True Secret Technique!

Yan Zhenghua deftly performed a few tricks with the yo-yo in his hand, then continued, "Because it's too lethal, I can only use this yo-yo as a substitute! Master it in seven days, tuition is one thousand!"

Looking at the slightly lecherous look in the other man's eyes, Lu Ren clenched and unclenched his fists, desperately wanting to smash that lecherous face with a weight.

Seeing Lu Ren's anger rapidly rising, Yan Zhenghua said in surprise, "Don't like it? Excellent. I like picky people like you. I've got more!"

"Electric Venom Dragon Drill!!!"

Yan Zhenghua stood on one leg like a golden rooster, his sole constantly sliding as he spun in circles.

"This was originally a signature move created by Wang Xiaohu of Dragon Tiger Gate. It was once merely a fantasy, but after my improvements, it has become a deadly leg technique. Master it in half a month, tuition is fifteen hundred!"

Lu Ren could no longer endure it. Filled with righteous anger, he politely and tactfully refused, "Sorry, but I prefer playing around with weapons."

"Weapons?"

Yan Zhenghua froze for a moment before saying, "Do you know why I've never married all these years?"

"Sorry, we haven't even known each other for half an hour. I didn't even know whether you were married."

But judging by the way you look, you're definitely destined to stay single for life. Thinking this, Lu Ren felt a pang of sorrow. Fuck, he was already twenty-five or twenty-six and had never even touched a woman's hand. His only close contact had been when Zhang Qingya lunged at him in the world of Silent Slaughter, trying to bite him.

Lost in his memories, Yan Zhenghua ignored Lu Ren's disdain, along with that faint sense of shared misery. In a state of self-sublimation, he wore a weathered expression and said, "Back then, to cultivate this sword technique, I remained unmarried my entire life."

Lu Ren's expression shifted. At last, this seemed somewhat interesting. He looked at Yan Zhenghua seriously.

Yan Zhenghua drew a wooden sword from beside him and chanted.

"As the saying goes, when there are no women in your heart, drawing your sword comes naturally!"

Clang!

"First stance of the sword manual: Forget Your Beloved!"

A crisp sword chime rang out as Yan Zhenghua lightly moved his wrist, making Lu Ren's eyes widen.

As Yan Zhenghua's greasy body twisted, the wooden sword in his hand whistled through the air. Even Lu Ren, who had retreated to the wall, felt a splitting sword wind rush toward his face.

Every move was powerful and imposing, yet it flowed with the agility of a swimming dragon. It shifted smoothly between stillness and motion, possessing the beauty of a perfect union between strength and speed.

Ten seconds later, Yan Zhenghua lowered his sword and collected his stance. His expression solemn, he asked seriously, "This sword technique is called Heartless Swordplay. Want to learn it?"

Yan Zhenghua really had some skill. That sword technique alone had shown that it was indeed extremely powerful.

"Yes!"

Lu Ren truly did. That swordsmanship was genuinely impressive; just the shifts, turns, and coordination of waist, legs, and arms were enough to tell.

Though Yan Zhenghua's performance had made it seem somewhat greasy, its virtues outweighed its flaws.

Yan Zhenghua asked, "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Single since birth?"

"...Yes."

Yan Zhenghua glanced over Lu Ren's arms and noticed that the muscles on his right arm were more defined and slightly thicker than those on his left. A smile appeared on his face.

"Young man, remember this: women only affect the speed at which you draw your sword. Master it in ten years, tuition is one hundred thousand per year!"

Seeing Lu Ren turn and leave without hesitation, Yan Zhenghua promptly shouted, "There's an introductory trial! Only twenty-five hundred!"

Lu Ren stopped, turned around, and said, "I'll give it a try."

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Aside from reporting to the police station once a month, Lu Ren worked as a sparring partner at Li Ran Club while studying swordsmanship under Yan Zhenghua.

As for the hospital bills, they had been fully repaid after half a month. The wealthy middle-aged man who came often was named Liu Chengxue, and every time he came, he would pull Lu Ren over to be his sparring partner.

He was said to be the owner of a multinational publicly listed company. After a month, his big belly had noticeably slimmed down.

Lu Ren found being his sparring partner quite easy, especially since the man paid generously. The only issue was that his proficiency increased somewhat slowly.

Still, the overall trend was upward.

After Zhang Kui learned that Lu Ren had sternly and righteously refused, he walked away with his hands behind his back, looking desolate.

Lu Ren had asked Li Cunyi about it. Getting in and learning real kung fu was far from simple. Even with great talent, one would first have to spend three years practicing stance work to build a foundation. As for whether the true teachings would be passed on, if one had no money, it would depend on one's performance.

That "performance" was rather open to interpretation. It was not that they would refuse to teach, but Lu Ren had no desire to gamble three years of his life on what exactly it entailed.

These days, working as a sparring partner had rapidly increased the proficiency of his physical attributes. The thrill of receiving immediate feedback made him enjoy it immensely, giving him the addictive feeling of killing monsters, completing quests, and leveling up.

As for Luo Zixuan's mother, Meng Xian, she had quieted down after spending time in detention. Lu Ren, who had remained on guard the whole time, felt as though he had been battling wits with thin air.

As for the martial arts he was currently studying, honestly, in this era, if one trained for ten or twenty years without exceptional talent, someone could still send them to their grave with a five-cent bullet.

Every martial arts master had begun building their foundation from childhood, tempering their bodies through winter's cold and summer's heat. It took around seven or eight years before results first emerged and they gained formidable combat ability.

Though he had also asked Zhang Kui, who said that traditional martial arts were not necessarily better the younger one started. The best time to practice martial arts was after the bones and muscles had matured. At twenty-five or twenty-six, the human body was at its peak, a condition that lasted from one's twenties until around thirty before gradually declining.

After that, although one could still be considered in one's prime at forty or fifty, the wear and tear on Bodily Functions greatly reduced training efficiency.

Still, there were late bloomers.

In modern times, there had supposedly been someone who began practicing martial arts at fifty-two, locked down his qi and blood at sixty, and eventually became a peerless master at the rare old age of seventy.

This...

Don't believe rumors, and don't spread them!

Modern mixed martial arts, on the other hand, only required two or three years to rapidly develop decent combat ability and the means for self-defense. For Lu Ren, as long as it could initially form a skill, it would accelerate his cultivation.

As for kung fu, Lu Ren was trying it now. If he had to spend three years polishing himself before being allowed through the door, it would be far too late by then.

But society was peaceful now. If someone wielded a blade without proper character, they would sooner or later end up behind bars.

In this peaceful age, there was no use for martial arts even after learning them. If used in fighting competitions, the restrictions were exceedingly numerous. One might as well use free fighting.

As a result, martial arts throughout China had gradually declined.

Lu Ren had heard all this from Yan Zhenghua and Zhang Kui. Seeing them sigh deeply, he found that most no longer cared much about sectarian barriers or keeping their knowledge hidden.

It was just that Li Ran Club was desperate for money, while Yan Zhenghua was desperate to take advantage...