Ultimate Method: Practice your fist a hundred times, and use violence to control violence.

In the afternoon, the orange-red sunlight bathed the uneven self-built houses in the western part of Anpeng City. At the end of the courtyard stood a wide courtyard with a stone wall, where the two characters "Long Ying" (Dragon and Eagle) were engraved in black ink, with strokes like dragons, showing the domineering spirit of conquering the world.

Zhou Xianchuan stared at it for a while, his mind already swaying with excitement. He turned his head, full of heroic spirit.

"Aze, today, as we step through this door, we will both be heroes of this martial world! Tell me, how lonely this martial world would be without the two of us!"

Wan Ze remained silent, simply standing a little further away.

"?" Zhou Xianchuan turned around and saw two men in training uniforms standing in front of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts School, looking at him with a half-smile. He immediately blushed. People are always a little flustered when they are embarrassed.

"New here? Want to learn martial arts?" The burly man at the head of the group, dressed in a white jacket, stood in front of the door like a wall, instilling a sense of awe in everyone.

Zhou Xianchuan was still blushing and didn't dare to say a word for a moment.

Wan Ze took the initiative to speak, "Yes, this is my first time here."

The burly man glanced at the two men, nodded, and said, "Come in together."

The wooden door opened, and Zhou Xianchuan followed closely behind Wan Ze like a dutiful wife, filled with trepidation.

A group of people stood in the courtyard, all wearing the same gray short jackets and baggy pants. In front of each person stood a wooden stake, level with them, yellowish in color, with a surface that looked like it was covered with a layer of glue.

"Have you practiced martial arts before?" the burly man leading the group asked.

Zhou Xianchuan shook his head.

Wan Ze pondered for a moment and replied, "Does 'Basic Swordsmanship' count?"

To everyone's surprise, the two burly men were amused and shook their heads with laughter: "I'm talking about orthodox martial arts, not the kind of childish games."

play house?

Wan Ze raised his eyebrows slightly.

Old Song clearly stated that mastering the eight basic sword techniques in "Basic Swordsmanship" could make one a master...

"I'm sure you all understand that martial arts can change your life," the burly man at the head said with a faint smile. "But only by mastering it can you earn a place in the martial world!"

"You're right, senior," Zhou Xianchuan said with a fawning smile.

The burly man glanced at him with a strange smile and continued, "Today happens to be the training class for the Iron Mountain Fist of Class B. Let's go and take a look."

A moment later, Wan Ze and Zhou Xianchuan changed their clothes and stood at the very edge of the group. Through the conversation of the others, they learned that the leader's surname was Chen, and everyone called him Senior Brother Chen.

Senior Brother Chen is also a student here, but he arrived a few years earlier. It is said that he will soon participate in the assessment and become a formal disciple of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts School!

"Becoming a formal disciple means not only receiving a monthly salary, but more importantly, the opportunity to cultivate more advanced combat techniques, and even the true secret methods of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts School!"

"Secret techniques are unique methods of secretly training the body, and they are the real skills of each martial arts school. They can effectively increase our physical qualities, such as explosive power, speed, strength, or endurance. The focus of each secret technique is different."

Senior Brother Chen spoke eloquently, a slight smile playing on his lips, carrying a hint of unspoken confidence: "Our Dragon Eagle Martial Arts School, for example, has secret techniques that can greatly increase one's strength. Don't underestimate any secret technique; I once personally witnessed a martial arts expert destroy a ten-meter-tall building with a single finger."

"hiss!!!"

Everyone gasped in shock.

"That strong?"

"That's a ten-meter-tall building! One finger? That would hurt so much!"

"..."

Senior Brother Chen changed the subject: "But don't think about these things for now. At this stage, you should focus on improving your physical fitness as much as possible... We will be teaching Iron Mountain Fist for the next week. Once you have fully mastered the techniques, we will begin sparring practice and targeted training."

"Senior Brother Chen, what level do we need to reach to become a formal disciple?" someone suddenly asked.

Senior Brother Chen smiled faintly: "When you've mastered the Iron Mountain Fist to the point where you can take down five or six ordinary people by yourself, you'll be qualified to participate in the formal disciple assessment. Or, if any of you can withstand one of my punches, you'll also be fully qualified to participate in the assessment."

Everyone was eager to try, but staring longingly at Senior Brother Chen's broad and strong body, no one dared to challenge him... It wasn't until they saw Senior Brother Chen strike the wooden stake with their own eyes that the sound was as deep as thunder, that many people swallowed their saliva in fear.

Is this the strength of a half-step formal disciple?

Absolutely terrifying!

An hour later, the auditing session ended.

Zhou Xianchuan followed Wan Ze out of the courtyard of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts School, and an amber-colored light slanted onto their shoulders.

"Aze, what do you say? Should we sign up?" Zhou Xianchuan was eager to participate, but if Wanze didn't plan to come, he himself wouldn't be able to keep going.

"We definitely have to report it!" Wan Ze said decisively.

"Really?" Zhou Xianchuan's face lit up with surprise, and he immediately hugged him. "I knew you were a true brother! Shall we sign up tomorrow?"

"I need some time," Wan Ze said, but did not give a definite answer.

Zhou Xianchuan seemed to have thought of something and hesitated before saying, "Because... the registration fee?"

Wan Ze nodded, not feeling embarrassed at all.

For him, the registration fee was indeed not a small amount.

Zhou Xianchuan breathed a sigh of relief and patted Wan Ze on the shoulder with a smile: "Have you forgotten who my uncle is? I'll make you spend this money on registration."

"Two different things." Wan Ze shook his head, knowing that he meant well.

Who knew Zhou Xianchuan would say so firmly: "To tell you the truth, my family has always wanted me to learn martial arts, but I'm just too lazy to come. Before I came here this time, I specifically told my uncle that we wanted to learn martial arts, and he said he would cover the tuition for us. You have no idea how much money their martial arts school makes. They are all big spenders. Eight hundred silver coins is probably nothing to them."

Wan Ze was taken aback.

Zhou Xianchuan chuckled and said, "Don't feel like you've gotten a good deal. In fact, my whole family should thank you. I'm the only son in my family, and I've been weak and sickly since I was a child. My uncle thinks that only martial arts can strengthen the body, but I'm too lazy. It's rare to have you with me..."

"The Crown Prince is your tutor, right?" Wan Ze suddenly laughed.

Zhou Xianchuan was taken aback, then laughed heartily, feigning exaggeration, "I originally intended to keep it from you, but unfortunately you still guessed my true identity. Alright, take your leave now."

"Get lost."

"Haha, let's come together tomorrow, it's a deal, right?"

Before leaving, Zhou Xianchuan checked it one more time.

Wan Ze hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Thanks, brother."

"Thanks, let's go!"

As the sun sets, it bathes the gray-tiled roofs of this old town in a thick, golden-red hue.

Wan Ze watched Zhou Xianchuan wave goodbye and head towards the bus stop, then silently turned his gaze away and walked home in another direction.

……

Nighttime.

In a residential building on the east side of Anphon City, the light was on in the north bedroom on the fifth floor.

With his black hair, Wan Ze sat at his desk and, under the bright yellow lamplight, finished grading the test papers, successfully earning an advanced math skill.

Just then, he heard the door close behind him, and he knew his parents had returned from work.

"Brother, Mom bought some fruit, come out and eat it! If you don't come out soon, I'll eat it all!"

My sister called out from the living room.

Wanze got up and went out, patted his younger sister's head, then looked at his father, his tone complicated: "Dad, do you have time? There's something I want to talk about."

"Have you had exams again recently?"

"no……"

"So you were rejected after confessing your feelings? Dad doesn't object to you dating, but as someone who's been there, I'm reminding you to always take precautions."

"..."