Chapter 71: Cultivating Combat Techniques
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Two days later, Fang Ping received the Body-strengthening Elixir and instructional disc sent by Wang Jinyang.
The postal service was not as careless as they were last time. The courier rigorously checked Fang Ping's identity, including his ID, his mobile number…
Only after that did he cautiously hand the parcel over to Fang Ping.
There were three bottles of Body-strengthening Elixir. The bottle was made from transparent man-made crystal, each containing roughly 100ml.
A thorough instruction manual came along with it…
It contained just a few sentences. The elixir could be poured into a bath. The ratios of elixir to water were listed.
Of course, the elixir could also be used when not bathing. It could be applied to the skin, but it was hard to apply it to the entire body evenly, so a bath was more suitable.
Although it was classified as a liquid, the elixir was more of a glue-like substance.
One bottle could be used ten times, and it could be used whenever one liked. As long as one felt their body's strength could not keep up with their Vitality's strength, they could use it whenever they wished.
Fang Ping did not pay much attention to the Body-strengthening Elixir.
The thing Fang Ping was currently interested in was the combat techniques cultivating instructions.
Two days ago, when Wang Jinyang said he was going to send a disc, Fang Ping bought himself a computer just for this purpose.
…
Scenic Lake Gardens.
In these few days, their parents had not officially moved here yet, but Fang Ping and Fang Yuan already started living in the new house.
The siblings only went to their old home for dinner and went back after to sleep.
Li Yuying went over to clean up during her free afternoons she had, but she still had not officially moved into the new house.
There was nothing she could do about her son and daughter staying in the new place before they actually moved in.
Fang Ping said the new house had fitness equipment, so he wanted to cultivate there.
Her daughter said she was afraid to be alone when Fang Ping was not home, so she went to stay with Fang Ping and take care of her older brother at the same time.
Fang Ping's words were still believable. As for Fang Yuan saying she wanted to look after Fang Ping, Li Yuying and Fang Ping himself did not see it as such.
The study upstairs.
He inserted the disc and opened the player.
Very quickly, a few videos appeared on the screen.
"Basic Fist Technique Cultivation Instructional Video"
"Basic Leg Technique Cultivation Instructional Video"
"Saber Specialized Training"
"Spear Specialized Training"
"Personal Cultivation Troubleshooting"
…
All in all, there were more than ten videos in the menu.
Aside from the videos, there was also a note handwritten by Wang Jinyang.
"Fist and leg techniques should be cultivated as there's no trainer to guide you in person. Cold weapons need to be touched upon. Please watch them — Wang Jinyang."
When cultivating fist and leg techniques by himself, even if there was no effect, at least it was hard to hurt himself.
However, with cold weapons, a little carelessness would lead to injury. This was something Fang Ping understood.
Anyway, he did not qualify for this yet. Specialized cold weapons were hard to find in Sun City, and it was difficult to properly cultivate it indoors.
Thus, the first video Fang Ping opened was "Basic Leg Technique".
Once he played the video, a refined man of thirty or forty years old appeared on the screen. It looked like it was filmed in some sort of training room.
The man had a gentle face and wore a tight training uniform that emphasized his long arms and legs.
When the video started, the man said, "The cultivation of leg techniques starts from stability!
"If your form isn't stable, you'll fall with one push and be pushed back with one kick, then your leg techniques will be merely for show.
"It's only when your form is stable that you're able to run fast, kick precisely and attack ferociously!
"If your pole-standing is not at the stable stance, no matter how well you cultivate your leg techniques, they can only be used in performance routines…"
The man spoke clearly. He did not immediately jump into how to cultivate, instead explaining the basic overview of leg techniques.
Having a stable stance in pole-standing was the foundation of many combat technique cultivations.
A stable form was not limited to its dictionary definition; being able to reach the stable stance also meant a high physical coordination that was easy to control.With it, it was unlikely that a kick would miss the target and end up causing the kicker to lose balance and fall.
The martial science combat techniques were different from traditional martial arts routines. Martial arts routines prioritized performances and looking good.
On the contrary, combat techniques prioritized explosive force and lethality.
Gathering force, outbursts, and ensuring the attacks cause damage… These were the core of many combat techniques.
The man in the video explained in ways that were easy to understand. Fang Ping had also read the cultivation manual before. Now when he listened, he came to understand a lot of the things he did not understand previously and felt like he gained a lot.
The man demonstrated a few simple moves as he talked and unhurriedly described each of them.
The more Fang Ping listened, the more he felt the man in the video was amazing. At least, his explanation of basic combat techniques was completely understandable to a newbie like Fang Ping.
According to Wang Jinyang, this video came from a teacher at Nanjiang Martial Arts University. It could be said that martial arts university teachers were very capable.
…
Before he realized it, Fang Ping had been watching the video for more than an hour.
At the end of the video, Fang Ping saw the man piece together the moves he had described earlier for the first time.
His left leg moved forward a step, then his right leg flew at the sandbag.
Before Fang Ping could react, the hanging sandbag split open with a bang, metal beads shooting out from the rip.
"Gathering force and outbursts must be diligently practiced in order to master them.
"A martial artist has plenty of Vitality, far surpassing that of a regular person.
"Even so, if the martial artist doesn't know how to gather force or how to expel it in an outburst, they'll just be people who are healthier than average. They would be unable to use their Vitality for combat."
"For the basic leg technique, the signs that you have successfully cultivated it are obvious.
"Being able to severely beat someone up so badly they can't get up or send XX flying with one kick—these aren't what we martial artists are aiming for.
"With an effective leg technique, every move would gather a little force, which is also what the students call a bit-by-bit outburst!
"You lose force throughout beating someone up. Executing a hundred percent of your strength on someone's body will only end up having the effect of a fifty percent attack.
"However, as you can see, that sandbag just split open the moment I kicked it.
"If it had been a human body, the effect would still be the same. The strength of the blow will be maximized the moment the kick lands, then immediately expel the force in an outburst…"
Fang Ping had not noticed it earlier and hastily rewound the video.
Indeed, the moment the man's kick landed on the sandbag, the material where his right leg met the sandbag ripped open.
The sandbag did not swing around much. If a human chest was substituted for the sandbag, it implied that the person would not be sent flying when kicked, only that their chest would rip apart on the spot.
"Gather your force and expel it in an outburst…"
Fang Ping mumbled to himself, then furrowed his brows slightly. "Also, stick to the opponent. When expelling the force, stick to the opponent so that there's no chance they can backtrack and escape."
While he spoke, Fang Ping recalled the video's contents. He stood up and slowly moved his legs.
Moments later, Fang Ping staggered and shook his head. "Using too much strength would result in the body losing balance. Missing the target easily damages one's self, allowing the opponent to seize the opportunity…"
He once again recalled the duel between him and that woman.
Calling it a duel was flattering himself.
In reality, it was a street fight—a flurry of fists and wild punches and kicks.
Fang Ping did not know any force gathering or outburst techniques, and that woman did not either.
Although the opponent was a Rank-1 martial artist, Fang Ping could guarantee that she had either never learned any combat techniques, or she merely dabbled in them.
If she had been the man in the video, even if he was also Rank-1, Fang Ping did not doubt that one punch and one kick from him would leave Fang Ping vomiting blood and his bones broken.
"Different martial artists sure are different…
"If I master the usage of leg techniques, even Rank-1 peak martial artists like Tan Zhenping would probably be thrashed within an inch of their lives."
At this moment, Fang Ping understood what Zhang Yong meant when he said they were "not the same".
Martial arts universities' martial artists, the military's martial artists, casual martial artists…
These martial artists were really very different.
Fang Ping had seen military martial artists before; Zhang Yong was one of them. With a single light punch, the woman was destroyed utterly. She did not even have time to react.
Although it had something to do with Zhang Yong being Rank-2, when he thought about it thoroughly, Zhang Yong had thrown the punch quickly, precisely, and ferociously.
Even if the woman had also been Rank-2, she still might not have been able to respond.As for martial arts universities' martial artists, the power contained in the man in the video's one kick was also extremely astonishing.
The sandbag had split open. If it had been a person, the results would probably be somewhat similar.
The woman was probably a casual martial artist. Her combat abilities were…terrible!
Even Fang Ping, an airheaded youngster who did not know any fist or leg martial techniques, could hold against her for that long a time.
As for Tan Zhenping, despite Fang Ping never seeing him fight, he could somewhat estimate his abilities.
Having these thoughts, Fang Ping resumed watching the video. This time, he watched and corrected his posture at the same time, gathering Vitality for the outburst.
The incredible strength of his Vitality had been all over his entire body, but now it was gathered on his legs. Its effect was obvious.
Fang Ping felt his legs had become much heavier. When he had the outburst, his power would be much stronger too.
…
Two hours later.
Just as Fang Ping was about to begin another round of practice, Fang Yuan roughly pushed open the door.
The girl swept a glance over the room and angrily blustered. "Fang Ping, look what you did!"
Fang Ping's head cleared, and he looked around the room.
He had been watching a video in the study, but after some martial arts practice, the study was now a wreck.
He had kicked down the new bookshelf at some point. Cracks formed at the side, and wooden debris littered the floor.
The sofa bed he bought a few days ago had sunk in the middle as well, possibly due to a broken support frame.
Fang Ping became sheepish. He did not notice these earlier.
Now that he had been caught red-handed by Fang Yuan, Fang Ping coughed and said, "The furniture quality was lacking. I told them to buy better ones, but Mom and Dad stuck to these cheap products.
"It doesn't matter. I'll go choose a better set in two days…"
Fang Yuan rolled her eyes. "Hello, bad quality furniture can be returned!
"Just because it was bad quality, you're allowed to destroy it?
"If mom finds out, she'll definitely scold you!"
The girl was pained. It was a new house with new furniture, yet her brother did not know how to cherish it!
In the past, she would not have even dared to dream of living in a house like this. Hence, the girl was extra attentive these days—if the floor had even a speck of dust, she would find a cloth to wipe it.
Seeing Fang Ping's destruction of their new home, if not for her terrible combat skills, she would have pummeled Fang Ping a long time ago!
"All right already, I forgot where I was just now. Next time, I'll go to the fitness room to practice. There's too little space in the house…"
When he had first entered the house, he thought it quite big.
In the coming days though?
Fang Ping felt this house was too small!
All he did was practice some fist and leg techniques. If he had been holding a weapon, even the fitness room would not have had enough space.
Hearing Fang Ping say this house was small, Fang Yuan felt a little numb.
In the few days the girl had been living here, she felt as if she had been staying in heaven. The house had two stories and was incredibly spacious.
She had bragged about her big new home to a few of her good friends, and all of them had been envious.
On the other hand, her own brother actually called the house small…
Fang Yuan felt like she no longer understood Fang Ping. Ever since Fang Ping decided to sit for the martial sciences examinations, he was like a completely different person.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Fang Yuan's cheeks were pinched by Fang Ping!
Fang Yuan rolled her eyes. Change, her foot! He had not changed at all!
Chapter 72: The Brother-scamming Fang Yuan
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After joking around with Fang Yuan for a while, it had gotten late in the day.
Having attempted some combat cultivation techniques earlier, Fang Ping was covered in sweat. He just thought about taking a shower when he remembered the Body-strengthening Elixir.
After cultivating, his entire body was relaxed. It was the perfect time to use the Body-strengthening Elixir.
The thought having occurred to him, Fang Ping took a bottle of Body-strengthening Elixir and headed for the bathroom.
Fang Yuan saw him take a bottle of something crystal-colored into the bathroom and could not help muttering to herself. Fang Ping was vainer than he had been in the past.
In the past, Fang Ping never used any cosmetics nor things like shower gels.
Now, he even specially bought new bath products to use. She could tell it was not cheap with just a look at the bottle.
…
Fang Ping toyed with the crystal bottle while he entered the bathroom.
For three of these, Wang Jinyang had charged him 500 thousand.
Fang Ping neither understood its value nor knew how much Wang Jinyang had spent to obtain it.
What little Fang Ping did know was that Old Wang was not scamming him. Not only was it not a scam, but Old Wang had also given him a friendly discount.
Sometimes, Fang Ping felt like he could become an appraiser.
Prior to using the elixir, Fang Ping's stats panel displayed:
Wealth: 4606000
Vitality: 162cal
Mentality: 180Hz
Now, his stats displayed:
Wealth: 4706000
Vitality: 155cal (162cal)
Mentality: 176Hz (180Hz)
His Wealth points increased by 100 thousand!
Based on what Fang Ping understood about the system, this meant he gained a profit of 100 thousand in the purchase of this Body-strengthening Elixir.
He had spent 500 thousand on three bottles of Body-strengthening Elixir, which the system appraised at 600 thousand.
The medicinal pills and elixirs he had gotten in the past were usually valued at two-thirds of the market price. The market price for three bottles of Body-strengthening Elixir probably reached 900 thousand—300 thousand a bottle.
Wang Jinyang had only charged him 500 thousand, which was even lower than the system's appraisal.
He had thought about secondhand dealing medicinal pills and elixirs before, but he never had the chance to try it out.
This time, Fang Ping now understood that the system would make up for the difference in prices, and it only changed for profitable differences. It would not decrease Wealth points if there was a loss.
In other words, if he were to start a business as a secondhand dealer, he would only lose money if he made a loss and not Wealth points.
However, if he earned a profit, he would earn both money and Wealth points.
Secondhand dealing medicinal pills and elixirs was a good way to earn money. If Wang Jinyang had the right connections, Fang Ping could buy more from him.
Still, Fang Ping knew the matter was not that simple.
Wang Jinyang had exchanged with the school for the Body-strengthening Elixir. Even if Fang Ping did not know all the details, he could guess that it came with other costs.
For instance, perhaps everyone had a fixed quota, or they had to use up something else, like reward points.
Otherwise, all martial arts university students would become secondhand dealers of medicinal pills and elixirs. The schools were not that dumb.
"Unless I need to use them myself, I shouldn't bother Wang Jinyang."
Fang Ping spoke inwardly. Old Wang had helped him a lot recently; since the beginning with cultivation guidance, and now with buying medicine.
The favors he was owed from Huang Bin's matters had long since been used up.
As Wang Jinyang continued helping him, it was Fang Ping who owed Old Wang favors now.
If it were a different time, Fang Ping would not keep shamelessly troubling Wang Jinyang, but Fang Ping was too unfamiliar with the martial sciences, and he could not find someone else to help him out.
He could only depend on Old Wang for now.
…
An hour later.
Fang Ping walked out of the bathroom.Outside, Fang Yuan had just finished tidying the study. She could not help muttering, "Fang Ping, you're becoming vainer and vainer!
"It's fine if you bought cosmetics for yourself, but you actually bathed for an hour!
"You've always been done in 10 minutes before this!"
As she said this, the girl pinched Fang Ping's arm. "It looks like it's a little smoother. Fang Ping, are you going to start doing skincare?"
Fang Ping had no words but was amused. "What are you talking about? Didn't you see I was cultivating?
"That bottle just now wasn't cosmetics, it was medicine for cultivating."
Fang Yuan's face showed a "you think I am so easy to fool" expression. Who used medicine to cultivate while bathing? Anyway, she did not know.
Fang Ping paid her no mind and analyzed his stats panel again:
Wealth: 4706000
Vitality: 156cal (163cal)
Mentality: 177Hz (180Hz)
After one use of the Body-strengthening Elixir, Fang Ping could not tell if his muscles had absorbed it nor if his body's strength had increased.
After all, it was a minute increase. Fang Ping had not quite grasped how to keenly examine his body yet.
His Vitality's limit had increased by 1cal though, which proved the Body-strengthening Elixir had a pretty good effect.
After examining the panel for some time, Fang Ping started to increase his Vitality and Mentality.
Soon after, his stats changed yet again:
Wealth: 4700000
Vitality: 162cal (163cal)
Mentality: 177Hz (180Hz)
The Fang Ping today had become much more familiar with using the system. The body was always generating Vitality, and Mentality would slowly replenish when resting.
After a night of sleep, his Vitality and Mentality should be restored to peak condition by the time he woke up.
As it was, Fang Ping did not waste his Wealth points increasing them to the max.
On the contrary, increasing them to the max would not be good. If he maintained a peak condition at every moment, it would result in insomnia as his Mentality would be scarily abundant.
…
During the next few days, Fang Ping revised his cultural studies in the daytime.
At night, he cultivated his stance, "the Methods of Honing", and combat techniques.
Although achieving a Mentality of over 180Hz did not raise his combat abilities, he became more quick-thinking, his memory was much better, and his comprehension was much stronger too.
Fang Ping had learned cultural studies in the past.
In his past life, his cultural studies were quite good. Despite there being a gap of many years, revising it was much easier than learning it for the first time.
With the help of an abundant Mentality, at the end of May, Fang Ping got a pretty good score on one of his class's placement tests.
Out of a possible 750 points, Fang Ping had achieved 610 points.
Last year, the National Key Universities' admission requirement was 593 points.
The paper used for the practice test had a similar difficulty to last year's National College Entrance Examinations.
Fang Ping's score of 610 points exceeded the National Key Universities' admission requirement by nearly 20 points.
With results like these, even if he applied for mere social sciences universities, he would be able to get into a good one.
If he applied for martial sciences universities, as long as his Vitality met the admission requirements, Fang Ping would probably be able to get in.
Combining that with his 149cal assessment results, getting into the Big Two was no issue either.
Once the practice test results were released, some rejoiced and some brooded.
In the front row, Yang Jian was sour-faced. Looking at Fang Ping, his gaze was full of resentment.
He had gotten 580 points for his practice test, which was actually not bad.
Nevertheless, according to this standard, the National Key Universities' admission requirement was not met, and his Vitality during the assessment had a result of only 116cal.
Under these circumstances, the possibility of being admitted was extremely small.
While Yang Jian was full of resentment, his deskmate Chen Fan was dissatisfied. Ever since Fang Ping signed up for the martial sciences examinations and achieved good results for both the physical assessment and practical test stages, Chen Fan had worked even harder.
This time, Chen Fan had done well. His score was higher than Fang Ping's at 625 points.
In the past, Chen Fan would have been satisfied.
However, the Fang Ping today was almost definitely going to a martial arts university. Chen Fan knew he had no hope of becoming a martial artist, yet he also did not desire to be thrown too far aside by the other half of the "Mediocre Duo".
People like Fang Ping and Wu Zhihao were focusing on many at a time while he put all his focus into one, yet his cultural studies were only slightly better than Fang Ping's and still worse than Wu Zhihao's.
Wu Zhihao scored 648 points in this practice test, ranking second in class.
First in class was also a martial sciences examinations student, Liu Ruoqi!
Liu Ruoqi scored 660 points!
These martial sciences examinations students had much heavier assignments than they did, yet they could still do so well, filling Chen Fan with a sense of frustration.
Fang Ping could somewhat tell what Chen Fan was thinking.
When the results came out, he had intentionally expressed some envy, griping about how he had burned the midnight oil every night, yet he was still unable to score higher than him.Fang Ping did not dare to say he never revised cultural studies when he went back at night. If Chen Fan knew about it, Fang Ping was afraid it would be a killing blow to him.
…
After school.
Wu Zhihao slung an arm over Fang Ping's shoulders, full of smiles as he said, "Vacation officially starts tomorrow. Want to go out and play for a couple of days and relax a little?"
His Vitality was assessed to be 120cal, and his practice test results were higher than the National Key Universities' admission requirements by more than 50 points.
With these results, getting into a martial arts university was probable.
As long as he did not go blank during the test, it was not out of his expectations to be able to enter a martial arts university. The current Wu Zhihao naturally wanted to relax more.
Hearing him say he wanted to go out to play, before Fang Ping could respond, Yang Jian resentfully replied, "Have you considered my feelings?
"During these holidays, I can't do anything but study."
Fang Ping rejected the idea as well. "Tomorrow is the first of June—Children's Day. I need to celebrate it with my family's kid, so I don't have time to go out."
"Pft…"
Wu Zhihao almost choked to death, then roared with laughter. "When you said your family's kid, you mean your little sister, right?
"Fang Ping, your sister is so interesting!"
Fang Ping shot him a look and said sourly, "You're not familiar with her. How would you know if she's interesting or not?"
"I am unfamiliar, but I know someone who is.
"The kid who lives next door to me is a Year 3 Junior at Experimental High School; I've heard of your famous little sister.
"I heard your sister sold your autographed portraits at Experimental High School. The kid next door bought one too. I almost died laughing…"
"Get lost! She stopped selling them a long time ago, alright?"
Fang Ping spat out that sentence. He found out about this long ago.
Fang Yuan that little brat had gotten ahold of the leftover ID photos Fang Ping had taken for the National College Entrance Examination and stuck on signatures Fang Ping had left on books, and then she went to sell them at school.
In the beginning, Fang Ping really had no clue, but Fang Yuan had the idea to split the profits and bought a mountain of junk food to bribe Fang Ping.
Fang Ping did not think too much about it at first, but he started suspecting something was not right when he discovered even more junk food in her room.
He only knew of Fang Yuan's doing after asking some questions.
Fang Ping narrowly avoided being angered to death. He had thought Fang Yuan was joking before and had not taken it seriously.
Consequently, when he went back to the old house and looked around, he found the first pages of his old books torn out where he had written his name.
After asking, he found out the brat had already sold 8 autographed portraits at 100 a picture!
Fang Ping was so angry. ID photos were so ugly!
If you wanted to sell it, could you not at least find a different photo?
His reputation was completely destroyed by the brat.
Fang Ping was too embarrassed to tell others about this matter. Who knew Wu Zhihao already knew about it?
While Wu Zhihao laughed uncontrollably, Yang Jian and the others immediately inquired further as it was the first they heard of it. When they knew the whole story, every single one of them laughed so hard their bodies shook.
Fang Ping's expression darkened, yet he was not in the mood to deal with them.
However, he was secretly annoyed. He was going to teach that brat a lesson when he got back. The news had even traveled to Sun City No.1 High School, that brother-scamming rascal!Chapter 73: Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Scenic Lake Gardens.
When Fang Ping reached the Scenic Lake Gardens, he just so happened to see Fang Yuan at the residential community gate.
The second he thought of how he had been the butt of Wu Zhihao and the others' jokes, his temper flared and he bellowed, "Fang Yuan!"
Fang Yuan quickly looked over. Her expression turned nervous. She hastily turned to the female classmate beside her and said quietly, "My brother's back. You should go."
"Your brother is so cool…"
The female classmate saw Fang Ping's rage as the awe-inspiring authority of a martial artist and became overly nervous, even having a slightly worshipful look.
She looked at Fang Ping with some yearning. Remembering Fang Yuan saying her brother was really fierce, the girl stole another look at Fang Ping, then hurriedly sprinted away.
Before she left, she did not forget the business at hand and called softly, "Fang Yuan, don't forget…"
"I know, I know!"
Fang Yuan hurriedly cut her off and waved at her.
Only after her classmate was a good distance away did Fang Yuan smile broadly and wave at Fang Ping. "Brother, school's out?"
Fang Ping paced over, glancing at the girl who just left. His expression was dark. "What have you done now?
"Still selling autographed portraits?"
"No!"
Fang Yuan swiftly shook her head, denying it vehemently. "You already banned me from selling them. I wouldn't dare to."
"Really?"
Fang Ping did not quite believe it. This girl and her classmate were obviously hiding something.
Fang Ping's Vitality had reached 170cal, and his Mentality was reaching 200Hz. His hearing was sharp and his vision was keen. He heard the two girls' whispers loud and clear.
"Really!"
Fang Yuan swiftly raised her hand and stuck out three fingers. After some thought, she stuck out her thumb too and said firmly, "I swear!"
"Only a fool would believe you. You say you're not up to anything, but you're calling me 'Brother'?"
"Brother, stop accusing the innocent!" Fang Yuan's expression was of someone wronged. "You're too hard to please. When I don't call you 'Brother', you say I'm disrespectful.
"When I call you 'Brother', you say I'm up to something…"
After speaking in such a dejected manner, the girl's voice returned to normal at once and changed the subject. "Brother, has vacation started for you Year 3 Seniors yet?"
"Vacation has started…"
"That's great! Brother, how about we go out to play tomorrow? Tomorrow's celebration…"
"We'll discuss it later!"
Fang Ping still felt this girl was scheming something. He watched her suspiciously, but he did not ask any further.
As they walked down the street, Fang Ping said, "Summer vacation is coming up soon for you guys too, right?"
"Uh-huh, it's starting at the end of June."
"You should use this time to study properly. Don't go wild all day.
"When I finish the exams, I'll start teaching you stances."
"Stances?"
Fang Yuan's excitement rose. "Really?"
Fang Ping nodded. "Yes. Pole-standing is considered meditation. It doesn't burden the body too much. As long as your Vitality can keep up, there should be no problems."
He had consulted Wang Jinyang and Tan Zhenping on this as well, and both of them had said there was no problem.
Practicing martial arts at a young age was not necessarily good as it was easy to injure one's self.
Practicing martial arts before the body had matured depleted too much Vitality and could not be replenished properly. As a result, the body could become malformed or even suffer dwarfism.
However, as long as the body's Vitality could keep up, and one was not cultivating combat techniques or "the Methods of Honing", pole-standing was not a big issue.
Fang Ping had quite a number of medicines such as Blood and Qi-replenishing Pills and Vitality Pills at hand that he would not have been able to use up by himself.
If he sold them, it was unlikely he could find a good buyer.
He should take the opportunity while he was still at home to help drill some basics into Fang Yuan, at least let her learn pole-standing.
Fang Yuan was glad to hear Fang Ping say she could practice martial arts.
In this era, martial artists were highly regarded. It did not matter if one was a boy or a girl, young or old, everybody wanted to be a martial artist.
Fang Yuan naturally wanted to be one too, but she was still at too young an age. Furthermore, their family had not been wealthy and Fang Ping had had no way to pursue the martial sciences, so she never thought she could aim toward the martial sciences herself.Now that Fang Ping said he would teach her pole-standing, the girl smiled so much her face became rounder. She could not wait for summer vacation.
Seeing her joy, Fang Ping said coldly, "Before I teach you, tell me, what schemes were you hatching up with your classmate?"
"Brother…"
"Fine, if you're not going to tell me, I'm not going to teach you."
"Fang Ping!"
Fang Yuan was annoyed and torn at the same time. Half a beat passed before she reluctantly opened her mouth. "We weren't scheming anything. You have quite a few old clothes, don't you? I…"
She did not have to say anything else.
Fang Ping gritted his teeth so hard it hurt and yelled, "Enough, you!
"Selling my autographs was bad enough, and now you want to start selling my clothes!
"Are you going to sell me in the end?
"You little brat, what do you want the money for?
"If you've run out of money, just ask me! If you do any more of this stuff, I'll beat you up!"
"I'm not selling clothes, I'm selling feelings…"
"Shut up!"
Fang Ping scolded her, then said bitterly, "From now on, you're not allowed to sell anything!"
Fang Yuan scrunched up her mouth, displeased. "If you can earn money then why not? See, last time I sold a few autographed portraits, it was equal to a mom's wages for a month.
"They're just some old clothes. If you sign them and sell them…"
"What's the point of you worrying about our family's situation?" Fang Ping's tone was petulant. "Mom insisted on working no matter what I told her. Is money the issue?
"Stop fretting over this. When I finish my exams, I'll arrange things.
"Don't add to the trouble!"
Fang Mingrong had not gone over to the Department of Education yet, but he already told his boss that he would quit after a month to become a security guard for the Department of Education.
The boss of the ceramics manufacturing factory was very courteous too. He gave Fang Mingrong a month's wages a few days before the month even ended.
Not to mention, aside from the wages, his boss insisted on giving him a healthcare allowance.
Fang Mingrong could not refuse it. His boss nagged him when he refused it, so he had to accept it in the end.
Old Fang's son had the highest Vitality assessment results in Auspicious Sun. His probability of getting into a martial arts university was nine out of ten. This news had spread much earlier, and the ceramics manufacturing factory boss did not want to offend a martial arts university student over this small matter.
As for Li Yuying, Fang Ping had talked to her about it numerous times, but Li Yuying said her work did not tire her. Moreover, she was doing well. If she suddenly stopped working, there would be nobody left to help out her boss, and it would become a hassle to others. At the very least, she would wait till a replacement was found before she left.
Mom was so determined, Fang Ping could not say anything to convince her, and so he could only wait for some time to pass before he brought it up again.
The siblings walked as they conversed. By the time they reached home, Li Yuying had already prepared dinner.
Fang Ping's parents moved in two days ago and had initially planned to treat their friends and family to a meal.
However, after they thought about it, they realized Fang Ping would finish his exams in a few days, which would have to be celebrated as well. It was not appropriate to feast twice in such a short span of time.
Therefore, Fang Mingrong decided not to celebrate moving into their new house for now. They would celebrate with a feast for both the move and the end of the exams at the same time.
…
Once they entered the house, Fang Ping greeted his mother. "Mom, keep a closer eye on Fang Yuan these days. Don't let her cause trouble. It was bad enough she sold my pictures last time, she was ready to sell my clothes just now.
"Selling outerwear is still okay, but it would be too shameful if she sold my underwear…
"Since you're home, help me keep an eye on her…"
Li Yuying could not help being startled as she heard this and was amused too. "Yuan Yuan, no monkey business!"
Fang Yuan huffed and glared at her brother. "I got it already, Fang Ping already told me so many times," she said defeatedly.
"Your older brother's about to go into a martial arts university, you shouldn't mess around…"
Li Yuying reiterated. In Li Yuying's eyes, martial arts university students were prestigious.In the past, she had not dared to even dream about it. Now, her son was going to a martial arts university. She definitely could not allow her daughter to mess about and bring her son shame.
Although Fang Ping had said it was "shameful", in actual fact, he did not really take this childish mischief seriously.
It was just that Fang Yuan was still little. At this age, Fang Ping did not want her to be overly embroiled in finance matters.
Fang Yuan was currently still young. At this stage, having fun and studying were most important. Fang Ping did not want her to be too involved in other issues.
Having mentioned the situation to his mother, Fang Ping paid no attention to Fang Yuan's resentful gaze and went straight upstairs.
…
Fitness room.
Fang Ping once again called Wang Jinyang.
The moment the call connected, Fang Ping got straight to the point. "Brother Wang, lately I feel like my pole-standing has been improving at a slower rate. It's been quite some time now since I broke through to the stable stance.
"Still, I've had no progress on the firm stance…"
"…"
Old Wang was a little speechless. It had been quite some time now since you broke through to the stable stance?
Freaking hell, you had had the ability to use cultivation methods for barely two months!
In less than two months, along with pole-standing and combat techniques, your Vitality especially had broken through the limit…
Even so, you had the audacity to say it had been quite some time since you broke through to the stable stance?
Wang Jinyang massaged his temples and asked, "How has your combat techniques cultivation been going?"
"I've only cultivated the basic leg technique so far. It's alright. I've practiced and know how to gather force and expel it now.
"The thing is, I'm still not too sure how to 'stick'. When I kick, my leg goes straight up and straight back down. I couldn't make the sandbag move according to my rhythm."
"Sticking" to the opponent was considered one of the signs of a successful basic leg technique.
To make the opponent move to one's own rhythm in a very limited space, it was very hard to achieve.
Wang Jinyang rubbed his temples yet again, only speaking a moment later. "Don't worry about 'sticking'. Being able to gather force and having an outburst means you already possess some combat ability.
"'Sticking' is targeted at opponents of similar strength. If the opponent is stronger than you, you won't be able to 'stick'. If the opponent is weaker, there's no need to 'stick'.
"It's hard to solve these problems when you're cultivating by yourself.
"The roots of it run deep. It still has to do with pole-standing. Once your pole-standing breaks through to the firm stance, you'll have much more control over your body as well as your enemies'.
"After that, when you attempt 'sticking', you'll find it much easier than you find it now.
"As for you wanting to breakthrough…"
Wang Jinyang paused, then said, "If you go to a martial arts university, there are aiding facilities you can use so that it's easier to breakthrough.
"Right now though, you don't have access to these facilities…
"Alright then. Buy a skateboard and do stances on it. When you can stand on it as well as you stand on flat ground, you're not far from the firm stance.
"The most important thing in stance is control. Control your center of gravity, control your bones and muscles.
"Let your body be able to move with your thoughts, not letting your body do the actions before sending it to the brain…"
Wang Jinyang gave this suggestion as well as a simple overview of the firm stance.
In the end, Wang Jinyang could not resist inquiring, "Your cultural studies test is coming soon. After that, it's the start of university entrance applications.
"Based on how you've been doing, if your cultural studies are alright, you shouldn't have a problem getting into the Big Two.
"What are your thoughts?"
Fang Ping, this rascal. He improved way too fast!
In less than two months' time, his Vitality, bones and body's strength had all broken the limits of a regular person.
Now, even his pole-standing was heading towards a breakthrough to the second realm. In regards to combat techniques, even though Wang JInyang did not see Fang Ping's leg technique for himself, but being able to freely gather and expel force meant Fang Ping already possessed a true martial artist's level of combat ability.
When he had gone back to Sun City in April, Wang Jinyang never thought Fang Ping would have had such a change.
At the time, when he strongly suggested Fang Ping apply for Nanjiang Martial Arts University, it was also with the thought of looking after Fang Ping. After all, Wang Jinyang had some authority in Nanjiang Martial Arts University.
Now that it was nearly time, Wang Jinyang felt Nanjiang Martial Arts University was not necessarily the best choice for Fang Ping.
In fact, Fang Ping had recently considered this matter before too. Now that Wang Jinyang asked, Fang Ping immediately answered, "Brother Wang, I haven't decided yet. After all, I don't know much about the martial arts universities.
"When I'm done with the cultural studies test and the results are released, then I'll have to bother you for more detailed introductions…"
"No problem. I may return to Sun City during the summer vacation.
"If I'm there when your results are released, I'll fill you in. Make your decision then, don't rush to apply.
"If I'm not there by then, just give me another call…"
"Will do. Sorry for the hassle, Brother Wang."
"You're welcome…" Wang Jinyang replied politely. He could not suppress his curiosity and gave a cough. "Also, Fang Ping, if you don't mind, could you tell me how high your Vitality is now?"The more this boy understood, the more Wang Jinyang felt he kept things hidden.
He was quite interested in exactly how high Fang Ping's Vitality was currently.
Fang Ping hesitated slightly, but considering the fact that Wang Jinyang could probably tell if they meet when he came back to Sun City, Fang Ping said after some thought, "Should be close to the level of honing your bones twice…"
"…"
Old Wang made a "haha" sound and hung up without saying anything else!
MMP 1!
At the start of April, it had been around 110cal.
Not long after that, thanks to medicinal pills, it was around 120cal.
At the beginning of May during the Vitality assessment, it was 149 cal.
Currently, it was not yet June—June started the next day.
This rascal was telling him he wanted his pole-standing to breakthrough to the firm stance, his Vitality was nearing 180cal, he had almost succeeded in mastering the basic leg technique, and he was also preparing for the cultural studies test…
Was he freaking human?
Was he spending all 24 hours in a day practicing martial arts non-stop?
Fang Ping did not practice martial arts non-stop, but once his Vitality and Mentality decreased, he would use Wealth points to replenish them.
Other people normally had a recovery period.
The results of Fang Ping's one hour of cultivation was on par with others' many days of cultivation.
He sometimes spent 5 or 6 hours cultivating in a day, which was on par with others' half a month or even an entire month's worth of cultivation. His daily improvement was obvious.
The number of days since he started cultivating up till now was about 50 days.
The results of these 50 days were equivalent to a proper cultivation period of one or two years for other people. In spite of this, Fang Ping's improvement was not considered too extreme.
When Wang Jinyang first started cultivating at the martial arts university, his results in less than half a year were more extreme than Fang Ping's.
Whereas Old Wang felt Fang Ping was not human, Fang Ping felt Old Wang was terrifying. Reaching Rank-3 in less than a year was something Fang Ping did not feel he could definitely achieve.
Both of them felt the other was not normal; they had to work harder. However, they never thought about their improvement. If others knew, who would not be cursing their mothers?
Chapter 74: Martial Arts Universities! Grandmaster!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
1st June, Children's Day.
Also known as Sister's Day, as Fang Yuan had dubbed it.
Fang Yuan had been pestering Fang Ping to celebrate the festival with her all morning, something that Fang Ping found to be simultaneously humorous and irritating.
Fang Ping knew what was on the girl's mind.
A celebration meant presents.
Fang Ping had, indeed, prepared a present for her.
So, as expected, when Fang Yuan opened her mouth to ask for presents, Fang Ping handed her a "chocolate bean'.
Fang Yuan stared at the "chocolate bean" in Fang Ping's palm, her smile gradually disappearing. At last, she gritted her teeth and said furiously, "This is the gift you've prepared for me?"
"Yes."
"Isn't this one of the chocolate beans I gave you a few days before?"
Fang Yuan was even more furious.
'I gave you a whole packet, but now you're only giving me one single bean!'
She would have accepted it grudgingly if he had given her the entire packet.
Would anyone else give someone a single bean as a gift?
Fang Ping smiled. "This is not an ordinary chocolate bean. It tastes super good.
"Am I, your brother, short of money?
"No!
"The reason why I'm giving you only one bean…"
"It's because you're stingy!" Fang Yuan continued exasperatedly.
She had not seen a Blood and Qi-replenishing Pill before. That was why she did not know what the "chocolate bean", as she had assumed, really was.
One pill costs thirty thousand yuan in the market.
Fang Yuan could only take the Blood and Qi-replenishing Pill in her current state. Even a normal Vitality Pill would be overkill.
Actually, in the case when some families wanted to primp their kids in advance, they would give them Qi-replenishing Pills or Blood-replenishing Pills most of the time.
Without a certain financial base, it was impossible to use the Blood and Qi-replenishing Pills at this stage. Taking them a day before the Gaokao would be more practical.
Fang Ping had 18 pills in his possession. They worked on students with Vitalities below 150cal.
For Fang Ping and those martial artists, they only served as Vitality supplements.
Blood and Qi-replenishing Pills could no longer increase their Vitality limit.
This would work well in creating a foundation for Fang Yuan's Vitality, though.
Fang Ping did not explain himself even in the face of Fang Yuan's complaints.
The girl was extremely stingy. If she knew that this was a Blood and Qi-replenishing Pill, she probably would make Fang Ping sell it immediately. She would probably feel pained if she had known that she had eaten a couple thousand yuan in one bite.
Despite her complaints and displeasure, the girl still raised her head and asked, "Is it really tasty?"
"Really!"
"You miser!"
She cursed again before pinching the "bean" with her fingers and tossing it into her mouth.
After chewing on it for a while and finally swallowing it, she was even more dissatisfied. She huffed. "It doesn't taste good at all!"
Fang Ping was not offended. He looked at her with a grin.
After a while, she still showed no reaction. He did not feel it strange.
Pills did not work immediately.
There was a process of absorption and digestion after consumption. Also, the effects of the Blood and Qi-replenishing Pill were not too strong. Fang Yuan would probably not pay attention to any small changes that would happen.
Fang Yuan was still young, though, and her Vitality was low. Taking a Blood and Qi-replenishing Pill at this time would cause certain side effects.
…
The side effects quickly made themselves known.
When lunchtime came, Fang Ping decided to treat his sister to KFC.
He had ordered a full table of dishes, but Fang Yuan could only stare at them and wail desperately. "Fang Ping, I really wanna eat them, but why don't I have an appetite at all?
"Was my belly filled with anger toward you this morning?"
She really, really wanted to eat, but her stomach felt bloated, and she did not have an appetite at all.
On the rare occasion when it was Fang Ping's treat, she could only watch him eat. She was frustrated to the brink of tears.
Fang Ping laughed mentally at her plight. 'Serves you right for selling my things and plotting to drain my fortune every day!'
Fang Yuan's Vitality was not high enough. The Blood and Qi-replenishing Pill took effect as soon as she had taken it. Without exercise and training to expend the excess nourishment, how could she possibly feel hunger?
An abundance of Vitality felt like being stuffed full of food. No matter how tasty the food in front of her, she could not eat.
He was lucky that Fang Yuan did not know what was on his mind. She could have clawed him to death, if she had known.
He did that deliberately!
Fang Ping knew of the side effects of the Blood and Qi-replenishing Pill perfectly well.
It could not be considered a side effect to someone like Fang Ping, actually, as he could easily digest the pill while Fang Yuan would have to wait for a few days for the sensation to subside.
The girl would have a poor appetite for those few days.
…
Making a fool out of his sister was fun, but he could not bully her all the time.
In the afternoon, after his meal, Fang Ping, in an act driven by his conscience, brought the little girl to the amusement park.
There were no big, grand rides in Sun City's amusement park, but there were smaller entertainment facilities.
Most of Fang Yuan's resentment dissipated after an afternoon of fun.She almost had a breakdown when she returned that night to discover many tasty dishes made by her mother and her repeated lack of appetite.
She complained to Li Yuying. "Fang Ping tapped my Hunger point!"
Fang Ping laughed so hard he almost sprayed the contents of his mouth out.
Hunger point, what the heck. This girl was creative in creating new terms.
Li Yuying did not believe her, naturally. When she noticed that her daughter was not eating, she said crossly, "It's because of all the junk food you eat! Pingping, you're not allowed to give her money for junk food!
"I'm confiscating all the junk food in your room!
"How can you grow taller when you're only eating junk food and not normal meals?"
Not only Li Yuying was furious, but Fang Mingrong also supported the confiscation of junk food from Fang Yuan's room. His daughter was choosing to eat junk food over rice. How could they possibly let this go on?
While the couple demanded answers from their daughter, Fang Ping's face was almost submerged into the bowl he was holding.
He feared that he would burst with laughter at any time.
Fang Yuan had prepared to rat him out to his parents, but she ended up being the one who was scolded. Her secret stock of food was even confiscated.
The girl's head was drooping, as she was filled with confusion. She started to doubt herself.
She did not know why she was suddenly uninterested in food, either.
She had blamed this on Fang Ping because she subconsciously felt that Fang Ping was the only one who would push her down the drain.
Fang Ping did not do anything to her, did he?
She had not heard of martial artists depriving people of the ability to eat.
At the sight of the many dishes on the table, she just could not muster her appetite. She was not hungry, but she was not sick, either.
"Was this really because of the amount of junk food I ate?"
Fang Yuan thought this the right explanation, too, which made her angrier.
…
Fang Yuan's lack of appetite was the main subject of focus of her parents during the next few days.
Li Yuying would glare at her daughter ferociously and force her to eat, mouthful by mouthful.
Fang Ping laughed every time he caught sight of her despondent face.
The girl acted as if every meal was the bane of her existence.
It was only after three days that the side effects of the pill dissipated and her appetite returned.
This made her parents more certain that they had discovered the reason behind the incident. Junk food was indeed the culprit!
Their daughter had regained their appetite after not eating junk food for three days. What would the reason be if it was not this?
Fang Yuan herself was also convinced that this was the reason.
The family did not think too much of it. A martial arts family would probably have discovered the true reason long ago. In that case, Fang Yuan would also have come for Fang Ping's hide long ago.
After the daughter's problem was solved, Fang Ping's Gaokao loomed on the horizon.
Fang Ping was not that nervous compared to his parents, who found themselves unable to sleep due to nerves.
Fang Mingrong had just begun working for the Department of Education a week ago, and so was reluctant to take leave. Li Yuying, on the other hand, took a week off to take care of Fang Ping.
…
June 7th came in the blink of an eye.
On the morning of that day, everyone in Fang Ping's family escorted him to the school for his exam.
He was not assigned to take the exam at Sun City No.1 High School, but he was assigned to the experimental middle school, which, incidentally, was also Fang Yuan's school.
On their way there, they saw parents taking their children to the examination venue from time to time.
Most families were represented by either the father or mother.
Families like Fang Ping's, where both parents and even a younger sister came along, were rare.
Looking at his family's faces, wrought with nerves, Fang Ping was resigned yet heartened.When they arrived at the school gates, Fang Mingrong left first, as he had to go to work.
His mother and Fang Yuan were reluctant to leave. Looking at the crowd outside the gates, Fang Ping could not help but think of the attack in Auspicious Sun City that had happened last month.
Now Fang Ping would not be afraid even if he was attacked once again.
He had achieved a certain level in his cultivation of the Basics of Leg Techniques.
Fang Ping felt that he would have an 80% chance of winning if he had to face the woman from before.
Of course, the woman was burnt to ashes a long time ago. Fang Ping had no chance to prove himself.
He was not afraid, but he could not allow his mother and Fang Yuan to be harmed.
It took a while for him to successfully convince Fang Yuan to take his mother home early.
Lakeview Gardens was quite near to the experimental middle school, so there was no need for her to wait for him in front of the school.
…
Only after Fang Yuan and his mother had left did Fang Ping enter the venue.
"It's the last hurdle!"
Outside the venue, Fang Ping muttered.
The Five Stages of the Martial Sciences Exam.
Since his transmigration, this phrase could be heard everywhere.
Now he had successfully passed the previous exams.
He would have no problem entering a martial arts university if he did not do too bad in his cultural studies exam.
Although his Vitality was exceptionally high, it did not guarantee an entrance to a martial arts university.
He was not even at Rank-1. Studying in a martial arts university definitely had its perks – this could be seen from how Wang Jinyang, a Rank-3 martial artist, refused to graduate.
Resources, mentors, cultivation method manuals… He needed all of these.
It was impossible to walk far on the Path without a guide.
Fang Ping would not have come this far if he had not befriended Wang Jinyang – even if he cheated using the system.
The Methods of Honing, the pole-standing manual, combat techniques… Even if he had succeeded in obtaining them himself some other way, he would have done something wrong practicing them alone.
Besides that, martial arts universities kept a lot of secrets.
Wang Jinyang and the others seemed to know a lot.
Tan Zhenping, though. Fang Ping had gotten to know him after meeting him quite a few times afterward due to his father's occupational affairs. Tan Zhenping was old, but he knew little.
With those thoughts in mind, Fang Ping entered the venue and sat down, waiting for the invigilator to distribute the papers.
"Martial arts universities!"
This phrase was the only thing in Fang Ping's mind.
…
At the same time.
Nanjiang Martial Arts University.
Wang Jinyang was officially the next President of the Martial Arts Club of Nanjiang Martial Arts University.
It was initially planned that he inherits the post the next semester after Shen Quan's graduation.
Shen Quan was currently deep in the depths of the Catacombs, though. Zhang Qingnan had not returned yet.
The Nine Grandmasters had sealed the entrance to the Catacombs. Before Governor Zhang left, he had searched around the entrance, but he failed to discover any trace of the two men.
He was a busy man. He could not possibly assist in the search for an extended period of time.
The other Grandmasters were similarly occupied. Everyone was busy, plus access to the Catacombs was limited after the sealing of the entrance.
Unless… Unless he, Wang Jinyang, became a Grandmaster himself, he would have to ask someone else for help.
"Grandmaster!"
As he assumed the presidency, all he could think of was those two words.
He was not close with Shen Quan, but the President had taken great care of him after his induction into the club.
Not to mention Zhang Qingnan, who was his introductory mentor.
Even though it was possible that they had ended up dead in the Catacombs, he was set on going down to see it for himself, to avenge their deaths, and to let them rest in their homeland in peace.