Infinite Fighting

He knew what the future held. It would all come to pass in less than a decade. The so-called supreme status of the Eastern Extreme Country wouldn’t even last for the final five years.

When the time came, nothing could be relied upon.

Only one’s own strength was absolute.

Therefore, he needed to use his time as efficiently as possible to become one of the strong.

"You’re more purely dedicated. I’m not like that anymore. The future of the world rests on the shoulders of your generation," Zhou Hao said, shaking his head with a smile.

He had grown up in the Five Elements Sect and originally held martial arts in the highest esteem.

That was until he witnessed modern weapons that could shatter mountains and break rocks, and exoskeleton armor that allowed ordinary people to easily lift thousands of pounds. His perspective began to change.

Nowadays, he hardly practiced martial arts anymore.

His focus had shifted more toward managing the Sect’s businesses.

"Uncle Zhou, did you come here just to say this?" Zhang Ji asked.

He was already thinking of showing him the door.

’Showing up in the middle of the night for a casual chat... isn’t this just delaying my training?’

"What’s the rush? Come spar with me at the gymnasium. I heard from Big Brother that you joined the Sect with skills you’d already learned. You originally studied the arts of the Vajra Sect, right? I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing them yet!" Zhou Hao said.

Sparring to build rapport was quite common among the disciples of the Five Elements Sect.

Even the most unfamiliar sect members could get to know each other after a good fight.

Zhang Ji was about to refuse, but on second thought, Zhou Hao was a direct disciple. Even if he wasn’t as good as Li Long, he definitely had a few tricks up his sleeve. A spar might teach him something.

So, Zhang Ji nodded. "Alright."

The two then headed to the pharmaceutical factory’s indoor gymnasium.

The Golden Hook Pharmaceutical factory was practically a miniature city. It had a movie theater, a supermarket, an internet cafe, a fitness center, a gymnasium... It was small, but it had everything.

All of this was established for the workers.

People aren’t machines; they need to relax after work.

So, in addition to meeting the workers’ basic living needs, their recreational needs also had to be considered.

Many people knew Zhou Hao, and when they arrived at the gymnasium, several greeted him.

Many of the workers here were their own people, preferentially selected from the Five Elements Sect.

Specifically, they were Outer Sect disciples who had studied for a few years but lacked the talent to advance.

They all had amateur-level fighting skills.

"Senior Brother Zhou!"

A worker playing on the basketball court greeted Zhou Hao.

"Xiaohe, this is my nephew. He and I are planning to have a little spar. How about you let us use the basketball court for a bit?" Zhou Hao said.

"No problem. We can play ball anytime, but getting to see professional martial artists like you spar, Senior Brother Zhou, now that’s a rare treat."

The worker waved his hand and immediately cleared the people off the basketball court.

At the same time, the others in the gymnasium were also drawn in.

They stopped what they were doing and gathered around, their eyes fixed on Zhang Ji and Zhou Hao.

Zhou Hao and Zhang Ji walked to the center of the basketball court. Zhou Hao took off his jacket, tossed it aside, and assumed the opening stance of the Snake Fist. "Nephew," he said, "don’t hold back, now."

"I don’t have that bad habit."

Zhang Ji stretched his limbs, and with a sharp CRACK in the air, he took the opening stance of the Dragon Form.

Zhou Hao flashed a smile, then his figure suddenly glided forward.

Yes, glided.

His footwork was as if the ground had been oiled. In an instant, Zhou Hao was in front of Zhang Ji.

SWISH! SWISH!

The sound of wind accompanied Zhou Hao’s palm strike. Zhang Ji subconsciously raised a hand to block, but in the next moment, Zhou Hao’s hand "bit" onto his arm, his wrist coiling around it at an incredibly strange angle.

*Strike the snake, and it will climb up the stick.*

Snake Fist focused primarily on neutralizing force and grappling techniques. Brute force was the worst thing you could use against it.

In a way, Zhang Ji was at a slight disadvantage fighting Zhou Hao.

With his arm entangled, Zhang Ji abruptly exerted his strength, trying to break free. But Zhou Hao gently guided the movement, redirecting Zhang Ji’s own force back at him. Zhang Ji nearly lost his balance, stumbling back two steps before steadying himself.

Before Zhang Ji could fully regain his footing, Zhou Hao glided in again, his curved palm striking like a venomous snake spitting, aimed straight for his face.

SWOOSH!

The strike hadn’t even landed, but the sound of it tearing through the air was already audible.

This pecking strike was both a piercing attack and a grappling technique, capable of adapting to the opponent’s moves. Zhang Ji had seen Inner Sect disciples use it before, but never with the speed and menace that Zhou Hao now displayed.

Zhang Ji thrust out a claw hand, his fingertips also creating a sound as they cut through the air.

As their hands met, Zhang Ji felt like he was about to strike something solid, but Zhou Hao’s hand slipped away, transitioning back into a grapple. A light clamp on Zhang Ji’s wrist forced him to change his move in response, preventing him from using even sixty percent of his power.

The two exchanged moves rapidly, and for the first time, Zhang Ji felt utterly frustrated.

He hadn’t felt this aggravated even when facing masters of speed and Body Technique who excelled at kicking.

But fighting Zhou Hao was truly a pain.

He couldn’t exert his full force at all; any power he used was easily neutralized. Trying to counter with a shockwave was also futile. Zhou Hao mostly used joint locks and grappling, and his palm strikes were soft and yielding, making them impossible to rebound. The moment Zhang Ji had an inkling of a counter-attack, his opponent had already disengaged.

It really felt like their styles were a natural counter to each other.

However, Zhou Hao was also intentionally guiding Zhang Ji. During their exchange, Zhang Ji clearly sensed Zhou Hao’s weaknesses.

Insufficient power generation, weak explosive force in his moves, needing more movements to neutralize attacks, high stamina consumption, and requiring a large area to be effective, and so on.

But most importantly, his techniques were heavily dependent on the ground.

From the very beginning, Zhou Hao had been dodging all of Zhang Ji’s kicks.

He didn’t dare to meet them with his own feet.

Zhang Ji instantly understood why.

’The key to neutralizing force is the ground.’

A large portion of the force from his own attacks was being transferred into the ground through Zhou Hao’s feet.

’So, if I attack his lower body, he’ll have a hard time dissipating the force.’

WHOOSH! SWISH!

Zhang Ji executed a Divine Dragon’s Tail Sweep, aiming for Zhou Hao’s lower body. Zhou Hao’s figure glided lightly away, retreating several meters.

"Oh my, you found my weakness!" Zhou Hao said with a smile.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Zhang Ji unleashed a series of sweeping kicks at Zhou Hao, each one exploding with a sharp crack, utilizing the technique of whole-body power.

If one of these kicks landed on an ordinary person, it would shatter their leg bones to dust.

Zhou Hao retreated continuously until he was backed up against the basketball hoop.

One of Zhang Ji’s kicks landed on the base supporting the hoop.

DONG— SCREECH!

The massive base was sent sliding several meters by the kick, screeching against the floor. The point of impact was deeply dented, leaving a clear imprint of his foot.

Seeing this, the workers backed away hastily, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

"HISS! That hoop weighs over seven hundred kilograms!"

"Are these professional martial artists all monsters?"

...

Zhou Hao retreated some distance but was eventually cornered by Zhang Ji, with nowhere left to run.

WHOOSH!

Faced with this kick, Zhou Hao could no longer retreat and could only leap into the air to evade it.

This was exactly what Zhang Ji wanted. He executed a Divine Dragon Raises its Head, bent his knees to explode upward, and unleashed a punch with his whole-body power aimed at Zhou Hao’s chest.

Theoretically, this blow should have been effective.

But at that moment, Zhou Hao revealed a subtle smile.

Zhang Ji’s fist made contact with Zhou Hao, but in the next instant, Zhou Hao’s entire body went boneless, coiling around his arm. He hung upside down, his legs quickly locking around Zhang Ji’s neck.

A chokehold!

’The weakness in his footwork was a deliberate ploy!’

’As expected of an old fox, his combat experience is truly vast.’

But!

HUMMM!

BANG!

With a deep hum, Zhou Hao was sent flying by a force that Zhang Ji’s muscles had been accumulating throughout their exchange. He adjusted his posture in mid-air and finally landed on bent knees over ten meters away.

As his skill in *Iron Shirt* improved, Zhang Ji’s ability to accumulate and then rebound force with his body became more pronounced. He could now even store up energy from attacks and release it all in one explosive burst.

It was like building up a rage meter.

Zhang Ji clenched his fist, ready to strike again, but Zhou Hao held up a hand to stop him. "Stop! Stop! Stop! Let’s call it a day. I’m just a bag of old bones. If you keep going, Nephew, I’m afraid I won’t be able to take it!"

As he spoke, he exaggeratedly put a hand on his lower back, pretending to be injured.

Seeing this, Zhang Ji couldn’t very well continue. He could only cup his fist and say, "Uncle Zhou, thank you for the lesson."

"I didn’t let you win at all! With your level of skill, I’m afraid even Big Brother couldn’t compare to you at your age. Truly, each generation surpasses the last!" Zhou Hao came forward and said emotionally, clapping Zhang Ji on the shoulder.

Zhang Ji found it awkward to comment on Li Long.

Afterward, Zhou Hao bought drinks for everyone present and pulled Zhang Ji over to the rest area.

"Life must have been hard on Shanli Island, huh?"