"This is your training clothes, and the locker room number tag. Go change your clothes first, then I'll take you to the training ground."
Early in the morning, Qi Hao was already waiting for Fang Qingyu at the Martial Arts Hall.
"Okay."
Fang Qingyu took the clothes and walked into the locker room, which was quite crowded.
But apart from Qi Hao, he didn't know anyone else, so he quickly changed and followed Qi Hao to the training ground.
"Qingzi, don't worry about the tuition fee, I believe with your talent you will definitely become an elite student in the future."
"When you go out to compete, as long as you rank a bit higher, you can win tens of thousands in prize money."
On the way, Qi Hao, worried that Fang Qingyu might be concerned about the tuition fees, offered some comforting words.
Fang Qingyu was slightly taken aback.
"Competition? What competition?"
"Martial Arts competition, generally organized jointly by various Martial Arts Halls in the city, with official support. The prize money is quite high, the first place can win up to a million, but only elite students can register."
Fang Qingyu frowned.
He had never heard of such high-prize competitions, not even online.
"These competitions are closed events, so apart from the martial arts students, there are no other spectators, so it's normal you don't know about them."
Seeing Fang Qingyu's confusion, Qi Hao explained further.
Fang Qingyu nodded and then asked the key question.
"How do you become a formal student and an elite student?"
"For formal students, there are no specific standards; you just need to meet the Pile Skill requirements as assessed by the coach. As for elite students..."
"In addition to your martial arts skills, it also depends on your talent."
Qi Hao spoke with a hint of bitterness on his face.
"Got it."
Seeing this, Fang Qingyu didn't ask more questions.
"But with your talent, you'll definitely make it."
Qi Hao quickly regained his composure, putting an arm around Fang Qingyu's shoulder.
Fang Qingyu chuckled silently.
"You trust me that much?"
"Absolutely, I've already spoken with your coach. If you don't understand something, just ask him, don't worry about bothering him."
"Alright, thank you."
Finally, the two exchanged a friendly punch and returned to their respective training areas.
The new students were arranged in the first row.
"My surname is Qin, you can just call me Qin Jiao."
Seeing the newcomers in the first row, Qin Jiao introduced himself and then went straight to the point.
"Practicing martial arts without a stable stance is like a house without pillars!"
"Pile Skill is the foundation of martial arts; if your foundation is unstable, no matter how skillful your moves are, it's all superficial."
"Today, I'll teach you the first move, the Mountain Root."
With that, Qin Jiao suddenly took off his black training clothes jacket, revealing his scarred, muscular arms.
He twisted his feet to carve out a half-foot-wide distance, then stepped his left foot back half a step, sinking his spine like a dragon into the abyss.
"Eyes on the nose, nose on the heart."
Qin Jiao's adam's apple remained completely still as he spoke, yet his voice buzzed around them.
He maintained this posture for a full three minutes, until the veins on his neck gradually subsided, then suddenly exhaled and shouted, "Turn!"
His right leg cleaved through the air like a Giant Axe, kicking up a circle of dust upon landing.
"This is the closing move."
Qin Jiao slowly straightened up.
"When holding a stance, you must be like a mountain taking root, when turning, be like a giant serpent shedding its skin."
The newcomers hadn't yet recovered from the awe, and Qin Jiao was already putting his clothes back on.
"Now everyone, take the preparatory stance."
Fang Qingyu didn't have any issues with memory; he remembered the movements just like an average person.
But whether it was because of Qi Hao's advice or because he was in the first row,
as soon as he bent his knees, Qin Jiao, who had walked over to him, tapped his foot edge, "Your knees are too far apart."
Fang Qingyu remained expressionless, adjusting his posture.
Qin Jiao then moved to the next person.
Before practicing martial arts, Fang Qingyu thought it was a test of physical fitness and perception.
Unexpectedly, practicing the Pile Skill, the first test was of bodily control.
Awkward... Extremely awkward!!
The Mountain Root is like reteaching you how to operate an old, worn-out tractor.
Your entire body screams one word: awkward.
Though it's not exhausting,
Every part of your body tells you it can't continue, it can't move anymore.
This sensation unconsciously prompts you to stop.
The same went for the other trainees.
The sounds of groaning began to rise one after another.
Soon, only a few old students and Fang Qingyu were left standing.
Standing at the back, Qin Jiao saw this, his eyes slightly surprised.
This kid Qi Hao, did he really find a genius???
Little did anyone know, Fang Qingyu was barely holding on as he stared at the book in front of him.
The second page of the Professional Lineage Map.
[Martial Arts Apprentice Profession Activation (8/100)]
[Activation Experience +1]
I don't know how much time passed.
Only when Fang Qingyu felt a hand on his shoulder did he finally lose his grip.
Fortunately, this hand held him up, preventing him from falling.
"Thank you, Qin Jiao."
Fang Qingyu turned his head to see and nodded in gratitude.
"Trained before?"
Qin Jiao helped Fang Qingyu to sit on the ground, frowning slightly as he asked.
"No, it's my first time coming into contact."
Fang Qingyu was taken aback, shaking his head.
"Not bad."
Qin Jiao nodded faintly and walked to the front.
"Rest for half an hour. It's best not to sit still, move around and stretch your muscles."
With that, he walked towards the sidelines.
The trainees immediately exploded with chatter, releasing the groans they'd been holding back.
Not exactly tired...
But it hurts.
The same goes for Fang Qingyu.
His muscles now felt like they were being pricked by needles.
However, seeing the activation progress reach 11% on the profession panel, it seemed the pain lightened a bit.
When anything has a progress bar, the motivation within is infinitely amplified.
"Impressive, Qingzi!"
Just then, Qi Hao also finished training, came over, and patted Fang Qingyu on the shoulder.
He was training on the other side, occasionally paying attention to this side.
"Ouch... it hurts."
Fang Qingyu took a sharp breath.
"No worries, practice boldly, after class, I'll take you for some relaxation."
Qi Hao chuckled at the memory since he had once gone through that himself, then raised his brows and whispered beside him.
Fang Qingyu looked at him with a strange expression.
Any way you look at it, it's quite perverse.
Before long, thirty minutes passed, and Qin Jiao returned.
For this round, the trainees were divided into two groups.
The first group, including Fang Qingyu, continued training Mountain Root.
The others trained on the next style of Pile Skill.
And so, two more cycles went by.
"Stop."
Qin Jiao suddenly called out to Fang Qingyu.
Fang Qingyu slowly straightened up, a look of confusion on his face.
"Your progress allows you to learn the second style now."
Qin Jiao led Fang Qingyu to the crowd training the second style.
He took two bamboo poles from a nearby wooden rack and placed them across Fang Qingyu's shoulders: "The second style is called 'Horse Riding Posture', watch closely."
His legs spread a half shoulder-width apart, the angle of his bent knees precise enough to be drawn with a protractor: "Your pelvis should feel like it's sitting on a saddle, toes pointing inward at fifteen degrees."
The sound of cloth shoes scraped against the floor.
Fang Qingyu squatted down imitating his posture and immediately felt the searing tension in his thighs.
Qin Jiao suddenly poked the end of the bamboo pole into the back of his knee: "Don't let your knees go past your toes!"
The force from the bamboo nearly made Fang Qingyu fall, hastily adjusting his weight backward.
"Breathe along with your heartbeat." Qin Jiao circled behind, pressing his hand against Fang Qingyu's ribcage which was heaving violently, "Inhale here, don't raise your shoulders." With his calloused thumb pressing on the diaphragm, Fang Qingyu suddenly coughed.
"Keep going!" The bamboo struck his trembling calf, "Imagine there's a chair behind your butt, sitting but not sitting."
When sweat soaked into the floor leaving marks, Fang Qingyu realized that Horse Riding Posture was more tormenting than Mountain Root.
The muscles at the front of his thighs twitched painfully, and his feet felt like they were on a red-hot iron plate.
But when he sneaked a look at the other trainees, he noticed that even the older students barely lasted five minutes.
"Rotate your hips!" Qin Jiao suddenly kicked at his left hip bone.
Fang Qingyu stumbled through a half turn, dropping the bamboo pole.
Just as he bent down to pick it up, a strip of bamboo rapped his wrist: "If the stance breaks, start over!"
It wasn't until the third attempt that he barely completed the hip rotation.
Then, Qin Jiao placed three green bricks on his thighs: "Only when the bricks stop wobbling, can you say you've grasped the basics."
This sudden personal and strict guidance brought Fang Qingyu a mixture of pain and joy.
The pain was physical discomfort.
The joy was... the activation progress on the profession panel was soaring.