Martial Arts

"Pfft!"

Zhong Shenxiu tried to hold it in, but failed and burst out laughing.

He looked at the burly man sitting beside him and said seriously, "Uncle Niu, I know... But ever since I was little, all I've known is practicing Martial Arts. While other people played, I practiced Martial Arts; while other people went to school, I practiced Martial Arts. I've devoted more than a decade of my life to Martial Arts. What else can I do now?"

Beside his hospital bed sat a middle-aged man in his forties. He was tall and powerfully built, dressed in a jacket and jeans. His facial skin was rough, and his features looked as though the Creator had casually kneaded them together, but concern showed in his eyes.

Hearing this, he froze for a moment. After a brief pause, he stood up and tossed out, "I've already paid your medical bills. You little brat, remember to come back for dinner after you're discharged."

Zhong Shenxiu watched Uncle Niu's back disappear and recalled Hua Wu's life.

He was an orphan, adopted by Uncle Niu when he was young.

And Uncle Niu had once been a famous Martial Arts coach. Later, no one knew what great setback he had encountered. He had gone into seclusion, opened a gym, and adopted many orphans.

It could be said that Hua Wu's first introduction to Martial Arts had actually come from Uncle Niu.

His dream of becoming a Martial Artist was perhaps also meant to help Uncle Niu fulfill his wish.

"This is my obsession. If I don't see it through, how can I go back?"

A trace of a smile appeared at the corners of Zhong Shenxiu's mouth.

He examined his body and found no serious problems. He immediately got out of bed, packed his things, and completed the discharge procedures.

Hua Wu's hospitalization this time could be said to have been entirely self-inflicted. Thinking he had mastered enough, he had gone to participate in a boxing match and been beaten into the hospital.

There was no one else to blame.

Compared with those who had been beaten to death outright in the ring, he had already been lucky enough.

No. Perhaps Hua Wu had already been beaten to death.

Because the person who had survived was Zhong Shenxiu!

Smack!

Zhong Shenxiu opened his wallet and counted the three-digit sum of Star Dollars inside. He suddenly felt pain in his liver, pain in his kidneys—pain everywhere.

This wasn't ancient times. He couldn't just go into the wilderness, kill a foolish roe deer, and scrape by.

This was modern society. Without money, he couldn't take a single step.

Although he didn't have much money, Zhong Shenxiu still flagged down a private car and had it take him back to the rental room he remembered.

As far as he was concerned, whether he spent a hundred-plus yuan early or late made no difference. It would be gone in a few days either way. He was equally poor!

Although Hua Wu had been adopted by Uncle Niu when he was young, he had moved out as soon as he became an adult.

Zhong Shenxiu took out his key and opened the door. He discovered that the room was tiny, with a punching bag hanging from the ceiling and many pieces of exercise equipment scattered around.

Aside from that, the furniture was old, the clothes were ragged, and there was practically nothing at all.

As far as he remembered, this Hua Wu knew nothing but Martial Arts. Only when he truly couldn't make ends meet would he go out to do odd jobs. No wonder he had needed Uncle Niu to pay for his hospitalization.

"You really beat me, brother. You left me so little inheritance that I can't even splurge for two days."

Zhong Shenxiu tossed down his bag and sank onto the sofa. He opened the refrigerator, found a long-missed bottle of Fat House Happy Water, tipped back his head, and drained it in one gulp. Then he let out a satisfied sigh. "Now this is life."

He pulled out his phone and went back to surfing the internet, lurking on forums and scrolling through videos. Before he knew it, evening had arrived.

"Damn, time flies even more imperceptibly than when I'm cultivating."

Zhong Shenxiu grumbled, then finally began searching: "What should I do if I have no money?"

The results displayed a whole heap of loan platforms.

He thought for a moment, added one contact, and chatted for a while. The other party then said directly, "Dear, our platform doesn't require collateral and will release the funds immediately. But it's nine in, thirteen out, and we'll need photos too."

"What kind of photos? The kind where I don't wear clothes? But I'm a man."

"The effect is the same whether you're male or female. In my observation, some men are even more embarrassed to be seen by others... Therefore, their repayment rate is very high and their credit is excellent. You're also a high-quality customer, dear... Even if you're temporarily unable to repay, our company also provides work-for-repayment positions. You can work directly at a club, with free training included. We guarantee that you'll learn the Rich Lady Happy Ball in just three days..."

"Bah! Goodbye!"

Zhong Shenxiu hung up at once, too lazy to try them one by one anymore.

He sat for a while, then began communicating with the ridiculous system.

[Name: Hua Wu (Zhong Shenxiu)]

[Eagle Claw Iron Shirt: Minor Accomplishment]

[Heavenly Show Points: 3 (5%)]

[Gate of Ten Thousand Doors: Awaiting Activation]

"My Martial Arts and Daoist Arts weren't brought over together? Makes sense... Although they're called Martial Arts, besides being familiar with the techniques, they also require bodily memory to work in tandem. They even need True Qi. This body hasn't undergone that kind of tempering, so it can't form skills."

"But the Heavenly Show Points did come along. They may be of great use."

Although he could quickly recover all the strength he had possessed in the cultivation world, Zhong Shenxiu had other plans.

He intended to cultivate the White Bone Daoist Scripture!

"Since it isn't my own body, I don't need to feel sorry for it. I might as well try breaking through the Gang Sha Realm once..."

The inheritance Zhong Shenxiu could cultivate was, in reality, only half of the White Bone Book. The Entering the Dao stage of the Yellow Sand Daoist Book required pills, and this world simply had none.

As for the problems after breaking through to the Gang Sha Realm, he hadn't thought about them much either.

This world might not even be capable of producing someone who could break through to the Gang Sha Realm. Thinking about divine abilities or anything like that was simply too far ahead.

Zhong Shenxiu carefully considered what he could obtain from the Gate of Ten Thousand Doors.

The instant he descended into this world, he thought of it.

Items could not be brought back. The only thing he could bring back was the Heavenly Show Points acknowledged by the Heavenly Show System!

With more than ten billion people across the entire planet, plus its advanced media and information networks, even if the quality was far inferior to that of the previous world, many small gains might add up. Perhaps he could accumulate a sufficiently substantial amount of Heavenly Show Points to bring back!

"Plan accomplished... First cultivate the White Bone Daoist Scripture, then charge toward becoming the strongest Martial Artist and get myself onto the trending searches."

Although ten thousand people here paying attention to him might not equal Feng Xi'er's single exclamation, there were simply too many people here.

Especially the final major tournaments—they were broadcast across the entire world.

Thinking of this, Zhong Shenxiu no longer hesitated. He opened his phone and quickly searched: "How do I become a Martial Artist?"

That idiot Hua Wu had thought that being good at Martial Arts and entering competitions made him a Martial Artist.

What he didn't know was that someone like him could at most be called an underground fighter. Although they called themselves Martial Artists, they were not recognized at all.

To become a true Martial Artist, one first had to register with the Martial Artist Association.

As for the registration requirements, one either needed a special recommendation, a championship in an officially held regional competition, or an outstanding ranking in a national competition...

After successfully registering, one then had to undergo several assessments by the association.

Once he passed the assessments, he could become a genuine Martial Artist, gaining both fame and fortune.

If Hua Wu had previously been this kind of Martial Artist, Uncle Niu probably wouldn't have uttered a peep. On the contrary, he would have supported him with all his might.

Because even a formal Martial Artist who merely took on some commercial performances would receive treatment comparable to professional male baseball players from Fusang or male basketball players from the Bald Eagle. They could count money until their hands cramped, while also enjoying social fame and status. The benefits were unbelievably good.

It was just a pity that Hua Wu's Martial Arts... Heh...