The King of Black Fog

"One minute to learn 'Divine Fire Map'?" Li Qianxia cared more about this than any master or disciple relationship.

"Not just because of Zhu Xiongjie, perhaps because I have experience with 'Flame Wave'," Li Changzhou mused, then added another reason, "'Concentration' is also important, a slight boost in intelligence based on what I was concentrating on at the time."

"With so many reasons, is it useful to feel it in advance at all? If it is, how useful is it?" Li Qianxia didn't like to hear nonsense; the fiery girl wanted straight talk.

"Why not try fighting?" Yang Qinglan said, "You go first or shall I?"

"Me first!" Li Qianxia leaped onto the grass.

Li Changzhou finished his vegetable juice before leisurely walking over.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Bring it on!" Li Qianxia clenched her fists, not using a weapon, wanting to feel the power of the 'Divine Fire Map' directly with her body.

Li Changzhou smiled faintly, Heavenly Fire descended, his muscles instantly tensed and compressed, heat squeezing out from the gaps like molten lava.

The first level of 'Divine Fire Map' couldn't interfere with reality, but aside from the instant burst of strength, it also made the force searing hot.

His right leg tensed, he twisted his waist, and snapped out a whip-like kick.

Clouds churned, lightning flashed, her spine tingled; Li Qianxia lifted her agile, slender leg and kicked back.

Bang!

Air visibly rippled.

Li Changzhou stepped back, feeling numbness in his leg, while Li Qianxia stumbled backward three steps before catching her breath and steadying herself.

Her leg burned painfully as if licked by flames and as though hit by an exploding barrel of gunpowder.

During the exchange with Li Changzhou just now, she indeed felt as if she had kicked an exploding barrel of gunpowder.

She inhaled sharply, pushing the discomfort in her leg to the back of her mind, knowing from long experience sparring with her brother that Li Changzhou liked to strike when vulnerable.

Sure enough!

As soon as she mentally braced herself, Li Changzhou's foot rolled like a crushing venomous snake, and he exploded forward like a barrel of flames in an instant.

Another leg whipped out like a fire whip.

Li Qianxia, during the month of 1928, wasn't just organizing women's movements; she had practiced 'Thunder Map' well enough.

Instantly, she visualized dark clouds, lightning striking, potential surging, her whole body seemed to swell slightly.

Bang!

Another clash of whip-like legs.

This time, Li Qianxia only swayed slightly before stabilizing.

What's going on? Did big brother hold back? Isn't that underestimating her?!

Before Li Qianxia could voice her indignation...

Li Changzhou leaped, snap snap snap, delivering nine kicks in a flash!

His feet rotated, crushing with the ferocity of a storm!

Each kick could break stones, each one like a grenade!

'Divine Fire Map'! Nine-Ring Mandarin Duck Leg!

Li Qianxia felt like she was a soccer ball being kicked by countless bombs, one explosion sending her left, the next sending her right.

One moment sent flying, the next miraculously blasted back.

She felt as if thrown into a volcano, tumbling and turning, heat waves rolling, threatening to cook her.

What's the situation? What kind of brother doesn't hold back against his sister?

"Qing Lan, save me!" Li Qianxia cried for help.

Yang Qinglan, like a fairy, leaped to Li Qianxia's side, her gaze sweeping around.

The two girls stood together, facing Li Changzhou.

Li Changzhou, unaffected by gravity, gripped with his toes, standing on the ground as if nothing happened.

Seeing him about to pounce again, Li Qianxia quickly said, "Wait! How did you do that?"

She took the chance to ease the pain in her body.

Luckily, whether Li Changzhou's 'Divine Fire Map' was just beginner level or he deliberately held back, she felt like a flower bud battered by severe wind and rain but wasn't injured.

"Just needed to hold onto that energy in my body," Li Changzhou answered.

"Hold onto that energy? Can you speak human?" Li Qianxia continued to stall for time!

"You'd better show some respect to your dear brother—if I'm not human, you're not either—holding onto that energy, to put it high-end, is actually quite simple, just understand and master the idea that 'strength isn't only exerted through hands and legs' and that's it," he replied.

"So, you mean not to develop the habit of only using hands and feet?" Li Qianxia pondered.

"Or rather, to be as accustomed to using one's body as one is to using hands and feet?" Yang Qinglan also offered her opinion.

"Qing Lan has a higher aptitude," Li Changzhou commented.

"What does high aptitude amount to? I have a good brother; she does not."

"Full marks! Your good brother will make up for your aptitude right now!"

Heavenly Fire descended, leg muscles compressed, flames erupted, and Li Changzhou charged at the two like a barrel of explosive.

In reality, he was unable to grip the ground, and at this rate, he would lose his poise.

Considering there were two opponents, he did not use the Nine-Ring Mandarin Duck Leg this time, but his hands moved like swimming dragons.

Concentrating his five forces into one, he shaped and locked them into a circle, Eight Diagram Palm!

Before Yang Qinglan and Li Qianxia's eyes, a blur appeared, and for a moment, they actually saw a fiery Eight Diagram millstone pressing down on them.

The might of the Eight Diagram millstone was astonishing, as if daring to catch it with your hand would either result in the hand being ground to mush or burned to cinders by the flames.

Yang Qinglan tossed out a Thorny Arrow, the Eight Diagram millstone instantly snapped it, but its formidable momentum paused slightly.

The two finally saw the palm shadows clearly!

"Hey, weren't we supposed to practice visualization..."

Li Changzhou hadn't finished speaking when the two young girls pounced on him.

Boom!

Two bolts of lightning simultaneously struck their minds, and Li Qianxia was the first to close the gap, seizing Li Changzhou's hands with her own.

As the Eight Diagram millstone halted, Yang Qinglan flexed her arm and struck with her sword-like attack at Li Changzhou's neck.

Li Changzhou quickly swayed the force within his body and slid to the left to avoid the swift strike.

Li Qianxia did not have time to gather power, tensed her leg muscles, and kicked towards Li Changzhou's groin.

Li Changzhou bent his legs in a hurry, using a variation of the Nine-Ring Mandarin Duck Leg to suppress this unfilial kick.

These three exchanges made him break out in a slight cold sweat.

Yang Qinglan advanced another step, her posture as beautiful as the ethereal mist around a mountain, but Li Changzhou contracted his muscles and tendons, and his fiery strike was nonchalantly caught by her.

"Ha!" Li Qianxia took the opportunity to strike, her voice even stealthily including a "Thunder Roar"!

Li Changzhou's head swam slightly, and he could only parry instinctively, quickly losing the upper hand.

The two young girls exchanged blows, sometimes with sisterly unity, with Li Qianxia even more nefarious, covertly using skills like "Super Speed" and "Second Stage Thrust."

"Boom boom boom!" Thunderous sounds vibrated.

Li Changzhou repelled the two with a move.

"Foul play!" Li Qianxia immediately protested, "We agreed to only use the 'Fire God Map'!"

"Who started playing foul first? Don't think I don't know how fast you can actually go!" Li Changzhou shamelessly took the moral high ground with triumph.

Whoosh!

A flash of Jade Light, black hair cascading like a waterfall, Yang Qinglan's Emerald Peak Sword skimmed by Li Changzhou's cheek, the sharp blade almost leaving a mark on his skin through the air.

Visualization attempts are limited.

First is the concentration; it requires high focus to visualize, and each attempt drastically depletes one's energy.

Next is the body's endurance; nonstop exertion causes muscles to ache, let alone the draining and stirring up of potential like squeezing water out of a sponge.

Last is "Ability."

Taking these three into account, Qing Lan and Qian Xia's combined number of visualization attempts was still less than Changzhou's alone.

So she started using a weapon!

Li Qianxia had already stealthily opened her hand and summoned the Blood-colored Steel Spear the moment she accused him of foul play.

Such was their sparring—unpredictable from the start, when someone used the excuse "this is how real combat is" to cheat.

"Miss Yang, don't hit the face! What if you disfigure me and I can't find a wife?" Li Changzhou dodged the sword light while speaking.

"Then I'll marry you."

"Wait, ceasefire, let me seriously consider this for two minutes!"

"Idiot." Yang Qinglan struck again with her sword, "If I were really going to marry you, why would I let you get disfigured? Wouldn't that be a loss for me?"

"Qing Lan, that's enough, let's team up!" Li Qianxia charged with a steel spear in her left hand and a Desert Eagle in her right.

Li Changzhou and Yang Qinglan, who had been chattily and leisurely sparring, suddenly became serious.