Martial Arts Hall
The System Arrived Three Years Early, but the Gods Haven't Come Yet
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Lihuo Martial Arts Hall 19 |
| Alias(es) | Martial Arts Hall (武馆); Master Ma’s Martial Arts Hall; Li Zhiyuan’s Martial Arts Hall 13 18 29 |
| Type | Martial arts school housed in a three-story building 18 |
| Location | Jinhai City, at a corner of Hongmi Street; beside a massage parlor near the park 18 19 38 |
| Hall Master | Li Zhiyuan, the hall’s thirtieth-generation successor 19 |
| Affiliation | Identified by the system as the territory of Master Ma, a tier-three fire deity, and his followers 18 |
| Role | Martial arts instruction, self-defense training, and sparring; a recurring source of survival points for Zeng Shen 20 33 38 |
| Status | Operating and still visited by Zeng Shen for training 47 |
| First Appearance | Mentioned in Master Ma’s claims and excuses 13; first visited by Zeng Shen 18 |
Location and Facilities
- Directions from the park: An elderly supporter of Master Ma tells Zeng Shen to follow Red Rice Road to the left of the park’s main entrance for slightly over 300 meters, then turn left. The hall stands beside a massage parlor 18.
- Distance from Zeng Shen’s home: Walking from the hall to Good Fortune Residential Complex takes about forty minutes 21.
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Exterior | A large, three-story building in a traditional architectural style 18. |
| Front courtyard | Approximately 100 square meters, fitted with numerous punching bags; seven or eight children are training there when Zeng Shen first arrives 18. |
| Main hall | A spacious room with old-fashioned firearms and certificates of honor displayed on the walls 18. |
| Training area | Located on the main hall’s left side; roughly a dozen young men in white martial arts uniforms practice under Li Zhiyuan’s supervision 18. |
| Infirmary | Mentioned in Master Ma’s thoughts about where he might have ended up after being kicked by Zeng Shen 18. |
Personnel
- Li Zhiyuan — Hall master and thirtieth-generation successor. He supervises the students, uses Taiji Fist, and becomes Zeng Shen’s martial arts instructor 18 19 33.
- Master Ma — Cleaner for nearly ten years, despite claiming to have run the hall. He recruits children through their grandparents after demonstrating a few tai chi movements in the park, receiving a bonus for each recruit 13 20.
- Fatty Zhang — The first disciple to face Zeng Shen during the hall challenge; his charging shoulder tackle is defeated by Zeng Shen’s enhanced speed 19.
- Li Qing — A disciple who challenges Zeng Shen after Fatty Zhang’s defeat 19.
- Zhang Erhe — Participates in the initial gauntlet and later spars with Zeng Shen during his basic combat training 19 33.
- Wang Er — Another disciple defeated during the initial gauntlet 19.
- Little Li — Li Zhiyuan’s nephew and Master Ma’s livestreaming apprentice. His accusations against Zeng Shen contribute to the hall’s initial hostility; Li Zhiyuan later discovers that he had been abusing cats for livestream views 13 19 33.
- Xiaoxin — A child in the courtyard who tells Master Ma that someone is looking for him 20.
Training and Traditions
Instruction
- Beginner combat: Li Zhiyuan starts Zeng Shen with practical hand-to-hand combat and introductory sanda techniques because he has no formal martial arts training 33.
- Further study: Li offers to teach techniques from other styles after Zeng Shen develops the foundations, with weapons training also available 33.
- Self-defense: Zeng Shen asks Li for techniques suitable for teaching women, then passes on self-defense instruction to Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong 38 43 47.
- Friendly sparring: Students take turns fighting Zeng Shen. During one session, he uses twofold Agility Enhancement while practicing newly learned movements against Zhang Erhe 33.
- Mutual benefit: Li considers sparring against Zeng Shen’s exceptional speed useful for both his students and himself 33.
- Afternoon routine: At two in the afternoon, the students are taking a nap and are expected to return about half an hour later 33.
Hall Challenge Rules
- An uninvited visitor seeking to spar is treated as challenging the hall, allowing its members to fight the challenger successively 19.
- Defeating several members in succession grants the challenger the right to request one service from every martial artist in the hall 20.
- The request must be within the members’ abilities and must not violate morality or the law 20.
System Classification and Rewards
Master Ma’s Territory
The system warns that entering the hall exposes Zeng Shen to enslavement, loss of divine energy, or incineration by a tier-three fire deity 18.
| Person or group | System identification |
|---|---|
| Courtyard child | Tier-one Fire Slave serving Master Ma 18. |
| Fatty Zhang, Zhang Erhe, and Wang Er | Tier-two fire thralls 19. |
| Li Qing | Tier-three fire thrall 19. |
| Li Zhiyuan | Tier-four Fire Slave Clan chief with Lord aptitude and devout faith in Master Ma 18 20. |
| Master Ma | Tier-three fire deity 20. |
Li Zhiyuan’s observation profile describes him as originally a tier-one fire deity who died fighting mutated beasts. Master Ma’s innate talent rebirthed him in flames as a new life-form, at the cost of permanent enslavement. This information leads Zeng Shen to reconsider his earlier judgment that Master Ma simply became malicious after the catastrophe 20.
Survival-Point Rewards
| Event | Reward | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Initial disciple gauntlet | 1,300 survival points | Zeng Shen defeats successive challengers using fivefold speed amplification 19. |
| Li Zhiyuan’s concession | 200 survival points | Li nearly catches Zeng Shen’s heel but concedes after missing his opportunity 19 20. |
| Stopping Master Ma from fleeing | 100 survival points | Zeng Shen’s sudden appearance frightens Master Ma to the ground 20. |
| Leaving after the first hall confrontation | 1,000 survival points | The system credits Zeng Shen with resisting and defeating Master Ma and his retinue 20. |
| Recurring hall sessions | 1,500 survival points per completed run | Repeatedly collected during Zeng Shen’s training routine 33 38 42. |
History
Initial Challenge
Zeng Shen first hears about the hall when Master Ma boasts that he has run it for years. After being defeated in the park, Ma uses supposed business at the hall as an excuse to leave 13.
When Zeng Shen returns seeking another sparring opportunity, Master Ma escapes through the park’s rear exit. An elderly supporter directs Zeng Shen to the hall, where Li Zhiyuan offers his students as opponents. Their initial hostility stems partly from Zeng Shen having beaten Li’s nephew 18 19.
Zeng Shen defeats the disciples in succession, then faces Li Zhiyuan. Unlike the students, Li anticipates his habitual kick and nearly catches his heel, but Zeng Shen withdraws fast enough to avoid the counter 19.
Daily Sparring Arrangement
Using the privilege granted by his successful challenge, Zeng Shen requests one sparring match per day with each member. He offers to limit himself to twenty percent of his top speed, and Li Zhiyuan adds martial arts instruction to the arrangement 20.
On a later visit, Zeng Shen apologizes for his earlier conduct. Li acknowledges his own mistaken attempt to defend his nephew, and the sessions become friendly training rather than a hostile hall challenge 33.
Continuing Role
The hall becomes part of Zeng Shen’s afternoon routine. Although initially motivated by survival points, he comes to regard correcting his weaknesses in hand-to-hand combat as the more important benefit 29 33 37.
He tests his training against Huang Ziliang’s armed lackeys, using only a twofold agility boost alongside kicks and hooks. He also begins teaching self-defense outside the hall, including lessons for Liu Miao and Liu Tongtong 36 37 43. His regular visits continue through the celebration of Like Family Studio’s debut 47.