Martial Standards at Dong's Dojo

His speed was still far, far below the qualifying line for Martial Artists: 25 m/s.

A Martial Artist's test consisted of punching force, speed, and God-level Reflexes for good reason.

Punching force represented the most direct killing power.

Speed represented whether one could outrun Monsters or catch up to them, as well as the strength of one's Movement Technique.

Neural Reflexes represented the speed of one's reactions in battle.

These standards had naturally been specially optimized after countless Martial Artists fought Monsters, so there was good reason behind them.

They also reflected a person's Comprehensive Physical Fitness quite well.

But obviously, Yang Yu was still a long way from meeting the qualifying standards for a Martial Artist.

Fortunately, he had the foundation of Neijiaquan from his previous life, along with the Spiritual Force that had lain dormant in this life, so he did not need to worry too much about improving his Physical Fitness.

After testing his punching force and speed, it was nearly time for the dojo to close. Yang Yu chose to go straight home and planned to sign up after sitting in on the Vice Dojo Master's lesson the next morning.

After all, he at least needed to use this equipment.

And the fees were reasonable.

Leaving the dojo,

Yang Yu began running beneath the deep night sky once more.

There was one benefit to having greatly improved Physical Fitness.

Yang Yu could now run faster than many electric scooters, so he had no need to take a cab when he went out.

Still, in order not to attract too much attention, Yang Yu kept his speed at a level faster than an ordinary person's, but not by too much.

Half an hour later,

Yang Yu returned home, having only broken into a light sweat.

It was nearly midnight.

Grandpa Yang had already gone to sleep.

After taking a quick shower, Yang Yu returned to his bedroom to rest as well.

The next day,

Yang Yu got up at five as usual. After breakfast, he went to the park with Wang Lin to practice Zhan Zhuang and Horse Stance. Then he led him through several rounds of Xingyiquan and San Ti Shi. Once they felt their bodies had fully loosened up, they began their respective Self-limiting Strength Training.

More than an hour later,

Yang Yu checked the time and saw that it was already half past seven. The two went to the gym to shower, changed into the clothes they had left there earlier, and walked out.

"Brother Yu, have you really decided not to go to school anymore?" Wang Lin asked.

"I told the Homeroom Teacher about it last night, and he agreed. I probably won't be going to school much anymore, but I'll still take the College Entrance Exam." Yang Yu looked quite relaxed.

"Xiao Linzi, don't slack off on your training either. If there's anything you don't understand, save it to ask me in the morning. My daytime training will be focused on Dong's Dojo from now on."

"Ah, I really envy your freedom, Brother Yu. Then I'll be off to school."

After they parted ways, Yang Yu stretched out his long legs and jogged toward the dojo.

Though it was called jogging, his speed was actually close to an ordinary person's Full Strength sprint.

By the time he reached the dojo, it was already 7:55 in the morning, and Vice Dojo Master Dong Qinghong's public lesson was about to begin.

Entering the third-floor hall,

Yang Yu found that eighty percent of the seats were already occupied.

"I heard that Vice Dojo Master Dong Qinghong is Master Dong's son and Personal Disciple. His Baguazhang is said to be extraordinary. We should listen carefully to this lesson."

"Yeah. The dojo master is practically half-retired now, so his son will basically be in charge of Dong's Dojo in the future. I also heard that Dong Qinghong's level is already close to his father's. Learning a move or two for self-defense wouldn't be bad."

As soon as Yang Yu sat down, he heard two men who looked like office workers beside him discussing the matter in low voices.

It was clear that Dong's Dojo had quite a good reputation in Jiangnan City. Many people had come to attend the lesson.

At exactly eight o'clock, the entire hall was virtually packed, and Yang Yu could even spot quite a few urban women at a glance.

Looking around, there were no fewer than a thousand people attending this lesson.

The Martial Way atmosphere in Jiangnan City exceeded Yang Yu's earlier expectations. It seemed there were quite a few people here who enjoyed learning martial arts.

"Welcome, everyone, to my lecture today. I am Dong Qinghong, the sixth-generation Heir of Dong's Baguazhang. I hope today's lesson will be of help to you all."

At the front of the hall, Dong Qinghong, dressed in a dark blue Daoist Robe and appearing to be in his thirties, spoke in a resonant voice.

"Baguazhang originated from the Dao Ancestor's need to move around the pill furnace and regulate its heat while refining pills. It was created by combining the principles of the I Ching with the offensive and defensive characteristics of martial arts. Through the exploration and summary of generations of sages, it was finally perfected by my ancestor Dong Haichuan more than three hundred years ago."

"During that time, it passed through wars and chaos and nearly lost its lineage several times. Fortunately, Heaven watched over us, and it was passed down through peril after peril."

"Like other Neijiaquan styles, Baguazhang places health cultivation first and combat second. So even if you do not use Baguazhang in your daily lives, learning it can cultivate your temperament and strengthen your body. For ladies, it can not only help shape the figure and preserve youth, but also serve as a means of self-defense."

"In short, practicing Baguazhang has many benefits. Next, I will introduce Dong's Baguazhang to everyone in detail."

Watching the Vice Dojo Master explain with such fervor, Yang Yu listened for a while but felt that it was not quite suited to him.

Although Baguazhang was also a type of Neijiaquan, it emphasized defense first. Its combat style relied mainly on circling and maneuvering, with striking as a supplement. It was vastly different from the forceful collisions championed by Xingyi Five Elements Fist and Twelve Form Fist.

Still, Yang Yu could tell that the Vice Dojo Master had indeed attained considerable mastery in Baguazhang, having at least reached the level of a Baguazhang master. Yang Yu had gained quite a bit from listening to the lesson.

However, when he heard that enrolling in his class required a minimum of 66,000 Huaxia Currency for six months, Yang Yu completely gave up on the idea of signing up.

Leaving aside whether he even had that much money, starting Baguazhang from scratch would make it difficult to achieve anything significant in just a few months.

He might as well put in the hard work on Xingyi Five Elements Fist and Twelve Form Fist, continuously raising his mastery of Xingyiquan.

Having made his decision, Yang Yu silently stood up and left, not intending to listen to the rest of the lesson.

When he reached the first-floor hall, Yang Yu found yesterday's Receptionist and paid 9,000 Huaxia Currency in one lump sum, receiving a card valid for three months.

With this card, Yang Yu gained access to most of the equipment for the next three months. However, without personal instruction, he would not be able to learn Baguazhang.

But Yang Yu did not mind.

After listening to one lesson from the Vice Dojo Master, Yang Yu felt that his mastery of Baguazhang was only somewhat higher than Yang Yu's mastery of Xingyiquan.

And this was the standard of the Vice Dojo Master at the largest and best dojo in all of Jiangnan City.

It seemed that before the Grand Nirvana, the overall level of the Martial Way in this world was roughly comparable to that of his previous life.

This Vice Dojo Master's level was not high enough for Yang Yu to need to take him as his master.

Perhaps the half-retired head dojo master was someone worthy of Yang Yu becoming his disciple.

But everyone's pursuit of the Martial Way was different.

Ever since his previous life, Yang Yu had deeply loved Siming Internal Martial Arts and Xingyiquan.

And he had attained no small degree of mastery in them.

He did not plan to switch in this life either. Besides, even if he wanted to, there was not enough time.

The Grand Nirvana was approaching.

Every moment now was incomparably precious.

Yang Yu did not waste any more time. After entering the room specifically meant for strength training, he began exercising.

After resting midway and eating lunch nearby, Yang Yu threw himself back into high-intensity strength training.

He trained until six in the evening, then showered in the dojo's changing room before heading home.