Martial Arts Training and the Assessment

Martial Arts and Evaluation

Lin Qing quickly digested this memory. The man was a refugee who had fled from Meng County in the Shu Region. That area had been ravaged by the flames of war, causing countless commoners to scatter in all directions and become displaced refugees.

He had struggled through untold hardships to reach Shanyin County, only to be denied entry to the city. A cold wind had swept through the previous day, freezing him to death right outside the city walls, whereupon he was promptly sent to the Night Patrol Office.

"What a pitiful soul," Lin Qing lamented. "In this era, it is no easy feat for poor commoners to live out their lives in peace."

Immediately afterward, a wealth of information surfaced before him.

[Please copy one of the martial arts, skills, or talents]

1 Health-Preserving Five-Animal Fist (Perfect Mastery)

A folk health-preserving boxing technique widely circulated in the southern part of the Shu Region, imitating the tiger, deer, bear, ape, and bird. Practicing it strengthens the physique, harmonizes vital energy and blood, and prolongs life.

2 Masonry Skill (Major Mastery)

Proficient in all kinds of masonry skills with ingenious techniques that produce sturdy and durable work.

3 Resilience (Fourth Tier? Elite)

Willpower as steadfast as a rock with formidable endurance, one in a hundred.

4 Artisan Heart (Third Tier? Fine)

Possesses patience and pursuit far beyond ordinary people toward the cause one is focused on.

Lin Qing hesitated slightly and chose to copy the first item, Health-Preserving Five-Animal Fist.

"Masonry skill is useless to me, and the resilience and artisan heart talents are not what I currently need most. Only the Health-Preserving Five-Animal Fist is of genuine use to me."

"Through years of grueling labor, my body has accumulated numerous hidden injuries. If I do not heal them promptly, they are bound to cause major trouble in the future."

Consequently, a new entry for the Health-Preserving Five-Animal Fist appeared under the martial arts column on the panel.

With another mental prompt, he chose to embed it into the equipment slot.

In an instant, his body jolted, and a massive amount of information flooded his mind, detailing every aspect of the Health-Preserving Five-Animal Fist.

His body underwent violent changes as well, as if a surge of physical strength had materialized out of thin order, his complexion grew somewhat rosy, and the lingering aches and pains throughout his frame rapidly faded away.

Three to five breaths later, Lin Qing slowly exhaled a breath of pure air, feeling that his physical condition had peaked.

The Health-Preserving Five-Animal Fist was not a martial art per se, but it built strength and fitness, making the human constitution much healthier.

Now, Lin Qing's back no longer ached, his legs felt no soreness, and his imposing aura had surged by a wide margin.

As long as I keep the Health-Preserving Five-Animal Fist equipped, my body will be conditioned at all times, the hidden ailments inside me will be gradually cured, and my physique will always remain at its peak, Lin Qing thought with considerable delight.

He also received a piece of information in his mind: the equipment slot could be replaced once every twelve hours.

"A day? That should be enough," Lin Qing murmured.

He rose and stepped out of the room, feeling exceptionally refreshed as even the sky seemed much brighter.

"Deng Zhong spent over thirty grueling years just to bring the Five-Animal Fist to perfect mastery, yet in less than fifteen minutes I have stolen the fruits of his labor. This golden finger is truly overpowered," Lin Qing mused.

Not only that, he saw on the panel that the Rebirth Record's level had increased by 0.3%. This meant it would not take long to reach the second tier and unlock the second equipment slot, a prospect with truly boundless potential.

By this time, the corpses in the courtyard had been cleared out. Aside from their own group of thirteen, there were also manual laborers from other courtyards, such as the Household Registration Bureau, Yin-Yang Bureau, and Netherworld Pacification Bureau.

Yang Feng had calculated the head count precisely, assigning exactly one corpse per person, neither more nor less.

Before long, everyone had delivered their corpses to the cremation furnace and reassembled in the courtyard.

Lin Qing swept his gaze across the crowd, counting roughly eighty or ninety people.

"Follow me!"

Yang Feng turned and strode away, with the crowd closely trailing behind him. Soon, the large group arrived at the yamen's martial arts arena.

Pounded from yellow clay, the terrain was flat and spacious enough to accommodate over a thousand people.

Aside from their own eighty-plus members, seven or eight youths were already waiting there, though each of them wore embroidered brocade and cotton-padded garments, clearly not of impoverished backgrounds.

As everyone came to a halt, Yang Feng walked to the very front of the crowd and suddenly announced in a ringing voice, "You have all toiled as laborers in the yamen for three to five years, and today I have brought you here to announce a major matter."

"Our Night Patrol Office is divided into three main teams, respectively responsible for evil exorcism, night patrols, and corpse collection.

To join these three teams, one must first become a martial artist. Martial artists possess robust vital energy and erupting physical force, capable of resisting the invasion of evil spirits.

Therefore, the yamen will send instructors today to impart martial arts to you. This is both a reward and an evaluation, with a limit of half a year. The cream of the crop will be selected and recruited!"

As he spoke, Yang Feng turned his head slightly and said softly to an old man in a white robe with a goatee standing beside him, "Brother Jiang, please say a few words!"

A faint smile graced the old man's face as he stepped forward. "I am Jiang Baihe, constable chief of the Night Patrol Team.

This time, quite a few slots have opened up across the three teams. The Evil-Exorcism Team has the most with four slots, the Night Patrol Team comes next with two slots, and the Corpse Collection Team has the fewest with only one slot. There are a total of ninety-two people present, with a half-year limit. Those whose martial arts realms rank highest will be admitted into the teams. Now, register the roster first. Gao Feng!"

"Here!" A figure clad in black stepped out from behind Jiang Baihe.

"Have them line up for registration," Jiang Baihe said with a beaming smile.

"Understood."

The crowd immediately complied, and within a short while, the registration was complete, primarily covering names, ages, and the teams they wished to join. Naturally, the team Lin Qing wanted to join was the Corpse Collection Team.

Subsequently, the ninety-two individuals were divided into three groups corresponding to the three teams.

Chen Qing stood among a crowd of over thirty other people, all of whom wanted to join the Corpse Collection Team.

Among the three major divisions, corpse collectors received the lowest monthly stipend, but the advantage was that it was the safest.

Evil Spirits Exorcists had to fight Evil Spirits head-on, and night patrollers had to carry lanterns on their night patrols; neither casualty rate was low.

Jiang Baihe stroked his beard and smiled, "For the past half a year, this old man has been responsible for passing down martial arts. Gao Feng, distribute the booklets."

"Yes." Next to Gao Feng stood a wooden box containing various booklets.

He and a few constables quickly finished distributing the booklets, one copy per person.

Chen Qing glanced at it. It was a martial art named Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake.

Contemporary martial arts divided the first three realms into Bright Force, Hidden Strength, and Transforming Force.

Bright Force focused on invigorating blood and Qi while internalizing force. It could strengthen the physique, alter one's foundational bones, and resist Evil Spirits, being further divided into early, middle, and late stages.

The martial art in your hands is named Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake, divided into entry, proficiency, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Perfect Mastery.

Entry corresponded to the early stage; one needed to diligently practice the Spirit Snake Stance and stimulate a wisp of blood and Qi to be considered at entry level.

Proficiency, Minor Mastery, and Major Mastery corresponded to the middle stage; one needed to repeatedly practice the Eight Spirit Snake Forms to strengthen blood and Qi.

Perfect Mastery corresponded to the late stage; one needed to supplement this with a breathing technique to guide blood and Qi to impact acupoints. Once the acupoints opened and force was born, that was Perfect Mastery.

Now, this old man will first demonstrate the stance for you. Go back and memorize all the details and essentials of the Eight Spirit Snake Forms, and in three days, I will teach you the specific moves.

Jiang Baihe's slightly shrill voice echoed across the Martial Arts Arena. Lin Qing listened while flipping through the booklet in his hand.

Then Jiang Baihe took a deep breath and began to demonstrate the stance.

"Step one, gently lift and straighten the crown of the head, as if the skull were suspended by a fine thread, with the chin slightly tucked..."

"Step two, hollow the chest and pluck the back, keeping the back naturally relaxed and upright..."

"Step three, sink and drop both shoulders..."

A full hour later, Jiang Baihe finished explaining the very last detail of the stance.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and loudly proclaimed, "Today is the first day! From now on, you must come here to practice martial arts every afternoon! Gao Feng, keep an eye on them!"

"Yes!"

Out on the Martial Arts Arena, everyone attempted to practice the stance under Gao Feng's supervision, except their movements were extremely non-standard, crooked, and utterly unsightly.

Lin Qing was the same. He only felt that martial arts were difficult; the entry-level stance alone contained a vast number of details, and the book stated that if one's comprehension was insufficient, failing to achieve entry after three years was normal.

Thus time hurried by, and in the blink of an eye two hours passed. Everyone was panting with exhaustion, and Lin Qing was also drenched in sweat.