As Qin Wu concluded his fifth and final demonstration of all four moves in The Tiger Descends The Mountain, the spark of starry light in Yunfan's eyes began to dim until there was only a tiny pinprick of light remained in the center of his pupils. He blinked, emerging from a meditative state that he wasn't sure when he had slipped into. As he attempted to recall the past few minutes, he realized that he could remember every detail he had observed about The Tiger Descends The Mountain technique in startling clarity.
It was almost like he was looking at a slow-motion, three-dimensional recording of the four moves. He had confidence that with his supernatural control over his body, that he could replicate about 40% of the martial skill's power with perfect technique, even with a far lower cultivation base.
Yunfan's brief reverie was interrupted by the deep bass of Qin Wu's voice. "When you practice this technique, you must understand that you won't be able to perform the technique at the level of someone in the Qi Sea Realm. I'd like to have a student demonstrate the first three moves to provide a reference point."
His eyes narrowed as he studied the class. "Has anyone practiced this technique before?"
"I have!" Feng Deying proclaimed. He looked restless, shifting slightly from one foot to the other.
He probably wants to "prove" himself to make up for his embarrassment this morning, Yunfan chuckled to himself. His ego is so fragile. And predictable.
Qin Wu nodded and waved towards an empty area that hadn't been damaged by his five destructive repetitions of the technique.
Chu Yunfan noticed Feng Deying's eyes flicking to Tang Siyu several times as he walked to the center of the circle of students. The blonde boy took a deep breath and his muscles flexed slightly as Internal Energy began flowing through his body.
"Ascending Tiger!"
Feng Deying abruptly launched into motion, his uppercut cutting through the air with a sharp sound. Although he didn't soar as high as Qin Wu did, he was still almost three meters in the air.
"Crushing Claw!"
He fell like a thunderbolt, his body blurring into a streak of platinum and golden until he slammed into the ground. Although his clawed fingers had not pierced the floor, small cracks had spread outwards from the impact point.
"Fatal Pierce!"
Feng Deying's hand turned into a sharpened point, the condensation of Internal Energy becoming almost tangible. When he struck, a powerful gust of wind caused the other students' hair to flutter despite being about ten meters away.
All of his moves were smooth and natural. They demonstrated an impressive amount of skill and the full power of his Energy Gathering stage cultivation.
"Not bad at all! Did you have a private tutor teach you the technique before?" Qin Wu asked.
Chu Yunfan sighed. Naturally those with money had an edge, with Qi-dense properties, private tutors, and miraculous medicines. Just like in the Common Era, only the rich and wealthy could truly sustain cultivation; although the baseline had risen, the wealth gap remained.
Feng Deying nodded at Instructor Qin. "My private martial arts coach says that The Tiger Descends The Mountain is the most powerful martial skill that is readily available to the public. Although it takes a toll on the body, I'm a genius and my coach said that this technique suits me best!" he openly bragged.
"Your private coach has good taste. The Tiger Descends The Mountain is indeed one of the strongest basic martial skills. It's power is considered exceptional even in the Qi Sea Realm," Qin Wu agreed. "How long have you studied the technique?"
"Just two months!" Feng Deying smirked, rubbing his nose with pride.
"Competent Stage in two months? Your comprehension skills are very impressive," the instructor nodded before turning to the rest of the class. "For those who don't know, martial skills are divided into stages of proficiency.
"When you first learn a new technique and can perform every part, you're in the Elementary Stage.
"After you can practice each part smoothly, you enter the Competent Stage. This normally takes three or four months and is the level I want all martial arts stream applicants to be at when we take the final exam.
"Following the Competent Stage, you must train with this technique for many years or gain a lot of combat experience with this technique. This is the pinnacle that an ordinary person can reach and the level that I've attained: the Mastery Stage.
"Not even one in one hundred thousand people reach the highest possible stage. This is the level of mastery that only someone with incredible talent, resources, and time can attain: the Enlightenment Stage."
"Teacher! I don't think a demonstration is enough to truly show the capabilities of The Tiger Descends The Mountain!" Feng Deying interjected. "Real battles are the only way to really comprehend martial skills!"
Chu Yunfan suddenly had an ominous premonition.
Qin Wu nodded. "Combat experience is key to the growth of a martial artist."
The crowd carefully eyed Feng Deying and Gao Hongzhi. Although Feng Deying was one cultivation stage higher than Gao Hongzhi, he had only broken through recently. They had historically been an equal match and vicious rivals, sparring whenever they had to chance.
However, Feng Deying's predatory smirk wasn't directed at Gao Hongzhi. "Chu Yunfan! Come up and fight me!"
Gao Hongzhi immediately objected, his expression twisted with anger. "Do you have any shame?! He's two cultivation levels below you! All he did was contradict you in class! Why are you still holding onto a grudge?!"
Feng Deying grinned, ignoring Gao Hongzhi and directly addressing Yunfan. "Are you a coward? I'll restrict my Internal Energy to that of a sixth stage cultivator's."
Everyone knew that even if Feng Deying restricted his Internal Energy, his body tempering would still be two stages higher. Although it sounded nice, it was still completely unfair.
"What do I get if I win?" Yunfan scoffed, crossing his arms. "I don't fight losing battles without an incentive."
Feng Deying frowned. For a moment, Chu Yunfan thought that he'd give up.
"I'll give you a Blood Essence Refinement Pill," Feng Deying offered with an unsettling smile. "Is that enough 'incentive' or are you still too afraid?"
I should've known better. He doesn't think he's going to lose, so obviously it doesn't matter to him what he offers.
The Alchemy Emperor reacted to the name."Blood Essence Refinement Pills? Those were very rare during my time; the alchemists who could concoct Blood Essence Refinement Pills guarded their recipes with their lives. I suppose that must be why their treasure hoards and recipes survived to this era.
"I could easily concoct them, but you'd require at least Outward Projection Realm cultivation to concoct that pill yourself. It would be a great help to your constitution."
What level is the Outward Projection Realm?
"…I continue to be astounded by this backwards society. The first Realm is Body Tempering, the second is Vitality Core, the third is Outward Projection, and the fourth is Spiritual Ocean."
Yunfan had already connected "Body Tempering" and "Spiritual Ocean" to Physical Refinement and Qi Sea respectively, but now that he heard the antiquated Ancient Zenith names for the first through fourth cultivation Realms, he finally had a picture of the path ahead of him.
The conversation in Yunfan's head happened incredibly quickly. He smirked at Feng Deying and stepped forwards.
"I suppose it'd be rude to turn you down after you've gone so far."
Gao Hongzhi grabbed Yunfan's shoulder, worry creasing his brow. "Are you insane?! Beating Mu Zhenfei was one thing, but Feng Deying is another matter entirely! He'll beat you to a pulp!
"As much as I hate to admit it, Feng Deying is probably second only to Tang Siyu. I can't beat him!"
"Don't worry about it," Yunfan smiled, pulling Gao Hongzhi's hand off his shoulder. "Cheer for me, will you?"
He stepped past his friend and into the clearing.