For most people, the only chance they get to learn true Martial Arts is in high school. This is the path to becoming a genuine Martial Artist—not the hodgepodge of fitness routines you find online.
To become a Martial Artist, one must use a Body Casting Martial Art to cultivate an adequate physique, then undergo a special transformation and awakening. Every province and region has its own mainstream Body Casting Technique.
Here in the Northwest, with Demon Beasts at our gates, we focus less on fists and feet and more on the art of killing. That's why in high school, we train in the Ancient Martial Spear Technique.
The first eight forms are taught to all regular students. Mastering them is enough to face the less powerful Demon Beasts on the battlefield. Even if the day comes when Demon Beasts breach the walls and arrive at our doorsteps, we won't be left helpless, just waiting to die.
This is also the only opportunity for students from the lower rungs, like Jiang Qiu, to continue advancing their Martial Arts. To be lucky enough to learn the remaining twelve forms would be a godsend!
"The core of the first eight forms of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique is consolidating your muscular power. Every single move mobilizes the strength you've built up in your bodies over the years, engaging your muscles, sinews, bones, and even organs to generate Mingjin. Even if you drop the spear and fight with your fists, you'll add several hundred pounds of force to your strikes. So, imagine the spear as an extension of your fist—a single, integrated whole. Don't lose sight of one for the other, or your movements will become clumsy and awkward."
Wu Shan spoke with ease, casually twirling the Wooden Spear from side to side as a demonstration. His torso, however, was as still as a mountain. The flourishing patterns of the spear were all executed with a mere flick of his wrist, his martial presence utterly natural.
"The test is in three days. It's just eight forms. I teach, you practice. As for the medicinal resources required for spear training, you can apply for those after you've become a Spear Leader. For now, that has nothing to do with most of you. Class President, take some people to the equipment room and get the wooden spears!"
He slammed the tip of his spear down and gave the order. Wang Guanjia barked his acknowledgment and set off. A skinny boy immediately fell in behind him, followed by a dozen other students, including one girl.
Without a word, they all hurried out. When they returned, Wang Guanjia was carrying a single Wooden Spear in one hand, while the students behind him each had three or four slung over their shoulders.
"Hmph. Now that you have your Wooden Spears, train with me." Wu Shan's single right eye swept disdainfully over the five rows of spear-wielding students. He turned to the side and sank into a horse stance, gripping the butt of the spear with his right hand and loosely cupping the middle of the shaft with his left. "Stance is your foundation! Master it, and power will rise from the ground, twist through your waist, shoulders, and elbows, and erupt from your fists. Anything less is just a useless, flowery display!"
WHOOSH!
The spear shaft slid through the loose circle of his left hand. His shoulders rippled like a contained, terrifying wave, and his waist twisted naturally with the momentum. With a SWOOSH, the spear tip stabbed forward, splitting the air. Yet his legs remained rooted to the spot, unmoving.
SHINK! WHOOSH!
Without the slightest pause, he twisted his waist to retract the spear, only to send it piercing through the air again. In and out, back and forth. The tip quivered with ever-increasing ferocity, its killing intent blooming like a deadly lotus. The whistling sound was enough to make the air itself shudder in fear, yet the spear remained perfectly controlled within the seemingly effortless grip of his left hand!
The students all clutched their Wooden Spears, mimicking Wu Shan's movements. They lowered their centers of gravity and attempted the "Block, Parry, and Thrust," but their efforts were clumsy and rife with errors. They looked like shrimp soldiers waving toothpicks—no sound of cutting wind, no hint of a proper stance.
"'Block, Parry, and Thrust!' The key is to generate power from your waist! With just your arm strength, you couldn't even kill an ant! Your legs are your foundation—what are you shaking for? If you can't handle it, then get out!"
Wu Shan explained and guided the students on the essentials of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique, his temper foul. It looked as if his stitched-shut left eye might tear open at any moment, revealing a dark, mushy eyeball.
But as a certified Martial Artist, the man clearly knew his stuff. Jiang Qiu listened intently, his eyes tracking the spear's tip and shaft as he studied the fundamentals of the "Block, Parry, and Thrust."
This was completely different from trying to figure it out by watching instructional videos. Now, his muscles were twitching, his upper body twisting like a towel being wrung dry. As sweat squeezed from his pores, the spear tip whistled through the air. It felt as if a thousand-pound weight was holding his legs down, preventing the spear's momentum from throwing him off balance.
The students repeated the single, monotonous movement. The stamina drain was ten times greater than their usual horse stance training. Their upper bodies twisted, and their lower bodies stretched. Before long, some of the boys' legs and bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.
THUD.
"I... I can't... I can't go on..."
In less than half an hour, a relatively frail-looking boy collapsed, landing hard on his rear.
Wu Shan's one eye locked onto him like a hawk spotting a mouse. He barked, "Leave the spear. You get out! Don't be an eyesore in my class!"
'He'd always known the regular classes wouldn't produce any real talent. Teaching the Ancient Martial Spear Technique was just a formality, a requirement from on high. Could students like this really pick up a Wooden Spear and kill a Demon Beast?'
'In three days, his duty would be done, and he wouldn't have to deal with these Class Eight students anymore.'
'Teaching the top students wasn't so bad, at least. Some of them were actually interesting.'
'This "Block, Parry, and Thrust"... practicing it properly really drains your stamina...'
Sweat poured from Jiang Qiu's neck like a waterfall. His thin school uniform was soaked through, clinging to the defined blocks of his muscles, its folds tracing the deep contours of his physique.
He had been doing basic Martial Arts training since elementary school and had never slacked off for a moment, so his foundation was solid. On top of that, having performed the In-Depth Drills on the Ancient Martial Spear Technique sixteen times last night, he had apparently retained its excellent Body Forging effects, which had significantly improved his physical condition.
Now, as he repeatedly hammered away at this one spear form, his body felt like a bonfire. The fuel was limited, but the wind fanned the flames, burning away the impurities within him. The Wooden Spear in his hand began to feel more and more like a natural extension of his arm.
HUFF... PUFF... HUFF... PUFF...
WHOOSH, WHOOSH...
His breathing and the rhythm of his thrusts fell into an uncanny sync, coordinating perfectly with the rise and fall of his chest.
[In-Depth Drill x1]
[17/100]
'So practicing a single form of the spear technique can also advance my progress! As long as I grasp the key principles, it counts as an In-Depth Drill!' Jiang Qiu's eyes lit up.
Realizing this, he focused even more intently on the "Block, Parry, and Thrust." The Wooden Spear slid back and forth through the loose grip of his left hand, gradually starting to generate a faint wind with its movement.
"BRRRING..."
Time flew by. Soon, the light of the setting sun streamed through the windowpanes, falling on the staggering students. Jiang Qiu withdrew his spear, stood straight, and casually wiped the sweat from his brow.
A quick scan of the room revealed that only about thirty students were left. Of those still standing, there were five boys and two girls. Only the class president, Wang Guanjia, maintained a tall, straight posture. The rest were leaning on their Wooden Spears, wringing out the hems of their drenched clothes, sweating buckets.
"That's all for today. I've taught you the essentials of the first four forms. Put down your Wooden Spears. Tomorrow morning, I'll teach you the last four."
Without a backward glance, Wu Shan turned and left. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent his Wooden Spear flying. It spun twice in midair before landing perfectly on the rack with a CLACK, quivering into stillness.
"Finally... it's over..."
The exhausted students trudged to the racks, placed their Wooden Spears across them, and then shuffled out of the training hall, clutching their damp uniforms and panting for breath. There was less shouting and cursing than usual; most of them looked both drained and strangely invigorated.
"My dad has been in contact with Teacher Wu, and he's already prepared the medicinal bath resources for me. That Spear Leader spot is as good as mine!"
The speaker was a skinny, motivated boy. Though he was just an ordinary student from Class Eight, he was on good terms with the class president and his family, who lived in the commoner's district of the Outer City, was better off than most.
His father, determined for his son to succeed, would stop at nothing. Even if his son couldn't get into Northwest Martial University, becoming a Spear Leader was still an indisputable honor. He had secretly taken out a loan of several hundred thousand to have someone deliver expensive bone-healing medicine to Teacher Wu.
This embodied the principle of "poverty for scholars, wealth for warriors"—with enough resources, you could get Half the Effort, Double the Effect!
His father had even said that Teacher Wu was on board. It was just a measly Spear Leader spot; all he had to do was endure the test to claim it...