"So sore."
Back home, Jiang Qiu sat down, hands on his hips. The slightest twist of his shoulders made him feel like his skeleton had been taken apart. The relentless, piercing force transmitted through the spear shaft had almost shredded his muscles.
And this was only the beginning of learning the spear. With such high-intensity training, the worst part would be tomorrow; it would be hard to muster any energy.
But this just proved how exceptionally the Ancient Martial Spear Technique forged the body!
Although Wu Shan had only explained the first four forms today, Jiang Qiu had benefited greatly. He had a faint feeling that at his peak strength, he could break through a brick wall. After all, he had accumulated thirty-two In-Depth Drills today!
[Ancient Martial Spear (Not Initiated)]
[48/100]
'As long as I work hard and master this spear, I should be able to get one of the Spear Leader spots. Then I'll be able to register for the college entrance exam.'
Jiang Qiu's eyes burned with determination. After dinner and a shower, he went to bed early to conserve his energy and prepare for the next day's training.
The next day, he woke naturally before dawn, his body aching all over. His arms were so sore he couldn't even prop himself up, as if his bones had come loose. 'But to get that Spear Leader spot, I have to piece these bones back together!'
Though his body was exhausted, Jiang Qiu was mentally fired up. He believed he could persevere, master the Ancient Martial Spear Technique, and claim a Spear Leader spot!
When he arrived at the training hall, he keenly noticed that the number of students from Class Eight had decreased. From over thirty people at the end of class yesterday, only twenty-eight remained.
More than half the class lived in the lowest-level Shantytown. Even if they wanted to change their destinies, they lacked the determination and confidence. After one day of training, they probably realized whether or not they could fight for a top-three spot.
Since they wouldn't make the top three anyway, their future was just hauling bricks. What was the point of suffering through spear training?
Might as well give up.
Reigning in his thoughts, Jiang Qiu picked up a Wooden Spear from the rack and joined the other students, beginning the day's training with intense focus under Wu Shan's guidance.
Today, Wu Shan taught the essentials of the last four of the first eight forms of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique. The repetitive drills, performed over and over, weeded out the students with wavering resolve and unsteady stances. One by one, Wu Shan yelled at and kicked a few more of them out of the training hall.
Jiang Qiu gritted his teeth and endured the entire day of training. Even though he was utterly exhausted, he performed even more drills, and the effect it had on forging his body was immediately apparent.
[Ancient Martial Spear (Not Initiated)]
[80/100]
On the third day, Wu Shan finally started to teach actual combat.
"The Ancient Martial Spear Technique incorporates the strengths of the great spear masters from ancient Martial Arts. It is both ferocious and fluid. It has not only domineering offensive moves but also fundamental defensive footwork. The best way to master these forms is through sparring!" Wu Shan planted his Wooden Spear on the ground and stood tall, as imposing as an insurmountable mountain. "Wang Guanjia, you're with me. The rest of you, pair up! Butt of the spear forward, tip to the rear!"
"Yes, sir!"
The towering Wang Guanjia respectfully complied, grabbing his spear and stepping forward. The other students all looked on with envy.
As class president, Wang Guanjia already had more contact with the teacher than anyone else. To top it off, his father—a former Spear Leader—worked in the resource department at Eighth Middle School. This meant he had started learning the spear early on, occasionally supplemented by medicinal baths for his Body Forging.
While everyone else had only been learning the Ancient Martial Spear Technique for a couple of days, he had likely been practicing steadily for almost three years. In fundamental Cultivation like the Horse Stance, he was the undisputed number one. He was the uncrowned master of Martial Arts in Class Eight and a shoo-in for one of the Spear Leader spots!
CLANG CLANG CLANG...
The clatter and clang of wooden shafts echoed through the training hall. The one sparring with Jiang Qiu was a tall, broad-chested youth with a ramrod-straight back. The Wooden Spear in his hands seemed to weigh a ton.
His name was Li Xueming, and he lived in the commoner district of the Outer City. His parents were huge supporters of his training, ensuring he ate pork or beef with every meal. His physical constitution was among the best in the class. He had also found a way to learn the first eight forms of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique a year early, and he believed that, aside from the incomparable Wang Guanjia, his strength was second to none.
But facing the boy's thrusts, he felt like a village kid who had just poked a hornet's nest. He panicked, scrambling backward with no clear path. He didn't even know how to block with the wooden spear in his hand. The Ancient Martial Spear Technique he had studied for at least a year was suddenly gone from his mind. As he retreated, his back slammed into the wall, but the wooden shaft pressed its advantage and jabbed forward. His heart stopped!
WHOOSH—
His wide eyes filled with the sight of wood. A faint breeze brushed his face, blowing his bangs aside to reveal a broad forehead. The round butt of the wooden shaft had stopped dead two inches from the space between his eyebrows, humming and vibrating.
GULP. He swallowed hard. Only when the wooden shaft was slowly lowered did he finally let his chest fall and exhale a shaky breath. He was stunned. 'Has this Jiang Qiu already been initiated into the Ancient Martial Spear Technique?!'
"Let's go again. I'll hold back this time."
Jiang Qiu carried his spear and retreated to the starting line ten paces away. He let out a slow breath, his eyes gleaming.
[Combat Drill x1]
[1/500]
They had sparred for less than thirty exchanges, and he had just been initiated into the Ancient Martial Spear Technique. He'd subconsciously wanted to test the extent of his improvement, which led to that last scene.
'Looks like I'm already stronger than most of the class. After all, my sparring partner was one of the five guys and two girls who made it to the end on both of the previous days.'
'But compared to Wang Guanjia, it's probably still not enough...'
As he thought this, Jiang Qiu glanced into the distance at the fierce figure of Wang Guanjia, who was holding his own against a one-handed Wu Shan. He muttered to himself, "Sooner or later, I'll be stronger than him, too."
Li Xueming, who had vaguely heard him, subconsciously turned to look as well, one eyebrow raised.
'Who was he talking about?'
'Class President Wang Guanjia, or... the teacher, Wu Shan?'
'Neither one is possible. I must have misheard him.'
...
"Not bad, Wang Guanjia. You've got more Talent than your father did. To be initiated into the Ancient Martial Spear Technique and even put out a hint of Mingjin in your thrusts before you've even become a Spear Leader..."
For the rest of the day, whether they were training or resting, Wu Shan didn't yell at any other students. He only occasionally glanced at two other noteworthy students, briefly explaining key points and correcting their posture. Most of his attention was focused on Wang Guanjia.
A large portion of the students didn't receive any of Wu Shan's key explanations that day, not even a single scolding worth pondering. It was as if they were back in the dull days of basic training, only now they had wooden spears in their hands.
Jiang Qiu was also a little disappointed not to have heard more detailed instruction. He could only rely on his own drills to deepen his understanding of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique.
After school, he went home alone. During dinner, he idly checked his phone. In the Class Eight student group chat, quite a few classmates were voicing their discontent.
[Zhang Shan: Can't Wu Shan just teach us the Ancient Martial Spear Technique properly? I've been building my foundation for seven or eight years! I just want to learn it right, so I can at least say I've mastered a form of Martial Arts.]
[Li Si: So what if you master a Martial Art? Does it help you haul bricks any faster? There are only three spots for becoming a Spear Leader and learning the complete Ancient Martial Spear Technique. When was it ever going to be our turn?]
[Zhang Shan: Fuck, Wu Shan's just afraid of getting in trouble with his superiors and is just going through the motions for the school. He's never taught us seriously. I'm not going tomorrow. The spots are fixed anyway, so what's the point?!]
[Liu Zili: We still have to try. This is our only chance.]
[...]
[Zhang Shan has been muted for 24 hours by Administrator Qian Cheng]
[Li Si has been muted for 24 hours by Administrator Qian Cheng]
[Mute All has been enabled]
[Qian Cheng (Administrator): The proficiency test is tomorrow. It's best if everyone refrains from wild speculation in the group. After all, we're only three months from graduation.]
[Qian Cheng (Administrator): Also, there's an art to hauling bricks. Whether you're hauling from the ruined City Wall or within the Outer City District, I suggest you do your research. For some of you, that'll be more useful than Martial Arts.]
The once-lively student group fell silent in an instant. The member count dropped by two, creating an information blackout.
Jiang Qiu chewed his rice, muttering to himself, "Qian Cheng, the class monitor. Seems he's also one of the five guys and two girls who makes it to the end each day. Heh. As I recall, he's the one who's tightest with the class president. Even passes on messages for the teacher sometimes."
Shaking his head, he went back to eating. He and Qian Cheng were different kinds of people; they didn't associate.
'He's one of the few in the class who can live in the commoner district of the Outer City, and he's friendly with a dozen or so other students from similar backgrounds. And here I am, still stuck in the Shantytown.'