"Next, Ye Li!"
At the sound of his name, Ye Li's heart tightened.
It was his turn. He suppressed the unease in his heart and strode forward!
Instructor Feng stared at the youth before him, and the information on him immediately surfaced in his mind. He said mildly:
"Since your trait is [Exceptional Agility] and you have attended a private school, practice this Nine Chapters Fist Manual."
Ye Li solemnly answered yes and accepted the thick book handed over to him, his mood somewhat heavy.
He could only pray that, despite having no comprehension-enhancing trait, he could easily master this martial skill.
It took the time of an incense stick for Feng Yue to finish distributing all the wholesale low-tier cultivation manuals in his hands. A trace of solemnity appeared in every youth's eyes.
This was because these manuals were different from the common goods that could be bought for ten taels of silver.
Next, Feng Yue would teach them the Azure Dragon Sect's core secret art, Azure Dragon Force!
This was an absolute core secret, and the Azure Dragon Sect relied on its martial power in Guangming to enforce a monopoly over knowledge.
If anyone outside the gang was reported for practicing or teaching it, their limbs would be broken in minor cases; in serious cases, their entire family would be wiped out.
Even students who joined the gang had to sign contracts of sale. Unless they became formal students and were exempted from the price, they would serve as slaves and servants for life.
If Ye Li failed to become a formal student within half a year, he would have to serve the Azure Dragon Sect as a slave and servant for the rest of his life!
They controlled it so harshly because cultivation methods were the foundation of martial arts!
Without the support of cultivation methods, those martial skills from before were like the moon reflected in a well, flowers in a mirror—no more than aerobics.
Feng Yue swept his gaze over those below and said leisurely, "As everyone knows, martial arts emphasize body tempering. It is divided into Body Tempering, Post-Heaven, Xiantian, Grandmaster, and Martial Saint Realm!"
"With every breakthrough, you enter a completely new world, and your strength undergoes earth-shaking changes!"
"Body Tempering means tempering the sinews and flesh, strengthening the skin and shell! You forge a web of qi and blood within the skin!"
"Therefore, this realm was anciently called Skin Refinement!"
"Unlike those qi refiners who seek long life and far-reaching sight, casually extending their lives by a thousand years, we martial artists value combat above all else. Our lifespans are brief, and before reaching the Xiantian Realm, we have only a hundred years to live!"
"Therefore, talent is paramount in martial arts. If you enter the Body Tempering Realm within half a year, your talent can be considered passable, and you will qualify to become a core student."
As Feng Yue spoke, a malicious grin appeared on his face:
"When that time comes, if any of you become core members of the gang, the gang will pay to take you to Spring Return Alley for some fun!"
The moment those words fell, an uproar swept through the crowd.
Smiles of instant understanding appeared on the faces of some knowledgeable youths!
"Spring Return Alley..."
Ye Li thought for a moment before realizing that it seemed to be a Flower-and-Willow Alley under the Azure Dragon Gang's control!
Feng Yue still wore that ill-intentioned expression:
"To put it in the words of those upper-city people, one of the benefits of becoming a core gang member is that listening to music in pleasure houses will cost you nothing from then on!"
"Not only will it cost nothing, you'll be encouraged to go every day! Day after day! Even if you don't want to go, you won't have a choice!"
Listening to the grand promises Feng Yue painted, the youths below had already been stirred up.
Their faces flushed red as they resolved to become core gang members and listen to music in pleasure houses every day!
Yet as Ye Li looked at the smile on Instructor Feng's face, he always felt there was something more behind his words, that it was not so simple.
Was this not corroding the fighting spirit of the gang's students?
What martial artist could withstand such a test?
After making those simple grand promises, Feng Yue raised his hands into a guarding stance and began explaining:
"At the Body Tempering Realm, Azure Dragon Force is divided into two stages: breathing and force circulation!"
"The Martial Saint Realm has studied the mysteries of the human body down to the finest detail. Through inward observation, it knows that the human body's muscles, from outside to within, amount to 639 pieces!"
"Azure Dragon Force's breathing is divided into eighty-one breaths of varying depths.
"Combined with different bodily postures to circulate force, it loosens the sinews and bones and nourishes qi and blood. It can simultaneously activate more than five hundred muscles, unleashing endless marvels!"
"Only when you can maintain those unbroken eighty-one breaths while walking, sitting, lying down, swinging your arms, and taking strides can you be considered to have mastered it!"
As he spoke, Feng Yue began demonstrating with his body. Starting from an ordinary guarding stance, his movements gradually became profound and obscure.
Every twist of his waist and turn of his hips, every sinking shoulder and dropping elbow, was accompanied by breaths deep or shallow, swift or slow!
The youths stared at their instructor's movements, utterly absorbed.
The breathing and movements before their eyes seemed formed by nature itself. Though the motions were obscure, their transitions were incomparably smooth, entirely unlike anything they had seen before!
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Feng Yue finished his demonstration.
He looked down at the crowd and asked, "How many forms of that set did you remember?"
Silence...
Embarrassment appeared on the faces of the youths below.
Ye Li inwardly complained, How could anyone remember it after seeing it once? I forgot every last bit! I only remember that it looked incredibly powerful!
Even though he had tried his best to memorize it, the human brain was not a computer. At most, he could remember one move or half a move...
"Thirty percent!"
Suddenly, a youth proudly shouted aloud!
"Ah!"
Ye Li turned his head in astonishment, only for another voice to rise from the crowd:
"Fifty percent! I remembered fifty percent!"
Ye Li thought, There are even experts here?
Then another youth said arrogantly, "Instructor, I have already firmly remembered seventy percent. If you demonstrate it once more, I can memorize it completely!"
As those boasts came one after another, Ye Li turned to look, and his heart immediately sank to the bottom!
[Exceptional Agility], [Shrewd and Capable], [Clever and Intelligent]...
Ye Li discovered that nearly everyone who had spoken possessed trait bonuses related to comprehension or memory.
Especially the person who had remembered seventy percent—he was a classmate from the private school named Tang Jian.
Like Ye Li, he possessed the [Exceptional Agility] trait and had received a thirty percent comprehension bonus!
Those capable of acquiring such traits were already youths with strong minds. With the trait enhancement added on top, the results were difficult to imagine!
"Ye Li, how much did you remember!"
Suddenly, a voice came from above, making Ye Li's heart clench.
He looked up and saw Instructor Feng staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze, as though he wanted to see straight through Ye Li's heart!
"You also have the [Agility] trait. Did you remember sixty percent... or seventy percent?"
"Everything... I forgot everything..."
Ye Li desperately wanted to say that, but the future of broken bones and torn sinews made the words impossible to utter!
I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!
An intense sense of impending death rose from the depths of his heart!
The difference between having a trait and lacking one was like a vast chasm. There was simply no concealing it!
Under the pressure of death, though his face remained as calm as still water, a layer of cold sweat had gradually formed across his back.
Should I keep making something up, or tell the truth?
If I put on a show for him, can I surrender and lose only half?
The atmosphere changed bit by bit amid his silence.
A trace of confusion gradually appeared in Instructor Feng's eyes!
Just as Ye Li gritted his teeth and was about to speak in that stifling atmosphere, he discovered a pale blue virtual window gradually appearing before his eyes!
Name: Ye Li Realm: Mortal (0/1000) Cultivation Method: Azure Dragon Force "Azure Dragon Force (1/100)" Talent Trait [Dazzling: World-Shocking Wisdom]: Learn, summarize, elevate! Description: "Awakened trait [World-Shocking Wisdom]" "You watched Azure Dragon Force in full once and gained +1 comprehension" ...
"What strange smell?"
The instant Ye Li saw the contents displayed on the panel, a thought arose in his mind!
The next moment, an immense amount of knowledge surged into his mind!
The rhythm of the breathing, the range of the movements, the postures of motion...
The memories he had originally forgotten became as firm as if they had been welded into his brain!
After only a few breaths, Ye Li had completely committed the cultivation method Azure Dragon Force to memory.
"Ye Li! What are you spacing out for!"
In reality, the long silence and hesitation had finally made Feng Yue impatient and suspicious.
He lowered his head to stare at the youth before him. "How much do you remember now?"
Feeling the additional memories in his mind, Ye Li drew a light breath and cupped his hands.
"Reporting to Instructor Feng, I have already remembered all of it!"
As he spoke, he lowered his head, unable to conceal the excitement in his eyes.
From this day onward, he, Ye Li!
Could finally be considered one of the Cheat Clan!