New Profession: Martial Arts Apprentice

"Is that guy a relative of the instructor?"

"Probably—why else would Instructor Qin be so attentive to him?"

At the front of the training ground, Fang Qingyu had been singled out by Instructor Qin for personal instruction.

A sour tone rippled through the crowd.

But then, someone suddenly chimed in from the side, voice low.

"Maybe it's because he's training faster?"

The atmosphere went dead silent.

Indeed, the truth was the sharpest blade.

"Not bad."

Instructor Qin watched as Fang Qingyu's final stance in the posture training was perfectly executed, a glint of approval in his eyes.

"Does this count as entering the door of stance training?"

Fang Qingyu wiped the sweat from his forehead, frowning slightly as he looked at Instructor Qin.

Compared to the others, he was indeed fast.

And Instructor Qin's attitude didn't lie.

But yesterday, when he left the martial arts hall, his progress was at 34%.

Today, as soon as class started, Instructor Qin had pulled him aside to personally teach the next three forms, activating them even faster than yesterday.

Yet now, the activation progress on his Job Panel was stuck at 80%.

"There's one last step."

"Remember, the stance is alive."

Instructor Qin shook his head and stepped aside.

With that, he shed his outer shirt, revealing a lean, muscular torso. His feet spread slightly apart, roots gripping the ground like an old tree, while his spine stretched slowly as if pulled by an invisible thread.

Then, his hips sank, knees compressed like springs, and finally his ankles made a subtle twist.

Abruptly, he leaned back at an odd angle, arms circling forward as if embracing the moon, his body forming a perfect arc at the limit of its stretch.

The stances he had been practicing suddenly came alive.

When Instructor Qin finished with his palms pressed together, Fang Qingyu was still frowning in thought.

"Got it?"

"The five forms of stance training are interlinked: the stability of Rooted Mountain Stance, the agility of Horse-Riding Stance, the softness of Moon-Embracing Form, the adaptability of Soaring-Dragon Form, and finally, the unification of yin and yang in Return-to-Origin Stance."

"Not really."

Fang Qingyu thought it over and shook his head honestly.

The five moves had no obvious connection—nothing as simple as lifting a foot and kicking.

"Stance training is like drinking water—you know for yourself whether it's hot or cold. Some are like pines atop a cliff, others like green vines at the bottom of a ravine. Meridian pathways differ, and the aura that seeps from the stance takes a thousand forms."

"So that's all I can teach. Whether you enter the door next is up to you."

Instructor Qin showed no surprise. These days, few people could master stance training in just two days.

He had only learned the poses before.

Fang Qingyu pondered this, then thanked Instructor Qin and walked over to the punching-bag area.

This was where those who had already entered the door of stance training could train further, though they were still ordinary students.

But as Fang Qingyu watched their punching shadows, he realized Instructor Qin was right.

Each was different.

It reminded him a bit of the Military Boxing he'd seen during Military Training back in the day.

Some punched clumsily, some with authority, and a few with a hint of softness.

"Let me try first."

Fang Qingyu watched for a while, then walked aside and started practicing on his own.

Just then, Qi Hao was taking a break. Seeing Fang Qingyu training hard, he didn't disturb him, instead walking over to Instructor Qin.

"So, Instructor Qin, Qingzi's got talent, right?"

"Not bad."

Instructor Qin nodded, but his expression didn't change much.

"Then, does he have a shot at getting into the Elite Class?"

Qi Hao suddenly leaned in close to Instructor Qin and asked in a low voice.

Instructor Qin listened, then turned to look at Fang Qingyu, who was attempting to link the five stances together. He glanced at the time.

"If he can grasp the fundamentals today, there's still a layer of chance."

"His physical foundation is just too poor. If it were a bit better, the odds could go up by two more layers."

Qi Hao had been about to argue, but at those last words, he shut his mouth immediately.

True.

He himself had been building his foundation since childhood, and it had been over a decade now.

It wasn't something that could be made up in a short time.

Fang Qingyu had no idea what the two were discussing. He only knew that he seemed to have found a new use for the Genealogy Chart.

The difficulty in mastering the stance training lay in how to link the five stances together.

This was something that couldn't be directly known before.

But the progress bar on the Job Panel was like a lighthouse at the finish line, guiding him.

When the direction was right, the progress bar went up.

When the direction was wrong, the progress bar stayed still.

This discovery sent Fang Qingyu's activation progress surging again.

An hour passed.

It had reached 99%.

Just one step away.

"Haah!!"

As he finished the last stance, Return-to-Origin Stance, unlike the version Instructor Qin had just demonstrated, Fang Qingyu naturally threw a punch forward.

The sound of it cutting through the air wasn't loud, but it made Instructor Qin, standing in the distance, turn his head immediately.

"That kid's got something after all."

Only then did Fang Qingyu feel the exhaustion wash over him. He slowly sat down on the ground and opened the chart.

Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked the "Martial Arts Apprentice" job!

Congratulations! You have obtained the job's Basic Skill "Hidden Dragon Stance"!

A brand-new Job Panel appeared before him. Both new entries were currently at Lv.1.

But amid his excitement, Fang Qingyu didn't forget to flip to the preface page.

From the moment he had grasped the fundamentals.

He could clearly feel changes in his body.

Aside from the fatigue.

A warm current seemed to flow through his limbs and torso.

This was something he had never felt before.

Sure enough.

The basic information panel on the preface page had also quietly changed.

Strength: 7.8 → 8.0

Speed: 8.1 → 8.2

Physique: 7.9 → 8.1

The effect was startlingly good.

And he had only been training for two days.

But compared to before, practicing martial arts was clearly the right choice—the results were far better than working out!

"Not bad."

Instructor Qin had somehow walked over. This time, not only was there approval in his eyes, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Instructor Qin."

Fang Qingyu closed the chart and stood up.

"I didn't expect you to grasp the fundamentals this quickly."

Instructor Qin shook his head with a chuckle.

"Do you have anything urgent to do later?"

Fang Qingyu paused at the question.

He had to work as a delivery driver in the afternoon, so that counted as something.

But if he had to put it bluntly, it could also count as nothing.

He shook his head.

"Then later, head to the Clear Pool Club, two hundred meters to the right out the door. Tell them Chenfeng Martial Hall, Medicated Massage Package."

Instructor Qin walked over to Fang Qingyu and lowered his voice by two notches.

Fang Qingyu's mouth twitched.

Ten thousand per session—there was no way he could afford that right now.

"Been there?"

Seeing Fang Qingyu silent and that look on his face, Instructor Qin frowned slightly.

"Yeah, went with Haozi yesterday."

Fang Qingyu answered honestly.

"Then you know about the Elite Class?"

"A little."

Fang Qingyu nodded.

Instructor Qin thought for a moment, then spelled out why he was sending Fang Qingyu to Clear Pool Club.

"Your Physical Foundation is terrible. If you want to get into the Elite Class, you have to train hard every day. And the prerequisite for training hard every day is going to Clear Pool Club. Understand?"

"Got it."

"Mm. Go as often as you can. It's very effective for relieving Physical Fatigue and recovery."

Instructor Qin left with those final words.

He'd done all he could, gone above and beyond.

After all, Fang Qingyu wasn't a sure bet for the Elite Class yet—he was only lacking in Physical Foundation.

If it were that, Instructor Qin might have even lent him the money.

Right now, it was just a slim chance.

Fang Qingyu watched Instructor Qin's retreating back and sighed softly.

He understood, but it didn't help.

Even if he spent all his sleeping hours on a Part-time Job, he couldn't earn ten thousand in the short term.

Unless he literally slept.

"You're insane, Qingzi, hahahaha!!!"

On the other side, Qi Hao had just finished training and sprinted over to throw an arm around Fang Qingyu's shoulder.

His hearty laughter drew glances from everyone around.

"Insane how?"

"I was just talking to Instructor Qin about you, and then you go and break through to stance foundation."

"How do you know?"

Fang Qingyu's eyes showed surprise.

It made sense that Instructor Qin, as a coach, could tell—but Qi Hao too?

"Because everyone has a certain aura. That's something you learn after becoming a Formal Disciple."

Qi Hao explained briefly.

Hearing the term Formal Disciple, Fang Qingyu didn't ask further.

"Come on, to celebrate your stance foundation breakthrough, I'll take you for another round of fun!"

By now, the other students were packing up and leaving. Qi Hao tugged Fang Qingyu, wanting to head to Clear Pool Club again.

"No, I've got stuff this afternoon. You go ahead."

Fang Qingyu's mind was already filled with the number ten thousand. He couldn't wait to hop on his e-bike and take off.

Besides, being treated once was one thing.

Being treated too often—that changed the meaning.