Registration

Jiang Jinshi stood on the platform with both hands raised high. One fight had made him famous among East Lake City's high school students.

Among the Arms-Through Boxing Hall's students, he was nothing special. Apart from his sharp combat instincts, his strength, reflexes, and stamina were not top-tier for his level.

His aptitude for martial arts was average, too. He had yet to master the killing moves of Arms-Through Boxing well enough to use them in a real fight, so he relied mostly on basic punches.

If he had not happened to face an opponent whose style he countered, he might not have won against a student from another school.

Chen Yiming looked at Jiang Jinshi on the platform, then at Liu Qingqing, who had found a shawl to drape over herself at the edge of the arena. He thought:

Liu Qingqing is way too thin-skinned. That bragging kid said she knew loads of techniques, so why didn't she try a few more? There's no way her opponent could counter every move. Now Phantom Light Sword is the only one I managed to steal.

He felt a little disappointed. With his level-one swordsmanship talent, he wanted to build up his repertoire as quickly as possible. Mastering styles of swordsmanship would give him more options against future opponents.

The exhibition matches continued.

The remaining contestants from First High gave their all whenever they faced someone from Second High, especially Jiang Jinshi.

After another win, Jiang Jinshi faced a First High contestant who also practiced boxing.

Having already fought two matches, Jiang Jinshi was at a stamina disadvantage. His opponent traded punches with him head-on, and Jiang Jinshi eventually ran out of strength and lost.

That reassured First High's students. Jiang Jinshi was not actually stronger than Liu Qingqing; he had made a name for himself through sheer luck.

Chen Yiming watched for nearly two hours. Apart from stealing Liu Qingqing's Phantom Light Sword, he gained nothing.

This was the true standard of martial arts in high school. The vast majority of students were still learning basic moves.

Even the few who had mastered the basics and joined martial arts schools had not learned their schools' techniques well enough to use them in a real fight.

He had a sudden urge to find an opportunity to cover his face and intercept Liu Qingqing on her way home.

He could pretend to be a robber, fight her, and steal her other sword techniques.

But after thinking it over, he realized the plan was too wishful to work.

If Liu Qingqing could not beat him, she would try to run, not switch to another sword technique and keep fighting.

And he had no intention of becoming a real robber. Once Liu Qingqing returned to her school for help, he could not count on leaving no trace for her fellow disciples to follow.

At that thought, Chen Yiming lost all interest in watching.

As he prepared to leave, he caught sight of a short man sneaking along the wall toward his bicycle.

"You little thief! Stop right there!"

Chen Yiming cursed and sprinted toward the man, pulling the wooden sword from his back as he ran. He would cut this enemy down with one strike and mark his first fight since gaining his new ability with a satisfying victory.

The short man was experienced. The moment he saw Chen Yiming charging with a sword, he vaulted into the park's trees and fled.

Chen Yiming reached the wall and had to stop.

He did not know the wooded area well, so his chances of catching the man were slim. Besides, the thief might have an accomplice hidden in the crowd.

If he kept chasing, the other thief could easily use the distraction to steal his bicycle.

In his first fight since gaining his new ability, the enemy had escaped.

Annoyed, Chen Yiming got on his bicycle and continued on his way to register.

Chen Yiming arrived at the parking area beside the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy.

Far more people had come to ask about enrollment than usual. Besides the cars belonging to the academy master and a few core disciples, there were two cars with unfamiliar license plates.

These days, an ordinary family could not afford a car. Cars had once again become a sign of wealth.

More than a dozen bicycles were already parked in the marked bicycle area.

Chen Yiming had visited the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy many times. He knew which bicycles belonged to its members.

He found an empty space, parked his bicycle, and walked around to the main entrance.

Inside, several groups sat on the sofas in the reception area, firing questions at the saleswomen.

Each group had come as a family, and everyone talked over one another. The place was bustling.

The saleswomen held brochures and talked without pause. None had time for another customer.

Chen Yiming could only walk over and wait nearby.

Nearly half an hour passed before one family finally left.

Shen Jia, one of the saleswomen, came over to attend to Chen Yiming before she even had a chance to drink any water.

She led him to a nearby sofa and smiled.

"Mr. Chen, you've been here before. Have you made your decision this time?"

Customers who came back a second time were highly likely to sign up. With any luck, she would make a sale without much persuasion and earn an easy commission.

"Yes. No need to explain anything. Let's sign the contract."

Chen Yiming glanced at her and took an envelope straight from his pocket.

It held the enrollment fee. He had already found out exactly how much it cost and what the requirements were.

"Of course, sir. Please wait a moment. Once you've signed the contract, we'll arrange for you to take the group assessment."

Shen Jia soon returned with a blank contract.

After Chen Yiming signed his name, Shen Jia took him to a room on the second floor.

Several young people were already waiting inside. All of them had paid their enrollment fees and were prospective students.

The assessment was scheduled for just before noon. Everyone waited quietly. They were all competing against one another, so no one had much to say.

Several more people were brought in before the assessment began, bringing the total number of applicants to eight.

Before long, a burly man pushed open the door. He looked over the prospective students and announced:

"My name is Wang Bowen. Follow me. The academy master is waiting for you."

He stood nearly two meters tall, with muscles bulging all over his body and filling out his loose training clothes. He looked nothing like a practitioner of Mantis Snake Swordsmanship, a style Chen Yiming knew emphasized speed and stealth.

If Chen Yiming had not seen the man training under the academy master before, he might have thought he had entered the wrong building and ended up at a boxing hall focused on body conditioning.

The group followed Wang Bowen into a spacious room.

Swords of all kinds hung on the walls. An elderly man in white sat sipping tea at his leisure.

Wang Bowen knocked, approached the academy master, Wan Rong, and bowed.

"Master, I've brought today's applicants. When would you like to begin the assessment?"

The elderly man in white looked at the group and nodded.

"I'm sure you all understand the terms, but I'll say it again. If you fail to meet the requirements, the assessment fee will not be refunded. Anyone having second thoughts can still back out now."

"We know. We understand the terms," Chen Yiming replied along with the other seven.

The assessment cost five thousand. All they had to do was perform the basic sword moves once before the academy master and receive his evaluation. It was remarkably expensive.

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