Chapter 4

"Here are your hand tag and gi. If they don't fit, you can exchange them. The changing room is right in front. After you're dressed, please head to Training Room 4 for assembly."

"Thank you."

Lu Yuan took the items handed to him by the receptionist, thanked her, and then turned to walk into the room marked "Men's Changing Room."

He had finally become a student at the Gen Martial Arts Hall.

He was just an ordinary seventeen-year-old high school student.

It was really hard to change a decision once his parents had made it.

Just like how he couldn't convince his parents to agree before signing up, he couldn't persuade them to cancel the course after his father, Lu Xinghua, had already paid the fees.

"Since the money has been paid, you might as well practice well. It would be a waste otherwise."

Lu Yuan stopped thinking about all the mess and quickly found his locker based on the number "1002" on the hand tag.

It was Sunday, and there were quite a few people at the martial arts hall for training.

Lu Yuan listened to their laughter and conversation, and lightly swiped the hand tag on the electronic lock of the locker.

"Ding—"

The locker door opened, revealing an empty space except for a few white plastic hangers.

The back of the locker door had a large mirror that could barely reflect half of Lu Yuan's body.

He examined himself in the mirror.

His features were well-defined, but his skin was pale from a lack of outdoor activities.

His slightly long bangs covered half of his eyes, giving him a melancholic and slightly depressed look, like a handsome young man with a touch of sadness.

Lu Yuan had often mocked himself as a "skinny dog," but how many strong and robust boys were there at his age?

Most were like him, slender and lean.

He was quite popular at school, and his looks had always been favored by girls.

After his grades improved dramatically and he "evolved" into a top student, he received even more love letters every week.

"Once I build up my physique, my charm will definitely increase."

Lu Yuan took off his shirt, revealing a pale and lean upper body with clearly visible ribcage, and thought to himself.

He stuffed his clothes and backpack into the locker and quickly changed into the gi.

When he put on the new martial arts gi with a large "Gen" character, the handsome young man in the mirror seemed to look even more impressive.

Lu Yuan tightened the belt around his waist, closed the locker door, and walked out of the changing room.

He followed the instructions to find the assembly room.

Training Room 4 was smaller than he had expected, about the size of a classroom.

The floor was covered with white mats, and a few people were already waiting inside.

Two of them looked to be around his age, like high school students.

The others were older, with the air of people who had been in the workforce for a long time.

"Hey, a handsome guy just came in!"

Lu Yuan walked into the training room, and a girl with a bun and light makeup, who looked about average in appearance, saw him and called out with a smile.

Her words drew the attention of everyone in the room.

Lu Yuan didn't show any signs of nervousness, calmly nodded to everyone, and then found a spot to sit down.

"Pretty cocky, huh?"

Lu Yuan heard a curly-haired young man sitting next to the girl with the bun say teasingly.

"What, I'm just a student."

The girl with the bun reached out and patted him, and he immediately grabbed her hand.

"Are you just saying that because you're into him?"

"Get lost! Let go of my hand!"

The two of them laughed and playfully fought.

Their actions were somewhat ambiguous, but they didn't seem to be a couple.

A few other men sitting nearby, who seemed to know each other, looked enviously and wanted to join in.

"Hey! Do you think we'll be considered official disciples of the Gen Martial Arts Hall after completing a course?"

A man sitting next to the girl with the bun, seeing the curly-haired young man constantly touching her and gaining favor, couldn't help but speak up to change the topic.

"Are you dreaming?"

The girl with the bun didn't respond, but another man with them immediately contradicted him.

"Even after completing all the courses, it's not guaranteed.

The Gen Martial Arts Hall has genuine ancient martial arts traditions and is certified by the Xia National Martial Arts Association. To become an official disciple, you need to pass an examination, not just pay the fees.

After all, there's a big difference between a disciple and a student. Not only do you not have to pay tuition, but you can even receive a salary every month.

If you can become an official disciple of the Gen Martial Arts Hall, you can quit your job as a manager when you go back."

"Really?"

The girl with the bun stopped playing with the curly-haired young man and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Yep."

Seeing the girl with the bun's interest, the man who spoke up immediately added, "But the difficulty of becoming an official disciple is also high.

Generally, if you can become an official disciple, you can also participate in amateur fighting competitions and win prizes.

You can completely make martial arts a full-time career."

"Heh, what's so hard about that? Siqi, watch me get accepted as a disciple of the Gen Martial Arts Hall."

The curly-haired young man laughed and interjected.

"You're just bragging!"

The girl with the bun rolled her eyes at him with a smile.

"..."

"Official disciples, salary, and bonuses."

Lu Yuan had been listening to their conversation seriously, and his eyes couldn't help but light up when he heard these things.

Previously, Cheng Peng had said his biggest goal was to become an official disciple of the martial arts hall, but he hadn't taken it seriously.

Now he realized that the qualification of an official disciple was not easy to obtain.

Not only could you be exempt from tuition, but you could also receive a salary.

If he could become an official disciple, wouldn't it greatly reduce the burden on his family?

Lu Yuan couldn't help but have some thoughts.

But he quickly suppressed them.

He had just signed up and hadn't even started the first class. Thinking about these things was clearly too early.

His immediate goal was to improve his physical fitness as soon as possible and not waste the tuition.

Just as he was thinking, a middle-aged man in his forties walked into the training room.

This man clearly wasn't an ordinary student.

Not only was he wearing a black gi, but he also had an unusual aura as he walked.

Clearly, not just Lu Yuan recognized the man's identity, and the noisy room quickly quieted down.

The middle-aged man scanned the room, probably doing a quick headcount, and then smiled and said, "Hello everyone, my name is Lin Zhiqin. I will be responsible for teaching the first stage of training from now on.

You can call me Coach Lin or Brother Lin."

"Coach! What will we mainly practice in the first stage?"

As soon as Lin Zhiqin finished speaking, someone from the group with the girl with the bun immediately asked.

Another person chimed in, "Yeah, why doesn't this room have punching bags? When can we start hitting the bags? I want to hit the bags!"

He then winked at the others and laughed, "We can put the manager's picture on the punching bag."

"Ha ha ha..."

Lin Zhiqin glanced at them calmly, not getting angry, and said, "The foundation of fighting is strength.

The first stage of the course will focus on strength training.

I will teach you some scientific and reasonable training methods and techniques, so you can train on your own, whether here or at home.

As for hitting the punching bags..."

Lin Zhiqin paused and continued, "It's not time to hit the punching bags yet.

For now, you will practice air strikes."

As he spoke, Lin Zhiqin suddenly raised his hand.

Lu Yuan didn't even see what kind of movement he made.

But he heard a sharp, crisp sound suddenly explode.

The sound was loud and clear, as if someone had set off a firecracker in the room.

"This, is an air strike."

Lin Zhiqin's gaze swept across the room, and he said calmly.