A figure charged forward like a galloping horse, sending water flying and leaving a white streak behind.
The photographer had never imagined anything like this. His mouth hung open, his eyes wide, and his heart pounded in his chest.
Only his hands remained steady on the camera, instinctively capturing it all.
With a long cry, he came treading across the water.
This was a real shot, not someone suspended on wires?
Jiang Shu, still out on the lake, had no idea how shocked the people on the opposite bank were.
His breathing was taut, his legs moving at the fastest pace they could manage.
He had already achieved Full Body Vital Energy Circulation. His speed had long since surpassed the limits of the fastest sprinters in the world today. In just a few strides, he caught up with the boat as it began to slow.
Before his body had fully hit the water, he suddenly drew in a breath, planted one foot on the boat, then used that fresh push to tread across the water for several more steps. He flipped through the air and landed steadily on the shore.
The entire process took only a few breaths.
The water on the lake had already soaked his socks.
But Jiang Shu didn't care. Standing on the bank, he looked at the photographer, who was still visibly dazed, and asked, "Did you get that on camera?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, yes, I got it."
The photographer hurriedly tapped to save the footage, then looked at Jiang Shu. This time, his eyes were full of deep self-doubt.
After all these years in the business, he'd thought he'd seen plenty!
He'd even been there when a certain martial arts superstar leaped down from a dozen stories up.
That scene had left a deep impression on him, but in his mind, it was still something a person could accomplish. After all, for an actor leaping diagonally down from a building, the real question was whether he dared.
Safety measures could be put in place.
The right camera angle could be found.
But what had he just seen?
A man walking across the water!
This wasn't a question of whether someone dared.
It was whether someone could!
Could this really be martial arts?
The photographer's eyes glazed over. When Xia Kingdom began promoting martial arts, he'd paid attention, but he'd always thought it was just the kung fu from action movies.
Just fighting techniques. Even trained to the utmost, you could still be knocked down with a brick.
But clearly, real martial arts were nothing like what he'd understood.
The wonder of walking across water was something he could see with his own eyes.
What about the things he couldn't see?
And this was just a high school student.
What about people who'd trained in martial arts for years?
He hardly dared to think about it!
"I've finished filming what I came to shoot. Is there anything else you want filmed? We can do it all together."
Seeing that everyone was stunned by him, Jiang Shu knew he'd passed this test. He couldn't help relaxing as he spoke.
"Jiang Shu... did you just... walk back on the water? Have your martial arts really reached that level?"
Ye Zhenzhen looked at Jiang Shu, her voice trembling. She was almost stammering.
She knew Jiang Shu was impressive.
But what was this business about walking across water?
"What are you thinking?" Jiang Shu shook his head. "Go watch the footage later and you'll see. I stepped on the boat once to get a push. Without that, I'd have sunk."
This was his first attempt, and it had taught him that at the early stages of martial arts, a person was still just a person.
After only a few steps on the water, his whole body had started sinking.
If he hadn't prepared in advance and kicked the boat over, then used it to push off again, he probably would've sunk up to his knees before making it halfway across.
To truly walk across water, he'd probably need to become a martial artist at the very least.
Once he mastered Roaring Tiger Mountain Strength and could project his Inner Strength outward, a brief "lightness skill" that let him skim across a few dozen meters of water shouldn't be a problem.
"That's still terrifying..." Ye Zhenzhen murmured. Then she suddenly perked up, asking, "Jiang Shu, can someone do that with Horse Stance once they've mastered it?"
She'd reached the entry level of Horse Stance in just over ten days.
Did that mean she could reach the minor stage in a month?
And the major stage a few months later?
If she'd known it could do this, she'd have had all the motivation she needed to practice martial arts.
Then she could take a yacht out and show off in front of her girlfriends!
She secretly pictured it, feeling quite pleased with herself.
"Probably not." Jiang Shu glanced at Ye Zhenzhen, who seemed pleased about something, and answered tersely, "I've already perfected Horse Stance."
In fact, even if Ye Zhenzhen perfected Horse Stance in the future, she still wouldn't be able to do what he'd done today.
After all, his foundation had long since been remade by Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School's three methods: training, cultivation, and combat.
Horse Stance was ultimately just a training method.
Xia Kingdom had planned everything out long ago when it began promoting martial arts.
Even if someone tried to use Horse Stance to break the law through martial arts, what could someone who'd learned only training methods, without combat methods, really accomplish?
A weightlifter might not beat an ordinary boxer in the ring.
A martial artist who'd perfected Horse Stance had a strength of only nine hundred jin.
In a fight against another person, they'd naturally have the upper hand.
But what if they faced machinery, or even guns and cannons?
Horse Stance had only one purpose.
To Sense Qi and Blood, circulate Qi and Blood, and bring about Full Body Vital Energy Circulation.
To learn Xia Kingdom's true martial arts,
one had to enter school or enlist in the military and come under Xia Kingdom's control.
After spending two more days filming the martial arts promotional video, Jiang Shu said goodbye to Ye Zhenzhen and left.
He crossed from Xia Kingdom into the Great Jing Dynasty.
Pingling County.
Jiang Shu walked out of the small courtyard and headed straight for Zhou Family Restaurant.
After more than half a month of word spreading, Zhou Family Restaurant's name had already made the rounds. It wasn't even noon, yet the private rooms and main dining hall were packed.
Customers were even queuing outside.
Besides supplying salt and MSG, Jiang Shu had also taught Zhou Yang quite a few little tricks over this period.
For instance, how to increase the restaurant's table turnover.
For instance, setting aside an open area as a parking lot.
"Brother Jiang!"
A sharp-eyed waiter spotted Jiang Shu and immediately reported his arrival to Zhou Yang with great alacrity.
Before long, Zhou Yang ran out of the restaurant.
The restaurant had been doing booming business for more than half a month, and his martial arts training had come to a complete stop.
He no longer went to Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School. The Ten Taels of Silver he paid merely kept his name on the rolls.
He spent every day helping out at the restaurant.
Now, the person he admired most was Jiang Shu!
"Brother Jiang, hehe, let me tell you about the restaurant's accounts for the past few days." Zhou Yang pulled Jiang Shu straight toward a private room the restaurant had reserved for them. His chubby face was wreathed in smiles. Salt and MSG had already left him astounded.
And Jiang Shu's theories had been even more earth-shattering.
Table turnover.
Parking lots.
And the membership system he'd told him about a few days ago!
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