C2 Actual Combat Training

To onlookers, Woo Yang seemed to be marching to his doom. He approached the group of young troublemakers, malice radiating from him, and flashed them a shallow, menacing grin. "Prepare to die!"

Woo Yang's face remained stoic, his expression icy and detached.

Yet, inside, he was a storm of frustration and helplessness, a torrent of curses flooding his mind. The words "Prepare to die" were not his own. Despite their youthful appearance, these kids were all formidable Qi Stage Layer Two experts. A mere flick of their wrist could send him sprawling.

Woo Yang made a mental vow—if he survived this encounter, he would find a way to extract that damned manual from his brain. It was a curse.

The kids, having picked up on Woo Yang's deliberate challenge, stopped their game and encircled him.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Woo family's greatest shame, good-for-nothing Yang," the ringleader jeered, wiping his runny nose with a look and tone dripping with juvenile scorn. "What's it gonna be? You wanna throw down?"

Woo Yang longed to shake his head. He was aware that even with his Qi Stage Layer Two abilities, he was no match for the support his opponents had—cousins, brothers, sisters, many of whom were inner sect disciples. He was out of his league and desperate to plead for mercy, but his body refused to comply.

Then, the apparent leader of the pack stepped forward with a taunting air. "Mr. Yang, your memory's failing you, huh? Didn't get enough of a beating last time? Itching for more?"

The "last time" the teenagers referred to was the day Woo Yang's book had been taken from him.

"Prepare to die!" Whether it was the kids' mockery that ignited Woo Yang's rage or the influence of the Golden Book, his eyes, which should have shown defeat, blazed with fury.

"You... you're asking for it!"

Woo Tong, having finished his taunt, leaped into action. Despite his chubby appearance, he was significantly stronger than the average child. The lowest-ranked warrior in his family, he was nonetheless a force to be reckoned with—a match even for grown adults.

Even Woo Tong's older brother, Woo Tieh, often remarked that his younger sibling had the potential to outshine him and become the undisputed leader of their generation's children.

"Woo Yang, you piece of garbage, you must have swallowed a lion's heart today to dare talk back! Watch as Brother Tong teaches you a lesson you won't forget."

"I bet we knocked some sense out of him the other day. Let's keep it up, beat him every day until he learns to fear us!"

"Yeah, beat him until he's too scared to move."

Ah!

Before Woo Tong's lackeys could finish their taunts, a roar bursting with power cut through the air, startling the trio. They looked up to see a massive figure, resembling an overweight pig, hurtling toward them.

"Holy crap, Brother Tong?"

"What the heck is happening?"

"Did anyone catch what just went down?" Indeed, the figure crashing their way was none other than the previously cocky Woo Tong.

"Royal Tyrant Fist!"

Before Woo Tong could even hit the ground, Woo Yang, with a powerful stride, scooped him up and slammed him down, unleashing a barrage of punches. Woo Tong's howls of pain were drowned out by the sound of his own cries and the billowing dust around them.

What in the world was happening?

Bystanders and Woo Tong's once-boastful cronies were wide-eyed, staring at the violent scene as if they'd seen a ghost, completely forgetting to intervene.

In that moment, Woo Yang was like a wild beast, his every muscle and bone surging with strength. His fists, slicing through the air with fierce winds, made onlookers wince in pain.

Woo Tong tried to fight back, but his Rank One martial skills were no match for Woo Yang—it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, leaving him with nothing but his instinct to scream.

"Think you can hurt me? Let's see how Uncle makes you feel today!"

Woo Yang showed no mercy, pummeling him relentlessly.

"Does it hurt now?"

"Woo Yang, I swear I'll get you for this..."

"Am I not hurting you?"

"I was wrong, I admit it..."

"Does it hurt now?"

"Mr. Yang, I realize my mistake. I won't ever dare again." Woo Tong's cries of agony echoed for days on end.

As Woo Yang continued his assault, he quickly realized his mastery of martial skills was improving at an astonishing rate. Even though he wasn't in full control of his body, the essence of the techniques was deeply imprinted in his mind. The Royal Tyrant Fist's core principle—unpredictable and relentless striking—proved the old adage true: even a wild punch can take down a master.

Woo Yang was curious. Why did the Golden Book insist on finding a living opponent for practice? Couldn't a simple wooden dummy suffice for this kind of rough training?

The thought of Woo Tong's older brother, the robust Woo Tieh, sent a shiver of apprehension through him.

"Please, stop hitting me. I admit my mistake..."

"What breed are you, barking louder than a Tibetan Mastiff?"

With a thud, Woo Yang landed another punch on Woo Tong's face, swelling it to resemble a pig's head, puffy like a loaf of bread.

To onlookers, Woo Tong was quite the character, enduring nearly half an hour before he couldn't take it anymore and knelt, pleading for mercy. Anyone else would have probably begged for mercy right away.

"And you two, as the old saying goes, 'blessings should fall on everyone equally.' Since I've just dealt with Woo Tong..."

Woo Yang, with vice-like hands, seized the two ashen-faced individuals, pinning them to the ground for a good scrubbing.

"Martial skill assimilation, one hundred percent!"

An hour later, the training manual released its hold on Woo Yang, leaving him more exhausted than the three he had disciplined. Now in control of his body, Woo Yang's countenance shifted from dark to a warm, albeit slightly stiff, smile as he offered a friendly grin to the trio.

He genuinely advanced a few steps, intending to help Woo Tong up from the ground.

"My apologies, truly. I didn't mean any of that—it was beyond my control. Sorry about that, really sorry..." Woo Yang humbly apologized to the three youngsters.

Woo Tong, misinterpreting Woo Yang's demeanor, feared further torment. He scrambled backward in a panic, kicking and scooting like a maiden fearing a rogue's advance, vehemently shaking his head.

"Don't come any closer! Big Brother Yang, I realize my mistake. I won't ever dare again. Please, have mercy on me!"

Woo Yang, still smiling, reassured him, "What are you saying? We're brothers, aren't we? If you're still upset, feel free to hit me back twice. But let's keep today's incident just between us, okay? Don't mention a word to your older brother, Woo Tong."

In Woo Tong's view, Woo Yang's grin was as deceitful as the cunning wolf that tricked Little Red Riding Hood. He vehemently shook his head to assert his innocence, "No way, no way. My elder brother's been swamped lately; I wouldn't dream of bothering him!"

Woo Yang felt reassured. "Good, good. Ha, what lovely weather we're having today. I'm off to do some laundry."

Despite his head being swollen like a pig's, a shadow passed through Woo Tong's eyes as he watched Woo Yang walk away.

"No way, that's just bizarre!"

The old Woo Yang would have never caught such a faint whisper, but after honing his body with the Invincible Manual, his senses had become incredibly acute. He could hear Woo Tong's words loud and clear, even from a short distance.

"Xiaosi, fetch your second brother for me. I can't let this slide!" Once Woo Yang was out of sight, Woo Tong quickly instructed his sidekick, Xiaosi.

"Sure thing. Woo Yang's nothing but a waste of space. Even if we off him, it won't cause any trouble. The Woo family has long despised him. His very existence tarnishes our name."

Hidden beneath the outer gate's wall, Woo Yang overheard the entire exchange between the teenagers.

It was at that moment that Woo Yang truly grasped the extent of the Woo family's animosity toward him. It wasn't just the adults; even these twelve and thirteen-year-old kids harbored a cruel streak, showing no hesitation or remorse at the thought of murder, even against their own kin.

"They want to kill me?"

As he walked, Woo Yang reflected on the recent skirmish. With a mere flick of his wrist, he could generate a powerful gust, a sign that his Royal Tyrant Fist was making progress. This sparked a glimmer of hope in him, but it quickly faded.

"Xiaosi's second brother is a Qi Stage Rank Three. To defeat him, the Royal Tyrant Fist just won't cut it."

Suddenly, Woo Yang thought of the Invincible Manual and blurted out, "Well, you can take my worthless soul ahead of schedule. Come out now, and let's have a simple parting of ways!"

Suddenly, a burst of golden light dazzled before him, and the Invincible Manual began to materialize before his very eyes.

"Wow, look at that! Now you can just pop up in front of me?" Woo Yang exclaimed in surprise. It seemed that the more tasks he completed from the Invincible Manual, the more powerful it became.

This time, the text on the manual remained unchanged. The only difference was that the Invincible Manual could now emerge directly from his body.

"Master, would you like to continue your cultivation? You have the option to rest for three days. After that, the difficulty of your training will increase, and, naturally, so will your chance of death—to 98%."

"Cultivate! Of course, I'll cultivate! I'm dead either way, and I bet I'd die even quicker without it," Woo Yang said with a sense of resignation.

"Very well, Master. Your foundational abilities are now complete. Let us embark on the second phase of cultivation—the Path of the Prodigy. A true prodigy must wield the power to battle foes beyond their own rank. With your current prowess, you'll have an edge against warriors of the same realm. But should you encounter someone at Qi Stage Rank Three, you will most certainly..."

"Most certainly what?" Woo Yang interrupted.

"Be dead as a doornail!"

"Can we skip the commentary and just move on to the next phase?"

"Are you certain, Master?"

"Absolutely certain! In a few hours, someone's going to come after me."

The Golden Book thought to itself: If he just died, I could absorb his soul even faster and save us all some time.

"Relax your consciousness and become one with the Golden Book!" the Golden Book instructed.

Woo Yang, heeding the guidance of the Invincible Manual, slowly eased his consciousness. Suddenly, he felt his soul drifting towards an abyss of nothingness.

Surrounded by darkness, Woo Yang began to feel claustrophobic until small points of light in the void started to expand. Shortly after, a spherical object loomed into view.

"What in the world is this?"

Woo Yang had no concept of a planet; he only knew of his vast continent, and that even his own dynasty was but a speck in its vastness.

As the planet detected Woo Yang's presence, it burst into radiance. A formidable force tugged at Woo Yang's soul, drawing him into an unseen vortex.

"Extreme cultivation is about to commence. You have a lifespan of fifty years, and five years will be dedicated to this cultivation!"

The voice of the Invincible Manual rose softly, and Woo Yang's eyes bulged in disbelief. "What's this charge for? I've only got fifty years to live, and you're just going to take five years off like that? You're supposed to be aiding my rise to power, not hastening my journey to the grave!"