“Here are your training clothes and the locker room number tag. Go change first, and I’ll take you to the training ground.”
Early in the morning, Qi Hao was already waiting for Fang Qingyu at the Martial Arts Hall.
“Alright.”
Fang Qingyu took the clothes and walked into the locker room, where there were quite a few people.
However, besides Qi Hao, he didn't know anyone else there. He quickly changed his clothes and followed Qi Hao to the training ground.
“Qing Zi, don’t feel bad about your tuition fee. I believe with your talent, you’ll definitely become an elite student in the future.”
“When you go out to compete, if you rank even a little higher, you can get tens of thousands in prize money.”
On the way, Qi Hao, fearing that Fang Qingyu felt bad about the tuition fee, spoke up to comfort him.
Fang Qingyu was slightly startled by this.
“Competition? What competition?”
“Martial Arts competitions are usually organized jointly by various Martial Arts Halls in the city and official organizations. The prize money is very high; the first place can get up to a million, but only elite students can sign up.”
Fang Qingyu frowned.
He had never heard of such high-prize money competitions, not even online.
“These competitions are closed, with no other spectators besides the Martial Arts Hall students, so it’s normal that you don’t know about them.”
Qi Hao knew what Fang Qingyu was thinking at a glance and explained further.
Fang Qingyu nodded, then asked the crucial question.
“How can one become a formal student and an elite student?”
“There’s no specific standard for a formal student; as long as the coach thinks your Stance Training is up to standard, you can become one. As for an elite student…”
“Besides your Martial Arts foundation, it also depends on your talent.”
Qi Hao said, his expression a little bitter.
“Understood.”
Seeing this, Fang Qingyu didn't ask further.
“But with your talent, you’ll definitely make it.”
Qi Hao quickly adjusted, putting his arm around Fang Qingyu’s shoulder.
Fang Qingyu chuckled wryly.
“You believe in me that much?”
“Absolutely. I’ve already spoken to your coach. If you don’t understand anything, just ask directly; don’t be afraid of bothering him.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Finally, both sides exchanged a fist bump and returned to their respective training areas.
The newly added students were arranged in the first row.
“My surname is Qin; you can just call me Mr. Qin.”
Mr. Qin saw the newcomers in the first row, introduced himself, and then immediately got to the point.
“Without Stance Training in Martial Arts, a house has no pillars!”
“Stance Training is the foundation of Martial Arts; if your lower body is unstable, no matter how exquisite your moves are, they will be superficial.”
“Today, I’m teaching you the first form, Rooting the Mountain.”
Saying that, Mr. Qin suddenly took off his black training jacket, revealing his scarred, bulging arms.
His feet twisted on the ground, creating a half-foot wide distance, then his left foot retreated half a step, and his spine sank joint by joint like a dragon entering an abyss.
“Eyes on nose, nose on heart.”
When Mr. Qin articulated, his Adam’s apple didn’t move, yet his voice buzzed in their ears.
He held this posture for a full three minutes, until the bulging veins in his neck gradually subsided, then suddenly exhaled and shouted: “Turn!”
His right leg cut through the air like a giant axe, and a circle of dust puffed up as his foot slapped the ground.
“This is the closing stance.”
Mr. Qin slowly straightened up.
“When holding the stance, you must be like a mountain rooting itself; when turning the stance, you must be like a giant python shedding its skin.”
The newcomers hadn't yet recovered from the shock when Mr. Qin had already put his clothes back on.
“Now, everyone, assume the ready stance.”
Fang Qingyu didn't have the trouble of a brain disorder, and his memory was like a normal person's; he could roughly remember the moves.
However, whether it was because Qi Hao had instructed him, or because he was in the first row, he didn't know.
He had just bent his knees when Mr. Qin, who had walked over, kicked his foot: “The distance between your knees is too wide.”
Fang Qingyu’s expression remained unchanged, and he readjusted his posture.
Only then did Mr. Qin move on to the next person.
Before practicing Martial Arts, Fang Qingyu thought it was a test of physical quality and comprehension.
He didn't expect that after practicing Stance Training, the first test was body control.
Aching... so aching!!!
Rooting the Mountain felt like relearning how to drive an old, dilapidated tractor.
Every part of his body screamed with a feeling of being stiff and aching.
It wasn’t tiring, though.
But every part of his body was telling him it couldn’t go on, it couldn’t move.
This sensation would make people stop involuntarily.
Other students were the same.
One after another, sounds of collapsing and groaning began to rise.
Soon, only some old students and Fang Qingyu were left on the training ground.
Mr. Qin, standing at the very back, looked on, slightly surprised.
Could it be that this kid Qi Hao really found a genius???
Little did he know, Fang Qingyu was currently enduring by staring intently at the book in front of him.
Professional Lineage Chart, page two.
【Martial Arts Apprentice profession activating (8/100)】
【Activation experience +1】
He didn't know how much time had passed.
It wasn’t until Fang Qingyu felt a hand on his shoulder that he finally couldn't hold on any longer.
Fortunately, that hand supported him, preventing him from falling.
“Thank you, Mr. Qin.”
Fang Qingyu turned to look, nodding in thanks.
“Have you practiced before?”
Mr. Qin slowly helped Fang Qingyu sit on the ground, frowning slightly as he asked.
“No, this is my first time.”
Fang Qingyu was momentarily stunned, then shook his head.
“Not bad.”
Only then did Mr. Qin nod faintly and walk to the front.
“Take a half-hour break. It’s best not to sit still; try to move your muscles and bones.”
With that, he walked to the side of the training ground.
The students immediately erupted, releasing the groans they had been holding back.
It wasn’t tiring...
But it hurt.
Fang Qingyu was no exception.
He felt as if needles were pricking all his muscles.
However, looking at the professional panel whose activation progress had reached 11 percent, the pain seemed to lessen a bit.
When anything has a progress bar, the inner motivation is infinitely amplified.
“Awesome, Qing Zi!”
Just then, Qi Hao also finished his training, came over, and patted Fang Qingyu’s shoulder.
He was training on the other side, but occasionally, he would pay attention to the situation here.
“Hiss… Ouch, ouch, ouch.”
Fang Qingyu took a sharp breath.
“It’s fine, practice boldly. When class is over, I’ll take you to have some fun.”
Qi Hao found it amusing, as he had gone through the same thing. Then he leaned in, raised an eyebrow, and whispered.
Fang Qingyu looked at him with a strange expression.
He looked perverted no matter how he saw it.
Soon, half an hour passed, and Mr. Qin walked back.
This time, the students were divided into two groups.
The first group, including Fang Qingyu, continued to practice Rooting the Mountain.
The others practiced the next form of Stance Training.
This cycle repeated for two rounds.
“Stop.”
Mr. Qin suddenly called out to Fang Qingyu.
Fang Qingyu slowly straightened up, his face showing confusion.
“Your progress allows you to learn the second form.”
Mr. Qin led Fang Qingyu to the group of students practicing the second form.
He took two bamboo poles from the wooden rack nearby and placed them horizontally on Fang Qingyu’s shoulders: “The second form is called ‘Horse Stance.’ Watch carefully.”
His legs were spread two and a half shoulders wide, and the angle of his bent knees was as precise as if drawn by a protractor: “Your crotch should feel like you’re sitting on a saddle, and your toes should be angled inward fifteen degrees.”
His cloth shoes made a creaking sound as they twisted on the ground.
Fang Qingyu squatted, mimicking his posture, and a tearing, sore sensation immediately spread through his thighs.
Mr. Qin suddenly poked the end of a bamboo pole into his knee pit: “Don’t let your knees go past your toes!”
The force from the bamboo pole almost made Fang Qingyu kneel, and he hurriedly adjusted his center of gravity, shifting backward.
“Breathe with your heartbeat.” Mr. Qin walked behind him, placing a hand on his rapidly rising and falling ribs. “Inhale here, don’t shrug your shoulders.” His calloused thumb pressed against his diaphragm, and Fang Qingyu suddenly coughed.
“Continue!” The bamboo pole struck his trembling calf. “Imagine there’s a chair behind your butt, and you’re about to sit but not quite.”
As sweat stained the ground, Fang Qingyu realized that the Horse Stance was even more tormenting than Rooting the Mountain.
The muscles on the front of his thighs twitched, and his feet felt like they were stepping on hot iron plates.
But when he secretly glanced at the other students, he found that even the older students could barely hold on for five minutes.
“Rotate your hips!” Mr. Qin suddenly kicked his left hip bone.
Fang Qingyu stumbled, turning half a circle, and the bamboo pole fell to the ground.
Just as he was about to bend down to pick it up, a bamboo stick struck his wrist: “If your horse stance breaks, you have to start over!”
It wasn’t until his third attempt that he barely managed to complete the hip rotation.
Then, Mr. Qin placed three green bricks on his thighs: “Only when the bricks no longer wobble will you be considered to have entered the gate.”
This sudden, strict personal instruction filled Fang Qingyu with both pain and joy.
The pain was physical.
The joy was… the activation progress of his professional panel was soaring.