A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Chu Xuan and his group of eight gathered again at the entrance of Baicaotang.

Soon, Master Bai also appeared, but this time he was not accompanied by the gaunt old man. Without further ado, the group, led by Master Bai, quickly arrived at the gate of a large courtyard outside the inner city.

The signboard at the entrance reads "Lu's Martial Arts School" in large characters.

Chu Xuan was somewhat surprised; it turned out to be the Lu Family Martial Arts School.

He had already figured out the locations of several martial arts schools in the inner city.

His first choice was also "Lu's Martial Arts School".

Not only because it's the cheapest among the martial arts schools, but also because Lu's Martial Arts School teaches "Bajiquan," which emphasizes practical combat and has extremely high lethality!

Chu Xuan and the others followed Master Bai inside, and what came into view was a spacious and flat courtyard.

A dozen or so boys were practicing shirtless, shouting slogans. On the shelves nearby were training equipment such as swords, spears, halberds, and stone weights.

After entering, Master Bai Qi stood still in the courtyard.

Soon, a middle-aged man in training clothes with a dignified expression emerged from the inner courtyard. It was none other than Lu Tong, the head of the Lu Family Martial Arts School!

"Master Lu!"

Master Bai was the first to step forward and greet Lu Tong with a cupped hand, not daring to be presumptuous in front of him.

Lu Tong returned the greeting, his gaze sweeping over Chu Xuan and the other eight people.

Master Bai said with a smile, "Master Lu, these are the teenagers my Bai family is sponsoring this year. We'll be relying on you for the next year."

"Seventh Master Bai, you're too kind..."

After exchanging a few polite words, Master Bai gave some instructions to Chu Xuan and the others before taking his leave.

"Greetings, Master Lu!"

Everyone bowed to Lu Tong in unison, not daring to be the slightest bit negligent.

"Um."

Lu Tong responded, "Since you were selected by the Bai family, you must all have a talent for martial arts. You'll stay in the courtyard for the next year. As long as you're willing to work hard, even if you don't become martial artists, you can learn a few skills to support your families!"

Everyone quickly responded.

Without further ado, Lu Tong stated directly, "My Lu-style Bajiquan is divided into stance training and fist techniques. Internal stance training is practiced, while external fist techniques are practiced. Only when the two are combined can it be considered true Bajiquan!"

"Standing meditation is the root, and boxing techniques are the tip! Only when the roots are deep can the tip flourish, and only then will you not become a useless person in old age!"

"Bajiquan (Eight Extremities Fist) is practiced using the Liangyi Stance!"

With that, he leaped and landed on the plum blossom stake. His strong body was as light as a dragonfly landing on the stone pillar, without making a sound, and he stood firmly on it.

He struck a strange pose, his legs slightly bent, as if riding a wild horse. His hands were crossed in front of his chest, at chest height. His elbows drooped, and his palms faced inward, as if holding a baby.

The mere presence of that person gave Chu Xuan and the others a feeling of immense weight, like a mountain pressing down on them. This invisible pressure made it difficult for them to breathe.

"The two principles, namely Yin and Yang, correspond to Heaven and Earth!" Lu Tong's majestic voice resounded in everyone's ears, "Head resting on the blue sky, feet treading on clear springs, holding an infant in one's arms, elbows supporting mountains..."

Chu Xuan and the others followed suit and began to imitate him.

Then, plop, plop...

In just a few breaths, he staggered and fell to the ground.

Chu Xuan was no exception. He only stood for three breaths before feeling completely drained. His head spun around and his body collapsed uncontrollably.

The one who held on the longest was Xu Yuan, who had the best physique; he stood for a full ten breaths before falling down.

Lu Tong glanced at Xu Yuan with admiration and nodded to himself.

This young man must have the best physical constitution among the eight!

"Remember this: power comes from the ground! Imagine your feet are sucked into the earth; even an earthworm couldn't float up!"

"My waist and hips feel like they're being ground down!"

"Relax your shoulders, drop your elbows, and push them outwards! Imagine two mountains pressing down on your elbows, and you have to use all your strength to push them away..."

"Pay attention to your breathing! Don't breathe with your chest, breathe with your stomach..."

He had everyone assume the Yin-Yang stance, then individually pointed out and corrected their postures. After instructing everyone, Lu Tong called out to the inner courtyard, "Wei Hong!"

Soon, a burly man stepped forward: "Master!"

"This is your senior brother, Wei Hong! From today onwards, you will follow him in practicing standing meditation to cultivate your Qi and blood. Once your Qi and blood are sufficient, I will teach you Bajiquan!"

After saying that, he walked towards the inner courtyard with his hands behind his back.

To Lu Tong, Chu Xuan and the others were not his disciples, at most they could only be considered apprentices! He was just doing things for money, and there was no master-disciple relationship between them.

Only by truly becoming a martial artist and entering the inner academy can one be considered a true disciple!

"Fellow disciples, please feel free to ask your senior brother Wei Hong if you have any questions. Since it's your first day, let me show you around the courtyard!"

Wei Hong smiled with an honest and simple expression.

Facing Wei Hong, the crowd no longer felt the same pressure they had felt when facing Lu Tong; they felt much more relaxed.

"Senior brother, how do we become martial artists?" a young man asked, mustering his courage.

Wei Hong explained, "The purpose of our standing meditation is to nourish our Qi and blood. Once our Qi and blood reach their peak, we can begin the 'gate-opening' process! When we reach the pinnacle of Bajiquan, we can perform three gate-opening processes: Ming Jin (manifested strength), An Jin (hidden strength), and Hua Jin (transformation strength). Each gate-opening process is a complete transformation!"

"Once you successfully break through to the Ming Jin level on your first attempt, you will be what you call a martial artist."

"How long will it take for your Qi and blood to reach their peak?" another person asked.

Wei Hong shook his head and said, "There is no fixed time; it depends on individual talent! Those with good physique will accumulate qi and blood faster and reach the peak naturally faster than others."

"Of course, besides physical constitution, it is also related to comprehension. In addition, dietary supplements and medicinal supplements can also accelerate the replenishment of qi and blood."

"However, it cannot exceed one year at the latest! If a person has not been able to pass the test after a year of training, it means that he is not suitable for martial arts training, and there is no need to continue."

"This is also why all martial arts schools limit their apprenticeships to one year."

"Because, too little is useless. Too much is also useless!"

"What is the success rate of knocking on the gate?" This time, it was Xu Yuan, who had the best aptitude, who asked the question.

Wei Hong glanced at him and explained, "Our Bajiquan is known for its domineering, fierce, and powerful destructive force, but because of this, advancing through the stages is more dangerous than other martial arts. Failure causes greater damage to the body than other martial arts, making subsequent stages even more difficult! As for the success rate…"

"You lot have pretty good potential. If you're lucky, one or two of you should be able to pass the test..."

"hiss……"

A collective gasp filled the air.

Out of eight people, only one or two can successfully pass the test?

This is assuming you're lucky!

What if we're unlucky and...we're all wiped out?

That success rate is just too low!

These eight were selected from over a hundred people.

No wonder martial artists are so rare!

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Even Xu Yuan, who had the best physique, put away his pride after hearing these words.

Chu Xuan's expression remained unchanged.

At this moment, his attention was entirely focused on the martial arts panel in front of him.

[Energy Value: 9/100]

[Introduction to Yin-Yang Stance (0/1000)]

Chu Xuan felt a surge of excitement.

Finally, after coming into contact with martial arts, his stats changed, and at the same time, a sudden realization dawned on him.

Once his mastery of the Two Elements Stance is complete, he can attempt the Gate Opening. What is an extremely dangerous gate opening for others, he is certain to succeed as long as his essence is at its peak!

This is the effect of Essence Points, break through!