The noise was deafening. People poured out from the second-floor exit, each of them looking around like hungry wolves searching for prey—every single one trying to spot Wang Baole.
The scene made Wang Baole jump in fright. He wasn't afraid of one person…But a whole group?
He blinked rapidly. Facing a mob like this—being a bit cowardly didn't feel shameful at all. Fortunately, the club was filled with people of all shapes and sizes; there were plenty of other fat folks besides him, so he wasn't too conspicuous. Soon, Wang Baole slipped out of the club and returned to Ethereal Dao College.
Inside the club, however, the people who failed to find the "fat rabbit" were all furious and frustrated. One after another, they clenched their teeth and decided that the next time that fat rabbit showed up… they'd make him pay.
The thing was—hardly anyone visited the combat club every single day, and the club had way too many people. After all, it included nearly every resident of Ethereal City who liked fighting.
So even though many people witnessed Wang Baole's "performance" that day…Three days later, when he came again, very few people recognized him at first.
Even those who did couldn't spread the word fast enough. As a result, every time Wang Baole visited, he would start from complete obscurity in his first match… then escalate into utter chaos by the end.
After more than ten visits, even though he tried to stay low-profile…The legend of the Fat Rabbit Who Snaps Fingers still began to circulate.
"Have you heard? There's a fat rabbit in the club who specializes in breaking fingers!"
"They say he's insanely evil—during a fight, the only thing he looks at are your fingers!"
"I even heard he's got a twisted hobby! If you stop him from breaking your fingers, he'll go after your toes!"
Rumors and whispers spread throughout the club like wildfire. In the end, though not everyone knew, every time Wang Baole entered the ring, he was instantly recognized. During his last visit, he even noticed that some people were monitoring all the first-floor entrances.
As if that weren't enough, he also heard that someone had formed an "Exterminate the Rabbit Alliance."That stunned him.
Fortunately, hundreds of battles had sharpened his "finger-breaking technique" to perfection. He reminded himself to stay low-key, then finally ended his combat trials.
"These people are totally unreasonable. It's a free-combat club—why are they all so emotional? I'm not breaking fingers—I'm practicing grappling techniques!"Wang Baole huffed inwardly.
The truth was… he had been fighting the "Grand Sparring Partner" in his dreams almost every day during this time. Whenever he couldn't take that abuse anymore, he went back to the combat club.
This cycle let him vent his pent-up stress and improved his combat skills at a terrifying speed.At first, he couldn't last even a heartbeat against the Grand Sparring Partner.But now… he could fight him for a long time.
The progress gave him hope. Though he didn't dare return to the combat club anymore, after training on his own for a while longer, he finally felt confident. Taking a deep breath, he activated his dreamscape.
A bone-piercing wind swept across the frozen world. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Everything around him was covered in ice.
In this all-too-familiar environment, Wang Baole held his breath and focused his spirit. He stared at the slowly forming silhouette of the Grand Sparring Partner in the distance, a burning will to fight surging in his eyes.
After months of battles and countless finger-breaking experiences… he had built up plenty of pent-up rage.
"This time… you're going down!"Wang Baole rolled his wrists, and in that instant, even his aura changed—sharp and forceful.
If before he had been merely a block of unshaped steel…Then now—after hundreds of club fights—he had rapidly transformed into a sword drawn from its sheath.
His experience wasn't yet perfect, but it far surpassed his past self. Almost the moment the Grand Sparring Partner appeared, Wang Baole exploded into motion, leaping forward and appearing right beside him, clawing down with his right hand.
The Grand Sparring Partner remained expressionless. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward. A powerful suction force burst out of his body, pulling toward Wang Baole. Right as they were about to collide, Wang Baole's eyes flashed—he unleashed his own suction force.
A transparent whirlpool seemed to appear between them. As the two pulling forces clashed, they slammed into each other.
Boom!
Wang Baole staggered back several steps, and the Grand Sparring Partner did as well. With both suction forces erupting, neither could overpower the other.
Excitement lit up Wang Baole's eyes. In a blur, he accelerated again. The two figures clashed again and again within the dreamscape.
Wang Baole was fast—but the Grand Sparring Partner was no slower. Their movements became so rapid that only afterimages streaked across the icy world. Every collision caused suction forces to reach their limit, exploding outward and sending snow swirling violently—sometimes rushing inward, sometimes blasting apart.
Anyone who saw this scene would be shocked.In truth, the combat between Wang Baole and the Grand Sparring Partner had already surpassed what was possible in the Body-Sealing realm. Even Pulse-Nurturing cultivators might be stunned if they saw it.
Not only did the fight involve speed and physical strength, but more importantly, it was a battle of suction-force control. This demanded extreme precision—adjusting the pull intensity at every moment to achieve the desired effect.
And the difficulty didn't stop there. Suction force wasn't limited to the palms—it emanated from the entire body. This opened countless strategic possibilities. Predicting an opponent's strategy, baiting them, trapping them—everything played out in this clash.
The dull booms echoed as time passed. Before long, an incense stick's worth of time had gone by. Wang Baole was panting heavily, but his eyes blazed with exhilaration. Up until now—he still hadn't had his fingers broken by the Grand Sparring Partner!
His confidence was soaring.
"It ends now! Grand Sparring Partner—today you'll taste the agony of getting your fingers snapped!"Wang Baole threw his head back and laughed wildly. As the Grand Sparring Partner approached, his eyes gleamed coldly.
In that instant, every pore on Wang Baole's body sealed shut—he activated the Body-Sealing technique.
His interior and exterior instantly separated, becoming two different worlds. At the same moment, the Devouring Seed inside him erupted with suction force—far stronger than any he'd unleashed before. His entire body trembled violently, even shrinking slightly as if his form were distorting.
But because his body was sealed, the suction couldn't fully escape. A partial vacuum built up inside him.
The moment the Grand Sparring Partner arrived, Wang Baole roared and released the Body-Sealing technique.
The built-up suction force exploded outward all at once!
The surrounding wind and snow surged inward with terrifying speed. The Grand Sparring Partner clearly didn't expect such a move. As he neared, he faltered—stumbling for the first time.
And that tiny mistake gave Wang Baole his long-awaited chance.
Laughing wildly, Wang Baole stepped forward in a flash, appeared before the Grand Sparring Partner, and his right hand shot out like lightning—grabbing the Grand Sparring Partner's finger.
With excitement and triumph rushing through him, he twisted upward fiercely.
"Call me daddy and kneel!!"
The Grand Sparring Partner's body trembled, and he was about to fall to his knees…
But in that instant, a streak of black light flashed in his eyes—identical to the gleam of his black mask.
A faint smile—his first ever—appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, his other hand snapped upward and struck down at Wang Baole's wrist!
With that one downward press—
He stood upright again.And the counterforce on Wang Baole's wrist made him scream. His hand went numb, fingers losing all strength. He could no longer hold onto the Grand Sparring Partner's finger. Even the suction force in his body was suddenly interrupted.
But it didn't stop there.
As soon as he stood, the Grand Sparring Partner's right leg blurred—
—and he kicked Wang Baole square in the crotch.
The scream that followed was more tragic than any before—thin, sharp, piercing. Anyone who hadn't suffered such a blow could never imagine such a sound.
Wang Baole swore he heard a cracking noise. His mind went blank, wiped out by unprecedented agony. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his crotch, rolling and howling.
"Broken… oh heavens… it's broken…"Wang Baole was on the verge of tears. Cold sweat drenched his clothes in an instant. Not even the freezing wind could make him feel any colder.
He was losing his mind.
The Grand Sparring Partner didn't continue attacking. He simply stood there expressionless, watching Wang Baole.
After a long while, the worst of the pain faded. Pale-faced, Wang Baole quickly tugged his pants outward and peeked inside.
Only after confirming that everything was still intact… did he finally exhale.But the lingering terror in his eyes grew even stronger.
"Shameless! Despicable!!"Gritting his teeth, Wang Baole glared at the Grand Sparring Partner with indescribable hatred. He had been so confident—he truly thought this time he would turn the tables. He never expected the Grand Sparring Partner to resort to such a vicious move.
He wanted to keep fighting…But he was terrified.
He even considered adding some kind of protection to his crotch—but in the dreamscape, he couldn't. Everything changed after the Grand Sparring Partner evolved.
Eventually, depressed beyond measure, Wang Baole exited the dreamscape. Outside, he squirmed on the ground for a long time—torn between two feelings: the unbearable pain of continuing training… and his eagerness to master the technique.
In the end, the latter won.
With a roar, Wang Baole re-entered the dreamscape…
And from then on, screams echoed regularly through the dream world. Every time, Wang Baole felt as if he had been… shattered.
Half a month later, he was completely jittery and half-deranged. Even walking around the Dao College—whenever someone glanced in his direction—his first reaction was to cover his crotch.
Filled with misery and indignation, Wang Baole once again set his sights on…
…the free-combat club.
"I'm going back for real combat!!"