Dragon Shape Five Forms

Yao Juan clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back.

"Su Ti is right. The two most important things in martial arts are your physical conditioning and your technique."

"The two complement each other, and the combat ability they ultimately create determines the level of a person's martial arts."

"In the martial arts world, we distinguish between them, ultimately dividing martial arts into two types: training methods and fighting methods."

"Training methods strengthen the body and improve physique, strength, speed, and reaction time."

"Fighting methods, on the other hand, unleash the body's greatest strength in an instant, defeating the opponent in the fastest, fiercest, and most ruthless way possible."

"One trains, one fights. Combined, they are martial arts."

Yao Juan's words echoed through the hall. Some students listened intently, while others were dismissive.

After all, what age was this? Guns and cannons were the mainstream of the world. Many people had enrolled here only to help their children build a connection with Long Yuanzheng, not because they truly wanted to endure hardship.

Yao Juan quietly memorized those dismissive faces. A master could guide one through the door, but cultivation depended on the individual. She was not a god, merely a person. She could not nurture everyone into talent. As for those unwilling to learn, she let them be. As long as she taught those who wanted to learn well, she would not have failed her master by running this martial hall.

"But martial arts also have national boundaries, as well as ancient and modern distinctions."

"Xia's martial arts are divided into ancient and modern forms."

"Modern martial arts are the kind we often see on television: boxing, kickboxing, Comprehensive Fighting Techniques, and the like."

"Modern martial arts are highly competitive. They focus on scoring, striking targets, and KOs. They are rule-based martial arts suited for the ring."

Su Ti nodded slightly. Yao Juan was right. His Comprehensive Fighting Techniques were the culmination of modern martial arts.

Could they fight? They could—on the ring.

Off the ring, sorry, but the law, knives, and American iaido were the best martial arts.

"As for ancient martial arts, we call them Ancient Martial Arts. They are martial arts passed down from the Wu Dynasty, which began eight hundred years ago. Though they have continuously evolved, their inheritance remains, and we collectively call them Ancient Martial Arts."

Su Ti was no stranger to the words Wu Dynasty. As a history student, he naturally knew Xia's history.

Xia's history spanned roughly three thousand years. The Wu Dynasty arose during the historical blank period a thousand years ago and was the first dynasty after that period to have surviving historical records. It lasted for two hundred years.

The Wu Dynasty lived up to its name. Martial studies, martial arts, and martial artists flourished.

It was a remarkable era of countless sects and rising masters. Sects even stood on equal footing with the state and held positions of immense importance.

No one knew how powerful the martial artists of that era had been.

But some of their martial arts had remained, becoming what was known as Ancient Martial Arts.

And the core members of Dragon Gate Martial Hall were taught Ancient Martial Arts.

"The introductory Ancient Martial Art of our Dragon Gate Martial Hall is called the Dragon Shape Five Forms."

Yao Juan explained.

"The Dragon Shape Five Forms are an Ancient Martial Art centered on training methods. Next, I'll demonstrate them for everyone."

"First form, Coiling Dragon!"

Without another word, Yao Juan held her hands at her waist and spun in place.

But she did not turn with her legs.

In an instant, Yao Juan seemed to become some kind of soft-bodied creature, her body twisting into a spring as she rotated.

At that moment, the quiet practice hall clearly rang with the crackling sounds of Yao Juan's bones. Each segment of her spine rose in sequence, like a snake coiling its way up a tree.

The sight was so visually shocking that it was hard to imagine a person could make such a movement, as though she had transformed from a human into a coiled soft-bodied creature in an instant.

And she was not finished yet. Yao Juan continued her demonstration.

"Swimming Dragon!"

Yao Juan suddenly dropped to all fours and crawled along the floor.

Her spine swayed from side to side like a snake's. Her limbs exerted no force at all, yet she moved freely across the ground in an uncanny manner.

"Flying Dragon!"

Yao Juan raised her upper body like the attacking head of a snake, then shot forward several meters in a flash, impossibly fast!

"Fierce Dragon!"

Yao Juan rose from the ground, rounded her arms, and moved sharply. With a ripping sound, the air seemed to tear apart with a harsh shriek.

"Poison Dragon!"

Her legs lashed out, kicking repeatedly through the air like a snake's fangs, producing sharp hissing whistles.

After completing the five forms, Yao Juan pressed both hands downward and silently concluded the routine.

"Did you understand? These five moves are the introductory Ancient Martial Art of our Dragon Gate Martial Hall. They can strengthen your power, physique, and flexibility, fundamentally making you stronger."

Some of the students rolled their eyes. How could they not understand? Every day, it was the same five moves, practiced over and over again.

"Alright, I hereby announce that today's practice has officially begun. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

After finishing her demonstration, Yao Juan sat cross-legged and watched the students practice the Dragon Shape Five Forms on their own.

Some students performed reasonably well, looking the part. But the vast majority merely went through the motions and had no intention of practicing seriously.

There was no other reason. The Dragon Shape Five Forms were simply too ugly!

Aside from the final two forms, which were performed standing up, the first three involved nothing but twisting around or crawling on the ground like an animal. It was simply too embarrassing for teenagers and young adults to accept.

If everyone else had not been practicing too, probably no one would dare do this in public. Otherwise, they would be mistaken for lunatics.

And it was extremely difficult as well. Some people could not imitate the forms properly even when they tried in earnest.

Watching most of them practice absentmindedly, Yao Juan shook her head slightly.

For modern people, those who could truly settle down and practice martial arts were few and far between. To these rich young masters and princesses, this place was probably just another cram school—a place to put in the bare minimum.

But when her gaze landed on Su Ti, her eyes lit up.

His movements were somewhat unfamiliar, but for a beginner, he was already doing exceptionally well. After all, parts of the Dragon Shape Five Forms resembled yoga and required a certain physical foundation. It was impossible to perform them perfectly from the start.

Moreover, he was completely uninhibited. He practiced openly and naturally, without the slightest awkwardness or concern for the eyes around him.

"Ancient Martial Arts, Dragon Shape Five Forms."

Among the crowd, Su Ti practiced the Ancient Martial Art Yao Juan had demonstrated again and again.

Having seen the price of Ancient Martial Arts on the dark web just yesterday, how could he not know how precious this martial art was?

Naturally, Su Ti treasured this opportunity and practiced with exceptional effort.

He had a foundation in Comprehensive Fighting Techniques, so he learned quickly.

After casually performing the routine two or three times, glowing text from the modifier suddenly appeared before him.

Martial Art: Dragon Shape Five Forms (Beginner Level) 0.1%+

Energy: 30%

The first line was the martial art's level, while the latter was naturally its progress.

Looking at the 0.1% progress, Su Ti chose to add points without hesitation.

The Energy line rapidly decreased, dropping from 30% to 0% in an instant.

As the energy vanished, a cool sensation flowed from Su Ti's mind and into his body.

A vast amount of muscle memory emerged, all of it memories of practicing the Dragon Shape Five Forms over and over again. Su Ti's movements, which had been somewhat unfamiliar a moment ago, immediately became smooth and practiced, as though he had trained for several months!

Dragon Shape Five Forms (Beginner Level) 30.9%!

As his proficiency rose, a warm current suddenly surged from within Su Ti's body and spread through his limbs and bones. His entire body felt warm, as though his muscles had been soaked in a hot spring.

A series of cracking sounds came from within Su Ti's body. His muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments were all strengthened!

At the same time, the modifier panel's attributes changed as well.

Strength: 0.5-0.6

Agility: 0.5-0.6

It was not obvious from his appearance, but numbers did not lie. The instant his proficiency in the Dragon Shape Five Forms increased, Su Ti's strength and agility each rose by 0.1!

Su Ti could also clearly feel that he had become stronger and more agile.

Su Ti was shaken. This was the real deal. His physique had actually improved as his proficiency increased. The Dragon Shape Five Forms were definitely the real deal!

Even mastering Comprehensive Fighting Techniques had not granted Su Ti even the slightest attribute increase. Perhaps that was because Comprehensive Fighting Techniques were purely fighting methods without training methods, but the Dragon Shape Five Forms had increased both his strength and agility by 0.1 at barely over 30% beginner-level progress. There was no question about the value of this Ancient Martial Art.

And Su Ti's change was noticed by Yao Juan, who had been watching him all along.

She was even more shocked than Su Ti himself.

"This kid... he actually... actually had an enlightenment!"

What was known as enlightenment was, in simple terms, a flash of inspiration and sudden clarity. This happened in many fields. A math problem that had once been incomprehensible could suddenly be solved in a flash of insight. Even the invention of the atomic bomb had depended on scientists' flashes of inspiration.

In martial arts, that flash of inspiration was called enlightenment.

In that instant of inspiration, one felt like an omnipotent god. All kinds of difficult problems seemed to cease existing, allowing one to learn martial arts a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand times faster, without any constraints.

But martial enlightenment was something one could only encounter by chance. Some said it came from accumulated effort finally bearing fruit, some said it depended on one's comprehension, and others claimed it was luck.

Yao Juan did not know the truth or root cause behind martial enlightenment.

She only knew that she had practiced martial arts for thirteen years. She had entered a martial arts school at twelve, then become Long Yuanzheng's disciple eight years ago. She had worked diligently without slacking off for a single day, yet even now, she had experienced "enlightenment" only twice.

Once had been seven years ago, and the other had been a year ago. Both had been hard-won enlightenments after many years of martial arts practice, and both had greatly improved her martial attainment.

Yet Su Ti had experienced enlightenment on his very first day—no, more precisely, within his first hour—of encountering Ancient Martial Arts!

"Could he really be a genius?!"

For an instant, Yao Juan considered introducing Su Ti to her master, Long Yuanzheng.

But she immediately dismissed the thought.

Though her master had an indifferent temperament, and though his several disciples still lacked the skill and talent to inherit his legacy, he could not accept disciples carelessly.

Countless people in Mingguang City wanted to become his Direct Disciple, yet could not get their wish.

As his eldest disciple, Yao Juan naturally had to screen candidates for her master.

"Although Su Ti had never encountered Ancient Martial Arts before, his foundation in modern martial arts is indeed solid. His physique is not particularly strong, but his stance and guard are highly technical. Even when he looks at someone, his gaze immediately falls on their vulnerable points. He is a genuine expert in modern martial arts."

Yao Juan had practiced martial arts for many years and possessed sharp eyes. Even without Su Ti saying anything, she could tell that he had martial skill.

Not to mention that Su Ti had spoken of his experiences in underground boxing rings. With a record of killing professional underground boxers, Yao Juan naturally would not underestimate him.

Su Ti was not a novice. Although he had not practiced Ancient Martial Arts, he possessed martial cultivation. With his foundation in modern martial arts, it was understandable that his first exposure to Ancient Martial Arts had led to accumulated knowledge suddenly bearing fruit and producing enlightenment. This did not prove with absolute certainty that he was a genius of Ancient Martial Arts.

Unless—

He kept experiencing enlightenment, improving at a terrifying speed and advancing by leaps and bounds each day.

Yao Juan shook her head. Her thoughts had wandered too far. How could anyone experience enlightenment constantly? Would that still be human?

As long as Su Ti experienced enlightenment two more times in a short period—no, even once—she could recommend him to her master on that basis!