Training ground.
Under Shi Ruyu's increasingly sharp attacks, Lu Chenzhou drifted like duckweed, unable to steady himself. He knew the teacher hadn't used her true strength.
Even though he was only 15, his long-term boxing and fitness regime, paired with good nutrition, meant he stood at 1.8 meters tall—most adults with no martial arts training were no match for him.
Shi Ruyu was just 1.7 meters tall.
By rights, the physical gap between men and women was significant.
But in front of her, such differences were meaningless.
This was the gap between an ordinary person and a ranked martial artist.
What's more, the teacher's ranking was in the upper-middle level among ranked martial artists.
"Bang."
When he used his elbow to strike the teacher's incoming arm, Lu Chenzhou's face changed; all he felt was an indescribable shaking force that sent him flying as if his soul left his body.
He couldn't control himself and staggered back more than ten steps before steadying.
Shi Ruyu paused and smiled, saying, "This is the Shaking Technique of the Eight Techniques, a method of striking, like a cat shaking off water or a dog shaking off fleas. Of course, I also used a bit of Dark Force, so it's normal you couldn't defend against it—if you had, that'd be a miracle… Are you okay? If not, we can call it a day."
Lu Chenzhou replied:
"Teacher, let's go again."
What followed was Shi Ruyu shattering his defenses in all sorts of unexpected ways; he was played like a spinning top, utterly disoriented.
"This is Lifting—spotting where your opponent's weight and force gather and shifting it with minimal effort! This is Intercepting—predicting your opponent's move and breaking their rhythm! This is Hooking—short, sharp power, breaking free in an instant. At higher levels, you fight like an artist hanging a painting…"
This day.
Shi Ruyu revealed to Lu Chenzhou only the tip of the iceberg of Martial Arts, leaving him absolutely entranced and tireless, wishing the time spent training would never end.
He's had other boxing teachers.
Shi Ruyu was far better than some of those he'd met in elementary and middle school—those were only there until class ended, and if there were few students, they'd skip class altogether.
They were careless, and their skills were poor.
Just enough to fool little kids.
If only he'd met someone like Shi Ruyu earlier.
Perhaps his Basic Boxing technique would already have reached Perfection.
The sky grew brighter.
One by one, students started passing the field on their way to morning classes. When they saw Lu Chenzhou sparring with Shi Ruyu, some stopped to watch, exclaiming in surprise.
"Who's that?"
"That's Lu Chenzhou from Class 9, Grade 1. You don't know him? He was top twenty in the last monthly exam—the talk of the grade! And Class 9 isn't even a top class."
"Wait… he actually sparring with the teacher?"
"The teacher isn't using her strength. I forget the exact numbers, but Sixth Rank qi-blood is several times that of a normal person. The gap is huge."
"Even so, that's impressive. Could Lu Chenzhou's Basic Boxing have reached Great Success? Freakish, I'm only just barely proficient—so this is the difference talent makes?"
"If you'd trained as relentlessly as he has for nine years, you could too… Sometimes, self-discipline is a skill as well. Not for me—I'm just a lazy bum."
This classmate was pretty self-aware.
Among the watching students, some felt envy, some admiration.
But mostly, they didn't care much.
In a regular school, most people weren't driven by martial arts.
Their root bone was what it was—unless a rare genius changed their destiny, ordinary folks had a low ceiling for martial arts, plus it cost a ton of money and time.
Not worth it.
They envied Lu Chenzhou more for being able to casually get top-twenty in academics. If he spent, instead of training, all his effort on studying, wouldn't he make the top ten?
Martial arts training really did waste his academic talent.
The onlookers gradually dispersed.
Six o'clock arrived. Shi Ruyu didn't clock off as punctually as usual. Today was her last class at Wanhua High School. Her contract ended tomorrow, and a new teacher would take over. Looking at Lu Chenzhou soaking up martial arts knowledge like a sponge, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. She glanced at the sky—it was already six-thirty.
By now, Lu Chenzhou was drenched in sweat and panting like an ox.
Shi Ruyu frowned and couldn't help reminding him:
"What did I teach you? Don't gasp for breath. Ordinary people use the Acquired Breathing Technique, but us martial artists need to move from coarse to fine, learn to breathe from the abdomen and dantian. That's the Innate Breath—much more helpful for cultivation and recovery."
"If you ever become a Martial Artist, you'll even grasp the mysteries of Body Breathing—not just mouth and nose, but breathing through all 84,000 pores; mist and clouds rising. When you master that, it's Circulation Breath. Studying martial arts means constantly fighting the body's innate laziness—form good habits, don't slack off! Understand?"
Shi Ruyu finished and saw Lu Chenzhou taking notes again.
She sighed lightly and said:
"Today's the last class I'll teach you."
Lu Chenzhou looked up, reluctant:
"Teacher, you're not teaching us anymore?"
"Right, my contract's up."
"Can't they renew it?"
"The school thinks I charge too much, and not many show up for class. They probably found someone cheaper to teach boxing, but they should be more than enough to teach you."
"Alright."
Shi Ruyu turned to leave.
Lu Chenzhou asked:
"Teacher, if I may—how much would it cost to hire you as a personal coach?"
Shi Ruyu turned around, a bit speechless.
"I don't do private coaching, and even if I did, you couldn't afford me right now."
After all, she was a Pingjiang Martial Arts University graduate. In the end, she failed to pass the assessment four years later and couldn't stay for further studies, but she was still proud. These years, some private boxing coaches had given the profession a bad name.
Lu Chenzhou knew he couldn't afford it anyway.
Shi Ruyu said:
"I'm probably going to become a disciple at Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall next, learning from Bright Winged Swallow, Ji Xuantong, while working as a teaching assistant. If you want the real skills, I suggest you find a Martial Arts Academy too—even if you can't get into Martial Arts University, you can still learn something useful… And you do have my chat info, you can always ask if you get stuck."
Shi Ruyu's figure disappeared from view.
On his way to the school canteen, Lu Chenzhou muttered in his heart.
"Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall…"
He'd heard of Ji Xuantong, a well-known martial artist from the outer city. "Bright Winged Swallow" was his officially certified martial arts title.
Only martial artists who broke the First Shackles could earn a formal title.
Out in the world, your title was your name.
There was no way he could go to Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall—it was way too expensive.
The three thousand he'd spent on Martial Arts Hall before came from saved-up pocket money and New Year cash. He was just a high schooler, had no way to earn, and didn't want to burden his family.
On a whim, he opened the Martial Arts Tree. Sweat signifying his hard work watered the budding tree like spring rain, and a prompt silently appeared.
[Basic Boxing: Great Success (1%) → Great Success (2%)]
"Just from sparring with the teacher for an hour, I unknowingly improved by another 1%. This solid progress feels so good—I really have to find a way to make money."
Suddenly, Lu Chenzhou thought:
"With the Martial Arts Tree, maybe I don't need to sign up for tons of classes. As long as I get the basics, I can practice on my own. The results won't be as good as with a teacher's guidance, but I can make up for it with time and sweat."
Still thinking about Martial Arts Academies.
Lu Chenzhou wrapped up another day alone. Obsessed with martial arts, he was different from his classmates, with few friends—nobody disturbed him.
...
The Golden Crow set in the west.
3rd building, Room 2802, Stone Lake Garden.
Lu Chenzhou returned home, planning to seriously practice Black Tiger Fist that night and visit the city's Martial Arts Youth Palace tomorrow to measure his qi-blood.
They had free testing machines there.
All Da Xia citizens get one free test a year.
After dinner, just as he was about to practice in his room, Li Xianghua called out to him.
"Chenzhou, I've got something to tell you."
She handed him a black card bearing a "Flying Swallow Sea Sweeping" design.
"This is a card for Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall. There are thirty core student lessons inside. Go train on Sunday, and if it goes well, we'll keep it up."
For a moment, Lu Chenzhou's feelings were hard to put into words.
"Where's Dad…"
Li Xianghua pressed the card into his hand.
"He's the one who handled it. You just focus on training, don't feel too pressured. We're not some poor family—it's money we can spare."
"Mom, I'll definitely become a Martial Artist!"
He never used to be so confident.
He worked hard, but his talent really was average.
But now, with the Martial Arts Tree, it was different.
Li Xianghua smiled and said:
"That's great. If you really become a Martial Artist, what's this bit of money? Mom's still hoping you'll get rich and let us move to the Inner City someday."
She comforted Lu Chenzhou.
Of course, she knew—given Lu Chenzhou's talent—
becoming a Martial Artist would be difficult.
She and his father didn't expect him to pay them back soon.
But not letting their child try at all would only leave regret.