This time, Frank Xu and the others spent four hours finishing a hundred laps.
After the final lap, although they looked tired, compared to the previous hundred laps, they were clearly much more at ease.
"Next, I'll teach you a set of fist techniques."
Evan Lin stepped forward and assumed the starting stance.
Frank Xu and the others focused intently, afraid to miss even the smallest detail.
Evan Lin was about to teach them the Nine-Star Burst Fist, a fist art he had invented himself during a leisurely moment in his previous life.
Originally, it was meant for newly inducted outer-sect disciples to use during the Qi-Refining stage, to strengthen the body and temper the meridians. The benefit of this fist art is that it doesn't require much foundation to practice.
Otherwise, if the technique were any more advanced, even if Evan Lin wanted to teach it, Frank Xu and the others wouldn't be able to learn it.
Evan Lin began with a starting pose, swinging his right fist forward, stepping lightly with his left foot, and letting his body follow the motion of the fist, stirring up a faint wind—the whole set of movements flowed smoothly like water.
"The so-called Nine-Star Burst Fist means that the fist contains nine stars, and each star is an explosion."
While Evan Lin demonstrated the punches, he explained as he went, each strike stirring the wind and radiating a fierce aura. As he spoke, Evan Lin lightly shook his right hand, producing a crisp sound.
"One star, one burst. With every extra burst, your strength advances a step. When you reach nine stars, you can split water and sever a river, cleaving through raging sands with a single punch!"
As Evan Lin finished speaking, Frank Xu and the others saw his fist technique suddenly accelerate, with one explosive sound after another ringing out in the air. Each crisp burst was louder than the last, like mountains and rivers shattering or boulders crashing to the ground in a flood.
When the ninth sound rang out, it was as if thunder exploded between heaven and earth. After the boom, the world seemed to change color; Evan Lin remained calm as his ninth star, ninth punch, drove the tip of his fist down to the ground.
Bang!
The powerful shockwave made Frank Xu and the others want to cover their ears, while Blade's eyes went wide in astonishment at Evan Lin's punch, his mouth so dry he could barely speak.
"This..."
After the sound faded, Frank Xu and the others were all stunned.
Right before their eyes, starting from where Evan Lin's fist struck the ground, a long, narrow crack split the entire surface, stretching all the way to the other end of the track and exposing chunks of earth and stone below—chilling and terrifying to see.
With a single punch, he blasted out a crack this long! The ground itself split open—if that landed on a person...
Frank Xu and the others couldn't even imagine it. At the same time, when they thought that one day they might reach this level of power, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation.
"This is the power of the ninth star. You can do it too, as long as you can endure loneliness and hardship."
Evan Lin glanced at Frank Xu and the others, then said, "It's already late. Starting tomorrow, you'll run one hundred laps every morning and evening. The rest of the time, practice the Nine-Star Burst Fist I just demonstrated."
Evan Lin gave them a few more instructions.
"Yes, sir!"
Frank Xu and the others shouted in unison.
Evan Lin checked the time—it was already late—and announced their dismissal.
After Frank Xu and the others left, Evan Lin turned his gaze to a spot not far away, where Eldest Brother Su stood, his expression complicated.
Seeing Frank Xu and the others leave, Eldest Brother Su hurried over to Evan Lin.
"A true master is indeed extraordinary!" Eldest Brother Su walked along the crack in the ground, each step making his heart race with awe.
The track at the military base is built with far sturdier materials than a regular one, and for Evan Lin to blast the surface apart with a single punch—this kind of destruction is almost unheard of.
"You can skip the flattery," Evan Lin glanced at him.
Eldest Brother Su's face turned awkward. If anyone else had said that to him, he'd be furious, but coming from Evan Lin, he actually felt honored.
"Today you taught those Flying Eagle guys a lesson. I've already handled that situation," Eldest Brother Su said, choosing his words carefully.
Earlier in the meeting room, he argued fiercely with Colonel Sean Chen, trying to keep Tiger Fang from falling into Flying Eagle's hands.
But unexpectedly, word got out that Blade and Evan Lin had fought and injured Firehawk and Woodhawk from Flying Eagle. As for Hawkeye, nobody said much.
Colonel Sean Chen then demanded that Blade and Evan Lin be dealt with according to military law. Since neither of them officially have military status, if they were held accountable, even just for injuring soldiers, it would be a huge headache.
With no other option, Eldest Brother Su had to compromise and let Colonel Sean Chen take Tiger Fang under Flying Eagle's command.
He'd been in a terrible mood all the way over.
But just now, seeing the power of Evan Lin's punch, he couldn't help but feel exhilarated and oddly relieved.
"Mm." Evan Lin nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Eldest Brother Su gave a bitter smile, hesitated a moment, then hurried after Evan Lin, planning to personally drive him home.
It was already past four in the morning, and the sky was still dark.
Eldest Brother Su drove Evan Lin to the gate of the apartment complex and stopped. He looked at Evan Lin beside him and said, "It's a bit far from here to the base. Why don't I arrange a room for you in the barracks?"
"It'll be high-spec, very comfortable."
Eldest Brother Su was worried that Evan Lin's commuting would slow down Frank Xu and the others' training, since there really wasn't much time to spare.
"No need. I'll just come by every few days."
Evan Lin shook his head, got out of the car, and didn't give Eldest Brother Su any chance to persuade him.
"Oh, by the way... Molly's awake now, so if you could..."
Eldest Brother Su was about to ask if Evan Lin could spare some time to visit Molly, but before he could finish, Evan Lin was already walking away into the complex, leaving Eldest Brother Su sighing.
Ever since Evan Lin treated her, Molly's condition had greatly improved, and now she had finally woken up. But the first person she wanted to see wasn't Victor Su—it was Evan Lin.
This left Victor Su, Eldest Brother Su, and Second Brother Su all at a loss.
Unless it was truly important, Victor Su felt he couldn't even get Evan Lin to come over. The Su family might be powerful in Jinnan, but compared to such a young genius, they were hardly worth mentioning.
"If Molly could marry someone like that, wouldn't our Su family dominate all of Jinnan?" Eldest Brother Su muttered to himself, then shook his head with a bitter smile.
What kind of woman would catch the eye of such a remarkable young man?
Molly was beautiful, with a great figure and personality—enough to match any high official's son. But when it came to Evan Lin, for the first time, Eldest Brother Su felt nervous for her.
Eldest Brother Su sat in his car for a long while before finally starting the engine and driving off into the cool night wind, disappearing at the street corner.