Chapter 6

All he saw was a teenager who looked to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.

He was repeatedly practicing punching the air.

His gaze was focused, and every move was executed with utmost precision.

Although many of his movements were not very standard from Lin Zhiqin's perspective, it was clear that the teenager was doing his best.

One punch, two punches—it didn't matter.

Every punch the teenager threw was like that.

Sweat dampened his hair, sliding from his forehead to the tip of his nose, but he seemed unaware.

The intense and serious demeanor he exuded even moved Lin Zhiqin.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a dedicated student."

Lin Zhiqin couldn't help but think back to his own youth, when he practiced martial arts with all his might, neglecting even meals and sleep.

Back then, the old master was at his peak, and the martial arts school was much more prestigious than it is now.

With the development of technology, fewer and fewer people are truly willing to practice martial arts.

Most who sign up are just looking for something new, and once the novelty wears off, they lose interest.

Or they just treat fighting as a form of exercise, lacking the true spirit of a martial artist.

I wonder what it will be like in another ten or twenty years.

"Ah."

Lin Zhiqin suddenly felt a bit dispirited and lost the enthusiasm to give pointers. After saying, "Continue your free practice," he turned and left.

"Huff, huff—"

Lu Yuan stumbled after throwing a punch, his limbs weak, and he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. He immediately snapped out of his "Absolute Focus" state.

"How long have I been practicing?"

Lu Yuan felt that his arms were sore, swollen, and numb, as if they were useless, unable to exert any strength.

"Are you okay?"

A soft female voice came from beside him.

Lu Yuan looked up and saw a girl with glasses and a round face standing in front of him, offering him a bottle of water.

"Thank you."

Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment but didn't refuse, taking the water and drinking it in large gulps.

He was extremely thirsty and finished more than half the bottle in one go.

"What time is it now?"

Lu Yuan saw that many people on the training ground had already sat down to rest, some chatting, others playing with their phones.

He was the last student to stop training.

"9:50, there are ten minutes left before the class ends."

The round-faced girl looked at her phone and answered Lu Yuan.

"So, I've been practicing for less than an hour."

Lu Yuan wasn't surprised.

After all, practicing punches mainly consumes physical strength, and the duration of "Absolute Focus" being shortened was normal.

"You were really serious just now. Coach Lin watched you for a long time."

The round-faced girl said to Lu Yuan with admiration.

"Oh, really?"

Lu Yuan smiled but didn't say anything.

"By the way, I'm Liu Yue. What's your name?"

"Lu Yuan."

"Are you from No. 2 High School? I think I've seen you at school."

"I'm from No. 4 High School."

"No. 4 High School? Many of my junior high school classmates are there too."

The round-faced girl seemed quite interested in Lu Yuan and started talking to him non-stop.

Lu Yuan responded casually, but his attention was on his panel.

As soon as he summoned the panel, Lu Yuan received an unexpected surprise.

[You focused on practicing for twenty minutes, and your understanding of the new skill has improved.]

[You have learned a new skill—[Basic Boxing Level 1].]

[Your skill Basic Boxing has improved, +3 experience.]

[Your skill Basic Boxing has improved, +5 experience.]

[Remember the domain name of this site.]

[Congratulations, you have unlocked a new career panel—[Fighter]!]

A brand new career panel appeared before Lu Yuan.

On the career panel, which was structured like a tree, only the two skills at the bottom were lit up.

They were—[Basic Boxing] and [Basic Body Training], both at level 1.

The latter was likely learned when Lin Zhiqin taught strength training, but it was hidden until the new career panel was unlocked.

[Fighter]!

The newly unlocked career excited Lu Yuan.

This career sounded much more advanced than [Student], like a hidden class in a game.

"If the ultimate goal of the [Student] panel is to turn me into a super scholar,

then could the ultimate goal of [Fighter] be to become a supreme martial artist, an unparalleled expert?"

Words like "plucking flowers and flying leaves" and "breaking steel with a finger" instantly came to Lu Yuan's mind.

This made him feel excited, feeling that the ten thousand yuan tuition fee was worth it.

"What's your phone number? I'll write it down, so I can ask you questions after class."

The round-faced girl beside him said hesitantly.

Lu Yuan was in a good mood and smiled, replying, "The martial arts school set up a group for us new students. I'll add you to the group later.

You're Liu Yue, right?"

"Uh-huh."

The girl nodded vigorously, looking very happy.

They chatted casually for a while, and at ten o'clock, someone came in to announce the end of the class.

The students immediately got up and dispersed.

Coach Lin Zhiqin didn't appear again.

Lu Yuan, dragging his tired body, entered the shower room. The warm water from the showerhead quickly washed over him, slightly alleviating the constant soreness in his arms.

After he finished showering, changed clothes, and put on his backpack, he found Cheng Peng waiting for him in the martial arts school's hall.

"Lu Yuan, you're finally out.

Why did you take so long to shower, like a girl?"

"Get lost!"

Lu Yuan's strength hadn't fully recovered, and his arms were still sore, so he didn't have the energy to banter with him.

"Hehe."

Cheng Peng put his arm around Lu Yuan's shoulder and asked with a grin, "How was your first class?"

"Not bad, it was more useful than I expected."

Lu Yuan said seriously.

"That's good. I was afraid you wouldn't stick with it."

Cheng Peng smiled and said, "Hurry up and finish the basics and move up to my class. I'm looking forward to beating you up during sparring."

"Hah, we'll see who beats who."

Lu Yuan gave him a sidelong glance.

This look irritated Cheng Peng, and he immediately started yelling, "Wow, you're so full of yourself.

My punching power is already fifty kilograms, and the coach said I can take the rank test soon. You want to beat me?"

"Rank test?"

Lu Yuan caught a new term in Cheng Peng's words and immediately asked curiously.

"You didn't know that martial artists have ranks?

I'll explain it to you on the way."

Cheng Peng pulled Lu Yuan out of the martial arts school.

On the way, they met the round-faced girl, Liu Yue, and another girl who seemed to be in a similar situation, having come with a friend but not in the same class.

Liu Yue smiled at him but didn't come over to say hello.

More than half an hour later, Lu Yuan walked out of an internet cafe alone.

With Cheng Peng's introduction and some online research, he had a rough understanding of the ranking system for martial artists in this world.