All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament (Second Update, Thanks to Golden Jasmine for Becoming a Patron)

"Alright, eat first."

"Okay, Mom."

"Are you still practicing boxing tonight?"

"Don't worry, Mom. I won't practice too much. I'll run through it a few times and then sleep. I want to get my blood vitality tested tomorrow. I may have made a small breakthrough recently."

"You haven't reached the Entry Stage, have you?"

Li Xianghua's heart suddenly tightened, and she felt a little excited.

Lu Chenzhou had always been steady and reserved. Whenever she asked how he had done on an exam,

he would say he had done alright, but when the report card came out—

good boy, first place!

If Lu Chenzhou called it a "small breakthrough," then it probably was not so small.

She could not help feeling expectant.

Lu Chenzhou smiled.

"I haven't been tested yet, Mom. Don't be happy too early, and don't rush to tell Dad either. If tomorrow's test says I haven't reached the Entry Stage, it'll all be joy for nothing."

Li Xianghua kept muttering to herself.

"No, no. Hurry and eat."

Come to think of it,

she had gone to test her blood vitality not long ago as well. It had already fallen to 0.84.

The average standard for ordinary men in their prime was 1, while for women it was around 0.9. Once one passed their prime, blood vitality would begin to decline beyond control. The heart and other organs would gradually fail, and once one's blood vitality dried up, the end of one's lifespan would arrive as well.

Lu Guoping had not tested himself for years.

He worked overtime and stayed up late all year round. Sometimes, when the pressure got too great, he even smoked. His health might be worse than hers, and his blood vitality had certainly dropped badly. He simply adopted an ostrich mentality—what the eye did not see, the heart did not grieve over. He would not go for checkups, claiming that if he did not get tested, then he was not sick.

Li Xianghua had heard that becoming a Martial Artist could slow the decline of blood vitality caused by age, which was why their average lifespan was much longer than that of ordinary people. If Chenzhou could make it, then she and her husband would truly die without regrets. When their grandson was born in the future, he would start far ahead of others. The old Lu family would cross into a new social stratum from then on, bringing glory to their ancestors!

Seeing that his father was not around, Lu Chenzhou felt somewhat miserable inside.

"Is Dad still working overtime?"

"Yes."

Lu Chenzhou had originally wanted to tell his father not to work overtime anymore, but he also knew that the burden of supporting the family was not something that could be lightened by a son's single understanding remark.

"I still have to make something of myself!"

Lu Chenzhou yearned for becoming a Martial Artist beyond measure.

Money, wealth, status... those were all by-products on the path to becoming stronger. There was no need to pursue them deliberately. Once he became a Martial Artist, everything would come on its own!

He picked up the beef on the plate and chewed it slowly.

Martial arts cultivation required vast amounts of protein and nutrition.

Children from wealthy families would take special martial arts supplements from a young age. Super giants rich enough to rival nations, such as Martial Medicine Factory No. 6 and Strong Martial Pharmaceuticals, made their money from Martial Warriors, but they were all far too distant from Lu Chenzhou.

Technology changed martial arts, changed life, changed many things.

...But it could not change the gap between rich and poor.

After dinner, he went outside for a walk to digest his food.

Lu Chenzhou returned to his bedroom and began boxing before the wooden dummy. Black Tiger Fist was a close-range style. As the saying went, "A fist strikes within the space where an ox lies down." Even a cramped bedroom did not hinder him.

This fist art had many schools in its early days, but the Martial Artists Association had integrated them into Unity, ultimately forming thirty-six forms. Its difficulty was much higher than Basic Fist Art.

According to the Association's materials, if one could train this fist art to Perfection, one could reach the Fourth Stage. At the very least, finding work as a boxing coach in society would not be difficult.

He could also become a private instructor who made house calls.

Although Shi Ruyu looked down on it, Lu Chenzhou felt that earning money was enough. Teaching others would not delay his own training, and it could even increase his proficiency. Why not?

After completing one set, he rested for a while.

After three sets,

Black Tiger Fist: Initiation (1%)—Initiation (4%)

"One set raises it by 1%?"

This visible progress made Lu Chenzhou feel tremendously at ease.

Feeling the soreness and weakness in his muscles and bones, he knew that was enough for tonight. Before breaking through the shackles of the human body, martial arts practitioners had to ensure adequate sleep.

Even Martial Artists were not superhuman.

Sleep was an innate skill. It was not as though one no longer needed sleep just because one's cultivation was high—that was unrealistic. Martial Artists merely generally had better methods of restoring their energy and spirit.

Going to bed early and getting up early was a crucial step toward becoming a qualified Martial Warrior. It sounded simple, but in modern society, entertainment such as mobile phones and the internet emerged one after another.

How many people could truly do it?

Just as Azure Dragon King Li Ang had said:

"On the martial path, diligence and focus are precious."

On his bed, Lu Chenzhou watched a video on his phone. It was Azure Dragon King Li Ang's award video from the All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament two months ago, and he watched it once every night.

At the summit of Mount Hua,

the Dragon King stood like a deep pool and towering mountain, imposing and magnificent.

Holding the trophy that represented the crown of "world's number one," he ruled over the world like the king of martial arts and shouted the simplest acceptance speech in history:

I am the king of the world!

Lu Chenzhou yearned for it.

"The 21st All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament will be held on August 8, 2230. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be held at Yellow Mountain. I still have ten years..."

The All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament.

The world's highest-standard martial arts competition.

Being a Martial Artist was merely the entry threshold.

It had first originated from the World's First Martial Arts Tournament in Sakura Nation two hundred years ago, but the modern world followed a structure of one superpower and many strong nations, and Great Xia was that "one superpower."

Whether in the number of Martial Artists or top experts like Azure Dragon King Li Ang, Great Xia held an absolute leading position. In the end, control of the All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament had come to Great Xia, and the organizing committee's headquarters had also moved to the Imperial Capital of Great Xia.

Of the first twenty tournaments, ten had been held in Great Xia.

Great Xia's profound martial arts inheritances mostly originated from famous mountains, great rivers, and the Buddhist and Daoist traditions. Thus, among the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks, every location except Yellow Mountain had already hosted it.

The 20th tournament had been held at Mount Hua.

In ancient times, martial arts masters had "discussed swords on Mount Hua" here.

Of course, top Martial Artists could split mountains and crack earth. To avoid damaging scenic sites and historical relics, a vast area was marked out beyond the scenic perimeter to build the venue. Lu Chenzhou's greatest dream before had been to watch an All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament match in person during his lifetime.

Now, he felt that his dream could change.

"First, set a small goal: participate in the All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament at Yellow Mountain ten years from now." Lu Chenzhou silently made up his mind. Rankings were not important; participation was what mattered.

He merely wanted to experience that blazing martial arts atmosphere in person. As for meeting at the summit, that was something for great figures who had broken through the Seven Great Limits to consider.

Early the next morning.

On the sports field, Lu Chenzhou was somewhat disappointed. Shi Ruyu was indeed absent, and even the new boxing instructor had not arrived yet. There must have been a problem with the school's handover.

He practiced boxing alone. After advancing his Basic Fist Art proficiency to Major Accomplishment 3%, he went to class. At this pace, his Basic Fist Art would reach Perfection next semester. He wondered whether the Martial Dao Tree would change then.

If it could grow branches and leaves, could it also bloom and bear fruit?

In class.

The math teacher and homeroom teacher, Cui Yu, wrote and drew on the blackboard.

Lu Chenzhou listened attentively and no longer thought about martial arts. Academic subjects were important too. An illiterate person could not become a Martial Artist, and besides, this was also his fallback.

Most importantly, mathematics was genuinely useful in fighting.

Some footwork actually had geometric foundations.

At the recent All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament, Geometric Fist Dia, a Fighter from Ennis, a Northern Alliance member state, had used superb mathematical knowledge to precisely calculate his attacks and evasion routes, winning by surprise. Of course, he had ultimately still lost to Platinum Saint Fist Kongsang, a Fighter from Sakura Nation.

Outside Great Xia, people were accustomed to calling Martial Artists Fighters.

After class.

The math teacher came over to Lu Chenzhou and patted his shoulder.

"Chenzhou, come to my office."

When the classmates saw Lu Chenzhou being called away, they began whispering among themselves.

"Being first is great. The teacher is definitely giving him extra lessons again."

"Isn't that so?"

In the corner.

A boy who was not tall but was exceptionally sturdy muttered,

"Chenzhou is probably getting lectured."

His name was Qin Zheng, and he was probably the only person at school with whom Lu Chenzhou was fairly familiar. Qin Zheng practiced boxing too and had founded the Ten Thousand Blossoms Martial Arts Club.

Lu Chenzhou was one of only two members.

Qin Zheng's family was wealthy. He was considered a second-generation rich kid and did not need to attend the school's public boxing classes. He went directly to Flying Swallow Martial Hall to study under famous masters.

In the office.

The math teacher asked,

"Chenzhou, how do you think your current academic state is?"

Lu Chenzhou said,

"I feel pretty good."

The math teacher tapped his fingers against the desk.

"The teacher feels that you could do even better. I know you enjoy practicing boxing, but ours is an academic school. The proper path is studying, not that practicing boxing is bad, but you must distinguish between what is primary and what is secondary. If you put more of the energy you spend on boxing into studying,

the teacher believes you could at least reach the top ten in the entire school. Even the top three would not be without hope. Then you could get into Imperial Capital University of Arts, and that would not be any worse than practicing martial arts.

I have a nephew who studied law at Imperial Capital University of Arts. After graduating, he went to the top-tier Fangdu Law Firm. He has only worked for two years, yet his annual salary is already five hundred thousand. A social elite.

I heard a Martial Artist intends to hire him as a private legal adviser, and might even occasionally give him pointers on martial arts practice. Look, this is also a path toward learning martial arts."

To persuade Lu Chenzhou to devote all his energy at this stage to studying, the math teacher had truly gone to great pains. High school was different from elementary and middle school. These three years were crucial, and he truly could not afford to be distracted. The teacher's words made sense.

Lu Chenzhou said gratefully,

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher, but I know what I'm doing."

His gaze was firm. He would not change because of anyone.

He had been this way even before obtaining the Martial Dao Tree.

Adolescence was all the more an important stage for laying a solid martial arts foundation.

His background was inferior to others'. He did not ask for towering achievements, but he could not fall too far behind either. People like the teacher's nephew, who started practicing halfway through life, would find it difficult to achieve anything great afterward.

Seeing Lu Chenzhou's determination, the math teacher felt helpless inside.

"Go back and think it over carefully."

He was advising Lu Chenzhou from a teacher's perspective, based on experience gained from most students. Just as Shi Ruyu had said: survivor bias. Looking across the world, with such a vast population base, there would certainly be no shortage of people with ordinary natural talent who achieved something in martial arts.

But they were still a minority. Take it seriously and you lost.

Before leaving, Lu Chenzhou said,

"Teacher, I'll work hard to stay in the top twenty. I'll strive for the top ten too, but I will not set aside my boxing practice because of anyone."

The math teacher was taken aback, then smiled.

"Alright. The teacher believes in you. Don't exhaust yourself over it either. Actually, I'm not worried about you. With your personality, you'll accomplish something no matter what.

The teacher just wants you to do better."

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