.

Outside the sparring room.

Before they knew it, a few onlookers had gathered.

Su Yue, Qin Shan, and Qin Hai were all there.

They watched the two figures entangled on the surveillance screen, their eyes wide.

"Damn! Since when did this guy Wang Pingan's footwork become so awesome?"

Su Yue was full of disbelief.

She specialized in footwork herself and could tell that Wang Pingan's footwork was no longer as simple as "Introductory" level.

That ease, that composure, was at least at the "Master" level!

"His rate of progress is too fast."

Qin Shan said in a deep voice, looking at the screen with a grave expression.

"Lin Zhan's strength simply cannot suppress him."

In the sparring room.

Lin Zhan, unable to land a hit for so long, started to become somewhat impatient.

His breathing became heavier and heavier.

"Roar!"

He let out a sudden, explosive shout, and his entire body's vitality erupted without reservation!

Peak of Grade 2 Mid-stage!

His whole body grew a size larger, and blue veins knotted under his skin like coiled angry dragons.

He stomped his foot on the ground, and the entire sparring room shook.

"Mountain Crushing Fist!"

He gathered all his strength into one fist and struck out fiercely toward Wang Pingan!

This punch sealed off all of Wang Pingan's escape routes.

No way to avoid it!

All the hairs on Wang Pingan's body stood on end.

He knew he couldn't dodge anymore.

He took a deep breath, and the vitality in his body also began to boil.

He didn't unleash his full strength, but instead precisely controlled his vitality intensity to a level almost identical to Lin Zhan's.

Grade 2 Mid-stage!

His eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, he advanced, meeting it with a punch of his own.

Perfection-level Federal Military Body Boxing!

Added with the "Inch Force" that he had already touched the threshold of!

Two fists.

Collided in mid-air with a boom.

Thud!

A deafeningly dull sound exploded in the room.

A visible wave of air spread wildly in all directions with the two of them as the center.

Wang Pingan's body shook violently, and he took seven or eight steps back, stumbling before barely steadying himself.

His arm went numb, and a tearing pain came from the web between his thumb and index finger.

And Lin Zhan opposite him was having an equally hard time.

He took three steps back, and for the first time, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

He looked down at his own fist.

The knuckles were bright red.

He had actually been blocked head-on by Wang Pingan in the area of strength he was most proud of!

Although he had the upper hand, the strange, highly penetrating force contained in Wang Pingan's punch also caused his vitality to churn.

The two looked at each other, both seeing gravity in the other's eyes.

Just then.

Wang Pingan suddenly grinned, shook his numb arm, and gave Lin Zhan a thumbs up.

"Awesome!"

"I concede!"

He conceded cleanly and decisively, without any hesitation.

Lin Zhan was stunned.

Su Yue and the others outside the sparring room were also stunned.

That last punch had clearly been a draw.

Although Wang Pingan had retreated more steps, he clearly still had the strength to fight.

Why did he concede?

Lin Zhan looked at Wang Pingan, and for the first time, a trace of confusion appeared on that unchanging face.

Wang Pingan said with a smile.

"Your strength is too great; if we keep fighting, this arm of mine will be ruined."

"I don't want to miss the end-of-month assessment because of a spar."

What he said was reasonable.

Lin Zhan was silent for a moment, then withdrew his fists, and the violent aura on his body slowly subsided.

He walked up to Wang Pingan and extended his hand.

"You are strong."

This was the first time he had given an evaluation of Wang Pingan.

Wang Pingan also extended his hand and shook it with his.

"You too."

The two hands gripped together, then quickly let go.

A thrilling spar ended in such an anticlimactic way.

But Wang Pingan knew that his intended goal had already been achieved.

He had both displayed enough strength to contend with Lin Zhan and, at the last moment, "sensibly" conceded, preserving the face of Lin Zhan as the number one.

Most importantly, he had successfully reinforced his persona of having an "unstable foundation and insufficient strength" once again.

Sure enough.

After the spar ended, Instructor Chen Feng called him over again and scolded him severely.

"Nonsense!"

"How many times have I told you! Do not be eager for quick success and instant benefits! Do not go head-to-head with Lin Zhan!"

"Your advantage is technique, is footwork! Comparing strength with him, aren't you just pitting your weaknesses against his strengths?"

Wang Pingan lowered his head, wearing an expression of "I was wrong, and I'll do it again next time" while pretending to humbly accept the teaching.

But inside, he was blooming with joy.

Meanwhile.

Wang Pingan's weekend "scavenging" trip continued.

He discovered that in the depths of the West City Scrap Yard, that area shrouded in energy mist, the place Lin Zhan called the "Forbidden Zone".

The mist there seemed to be becoming thicker and thicker.

From far away, he could feel a faint, slightly seductive and dangerous aura seeping out from within.

Like Pandora's box, it was silently tempting him.

And regarding Li Moran.

Ever since the conflict in the secret realm, this person seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth.

His name no longer appeared on the Elite Base's "specially invited sparring partner" list.

Su Yue and the others gossiped privately, saying that Li Moran had been traumatized, was depressed, and had been grounded by his family.

But Wang Pingan didn't believe it at all.

He knew that a venomous snake wouldn't turn into an earthworm just because you hit it with a stick.

It would only retreat into its hole, waiting more insidiously and patiently for the next opportunity to launch a fatal strike.

This calm before the storm actually made Wang Pingan even more vigilant.