Shi Jian and Arriving at the Martial Arts Hall

Shi Jian and Arriving at the Martial Arts Hall

Early the next morning.

As the clamor outside rose.

Chen Sheng, whose senses were now extraordinarily sharp, opened his eyes helplessly.

He let out a deep sigh.

He did not get up right away.

Instead, he grabbed his phone and searched an online store for earplugs.

Only after placing the order did Chen Sheng reluctantly crawl out of bed.

Yawning, he headed toward the bathroom.

After washing up, Chen Sheng began making breakfast.

According to the schedule Li Chenghu had sent him, the martial arts hall was open from eight in the morning until six in the evening.

The hall had both a cafeteria and dormitories, so many trainees wholly devoted to martial arts chose to live there.

But Chen Sheng did not.

The Tide Rising Era of qi had yet to end.

He had a feeling.

The world would likely undergo immense changes in the coming period.

And as his attributes steadily rose, his rate of progress would only become faster and faster.

When that happened, even the title of Qi Sense User might not be enough to conceal him.

The nail that stuck out got hammered down.

Before his strength was sufficient, Chen Sheng did not want to draw too much attention.

Only by returning home each day could he safely increase the intensity of his training without worrying about attracting notice.

The martial arts hall in the morning.

The gym in the afternoon.

Training at home in the evening.

That was the schedule Chen Sheng had set for himself.

After breakfast.

Chen Sheng changed into light clothing and headed out.

"Twenty kilometers. I have to conquer it today!"

Chen Sheng warmed up in place while cheering himself on.

Then,

he set off.

Two and a half hours later.

Chen Sheng arrived at the martial arts hall, panting heavily.

He had successfully run the entire distance, and his Constitution attribute rose by 0.06. His other two attributes each rose by 0.01. "Twenty kilometers. Nothing special."

Chen Sheng wheezed like a bellows, yet still refused to admit defeat.

After resting for a while, he entered the hall.

He followed the corridor deeper inside.

It was nine in the morning.

Quite a few people were already training in the rooms on both sides of the corridor.

As for the training field at the very end.

Before Chen Sheng even approached it, he could hear all sorts of sounds coming from behind the door.

Chen Sheng shoved the door open.

Sure enough.

On the Martial Arts Training Field, more than a dozen people were scattered throughout the space in groups of two or three, training separately.

Chen Sheng looked around.

He did not see Li Xingwu or his genius disciple, Wu Ran.

Who was he supposed to find, then?

Just as Chen Sheng was at a loss, a rough voice sounded beside his ear.

"You're Uncle Master Li's disciple, right?"

"Your name's Chen Sheng, isn't it?"

Chen Sheng looked to his side.

A broad chest filled his view.

A shadow loomed down from overhead.

???

With a hint of surprise in his gaze, Chen Sheng slowly raised his head.

Only then did he see the speaker clearly.

The man was extraordinarily tall, with dense slabs of firm muscle all over his body.

His features were rather simple and mature, and he looked to be in his thirties.

"I'm Chen Sheng."

"And you are?"

Chen Sheng asked in confusion.

"The Head Instructor told me about you. I'll be the one guiding your martial arts training."

"My name is Shi Jian. I'm nineteen this year. Brother Chen, you can call me Little Shi or Stone."

A palm as large as a cattail fan extended before Chen Sheng.

Nineteen?!

Chen Sheng had been about to shake his hand.

The instant he heard those words, his eyes widened.

He looked at Shi Jian's height.

Then at the slabs of muscle on his body.

You called this nineteen?!!

Seeing Chen Sheng's strange expression, Shi Jian immediately understood what he was thinking.

Every time he stated his age, people reacted the same way.

Over time, he had grown used to it.

"Haha, I just look older than I am. Can't help that."

"Brother Chen, shall we start now?"

Shi Jian laughed heartily, directly steering away from the topic and getting down to business.

Only then did Chen Sheng realize that his earlier reaction had been somewhat rude, and he hurriedly resumed a serious expression.

"I'll follow your lead."

The two headed together toward a corner of the Martial Arts Training Field.

"Little Shi, isn't the Head Instructor here?"

As they walked, Chen Sheng voiced his question.

"The Head Instructor is in the inner courtyard, teaching the Personal Disciples."

Shi Jian pointed in a certain direction.

Chen Sheng followed his finger and discovered a wooden door in the corner of the Martial Arts Training Field, entirely out of place amid the modern-style walls around it.

"At our Xing Wu Martial Arts Hall, disciples are divided into three ranks."

"Registered Disciples, Official Disciples, and Personal Disciples."

"Those who come on their own to study under a master are Registered Disciples."

"If a Registered Disciple has decent talent, they can become an Official Disciple."

"As for Personal Disciples..."

Shi Jian suddenly fell silent.

Only after Chen Sheng gave him a puzzled look did he smile wryly.

"Don't misunderstand, Brother Chen. I'm not trying to keep you in suspense."

"It's just that those Personal Disciples live in a completely different world from people like us."

"Whether in qi sense or talent for martial arts, they far surpass us."

"A few months of their cultivation is enough to equal years, even more than a decade, of ours."

"On top of that, the Head Instructor favors them greatly. They receive the best guidance and resources."

"So..."

At that point,

Shi Jian's expression dimmed somewhat.

Chen Sheng immediately showed an understanding look.

It seemed this young but mature-looking Shi Jian had been badly discouraged by those Personal Disciples.

"Then Wu Ran is one of the Personal Disciples too?"

"That's right." Shi Jian nodded. "He's not only a Personal Disciple, but the most talented among them."

"Two months ago, when he came to take a master, he hadn't even had any contact with martial arts."

"But now, not a single one of us Official Disciples is his match."

At that,

a trace of nearly imperceptible surprise flashed through Chen Sheng's eyes.

No wonder Wu Ran had acted yesterday as though his nose was pointed at the sky.

"But don't worry, Brother Chen. We may not be geniuses, but we're still Qi Sense Users, beings far beyond ordinary people."

"Our futures are bright."

As Chen Sheng pondered, Shi Jian thought he had been discouraged.

He quickly patted Chen Sheng on the shoulder to comfort him.

Though it was a misunderstanding.

The other man meant well, and Chen Sheng did not want to disappoint him.

He could only go along with it and smile at him.

As they spoke.

The two reached a corner of the Martial Arts Training Field.

"Brother Chen, have you practiced martial arts before?"

Shi Jian turned to face Chen Sheng.

"No. A few days ago, Tiger Brother—my master—taught me the Three-Body Stance."

At that,

Shi Jian pondered for a moment.

"Since you have no foundation, we'll have to start from the beginning."

"First, perform the Three-Body Stance Training once. I'll guide you."

Shi Jian planted his hands on his hips, assuming an extremely serious posture.

Among the Official Disciples at the martial arts hall, he was the youngest, and his strength barely ranked around the middle.

Now that he finally had a chance to instruct someone, he was especially earnest.

Seeing this,

Chen Sheng could not refuse, so he obediently began practicing the Three-Body Stance.

But he kept something in reserve and did not perform it according to his current Three-Body Stance level.

Instead, he performed it as he had at lv1.

Three minutes later.

For some reason,

Shi Jian had not reacted at all.

Chen Sheng glanced over at him.

Only to see him standing in place,

the expression on his face frozen.