Chapter 4: True Martial Arts
Before heading out early in the morning, Chen Chu prepared breakfast for his salamander avatar.
As he and his brother stepped out to leave, however, Zhang Xiaolan, who hadn't left for work yet, stopped them.
In front of the old courtyard gate, Zhang Xiaolan gently adjusted Chen Chu's collar. She was touched that her eldest son had already grown as tall as her.
"Mom, is there something wrong?" Chen Hu asked, looking confused.
Looking at her two sons, Zhang Xiaolan smiled lightly. "Nothing. Just wanted to tell you and your brother not to stress yourselves out at the start of the school year."
Chen Hu dismissed her concerns. "It's just middle school. I can keep up with little effort."
Zhang Xiaolan smiled wryly at her sturdy son. She was definitely not worried about Chen Hu at all. He was smart and physically active from a young age, excelling both physically and academically.
Her concern was her eldest son. Starting from high school, he could start cultivating true martial arts, but not everyone had the talent to excel at it. The eldest had been frail and sick since he was young, clearly not a great candidate for martial arts. And the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. What if he faced setbacks...
Chen Chu calmly reassured her, "Mom, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
"...Okay." Zhang Xiaolan wanted to say a few more words, but ultimately didn't.
After waving goodbye to their mom, Chen Chu and his brother began walking to their schools. On the way, they saw many students in school uniforms heading the same direction; some were alone, some goofing around, and others riding bicycles.
Federal schools were divided by districts. As a result, all the students attended schools nearby. That was why so many students wore the same uniform as the Chen brothers.
In the classroom, the class representative Lin Xue and the martial representative Yi Rui had already arrived. Many students surrounded them with lively chatter.
Just as Chen Chu sat down, the student sitting in front, Xia Youhui, approached him with a secretive expression on his face. "Ah Chu, I already know why they became class representatives."
...Addressing me as Ah Chu... Since when did we get so close? Although he complained to himself, Chen Chu didn't say so out loud, instead asking, "So what's the reason?"
"I've heard that the class representatives' parents are formidable cultivators. The class teacher must be looking for a way to make connections with them."
Alright, her parents are cultivation experts. Chen Chu asked, "What about the other one?"
"Yi Rui is of the same caliber. His family is wealthy and influential. Maybe they've given red packets[1] to the homeroom teacher and made arrangements before school started," whispered Xia Youhui.
I see. It seems social hierarchies exist in every world.
"Don't spread this around," Chen Chu reminded Xia Youhui. Regardless of the validity of his claims, a student should keep gossip about the homeroom teacher to themselves. It would be bad news if the gossip reached the teacher's ears.
"I know. I've only mentioned it to you. I haven't told a soul about this," Xia Youhui winked, looking like he trusted Chen Chu a lot.
It was at this point that the math teacher walked in, and the class went silent.
In this world, classes in high school were not too hard. Chen Chu stopped paying attention after the first class, instead focusing on controlling and feeding his salamander avatar at home.
The three morning classes went by in a flash, and it was already noon.
After lunch and a short break, all freshmen gathered at the back of the school. They were all in the cultivation area of the gymnasium, surrounded by several high-rise buildings labeled with the letters A, B, C, and D. Chen Chu and the rest of his class went to the cultivation classroom on the fifth floor of Building B.
In the spacious 500-square-meter room, a man in his thirties stood on a raised platform with a stern look. Behind him was a large screen measuring five meters tall and eight meters wide. When all the students were in their places, the middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was so sharp that it almost hurt to look him in the eyes.
Hiss!
Many students were scared from the bottom of their hearts; they had not expected the teacher to intimidate them so much just with his gaze.
The middle-aged man spoke in a deep voice, "My name is Pang Long. I am your true martial arts teacher for this semester. Now, I will explain what true martial arts is."
He then pointed to a stack of concrete slabs he prepared under the stage. "See those concrete slabs? Have a few boys carry them onto the stage."
After a slight pause, Yi Rui, the martial arts representative, took the initiative. He was followed by a few boys, including Xia Youhui.
There were six concrete slabs, each about one meter in length and width, and ten centimeters thick. They weighed over a hundred kilograms. It took two of the boys to carry each slab; even with their obvious strength, they still struggled.
Yi Rui and the others placed the concrete slabs upright onto the table into a row of concrete walls, as per Pang Long's order. They had no idea what was going on.
Standing with his hands behind him, Pang Long looked at the innocent faces of his students and calmly said, "What is true martial arts? It is turning the imaginary into reality.
"In past decades, cultivation was just an urban legend, jokingly referred to as bullshido. It was useless in real combat. Even if you practiced for decades, you couldn't even stop a bullet.
"But starting with the new era, something changed. Some pioneers figured out they could make the imaginary real, and the legends have now become our reality.
"This is true martial arts."
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying aura erupted from Pang Long, like a dormant beast suddenly awakening. It quickly compressed the surrounding air, causing a muffled explosion. The aura formed waves of wind, blowing his clothes with a crackling sound.
On the stage, Pang Long's figure flickered, appearing in front of the table almost as if he had teleported three meters forward. Gathering terrifying power in his right fist, he swung his arm.
The force was too great, and transparent shockwaves were sent out from his fist.
Boom!
To the students' complete shock, the wall of six concrete slabs exploded, bursting into chunks that flew like cannonballs. The concrete chunks hit the walls tens of meters away with a loud bang, creating small craters on impact.
Fortunately, Pang Long had punched downward. Otherwise, the bullet-like concrete chunks would have made the students into sieves.
Gulp!
Even Chen Chu swallowed hard. Although he had known through the internet that cultivators could sink warships and tear down giant beasts, seeing it in front of his eyes was far more shocking than reading about it.
The concrete slabs had been thick enough that even sniper rifles probably couldn't have penetrated them. Yet, they were blasted to pieces by one mere punch.
This immense power brought Chen Chu's blood to a boil, and he became more and more eager for cultivation.
On the stage, Pang Long stood with arms behind him, looking at the excited faces below with satisfaction. Once the concrete smoke cleared, he slowly said, "Now, let's start the first step of cultivation."
"Everyone, meditate for an hour according to the patterns displayed on the screen behind me. After that, you will start the cultivation class for the Body Forging Technique. By the way, who is the class representative?"
"I am." Lin Xue, standing in the front row, stepped forward.
"It's you? Nice! You look like you are filled with energy." Pang Long nodded at the girl and said, "Later, explain to the class what Foundation Building is. Come find me when someone completes Foundation Building."
"The martial arts representative for this class will be responsible for maintaining order in future cultivation classes."
"Yes, sir!" Yi Rui replied loudly.
Pang Long turned and left swiftly, just like the homeroom teacher Chen Qi on the first day of school, leaving the students bewildered.
Is that all? Why do all these teachers seem so busy?
1. Red packets are red envelopes containing money, usually given by parents to children, employers to employees etc. on special occasions. In this case, it's bribery. ☜