A Small Test of Skill (Monday, Please Vote for Monthly Tickets and Follow)

A Small Test of Skill (Monday, Please Vote for Monthly Tickets and Follow)

Winged Tiger looked at Lu Chenzhou and asked,

"New here?"

"My name is Lu Chenzhou. I just transferred here from Wanhua High School today."

"What level is your Black Tiger Fist at?"

"It reached Minor Accomplishment not long ago."

"Alright. If you're interested in other fist arts too, you can ask classmates who know them for pointers. The school also has public classes every day. The teachers will set aside an hour to answer questions and clear up doubts, making it convenient for students of different fist arts to seek guidance. As for the Black Tiger Fist you specialize in, come find me from now on."

Winged Tiger patiently introduced everything to Lu Chenzhou.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Lu Chenzhou returned to the group, his expression serious.

Hong Fu said,

"This Movement Skill, the 'Mountain-Crossing Body,' was actually derived from the foundations of the 'Black Tiger Fist.' If you've already grasped some of the Black Tiger Fist's basic footwork and movement techniques, you'll find learning it especially easy.

"I'll demonstrate it once. Those who don't know it, watch carefully!"

As his words fell, he slightly bent his body, like a white-browed tiger lying in wait amid the grass. Then he lightly leaped onto the swaying wooden posts used to train movement skills.

"The 'Mountain-Crossing Body' differs from other movement skills. On the surface, it looks somewhat heavy and slow, but there are hidden mysteries within.

"Practicing this movement skill is like a tiger hunting. It does not lightly take each step; its legs weigh a thousand jin as it drags itself forward, always poised like drawn swords and taut bows.

"But once it erupts, every step stirs the wind and grass. The body shoots out like a spring to strike, while the feet that land cling to the ground like tiger claws.

"With every rise and fall, the wind sweeps away the clouds!

"Only by combining it with the 'Mountain-Crossing Body' can one truly bring out the Black Tiger Fist's power. Better teach ten hand techniques than one hip technique—that is the principle.

"For any movement skill, hip power is the most important. This is especially true for the 'Mountain-Crossing Body.' For those learning it, I suggest you go to the Tiger Garden and observe the tigers. See how they spring, land, and hunt cattle and sheep. There are tigers on the school's Back Mountain."

Hong Fu was incredibly strong, worthy of being a Black Tiger master.

Lu Chenzhou watched, utterly absorbed, as though he were truly watching a tiger hunt. And this tiger before him seemed to have wings, leaping and soaring, capable of anything.

What shocked him most, however, was that the school actually kept tigers?

Could it be that they had opened a zoo on the Back Mountain to study Form Imitation? No wonder he occasionally heard the roars of fierce beasts. This was Wuda, after all—this was what professionalism looked like!

Curious, Lu Chenzhou sought out Hong Fu and asked for the details.

The teacher said that Azure Heaven Dragon King had first submitted a citizen's proposal to the Martial Arts Department, suggesting that a zoo be added to the high school campus so children could observe the forms of all beasts and improve faster.

"Dragon King again."

Lu Chenzhou was no longer surprised by such things.

After finishing the lesson, Hong Fu landed on the ground.

"Whoever feels they've learned enough can come up and give it a try. I'll offer some comments. Don't worry about making mistakes—only mistakes can be corrected."

Compared with the martial arts academy, the students here were much more proactive.

"Teacher, I'll give it a try."

A short boy raised his hand.

Lu Chenzhou remembered that his name was Liu Quanhai, a Third Stage student with inferior bone structure.

"Alright, come up."

Liu Quanhai leaped up and began moving across the wooden posts. His Black Tiger Fist had reached Minor Accomplishment, so he had some foundation. Though he made quite a few mistakes, he still completed the routine.

After Hong Fu pointed out his oversights, he asked,

"Anyone else?"

Next, several classmates at the Fourth Stage also went up to try. These people truly deserved to be called elites—they picked it up far too quickly, far surpassing the martial arts academy students.

After the others had finished, Lu Chenzhou raised his hand last.

"Teacher, I'd like to try as well."

The students all looked toward this transfer student, curious how someone with ordinary family circumstances and poor bone structure had made it here.

Liu Huan softly said,

"Good luck."

Huo Tianyu also gave him an encouraging look.

Lu Chenzhou stepped onto the wooden posts. His Sea-Skimming Body had reached Mastery, giving him a foundation in movement skills. Coupled with his Minor Accomplishment Black Tiger Fist, he instantly entered the right state. Fully focused, he demonstrated the corresponding footwork. His memory was excellent as well, and before long, he had completed a full round without the slightest hesitation, as though he had practiced it before.

Hong Fu's eyes lit up as he asked,

"Lu Chenzhou, right? Have you practiced it before?"

Lu Chenzhou shook his head.

"No. This is my first time."

Below, Liu Quanhai was inwardly astonished.

He had taken several lessons before.

Yet he seemed to have done worse than Lu Chenzhou, who was practicing it for the first time.

He felt that Lu Chenzhou must have learned some of it before. He was merely trying to show off his talent for comprehension before the teacher, deliberately claiming he had never practiced it...

Of course, that had nothing to do with him.

The road ahead was still long.

Those who played tricks and faked things generally could not go far.

They could keep up the act for a moment, but not for a lifetime.

Hong Fu stared at Lu Chenzhou.

"Really?"

"Really."

With a Martial Artist's intuition, he could tell that Lu Chenzhou was not lying.

Then this boy's comprehension truly was not bad.

No wonder Senior Qingtian Cang had been so eager to transfer Lu Chenzhou here. By the normal process, Lu Chenzhou would actually have needed another month before transferring schools.

"Go back. You've already reached Initiation. Next, practice more and make it a bodily instinct and muscle memory... Lu Chenzhou, right? I'll remember you."

Hong Fu had everyone practice on their own before turning and leaving.

The students were more or less surprised. Winged Tiger had very high standards. For him to take notice of this transfer student, the boy clearly had something to him.

Of course, a few students felt that Lu Chenzhou was merely being clever and playing little tricks. Perhaps they were unwilling to admit that someone with inferior bone structure could be this outstanding.

That would make them seem too weak...

Still, they were all young at heart.

None of this counted as particularly malicious.

"Not bad, Chenzhou. I don't understand Tiger Form, but reaching Initiation the moment you start—I've never seen that among transfer students before," Liu Huan quietly said to Lu Chenzhou.

He was afraid the other transfer students would hear and feel hurt.

"No, I just have a Black Tiger Fist foundation, and I've also mastered a movement skill. Everyone is impressive. There's not much difference."

"You're too modest, haha."

Liu Huan went elsewhere to practice his fist art.

Seeing Lu Chenzhou's strong performance, the other students also came over to chat and build rapport. No matter their bone structure, anyone who could be here was a potential prospect for the future.

It could never hurt to build good relationships.

After class, the students returned to their own residences. Some practiced the Heaven Stance, some went to sleep early, while even more played on their phones or video games.

Lu Chenzhou was still practicing atop the wooden posts.

Again and again, until a prompt appeared in his mind.

Black Tiger Fist: Minor Accomplishment (10%) → Minor Accomplishment (11%)

Mountain-Crossing Body: Initiation (9%) → Initiation (10%)

"I never expected practicing the Black Tiger Fist together with the Mountain-Crossing Body to be this effective. At this rate, the time needed for the Black Tiger Fist to reach Major Accomplishment can be brought forward!"

According to Lu Chenzhou's original plan,

At the pace he had maintained at Culture High School, improving the Black Tiger Fist by 1% a day would already have been good. It would normally take three or four months to reach Major Accomplishment.

But now, his training time was several times what it had been before.

With the additional benefits of practicing alongside the Mountain-Crossing Body, plus guidance from famous teachers, better resources, and other factors, he had a chance of reaching Major Accomplishment before the Martial Arts Academy Exchange Tournament.

This place was practically Lu Chenzhou's paradise.

"The Sea-Skimming Body has been moved to second in my learning order, but I can't abandon it either. Once I get back, I'll ask the academy master to teach me the Swallow Return Fist. Perhaps it will have miraculous effects.

"White Ape Through the Forest, Black Tiger Crossing the Mountain, Flying Swallow Skimming the Sea! Fist arts and movement skills complement each other. If I'm going to practice, I have to practice them together to achieve better results."

Ji Xuantong had not let Lu Chenzhou learn the Swallow Return Fist because he feared Lu Chenzhou would bite off more than he could chew. Little did he know that with the Martial Dao Tree, Lu Chenzhou could handle it completely.