Limitless Martial Hall

Limitless Martial Hall. Time flew by.

As Ji Xinghuo trained day after day, the Star Realm entered "Wind Moon," the sixth month of the Hot Season. The nights grew longer each day, exceeding fifteen hours.

Smack! Ji Xinghuo loosed an arrow, hitting the target a hundred meters away dead center—ten rings.

He glanced at the densely packed arrows embedded in the bullseye and could not help shaking his head slightly. The villa's archery range had only one lane, extending no farther than a hundred meters. At this distance, no matter how much he practiced, there was little room for improvement. He could hit ten rings even with his eyes closed.

It was not just the archery range that was limited; martial arts practice was as well.

Martial arts had never been something one could develop behind closed doors. Only through repeated real combat, fighting different opponents, gaining experience, and reviewing one's successes and failures could one make genuine progress.

Swinging a blade at thin air a million times at home, no matter how exhilarating the mental training became, was less effective than fighting an opponent of the same rank for three days.

"Real combat is unavoidable in the end."

Ji Xinghuo muttered, setting down his compound bow.

The Myriad Stellar Eye interface opened. None of the other information had changed much; only the "Stellar Force" section had progressed considerably.

Stellar Force: 178/178

After nearly two Earth months of diligent training, it was now December 2223, and his Stellar Force had increased by fifteen points.

He had already completed all nine training cycles for the day. His physical strength and Stellar Force had both recovered, so according to his plan, it was time for martial arts training.

However, he had made little progress over the past two months.

He was still at Martial Dao Rank Seven.

Continuing to train like this would only waste time. After some thought, Ji Xinghuo put on his Tao Steel Light Armor and walked out of the villa. During these two months, aside from the days Jiangnan Caiyi had visited, he had ordered six meals a day from a nearby restaurant to be delivered and left at his door. Today was his first time leaving the house.

It was said that two or three Legendary Espers lived in the villa district, while the security guards were all Aberrants who patrolled closely, so safety was well assured.

Still, once he left the villa, nobody would be there. Ji Xinghuo did not want to lose any property.

Most of his money had already been deposited in a bank in Olympia.

The most valuable things on him were his weapons and equipment. He wore Gale Boots on his feet, while the Thunder Gallop saber was sheathed in a plain scabbard, with only its hilt exposed, making its true value difficult to discern. The compound bow was inconvenient to carry and was not especially valuable, so he had left it in his room.

Ji Xinghuo casually boarded a Steam Bus and looked at the buildings lining the streets outside the window.

He wanted to find a martial arts hall.

Martial culture was flourishing on Earth, and Olympia had many martial arts halls as well—at least a thousand of them. However, Ji Xinghuo wanted to find a larger one, so he did not rush to get off.

More than ten minutes later, he spotted an enormous martial arts hall in the distance. It was built with considerable grandeur, and a huge sign hung beside its entrance.

"Limitless Martial Hall."

Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up. "There's a Limitless Martial Hall branch in Olympia too?" Without hesitation, he got off the bus and headed toward it.

Limitless Martial Hall was Earth's most famous martial arts hall, without question.

Although several other martial arts halls were comparable to it, or even larger in scale and with more students, none could compare to Limitless Martial Hall in terms of history and prestige. It firmly held the top position among martial arts halls worldwide.

The reason was that its founder was Xing Lie, the "Spear Saint"! Xing Lie was the first Martial Arts Grandmaster in human history to earn the title of "Martial Saint." He was also one of the thirteen Celestial Kings of the Asia-Pacific Community, the founder and president of the Global Martial Dao Association, and ranked sixth on the global Heavenly King Rankings. That meant only five people on Earth were stronger than him.

Xing Lie's life was a true legend.

Born in 2043, he had lived through nearly two centuries of every war, calamity, and upheaval Earth had faced, from the Star Gate Era to the 23rd Century.

At the age of forty, Xing Lie founded Limitless Martial Hall. Not only did he open it to teach students, but he also turned his martial arts experience into videos and promoted them online for free.

His selfless actions greatly advanced the martial arts standards of all Aberrants on Earth.

Many Martial Arts Grandmasters who emerged later were deeply grateful to Xing Lie. It was after watching his martial arts videos that they truly entered the path of martial arts and achieved their later accomplishments.

Nearly every Aberrant had watched Xing Lie's martial arts instructional videos and regarded him as their teacher.

Martial arts experts from Limitless Martial Hall could be found all over the world.

As for Xing Lie's true disciples, two had become Martial Saints, more than ten had become grandmasters, and there were over a hundred masters.

The "Spear Saint's" status and influence in martial arts were clear from this. Even in the hostile Americas Federation, Xing Lie was held in great respect.

Ji Xinghuo entered through the gates. The first thing he saw was a line of large characters carved into the wall of the martial arts hall lobby: The martial path is endless; strive ceaselessly for self-improvement! "Hello, sir. What service do you require?" A receptionist dressed in a black-and-white martial arts training uniform saw Ji Xinghuo enter and quickly asked respectfully.

Ji Xinghuo got straight to the point. "I want to find someone for sparring."

"Certainly."

The receptionist began her introduction professionally. "Our Qing Hao Branch of Limitless Martial Hall has Olympia's finest facilities and coaches. Our standards are certainly no worse than those on Earth. Based on each applicant's strength and rank, sparring matches are arranged every day, and the fees vary as well. May I ask your name, sir?"

"Xin Liaoyuan."

Ji Xinghuo casually gave a fake name. There was no way to verify it in Olympia anyway.

"May I know Mr. Xin's rank and martial dao rank?" She took out a notebook and began recording his information.

"Intermediate Esper, Rank Seven."

A trace of surprise flashed in the receptionist's eyes. Intermediate Esper was ordinary enough, but Rank Seven was already a Professional Rank, which was not common.

"Mr. Xin is so young, yet already so strong. That is truly enviable."

After flattering him a little, the receptionist continued, "Sparring opponents generally cannot differ by more than two ranks. At present, there are twenty-five registered members from Rank Five to Rank Nine. Matches are held daily from twenty-eight o'clock to thirty-six o'clock, divided into two sessions. Mr. Xin may participate directly whenever you come, and the coach will arrange your opponent. You may also arrange matches with other members yourself. Would that be acceptable?"

"That's fine." Ji Xinghuo nodded. "How much does it cost?"

"We charge by the hour—five hundred Asia Yuan per hour." The receptionist smiled.

Ji Xinghuo intended to train eight hours a day. The venue fee alone would cost four thousand Asia Yuan. If he added medicinal supplies, treatment, and private coaching sessions, it would cost more than double that.

Martial arts really were a pursuit for the wealthy.

"Register me, then." Ji Xinghuo felt the sting in his heart, but his face showed no expression. "I'll buy a thirty-day membership first." He paid one hundred and twenty thousand Asia Yuan.

The receptionist's smile became even brighter.

She quickly registered Ji Xinghuo for the classes, then produced a document. "Mr. Xin, fists and feet show no mercy, and blades and swords have no eyes. Our martial arts hall only provides a sparring venue and treatment, but we cannot guarantee absolute safety. Therefore, every member must sign a waiver."

Ji Xinghuo had known that already. He took the pen and signed the name "Xin Liaoyuan."

The receptionist put away the document and smiled. "Mr. Xin, your timing is perfect. Professional Rank sparring practice is underway right now. Would you like to participate?"

"Take me there."

Ji Xinghuo followed the receptionist into the martial arts hall.

Before long, he arrived at an indoor Martial Arts Arena spanning over a thousand square meters. The ceiling was five meters high, and the entire venue was square-shaped. Its metal floor was clean and bright. Two people were currently fighting in the arena, while more than a dozen others watched from the sidelines.

The receptionist walked toward a man by the edge of the arena but did not speak, instead waiting patiently.

Ji Xinghuo also looked toward the two fighters.

One man and one woman. Judging from the Ether energy reactions, both were Advanced Espers and evenly matched. The man wielded a long two-handed He Blade, while the woman used a spear. Their battle was in full swing.

"They're both Martial Dao Rank Seven."

"The spear has the advantage, but the He Blade user is stronger. He has over a seventy percent chance of winning."

After watching for a few seconds, Ji Xinghuo turned his attention to the man nearby.

He wore the coach's uniform of Limitless Martial Hall, his hands clasped behind his back and his expression stern. He stood around one meter ninety tall and looked powerfully built, yet his physique was well proportioned. He exuded an air of agility and strength in equal measure, carrying himself like a true martial arts master.

"A Super Esper," Ji Xinghuo thought. "But I can't tell his Martial Dao Rank."

This coach had two assistants: one was a White Knight, and the other was a Plant Witch. Both were Aberrant professions with healing abilities.

The remaining ten people were members who had signed up for sparring.

Ji Xinghuo looked them over. Most were Intermediate or Advanced Espers, each carrying a weapon. Their Martial Dao Ranks all appeared to be fairly high.

Clang!

A sharp explosion rang out from the arena. The female Aberrant's spear was knocked from her hands and fell to the ground. Her opponent immediately placed his two-handed blade against her neck, its edge cutting a bloody mark.

"I concede," the female Aberrant said.

"Sorry, I didn't control my strength well enough." The male Aberrant quickly withdrew his blade. Seeing the bloody mark on her neck, he looked ashamed.

"It's fine."

Though the female Aberrant said it was fine, her expression did not look good.

She picked up her spear and retreated to the edge of the arena. The White Knight pressed a hand against her wound, and with a faint flash of white light, it healed within seconds.

"Coach Tu."

Only then did the receptionist respectfully say, "This is a newly registered member, Mr. Xin Liaoyuan."

"My name is Tu Hongda. My profession is Martial Artist." The Super Esper looked at Ji Xinghuo, forcing a slight smile onto his face as he extended his hand. "Welcome, Mr. Xin."

"Please guide me, Coach Tu." Ji Xinghuo shook his hand and felt the strength and toughness in his grip.

Tu Hongda said, "Mr. Xin, tell me your rank, martial dao rank, and preferred weapon so I can arrange an opponent for you."

"I'm an Intermediate Ranger, Martial Dao Rank Seven. I mainly use a blade."

"Good. I understand."

Tu Hongda nodded, then had Ji Xinghuo watch first.

He continued his work, offering a few comments on the two who had just fought before arranging for another pair of opponents to enter the arena. Whenever Tu Hongda spoke, the others listened attentively and watched closely, because everyone would fight everyone else.

Fights between martial arts experts generally did not last long.

Even including the probing phase, most ended within two minutes. Sometimes, victory or defeat was decided in a single exchange.

Tu Hongda would have the two fight several times in succession, only calling a stop when one side was injured or the fight no longer held any instructional value.

After watching for half an hour, Ji Xinghuo felt that he had gained quite a lot.

"Liaoyuan, everyone else has already had a turn. Would you like to show us what you can do?" Tu Hongda suddenly turned and asked.

"Sure." Ji Xinghuo was not timid. He had come precisely for real combat.

His gaze swept over the other members as he asked, "Coach Tu, who is my opponent?"

"Me," Tu Hongda replied seriously.