In the darkness, Huai Shi heard the thunder again.
Then he was sent flying once more, again and again… blasted into the air, spinning 7,200 degrees before stumbling to the ground, before vomiting out blood with a WAH.
And half of his viscera.
Amidst CRACKLING and POPPING, the energy hidden within his limbs and bones erupted, and he exploded.
Dead.
Huai Shi opened his eyes once more, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, took a shower, then lay back down on the bed, returning to the darkness of the Book of Fate.
The one hundred and sixty-ninth replay began.
And with it came the one hundred and sixty-ninth defeat.
Facing the records in the Book of Fate, Huai Shi still couldn't find any leads, purely being outclassed by Coach Luo.
That muscular old guy, he was simply a monster...
What he demonstrated in the trial class was nothing but show-off techniques that left no room for learning, not just with the initial Yu Step, but also with the later Drummer and Thunderbolt.
It looked like a simple set of three moves, but it covered every bare-handed combat technique Huai Shi could imagine, and after incorporating the application of Source Substance, they achieved almost miraculous effects.
It was simply incredible.
For the first time in his life, Huai Shi saw someone relying purely on physical strength paired with exquisite Source Substance application, reaching a realm close to that of the Stigmata.
Infinite transformations, utterly impregnable.
After experiencing Huai Shi's hundreds of attempts, it evolved into hundreds of transformations.
Even though he didn't hide anything, laying it all open before Huai Shi, he could not distinguish the primary from the secondary.
He could only use the dumbest method to try over and over again.
Get beaten.
Through constant probing, he learned the purpose and meaning of each movement and detail.
Now, after his recordings, he had identified seventy-one details in the Yu Step related to its overall effect, and nineteen varieties that linked with the Drummer.
The Drummer, being an "Offensive" move, had even more transformations; offensive, probing, counter-defensive, and penetrating strong attacks, among others, all dazzled him.
Even placed before him to learn on his own, he couldn't master them all.
These were the transformations extended from the muscular old man's countless battles, spawning new details at will, like a master casually splashing ink, leaving no traces for anyone attempting to steal the technique.
As for the final Thunderbolt...
Huai Shi had given up.
Too simple, yet too hard.
It was a Tiancheng move far beyond Huai Shi by hundreds of ranks, yet its essence was incredibly simple—rock-paper-scissors, three transformations.
Purely three different applications of Drummer combined together, if he hadn't grasped the former, looking into the latter's transformations was like a fool's dream.
With such terrifying power, just one hit would make Huai Shi explode.
Thunder roared, the drum shook. Heaven and earth unified.
If it weren't for Old Turtle showing mercy, Huai Shi would already be evenly splattered outside the gym as plasma, guaranteed you wouldn't find a piece as big as a pinky knuckle.
Can't learn, can't block, can't defeat...
Huai Shi might as well go back to understanding the simplest Yu Step first... but it's 'simple' only in comparison to the others.
Even though it seemed to be footwork, it actually involved the coordination of the entire muscular system and dozens of different applications of Source Substance.
What Huai Shi had figured out was really just the surface.
Compared to that unpredictable and mystic approach, at best he had managed to run a few quick steps... With such an unreserved demonstration to imitate, Huai Shi's progress was naturally rapid.
If it weren't for being killed over a hundred times, the muscular old man could be called a master teacher.
"Help me up, I can still take it!"
After resting for a bit, Huai Shi once again rose from the bed.
Then he jumped up in fright, sticking to the ceiling, staring agape at the muscular old man squatting at the head of his bed, dumbfounded, "What the hell do you want?"
This was the dormitory of the Astronomical Society!
Well, although it was called a dormitory, in reality, it was just a whole floor of rooms in an external hotel for accommodation. The branch didn't have enough spare space to prepare beds for out-of-town members like Huai Shi.
But you can't just barge in like that!
Especially just as dawn was breaking, a muscular old man in nothing but underpants and a tank top squatting at the bedside of a young man. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a crime was about to happen!
"Hey there, you're awake?"
Luo Lao slowly raised his head, touched his bald head, grinned, showing off a set of yellow teeth, "I was just about to call you."
"Call me for what?" Huai Shi was on alert.
A hot water bottle and a towel were thrown into his lap, like a cannonball, nearly smashing him into the ceiling. Huai Shi cried out in pain, falling back onto the bed, his face blank.
"What's this?"