Starry Sky Professional Directory 2
Chapter 2: Sword Light (Happy Dragon Boat Festival!!)
2024-06-29
Chapter 2: Sword Light (Happy Dragon Boat Festival!!)
“Why… do you want to learn martial arts?”
There was still some time before class. Fang Xing looked at Xia Long, his mind wandering as usual, recalling the scene from the first Martial Dao class.
Back then, Xia Long, standing in the exact same spot, his voice thunderous:
“Because you are reserve soldiers. One day, you will be on the battlefield, fighting to the death with those Evil God followers… Learning martial arts is to survive!”
“Remember this, and then train hard! Train like your life depends on it!! Only then will you have a chance to survive!!!”
“Your backgrounds mean you can’t invest a lot of resources into careers like mech pilots or psionics… Martial Dao requires the least resource investment and offers a not-insignificant future. It’s your best evolutionary choice!”
“I expect you to at least reach the second stage of Martial Dao before graduation, mastering an A-class martial art. Otherwise, you’ll be throwing your lives away on the battlefield. There’s no other possibility!”
That bloody, brutal reality hit Fang Xing hard.
And now, Xia Long began his lecture: “Most Evil God followers possess spiritual pollution. Even the lowest-ranking minions release mental shocks… Initially, the Federation’s fleet and mech pilots suffered heavy losses. The Federation’s asylums were overloaded during that period… But later we discovered that the ‘Martial Will’ generated by human Martial Dao evolution can resist this kind of mental pollution… Although it’s difficult for you to reach the Brave Warrior Realm and gain a trace of Intent power by adulthood, the Federation has developed many martial arts that, through hypnosis, allow low-level martial artists to obtain almost the same power. This is the origin of A-class martial arts…”
Fang Xing listened, his teeth grinding.
Martial Dao! Known as the path of evolution in the Blue Star Federation requiring the least resource investment and yielding the highest output, it was, in reality, the path of cannon fodder!
There were many ways to resist the mental pollution of the Evil God followers, but neither the potions of potionists, the psychic talismans of psionics, nor energy armor or specially modified mechs were options for someone in debt like himself.
For a bio-engineered human like himself, there was only one path: learn martial arts! Then go to the front lines and swing a blade at the followers!
If he survived for several years, he would still have a chance to retire alive.
Of course, the Federation didn’t completely block the path for bio-engineered humans.
After all, bio-engineered humans and natural humans weren’t that different, and they both had unlimited potential.
Fang Xing, in the past, sat here to get into university and postpone his military service!
According to Federal law, once admitted to university, one could receive a scholarship and postpone military service until graduation!
It was said that many ‘Martial Saints’ and ‘Martial Gods’ in the Federation took this path.
‘Going to university…’
‘Difficult, very difficult! Even Xia Long subconsciously believes none of us will become university students… After all, one of the basic requirements for university admission is reaching the third stage of Martial Dao – Jadeite – before graduating high school.’
The three stages of Martial Dao are: first stage, ‘Skin and Flesh’; second stage, ‘Muscle and Bone’; third stage, ‘Jadeite’!
Martial artists who reach the Jadeite stage have bodies that transcend their innate limits. Their five internal organs and Qi are perfectly integrated, automatically repairing any hidden injuries. Their internal and external circulation is incredibly perfect, allowing them to live a healthy life until 120 years old!
Fang Xing sighed inwardly, then watched Xia Long’s movements.
Xia Long was currently demonstrating a standing posture, his spine on his back trembling like a great dragon.
“Today’s lesson, first, hold the Great Dragon Stake for 30 minutes, then we’ll practice the twelve-style military fist…”
“The Great Dragon Stake needs no explanation. It is the best standing posture for refining skin and flesh in the first stage of Martial Dao. Simulated countless times by the Federation’s highest supercomputer, the All-Knowing Brain, it has reached a ‘perfect’ level, capable of training the entire body’s skin and flesh without a single omission… Standing should not be static. Your body and intent should move together. Imagine your torso as a great dragon, your spine as its backbone, and your limbs as its claws… It’s best not to practice the Great Dragon Stake for more than an hour each day. Those who can afford it can buy D3-level nutrient solution…”
Xia Long explained in detail, sighing inwardly. The cheapest ‘D3-level nutrient solution’ cost 5000 Star Coins, a cost many bio-engineered students could hardly sustain long-term.
But it was unavoidable. The Federation’s resources were limited, and Martial Dao was the most affordable and accessible path to professional evolution.
Those who hadn’t shown a certain level of talent weren’t worth the investment from the school or himself.
Inhale… exhale…
Fang Xing calmed his mind, assuming the Great Dragon Stake posture. A sense of familiarity immediately arose, as if he had practiced this stance for a long time.
He unconsciously slowed his breathing, his mind beginning to visualize a majestic dragon, the bones of its spine slightly trembling.
In this state, he felt his skin and flesh pulsate, a tingling, itching… various strange sensations surged, and his muscles began to heat up.
‘Persist! Persist!’
Rarely did one get to experience a transmigration and have access to such extraordinary power, Fang Xing gritted his teeth and persevered.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, his vision blackening. A feeling of ‘reaching the limit’ flooded his entire body.
It was like the sudden loss of strength during a long run, his body no longer capable of generating even a trace of energy…
‘Reached my limit? Am I going to faint? Am I going to be carried to the infirmary? That would be incredibly embarrassing…’
At that moment, Fang Xing’s consciousness, in a daze, seemed to return to that night he stayed up late reading novels.
A sword light appeared before his eyes, beneath which worlds seemed to be born and destroyed…
‘Is this… the scene from my transmigration?’
‘Why do I feel it’s a sword? Not a blade’s glow, or some other light?’
‘Beneath that sword light, something terrifying seems to have been suppressed?’
Fang Xing didn’t have time to think. He saw the sword light fall, transforming into two orbs, one red and one white.
The two orbs chased each other, like two fish, or like a red and white Taiji diagram.
Suddenly!
Boom!!!
The red and white lights collided, their terrifying brilliance annihilating everything!
The red and white Taiji diagram suddenly disintegrated, and then… a faint fluorescence appeared before him:
[Name: Fang Xing]
[Age: 16]
[Profession: Martial Artist]
A very simple panel. When Fang Xing’s consciousness reached the Martial Artist profession, several sub-menus opened:
[First Stage: Skin and Flesh (Refine Skin: 21/100)]
[Twelve-Style Military Fist: 55/100 (Beginner)]
[Great Dragon Stake: 67/100 (Beginner)]
…
‘What is this game panel? My cheat code? It seems related to the scene I saw during my transmigration?’
Fang Xing’s heart stirred, and then… various insights into the ‘Great Dragon Stake’ emerged. He suddenly felt strength return to his limbs and bones, as if new water had been poured into a nearly dry channel, preventing him from immediately fainting.
‘That’s right… Although I completely inherited the original owner’s mental and muscle memory, there are still differences in actual execution. That is, my mind knows, my hands know… but the coordination is lacking, my skill has regressed…’
‘But now, with this attribute panel, it’s permanently solidified. My proficiency will only increase, not decrease…’
‘Only now have I truly taken over everything from the original owner, including his martial arts…’
‘If I could add points…’
Fang Xing was somewhat greedy, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find an option to add points, so he had to give up for now.
“Alright, thirty minutes is up.”
A few minutes later, Xia Long gave the order, and the students who had been standing relaxed in relief. Liu Wei even fell to the ground, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.
Fang Xing was fine, only feeling his legs slightly weak, not to the point of needing to lie down.
“Axing, your stance seems even better. Did you secretly practice extra at home?”
Liu Wei, seeing that his fellow student hadn’t fallen, couldn’t help but make a sarcastic remark.
“This is my normal level!”
Fang Xing replied, his breath heavy, but adding in his mind: ‘It’s just Fang Xing at his peak…’
A person’s condition can vary, but with the attribute bar solidified, his condition is always at its peak!
To Liu Wei, it seemed like Fang Xing had improved.
“Heh, your stance is a little better than mine, but that may not be the case next.” Liu Wei smiled and got up.
Xia Long roared: “Don’t lie down! Your condition is just right. Stand up and practice! Twelve-Style Military Fist, first style, Bow Stance Cannon Fist!”
Fang Xing’s spine was like a bow, his large muscles like strings. His right fingers were together, his knuckles clicking. He imagined his body as a large bow, launching his fist.
Slap!
The punch landed, and the air made a dull sound, startling Liu Wei beside him.
“Axing, how… how did you get so strong?”
Xia Long saw that many students had made their fists sound, and his expression softened slightly: “Good… The ancient fist scriptures say, ‘A sound is worth a thousand gold.’ To make this sound, you would all be Ming Jin martial artists in ancient times, ten times stronger than your opponents! But it’s not enough! Far from enough!”
“Why is this first style, ‘Bow Stance Cannon Fist,’ called Cannon Fist? The bow stance is only the beginning. Imagine your body as a cannon, igniting the Qi Blood gunpowder with your ‘heart fire,’ and launching your fist as a ‘cannonball’!”
As he spoke, Xia Long threw a punch.
Boom!
It was also a ‘Bow Stance Cannon Fist,’ but in the air, it was as if a cannonball had exploded directly. Fang Xing felt a pain in his eardrums, and even his heart seemed to be compressed, causing some chest tightness: ‘This punch, probably at least twenty years of practice… I can’t block it…’
Xia Long drew his fist and stood: “When you can deliver a true ‘Cannon Fist,’ a sound worth ten thousand gold, you will have mastered this style. The key lies in the ‘heart fire,’ using the heart as the driving force, circulating your Qi Blood…”
As he spoke, Xia Long went to a student and casually struck him on the back with a palm.
The student’s face immediately turned blood red, he threw a punch, and though there was no cannon sound, the crisp sound was noticeably louder.
‘This “oral instruction,” no projection can compare… but it seems only those who deliver a sound get this treatment…’
While Fang Xing was pondering, Xia Long had come behind him, his five fingers pressing against his back: “Throw a punch!”
He immediately felt a burning sensation in his chest, as if gunpowder had been ignited, eager to find an outlet to vent.
“Ha!”
Fang Xing let out a low shout, threw a punch, and then felt completely exhausted.
“Not bad, pay attention to your footwork next time…”
Xia Long gave some pointers, then turned to another female student.
Fang Xing sat directly on the ground, gasping for breath, but his heart was filled with excitement.
He brought up the attribute panel, finding the sub-menu for Military Fist.
[Twelve-Style Military Fist: 56/100 (Beginner)]
“Proficiency, increased by 1 point?”
“If I do this a few dozen more times, I can master the beginner stage of Military Fist and move on to the next stage?”
“However, I couldn’t handle a few dozen more times…”
Feeling the soreness in his arms, Fang Xing shook his head.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
At the bottom of the attribute bar, a new and strange symbol appeared.
This symbol seemed to be made up of twisting lines, vaguely forming the outline of a mirror.
When his consciousness fell on it, a new line of text appeared:
[Gate of All Heavens: 1/100 (Capturing)]
(End of Chapter)
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