Walking Upon the Other Shore, Beholding All Gods and Immortals!

Walking Upon the Other Shore, Beholding All Gods and Immortals!

Beyond that door lay an enormous Martial Arts Arena.

Several burly men were punching and kicking the sandbags before them, sweat flying as they trained. Every one of them radiated raw power, their punches crisp and efficient as they sought to unleash the greatest force with the simplest movements.

Farther ahead, the clamor gradually faded, replaced by several people sitting cross-legged on meditation cushions.

Each of them wore something resembling VR goggles over their eyes. Their expressions were all twisted in agony, as though they were facing something utterly terrifying.

The sensation emanating from them was familiar to Su Tu. They were Dao Gathering.

So Dao Gathering really is related to martial arts! Su Tu mused. He had always been puzzled by this skill, but today, he would finally be able to unravel it.

"My name is Li Hu. I'm in my thirties. If you're willing, you can call me Brother Tiger." Li Hu's voice was bold and hearty, carrying the rumble of rolling thunder.

"Brother Tiger," Su Tu called.

"Hahahaha! Good, Brother Su. What exactly is your relationship with Mr. Lin?"

"Master only issued three Red Seals on Ancestral Star. Since Mr. Lin gave this Red Seal to you, your relationship must be anything but ordinary."

Li Hu got straight to the point.

Most people, even if they had their suspicions about such matters, would probe indirectly. Yet Li Hu asked outright. Other than curiosity, there was no emotion in his words, as if he had asked purely because he was curious.

Only then did Su Tu realize that the business card Lin Feiyang had "accidentally" dropped was actually so precious.

"If the Mr. Lin you mean is Lin Feiyang, then he is my teacher," Su Tu answered honestly.

You tell me, isn't a PE Teacher still a teacher?

"Hahahaha! Brother Su, you really have Good Fortune. Mr. Lin is no ordinary man. For him to be your teacher—" Li Hu said forthrightly.

But before he could finish, an aged yet thunderous voice cut him off.

"It is you who is unfortunate."

The voice was incomparably imposing. As it fell, the entire martial arts hall fell silent, as if awaiting something.

Su Tu looked up at the sound. Only then did he realize they had entered a room at the rear of the Martial Arts Academy. A huge character for "Seven" was carved into the white wall.

A gaunt old man sat in a Grand Master's Chair. He wore simple sportswear, his head full of silver hair and his beard unkempt. Though little more than skin and bones, he inspired fear at a glance. It seemed as if blazing flames burned within his black eyes.

"That scourge Lin Feiyang hasn't caused enough havoc on New Star, and now he's come to stir up trouble on Ancestral Star. If he thinks highly of you, then count yourself unlucky."

The old man spoke, yet his voice did not come from his mouth. Instead, it exploded directly beside Su Tu's ears.

"I am Zhou Wuliang, master of Moon Stepping Martial Arts Hall. Do you know what it means for you to come here carrying that Red Seal?"

Su Tu's eyes trembled slightly. He had originally thought this Martial Arts Academy was merely a place like a boxing gym or fitness center, but now it seemed things were far from that simple.

"I don't," Su Tu answered truthfully.

An expression of "just as I thought" appeared on Zhou Wuliang's face.

"Since Lin Feiyang thinks highly of you, then you should know that martial arts are about to be included in the college entrance examination, correct?"

"I had some suspicions."

After his earlier conversation with Wang Sheng, Su Tu had roughly pieced together the matter of martial arts being included in the college entrance examination. Martial arts were extraordinary by nature, but ordinary people simply had no access to them. Only a small minority possessed cultivation methods.

The Federation had kept Blue Star sealed off, preventing the public from coming into contact with cultivation. Yet for reasons unknown, it was suddenly going to undertake Martial Propagation this year, include martial arts in the college entrance examination, and offer exceptionally generous rewards.

And just as Wang Sheng had said, the protagonists of this Martial Examination would be that small minority. Ordinary people like Su Tu could only be spectators.

"Ancestral Star stands on the eve of change. In three days, the Federation will announce that martial arts are to be included in the college entrance examination."

"In the first Martial Examination, only ten candidates from each city will ultimately be selected. They will become Ancestral Star's first batch of martial artists and enjoy the Federation's highest level of resource support, thus sparking a wave of martial arts fervor across Ancestral Star."

"My purpose in coming to Ancestral Star is to train Martial Examination candidates capable of being selected. It is inconvenient for me to tell you the stakes involved. My lucky number is seven. On Blue Star, I only accept seven disciples participating in the Martial Examination. I once declared that anyone holding a Red Seal could enter my school directly. And now that you have come carrying a Red Seal, you are my final student on Blue Star."

"For the next three months, I will devote myself fully to training you into one of the North Sea's ten!"

Zhou Wuliang picked up a pot of tea from the table and silently took a sip, his gaze never leaving Su Tu.

Su Tu was stunned upon hearing this.

Leaving aside that inexplicable lucky number, he was just being accepted as the final disciple like that?

From his earlier exchange with Wang Sheng, he knew that the old man before him came from beyond Ancestral Star and possessed an exceptionally distinguished status.

The scions of great families who could come into contact with martial arts on Ancestral Star were surely all from prominent backgrounds. Yet they were now standing quietly outside, patiently waiting. That alone spoke volumes.

And yet, he had become this man's student so smoothly. According to all the novels and movies he had read in his past life, shouldn't he have had to undergo trial after trial, then slap a few idiots in the face before he could become a disciple?

Though countless waves surged through his heart, Su Tu understood that what lay before him was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Change was imminent, and the Martial Examination was about to begin. He had originally believed that with the System Panel, even if martial arts were added to the college entrance examination, he could still achieve decent results.

But after all that had happened, he realized that martial arts and this world were far less simple than he had imagined.

In some people's eyes, ordinary people did not even have the chance to take the stage.

But Su Tu was unwilling to accept that. Since he had been allowed to glimpse the splendid side of this world, how could he be content with mediocrity?

The Zhou Wuliang before him was the best path for him to enter the world of martial arts.

"This student, Su Tu, greets Teacher," Su Tu said earnestly.

"Not bad. The seventh student. My lucky number is seven—I think highly of you!" Zhou Wuliang took another sip of tea.

Zhou Wuliang set down his teacup. "For certain reasons, Ancestral Star has kept martial arts sealed away for many years. Your heart must now be filled with questions. Ask them, and I shall answer them for you."

"What are martial arts?" After careful consideration, Su Tu asked.

"Martial arts are divided into body, mind, and skill: the body is tempered with Base Skill, the mind is refined through Dao Gathering, and martial techniques are honed to the summit. When the three become one, that is martial arts."

Zhou Wuliang took another sip of tea. Su Tu noticed that his teacher truly seemed somewhat obsessed with the number seven. In just a few sentences, he had already drunk tea seven times.

"Of course, that is the official explanation."

Then his tone shifted as he continued:

"But in my eyes, drawing in Heaven and Earth Qi, forging an indestructible body, cultivating an immeasurable heart, and remaining undying through the ages—when one's martial path reaches great completion, one person can set foot in the starry sky, destroy stars with a single punch, remain untouched by time, live for myriad ages, behold the living beings of the Myriad Realms, walk upon the Other Shore, and see All Gods and Immortals. That is true martial arts!!"

Zhou Wuliang's voice was like thunder. As it settled, bolts of lightning seemed to descend through the void, casting the old man in the image of... a deity!!!