Chapter 2 Sword Light (Happy Dragon Boat Festival!!)

"Why do you study martial arts?"

With some time left before class began, Fang Xing looked at Xia Long and began to drift into his usual daydreams, recalling the scene from their first Martial Arts class.

Back then, it was Xia Long who stood in the very same spot, his voice booming:

"You are reserve soldiers, and one day you will go to battle, fighting to the death with the Evil God's Clan... You study martial arts to survive!"

"Remember this, and train hard! Train desperately!! That's the only way you might survive!!!"

"Given your backgrounds, you are not destined to pour resources into becoming a Mecha Master or Mind Master... Martial arts require the least resources yet provide substantial future prospects, making it the best evolutionary choice for you!"

"I hope that by the time you graduate, you'll all be at least in the Second Realm of Martial Arts, mastering an A-level Martial Arts, otherwise entering the battlefield would be a death sentence—no second possibility!"

The stark, bloody reality hit Fang Xing hard and brought him back to the present.

Now, Xia Long began his lecture: "Most of the Evil God's Clan possess a sort of spiritual contamination, and even the lower-ranked servants can unleash a Spiritual Shock... Initially, the Federation's fleet and Mecha Masters suffered quite a bit, filling up the asylums to maximum capacity... But later on, we discovered that after evolving through Martial Arts, the 'Martial Arts Will' generated can fend off such mental corruption... Although it's tough for you to enter the 'Courage Realm' and attain a hint of the power of the realm by adulthood, the Federation has developed many martial arts techniques that, through hypnosis, allow lower-realm martial artists to obtain almost the same power. This is the origin of A-level Martial Arts."

Fang Xing listened below with teeth clenched.

Martial Arts! Branded within the Blue Star Federation as the evolution path that required the least resources yet had the highest output ratio, it actually represented cannon fodder!

There were many ways to resist the spiritual contamination from the Evil God's Clan, but neither the Medicines from pharmacists, nor the Spiritual Talismans from Mind Masters, nor the Spiritual Armor, nor specially modified Mechas were things his indebted self could fantasize about.

For a bio-enhanced human like himself, there was only one path: to learn Martial Arts! Then to go to the front lines and hack away at the Clan!

If he survived for several years, then he might have a chance to retire alive.

Of course, the Federation hadn't completely blocked off the routes for bio-enhanced individuals.

After all, there wasn't much difference between bio-enhanced humans and natural humans; they had unlimited potential.

Fang Xing once sat here, aiming to pass the university entrance exam and successfully delay military service!

According to Federation law, once one successfully passed the university entrance exam, they could receive a scholarship and postpone their military service until after graduation!

It was said that many of the Federation's 'Martial Saints' and 'Martial Gods' took this path.

'To attend university huh...'

'Very hard, incredibly hard! Even Xia Long subconsciously believes none of us can make it to college... After all, one of the basic qualifications for university is to reach the Third Realm of Martial Arts—Rough Jade—before graduating from high school!'

Martial Arts' Third Realm: 'Skin,' 'Sinews and Bones,' 'Rough Jade!'

A martial artist who reached the Rough Jade Realm would have their body reverse the innate process, merging their five internal organs' spirits harmoniously, automatically repairing any internal injuries, and maintaining a perfect internal-external circulation enabling them to live healthily up to one hundred and twenty years!

Fang Xing sighed inwardly and then watched Xia Long's movements.

At the moment, the opponent was demonstrating a Pile Skill, his spine undulating like a great dragon.

"Today's lesson, start by holding the 'Great Dragon Stance' for 30 minutes, then follow me through the Military Boxing Twelve Styles..."

"The 'Great Dragon Stance' needs no introduction. It's the best Pile Skill for refining skin and flesh in the First Realm of Martial Arts. After countless simulations by the Federation's top AI 'Omniscient Brain,' it has reached the 'Perfect' level, honing every part of the body without missing a single area... When standing in stance, don't just stand rigidly, move your body and also your mind, imagine your torso as a great dragon, the spine as the dragon bone, and the limbs as the dragon claws... It's best not to exceed an hour each day on the Great Dragon Stance, those who can afford it can buy 'D3-grade nutrient fluid' from the store..."

Xia Long explained everything in detail, but he sighed inwardly, knowing a single bottle of the cheapest 'D3-grade nutrient fluid' cost 5000 Star Coins, which ordinary bio-engineered students might find hard to afford regularly.

But that was the way things were. The Federation's resources were limited, and martial arts had become the cheapest and most accessible professional evolution path.

Unless one exhibited a certain level of talent, it wasn't worth the investment from the school or even personally.

Inhale... Exhale...

Fang Xing settled his mind and adopted the Great Dragon Stance's posture; a sense of familiarity immediately arose, as though he had been practicing this stance for a long time.

He unconsciously started to slow his breathing, beginning to visualize a majestic dragon in his mind, the vertebrae in its spine subtly quivering.

In this state, he felt his skin layer pulsing, tingling, itching... a variety of bizarre sensations surged through him, and his muscles began to heat up.

'Hold on! Hang on!'

Rarely crossing over to experience such extraordinary power, Fang Xing gritted his teeth and persevered.

He didn't know how long had passed when he suddenly felt a wave of weakness throughout his body, a darkening in his vision, and a sense of reaching his limits wash over him.

As if the sudden loss of strength when running long distances, his body couldn't muster even a shred of energy...

'Have I reached the limit? Am I going to faint? Will I have to be carried to the medical room? That would be utterly embarrassing...'

Just then, as Fang Xing's consciousness wavered, he seemed to return to that night spent reading novels.

Before his eyes appeared a sword light, with the creation and destruction of worlds beneath its sweep...

'Is this... the scene of my crossing?'

'Why do I feel it's a sword? Not a blade of light, or any other light?'

'Beneath that sword light, does it seem to suppress some terror?'

Fang Xing no longer had time to ponder. He saw the sword light fall, splitting into two orbs, one red and one white.

The two orbs chased each other, resembling two fish, and also like a Red and White Tai Chi Diagram.

Suddenly!

Boom!!!

The red and white light collided, erasing everything with terrifying brilliance!

The Red and White Tai Chi Diagram suddenly shattered, then... a faint luminescence appeared before his eyes:

[Name: Fang Xing]

[Age: 16]

[Profession: Martial Artist]

A very concise panel appeared, and when Fang Xing's consciousness reached the Martial Artist profession, several subcategories were unlocked:

[First Realm: Skin and Flesh (Refine Skin: 21/100)]

[Military Boxing Twelve Styles: 55/100 (Beginner)]

[Great Dragon Stance: 67/100 (Beginner)]

...

'What kind of game panel is this? My golden finger? It seems to be related to the scene I saw during my transmigration?'

Fang Xing felt a movement in his heart, and then... Various insights about the 'Great Dragon Stance' emerged, making him suddenly feel strength returning to his limbs and bones as if a drying channel had been infused with fresh water streams, preventing him from fainting immediately.

'Yes... Although I completely inherited the original owner's memories of the mind and muscles, actually displaying them was different, as if the mind knew it, and the hands knew it... but they were not coordinated, and my skills regressed...'

'But now, with this attribute panel emerging, it assures me a perpetual proficiency increase without any regress...'

'Only now do I truly take over everything from the original owner, including his martial arts...'

'If I could add points...'

Fang Xing felt somewhat greedy but alas, after searching high and low, he could not find the option to add points and had to give up.

"Okay, thirty minutes are up."

A few minutes later, Xia Long gave an order, and the students who had been in stance sighed in relief. Liu Wei even collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

Fang Xing, however, was relatively fine, only feeling his legs slightly weak but not to the point where he needed to lie down.

"Ah Xing, your stance skill seems to have improved. Did you secretly practice extra last night?"

Liu Wei, seeing his comrade-in-arms not falling down, couldn't help but make a comment.

"This is my normal level!"

Fang Xing replied heavily, but in his mind, he added, 'It's just the peak moment of Fang Xing...'

Human conditions fluctuate, but with an attribute bar fixed, one's condition is always at its peak!

To Liu Wei, it seemed like Fang Xing had improved.

"Hehe, your stance skill might be slightly better than mine, but what comes next isn't so sure," Liu Wei laughed and got up.

At that moment, Xia Long also shouted, "Don't lie down! You are all in good condition now, stand up and practice; Military Boxing Twelve Styles, the first style, Bow Step Cannon Fist!"

Fang Xing's spine curved like a bow, his major sinews were taut like strings, and his right-hand fingers were closed together, his knuckles cracking. He imagined his body was a great bow, launching his fist as an arrow.

Pop!

With this punch, the air in front produced a muffled sound, startling Liu Wei nearby.

"Ah Xing, how did you become so powerful?"

Seeing that many students in the class managed to produce a punch sound, Xia Long's face softened slightly, "Good... As the Ancient Boxing Scripture says, 'A sound in a punch worth a thousand gold', you would all be martial artists capable of defeating ten men in ancient times with such a sound! But it's not enough, far from enough!"

"Why is the first style called 'Cannon Fist'? Bow Step is just the beginning. Imagining your body as a bow is just the start. Next, you need to imagine that you are a cannon, igniting your blood qi with 'Heart Fire' and launching your fist like a 'cannonball'!"

As he spoke, Xia Long threw a punch.

Boom!

Though it was the same 'Bow Step Cannon Fist', the air seemed to explode like a cannonball, causing Fang Xing's eardrums to hurt and his heart to feel pressured, somewhat stifling: 'This punch is probably the result of no less than twenty years of training... I can't block it...'

Xia Long retracted his fist and stood straight: "When you can produce a true 'Cannon Fist', where one sound is worth ten thousand gold, only then will this style be considered minorly accomplished. The key lies in 'Heart Fire', using the heart as the driving force to circulate blood qi..."

While speaking, Xia Long approached a student and casually delivered a palm strike to their back.

The student's face immediately turned blood-red, and with a wave of his hand, he threw a punch. While there wasn't a sound of a cannon, the crisp sound was significantly louder.

'This kind of 'teach by example' is incomparable to any projection... But it seems only students who made a sound are receiving this treatment...'

As Fang Xing pondered, Xia Long had already reached behind him, pressing five fingers against his back, "Punch!"

Fang Xing instantly felt a fiery sensation in his chest as if igniting gunpowder, urgently seeking an outlet to burst forth.

"Ha!"

Fang Xing let out a shout and threw a punch, then felt a bit drained.

"Not bad, pay attention to your step technique next time..."

Xia Long commented and moved towards another female student.

However, Fang Xing just sat down on the ground, breathing heavily, yet feeling somewhat excited.

He placed his consciousness on the attribute panel and found the subcategory for Military Boxing.

[Military Boxing Twelve Styles: 56/100 (Beginner)]

"Proficiency, increased by 1 point?"

"If I repeat this dozens of times, will I be able to perfectly master the beginner level of Military Boxing and enter the next stage?"

"But, doing this dozens of times, my body might not be able to handle it..."

Feeling the soreness in his arms, Fang Xing shook his head inwardly.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.

At the bottom of the attribute bar, a strange new rune emerged.

The rune, composed of twisted lines, subtly formed the outline of a mirror.

When his consciousness focused on it, a new line of text emerged:

[Gate of All Heavens: 1/100 (Capturing)]