Wang Zhan was still reveling in the joy of breaking through to the Martial Artist Realm. After all, he had lingered at the Martial Student peak for far too long, consuming an unimaginable amount of cultivation resources. Now that he had finally become a true Martial Artist, the solid foundation he had previously laid was about to transform into real combat power. As a Martial Artist, who wouldn't aspire to become strong?
However, while Wang Zhan was still in a daze, Duan Kun suddenly sneered and charged towards him, launching himself off one foot.
So fast! Wang Zhan reacted instantly, but Duan Kun was simply too quick. Unable to dodge in time, Wang Zhan could only defensively cross his arms before his chest.
THUMP!
With a dull thud, Duan Kun's foot viciously struck Wang Zhan's arms as he held them up to protect his chest.
Wang Zhan stumbled back repeatedly, a sharp pain shooting through him. If not for his exceptionally resilient physique, that single kick would undoubtedly have fractured both his arms.
"Don't space out! Attack me!" Duan Kun's voice rang out just then. "There's still a large amount of medicinal power unrefined within your body. You've just broken through to the Martial Artist Realm, and your Dantian isn't stable yet. Now is the perfect time to expand your meridians and Dantian!"
Wang Zhan's heart skipped a beat. If Duan Kun hadn't pointed these things out, he would likely still be smugly congratulating himself. If he delayed his cultivation because of this, Wang Zhan knew he would regret it immensely later when he realized his mistake.
With this thought, Wang Zhan no longer hesitated and charged ferociously towards Duan Kun.
However, he was, after all, just a novice who had recently broken through to the Martial Artist Realm. His techniques might be considered decent among Martial Students, but to the battle-hardened Duan Kun, they were riddled with flaws.
"You're too slow! Given your physical conditioning, you shouldn't be this sluggish!"
"A frontal punch? You dare to attack a Martial Artist head-on when he can clearly overpower you?"
"Your stance is unstable, focused on the front with no regard for your rear. On a battlefield, you'd be the first to die."
Wang Zhan exerted all his strength but failed to even touch Duan Kun.
Duan Kun, on his part, hadn't truly attacked either; he merely shifted his position continuously, guiding Wang Zhan's movements.
In just ten minutes, under Duan Kun's guidance, Wang Zhan surprisingly felt utterly exhausted. The Essence Energy that had originally been abundant in his Dantian was now completely depleted. He knew he stood no chance against Duan Kun, but he hadn't expected to be so utterly powerless.
How can this be? Does a Martial Artist expend so much Essence Energy when attacking with full force? Wang Zhan stood rooted to the spot, his expression troubled.
"The greatest difference between a Martial Artist and a Martial Student is that Martial Students can only use Essence Energy to enhance their own bodies. Martial Artists, on the other hand, can release Essence Energy from their Dantian with every move. Even stronger Martial Artists can draw upon the Essence Energy in their surroundings for their own use."
Wang Zhan quickly looked up at Duan Kun, knowing that his mentor was beginning to impart true knowledge.
"Please teach me, Mentor," Wang Zhan bowed respectfully.
Duan Kun nodded and continued, "You can think of the Dantian as the heart. The human heart is like a pump, supplying blood to the limbs. The Dantian functions similarly: Essence Energy from the meridians throughout the body gathers in the Dantian, which then circulates it to every part of the body."
"However, blood is tangible, while Essence Energy is intangible. Thus, blood can only flow within blood vessels. But with a Dantian, a Martial Artist can easily use its power to project Essence Energy outside the body! And with the augmentation of Essence Energy, the power of a Martial Artist's every move is greatly enhanced."
Hearing this explanation, Wang Zhan subconsciously focused his attention on his Dantian, simultaneously trying to sense the Essence Energy around him.
Sure enough, after a short while, he could feel Essence Energy continuously seeping out from his body, but also being absorbed by it. It was a stable, cyclical process.
I understand now. When I attacked earlier, I didn't control my Dantian. That's why I drastically consumed my body's Essence Energy, disrupting the Dantian's balance of intake and expenditure...
"Correct. So, the first thing you must learn after breaking through to the Martial Artist Realm is to control your Dantian."
Duan Kun nodded and said, "Wang Zhan, you are different. You are the most talented student the Martial Arts Academy has accepted in many years. So, I and the other mentors all agree that for you, we need to tailor teaching to your aptitude."
"What do you mean?" Wang Zhan was taken aback.
"Generally, freshmen at the Martial Arts Academy all follow the same curriculum during their first year, cultivating step by step. It's only after the second year that they truly begin to cultivate independently!"
Pausing for a moment, Duan Kun continued, "But you're different. The Martial Arts Academy won't let you waste a year following the prescribed steps like ordinary students. Therefore, you must complete the first-year curriculum while also undergoing my training daily."
Wang Zhan's eyes lit up; this was an opportunity he couldn't have hoped for more.
It seems choosing the Martial Arts Academy might not be inferior to the Top Four. The Top Four are teeming with geniuses; if I went there, I might not have received such attention from the start. But here at the Martial Arts Academy, I'm the undisputed number one, so it's only natural I'd get special treatment.
Seeing Wang Zhan's eager expression, Duan Kun nodded slightly. "The Martial Artist Stage is just the beginning. Our academy isn't lacking in cultivation methods or martial arts, but no one will give them to you for free. You need to earn them yourself!"
"I understand," Wang Zhan nodded.
Duan Kun suddenly asked again, "I heard you had a conflict with some second-year students this afternoon?"
Wang Zhan paused. "Mentor, even you know about this?"
"Heh, you certainly stirred up a lot of resentment on the playing field today, kid. Many eyes are on you now." A faint sneer touched Duan Kun's lips. "I know Xu Junyuan. He's one of the more outstanding students from the previous year, quite capable."
"Are you telling me to avoid him, Mentor?"
"Of course not! As long as no one gets killed, the school won't care even if you beat each other's brains out!" Duan Kun chuckled. "However, second-year students are at least level 2 Martial Artists, and they've mastered one or even multiple martial arts. You're no match for him."
Wang Zhan understood Duan Kun's implication and, without hesitating, quickly asked, "Mentor, are you going to teach me martial arts?"
Duan Kun glanced at Wang Zhan with surprise, clearly not expecting the boy to be so quick on the uptake.
But he didn't keep him in suspense and admitted, "That's right. You're my, Duan Kun's, disciple. I can't let just any Tom, Dick, or Harry bully you. However, there's one condition for learning my martial arts: you are not allowed to fight anyone until you have thoroughly mastered it!"
"Huh?" Wang Zhan didn't understand.
It's not difficult to learn a martial art, but mastering it is.
Duan Kun explained, "I only know one martial art. It's a fist technique I developed over a dozen years on the battlefield. This technique isn't for sparring; it's for killing enemies. If you can't achieve true mastery, it's easy to cause a fatality when sparring."
At this, Duan Kun heaved a long sigh, a hint of weariness on his face.
"All of you are the future pillars of humanity. Encouraging private duels among you is to cultivate your courage and willpower. But by the same token, the death of any student is a loss for humanity."
Duan Kun patted Wang Zhan's shoulder.
"Remember, any internal conflict among humans is a path to self-destruction."
Wang Zhan fell silent.
He could sense the helplessness and bitterness in Duan Kun's tone. Looking at Duan Kun's empty sleeve, he could also imagine the cruelty behind it.
If it were possible, Duan Kun would likely prefer fighting on the battlefield to teaching students safely in the rear. Though both roles contribute to Human Martial Artists, for someone like Duan Kun, not being able to die on the battlefield is indeed a cruel reality.
Duan Kun quickly snapped out of his reverie, his expression turning serious once more.
"The martial art I will teach you is called... Killing Fist!"
A murderous aura flashed from Duan Kun for an instant. Wang Zhan felt a sudden chill, and the hairs on his skin stood on end.
Fortunately, the sensation passed as quickly as it came.
"Killing Fist, as the name implies, is solely for killing the enemy!"
Duan Kun immediately began to explain the cultivation method for the Killing Fist to Wang Zhan.
This was the first time Wang Zhan was learning martial arts in such a systematic way, and he quickly became engrossed in Duan Kun's instruction.
「A month passed in the blink of an eye.」
The new students had now been at the Martial Arts Academy for that long and had adjusted to life there, no longer feeling the unfamiliarity of their arrival.
Today was the day of the Martial Arts Academy's first physical fitness test.
Ten testing machines were set up on the playing field, capable of comprehensively assessing the new students' physical attributes and summarizing them into a combat power score.
On an empty space at the other side of the playing field, a huge screen displayed the combat power scores the freshmen had achieved upon admission.
Naturally, Wang Zhan was at the top of the list, with his combat power score of 100,000 achieved in the Martial Student Realm.
Most of the students' conversations revolved around Wang Zhan, this year's most unconventional student.
"Wang Zhan's not here again? Late for theory class, and now late for the physical test too?"
"Heh, he's a genius, of course he's different from us. Haven't you noticed the mentors turning a blind eye?"
"With that kind of attitude, his future achievements definitely won't be high."
"Who knows? Anyway, I'm about to break through to the Martial Artist Realm. When that happens, these combat power scores will be meaningless. He's just a Martial Student; what's the big deal?"
Wang Zhan's reputation at the Martial Arts Academy wasn't particularly good. In addition to the ridicule he faced on the playing field at the start of the semester, it was mostly because he didn't interact with anyone.
Over time, he had naturally been labeled as aloof and arrogant.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the playing field, Xu Junyuan was waiting with a group of freshmen.
He was patiently explaining to them what to pay attention to during the physical test.
"The results of this physical test will affect the cultivation resources the academy allocates to you, so you must give it your all! Starting from the first year, the academy evaluates every student. You absolutely cannot afford to slack off!"
"Don't worry, Brother Xu."
"We understand."
Xu Junyuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the large screen nearby.
That 100,000 combat power at the top of the screen was particularly glaring, especially when associated with Wang Zhan's mere Martial Student Realm; it was enough to inspire awe.
What a pity, such a talent can't be used by me, Xu Junyuan lamented internally.