Chapter 124: Having a Cheat Is Truly Great

"I didn't expect someone so young to possess such astonishing talent, mastering Hard Qigong to its absolute limit. It's just a pity your experience is somewhat lacking."

The bald man stood motionless five meters away from Lin Fan. His gaze was sharp as a blade, scanning Lin Fan up and down like a scanner.

Lin Fan did not dare make a rash move either.

His true strength was only at the level of a Taekwondo expert, which was on a completely different tier from an external martial arts master. Yet, relying on his cheat system, he appeared to the bald man as a fellow elite practitioner. Thus, he remained cautious, waiting to see if this guy wanted to fight or just talk trash.

"Were you sent by Bai Jiahao too?" Lin Fan asked, probing once more.

But the bald man was clearly much smarter than that fool Chen Wei. Knowing that Lin Fan might be recording the conversation, he avoided answering directly and continued to beat around the bush. "Strange. External masters who practice Hard Qigong usually have very distinct features—either they look gaunt and deformed, or they carry a sinister aura. How is it that you look so ordinary?"

"Looking at you, you don't seem like someone who practices Hard Qigong at all, yet you possess such incredible defensive power. It's truly baffling."

Lin Fan curled his lip imperceptibly. He had already been infuriated by Chen Wei, and now this unexpected adversary had suddenly appeared, clearly trying to drive him into a corner.

"If you want to fight, then fight. Cut the chatter!" Lin Fan glared at him, utterly impatient.

The bald man wasted no more words. With a fierce shout, he raised his fist and charged toward Lin Fan like a flash of lightning.

Lin Fan felt his heart leap into his throat. This speed was far greater than that of ordinary martial artists, and as the man rushed forward, there was even a faint sound of breaking air. The sheer power of the onslaught forced Lin Fan back two steps, but he immediately raised his guard.

*Thud!*

With a single punch, the bald man struck Lin Fan square in the chest.

Lin Fan was instantly knocked back a few steps. Fortunately, since his basic skills were fully maxed out, he managed to stabilize his stance, his expression remaining calm and composed.

However, he felt a twinge of apprehension in his heart. Even with the protection of the Golden Armor item, the opponent's full-force blow still left his chest numb from the impact. In plain terms, he was simply no match for the bald man. The difference in their raw strength was like night and day; every move the man made was lethal. The only thing Lin Fan could do was defend with everything he had.

"You... are very strange!"

The bald man frowned, seemingly sensing something amiss. With just one exchange, he had deduced that Lin Fan did not practice Hard Qigong, yet his physical durability indeed resembled someone who had mastered it to the absolute limit. Among external martial arts masters, very few could withstand his full-force strike. Yet Lin Fan had only taken a few steps back and remained completely unharmed. It was incredibly bizarre!

Immediately after, the bald man launched his second wave of attacks. It was another flurry of rapid strikes, catching Lin Fan off guard. To be precise, the gap in their strength made it difficult for Lin Fan to anticipate his opponent's moves.

Lin Fan managed to dodge the first punch by shifting his shoulder, but the second blow still landed on his shoulder. Yet, he only felt a slight sting. The bald man then slapped him across the chest, nearly knocking him to the ground. Fortunately, Lin Fan executed a quick kip-up to regain his footing, preventing himself from falling.

Then came the third and fourth rounds of attacks.

Lin Fan was still on the receiving end of the beating. However, as he gained experience and his confidence grew, he began to dodge more and more of the bald man's moves, gradually adapting to the man's rhythm and distance.

"I didn't expect you to have such a high combat IQ. You've already figured out how to anticipate and counter my moves so quickly. You truly are exceptionally gifted!" While deeply astonished, the bald man offered a rare word of praise.

Lin Fan couldn't help but feel a bit smug. It seemed that allocating his attribute points to talent had been the correct choice. It enhanced his combat IQ and allowed him to quickly master various skills. The higher one's talent, the faster one could learn martial arts or any other knowledge compared to ordinary people.

The two traded blows back and forth, fighting fiercely on the grass.

As the battle wore on, the bald man began to feel increasingly exhausted. After only ten minutes of fighting, he realized something was terribly wrong. Reason dictated that if Lin Fan also practiced Hard Qigong, his defense and attack power should gradually decline over time, just like his own. Why was this guy fighting with ever-growing vigor? It was as if he had an inexhaustible supply of energy. Could it be that he wasn't practicing Hard Qigong, but rather internal martial arts?

Seeing the tide turn in his favor, Lin Fan finally found an opportunity to mock him. "So practicing Hard Qigong drains your stamina and internal energy so heavily. No wonder you went all out right from the start—you wanted a quick end to this. Too bad for you... I'm like an unkillable cockroach."

With that, Lin Fan felt even more pleased with himself. Previously, he had been quite wary of so-called external masters, but this fight proved that with his cheats active, he had nothing to fear from them. This was because, in addition to redeeming the Golden Armor item card, he had also redeemed an item called the "Divine Strength Pill."

The Divine Strength Pill was a pill that temporarily boosted one's vitality and energy. Simply put, it doubled his strength and significantly enhanced his endurance, with a duration of two hours. Within those two hours, his strength would not deplete.

However, the only drawback was that, just like the Golden Armor item card, the Divine Strength Pill could only be redeemed once a day. Certain cheats among the low-tier items could only be redeemed once per day. Thus, Lin Fan was somewhat worried that his low-tier items would run out. If he encountered multiple external masters like the bald man in a single day, he would be in mortal danger without the Golden Armor item card.

To avoid such a predicament, he had to upgrade the system mall. Mid-tier items had no limits on usage or duration, but their redemption cost would double.

"Hmph, I don't believe this..."

The bald man refused to accept defeat.

They clashed for several more rounds. Although Lin Fan was also showing signs of fatigue, the bald man was already drenched in sweat, his movements slowing down significantly. Now, Lin Fan could not only accurately predict his moves but also dodge fifty percent of his attacks.

This filled the bald man's heart with a sense of frustration and helplessness. After half an hour of fighting, neither could claim victory, yet Lin Fan remained as energetic as ever, completely unscathed.

"Is this the strength of an external master? Nothing special!" Lin Fan grew increasingly arrogant, mocking him without restraint, his tone dripping with disdain.

After hesitating for a moment, the bald man decisively chose to withdraw.

"I'm done playing with you. Farewell!" With that, the bald man spun around and fled back the way he came.

"Chicken?"

Lin Fan had not expected him to flee so readily, feeling a wave of relief. However, he did not give chase. He wasn't confident he could catch up, and besides, his own energy was nearly depleted. Although he had the boost from the Divine Strength Pill, a high-intensity battle would drain his energy much faster. He also didn't know if the opponent had set up other ambushes outside. Preserving his strength and avoiding unnecessary risks was the wisest choice.

When he returned to where Chen Wei had been, he found that Chen Wei was gone as well.

"A bunch of cowards!"