Unstable Martial Sense

Half the wall was draped in metal, and electronic screens flickered throughout the classroom. Only the central lectern was made of lacquered wood.

The white-haired old man clutched a cane as he slumped in a leather chair. With every breath, the muscles all over his body trembled, while the chair beneath him occasionally let out a creaking groan.

This was Xinhang Martial University's famed White-Haired Yama—Yuchi Yu.

He toyed with a bead carved from a beast's eye in his right hand. One of its eyes slanted upward, casting a cold gaze over the students attending his class.

"Hmph, only this many people came just because it's a large lecture?"

"Every one of my classes is worthy of being published as a paper!"

"There are 2,986 students in total. I hold one large lecture every two days, yet fewer than 600 show up each time."

"Hehe, tell those idiots who didn't come that there'll be a pop quiz next class. Anyone who scores below sixty, or skips it, can prepare to retake this course!"

After saying that, he pushed up his glasses, which were covered in electronic markings, cleared his throat, inserted the courseware key, and activated the light screen.

By then, the class had already been underway for five minutes.

Chu Wen could tell that the traces of Breathing Technique on this teacher were extremely pronounced. As expected of a teacher at Xinhang Martial University—even a theory instructor like him would likely be a formidable general if placed in a martial arts hall!

"The core of my classes has always been the spirit and insight of martial arts."

"The thing you care about most after coming to Xinhang Martial University must be 'martial sense.' There is no doubt about that, since only the nine martial universities can teach it to you."

"Elsewhere, don't even dream of it."

"But with your attitude, you still want martial sense? Hmph! Keep dreaming!"

The atmosphere in the classroom dropped several degrees colder. There had not been many students speaking before, and now no one dared make a sound.

Yuchi Yu pointed at the courseware on the light screen and said, word by word, "The birth of martial arts was, in truth, accompanied by the evolution of humanity."

"In other words, humanity evolves, and martial arts evolve as well. If martial arts evolve too quickly, humanity is eliminated. If humanity evolves too quickly, martial arts are eliminated."

Those words gave Chu Wen much to think about.

They made him think of the vitality value within the Primordial Source Pearl.

Did vitality value accelerate the evolution of martial arts? Then if he himself could not keep up with the increase in vitality value, would he be eliminated? Devoured?

It was only a hypothesis, but it made Chu Wen face the power of the Primordial Source Pearl seriously for the first time.

After all, could a power that allowed him to break through merely by eating and drinking truly come without risk?

"Only when the evolution of martial arts and humanity reaches what is known as balance can it be considered true evolution!"

"This is my Evolutionary Balance Theory."

"All of my classes revolve around evolutionary balance, including certain historical events. Classified or unclassified, I will fit them all into this viewpoint."

"So, if your martial hearts are not firm enough, my theories will influence you."

At this point, a glint of cold light flashed in Yuchi Yu's eyes.

"Last time, I mentioned that five hundred years ago, a streak of starlight once enveloped the skies above the entire world, causing a mutation in martial arts. Martial arts evolved at breakneck speed, while humanity's evolution lagged one step behind and was overtaken by the beasts of the sea."

"Beasts had always survived in the wild, relying on survival of the fittest to deal with harsh environments. Humans, meanwhile, had thermal weapons. At most, they only fought among themselves, living in comfort."

"Martial arts mutated, and the beasts gained intelligence, becoming demons. Humanity rose up, evolving into martial artists."

"Demons were the evolution of beasts, while martial artists were the evolution of humans."

"When the two reached balance, it was as though martial arts had a will of their own. But martial arts itself possessed no will, so this could only be attributed to a hypothesis."

"Once, absolute apex lifeforms existed on land, yet they perished before humanity was even born. Perhaps martial arts was the reason as well. Those overlords failed to grasp 'martial arts' and vanished into the river of time."

"The first person in human history to grasp 'martial arts' was named Li Fengyang. He was the first God of War-level martial artist to emerge, and he established the first unified line of defense against the Demon Race."

"Afterward, several more God of War powerhouses emerged in succession. They established a martial artist training system in the rear, creating the prototype of today's Blue Star Alliance."

"As the first God of War, Li Fengyang did launch invasions against neighboring countries, but his contributions to humanity's survival to this day cannot be erased... Everything must be analyzed from the perspective of 'balance,' using the context of that era to examine a person's motives..."

"And it was also Li Fengyang who first proposed the concept of 'martial sense.'"

"Martial sense, when all is said and done, is a person's compatibility with martial arts. The degree of that compatibility shows just how far they can go on the path of martial arts in the future. In other words, it is a martial artist's upper limit!"

At those words, everyone abruptly raised their heads and stared at the content on the light screen. Chu Wen was the same. He had not expected to hear something like this in his very first class!

"Wanting to improve your martial sense is actually very simple. Just take a walk through the Dragonspine Corridor. If you complete the entire journey, you are guaranteed to become a God of War in the future."

A wicked grin appeared on Yuchi Yu's face as the content on the light screen changed into a video.

Several men appeared in the footage, each bleeding from all seven orifices, pale-faced, even wearing twisted smiles. Every one of them was bound to a hospital bed.

"These are your senior brothers and sisters."

"These are the aftereffects left behind by forcibly enhancing martial sense."

"If your body cannot withstand the power of such martial sense, martial sense will destroy the nerves throughout your body. In other words, you become an idiot."

The resolve that had just ignited in everyone's hearts was immediately doused with a bucket of cold water.

"As for the method of controlling martial sense, it is training."

"And by training, I mean the training you understand. When you have nothing to do, go run around the track for a few days and nights. That is definitely better than mutilating yourself in the Dragonspine Corridor."

A considerable commotion immediately erupted below the stage. Everyone was rather speechless.

Yuchi Yu swept his gaze over the students in their seats, amusement hidden in his eyes.

"The stronger your martial sense, the faster you can master certain martial skills. Everyone agrees on that."

"If any of you are interested in martial sense, I happen to be short one research assistant. You can contact me."

"Hahaha, those were all side topics. Next, let's discuss famous figures in Dragon Nation's martial arts history. Their romantic scandals are enough to keep several gossip magazines alive..."

At that, some people perked up their ears even more.

Chu Wen, meanwhile, stopped taking notes and began organizing the important information he had recorded earlier.

He was used to recording things in writing. Although his optical computer could make real-time records, it always felt somewhat hollow.

"I heard... those senior brothers and sisters on the hospital beds were all Yuchi Yu's former graduate students."

"No way... No wonder he's recruiting people."

The students were well-informed. Otherwise, it would not be possible for a research assistant position under a War King-level martial artist teacher to go unfilled.

Human experimentation! Who would dare go?

"Who is that guy? Why is he taking notes in such a pointless class?"

"No idea. I'm bored to death listening to this. It's always the same things over and over—how hard it was for humanity to carve out its path, how the predecessors shed their heads and spilled their blood... Isn't that cringe?"

A few students sitting near Chu Wen were puzzled, but they did not say anything.

This guy was probably some stubborn fool. Taking notes was just something to move himself emotionally... Wouldn't it be enough to simply learn it?