25: Chapter 25 Meteor Fist
Instructor's office, much like the man himself, contained nothing superfluous.
There was an alloy desk, two chairs, and a massive military map of the star sector hanging on the wall, marked with red arrows indicating various brutal battles.
The air held a faint scent of gunpowder; it was hard to tell if it came from the special incense he burned year-round to stay alert, or if it seeped from his training uniform, which had been washed until it was stiff.
Wang Pingan stood before the desk, standing ramrod straight.
He felt as though he hadn't come to see a mentor, but rather a commanding officer.
Instructor didn't offer him a seat; he simply leaned back in his chair, staring at Wang Pingan for a full half-minute with eyes that seemed capable of seeing right through a person.
It made Wang Pingan's skin crawl.
"I watched the match you had with Lin Zhan."
Instructor finally spoke, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
"You fought well."
"You know where your strengths lie, and you know when to pull back."
"Your brain is more useful than your fists."
"In this regard, you are far superior to those idiots in the base who only know how to use brute force."
If those words had come from anyone else, they would have been a compliment.
But coming from Instructor, Wang Pingan couldn't help but feel something was off.
He didn't dare to respond, only continuing to stand there like a javelin.
Instructor took something out of his drawer and tossed it onto the desk.
It wasn't some glowing data chip, nor was it a medicinal pill kept in a jade bottle.
It was just an ordinary, paper book.
The cover was dark blue with frayed edges, and four characters were written on it in an archaic font.
Meteor Fist Technique.
"This is for you."
Instructor pointed to the book.
"You kid, you have too many thoughts, and you hide them deep."
"I know you've been deliberately controlling your strength, not wanting to be the nail that sticks out."
Wang Pingan's heart skipped a beat, and the hair on his back nearly stood on end.
Had he been seen through?
"However, I don't care what schemes you're plotting."
Instructor changed the subject.
"Hiding your talent is fine."
"But if you hide your talent to the point where your own skills disappear, that's just stupid."
"Your biggest problem isn't your foundation; it's your techniques."
"No matter how well you practice your Federal Military Body Boxing, it's still a foundational technique meant for tempering the body, not for killing enemies."
"Your Phantom Step is meant for evasion, not for attacking."
"You lack a set of explosive martial arts that can truly channel your strength, your reflexes, and your combat instincts into a single, devastating blow."
Instructor tapped the Meteor Fist Technique book.
"This thing is the answer you need."
Wang Pingan looked at the book, his breathing becoming slightly hurried.
He knew that Instructor was giving him special training.
This was true, private favoritism.
"Instructor, this… is too valuable."
"Valuable?"
Instructor scoffed, and for once, a flicker of emotion appeared on his perpetually stoic, poker-faced expression.
"This thing is just a hot potato."
"The Meteor Fist Technique has extreme explosive power and swift, fierce moves. When practiced to a high level, a single punch carries the true might of a falling meteor."
"But."
His tone suddenly became grave.
"This technique's requirements for controlling qi and blood are abnormally high."
"It's like an insatiable beast; every punch burns your qi and blood frantically."
"If you lose control, the backlash of force could cause minor injuries to your meridians, or worse, cause your qi and blood to wither, potentially dropping you from Rank 2 back to Rank 1."
"There were a few guys in the base before who thought they were talented enough to try it."
"The best one among them practiced for three months and ended up in a medical pod, where he lay for half a month before coming out."
"Since then, no one has touched this technique again."
Instructor looked at Wang Pingan with sharp eyes.
"I'm giving it to you, not to send you to your death."
"It's because I think your brain is more useful than those idiots'."
"Your combat instincts and your control over your body are top-notch."
"Perhaps you really can tame this beast."
"Of course, if you don't dare, you can return it to me now, and I'll pretend nothing happened."
Wang Pingan didn't hesitate for a second.
He stepped forward and held the somewhat aged manual with both hands.
The book felt heavy in his hands.
He bowed deeply to Instructor.
"Thank you, Instructor!"
"I will not let you down!"
His voice was filled with the forward-looking determination unique to a young man.
Instructor watched him, said nothing more, and simply waved his hand.
"Get lost."
"Go back and study it well."
"If you can't make anything of it within three months, bring it back to me."
...
Back in the dormitory.
Wang Pingan slammed the door shut with a 'bang' and was so excited he nearly jumped on the spot.
A hot potato?
Burning qi and blood?
Damaged meridians?
For others, these were fatal flaws.
But for him, this was absolutely a god-tier skill tailor-made for him!
What was he lacking?
What he lacked was a reasonable excuse to perfectly explain why he was "improving so rapidly" and why he could challenge opponents above his rank!
This Meteor Fist Technique was the perfect disguise!
In the future, if he achieved any shocking feats, when others asked, he could answer with a weary face.
"It's nothing, just burned a few years of my lifespan."
What a perfect script!
He couldn't wait to sit cross-legged on the floor and open the Meteor Fist Technique.
The pages were yellowed, and complex human meridian diagrams were drawn on them in cinnabar, with dense, tiny regular script notes on the side explaining the methods for circulating qi and blood.
【Martial technique Meteor Fist Technique detected. Parse?】
"Parse!"
【Parsing complete.】
【Consume pay-to-win points to upgrade?】
Wang Pingan glanced at the prompt.
【Upgrade to Beginner: 50 pay-to-win points】
【Upgrade to Proficient: 300 pay-to-win points】
【Upgrade to Mastered: 1000 pay-to-win points】
He still had over three hundred pay-to-win points in his pocket, and adding the batch he had just "stocked up" on over the weekend, his total was around one thousand points.
He didn't hesitate at all.
"Upgrade directly to Proficient!"
【Command received. Consuming 300 pay-to-win points. Martial technique Meteor Fist Technique has been upgraded to the Proficient realm.】
The moment the command was confirmed.
Boom!
Wang Pingan felt as if his brain had been struck by a real meteor.
Countless images, countless insights, and countless techniques regarding force application, qi and blood circulation routes, and combat experience for this fist technique flooded into his mind like a bursting dam.
He saw a blurred figure practicing this fist technique under the starry sky.
With one punch, the stars swayed.
With another punch, the void trembled.
That forward-moving, explosive intent to burn everything away was deeply branded into his soul.
He could even clearly feel the muscle fibers in his body making the most minute adjustments according to the requirements of the technique.
The qi and blood in his body also began to surge wildly, uncontrollably, along a brand-new, incomparably domineering route!
That feeling, exhilarating!
Utterly satisfying!
He leaped up from the floor.
In the cramped space of the dormitory, he subconsciously threw out a move: "Meteor Chasing the Moon."
Whoosh!
His fist swung out, not hitting anything.
But the air in front of him let out an unbearable, explosive roar!
A visible white shockwave exploded from his fist as the center, slamming fiercely against the opposite wall.
Bang!
A decorative painting hanging on the wall fell in response, shattering to pieces.
Wang Pingan himself was startled.
This power… was it not just a little too absurd?
He looked down at his fist, feeling the surging, endlessly explosive power of the qi and blood within him.
He knew.
He had gained another trump card capable of flipping the card table.