Jiang Qiu didn't believe in fate, only in himself.
In his previous life, he was a miserable bottom-rung worker. He'd run a red light while rushing to make a food delivery and ended up dying horribly at an intersection.
Now, in this world, he was born in the Northwest. He had at least lived peacefully for fifteen years before becoming an orphan. Even with no power, influence, or wealth, he could still attend high school on the government's stipend and was trying to make a life for himself in the house he inherited in the Eighth Shantytown District.
He wasn't some fated protagonist, just someone who wanted to seize any chance to change his destiny. And today, after eighteen years, he had finally obtained a small modifier that could improve his Martial Arts.
'Hmm, I should be able to level up by practicing Martial Arts, but I haven't practiced enough times yet.'
Jiang Qiu studied it for a moment and roughly understood its function.
As long as he kept practicing the Ancient Martial Spear Technique, even without guidance and with clumsy movements, he just needed to complete a full set. That would count as one practice session. After accumulating enough sessions, he could directly advance his Realm in the Ancient Martial Spear Technique.
Realizing this, Jiang Qiu replayed the instructional video, sank into a horse stance, held the water pipe horizontally before him, and assumed the opening form.
Without further hesitation, he followed the Spear Technique moves in the video and continued practicing. Although his body still wouldn't obey his mind and his movements were clumsy, he thrust the spear with more confidence, his flawed movements becoming more decisive.
[Practiced once]
[Practiced once]
[Practiced once]
[...]
After performing the Spear Technique with the water pipe more than ten times in a row, Jiang Qiu's movements were no longer intermittent. His thrusts and withdrawals were as fierce as a dragon, and he could now just barely complete a full set of the Eight Forms of Ancient Martial Spear Technique.
Unconsciously, a warmth began to spread through his flesh and organs. Sweat beaded on his pores once again, and a sour, stifling stench emanated from his armpits and crotch. A single sniff filled the entire room with a vinegar-like odor.
"This is getting in the way."
Jiang Qiu ripped off his drenched T-shirt and tossed it into a corner. He puffed out his chest, tensed his knotty, bulging arms, and a WHOOSHING sound erupted from the end of the water pipe.
In one night, he practiced a full sixteen times. By the end, he could perform a complete and proper-looking set of the Spear Technique without even watching the video. He could even faintly see the muscles on his arms becoming more defined.
After he finished exercising and took a shower, he felt like a pile of boneless sludge. It felt as if his limbs were detached from his body, and acid was pooling in his joints. The moment he collapsed onto his bed, he fell asleep.
The night passed quickly. Jiang Qiu woke up before dawn, washed up as usual, and had lard-fried rice for breakfast.
Since he was set on the path of the college entrance exam, he no longer needed teachers for regular classes. After arriving at school, he went directly to Class Eight's training hall.
His classmates arrived one after another, and soon, a two-meter-tall middle-aged man appeared on the floor.
"Class Eight, assemble!"
The deep, coarse voice was like a tiger's roar shaking the forest, shattering Jiang Qiu's thoughts in an instant. He fell into formation with his classmates, his burning gaze fixed on the man.
The man stood with a ramrod-straight back and had the build of a bear. His left eye was stitched shut, the scar tissue raw, which only made his solitary, wide-open right eye look more menacing. He held a wooden polearm that towered over his head, his domineering presence filling the air.
This was Wu Shan, a Martial Artist employed by Eighth Middle School, the homeroom teacher of Class Eight, and the man fully responsible for the class's Martial Arts instruction.
In two and a half years of high school, Jiang Qiu had almost never seen him teach any actual Martial Arts. Wu Shan had only ever demanded that they temper their bodies, and even the number of times they had seen him could be counted on one hand.
However, he was, after all, a Martial Artist who had killed Demon Beasts on the battlefield. He had also earned merits for casually crushing a criminal who was pretending to be a beggar and causing trouble on the street. So, while everyone felt resentful, they kept their mouths shut.
"You should have all understood the message I sent yesterday. The college entrance exam is in three months. Whether or not you're qualified to register depends on whether you can become a Spear Leader."
Wu Shan's right eye darted around like a ghost's as he surveyed the students. He said sternly, "And whether you're qualified to become a Spear Leader depends on your ability.
"As you all know, the school has a policy to give students without connections or resources but who are eager to take the college entrance exam a chance—the qualification to become a Spear Leader."
"Today, I will officially begin teaching you the Eight Forms of Ancient Martial Spear Technique. We have a three-day period, after which there will be a proficiency test."
"In all the regular classes, excluding Class One, only the top three performers will become Spear Leaders and enjoy the resource provisions for outstanding students."
As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Qiu clenched his fists, his eyes shining brightly.
'In my first year of high school, because my body wasn't as strong as those from the commoner districts, I failed to compete for the status of an outstanding student. I finally have another chance to become a Spear Leader!'
'If I can become a Spear Leader and an outstanding student, I'll be able to eat meat for free at the cafeteria for every meal. There'd be meat, vegetables, and even seaweed soup.'
Extremely high-performing students could even enjoy the official Cultivation Resources provided by the school. That was a treasure that students from the bottom rungs of society might not even get a whiff of in their entire lives. To a large extent, it determined whether one could survive the college entrance exam and, by extension, enter Northwest Martial University.
Jiang Qiu secretly resolved that he must seize this opportunity, pass the proficiency test, and earn his own place as a Spear Leader!
'I'm not a student from Class One, who have the best connections and backgrounds in the school and are considered outstanding students from the moment they enroll. In a class like this, where the Martial Arts education is lagging, I have to work even harder!'
Wu Shan noticed everyone's soaring fighting spirit and shouted, "Enough dawdling! We'll now inspect the results of your overnight spear practice. Class Monitor Wang Guanjia, you're first!"
The moment his voice fell, a tall, well-built youth strode out from the ranks. He held his head high, his brows were sharp and heroic, and his chest was puffed out with ambition.
With a THWACK, he caught the Wooden Spear Wu Shan tossed him. He suddenly gripped it with his other hand, and as he sank into a horse stance, the spear tip quivered violently like a thrashing fish. Yet the shaft, held between his two hands, remained as still as a steel beam, stunning the other students and filling their eyes with envy.
His stance was as steady as a pine tree, the spear shaft like a dragon. As he shifted his grip and moved, his power seemed capable of splitting mountains and smashing rivers. The force of his movements created a wave of air that pushed back the students in the front row five steps!
Jiang Qiu raised an eyebrow slightly, observing silently from the back row.
'Wang Guanjia's father was a student at Eighth Middle School who became a Spear Leader. For him to wield a spear with such fluid and ferocious skill, he must have learned the first Eight Forms of Ancient Martial Spear Technique at home long ago. It wouldn't even be surprising if he "accidentally" performed the next twelve forms as well.'
In response to Wang Guanjia's excellent performance, Wu Shan simply nodded and gestured for the next student to take the spear and come forward.
After less than two forms, he crossed his arms, snorted coldly, and yelled without reservation, "What is this garbage you're practicing?
"Stop. There's no need to waste any more time. Instead of stubbornly signing up for the college entrance exam just to die outside the city, you should get back to the classroom and study. Learn your arithmetic properly, so you won't get your wages wrong when you're hauling bricks in the future.
"Next!"
The words stabbed him in the heart, as if a steel blade had severed his future. The student's face turned deathly pale. The Wooden Spear was snatched from his hands by the next person in line. He hung his head and walked numbly out of the training hall, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes.
Jiang Qiu saw all of this. He understood that this world was never fair. There were differences in Talent, background, and birth. He had nothing, so he could only seize this opportunity and compete with his determination!
One after another, more than thirty students performed the Spear Technique. Apart from one girl, Wu Shan didn't nod at anyone else. Instead, his scoldings were frequent.
Soon, it was Jiang Qiu's turn. He strode forward, took the Wooden Spear from the previous student, and took a deep breath.
With a nod from Wu Shan, he sank into a horse stance, twisted his waist, held the Wooden Spear level at his abdomen, and thrust out with a focused gaze, the hem of his clothes fluttering in the wind.
His every move and form was standard. His thrusts were like a shark piercing the sea, his sweeps like a great whale's tail lashing out. His movements were broad and powerful, completely uninhibited. In terms of fluidity, he was second only to the Class Monitor, Wang Guanjia, and thus attracted the gazes of many classmates.
When Jiang Qiu finished his set and left the floor, Wu Shan also gave a deadpan nod and silently motioned for the next student to take the spear.
An hour passed. All the students had demonstrated their skills. The original hundred or so students had been cut by half, leaving only 52 people.
Wu Shan was completely unconcerned by the increasingly empty hall. He took back the long spear and said coldly, "The Ancient Martial Spear Technique is a required technique for becoming a Martial Artist. The first Eight Forms contain the principles of many weapons. If you grasp the essentials, forget just tempering your physique—what difficulty would there be in slaying Demon Beasts during the college entrance exam?"
As he spoke, Wu Shan tapped the ground with his spear. His single eye swiveled left and right, his gaze like a carving knife sweeping across the students' heads. He fell silent for a moment, then seemed to dismiss a thought and turned toward an iron pile.
That iron pile was a third thicker than his waist. It stood firm and unyielding, like the trunk of a great tree with roots gripping the earth. Its surface had subtle dents and bumps, reflecting a cold, dark light.
Wu Shan raised the spear to his waist with his right hand. The sharpened wooden tip of the spear was aimed perpendicularly at the iron pile, just five inches away.
"Watch closely. This is the Ancient Martial Spear Technique."
The moment he finished speaking, a startling sound of something slicing through the air arose. Before anyone could even catch a glimpse of the spear's shadow, a dull THUD suppressed the heartbeats of the fifty-two students.
Wu Shan's one-handed spear stance hadn't changed much. He had only twisted his waist a half-step and sent the Wooden Spear forward. But no matter how tough the iron pile was, it was shaken until it hummed and trembled.
When he withdrew the slightly blunted Wooden Spear, the students in the front row stared intently, their eyes wide with disbelief. He had actually pierced the iron, leaving a dent an inch deep!
They didn't dare to imagine how agonizing such a spear thrust would be if it hit a person's body.
"Now, you have finished learning the forms of the Spear Technique. For the next three days, I will personally teach you the essentials of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique!"
Wu Shan's shout instantly stirred the students' long-simmering hot blood. They all clenched their fists, their gazes fixed intently on him.
At that moment, Jiang Qiu noticed that several middle-aged men in black Zhongshan suits had appeared at the back of the hall at some point. They lingered for a moment before silently departing through the back door.
'Looks like I need to cherish this hard-won opportunity even more and master this Ancient Martial Spear Technique!'