Swallowed Star: Gender-Swapped and Cheating Across the Multiverse
Chapter 5

Practicing the Root-Transforming, Bone-Tempering Chapter

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The vine patterns on the paving stones of the ancient streets also held a wish for "life to flourish without end." Yet now, the details of these patterns had either been worn away by time, or tourists treated them as mere "backdrops," and few of the younger generation could understand the weight of history within them. Muhammad stood beneath the Colosseum's enormous arch with Soka, Karen, Marco, Kino, and the other youths. The Roman scholar Luca pointed to a relief on the inside of the arch and said, "Look at this 'victory pattern.' The pose of the warrior holding an olive branch, like Athena's olive patterns in Greece and the Inca terrace spiral patterns, represents a civilization's pursuit of 'beauty.' But most children today only marvel at the size of the Colosseum and overlook the stories within these patterns." Kino stroked the wool tapestry he carried with him, remembering his experience of using the "Terrace Wave-Treading Step" to bring farming patterns to life at Machu Picchu. "Perhaps we could turn the stonework patterns into a 'history classroom'? Just as we turned terrace patterns into a farming experience, we could let everyone understand Rome's past through interaction." The proposal was soon put into practice, and the "Roman Pattern Awakening Project" unfolded through the meeting of experiences from different civilizations: first, a deep connection between martial arts and history: letting patterns "recreate the spirit of ancient Rome." Lin Xiaowu gazed at the Colosseum's arched structure-the curved crown of the arch happened to align with the "defensive philosophy" of the "hard-body training" in "A Deadly Secret." Drawing on the fighting stances of ancient Roman gladiators, he devised the "Arched Vault Defensive Fist": punches followed the curved trajectory of an arch, retaining the steady force of "Iron Shirt" while incorporating the gladiators' nimble evasions. As the youths practiced, Luca explained alongside them, "Ancient Roman arches could withstand immense pressure. The core of this fist technique is to 'overcome hardness with softness' like an arch, protecting yourself and others." Marco, meanwhile, combined Florence's "Golden Ratio Palm Technique" with Roman column patterns to choreograph the "Column-Style Step": taking steady steps corresponding to the Doric order and raising the hands to imitate the spiral patterns of the Ionic order, allowing the youths to experience the symmetrical beauty of ancient Roman architecture as they moved. Lucio, a fourteen-year-old Roman boy, had originally found history "boring," but after learning the "Arched Vault Defensive Fist," he said, "So these stone patterns held such amazing wisdom about 'protection'!" Second, traditional crafts and modern expression: making patterns "touchable and available for creation." Soka and Karen brought together crafts from different civilizations: they mixed soapstone powder from Great Zimbabwe with Roman volcanic ash to make "Pattern Seals"-one side bore the Colosseum's victory pattern, while the other bore Machu Picchu's terrace spiral pattern. The youths could use the seals to stamp clay, then fire it at high temperatures to make "Civilization Pattern Pottery Shards." While stamping his clay, Lucio deliberately overlapped the victory pattern with the spiral pattern and carved his name along the edge of the pottery shard. "This is a 'promise' between Rome and the Inca. I want to give it to my younger sister so she can also learn how beautiful the patterns of different civilizations are." These pottery shards were later displayed in the visitor center at the Roman Forum. After seeing them, many tourists took the initiative to ask the youths about the stories behind the patterns, giving the spread of history a new medium. Third, traveling through time and space with digital technology: letting patterns "tell of a thousand years of change." Lina and Nikos upgraded the "Pattern Tracking" technology and developed the "Roman Space-Time Glasses." Looking at the Colosseum's victory pattern through the glasses revealed moving scenes of ancient Roman gladiatorial combat-warriors holding olive branches in celebration of victory, with ghostly images of Greek olive patterns and Angkor lotus patterns appearing in the background, suggesting the passing down of civilizations; scanning the vine patterns on the ancient streets,

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