Big Dipper Club

It wasn't until past ten o'clock that night that Lin Xiuwen suddenly arrived at his rented apartment.

Zhang Shuai, who was busy researching his paleography course, was quite surprised to see her show up in the middle of the night, and naturally, his mind began to wander in a different direction.

He pulled Lin Xiuwen into his arms for a long, lingering kiss, already thinking about moving her to the bed.

However, Lin Xiuwen said with great seriousness, "Zhang Shuai, stop. I came here because I have something important to tell you!"

Seeing her grave expression, Zhang Shuai asked curiously, "What is it? Did it really have to wait until the middle of the night to be said?"

"First, tell me, how is your research on the Small Heavenly Cycle Art coming along?"

Zhang Shuai replied bitterly, "There hasn't been much progress. I always feel like there's too little information to work with. The characters in the manual are like an entirely new language; without enough data, it's incredibly difficult to decipher."

Lin Xiuwen said softly, "Don't be anxious, take your time. Perhaps I can help you!"

Zhang Shuai looked at her in surprise. "You? You aren't a paleography major, how could you help? And I'm not bragging, but even though I've only been studying for two months, there aren't many students in the entire university who could surpass my grasp of the subject..."

Deep down, Lin Xiuwen believed this; she didn't think he was boasting. After all, Zhang Shuai possessed an eidetic memory—how could he not learn things quickly?

"I came here today to tell you one thing: starting tomorrow, I am leaving school to join the 749 Bureau!"

Zhang Shuai's eyes widened in shock. "You're going to the 749 Bureau?"

"That's right. I joined the university's Big Dipper Club these past two months and practiced the Big Dipper Long Fist. Over the last few days, I discovered I seemed to have developed a sense of 'qi,' so I told my uncle, who is the vice-principal of the school. He took it very seriously and contacted the 749 Bureau directly. This afternoon, they sent people to the school to conduct a secret test of my abilities..."

"And you passed?"

"Yes. The 749 Bureau commissioner asked if I wanted to enter the bureau for advanced training, and I agreed. A special car will come to pick me up early tomorrow morning!"

A storm surged in Zhang Shuai's heart. Ever since he found the flash drive belonging to the island nation's female spy, he had known of the 749 Bureau's existence—he knew it was where the Dragon Kingdom secretly cultivated practitioners. He never expected that his own girlfriend would end up going there.

After a long while, Zhang Shuai finally spoke. "We have the manual in our hands. We can decipher it and cultivate it ourselves; that would be so much freer. If you go to the 749 Bureau, you'll be under their control. How could that be better than practicing on your own?"

Lin Xiuwen replied, "I've thought about that. I believe joining the 749 Bureau will be beneficial for us. Perhaps they already have a complete, deciphered version of the Small Heavenly Cycle Art, or even more cultivation resources we know nothing about. Once I'm in, I might be able to help you get the techniques you need to start cultivating sooner."

Zhang Shuai fell silent. Lin Xiuwen was right about that; individual power could never compare to the state apparatus. He could sense that her mindset had changed compared to before the semester began. Perhaps after practicing the Big Dipper Long Fist and discovering her own growing strength, she had developed a burning desire to pursue the Dao and wanted to reach immortality as quickly as possible.

"Xiuwen, what is this 'sense of qi' you mentioned?"

"It's a feeling of a mysterious, faint heat inside my body. Whenever I start running or exerting force, my speed and strength explode in an astonishing way under the influence of that qi. In today's test, my hundred-meter time was 8.56 seconds—I've already broken the world record..."

Eight point five six seconds? That time was far behind Zhang Shuai, who could now run it in under five seconds.

The reason both of them were experiencing these changes that shattered human limits was entirely due to practicing the Big Dipper Long Fist. The state was promoting it vigorously, and it was likely not just for national fitness, but perhaps to scout for cultivation talent.

So, if they were both practicing the same art, why was Zhang Shuai's strength superior to hers?

Zhang Shuai suspected it might be because he had the ability to "recharge."

Regardless, since Lin Xiuwen had chosen to go to the 749 Bureau, Zhang Shuai could only respect her decision. However, he had no desire to join the bureau himself. When he first arrived in Qingshui City from the countryside, he had been bullied and ended up in the police station after a fight, but the officers' attitudes and the way they handled the situation had left him deeply dissatisfied, souring his impression of all government departments.

He held a grudge in his heart; even without the 749 Bureau, he could cultivate on his own, and he wouldn't be any worse than her!

The next day, Lin Xiuwen left the campus quietly. From that point on, Zhang Shuai poured all his focus into researching and deciphering the Small Heavenly Cycle Art.

That morning, Zhang Shuai arrived at the multimedia classroom ten minutes early to attend Professor Wang Songlin's course, Introduction to Philology.

As usual, he chose to sit in the back row. Two male students were chatting in the row in front of him.

Zhang Shuai's hearing was sharp, and he inadvertently caught their conversation.

"Haitao, have you heard? Our school's Big Dipper Club is recruiting. Are you going to sign up?"

"I don't qualify. The requirement for joining is being able to perform all seventy-two forms of the Big Dipper Long Fist fluidly. I can only do the first thirty-six; I can't practice the latter thirty-six at all."

"Yeah, I can't do the last thirty-six either. It's a real shame. I heard the benefits for the Big Dipper Club are excellent, there are tons of beauties, and after New Year's, they get to go to Beijing University to participate in a Big Dipper Long Fist exchange event. The club even covers travel expenses!"

"I'm just curious, why does the school place so much importance on the Big Dipper Long Fist? Shouldn't we students be focusing on our studies?"

"This Big Dipper Long Fist isn't simple. Haven't you seen the news online? A girl practiced it and her body mutated; she can lift a hundred kilograms with one hand, and her hundred-meter sprint time broke ten seconds. That's already broken the women's world record."

"Of course I saw it. You're talking about that internet celebrity named Feng Chunzi, right? She gained millions of followers with a video of her lifting a hundred-kilogram barbell with one hand, and it drew reports from tons of media outlets. But I don't think the news is credible. There's too much fake news these days."

"It shouldn't be fake, right? The General Administration of Sport specifically sent people to witness her hundred-meter sprint and the one-handed barbell lift, and they posted on their official Weibo confirming her results were real. That can't be fake, can it?"

"I don't care, I'm not buying it. Lifting a hundred kilograms with one hand? And a woman? You could kill me, and I still wouldn't believe it."

"You don't believe it? Then have you heard about Li Feng from the student council? He's a beast now. They say his hundred-meter sprint time has broken nine seconds, and his physical strength is absurd."

"I just find it strange. Over the last month or two, I've been hearing this kind of unbelievable news constantly. Could these people really have mutated from practicing the Big Dipper Long Fist? Is it really that magical?"

"Haven't you seen the high-level government officials constantly promoting it? Every university has a Big Dipper Club now, and it's not just universities—elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, vocational schools, factories... the whole country is practicing it. Do you think the state would spend so much effort promoting it if it didn't have some magical effect we don't yet understand?"