I Contracted Myself

Zhang Ping returned to Iron Soul, feeling only one thing: poverty.

The fees for martial arts schools were exorbitant. Even the smaller ones charged between 300 and 500 Mingzhu Currency. He would need to save for months just to enroll in the most basic program.

"I wonder if I can apply for some funding from Liu Sishan," Zhang Ping thought as he lay in bed, just before falling asleep. The organization Liu Sishan belonged to must be quite wealthy.

For the next week, Zhang Ping's life was very routine.

During the day, he stayed at Iron Soul to study. At night, he continued investigating the martial arts schools while occasionally pointing out the Tianchang Foxes to Liu Sishan.

The Sweep Team wouldn't act immediately after he identified a Tianchang Fox. They would strike sporadically, and it wasn't until several days later that Zhang Ping noticed a few Tianchang Foxes had disappeared.

Clearly, the Sweep Team had taken action.

Zhang Ping knew well that the Sweep Team didn't trust him. After all, Liu Sishan had never mentioned the name of her organization. He only knew it was the Sweep Team because his Appraisal Skill had leveled up.

The Contract Gem could enhance potential, and there were three main ways to utilize this potential.

The first was to gradually release potential through training.

This allowed him to continually break human limits, achieving a physical condition beyond ordinary people. With sustained training, he felt he could one day compete with body-strengthening Awakeners.

The second was a one percent chance to awaken a new talent.

In some sense, Zhang Ping was quite lucky. He had already awakened three different talents.

The third was to upgrade existing talents.

From 'Unstable Appraisal Skill' to 'Stable Appraisal Skill,' Zhang Ping's most frequently used skill had evolved rapidly, advancing to 'Strategic Appraisal Skill' two days ago.

Strategic Appraisal Skill could identify the faction or affiliation of a target. If the target had no faction, none would be displayed.

After upgrading his skill, Zhang Ping reappraised Liu Sishan and learned that her organization was called the Sweep Team.

Finally, he mustered the courage to apply for funding from Liu Sishan.

The day after his application, Liu Sishan provided him with Mingzhu Currency.

With the funds, Zhang Ping planned to join a martial arts school to gather information. Once he had a good understanding, he would approach a few trustworthy school owners to see if he could recruit some combat power.

Late at night.

Zhang Ping returned to the Beast King Boxing School.

The Beast King Boxing School wasn't the best choice, but it was close to Iron Soul.

Zhang Ping purchased the courses for the first three forms of Beast King Boxing and finally entered the school's inner chambers. The school had five floors, two above ground and three below.

Led by a young lady attendant, Zhang Ping arrived at a room.

The room was already filled with many apprentices, mostly aged between 25 and 30. Zhang Ping felt out of place until a boy around his age entered, making the situation slightly better.

"Hello," the boy said, approaching Zhang Ping.

"Hello," Zhang Ping nodded.

"Are you here to learn Beast King Boxing too?" Wang Jieming asked.

Zhang Ping squinted at him and quipped, "What else would I be here for, flower arranging?"

"Ah, sorry, that was a dumb question. I'm Wang Jieming," the boy said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Zhang Ping," Zhang Ping introduced himself.

Their dry conversation ended as the instructor arrived.

The instructor was a burly man, estimated to be between 40 and 50 years old. Most body-strengthening Awakeners were robust and muscular, each a muscle-bound giant.

This instructor had a beard and wolf-like eyes. When he spoke, his canine teeth were visible.

As the instructor introduced himself, Zhang Ping activated his Appraisal Skill, and the instructor's information was revealed.

[Appraisal Successful]

[Name: Bai De]

[Race: Human]

[Faction: Beast King Boxing School]

[Potential: ☆]

[Lifespan: 159]

[Rank: Advanced Awakener]

[Level: 25]

[Talents]

[Food Shape Supplement: Gradually alter physique through food.]

[Advanced Skills]

[Racing Wolf Form: Unlock latent power, gradually transform into a werewolf, significantly increasing speed.]

[Berserk Lion Form: Unlock latent power, transform into a powerful lion-man, enhancing the body in all aspects.]

...

Strong.

Judging by his attributes, he could almost rival Liu Sishan.

But who was stronger between Liu Sishan and Bai De could only be determined through a fight. The descriptions alone couldn't convey the speed of the Racing Wolf Form or the strength of the Berserk Lion Form.

After his introduction, Bai De wasted no time and got straight to the point.

"The first three forms of Beast King Boxing are the Ape King Form, Crocodile Form, and Phoenix Claw Form. Like Ming Fist, each form corresponds to a different creature. The Ape King Form is versatile and unpredictable, the Crocodile Form trains finger strength, allowing one to tear apart tigers and leopards upon mastery, and the Phoenix Claw Form also requires immense finger strength. I suggest learning the Crocodile Form first and the Phoenix Claw Form last."

"Alright, let's start with practical learning. Follow my movements."

Bai De began teaching the Ape King Form.

The Ape King Form wasn't about mimicking ape movements but was a fast-paced boxing technique. It was named Ape King Form to signify the restless nature of the mind.

The boxing technique came with a complementary footwork, which Zhang Ping felt was the essence of the Ape King Form.

During the first lesson, everyone learned slowly, fearing mistakes. They preferred to go slow rather than make errors.

Bai De taught the first form and then had the apprentices repeatedly practice it. He moved among them, correcting their mistakes.

When he reached Zhang Ping, he watched for a while before nodding, "Not bad, keep going."

When he got to Wang Jieming, his brows furrowed. He kept correcting Wang Jieming's movements, but each time, Wang Jieming quickly reverted to incorrect form.

"Your feet, focus on your feet."

"No, your power point should be on your toes, not your heels. Watch closely."

"Is your pelvis disconnected from your lower body? How else could your upper body move without your lower body following?"

...

After ten minutes, Bai De was exasperated.

He thought for a moment and then turned to Zhang Ping, "Try sparring with him."

Sometimes, actual combat was the best teacher.

Some people were naturally gifted. They might struggle with formal learning for years but could improve rapidly in combat.

Bai De hoped Wang Jieming was such a talent. Otherwise, teaching him the first three forms of Beast King Boxing would be a painful task.

The other apprentices made space, and Zhang Ping and Wang Jieming faced off.

"No other abilities allowed, just use the Ape King Form. Begin," Bai De instructed.

Zhang Ping moved instantly, feinting left before darting to Wang Jieming's right. Wang Jieming instinctively threw a punch, but Zhang Ping moved like a monkey climbing a tree, advancing along Wang Jieming's arm and landing a punch on his face, though he held back his strength.

...

Bai De watched the two and sighed. Zhang Ping beating Wang Jieming was like an adult overpowering a baby, completely one-sided.

Clearly, Wang Jieming wasn't a combat genius.

The surrounding Awakeners laughed, seeing that Zhang Ping had held back significantly, practically giving Wang Jieming a free pass.

Wang Jieming was around Zhang Ping's age, but their skills were worlds apart.

At least in the Ape King Form, Zhang Ping had reached an entry-level proficiency, while Wang Jieming hadn't even grasped the basics.

"Alright, stop," Bai De sighed.

Zhang Ping cupped his fists, "Thank you for going easy on me."

...

Wang Jieming could only smile bitterly. The Awakeners could see Zhang Ping holding back, and as the one being beaten, Wang Jieming knew it even more clearly. If Zhang Ping hadn't held back, he would have been spitting blood.

"You're not suited for boxing. I can refund your tuition," Bai De said to Wang Jieming.

Wang Jieming quickly responded, "Instructor Bai, I want to learn. Please believe in me, I can do it!"

...

Bai De was speechless. He really didn't want to teach Wang Jieming.

Each instructor could only take on so many apprentices. Teaching a genius would quickly yield results, but teaching a talentless student would consume a lot of time. The time spent on one untalented student could be used to teach three or four geniuses.

"Give me a few more days, please, Instructor Bai," Wang Jieming pleaded.

Bai De reluctantly agreed, "Alright, five more days. If you haven't grasped the Ape King Form by then, I'll refund seventy percent of your tuition."

"Deal, thank you, Instructor Bai," Wang Jieming agreed immediately.

Zhang Ping was curious. If Wang Jieming had no talent, why was he so determined to learn boxing? Judging by his physique, he didn't seem like a body-strengthening Awakener.

Out of curiosity, Zhang Ping used his Appraisal Skill on Wang Jieming.

[Appraisal Successful]

[Name: Wang Jieming]

[Race: Human]

[Potential: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]

[Lifespan: 92]

[Rank: Primary Awakener]

[Level: 5]

[Talents]

[Diligence Overcomes Clumsiness: Learning ability reduced by 90%, but any skill can be improved through persistent training. Each day of persistence increases growth rate for similar training by 10%, up to a maximum of 1000%.]

So that's it.

After reading Wang Jieming's attributes, Zhang Ping understood.

Wang Jieming was a late bloomer. Although learning skills was difficult for him initially, his growth rate would increase significantly with persistence.

Moreover, Wang Jieming had seven-star potential, meaning he would at least become an Advanced Awakener, possibly even a Top-Level Awakener.

This guy was a real talent.

Although Mingzhu City had many Awakeners, most were Intermediate Awakeners. Advanced and Top-Level Awakeners were rare. Awakeners were still flesh and blood, susceptible to disease, injuries, and aging, which would gradually weaken their strength.

Take Liu Tiefeng, for example. Although he was an Intermediate Awakener, he couldn't even defeat Zhang Ping, a Primary Awakener, now.

Even ordinary people could harm him if they caught him off guard.

Time spares no one; that's reality.