Rooftop.
Two figures moved rapidly, the wind whistling and hissing around their bodies and fists.
Hong Fei's body moved with each step as if an old tree were taking root in the earth. His gait was as steady as a giant elephant, yet his upper body was like a monkey in the forest, dodging and weaving instinctively.
Frank's footsteps, however, were lighter and more agile. His long arms were filled with immense power, like steel spears.
Frank's fighting style was based on free combat, blending the essence of many modern techniques. Combined with years of real-world combat and life-or-death experience, it was far beyond what an ordinary person could match.
However, if one looked closely, they would see that Hong Fei had already closed his eyes.
Frank lunged with a straight punch, aiming directly at his face.
The subtle sound of the fist cutting through the air, the sudden compression of the airflow in front of him, formed a clear feedback in Hong Fei's mind. He dropped his shoulder and turned his body, the fist grazing past the tip of his nose. At the same time, he reached out his palm and touched Frank's iron arm.
Instantly, Frank steadied his feet and violently pulled his arm back.
Hong Fei's hand first moved along the direction of Frank's incoming punch, but then he keenly sensed Frank's muscles tighten. He instantly ceased exerting force. When Frank used force to pull his arm back, Hong Fei simultaneously applied his own strength in the same direction.
Consequently, the force with which Frank pulled his arm back suddenly increased. His upper body jerked backward, and he had to quickly shift his feet to steady himself.
However, one of Hong Fei's feet had already reached out.
With a thud, Frank sat on the ground, a hint of bewilderment rising in his eyes.
Seeing that Hong Fei still hadn't opened his eyes and was merely beckoning to him, Frank gritted his teeth, flipped up, and clenched his fists again.
This time, he didn't rush to attack, but instead moved his feet inch by inch toward Hong Fei.
Hong Fei suddenly changed his stance and took a step forward. As he inhaled, his tendons and bones expanded, his arms spreading like an eagle's wings; as he exhaled, he sank his elbows and dropped his hips, his energy rapidly retracting. His right palm faced outward in front of his eyes, while his left palm faced downward toward his lower abdomen.
On the entire rooftop, apart from the sound of the wind, all that remained was the friction of Frank's footsteps dragging against the ground.
Frank stared intently at Hong Fei's body without blinking, as if he had already imprinted every inch of him into his mind. Any slight movement would allow him to judge Hong Fei's next move.
As the two gradually closed the distance, the rustling sound in their ears became clearer, and Hong Fei's judgment of the distance between them in his mind became increasingly precise.
Frank meticulously maintained his fighting stance, his weight shifted back, his right leg forward, probing. If anything seemed wrong, he could immediately retreat and raise his right leg to defend.
Hong Fei, in the advantageous position, could naturally remain motionless; Frank couldn't afford to be impatient if he wanted to seize an opportunity.
White clouds drifted, and a cool breeze swept by. Suddenly, a sharp horn sounded from the street below.
Instantly, Frank's pupils constricted. He had no time to think, instantly tightening his arms against his chest, curling his upper body into a ball to prepare for an unknown impact.
Hong Fei's right leg muscles suddenly bulged, and he took a fierce, large step forward. Although his eyes were closed, he accurately stepped behind Frank's right foot, blocking his attempt to pull back and retreat. During the charge, he twisted his body, leading with his right shoulder, his arms tucked in. His body weight, forward momentum, and the force he unleashed merged into one, forming an invisible mass of energy within his body. Driven by his tendons and bones, it surged wildly toward his right arm.
In Frank's eyes, Hong Fei suddenly charged in straight without warning, his small figure rapidly enlarging in his vision like a massive, heavy beast violently pouncing, the gap closing in an instant.
Bang!!
A dull, muffled sound erupted. Centered on his leading arm, a perfectly rounded, fierce, and powerful force was unleashed instantly. Frank's arms, crossed in front of his chest, were forced even tighter against his chest under the heavy blow. The highly penetrating force tore through skin, muscle, and even bone with unstoppable power.
Immediately, Frank flew three meters into the air like a sandbag. With a loud boom, he crashed solidly into the rooftop's electrical box, leaving a deep dent. After falling, he remained curled on the ground, motionless for a long while.
Frank felt as if Hong Fei had reached his large hand directly into his chest and ravaged his internal organs. His heart, lungs, and everything else had suffered an unimaginable shock, which caused his breathing to stop abruptly. The moment his heart stopped beating, his brain quickly began to suffer from oxygen deprivation, his strength instantly vanished, and his control over his body was directly seized by his brain, because at this moment, his body needed to restore breathing to ensure oxygen supply to the brain, and all unnecessary movements were superfluous.
Under the body's self-repair, his stopped heart began to beat again. Frank's curled body sprang open. He lay on his side, opening his mouth with all his might to struggle for breath, completely ignoring the fine sand and dust on the ground being sucked into his mouth.
After a long while, his breathing slowly calmed down, and his eyes began to focus.
Hong Fei was standing beside him, motionless, showing him a smile that looked quite gentle.
Frank rolled over to lie flat on the ground, panting, and said with difficulty, "Last time, I remember, it wasn't... like this."
"I know too much, I apologize." Hong Fei helplessly clasped his hands in a salute. What he cared about more was, why didn't a skill card drop this time? Could it be that one person can only drop one? Or did Frank only have that one skill? Or perhaps this skill card thing also has a drop rate? An hour later. Frank was shirtless, his arms and chest glistening with oil—it was an ointment Hong Fei had concocted himself. He was half-reclining, his arms resting naturally on a cushion, his fingers occasionally trembling involuntarily.
"This is revenge."
"It is not."
"It is."
"You are slandering me."
Frank said with a dark face, "You almost killed me. I felt like I was about to die!"
Hong Fei put down his tablet and said helplessly, "But you didn't die, did you?"
"But you had the intent."
Hong Fei shook his head and got up, walking toward the open gym on one side of the living room.
Facing the punching bag, Hong Fei said, "If I wanted to kill you, I would change my way of exerting force, and I certainly wouldn't do it through two arms. I would do it like this."
As he spoke, Hong Fei assumed the stance again and then suddenly stepped forward.
This time, Hong Fei did not turn his body to lead with his shoulder and arm, but instead lowered his center of gravity even more. His hands suddenly shot up from below like a dragon rising from the water, his elbow joints twisting, his arms rising and falling abruptly, and both palms landed on the punching bag almost simultaneously.
Bang! A crisp sound echoed in the room, yet the punching bag was not knocked away. Instead, the leather on its back seemed to have been pierced by a sharp blade, instantly bursting open into a slit.
Fine sand flowed out, and Hong Fei turned around.
Frank seemed to see Hong Fei suddenly close in, his two hands violently prying open his fighting guard, and then both palms pressing onto his chest, the force tearing through skin and piercing his heart...
After a while, Frank put away all his complaints and stared seriously at Hong Fei, "How did you do that?"
"Practice."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-two. Don't worry about that. How long you practice isn't important; what's important is whether you have the right direction when practicing, whether you are constantly improving with each practice, and how much you have improved. You can learn, but there's no need to learn from me, because you already have techniques that suit you. Your body, reactions, and instincts have all merged with your techniques. Changing them now is unnecessary."
Frank fell into deep thought after listening.
Hong Fei: "Actually, put another way, you should find it easier to understand."
Frank suddenly looked up.
"You're old."
Frank's eye twitched violently.
Hong Fei stood up immediately. "Alright, you should rest. I've given you all the information. In New York, you decide how to act. Come find me if you need help."
"Why aren't you participating?"
"Of course, I have more important things to do."
Going down to the first-floor bookstore and raising the rolling shutter, Hong Fei saw that someone was already standing outside the glass door.
When that face with a warm smile fully appeared, Hong Fei was very disappointed.