Threshold Martial Art

"Ahem! Attention to all Military Academy students! I'm bringing you good news!"

A while after Chi Qiaosong left the office, he heard Kong Hongcai's voice from the loudspeakers.

He came to a halt upon hearing that, anticipating that the announcement must be about him.

As expected, Kong Hongcai went on, "A student from Class 7 of Year 57, Chi Qiaosong, has broken through to the Wrestler Plane recently. He is the first Ink Ridge County's Military Academy's first-term student to reach this plane.

I hope the rest of you will strive even harder and learn from Chi Qiaosong's example to break through to the next level faster."

There was an uproar among all the students after the announcement, including those who were practicing martial arts, resting, or even sleeping.

"Qiaosong has broken through to the Wrestler Plane already?" Li Weiwei immediately jumped out of bed and pulled a stack of cash out from the safe under his bed. "This calls for a celebration for Qiaosong tonight!"

After grabbing the monies, he headed straight toward Chi Qiaosong's dormitory.

It was a dormitory for four people. Wang Minzhong continued his usual training regime at the compound and did not return. On the other hand, Chen Hai and Mao Sanjian stared at each other. The message earlier troubled them tremendously since they rarely talked to Chi Qiaosong in their daily lives. So it was not overemphasis to say that their relationship was not good at all.

As a matter of fact, they were rather contemptuous toward him in the beginning.

Now that Chi Qiaosong had broken through to the Wrestler Plane, the gap between their social positions grew further apart suddenly. Hence, they did not know how they should face Chi Qiaosong after this.

The two of them were like a cat on a hot tin roof. They were at their wits' end as to what to do. After all, they were still striplings, unlike the adults, who were more diplomatic and flexible.

Still, they overthought things too much.

Chi Qiaosong couldn't even care less about the two of them. He took a fan with him the first thing after arriving at his dormitory and turned to leave for the compound to chill under the shade. He did not plan to go home that day since he still had to wait for his new training schedule.

A while later, Li Weiwei and a few students arrived at the compound.

"Qiaosong!"

"Wow, Chi Qiaosong! You're really something else!"

"Hey, let's go for a drink tonight."

"It will be your treat, Qiaosong."

"You're the champ, bro!"

"Congratulations on becoming the face of our batch, Chi Qiaosong."

The Military Academy was equivalent to a smaller scale of the martial world. Many students came to congratulate Chi Qiaosong after knowing he had broken through successfully.

A few outstanding students, particularly those who thought they would break through in the near future, figured that they should build a good rapport with Chi Qiaosong since they would be people of the same level.

After dealing with the other students, Chi Qiaosong agreed to join Li Weiwei for a dinner celebration later.

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Hiyah!

Hah!

Chi Qiaosong performed the Crazed Bull Heavy Fist at the small sports field.

Meanwhile, Hao Bozhao, Kong Hongcai, Xu Jingyang, and several teachers were watching his performance while sipping teas, smoking cigarettes, and exchanging chatter with one another from time to time.

They were examining Chi Qiaosong's martial art foundation.

At first, they did not have to do it in such a roundabout way. Nevertheless, there wasn't an exceptional student for them to publicize here at the Ink Ridge County Military Academy. They had a lot of expectations for him now that the academy had finally produced a student with great potential.

Furthermore, the chief instructor, Hao Bozhao, even tried to test Chi Qiaosong's martial art by himself.

A shadow of a bull flashed across everyone's eyes as he hurled a punch.

After that, Chi Qiaosong remained in a standby position and clasped his hands to salute the spectating teachers.

"Not bad at all. I'd say your foundation is pretty solid. Your proficiency level is impressive. I could tell that you've incorporated some leg techniques and footwork. I guess it all thanks to 12 Paths Spring Kick and Yu Sword Skill's effects."

Hao Bozhao was a skilled fighter of the Knight Plane. So, it was not hard for him to figure out Chi Qiaosong's martial art styles and origins.

He smiled gently and commented, "Martial art is not about competition. Laying a solid foundation will bring you many benefits in the future. You've done well, Chi."

"Thanks for the compliment, Chief Hao."

"It's great to see a young man like you who isn't arrogant and hot-headed. Now that you've finished the beginner's physical martial arts training, you should start practicing the Threshold Martial Art to reinforce the Wrestler Plane."

The beginner's physical martial arts training was to strengthen and enhance one's physique to produce visible strength.

For martial arts of this level, the Beginner Rank of the Wrestler Plane would be their limit.

If one wishes to go further, one must practice Threshold Martial Art. As the name suggested, the Wrestler Plane was the threshold of martial art. Beneath that tier were the ordinary people; those who crossed it would become true fighters.

Those who practiced the Threshold Martial Art well could reinforce the Wrestler Plane and grow toward reaching the Warrior Plane.

"I don't know much about martial arts. I shall leave the decision-making to you, Chief Hao." Chi Qiaosong kept a low profile and didn't reveal the tricks up his sleeve.

Nonetheless, Hao Bozhao was satisfied with his attitude. Fledglings must not have so many unnecessary thoughts; they should just obey their experienced elders' arrangements. "I didn't have much to do lately. I shall train you personally."

"Okay, Chief Hao."

"I have three Threshold Martial Arts here. The Fierce Tiger Heavy Fist is the advanced version of the Crazed Bull Heavy Fist. Another level higher will be the Herculean Divine Fist; one could achieve the Knight Plane with it as their base martial art.

Gust Swift Knife is more convoluted. Besides the need to engross oneself in it for extended periods, it is also challenging to learn. Mastering it will prove to be an arduous task. However, one could reach the Knight Plane once they'd attained a sufficient level of mastery.

Single Hand Pebble Throw is my secret martial art skill. Trust me. You couldn't find more than three in Ink Ridge County who knew this martial art. As you know, hidden weapons are considered unorthodox. It's your decision whether to learn it or not."

All three martial arts each had their pros and cons.

Chi Qiaosong questioned, "Chief Hao, which one do you think suits me best?"

After mulling it over for a while, Hao Bozhao replied, "My suggestion would be the Fierce Tiger Heavy Fist. This one is the easiest to pick up among the three. Furthermore, you can proceed to learn the Herculean Divine Fist after that. It has a lot of potential.

You came from a farmer's background. You'll have to hunt for jobs once you've become an adult.

Attaining a higher martial art plane will benefit you more than you'll expect in the future."

Those were his heartfelt words.

If Chi Qiaosong came from a wealthy family where they could support him to immerse in the pursuit of martial art, learning the best Threshold Martial Art to reinforce his martial art foundation would be most preferred. However, Chi Qiaosong was the son of a farmer. It'd be best for him to learn a martial art that was easy to master so that he could earn his wage sooner to provide for his family.

"In that case, I will learn the Fierce Tiger Heavy Fist." Chi Qiaosong nodded firmly.

Truth be told, he did not have to choose at all. With the existence of the bay tree's spirit root, there would be no problem for him to learn all three Threshold Martial Arts so long as he had enough fertilizers.

While the others had to focus on quality, he could totally go for quantity.

"I won't be at the academy every day. Lessons are in the morning every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You will have to make your own arrangements for extra lessons. If you have any queries, you may visit my abode to inquire of me."

After writing his address, Hao Bozhao handed it to Chi Qiaosong and left the scene.

Once students reached the Wrestler Plane, there were hardly any classes in big groups, seeing that the teachers taught most of the lessons one-to-one.

Hence, the academic style would become something like an apprenticeship.

At that time, Chi Qiaosong could already be considered Hao Bozhao's unofficial apprentice and disciple. Once the former achieved some results in his learning, they would, without a doubt, grow closer as a pair of teacher and student.

Needless to say, their relationship could never hold a candle to those who had formal discipleships with their teachers.

"I might need to do some chores over there." Chi Qiaosong thought to himself as he stared at the memo in his hand. Having said that, becoming a student of a chief instructor was a rather satisfactory result for him.

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"Qiaosong, over here."

Li Weiwei had already hailed a rickshaw earlier.

After getting in the rickshaw, Chi Qiaosong remarked, "Thanks."

Upon hearing that, Li Weiwei waved his hand and answered, "Nah. Don't sweat it, Qiaosong. You can always rely on me if you need any help."

With that, he pulled some cash out and handed it to the rickshaw-wallah. "Go to the NTA first. It will be a round trip. You will need to wait for a while. Once you've returned, I need you to send my bro, Qiaosong, to the Mamen Bridge's Great Bridge Restaurant."

The driver immediately responded, "Aye, sir!"

Although Chi Qiaosong wanted to refuse to be treated, he did not say so. He was not fond of the action of scrambling to pay for something, as he deemed it to be uncultured.

Still, Li Weiwei was a person with a pleasant personality. So he figured he should look after the former in the future.

The rickshaw was stable and not shaky at all.

In no time, they arrived before the Ink Ridge County's National Testing Agency, also known as NTA. It was an agency responsible for martial art examinations, fighters' martial art planes' appraisal, and related certificate issuance over the years.

The martial arts planes were like the College English Test Band 4 and Band 6.

Each level had its respective certificate.