Chapter 16

"Since we're not making a profit, these are the conditions we have. Sorry it's so basic." The girl smiled apologetically. "My name is Xu Yi. You can just call me Sister Xu. Since you managed to find this place, I assume you're very interested in Naxi Swordsmanship."

"Yes, but I'm a beginner and don't know anything. I can only start with the basics. Do you teach those here?" Lin Sheng asked.

"No problem, as long as you're willing to learn." Xu Yi reached over with practiced ease, picked up a printed sheet, and handed it to Lin Sheng.

"These are our basic prices. Take a look and choose whichever package you like."

Lin Sheng took the sheet and glanced over it.

'Basic course: eighteen lessons, two per week. Tuition: four hundred.'

'Advanced course: eighteen lessons, one per week. Tuition: one thousand.'

'Coach information.'

Below was a list introducing the coaches.

There were two club members responsible for teaching.

One was named Chen Huan, the other Du Xinlei. One man and one woman, each assigned to students of the corresponding sex. Both held Level Three national athlete certificates.

That was all.

Lin Sheng's face twitched.

Level Three athlete. Those certificates were practically worthless. Anyone who came out of a sports school with even halfway decent results could pass the test for one.

In some remote areas of Celine, people could even pay to buy the certificate.

Only Level Two and Level One certificates were worth anything.

From the looks of it, this club was an unofficial, fly-by-night operation. Still, he could try it out first. It was better than having nowhere to learn.

"Can I try a class first? I'm a student, and you know students don't have much money," Lin Sheng asked honestly.

Xu Yi smiled.

"Of course. The first class is free. When would you like to schedule it? Usually, Chen Huan teaches the boys, and Du Xinlei is responsible for the girls."

Lin Sheng glanced at the clock hanging on the wall nearby.

"It's two in the afternoon, and I don't have any classes this afternoon. Could I start now? How long is each lesson?"

"Each lesson is forty minutes. I'll take you over and ask if Coach Chen Huan is available." Xu Yi called out a goodbye to the other two, rose to her feet with practiced ease, and led Lin Sheng out.

They turned left and soon climbed another flight of stairs, stopping beside the stairwell.

There were two large classrooms on either side of the stairwell, and shouts rang out from both.

There were more women's voices on the left and more men's voices on the right.

"You'll be on the right. I'll go ask." Xu Yi told Lin Sheng to wait by the door, then went into the classroom on the right.

The classroom was enormous, about the size of four ordinary school classrooms combined.

Thick padded mats covered the floor. The walls were bare concrete, with two rows of rudimentary fluorescent lights overhead.

A slender, long-legged woman with a ponytail was wearing tight gray pants and a pale white short-sleeved T-shirt. Holding a black wooden stick, she was demonstrating something to three male students.

She had fair skin and a slim waist. Even from the side, she was a beauty, easily a seven or eight out of ten. She noticed Xu Yi coming in and turned her face toward her to say hello.

The two exchanged a few quiet words. Xu Yi beckoned to Lin Sheng.

"Try a lesson first, then decide whether you want to sign up."

Lin Sheng nodded. "All right."

He followed her over and glanced at the crude wooden stick in the woman's hand. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"I'm Chen Huan, the swordsmanship coach here. All right, let's continue where we left off."

She had delicate features, almond-shaped eyes, and a small mouth. Her gaze held a hint of determination. She looked like the stubborn type.

Lin Sheng went over and stood beside the three students listening to the lesson, quietly beginning to pay attention.

"Once you've assumed your stance, the next step is to watch your opponent. Pay attention to where they're generating force."

"By a point of force, I mean any muscle or tendon that moves before force is exerted."

Coach Chen Huan gripped the wooden stick with both hands, raised it upright, and held it beside her right ear.

"First, the Roof Stance. Since we have a new student, we'll review it.

A stance is a starting position designed to help you attack faster and strike your opponent's vital points more quickly.

The Roof Stance is one of them. It's one of the most basic sword stances, and you must master it."

Lin Sheng listened closely. More than ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Huan's explanations had gotten a little advanced, and she had only skimmed over the basics. Fortunately, she soon had the other students practice on their own, each taking a wooden stick and moving off to the side.

Then she had Lin Sheng take a wooden stick from a corner of the classroom as well.

"Is this your first time learning?"

"Yeah. I've never learned it or even tried it before." Lin Sheng nodded.

"Why do you want to learn Naxi Swordsmanship?" Chen Huan casually flicked her wooden stick. Though it was a thick stick, she swung it so lightly that it still cut through the air with a sharp whoosh.

Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes and watched the stick sway.

"Because I'm interested."

"Not very convincing." Chen Huan smiled. "All right, since you have no experience at all, I'll start with the very basics."

She held the wooden stick and raised it upright again, beside her right ear.

"The foundations of Naxi Swordsmanship consist of three parts: stances, basic moves, and sword techniques. Our club mainly teaches the basic stances and moves. Sword techniques are far beyond you for now, so there's no point discussing them."

"Okay, I understand." Lin Sheng nodded to show he followed.

"Naxi Swordsmanship is an intricate style of swordsmanship that came from a foreign country in ancient times. Many people think it's just mindless hacking and slashing, with no technique involved. They couldn't be more wrong." Chen Huan raised the wooden stick over her head with both hands.

"This is another basic stance, the Roof Stance. It's commonly used when you aren't wearing armor. Holding the sword above your head makes it easier to strike downward.

"The stance from earlier is used when wearing armor. Since the helmet is so tall and bulky, the sword is held beside the ear instead."

"Understood." Lin Sheng raised his wooden stick and copied her stance.

"After stances come the basic moves. The basic moves of Naxi Swordsmanship are mainly thrusts, cuts, and winding strikes. If you sign up later, these are the three main categories you'll need to learn."

Chen Huan began demonstrating the simple Roof Stance and one of the basic moves, the thrust, to Lin Sheng one-on-one.

The forty-minute lesson passed in no time.

Lin Sheng had more or less learned the general form.

Next came the most important part: paying.

"I don't have the money right now. Could I pay part of it first?" Lin Sheng asked calmly.

He had only a little over a hundred in pocket money left. His older sister had said she would send him some money, but he didn't plan to rely on her.

As someone who had transmigrated, it would be ridiculous if he couldn't even earn a little money.

"Part of it? How much?" Chen Huan asked, at a loss for words.

"One hundred. I can take a quarter of the lessons for now," Lin Sheng said calmly. "I'll pay the rest when I have the money."

"That's fine." Chen Huan thought it over and nodded.

After confirming his enrollment, the two discussed a class schedule. They would try to arrange the lessons for weekends when Lin Sheng didn't have classes.

Once everything had been settled, Lin Sheng paid one hundred yuan, took his receipt and the black wooden stick they had given him, and left the swordsmanship club.

Before leaving, he had also asked and learned that the club was usually empty after four in the afternoon. The training area was open for anyone to use, so he could come by himself and practice with the other students. The club did have protective clothing and helmets for sparring, after all.

Naturally, he would have to pay the replacement cost for anything he damaged.