"Observe all around, keep your ears open! The cultivation of movement techniques is not only about training your legs and stance but also honing your five senses and neural reflexes. In an instant, you must process a myriad of sensory information while simultaneously letting your body react most appropriately, choosing the correct method of movement, embedding it gradually into your instincts, until, like a real tiger, every move is driven by heart intent — this is the essence of natural movement!"
Li Gui followed behind Lu Chenzhou like a shadow, and whenever Lu Chenzhou made an error in his steps, Li Gui promptly kicked him to correct the mistake. Despite restraining his strength, the kick still gave Lu Chenzhou the painful sensation of sparring with a peer in the same realm. He was like a tiger being chased by Li Gui, agilely navigating through complex terrains.
Unknowingly, five hours passed.
Around 7 p.m., Lu Chenzhou had cycled through all 72 variations of the movement techniques. Although still very much unfamiliar, to an outsider, his movements resembled a hungry tiger hunting in the misty shadows of a mountain forest at night — a quite intimidating sight.
"Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps, when mastered, require no physical contact. Merely circling around the enemy with this technique can exert an intangible, formless pressure!"
After saying this, Li Gui turned off the machine.
He looked at Lu Chenzhou, whose frame seemed almost to fall apart. The boy had practiced a first-class movement technique continuously for five hours without rest, showcasing incredible stamina. It was said that he had recently trained in Iron Crotch Skill, which likely contributed to this endurance.
"Congratulations, you’ve reached the beginner level in Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps."
Li Gui felt he had taught several extra lessons today. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t waste his valuable time with regular students, but Lu Chenzhou was different.
Teaching this student was never a waste of time, as he could vaguely sense Lu Chenzhou’s rapid improvement each day. As a teacher, receiving such positive feedback from a student provided motivation.
"Thank you, teacher, for sparing some of your personal time," Lu Chenzhou said, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"Passing on knowledge and resolving doubts are natural duties of a teacher. Chenzhou, go have dinner first. Practice a little before bed to consolidate what you’ve learned. Starting tomorrow, in addition to Tiger Spirit Divine Fist, your newly learned movement techniques will also be assessed."
Lu Chenzhou watched as his teacher walked away.
"Great teachers produce great disciples. Teacher Li is outstanding, so his student Cha Chihu is also excellent. The same goes for my senior Qingtian Cang and master — I am truly fortunate."
Having high cultivation does not necessarily make a good teacher.
Ethics and the ability to impart knowledge are equally important.
Lu Chenzhou, with his achievements today, must not forget those who have aided him.
After dinner, seizing the moment, Lu Chenzhou practiced Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps alone in the gym, aiming to master this first-class movement technique within a month. With the Divine Seed’s boost from both Mountain Crossing Body and Sea-Sweeping Body, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Lu Chenzhou turned off the switch and looked at the Martial Arts Tree.
"Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps: Beginner (3%) → Beginner (4%)"
"The progress is even faster than I expected. It seems I can master it in twenty days; part of it is due to improved comprehension, but more importantly, the foundation laid by Mountain Crossing Body!"
In Martial Arts cultivation, a solid foundation is crucial.
Turning off the lights, the gym seemed still occupied as Old Tian, also an Acquired Enlightenment practitioner and another workaholic among the eight geniuses, Lu and Tian, both kings of diligence.
"Old Tian, I’m heading back to rest."
"Go ahead, prepare well for the Huangshan competition. We’re facing Huangshan’s genius class 3, whose average cultivation is Ninth Rank. We have Xiao He, and though our overall strength is slightly weaker, genius competitions are team events. It’s up to you and Wang Hongdao to lead us now!"
"You’re probably about to break through, right?"
Lu Chenzhou remembered when he first came, Old Tian’s Qi-Blood was already at the late stage of Ninth Rank. Now, half a year later, with Tian’s talent, he should be close to Tenth Rank.
"You’ll see on the Hidden Dragon List tomorrow."
Seeing his smug expression, Lu Chenzhou had a good guess. Old Tian, this sneak, was probably hoping to make a big impression in the upcoming competition.
Lu Chenzhou saw the rankings; just as expected, Old Tian soared over 1000 Hidden Dragon Points, ranking close behind at 800.
"Too bad, still not surpassing me."
Lu Chenzhou secretly relished this.
Old Tian probably thought he could overtake him this time. Wishful thinking.
Old Tian, watching the rankings, went pale.
"Darn, still under Chenzhou."
Despite being a mighty Tenth Rank Martial Artist, his significance in the school still couldn’t surpass Lu Chenzhou, a Ninth Rank. It just showed how unfriendly the world was to someone like him.
"Xiao He seems to have reached Eighth Rank, ranking 1212 now. This kid really did well. In the upcoming genius competition, for us in Dragon City, it’s a sure win!"
Two Tenth Rank, five Ninth Rank, one Eighth Rank.
The average cultivation of Dragon City’s genius class was above Ninth Rank, but with his well-rounded skills, Lu Chenzhou’s true combat capacity was comparable to a Tenth Rank.
During Fist Technique class,
Lu Chenzhou demonstrated the Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps, and Li Gui nodded slightly in approval.
"For the genius competition in September, have you prepared any cold weapons?"
Lu Chenzhou shook his head.
"Not yet, I wanted to buy the Void Blade model Fist Blade from the Martial Arts Association’s official website... but they were out of stock, so I’m planning to just buy a common Fist Blade to use for now."
"It’s a good choice. You have no foundation in Soldier Attack Martial Arts; forcibly using weapons like knives, spears, swords, and halberds works against weaker opponents, but against stronger ones of the same realm, it negates your advantages and puts you in a lower grade. Fist Blades suit you better at this stage."
"That’s exactly what I was thinking."
"Let’s do this. Follow me to my house after class."
Lu Chenzhou felt somewhat uneasy. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
What does this mean? Could the teacher be planning to give me a weapon?
By the lakeside at Stone Lake, a certain villa.
It was Lu Chenzhou’s first visit to Mr. Li’s residence. Mr. Li opened the door and the inside was very tidy, though it lacked a lively atmosphere, seeming like he lived alone.
There was also no talk of Mr. Li having a wife or children.
Some Martial Artists live solitary lives, never marrying or having children throughout their lifetimes, or they start looking to pass on their lineage to a young woman and establish a family only when they see no hope on their path in Martial Arts, since a man’s fertility lasts for a long time.
Mr. Li was rifling through his storage room while Lu Chenzhou silently stood in the living room, surveying his surroundings, when he suddenly noticed a picture "Black Tiger King Devouring Evil Ghosts."
[A rough work by Hong Fu, gifted to Teacher Li.]
"Teacher Hong really likes to gift paintings."
After a while, Mr. Li came out holding a dusty box.
"Take a look inside."
Upon receiving and opening it, Lu Chenzhou was dazzled by a chilling brilliance. Inside lay a pair of Fist Blades as dark as the night with four tendinous protrusions on the knuckle side, their shape reminiscent of elongated tiger paws.
Mr. Li put them on his hands; the cold black light reflected his worn, merciless face. He crossed his arms, fists clenched.
Four dim metal blades suddenly sprang from the protrusions on the knuckles, each about three inches long and as wide as a finger, curved like the deadly claws of a fierce tiger.
"Hiss... are these your Fist Blades, teacher?"
Lu Chenzhou watched closely.
Mr. Li swung them casually, easily slicing a wooden dummy in the living room into several parts; the cut surfaces were as smooth as mirrors.
He took off the Fist Blades and handed them, along with the box, to Lu Chenzhou.
"These are the Fist Blades I bought when I first entered the Martial Arts Association. They are made of C8 alloy, which is somewhat outdated by today’s standards, but still several times better than what you could find in any ordinary cold weapons store. There was no Void Blade technology back then, so these can’t counter Void Things. However, you have Evil Qi and Void-breaking Gloves, so make do with these until you can get a Void Blade model, then return these to me."
Lu Chenzhou didn’t make a show of declining; he graciously accepted them and asked:
"How much did these Fist Blades cost, teacher? I will reimburse you at the original price if they are damaged."
"No need. With your strength, you shouldn’t be able to break them."
"Alright. Do these Fist Blades have a name?"
"I named them ’Mountain Lord’!"
"Mountain Lord... What a great name!"
Lu Chenzhou put on the Fist Blades and performed a set of fist techniques right there. As an extension and enhancement of his fists, the Fist Blades did not involve the disciplines of Soldier Attack Martial Arts, so he adapted to them quickly.
It wasn’t long before the Fist Blades seemed to become part of his fists, not hindering his performance of various fist techniques. Due to the blades, his demeanor appeared even more like a Fierce Tiger, reminiscent of a Great Demon, brimming with lethal aura.
Watching Lu Chenzhou who clearly cherished the Fist Blades, Mr. Li felt somewhat moved.
"Fist Blades are a weapon that martial artists will never betray. Take good care of them. The so-called Divine Weapons are nurtured by the cultivator’s essence, spirit, and energy at all times. Over the long term, they develop divine properties, becoming an extension and external manifestation of a Martial Artist’s power."
Lu Chenzhou took note and asked:
"Teacher, you gave me Mountain Lord; what will you use?"
Mr. Li fetched a new package from his house, opened it, and a silver-white metal Fist Blade emitting a pale blue luminescence captivated him.
He hesitated and asked:
"Is that from the Martial Arts Association website in Su City?"
Mr. Li smiled slightly:
Well, then, it turns out the teacher has purchased new ones for himself.
Lu Chenzhou felt much better now.
"Fist Blades are meant for killing enemies. During genius combat competitions, unless it’s an emergency, there’s no need to unsheathe the blades; the metal knuckles are sufficient to counter most cold weapons... Of course, if you need to protect yourself, then it’s every man for himself!"
"I understand, teacher."
"Alright, you should head back now. Get more accustomed to them."
"Thank you, teacher."
Lu Chenzhou was excited yet also a bit overwhelmed with gratitude.
The teachers treated him too well; their kindness was immense.
Even though these Fist Blades were outdated, they were still worth seven figures.
When he returned home, he donned the Fist Blades and performed Black Tiger Fist, Tiger Supreme Fist, "Tiger Spirit Divine Fist"... He blended the Fist Blades perfectly with his Tiger Form techniques. In just fifteen minutes, the especially tough wooden dummy was completely destroyed, pieces scattered all around.
"I’ll have to switch to alloy wooden dummies in the future."
That was the state without unsheathing the blades. Should the blades be drawn, Lu Chenzhou, if he encountered that Blood Feather Demon again, would need no one’s assistance to tear him to shreds!