Chapter 64: Martial Arts Tutoring
“Mo Tianyi contacted you?”
In the school hallway, Zhang Yu listened to Bai Zhenzhen’s explanation and finally nodded slightly.
“You’re right. There’s no need to tell them the truth right now.”
Bai Zhenzhen continued, “Besides, there’s something strange about their leader.”
“I told you I was going to try and find out who he is, right?”
“According to Mo Tianyi’s group, this leader of theirs also placed in a competition during his first year.”
“I spent weeks looking into it, even going over the first-year competition results from the three major schools for the past few years. Only two of the winners could be considered poor students.”
“But from what I’ve gathered, both of them have already signed contracts with White Dragon High, so there’s no way they could aim for the Ten Greats.”
Zhang Yu asked, “So, you’re saying Mo Tianyi and his group have been scammed?”
Bai Zhenzhen shook her head, a strange look on her face.
“According to them, their leader signed a contract with them, witnessed by the Heavenly Covenant God, promising to get into the Ten Greats and to bring them to the second layer when he is able.”
“In any case, I just don’t understand the situation.”
As they spoke, they arrived at the training grounds.
…
On the training grounds.
Their martial arts instructor, Lei Jun, was already there, waiting to begin their tutoring session for the upcoming martial arts competition.
Ever since Zhang Pianpian’s visit to Songyang High the day before, the two had been allowed to participate in the martial arts competition again, and their tutoring had resumed.
It was three sessions a week, at a cost of 3,000.
While this was a cheap rate for the instructor, it was still a significant expense for Zhang Yu.
Paying this week’s 3,000 fee brought Zhang Yu’s savings down to a little over 35,000.
On the training grounds, Lei Jun was wearing a tank top with the characters for “The Grand Use of Martial Arts” printed on the front, and he was diligently performing his warm-up exercises.
Apart from Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, there were no other students around.
They were the only two first-years participating in the martial arts competition.
Unlike the magic power competition, where one could participate just for the experience even without hope of placing, the martial arts competition was different.
In the martial arts arena, there was a real risk of being permanently disabled by a student from one of the three major schools.
For poor students, especially, there was the added risk of being driven to financial ruin by the fight.
After all, the costs of on-site first aid, hospitalization for serious injuries, and subsequent treatment would increase exponentially with the severity of the wounds.
Therefore, any first-year who felt they had no chance of placing, rich or poor, chose not to waste their money on the martial arts competition.
Seeing Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen arrive, Lei Jun called out, “I’ve already registered both of you.”
He then sent them a web link. “First thing’s first, get your insurance sorted out today.”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen both understood; the first rule of combat was to get insurance.
However, after looking at the price list, they both chose the cheapest plan.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford a premium plan, but that the basic one offered better value for the money.
After all, they would rather spend their money on improving their strength to achieve a higher rank in the competition than on insurance.
Lei Jun reminded them, “That plan only covers up to one hundred thousand in medical fees. If your injuries are more severe, you’ll have to pay the rest yourself.”
“When you fight, do your best to avoid injury, or at least keep it minimal.”
Zhang Yu wholeheartedly agreed. First place in the martial arts competition was only worth a 50,000 prize and the rights to an expert-level martial art. It wasn’t worth sustaining injuries that could cost over a hundred thousand to treat.
Lei Jun sighed. “You have it easy now. Back in my day, weapons were allowed in competitions. Even with referees, every year students would either die in the ring or drop out of school under a mountain of debt.”
“It got so bad that one year only seven people competed, so the old geezers finally changed the rules to forbid weapons.”
“Now the competitions are bare-handed, but you still need to be mindful of whether you can afford the medical bills afterward.”
“Alright, that’s enough talk. You’ve bought your insurance, so let’s warm up.”
Once they had finished warming up, Lei Jun beckoned them over.
“The three major schools have access to Immortal Dao technologies that we don’t, and they invest an amount of capital you can’t even compare to.”
“Things like Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivation, the latest alchemical enhancers from their labs, and even body modification surgeries are all commonplace for them.”
“I’ve looked up the data for the top students from those schools who compete. Their physical strength averages above level 2, and their magic power is over 25. And that’s before you factor in the alchemical enhancers, combat spiritual roots, and other things they might use during a match…”
“Their stats will inevitably be far superior to yours.”
“They’re stronger, faster, and have deeper magic power reserves.”
As Lei Jun spoke, a question arose in Zhang Yu’s mind.
If the three major schools have such a huge advantage, how does our school ever win prizes in these competitions? What’s their secret? Is Wang Hai really that good?
Meanwhile, Lei Jun continued, “…but in a real fight, the person with the better stats doesn’t always win. Otherwise, there’d be no point in having practical exams.”
Lei Jun said gravely, “So, from now on, you need to get used to fighting opponents who are stronger than you, and you need to learn how to avoid injury as much as possible.”
As he spoke, a powerful aura began to emanate from him, washing over Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
“To give you more practical training time, you two will fight me together from now on.”
“I will do my best to fight you using the strength and speed of a level 2 physique and a magic power level of 25.”
A moment later, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen shot forward from the left and right, rushing toward Lei Jun.
Bang!
With the sound of impact, Lei Jun’s hands shot out to his sides, blocking a kick from Bai Zhenzhen and a palm strike from Zhang Yu.
In the next instant, the three figures became a blur of motion, engaging in a high-speed battle across the training grounds.
But Zhang Yu didn’t feel like he and Bai Zhenzhen were ganging up on Lei Jun at all.
Lei Jun’s combat experience was already immense, and now, with superior strength and speed, he effortlessly neutralized his attacks, struck his openings, and even cut off his coordination with Bai Zhenzhen.
It made Zhang Yu feel as if he were facing Lei Jun’s oppressive presence all by himself.
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but wonder, “Are all my opponents in the martial arts competition going to have stats so much higher than mine?”
Zhang Yu realized he had been underestimating the competition. Having to conceal his trump card, the level 10 Limitless Cloud Hand, meant the challenges he would face would be far greater than he had anticipated.
A moment later, with a resounding bang, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were sent flying.
In contrast to the two of them, who were panting heavily, Lei Jun wasn’t even flushed or out of breath; he looked as if he had just gone for a walk.
Lei Jun said, “Rest for five minutes, then we continue.”
Old Lei is so strong, Bai Zhenzhen thought. He saw through every move I made. Just how many martial arts does he know?
Old Lei seems to have a level 10 Dao heart, 100 magic power, and level 10 physical strength, Zhang Yu thought. He’s also mastered at least a dozen martial arts to level 10. He’s at the absolute peak of the Qi Refinement realm.
“So why hasn’t he advanced to Foundation Establishment?”
He then voiced his curiosity.
“Instructor Lei, are you still in the Qi Refinement realm? You haven’t reached Foundation Establishment?”
Lei Jun’s expression darkened at the question. “Foundation Establishment isn’t that easy.”
Seeing their curious expressions, Lei Jun sighed and said casually, “You have to pass a certification exam for Foundation Establishment. There’s one for Golden Core, and another for Nascent Soul. You can’t just break through to the next realm whenever you feel like it.”
“Uncertified Foundation Establishment is a criminal offense, punishable by death by the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods and the Ten Great Sects. The Ten Great Sects are extremely strict about this.”
“You can only take the Foundation Establishment certification exam after you get into a university.”
“If you don’t get certified before you graduate, you lose your chance for life.”
Recalling his own university days, a shadow passed over Lei Jun’s eyes.
He remembered that during the years he was trying to get his certification, the number of available slots was drastically reduced.
He recalled how, in just a few short years, the minimum requirement for the spiritual root alone had skyrocketed from ‘Human’ all the way to ‘Heavenly,’ a level of competition that had driven him to despair.
In contrast, returning to his hometown of Songyang on the first layer, where he only had to work and cultivate twenty-four hours a day to pay off his loans… felt much more relaxed.
Lei Jun said reflectively, “Having that Foundation Establishment certificate makes all the difference in the world.”
“Without Foundation Establishment, ten years of university life is just a fleeting dream. You can’t stay up there; you eventually have to come back down to the first layer of Kunxu.”
Turning to look at Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu, he thought to himself, Cherish these easy high school days. Once you get to university, you’ll miss how simple things were.
A few minutes later, Lei Jun said, “Rest time’s over. Get up.”
In the next instant, the three were a tangled mess of combat once more.
After the day’s tutoring session, Zhang Yu returned to the abandoned building to continue his practice of the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art.
This cultivation technique improved both his Dao heart and his physical strength, offering comprehensive benefits that made it his primary focus.
The Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art was especially valuable as it incorporated nine different martial styles, including fist, leg, and palm techniques, deepening his understanding of both the fundamentals and practical application of various martial arts.
And so, the following days were spent with Zhang Yu dividing his time between studying, cultivating, and attending Lei Jun’s tutoring sessions with Bai Zhenzhen.
Eleven days passed in the blink of an eye.
…
That night, in the abandoned building.
As Zhang Yu executed the final form of the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art, he at last raised the cultivation technique to level 10.
In that instant, the nine martial styles—fist, leg, palm, and more—became as natural to him as breathing, and the combat mindset inherent to the Heavenly Martial Will became something he could control at will, granting him boundless fighting spirit and courage while ensuring he remained calm and composed, never succumbing to reckless impulse.
“As expected of a heart art designed for combat, especially its level 10 effect…”
As Zhang Yu’s gaze focused, everything around him seemed to slow down a beat.
Even the motion of him raising his own hand appeared to be in slow motion.
It wasn’t that everything had actually slowed, but that the level 10 effect of the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art had caused his focus and concentration to surge instantaneously, creating the illusion of time dilating.