National University Martial Arts Exchange Tournament

Cool air brushed through the narrow alley.

Li He stood in the square, Vitality surging through his body. He was brimming with energy, his blood and qi full, completely different from yesterday.

After making a slight adjustment, Li He threw a punch.

Buzz!

His fist tore through the air, the wind it raised carrying an unprecedentedly deep, powerful force.

Two hours flew by.

[Proficiency +1]

[Federation Body Forging Fist: Mastery (10%) → (11%)]

A hint of delight flashed through Li He's eyes.

In just two hours, and without consuming Exotic Beast Meat, his Federation Body Forging Fist had gained one point of proficiency.

The day before yesterday, it had taken four hours just to increase his proficiency by one point.

After his Vitality breakthrough, that time had been cut in half.

"Looks like my guess was right. The stronger my Vitality, the more abundant my blood and qi, and the greater the assistance it provides to martial arts cultivation."

But that joy was interrupted when he returned home.

The Exotic Beast Meat his mother had prepared was still on the table. As the familiar warm energy flowed through his body, Li He immediately guided it into cultivation.

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

[Federation Body Forging Fist: Mastery (11%) → (13%)]

Finished!

Only two points of improvement.

"The effect has weakened."

Li He slowly withdrew his fist. He was not surprised. With his current physique, the improvements brought by this low-grade Exotic Beast Meat had already reached their limit.

If he wanted the kind of explosive growth he had seen yesterday, he would probably need higher-grade, more powerful Exotic Beast flesh and blood. Or he could find another martial art to cultivate and continue stacking up his Vitality!

After thinking for a moment, Li He turned his gaze toward the old computer in the corner.

In this age of rapid technological advancement, the entertainment industry was more prosperous than ever. Music, games, and novels emerged endlessly, and AI could generate whatever people wanted. One could always find something to enjoy, and without care, it was easy to become addicted.

When he turned on the computer, there were still quite a few games on the desktop, all famous blockbuster titles.

Li He opened the browser bookmarks and went straight to a rigorously designed webpage: the Alliance Martial Arts Network, Public Resource Database.

The database had many categories: modern martial arts, Ancient Martial Arts relics, mutant combat techniques, Abyss observations, weapons and auxiliary equipment, and more.

Of these, only the modern martial arts category and the Ancient Martial Arts relics category involved martial techniques.

On the modern martial arts page, he could only see cultivation experience and techniques for the Federation Standard Body Forging Technique. Because of his access permissions, Li He could not browse the rest.

So he could only open the Ancient Martial Arts relics category.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

There were no flashy ads or noisy recommendations, only rows upon rows of text-based listings: Long River Setting Sun Force, Clear Breeze Brushing Willow Hands, Immovable Rock Stance...

The names were ancient and simple.

Each listing came with a short description:

"Collected and organized in Federation Year 79. Originating from Cloud Hidden Villa in Nanjiang Province. Characteristics: softness concealing strength, guiding inner breath, requiring patient and gradual effort..."

"A foundational stance passed down by the Zhang family of Northwest Wangtian City. Focuses on stabilizing the lower body and condensing blood and qi..."

These were all crystallizations of martial wisdom that had once shone through an era. Now, most could only be admired by later generations in digital archives.

With modern martial arts already setting such a high standard, few people were willing to spend time researching these complicated, obscure Ancient Martial Arts with their slow results.

Li He browsed briefly and actually found Old Ape Stretches Arms.

"Hmm?"

Li He let out a soft sound of surprise. He discovered that Old Ape Stretches Arms actually had an advanced martial art called Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist.

He immediately clicked into it.

In the basic tutorial, an elegant old man in loose training clothes appeared on the screen.

"Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist is not a fist art of brute force. Its root lies in the spine, its force at the extremities, and its power strikes like a whip. Beginners must first seek flexibility and smooth flow. Do not greedily pursue fierceness..." the old man explained as he demonstrated.

Li He stared at the screen and tried to imitate the old man's opening stance.

Once, twice...

His movements were awkward and stiff, completely lacking the essence of the technique. The panel showed no reaction whatsoever.

He switched to a more basic and hard-hitting Stone-Splitting Fist tutorial.

In the video, a muscular man let out a roar. Veins bulged across his arm as his fist smashed into a leather sandbag with the sound of tearing wind. With a bang, the sandbag was punched straight through.

"The key lies in connecting the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Power rises from the ground and erupts within the smallest instant!"

Li He watched carefully, experimented, and studied the relevant principles. He threw a punch while copying the form, but his movement was badly distorted, and the panel still gave no response.

Not even a vague line of text appeared.

Still no good!

No matter how well-made the video was, there was still a screen between them. The coordination of breathing, the tension and relaxation of muscles, the fine threads of blood and qi circulation—without an old master personally correcting his stance and giving real-time guidance on breathing and force, it was difficult to cultivate anything meaningful.

Li He was just about to close the webpage and ask Grandpa Zhang that afternoon whether he had any friends who practiced Ancient Martial Arts and might be willing to teach him.

A pop-up window appeared.

At the top of the pop-up was a massive title wrapped in animated flames:

"Blood-Boiling Action! The 108th National University Martial Arts Exchange Tournament Final Ignites Dragon City Sky Dome Arena!"

"Ultimate showdown! Witness the birth of a new king! Click to enter the livestream!"

On-screen, the fighters on the central arena of Dragon City Sky Dome Arena were locked in a fierce battle, shockwaves rolling out around them. Every strike seemed capable of tearing through the clouds and summoning strange phenomena.

This tournament was held once a year, after the college entrance examination and before university applications were submitted.

It was not merely a contest to determine the strongest of the younger generation. It was also a stage for the major elite universities to display their strength and compete for students.

The camera shifted at the right moment to a close-up of the audience beside the arena.

The core section was occupied by elite universities other than Qingbei University and Magic City University. The middle section held seats for first-tier universities. The farther out one went, the lower the universities' rankings became.

At the very edge, near the passage entrance, these people had no fixed seats and could only lean against the railings. They were apprentices from martial arts schools across the country, eliminated early from the competition.

"Where will I be standing a year from now?"

Li He looked toward those people from martial arts schools who were not even worthy of seats. Then his gaze swept across the outer sections, passed over the core area, and settled on the stage—on the champion holding the trophy high above, standing above all others.

[Proficiency +1]

[Old Ape Stretches Arms: Proficient (99%) → Mastery (0%)]

Time passed in a blur.

It was already three days later!

For the past three days, Li He had cultivated the Federation Body Forging Fist in the mornings. His fist wind howled, deep and powerful, while the fierce and domineering intent of his punches filled the harbor, drawing amazed glances from neighbors who occasionally passed by.

In the afternoons, he cultivated Old Ape Stretches Arms, restraining his sharpness. His movements were gentle and unhurried, and under the soft guidance of the technique, his sore muscles gradually eased as faint crackling sounds came from his tendons and bones.

These two fist arts, one hard and one soft, complemented each other like yin and yang!

Li He checked his panel.

[Name: Li He]

[Vitality: 7.4 (↑0.5)]

[Skill: Federation Body Forging Fist: Mastery (19%) (↑6%)]

[Skill: Old Ape Stretches Arms: Mastery (0%) (↑100%)]

With two martial arts supporting him and a Vitality of 7.4, he was the king of the Apprentice Realm, officially taking his first steps down the martial path.

He raised his head toward the mouth of the alley, looking at the orange sky carved apart by towering buildings. Thinking of the powerful contestants in the university tournament, he reminded himself that he was still far from enough.

His peripheral vision swept across the square, and he happened to spot Grandpa Zhang carrying a cloth bag as he slowly strolled in from the alley entrance. Judging by his direction, he was heading home.

He had not seen Grandpa Zhang for three days.

"Grandpa Zhang, please wait!"