Chapter 16

"Because we aren't profitable, the conditions are what they are. Please excuse the state of things," the girl explained with a smile. "My name is Xu Yi, just call me Sister Xu. Since you managed to find your way here, you must be very interested in Naxi Swordsmanship."

"I am, but I'm a complete beginner. I don't know anything, so I'll have to start from the basics. I'm not sure if you teach that here?" Lin Sheng replied.

"No problem at all, as long as you're willing to learn." Xu Yi reached out and skillfully pulled a printed sheet from a stack, handing it to Lin Sheng.

"These are our base rates. Take a look for yourself. You're free to choose whichever package you'd like to sign up for."

Lin Sheng took the sheet and scanned it.

'Basic Course: 18 sessions, two sessions per week. Tuition: 400.'

'Advanced Course: 18 sessions, one session per week. Tuition: 1,000.'

'Instructor Information.'

Below that was a list of the instructors.

There were two club members responsible for teaching.

One was named Chen Huan, and the other was Du Xinlei. One man and one woman, each assigned to students of their respective genders. Both held national third-tier athlete certificates.

That was all there was.

Lin Sheng's expression twitched.

A third-tier athlete certificate. That was practically worthless; anyone coming out of a typical sports school with decent grades could pass the test for it.

In some remote areas of Celine, there were even cases where you could simply buy the certificate with money.

Only second-tier or first-tier certificates were actually worth looking at.

By the looks of it, this club was just an unofficial, fly-by-night operation. Still, he might as well give it a try; it was better than having nothing to learn at all.

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

Xu Yi smiled.

"Of course. The first lesson is a free trial. What time would you like to book? Generally, male students are instructed by Chen Huan, and female students are handled by Du Xinlei."

Lin Sheng glanced at the wall clock nearby.

"It's two in the afternoon now. I don't have any classes this afternoon, so could I start now? How long is a session?"

"A session is forty minutes. Let me take you to ask if Instructor Chen Huan has any time." Xu Yi exchanged a few words with the other two people, stood up with practiced ease, and led Lin Sheng out the door.

The two turned left, quickly climbed another flight of stairs, and stopped at the edge of the landing.

There were two large classrooms on either side of the stairwell, from which bursts of shouting could be heard.

There were more female voices on the left and more male voices on the right.

"You're on the right side. Let me go ask." Xu Yi told Lin Sheng to wait at the door while she stepped into the classroom on the right.

The classroom was huge, with an area equivalent to four school classrooms combined.

The floor was covered with thick, soft mats, and the surrounding walls were simple concrete, with two rows of crude fluorescent lights overhead.

A slender, long-legged woman with a ponytail, dressed in gray tight-fitting trousers and a light white short-sleeved T-shirt, was holding a black wooden stick and demonstrating something to three male students.

The woman had fair skin and a slim waist; even just from her profile, she was a beautiful woman with a seven or eight out of ten appearance. She noticed Xu Yi entering and turned her head to greet her.

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

"Go ahead and take a trial lesson first, then decide whether or not you want to sign up."

Lin Sheng nodded. "Alright."

He followed her over, glanced at the crude wooden stick in the woman's hand, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

"I'm Chen Huan, the swordsmanship instructor here. Alright, let's continue with what we were doing."

The woman had delicate features, almond-shaped eyes, and a small mouth, with a look of determination in her gaze. She looked like the stubborn type.

Lin Sheng walked over to the three students listening to the lecture and stood still, quietly beginning to listen.

"After you've set your stance, the next step is to observe. When facing an opponent, you need to pay attention to their points of force."

"The so-called points of force are the parts of the body where muscles and tendons show movement before an attack is launched."

Instructor Chen Huan held the wooden stick with both hands, raised it vertically, and held it beside her right ear.

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

"A stance is a starting position designed to facilitate faster attacks and quicker strikes to an opponent's vitals."

"The Roof Stance is one of them. It is one of the most fundamental swordsmanship stances, and you must master it thoroughly."

Lin Sheng listened carefully to the content, and more than ten minutes passed quickly.

The parts Chen Huan explained were a bit advanced, and the basics were glossed over quickly. Fortunately, she soon arranged for the other students to practice on their own, and each of them took a wooden stick and walked to the side.

Then, she told Lin Sheng to grab a wooden stick from the corner of the classroom as well.

"Learning for the first time?"

"Yes. I've never learned it before, and I've never been exposed to it." Lin Sheng nodded.

"Why do you want to learn Naxi Swordsmanship?" Chen Huan casually swung the wooden stick. Despite it being a thick rod, she swung it with such lightness that it cut through the air with a sharp whistle.

Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes, staring at her swaying wooden staff.

"Because I'm interested."

"Insincere." Chen Huan smiled. "Alright, since you have absolutely no foundation, I'll start with the basics."

She held the wooden staff, raised it vertically once more, and positioned it beside her right ear.

"Naxi Swordsmanship is divided into three parts: stances, basic strikes, and sword techniques. Our club mainly teaches the basic stances and basic strikes. As for sword techniques, that's far too advanced for you, so we won't mention them."

"Understood." Lin Sheng nodded to show he grasped the concept.

"Naxi Swordsmanship is a refined style brought over from ancient foreign lands. Many people mistakenly believe this style is just simple, chaotic hacking and slashing with no technique involved, but that couldn't be further from the truth." Chen Huan raised the wooden staff high above her head with both hands.

"This is also a basic stance, the Roof Stance. It is commonly used when not wearing armor. By holding it above the head, it facilitates downward strikes. The one from before was a stance for when wearing armor; because the helmet is too tall and bulky, the longsword is held beside the ear instead."

"Understood." Lin Sheng raised his wooden staff, mimicking the same stance.

"After stances come the basic strikes. Naxi Swordsmanship's basic strikes primarily consist of thrusting, slashing, and winding. If you enroll later, these are the three categories you will need to learn."

Chen Huan began to demonstrate the simple Roof Stance and one of the basic strikes—the thrust—to Lin Sheng one-on-one.

The forty-minute lesson passed quickly.

Lin Sheng had learned the general form.

Next came the most critical part: paying the fees.

"I don't have enough money right now. Can I pay a portion first?" Lin Sheng said calmly.

He only had a little over a hundred left in total pocket money. Although his sister had said she would send money over, he didn't intend to rely on her.

As a transmigrator, if he couldn't even earn a little pocket money, he would truly be a fool.

"A portion? How much?" Chen Huan asked, speechless.

"One hundred. I can take a quarter of the lessons first," Lin Sheng said calmly. "I'll continue once I've paid the rest."

"That works." Chen Huan thought for a moment and nodded.

Once enrollment was confirmed, the two discussed the class schedule, aiming to arrange it for the weekends when Lin Sheng had no classes.

After everything was settled, Lin Sheng paid the one hundred, took his receipt, and left the swordsmanship club with a black wooden staff that had been issued to him.

Before leaving, he had also made sure to ask: the club was generally empty after four in the afternoon, and the training area could be used freely. He could come by himself to practice and spar with other students, as the facility provided protective gear and helmets for sparring.

Of course, any damage would have to be compensated at cost.