I Was Actually a Martial Arts Genius?

Changfeng County.

November.

Heavy snow had sealed off the mountains.

Outside a hidden cave.

The north wind cut like a blade. Lu Li shivered, his hands and cheeks red, his whole body flecked with snow.

He tightened his thin, coarse hemp robe and rubbed his hands together again and again, staring fixedly at the black-robed man before him, his eyes burning with longing.

The black-robed man was tall as a bear. He was setting his stance and practicing a sequence of moves.

His movements were swift and forceful, his techniques broad and powerful. Every punch carried a deafening rush of wind, like a tiger roaring through the mountains.

The gale stirred by his formidable strength drowned out the howling north wind. Even the blizzard swirling around them could not come near him.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the black-robed man's expression hardened. He let out a shout and slammed his fist into a tree so wide that two people could barely wrap their arms around it.

The tree burst into flying splinters and snapped in two, falling straight to the ground. The tremendous impact made the earth tremble three times.

Lu Li shuddered, his eyes filled with yearning. "Tsk, flies and bugs can't land on him, not even a feather can touch him, and one punch can knock down a whole tree. Is this what martial arts in this world are like?"

"Truly extraordinary!"

The black-robed man turned around. His face was pale, and his breathing was slightly uneven, as though he had been injured.

Seeing the eagerness in Lu Li's eyes, he looked somewhat helpless. "This is my martial art, Tiger-Subduing Fist."

"Lu Li, the path of martial arts is fraught with danger. Are you sure you want to set foot on it?"

"Take me, for example. I've practiced martial arts for twenty years, and I've only reached the first realm. I still can't break through, and I need powerful medicines to help me. What's more, you..."

He looked Lu Li over. Seeing his frail build and how he shivered in the cold wind, he furrowed his brow.

Lu Li's expression was solemn. Without hesitation, he nodded firmly. "Hero Zhao, if you're unarmed, you're nothing but an ant. I want to learn martial arts!"

He had stumbled into this world sixteen years ago.

At first glance, it seemed little different from the ancient world of his previous life, but in truth, it was entirely different. Demons and monsters ran rampant, rebel armies rose everywhere, and danger lurked on all sides!

When he was young, his parents had both died at the hands of demons and monsters. Still young, Lu Li had no choice but to follow in his father's footsteps and work as a herb gatherer for the Huang Family, scraping by to survive.

He also had to contend with the government's exorbitant taxes and the gangs' ridiculous "protection fees." After layer upon layer of exploitation, he could barely manage one meager meal after another.

Martial arts could change one's station in life.

As the saying went, a fist was power!

A martial artist was respected wherever he went.

But learning martial arts was also outrageously expensive.

The martial arts schools in Changfeng County generally charged twenty taels of silver just to enroll.

For a poor man like Lu Li, even selling himself would not have been enough!

Fortunately, his luck had finally turned.

That morning, Lu Li had gone into the mountains as usual to gather herbs and earn the meager money he needed to stay alive.

He had found Hero Zhao lying by the roadside, bleeding profusely and unconscious.

From his clothes, he could tell the man was dressed like a wandering hero and clearly came from no ordinary background. He was certainly a martial artist. So Lu Li had rescued him, hoping to learn even a move or two in return.

Now that he had a chance to learn martial arts, how could he give it up for nothing?

Hero Zhao's expression was complicated. Seeing Lu Li's resolute face, he finally sighed. "All right. Think of it as a way to strengthen your body. Learning a move or two so you won't be bullied is worthwhile, too."

"Come, follow me."

"Sink your shoulders and elbows, unite your waist and stance..."

As soon as Hero Zhao finished speaking, he began demonstrating the stance of Tiger-Subduing Fist.

Lu Li quickly imitated him, copying what he could.

He spread his feet shoulder-width apart or a little wider, slightly bent his knees, and lowered his center of gravity. He let his hands hang naturally or raised them slightly, making fists at either side of his body as he fixed his gaze straight ahead.

Hero Zhao personally adjusted Lu Li's movements as they practiced.

Before long, Lu Li's legs felt as heavy as if they had been filled with lead. His whole body burned, and cold sweat soaked his back. Beads of sweat as large as beans rolled down his cheeks.

Every muscle in his body ached terribly, and his bamboo-thin frame began to tremble.

Still, Lu Li gritted his teeth and held on, trying to keep his body under control.

He didn't dare slack off. He didn't want to spend his whole life at the bottom of society, living from one day to the next with no certainty he'd survive!

He understood that he was just a common laborer, unlike the young masters and misses from wealthy families, who had strong bodies and medicines to help them.

All he could do was grit his teeth and persevere!

At last, as time passed, he suddenly felt a warm current spread through his blood vessels and flow into every part of his body, making him feel much lighter.

His vision blurred. Just as Lu Li thought he was about to faint, a panel abruptly popped up.

[Life Master: Lu Li]

[Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Attribute: Ten journeys of a nag, with merit in perseverance]

[Martial Art: Tiger-Subduing Fist (Uninitiated 1/100) Practice once a day, and you can master it in ten years.]

"Hmm, is this my cheat?"

Staring at the panel that had suddenly appeared, Lu Li froze for a moment.

Then delight surged through him. His cheat had finally arrived!

As someone who had spent a hundred thousand hours reading web novels, he instantly understood what it did.

"It looks like a proficiency panel, the sort where you just have to study and practice hard, and you'll eventually succeed."

"As expected, a proficiency panel is the best cheat for the poor!" Lu Li mocked himself inwardly.

"If I practice ten times a day, I can master it in a year?"

"Then I'll practice twenty times a day, or thirty!"

Lu Li was invigorated. Reaping the rewards of hard work was undoubtedly a joyous thing.

What he feared was that, as Hero Zhao had said, he would fail to learn martial arts and it would remain nothing but a dream. That would be truly tragic.

Following the techniques of Tiger-Subduing Fist, Lu Li gritted his teeth and practiced the entire routine once more.

He let out a long breath, then looked at the panel again.

Then, something miraculous happened.

The proficiency score beside Tiger-Subduing Fist had gone from one to two!

Lu Li blinked, confirming that it had really changed and wasn't some hallucination brought on by exhaustion.

He was stunned. What was going on?

"Wait. Based on my experience reading novels, this panel is meant for people with poor aptitude. But I'm progressing so quickly—it's absurd. Could it be that I'm not mediocre after all?"

"On the contrary, I might be a martial arts genius!"

Lu Li was quite taken aback. He thought it over, and immediately understood.

The reason he seemed unsuited to martial arts was that he was underfed and weak. His talent simply couldn't shine through!

"All right, you can't rush into martial arts. Go home and think it over. It's getting dark, and these days, undercurrents are stirring. It's not safe out there." Hero Zhao glanced at the sky and spoke.

Lu Li nodded. He wanted to go home and keep testing his cheat, too.

He slung on his herb basket, took a branch to use as a cane, and made his way down the mountain.

Watching Lu Li's retreating figure, Hero Zhao shook his head. "The path of martial arts is as deep as the sea. You can put in the effort and still get nothing. Hoping to cross the social divide through martial arts is a long shot."

"I hope you're prepared for that."

The moment he entered the city and passed through the outermost shantytown, Lu Li heard a hubbub.

There were refugees begging and residents dumping buckets of night soil.

The stench was overpowering. Fortunately, it was winter. In summer, it would have been even worse.

Several bodies lay on the ground, their faces sallow and their emaciated frames little more than skin and bones.

Government lackeys pushed carts, hauling them off to who knew where.

Perhaps to a mass grave, or perhaps to a butcher's shop selling human flesh...

The passersby hurried along, most of them malnourished as well.

As Lu Li passed a gloomy alley, he saw an old man walking along quite normally suddenly get dragged inside. The old man cried out once, then fell silent.

Lu Li shuddered. He hurried away, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the alley.

"This world is getting more and more chaotic!"

When he got home, he opened the door and quickly locked it. Only then did Lu Li finally feel at ease.

After tidying up, Lu Li went into the courtyard, ready to continue practicing Tiger-Subduing Fist.