Chapter 15

Wang Tian got rid of those police officers who seemed like腐女 (fujoshi, a term for women who are fans of male-male relationships in manga and anime) and did not go to school to study, as the class time had passed, and the class this afternoon was taught by his homeroom teacher. Wang Tian's homeroom teacher taught them Chinese and was named Li Chaopin. Everyone secretly called him Li Chaopi, a man in his fifties.

The homeroom teacher had always looked at Wang Tian unfavorably, and the reason was simple: Wang Tian's grades were poor. Although the current slogan was quality education, who really believed it in private? Wang Tian's homeroom teacher was a typical 'favoring the rich and despising the poor' type. He treated students with good grades like gods, while he treated those with poor grades as objects to vent his anger on, often making them stand as punishment or scolding them.

For those poor students with backgrounds, he didn't dare to provoke them. But Wang Tian was different. Not only were his grades poor, but he also had no background, so he was often used by Li Chaopin as an example to warn others. Even if he didn't make any mistakes, Li Chaopin could find something to criticize him for. These days, Wang Tian had skipped classes, and if he went now, he would be right in the line of fire.

The reason he hated Wang Tian so much, to put it bluntly, was because of the annual grade ranking. The grade ranking was determined by the average scores of the students, which affected the teachers' benefits. Without a doubt, in his mind, Wang Tian was dragging the class down, a burden he wished to get rid of.

Back at home, Wang Tian took out his long-unused books and started studying.

His learning experience was just two points away from leveling up. He didn't know what skill he would get, but he was looking forward to it.

Wang Tian was inherently very smart, and his poor grades were simply because he hadn't planned to study before. Now that he had decided to accept the task of getting into college, he needed to study seriously.

In less than an hour, he had finished the first chapter of the second-year high school math textbook, mastering the basic content. Now, he just needed to improve his proficiency.

He wasn't bad at studying; he just didn't like it. Once he studied seriously, even self-study was several times better than others.

Next, he moved on to the second chapter...

Time flew when he was focused, and before he knew it, two hours had passed.

"Beep..."

"Congratulations, player, your learning experience has leveled up. Please draw a skill." The system automatically popped up, and a control panel appeared in Wang Tian's mind.

The experience bar under the learning skill was indeed cleared, and the level had changed to LEVEL 1.

Learning Experience Level 1: 0-20,000. To level up to 2, he needed 20,000 experience points.

A wheel-like object appeared on the side, with various skills that could be drawn: "Learn at First Sight," "Never Forget," "See Clearly," "Basic Innovation," "Peek at the Essence"...

He clicked to draw.

Since he could only get one, Wang Tian decisively clicked to draw.

The pointer started to spin rapidly and gradually slowed down.

"Basic Innovation, Basic Innovation..." Wang Tian silently prayed, hoping to get this skill. With this, he could possibly create new moves when learning Li Gang's Xingyi Quan.

But the pointer slowly slid past it. "Peek at the Essence" was also good, Wang Tian thought. With this skill, he could directly see the essence of things, making learning martial arts or textbooks much more efficient.

But the system didn't fulfill his wish, and the pointer finally stopped at the edge of "Never Forget."

"Congratulations, player, you have drawn the 'Never Forget' skill. Do you want to learn it?"

Learn.

Wang Tian clicked to confirm. There was nothing he could do about luck, so "Never Forget" it was.

"Never Forget" wasn't as good as "Peek at the Essence" or "Basic Innovation," but it had one advantage: if he couldn't understand something immediately, he could remember it and study it later.

Having mastered the "Never Forget" skill, Wang Tian put down the math textbook and picked up the history book.

Amazing, he finished a history book in two hours, and all the knowledge in the book was firmly etched in his mind.

In two hours, Wang Tian's learning experience increased by two points. Compared to the 20,000 points needed to level up, these two points were negligible, but they were better than nothing.

Wang Tian felt happy.

At this time, his sister Wang Yu should have come home from school.

Wang Tian went out to buy groceries and arrived at the market.

"Boss, give me a chicken," Wang Tian said to the woman selling chickens.

"Do you want me to kill it and scald it for you?"

"No, no, I'll kill it at home," Wang Tian quickly stopped her. If you killed it, how would he get experience?

He also bought some seasonings and returned home.

Wang Yu had already come back. Wang Tian killed the chicken and cooked, but this time, killing the chicken only gave him a little experience, and no equipment or gold coins dropped. Wang Tian had hoped to get a piece of clothing to give to his sister, but the drop rate in this game was so low.

This time, he cooked "Golden Phoenix Soaring," roasting the whole chicken to a golden color, with colorful seasonings decorating the tail.

"Golden Phoenix Soaring: Quality 6, reduces hunger by 55 points per 500 grams, increases body pleasure by 70 points."

This cooking gave Wang Tian 110 experience points.

He placed the dish on the table.

"Wow! Another great dish, brother, I'm so happy! I get to eat delicious food every day." Wang Yu exclaimed, rushing over to kiss Wang Tian on the cheek.

Making his sister happy and gaining experience made Wang Tian feel very happy.

...

The next day.

Early in the morning, Wang Tian went to the park.

Logically, Li Gang would be selling breakfast there, and Wang Tian would help him.

"Let's go home," Li Gang said.

After 8 o'clock, Wang Tian helped him push the cart back.

After putting away the cart,

Li Gang started teaching him Xingyi Quan.

"Xingyi Quan, also known as Xinyi Quan, simulates the movements of eight animals: dragon, snake, tiger, leopard, eagle, and turtle... Each of these animals has its own characteristics, some fierce, some swift, some cruel, and some retreating. It is said that Xingyi Quan is as fast as lightning and as powerful as thunder, but this is just one form of Xingyi Quan.

The essence of Xingyi Quan lies in the 'Yi' (intention). However, few people can reach this level of understanding. I can only understand one type of 'Yi' in my current Xingyi Quan..." Li Gang said.

"Master, you only understand one type?" Wang Tian was surprised because he knew Li Gang's Xingyi Quan was level 9, with a maximum attack power of 900 points. If he could fully understand it, how terrifying would the attack power be?

"Xingyi Quan, of course, starts with 'Xing' (form). This 'Xing' is similar to the 'techniques' in other martial arts, but to say 'Xing' is just a technique would be absolutely wrong. 'Xing' is a form, not fixed. In Xingyi Quan, the 'Xing' is based on the eight animals, with the dragon being the leader and the foundation of Xingyi Quan.

In the I Ching, the first hexagram, Qian, is represented by the dragon, and similarly, the dragon form is the 'Heaven' in Xingyi Quan."

Wang Tian listened attentively. To learn Xingyi Quan, he had also searched for some information online using his sister's phone, but it was quite different from what Li Gang said.

"Can you understand what I've said?" Li Gang asked.

"I basically understand," Wang Tian rubbed his nose.

"Good, with your talent, these basic things are not hard to understand," Li Gang said. "To learn Xingyi Quan well, you must first learn the 'Xing' and then understand the 'Yi.' 'Xing' is the foundation of 'Yi.' Without a good foundation, you cannot understand the realm of 'Yi.' Learning the 'Xing' at the beginning is just a stepping stone to understanding 'Yi.' When you understand the 'Yi,' the 'Xing' can be discarded. Therefore, the essence of Xingyi Quan is 'Yi' rather than 'Xing,' which is why it is also called 'Xinyi Quan.'"

"I understand, Master," Wang Tian said.

"It's good that you understand. Now, I will teach you the 'Xing.' We will start with the foundation. Dragon form."

Hearing that Wang Tian understood, Li Gang was very pleased. Teaching a talented disciple was very comfortable, and he didn't need to repeat himself.

"Watch me first, then you try."

Saying this, Li Gang walked to the middle of the courtyard.

He stood with his legs slightly apart, his hands hanging naturally, looking like an ordinary, sturdy farmer.

Suddenly, he moved.

"Hidden Dragon in the Abyss!"

He struck out, and the atmosphere immediately changed. He no longer looked like an old farmer but like a fierce beast, instilling fear in anyone who saw him.

Each move seemed to have infinite power, capable of destroying anything in its path. Wang Tian believed that if he were hit by one of his punches, he would be instantly defeated.

He was amazed by his master's strength.

"Dragon Appears in the Field!"

"Virtuous Man's Vigor!"

"Dragon Battles in the Wilderness!"

"Dragon Soars in the Sky!"

"Dragon in the Sky Regrets!"

The six moves of the dragon form were performed smoothly, like flowing water, with no obstacles in the transitions, showing his high level of mastery.

After finishing the dragon form, Li Gang was not even out of breath.

He said to Wang Tian,

"Wang Tian, now you try."

Wang Tian took a stance, recalling his master's movements, which played in his mind like a movie, frame by frame. He remembered everything.

The "Never Forget" skill was powerful, greatly enhancing Wang Tian's ability to learn and imitate.

"Hidden Dragon in the Abyss!"

"Dragon Appears in the Field!"

Wang Tian performed each move, looking very much like his master, though a bit stiff in the transitions due to lack of proficiency.

"Beep!"

System notification: Congratulations, player, you have learned the combat skill—Xingyi Quan.

A new icon appeared under the combat skills section, a red circle with a Chinese dragon inside.

Xingyi Quan: Ancient Chinese martial art, Level 1. Attack power: 50-100.

Experience: 0-100.

He learned it so quickly? Wang Tian was overjoyed.

"Good, very good," Li Gang couldn't help but praise him, though he didn't want to flatter his disciple for fear of making him arrogant. Seeing him learn after just one demonstration, and being a once-in-a-thousand-years 'double-edged sword,' it seemed that he would be the one to reach the highest level of Xingyi Quan and rival the founder.

Wang Tian was also very happy to hear his master's praise and practiced the moves again.