Becoming a Martial Saint starts with Jian Ti Quan (a type of Chinese martial art).

It's still raining.

Fang Shuwen closed the book, shut his eyes, and mentally went through all twelve moves of the snake-like step.

The twelve moves are neither too many nor too few.

However, each move requires a high degree of flexibility and coordination.

Especially those few change-of-direction movements; if an ordinary person tries to practice them, they may sprain their ankle at best, or even tear their ligaments at worst.

Fang Shuwen wasn't too worried about that.

The serpentine talent enhances his flexibility, making these movements much easier for him than for the average person.

He flipped through the book again, making sure he remembered every detail.

Then he stood up and tried to take a step in the small open space inside the room.

Lower your center of gravity and slide forward with your right foot close to the ground.

The movements were executed, but they were clumsy, like a toddler trying to imitate an adult's steps.

It's not smooth enough, not natural enough, let alone "strange".

His talent and comprehension were indeed quite average.

He tried again.

Fang Shuwen wasn't in a hurry; he practiced again and again.

Anyway, it's raining, and there's nothing else to do.

When I practiced it for the 10th or 15th time, a light screen suddenly popped up in front of me.

[New technique detected: Snake Step]

Current proficiency level: Beginner

Fang Shuwen stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It was indeed included.

A thought flashed through his mind, and his gaze fell on the plus sign after the serpentine step.

Should we upgrade the "Snake Step" technique?

[Beginner → Beginner]

[Skill Points Required: 3]

"It only takes three points to advance to the beginner level, which is much less energy-consuming than the other two martial arts."

Fang Shuwen checked his skill point balance again; he still had over thirty points left.

Perhaps it can be improved to the highest level?

The thought had just formed in my mind

The text in front of me changed.

Should we upgrade the "Snake Step" technique?

[From beginner to expert]

[Skill Points Required: 31]

"Thirty-one?"

Fang Shuwen stared at the line of text on the panel and paused for a moment.

From beginner to expert, it skips directly to proficiency and mastery, getting you there in one go.

That saves trouble; there's no need to go up level by level.

He glanced at his skill point balance.

I got thirty points from the dog demon before, and with what I had left, I have a total of thirty-five points.

I was originally planning to level up to Mastery first, and save the rest for later.

It now seems that it can be done in one step.

"promote."

The moment the thought crossed Fang Shuwen's mind, he felt as if two buckets of ice water had been poured into his legs through the gaps in his bones.

It wasn't just cold; it was a chill that seeped from the very depths of my bones.

Starting from the toes, it shoots upwards.

Ankles, knees, hips—every part felt as if it had been stretched, elongated, and reassembled by something.

He could hear the sound of his ligaments stretching, not a crisp "crackling" sound.

Instead, it's the kind of "creaking" sound that comes from slowly stretching out old cowhide, which makes your teeth ache just listening to it.

This feeling lasted for about five or six seconds.

Then, the ice water turned into warm water, and the warm water turned into hot water.

Finally, it felt as if someone had set fire to his legs, burning from the soles of his feet to his hips, making him sweat profusely.

Fang Shuwen gritted his teeth and remained silent.

After the fire died down, he looked down at his legs.

There's not much change; they're still just ordinary legs, neither thick nor thin, neither long nor short.

But he could feel that his legs were different.

I can't quite put my finger on what's different, it's just that feeling of "it can do it".

"You haven't even felt anything yet, and you've already achieved mastery?"

Fang Shuwen muttered something, feeling that it all seemed a bit unreal.

He learned the first two martial arts skills one level at a time, and each level required an adaptation process.

This time, I jumped straight to Dacheng, and my body caught up.

But it's still the same old problem; my brain hasn't caught up yet.

The mind and body still need a period of adjustment.

He pushed open the door and looked at the sky.

The rain is still falling, but much lighter than in the morning.

Cross the courtyard and push open the door to the adjacent martial arts arena.

Fang Shuwen walked to the middle of the field and stood still.

I took a deep breath and then moved.

He slid forward on the blue brick floor with his right foot, and his body floated away.

fast.

It's incredibly fast.

He could feel the wind whistling past his ears and see the blue bricks beneath his feet receding one by one.

It's at least twenty steps from one end of the training ground to the other.

He arrived in just two breaths.

Moreover, there was almost no sound underfoot.

It wasn't that I deliberately lightened my steps; it's just how this footwork is naturally.

Sliding close to the ground, not stepping on it, but rubbing against it.

Fang Shuwen stopped and looked back at the route he had taken.

There was a shallow water mark on the blue brick floor, left by the rainwater brought in by the soles of his shoes.

"Indeed, both speed and agility have greatly increased!"

"Let's add some boxing techniques now and see how it goes."

Fang Shuwen assessed his physical condition and then tried incorporating the Tengshe Fist into his technique.

Snake-like steps combined with snake-like fist techniques.

As soon as he threw the punch, his body naturally slid to the side.

The second punch followed, and he slid down to the back again.

Each punch was thrown from a different angle.

He knocked the wooden dummy off its feet, leaving several fresh fist marks on its surface.

Fang Shuwen stood up, his fists clenched, panting heavily.

It wasn't because I was tired, it was because I was excited.

He could sense that the two techniques combined were not one plus one equals two, but equals three or four.

The power has increased many times over!

Just then, a noise came from the courtyard gate.

Fang Shuwen turned around and saw Zhao Wanqing walking in from behind the moon gate, dressed in a black training uniform, her hair tied in a ponytail, and carrying a long sword.

Upon seeing Fang Shuwen, she paused for a moment.

"You're here? I heard a lot of noise over here, so I came to check it out."

"Practicing boxing." Fang Shuwen put the white waxwood staff back.

Zhao Wanqing's gaze swept over him, then looked at the wooden dummy that had been beaten to a pulp, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Your progress is quite rapid."

"You flatter me, Sister Wanqing."

"You flatter me." Zhao Wanqing leaned her longsword against the wall and walked to the center of the arena.

"Come on, practice with me. This time, I won't use hidden force, I'll use overt force to fight you."

Fang Shuwen hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Zhao Wanqing is a master of internal strength, and even if she only uses external strength, her experience and insight are undeniable.

Sparring with her is much better than practicing against a wooden dummy.

To practice martial arts, one must constantly be taught moves and spar with others.

Only in this way can we improve more quickly.

It is not advisable to work in isolation.

The two stood in the middle of the field, three steps apart.

Zhao Wanqing didn't hold back; she moved her feet and struck out with her palm.

Fang Shuwen suddenly slumped down.

He slid to the side, his body close to the ground, and Zhao Wanqing's hand brushed against his shoulder, missing its mark.

At the same time, his right fist lashed out from the side, aiming straight for Zhao Wanqing's ribs.

Zhao Wanqing exclaimed "Eh!" and changed her stance, grabbing his fist with her other hand.

But it didn't work out again.