The Azure Cloud Martial Arts Base was Yang City's most prestigious landmark, and a sacred ground of martial arts in the hearts of its people!
There were two main reasons for its status.
First, the base housed a Divinity-Gathering Device worth billions, which gathered divine substances from the surrounding world, making their concentration inside the base far higher than elsewhere!
Cultivating inside could be up to twice as fast as outside!
Second, this base had been donated to Yang City by Jiang Qingyun, the only Divine Realm expert the city had ever produced.
It held extraordinary significance in the hearts of Yang City's people!
"Fatty, we're here."
The bus stopped at Qingyun Station, and Xu Yuan called Luo Han to get off with him.
Looking at the martial arts base, which resembled a giant egg and looked like an enormous stadium, Xu Yuan couldn't help smacking his lips.
Including all its equipment and the Divinity-Gathering Device, the base was probably worth close to ten billion.
That big shot named Jiang Qingyun had simply donated it to Yang City. That was seriously badass!
"Brother Yuan, you're actually serious?"
Luo Han looked at the giant egg, then at Xu Yuan, his chubby face full of disbelief.
"We're already here. What do you think?"
As Xu Yuan spoke, he headed toward a nearby supermarket. "Wait here a moment. I'll buy some gear first."
"Oh..."
Fatty answered dazedly, beginning to wonder whether he was dreaming.
Brother Yuan really intended to set up a stall in the base's hall. No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd.
Three minutes later, Xu Yuan returned with a bucket hat on his head, unwrapping a face mask as he walked.
By the time he reached Luo Han, he had put the mask on too.
"Uh, Brother Yuan, why are you covering your face?" Luo Han asked what he didn't understand.
"I'm too good-looking. Better cover up so people don't take me for a pretty face with no real ability."
"??"
Actually, Xu Yuan was afraid of running into martial arts students from No. 3 Middle School, especially those assholes in the senior-year martial arts class.
Just imagine: if those people saw him running a stall, swarmed over to mock him, and exposed his... predecessor's past, calling him trash and the bottom of the martial arts class, who would pay him for martial technique instruction?
He would be lucky if they didn't join the No. 3 Middle School students in laughing at him.
"Fatty, I'll go in first. Once I'm ready, I'll message you, and you can come find me."
Xu Yuan began explaining his plan. "Remember, pretend you don't know me and put on an act with me..."
Five minutes later, Xu Yuan patted Luo Han's shoulder and walked toward the martial arts base's entrance alone.
The base had an outer and an inner section.
The outer section was open to the public for free. It had a hall for discussing martial arts, various testing devices available through scan-to-pay, sparring arenas, and all kinds of shops related to Divine Martial Dao.
The second-tier divine medicinal solution Xu Yuan needed was available here too.
However, the outer section did not benefit from the Divinity-Gathering Device.
To accelerate cultivation using the divine substances it gathered, one had to rent a cultivation room in the inner section.
Even the cheapest cost a thousand a day.
The most expensive ones, closest to the Divinity-Gathering Device, cost over ten thousand a day!
Some might ask: hadn't Jiang Qingyun donated the base? Why did it still charge fees?
That was because operating the Divinity-Gathering Device consumed an expensive resource called divine crystals. Entering the inner section to cultivate required payment; otherwise, where would the money to buy divine crystals come from?
Not to mention that maintaining and operating the base also cost money.
Jiang Qingyun had already done more than enough by donating a base. How could anyone expect him to fund its entire operation as well?
"What are you here for?"
The moment Xu Yuan stepped through the entrance, an indifferent voice came from beside him.
Following the voice, he saw a man reclining in a lounge chair, looking him up and down.
"To set up a stall," Xu Yuan said, deliberately lowering his voice to sound like an old man.
"You dressed like that to set up a stall?" The man sat up slightly, a dangerous glint already flashing in his eyes.
Helpless, Xu Yuan could only pull down his mask to reveal his youthful face. "Brother, I'm a martial arts student at No. 3 Middle School. I'm worried people won't trust my ability because I look too young."
"Oh, I see. No problem, then. Go pay the stall fee over there."
The man's expression immediately softened. He pointed to a nearby counter and lay back down.
Stalls couldn't be set up just anywhere; each had its own designated patch of space.
The base provided a blackboard and a practice dummy, then smilingly collected a five-hundred stall fee.
"What a rip-off."
Looking at his remaining thirteen yuan, Xu Yuan carried his stall number seven sign into the discussion hall.
With the martial arts class assessment approaching, many senior-year martial arts students hoped to make a breakthrough before the test, so the hall was considerably busier than usual.
"Why hasn't anyone offering Wind-Swayed Sword instruction set up a stall yet? I feel like I'm just one step away from minor accomplishment."
"No one's teaching Divine Wind Leg either. If I'd known, I wouldn't have picked such an unpopular technique."
"Huh, look! Another stallholder's here. Let's see what he can teach."
Under several curious gazes, Xu Yuan walked to stall seven.
He first read the stallholder's handbook, then observed the other stallholders before following their example and writing several lines on the blackboard:
[Savage Bull Heart-Shattering Butt: uninitiated 200, beginner 500, minor accomplishment 1,000, major accomplishment 3,000.] [Mountain-Crushing Strike: uninitiated 200, beginner 500.] [Wind-Swayed Sword: uninitiated 200, beginner 500.]
Uninitiated, beginner... these were the martial technique stages he could instruct, and the numbers after them were his prices.
In other words, someone who had yet to reach the beginner stage only needed to pay two hundred for instruction, while a beginner would pay five hundred, and so on.
However, Xu Yuan hadn't listed everything. He could also instruct perfection-stage Savage Bull Heart-Shattering Butt, but writing that down would be tantamount to telling everyone his own Savage Bull Heart-Shattering Butt had reached the Transformation Realm.
That was because the handbook stipulated that stallholders could only instruct people at least one stage below themselves.
If he dared list perfection, everyone in the hall would probably crowd around to gawk at him like a giant panda.
Then they would question him and clamor for a demonstration of a Transformation Realm martial technique.
That would be a real pain in the ass.
He also left out Layered Wave Slash and Tiger Roar Sky-Piercing Spear.
Too few people practiced Tiger Roar Sky-Piercing Spear. There was no market, so he couldn't be bothered to list it.
As for Layered Wave Slash, it was only taught in No. 3 Middle School's martial arts classes. Listing it would let people guess he was from No. 3 Middle School.
What Xu Yuan hadn't expected was that he still drew a crowd once he finished writing.
"Holy shit, he can instruct major-accomplishment techniques! He's a master who's perfected a martial technique!"
"Perfection? Seriously?"
"He's bluffing, right? What master with a perfected martial technique would set up a stall here?"
In the blink of an eye, twenty or thirty people had gathered in front of Xu Yuan's stall seven!
Among them were martial arts students from Xu Yuan's own class-and more than one.
"Tsk, good thing I took precautions."
Xu Yuan couldn't help giving his own wit a thumbs-up. Had he come in showing his face, those assholes would probably already be mocking him.
"Master, have you really perfected Savage Bull Heart-Shattering Butt?" someone couldn't help asking.
"Naturally. I'm old enough to be your grandfather. Why would I deceive a bunch of little children?"
Xu Yuan immediately promoted himself several generations, subtly establishing the image of a master.
After speaking, he tucked his hands a little farther into his sleeves. They were too youthful; he should have bought gloves too.
"How's your teaching experience, then? You're not someone who can practice but can't teach, are you?"
Such cases weren't unheard of. On the contrary, they were common.
Many talented divine martial artists progressed swiftly and fiercely in their own practice, but were utter crap at instructing others.
Xu Yuan, however, wasn't among them.
The insights the Martial God's brain gave him were incomparably thorough!
Not only could he instruct others, but his instruction would invariably hit the mark with every needle!
"Heh, I've spent decades working in martial technique education. My students are spread throughout Great Xia, and the commendation banners they've given me would take a truck to haul. What do you think of my teaching?"
Xu Yuan spun his tale off the cuff, leaving the onlookers stunned.
Several students practicing Savage Bull Heart-Shattering Butt immediately felt tempted.
Still, when real money was involved, words alone certainly wouldn't seal the deal.
Noticing their hesitation, Xu Yuan immediately picked up his phone without drawing attention.
Time to call in backup!
In less than a minute, Luo Han, who had been waiting outside the base, entered the hall.
He first looked around, then approached Xu Yuan's stall seven with curiosity all over his face.
His convincing acting left even Xu Yuan stunned.
"Huh? Zhang Chao, Yang Xiaoyu, you're here too?"
Fatty first greeted several No. 3 Middle School classmates with a convincing air, then asked with apparent seriousness, "How's this stallholder? Have you tried him?"
"Not yet. Why don't you..."
"Ahem!"
Just as Zhang Chao was about to encourage Fatty to test the waters, Yang Xiaoyu interrupted from beside him. "Fatty, this stallholder's pretty impressive. I feel like he's even better than Teacher Lin. You definitely won't lose out asking him for advice!"
Zhang Chao froze, then gave a knowing smile and secretly flashed Yang Xiaoyu a thumbs-up.
Xu Yuan's eyebrows twitched several times at the sight.
Every last one of them had a pretty black heart.
But this suited him perfectly.
Fatty didn't act dumb this time either. Following Yang Xiaoyu's lead, he said, "Really? Then I'll give it a try!"
He stepped forward and pulled out his phone, going through the motions. "Beginner Mountain-Crushing Strike, five hundred. I'll scan your code."
Earth Star did fairly well with online payments too, though adoption wasn't as widespread as in Earth's Huaxia. Cash and online payments were still used side by side.
Xu Yuan likewise made a show of displaying his payment code, then gestured invitingly. "Begin."
Fatty still didn't believe Xu Yuan could instruct him, but having come this far, he wasted no words. He immediately stood before the practice dummy and assumed Mountain-Crushing Strike's opening stance.
In an instant, muscles bulged beneath his thick fat, and the tendons inside his body snapped taut!
Thud!
Without any warning, Fatty moved!
His Skin Grinding Third Stage strength erupted as he stamped down, drawing a muffled boom from the specially made floor!
"Mountain-Crushing Strike!"
Fatty growled, his fist crashing down with savage force!
Boom!!!
The practice dummy's chest instantly caved in, and its base, fixed to the floor, gave a piercing creak!
An ordinary person witnessing this would surely have been deeply shocked!
Everyone present, however, was a divine martial artist. Rather than finding it impressive, they shook their heads and began commenting:
"His movements look rounded and fluid, but there are actually plenty of stiff spots. He probably only reached the beginner stage recently."
"He isn't particularly strong either. Probably third- or fourth-stage Skin Tempering."
"What year is this fatty in? If he's a senior, he definitely won't pass the assessment."
Listening to the discussion around him, Luo Han felt he was losing face.
He urged Xu Yuan with his eyes to hurry up and offer instruction.
He had already decided that once Brother Yuan finished, he would play along and act as though he had gained a great deal, then immediately make himself scarce.
Xu Yuan ignored Fatty's urging, however. Only after pondering for half a minute did he slowly speak:
"Mountain-Crushing Strike is incomparably fierce. When punching, strength must rise from the feet, pass through the waist and abdomen, and gather in the knuckles. Only then will it carry the momentum of a thousand jun!"
"You generate power from your waist and abdomen. Your starting point is too shallow, so your punch has strength but no momentum. That is your first problem!"
"Second, your understanding of Mountain-Crushing Strike's 'form' doesn't account for your own circumstances. You merely follow the book. That is why your movements are stiff!"
"Next time you punch, lower your fist half an inch, raise your elbow three-tenths of an inch, and tilt your shoulder one and six-tenths inches. That is the 'form' best suited to you!"
"Also, there's a problem with your breathing rhythm when you attack. Follow me through it once..."
Hearing Xu Yuan's instruction, the onlookers were utterly dumbfounded.
Wasn't martial technique instruction always very general?
For example, a teacher would say there was something wrong with a particular movement and that you needed to explore the feeling of seamless fluidity, then leave you to figure it out yourself.
Who told you exactly how many inches to lower your fist or raise your elbow? Could instruction like that work?
"I thought he was a real master, but he's just here to be a joke. Break it up, everyone."
"Damn, got my hopes up for nothing. What a waste!"
"No wonder he's hiding his face. He's here to scam people, isn't he?"
Some left on the spot, cursing, while others stayed where they were, whether to see the outcome or to watch Xu Yuan make a fool of himself.
Fatty was baffled too. He hadn't expected Xu Yuan's instruction to be like this, much less that Xu Yuan wouldn't let him leave.
"Come on. Do it again, just as I said!" Xu Yuan said.