The Descendant of Ancient Martial Arts, Miao Ruolan

The surname Miao is quite rare.

But in this county, there's a Miao family that's very well-known.

"Isn't that right? The one in Huashiqiao Village. That Miao family practices martial arts. My Diandian isn't like a proper girl; she just loves to fight. She plays really well with that Miao Ruolan..."

The Miao family, Miao Ruolan!

Lin Xiaosu felt a ripple in his heart...

The Miao family, an Ancient Martial Arts Family.

In Great Xia, there aren't many Ancient Martial Arts Families; in fact, they are very few.

Why?

Because Ancient Martial Arts Families have always been frowned upon throughout history.

In ancient times, "heroes acted against prohibitions with martial arts," and martial arts were synonymous with breaking the rules.

And Great Xia, after entering the civilized era, has made governing by law its absolute main theme. It's no longer an era of fighting and killing, so martial arts have gradually lost their function.

Those Ancient Martial Arts Families have also become very discreet. They would never publicize their martial arts skills. On the contrary, they consciously downplay their martial arts origins and integrate into society as much as possible. Otherwise, wouldn't every one of their children become a focal point of attention from various parties, making life impossible?

For a long time, the Miao family lived a quiet life in Huashiqiao Village, no different from ordinary villagers.

It was an accidental opportunity that brought this Ancient Martial Arts Family into the spotlight.

That was thirty years ago. Miao Sanqiang, Miao Ruolan's father, had a conflict with a local village bully. The bully, relying on being a local, bullied the Miao family, who were immigrants (the Miao family had moved from Xiaoxiang Province seventy years prior). He brought over ten of his men and intended to drive the Miao family out of Huashiqiao.

Miao Sanqiang was still young at the time, and in his youthful impetuosity, he stepped forward. Witnessed by many neighbors, he performed a martial arts spectacle. Those ruffians carrying sticks and knives were thrown into the foul ditch by him, one by one, from ten meters away. The village bully attempted a sneak attack from behind, but Miao Sanqiang grabbed his wrist with a backhand, applied a little force, and the bully's wrist bone shattered.

This grip truly shook the entire county.

To shatter an adult man's wrist bone with a single squeeze, how much grip strength would that take?

Because of this grip, he compensated the bully's family with a pig as medical expenses. But because of this grip, no one dared to bully the Miao family again.

Lin Xiaosu suddenly developed an interest in ancient martial arts, stemming from his own peculiarities.

Everyone knew that physical fitness was Lin Xiaosu's weakness.

Number 88 knew, Chang Ye knew, even Xinyue knew.

He, of course, knew it even better.

At 101, he had once considered whether to pursue the path of Gene Modification.

If it were in the past, even thinking about it would have been in vain, because the cost of Gene Modification was astronomical. He didn't know the exact amount, but he could guess with his toes that it certainly couldn't be supported by a few plots of land.

But upon entering Qianlong, everything became possible.

As long as he performed exceptionally well, Qianlong might even provide him with free Gene Modification.

However, after meticulously studying the Profound Emperor's Inner Canon, he became hesitant.

The Profound Emperor's Inner Canon's positioning of the human body was too advanced and too mysterious.

In this system, the human body is like the universe. Every meridian, every surge of energy, every organ is a component of this universal system.

The various complex and subtle organs, operating with flawless perfection, collectively formed an almost flawless human body.

Its original intent was to expound its medical theories.

But Lin Xiaosu focused more on the foundation of this theory: the human body itself is perfect. By developing the human body, one can naturally break through various limitations and amplify human potential step by step.

And "Principles of Genetics" was diametrically opposed to this theory, heading in completely different directions.

It wasn't about developing oneself but about stimulating the body with external genes.

Therefore, Gene Modification had a fatal flaw.

Because it disrupted the balance and destroyed the natural evolution of the human body.

If you accept the basic theoretical framework of the Profound Emperor's Inner Canon – "the human body is inherently perfect" – then you shouldn't allow such foreign elements to be added indiscriminately.

Lin Xiaosu's current theory was not yet solidified. He couldn't judge which of these two theories was superior, so he wanted to wait and see, not blindly follow the trend.

Not following the trend meant he rejected Gene Modification at this stage.

However, rejecting Gene Modification also meant that his physical shortcomings could not be improved.

And now, a new method of improvement had appeared...

Ancient Martial Arts!

Ancient Martial Arts were internal martial arts that maximized physical strength and power without damaging one's own genes.

He didn't need an exceptionally strong physique, as long as it didn't significantly hinder his eyesight and reaction speed!

"Auntie, I'll go tomorrow. I'll go talk to her. I have to go to the county town anyway," Lin Xiaosu said.

"That would be wonderful. I've been so worried lately that even my vegetable patch is growing weeds. I'm also going to be busy for a few days," his aunt said happily, putting aside her worries about her daughter and heading home.

The next day, Lin Xiaosu went to the county town.

In the South City Development Zone, he arrived at the familiar boxing gym.

It happened to be the weekend, and children were taking classes at the boxing gym.

The gatekeeper was very polite. He opened the side door and offered a cigarette, saying, "Young Su, Director Zhou has mentioned several times that he wants to treat you to a meal. Since you're here today, it's perfect timing."

"Uncle, you know me?" Lin Xiaosu refused his cigarette, looking a bit surprised.

"Didn't a child get kidnapped last time? Thanks to you, this child was rescued. I was there that day." The old man casually tucked the rejected cigarette behind his ear.

"Uncle, you have a great memory. It's been so long."

"Heh, that's the skill of a gatekeeper. To tell you the truth, I stand on this street and I remember who comes and goes, more or less..." The gatekeeper revealed a mouth full of yellowed, smoke-stained teeth, looking quite smug. "More or less" was local slang meaning: roughly or more or less...

"Uncle, has the teacher named Miao Ruolan come today?"

"She's here! I'll go check for you if she's in class..."

"How about I go in and take a look?" Lin Xiaosu asked.

The uncle chuckled, "Others definitely can't, but you're different, Young Su. You're the hero who saved the child. You wouldn't harm the children..."

Lin Xiaosu went inside.

It was different from a typical school.

Typical schools teach academics, with desks and blackboards in the classrooms.

This place taught fighting, and the classrooms only had training equipment.

The spacious outdoor sports field largely served as the podium.

Over thirty children were gathered in a circle, and inside the circle was a girl who somewhat subverted Lin Xiaosu's perception.

Is this Miao Ruolan?

Lin Xiaosu had never met Miao Ruolan, only heard of her as a direct descendant of an Ancient Martial Arts lineage.

A spirited image of a woman naturally emerged in his mind.

She should at least be like Hu Ya to live up to the title of a direct descendant of Ancient Martial Arts, shouldn't she?

However, seeing her now completely subverted that image...

She was only about 1.5 meters tall, very slender, with two braided pigtails. Her face still seemed to carry a childish innocence, with very ordinary features. Judging solely by her looks, she was at most a 6 out of 10, the type who would be completely lost in a crowd on the street...

"Class!" The three words were spoken very softly.

The children in the circle were playfully messing around, and her voice was like a mosquito's buzz.

The children didn't hear her, and she herself blushed, raising her voice slightly, "Class, everyone listen to me!"

The children quieted down a bit, but the noise was still there.

Miao Ruolan said, "Today I'll teach you to practice the horse stance. The horse stance is crucial for training..."

A child interrupted her, "Teacher, Teacher Li used to teach us combat!"

"This is also combat, the basic foundation of combat." Miao Ruolan's face turned even redder, "Everyone, watch my demonstration!"

Her toes lightly traced the ground as she assumed a horse stance.

Lin Xiaosu's eyes widened abruptly, his heart pounding wildly...

A graceful movement, in his eyes, was so breathtaking.

Her toes traced the ground like flowing water, incredibly natural, incredibly light.

As her toes moved, the dust on the concrete floor also floated up, as light as her movements.

However, as her horse stance stabilized, this dust, like light clouds emerging from a valley, suddenly fell, forming a Tai Chi symbol.

This wasn't the natural settling of dust; it was under her control. To put it more mystically, it meant that within a three-meter radius of her horse stance, it was her domain! Within this domain, even the air obeyed her.

What level of mastery was this?

This action, which seemed to lift a heavy weight with ease, yet treated a light thing as if it were heavy, had a greater impact on him than the Gene People.

"Director Zhou, your teacher... isn't good enough!" a female voice came from the adjacent office.

Lin Xiaosu's gaze shifted to this window. This was Director Zhou's office. He was sitting with a well-dressed young woman on either side of a tea table by the window.

"She... she's a descendant of Ancient Martial Arts. Her family taught her this way," Director Zhou said somewhat sheepishly.

"We sent our children here just to let them exercise and build their bodies. We didn't intend to learn martial arts. You're advertising this as a combat gym, but instead of exercising, they're just standing there like fools. What are you playing at?" the young woman said. "If you continue like this, I'll take my child back. The East City Combat Gym has approached me several times."

"This... To be honest, I also feel there's a problem. Isn't the situation special right now? Li Diandian hasn't returned..."

"Director Zhou, we're old acquaintances. To be frank, I don't think Li Diandian is good either! Even if she's not good, replacing her with someone named Miao is even worse! How about we just forget it? I won't make things difficult for you. I'll take my child and leave!" The young woman stood up.

Director Zhou panicked.

This woman was no ordinary client.

She was very influential in Fengcheng. At least half of the students in this combat gym were brought in by her.

If she left, half of the student body would disappear in an instant.

Once the news spread, the remaining half might not stay.

Without students, his combat gym would truly be finished.

"Miss Sun, Sister Sun... please sit! Please sit!" Director Zhou quickly stood up. "I've already contacted a new teacher, but we haven't agreed on the salary. How about I have him come over tomorrow?"

"Oh? What kind of teacher?" Miss Sun asked.

"This teacher is incredible! He's genuinely famous nationwide. His combat skills have been featured on provincial television. Look, here are his details..."

From ten meters away, Lin Xiaosu could clearly see the name Old Zhou was showing Ms. Sun: Li Gang.

He moved his hand, searching for Li Gang on his phone.

The results came up quickly.

Li Gang, male, 36 years old, technical director at Jiangcheng Combat Gym, postgraduate student at Jiangcheng Combat Academy, ranked ninth in the National Combat Competition, special commentator for Jiangcheng TV's sports channel