Chapter 4: Shadowboxing

"This is your identification card and uniform. If it doesn't fit, you can exchange it. The changing rooms are just ahead. After changing, please gather in Training Room 4."

"Thank you."

Lu Yuan took the items handed to him by the receptionist, thanked them, and turned to enter the room labeled "Men's Changing Room."

He had ultimately become a student at the Source Martial Arts School.

He was just an ordinary seventeen-year-old high school student.

It was truly difficult to change a decision his parents had already made.

Just as he hadn't been confident in persuading his parents to agree before signing up, he couldn't convince his father, Lu Xinghua, to refund the course after he had already paid the fees.

"Since the money has been paid, I might as well train hard. I can't let it go to waste."

Lu Yuan stopped thinking about those messy thoughts and quickly found his locker based on the number "1002" on his identification card.

It was Sunday, and there were quite a few people coming to the martial arts school for training.

Lu Yuan listened to their laughter and swiped his card on the electronic lock of the locker.

"Beep -"

The locker door opened, revealing an empty space with only a few white plastic hangers inside.

A large mirror was attached to the back of the door, barely reflecting Lu Yuan's upper body.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

His features were well-defined, but his skin was a bit pale due to a lack of outdoor exercise.

The slightly long bangs on his forehead covered half of his eyes, giving him the appearance of a melancholy, handsome young man.

Lu Yuan had often self-deprecatingly called himself a "skinny dog," but how many teenagers at the age of sixteen or seventeen were truly strong and sturdy?

Most were as thin as he was.

He was quite popular at school, and his looks had always been favored by girls.

After his grades skyrocketed and he "evolved" into a top student, he received even more love letters and confessions every week.

"Once I improve my physique, my charm will definitely increase even more," Lu Yuan thought to himself as he took off his shirt, revealing his pale, thin upper body with clearly visible rib outlines.

He stuffed his clothes and backpack into the locker and quickly changed into his uniform.

Wearing the brand-new martial arts uniform with the large "Source" character printed on it, the handsome young man in the mirror seemed to become even more presentable.

Lu Yuan tightened the belt around his waist, closed the locker door, and walked out of the changing room.

He followed the instructions and found the designated room.

Training Room 4 was smaller than Lu Yuan had expected.

It was about the size of a classroom.

The floor was covered with white mats, and several people were already waiting inside.

Two of them looked to be around his age, like high school students.

The others appeared older, with the aura of those who had been through years of social experience.

"Hey, look at this handsome young man!"

As Lu Yuan entered the training room, a girl with a bun hairstyle and light makeup, who was about a seven out of ten in terms of appearance, exclaimed with a smile.

Her words attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

Lu Yuan, however, showed no signs of nervousness and calmly nodded slightly to everyone before finding a spot to sit down.

"He's quite pretentious," Lu Yuan heard a young man with curly hair, sitting next to the girl with the bun, say with a hint of mockery.

"What do you mean? He's just a student," the girl with the bun said, patting him. The young man immediately took the opportunity to grab her hand.

"You're defending him so much, are you attracted to him?"

"Get lost! Let go of my hand!"

The two started playfully bickering, their behavior somewhat ambiguous but not quite like a couple.

There were a few other men sitting next to them, probably acquaintances, who looked on enviously, wanting to join in.

"Hey! Do you think we'll be considered official disciples of the Source Martial Arts School after completing this course?"

One of the men sitting on the other side of the girl with the bun, seeing the young man with curly hair constantly making physical contact with her in an attempt to raise his favorability, couldn't help but speak up loudly to change the topic.

"In your dreams," another man who was with them scoffed in response. "Even after completing all the courses, it's not guaranteed.

The Source Martial Arts School has a genuine ancient martial arts lineage and is certified by the Xia Country Martial Arts Association. Their official disciples have to go through an assessment; it's not just about paying money.

After all, there's a big difference between a disciple and a student. Not only do disciples not have to pay tuition, but they even receive a salary every month.

If you can become an official disciple of the Source Martial Arts School, you can go back and fire your manager right away."

"That amazing?"

The girl with the bun stopped her playful banter with the young man with curly hair and exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes," the man who had spoken later immediately added, seeing that he had captured the girl's attention. "But it's also very difficult to become an official disciple.

Generally speaking, if you can become an official disciple, you can participate in amateur fighting competitions and earn prize money by placing.

You can completely turn martial arts into a proper career..."

"Hey, what's so difficult about it? Siqi, just watch how I'll become a disciple of the Source Martial Arts School," the young man with curly hair interjected with a smile.

"Keep bragging!" the girl with the bun rolled her eyes playfully.

"..."

"Official disciples... salary... prize money..."

Lu Yuan had been listening attentively to their conversation, and his eyes lit up when he heard these words.

Before, when Cheng Peng had said his biggest goal was to become an official disciple of the martial arts school, he hadn't thought much of it.

Now he realized that the status of an official disciple was not simple.

Not only could they waive tuition fees, but they could also receive a salary.

If he could become an official disciple, wouldn't that greatly reduce the burden on his family?

Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a surge of hope.

But he quickly suppressed it.

He had just signed up, and hadn't even started his first class yet. It was obviously too early to think about these things.

His current primary goal was to improve his physical fitness as soon as possible and not let the tuition fees go to waste.

As he was thinking, a middle-aged man in his forties walked into the training room.

This man was clearly not an ordinary student like them.

Not only was he wearing a black uniform, but he also carried an unusual aura as he walked.

Lu Yuan was obviously not the only one who could guess the man's identity, as the noisy room quickly fell silent.

The middle-aged man scanned the room, seemingly doing a quick headcount, and then spoke with a smile. "Hello everyone, my name is Lin Zhiqin, and I will be responsible for teaching you the first stage of training from now on.

You can call me Coach Lin, or Brother Lin is fine too."

"Coach! What will we be training in the first stage?"

As soon as Lin Zhiqin finished speaking, someone from the group with the girl with the bun immediately asked a question.

Others chimed in, not wanting to be outdone. "Yeah, why doesn't our room have any punching posts? When can we hit the punching posts? I want to hit the punching posts!"

After saying that, he winked at the others and chuckled, "Let's stick the manager's photo on the punching posts."

"Haha..."

Lin Zhiqin glanced at them indifferently, not getting angry, and simply said, "The foundation of combat is strength.

The first stage of the course will mainly focus on strength training.

I will teach you some scientific and reasonable training methods and techniques, so you can train on your own in the future, whether here or at home.

As for hitting the punching posts..."

Lin Zhiqin paused and continued, "It's not time for that yet.

Right now, all you can do is practice shadowboxing."

With that, Lin Zhiqin suddenly raised his hand.

Lu Yuan didn't even see what kind of movement he made.

He only heard a crisp "snap" sound suddenly erupt.

The sound was loud and clear, as if someone had lit firecrackers in the room.

"This is shadowboxing," Lin Zhiqin said calmly, his eyes sweeping across the room.