Choosing a Technique

Chen Mochuan and Li Biao entered Mingxin Martial Arts Hall. Of the two front-desk attendants on duty, one was clearly acquainted with Li Biao and immediately greeted him warmly.

"Member Li, would you like to book one of our resident masters for training guidance today?"

Li Biao shook his head. "I'm accompanying a classmate to have a look around today. We'll train by ourselves."

Seeing that the person beside Li Biao was a completely unfamiliar face yet held a Gold Membership Card from the martial arts hall, the attendant understood that this was today's main guest and hurriedly smiled attentively.

"Sir, is this your first time at our Mingxin Martial Arts Hall?"

Being called "sir" for the first time, Chen Mochuan felt a little unaccustomed to it, but he answered calmly, "Yes, I'm here to activate my card today."

The Gold annual membership card Li Biao had given him was an unregistered prepaid type. It would only be activated after information was bound to it upon first use, and was often used as a gift.

"Certainly, sir. Gold Member is the highest membership tier at Mingxin. Activating the card requires a simple information registration. Please come this way."

The two followed the attendant into a room resembling a medical examination room, where several measuring instruments had been set up.

After obtaining Chen Mochuan's consent, the attendant measured several of his physical statistics and recorded them in his membership profile.

Name: Chen Mochuan

Age: 16

Date of Birth: December 18, Star Calendar 2649

Height: 186 cm

Weight: 83.5 kg

"Brother Chuan, you got taller again! Don't tell me you'll surpass me before long?" Seeing Chen Mochuan's newly measured height and comparing it to his own 188 centimeters, Li Biao couldn't help crying out.

"I'm still young. Of course I grow fast." Chen Mochuan teased with a smile.

"Being young is such a big deal, huh?" Li Biao curled his lip.

He had also been born in Star Calendar 2649, but his birthday was in June, and he had already turned seventeen. In reality, he was more than half a year older than Chen Mochuan.

Yet Chen Mochuan had always looked after him since middle school, and Li Biao had always felt that Chen Mochuan was much more mature, more like an older brother. Thus, he had long been accustomed to calling him Brother Chuan.

The final item to be measured was Blood-Qi Value.

It wasn't Blood-Qi Value indirectly calculated through fist strength or speed. Instead, a specialized instrument scanned the body and tested it directly.

Very quickly, the result came out: [3.16], exactly matching what was displayed on Chen Mochuan's light-screen panel.

This time, Li Biao didn't make a fuss. First, the attendant was present, so it wasn't appropriate to say too much and risk exposing Chen Mochuan's awakened Spirit Talent. Second, his own Blood-Qi Value had also risen extremely quickly at the start after awakening his Spirit Talent, so he wasn't surprised.

Gold Members could use the testing instruments to measure their Blood-Qi Value an unlimited number of times, so Li Biao tested himself as well.

[6.15]

He grinned and showed off. "You might be able to surpass me in height, but Blood-Qi Value won't be so easy."

Chen Mochuan smiled faintly without arguing. Li Biao's Blood-Qi Value had only been [5.98] during the monthly exam, placing him eleventh in the grade. After awakening his Spirit Talent, he had progressed by leaps and bounds. Now, he could undoubtedly secure a spot in the top ten.

"Mr. Chen, all your data and identity information have been entered." The attendant returned the membership card with both hands.

Once his identity information had been bound, Chen Mochuan wouldn't need to carry the card with him whenever he came to Mingxin in the future. Facial recognition would be enough.

"Brother Chuan, have you decided which technique to choose from the ones I sent you?" Li Biao asked at the right moment.

According to Ministry of Education regulations, public high school Martial Arts Departments had to make Root-Solidifying Stance and Foundation Building Fist their primary studies in order to ensure students built a solid Martial Dao foundation. Before these two techniques reached Perfection, schools generally weren't allowed to teach students any other Martial Dao techniques in any form.

However, combat was also an important assessment subject in the College Entrance Exam for the Martial Arts Department, and Foundation Building Fist, which didn't stand out in actual combat, wasn't the optimal choice.

Therefore, some students sought channels outside school in order to learn techniques better suited to real combat.

Under such circumstances, martial arts halls certified by the Hua Nation Martial Association to impart techniques became the main path for most ordinary students to learn other Martial Dao techniques, apart from descendants of martial arts families with inherited traditions.

As one of Antu City's best martial arts halls, Mingxin Martial Arts Hall naturally possessed the relevant qualifications to impart techniques, something the martial arts hall Chen Mochuan had frequented before couldn't possibly compare with.

Moreover, Mingxin's annual Gold Membership not only included one-on-one guidance from a resident Martial Artist once a month, but also allowed members to choose one technique publicly taught within the hall to learn.

When Li Biao had invited Chen Mochuan to train at Mingxin last night, he had sent him six techniques currently available for selection.

"Yeah, I've decided. I'll learn Tiger Fiend Fist." Chen Mochuan chose a fist technique.

"Tiger Fiend Fist is powerful, but it isn't easy to master," Li Biao reminded him kindly.

When he had first come to Mingxin, Tiger Fiend Fist had been the first technique he chose.

But that fist technique hadn't suited him, and it was difficult to practice. He had spent half a month without even reaching Initiation, after which he switched to another fist technique that suited him better.

"It's fine. This is the one." Chen Mochuan was certain.

He had already investigated it. Tiger Fiend Fist was a fierce and forceful fist technique, and its offensive power was outstanding even among many techniques of the same tier. That was precisely what he valued most.

Its corresponding weakness, however, was that it was difficult to practice. But Chen Mochuan, with Spirit Devourer in his possession, didn't care about that.

Difficult to practice? At worst, I'll just absorb more Martial Dao Spirits.

After registering the Tiger Fiend Fist he had selected, Li Biao, who was thoroughly familiar with Mingxin Martial Arts Hall's layout, politely declined the attendant's offer to show them around and led Chen Mochuan farther inside.

Before long, the two arrived outside a Martial Arts Room with a [Tiger Fiend Fist] sign hanging above the door. After verifying their identities, they entered and found no one else inside.

"We came early. There are still more than twenty minutes before class starts."

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Li Biao explained, "Instructor Feng Shi, who teaches Tiger Fiend Fist, is a fourth-year student at Songcheng University who signed a long-term core member contract with Mingxin. I heard that as early as his freshman year, he broke through the human body's Essence Gate limit and advanced from a Martial Warrior to a Martial Artist in the Mortal Shedding realm."

"As expected of a senior from Songcheng University," Chen Mochuan praised.

Songcheng University was one of the Thirty-Six Elite Schools. Located in Songcheng, the provincial capital of Songjiang Province, it ranked second within the province only to Yunhan University, one of The Big Six, and was the preferred target of many students in advanced classes.

But even at Songcheng University, students who broke through to become Martial Artists while still enrolled were uncommon. Feng Shi, who had broken through in his freshman year, was undoubtedly one of the best among them.

"Instructor Feng is a great person, and he's long since cultivated Tiger Fiend Fist to Perfection. If you have any questions about the fist technique, ask him more often." Li Biao smiled and advised, "With your comprehension, Brother Chuan, you should be able to reach Initiation in Tiger Fiend Fist within a few days."

At that moment, a tall, muscular youth had just stepped into the Martial Arts Room. Hearing Li Biao's words, he couldn't help snorting derisively. "Someone who couldn't even reach Initiation in Tiger Fiend Fist after half a month has the nerve to spout nonsense here?"