Full-Time Martial Saint

Compared to Wang Lijun, Zhang Kui, in addition to being a martial arts academy teacher, is also a third-level martial artist at Qingshan Martial Arts Academy, so his treatment is naturally not on the same level.

He lives in a villa complex that the school built specifically for him a few years ago.

When Chen arrived, he went through a series of complicated registrations and was only allowed to enter after being personally confirmed by the gatekeeper and Zhang Kui.

After finding Zhang Kui's residence among a group of sprawling detached villas, Chen Cong rang the doorbell.

The person who came out to open the door was Zhang Kui's wife, Li Hong.

"Teacher's wife." Chen Cong bowed respectfully.

Li Hong smiled and nodded: "Teacher Zhang is cultivating in the backyard, you can go directly there."

Chen Cong bowed again, placed the things he had brought on the tea table beside him, and walked through the vine-covered corridor to the backyard.

At this moment, Zhang Kui was shirtless and covered in sweat while practicing.

With just one glance, Chen Cong could tell that Zhang Kui was practicing the original form of the Three Elements Stance – the Three Elements Skill.

Cultivation techniques are something only martial artists can practice. They require extremely high overall physical fitness, and those who have not reached the advanced level of martial artist simply cannot practice them.

When Chen arrived, he didn't dare to make a sound and just stood quietly to the side.

A moment later, Li Hong brought over a tea tray with one hand, on which were placed two cups of freshly brewed tea.

"Chen Cong, please have a seat."

"Have some tea first, he'll be done in a bit."

Chen Cong quickly took the tea tray and thanked him.

As soon as he sat down, Zhang Kui, who was not far away, began to stop his movements. Seeing this, Li Hong grabbed a towel from the side and went to greet him.

Zhang Kui took the towel, wiping the sweat from his body as he walked towards Chen Cong.

"Teacher Zhang," Chen Cong stood up and bowed, "I'm sorry to bother you."

Zhang Kui grinned, plopped down on the bamboo chair next to him, and said, "Stop with the nonsense. How's your understanding of what I told you last time?"

"You guys chat, I'm going to the front," Li Hong said slowly, seemingly unwilling to join their conversation.

Zhang Kui nodded, watched his wife leave, and explained with a wry smile, "That's just how your master's wife is; she doesn't like talking about martial arts. Don't mind her."

Chen Cong gently shook his head, indicating his understanding.

It's understandable that a former martial artist who has lost an arm and has little strength left would have the urge to escape.

"During yesterday's boxing class, I noticed that you seemed to have used some movement techniques when you sparred with Huang Changhu and the others," Zhang Kui asked suddenly, picking up his teacup, taking a sip.

Chen Cong was slightly taken aback and was about to explain when Zhang Kui smiled and voiced his guess.

"Did you learn it by stealing it from the virtual world?"

Meeting his gaze, Chen Cong scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Although the term "stealing" sounds unpleasant, the process by which he obtained the movement technique "Ape Step" from Karapti Hey was certainly not so honorable.

"Your understanding of martial arts has indeed exceeded my expectations."

"Movement techniques are high-level skills among martial artists. Even entry-level martial artists need to spend a lot of effort and receive guidance from a specialist to master them. You, kid, just fought someone and you've already grasped some basics..."

"I had to beg for her contact information and spar with her a few times before I got this much," Chen explained hastily.

Zhang Kui looked at him with a strange expression, then couldn't help but laugh.

"It's good to be shameless; people often have to put aside their pride to learn something real."

How have you been feeling these past couple of days?

Faced with this question, Chen thought for a moment and decided to answer truthfully.

"Teacher, my overall physical fitness level is 3.0, and my martial arts skills score has reached 671 points."

His progress so far has a reasonable explanation, and there's nothing to hide.

As expected, Zhang Kui didn't show much surprise when he heard this.

"The enhancement of your movement skills can indeed significantly improve your martial arts skill rating. However, even though your overall physical fitness has reached level 3, you cannot be complacent."

"This is because you have never received any martial arts training before, and some potential has accumulated within you."

"After a month or two, once this potential is exhausted, that's when a normal martial arts student should be able to improve at the same rate."

"I estimate that this potential should be able to quickly bring your overall physical fitness to around level 3.3. This means that in the next seven months or so, you will still have to find a way to improve your overall physical fitness by at least another level of 1.7. The difficulty is still not to be underestimated."

Chen Cong nodded repeatedly and said, "I have remembered your teachings, teacher."

"By the way, what rank are you at in the Void Realm God-Evolution Arena?" Zhang Kui suddenly changed the subject and asked about the Void Realm.

Chen Cong paused for a moment, then answered slowly, "I just arrived at the Rising Star 2 last night."

Zhang Kui nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "I need to work hard and reach the Rookie 10-Star level within two months, leaving more time for the 'Black Stone Trial'."

"I participated in the 'Blackstone Trials' twice and failed both times. In the end, I was over 18 years old and completely lost the chance to obtain the title of 'Blackstone Trialer'."

Chen Cong asked with some surprise, "Teacher Zhang didn't get the [Black Stone Trialist] title?"

Faced with his question, Zhang Kui couldn't help but laugh: "Kid, you think this title is so easy to get?"

"Of the 80 million martial artists in the entire Great Xia Dynasty, fewer than 10,000 may have obtained the title of [Black Stone Trialer]."

Less than 10,000 people!?

"So little..." Chen Cong murmured in astonishment, then frowned and asked, "Teacher Zhang, what benefits do you get in the Void Realm from obtaining the title of [Black Stone Trialist]?"

Zhang Kui shook his head: "I have never met any martial artist with this title, and I don't know the specifics."

"But according to the rumors circulating among martial artists, it seems that martial artists who possess this title can obtain some exclusive privileges in the virtual world. This title is also a qualification for obtaining a higher-level title."

"However, so far, no country on Earth has reported that anyone has gained any substantial benefits from the Void Realm through this."

Chen Cong nodded to himself, and roughly understood why the title of "Black Stone Trialist" was so rare, yet the country only gave a reward of 10,000 yuan.

It turns out that they haven't yet seen what specific benefits obtaining this title can bring to a group or country.

After chatting for a while, Chen Cong slowly steered the conversation to Zhonghu Lake.

"Teacher Zhang, I just heard something from Teacher Wang, my former class advisor at the Cultural Academy..." He briefly recounted what happened to Wang Lijun's son five years ago, then asked in a low voice, "This matter should be related to the rift in the fusion realm, right?"

Zhang Kui gave him a meaningful look, pondered for a moment, and then smiled, "Don't be so curious, kid. There's a reason why the higher-ups chose to keep this a secret."

"Besides, there's always been a special operations team stationed in Zhonghu, so everything is under control."

Upon hearing this, Chen Cong couldn't help but purse his lips and mutter, "People have died, and it's still under control."

Zhang Kui was stunned for a moment, then laughed and scolded, "What I meant by 'under control' is that if the D-level fusion rift in Zhonghu were to fully erupt, the higher-ups in Xiangcheng would notice it immediately and handle the aftermath."

"Alright, this is none of your business. Since we have some time now, I'll spar with you and see if your understanding of boxing has improved these past two days."

Upon hearing this, Chen Cong suppressed his thoughts, slowly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Please enlighten me, teacher."

Zhang Kui nodded, put down his teacup, and strode towards the training ground not far away.

……

[Sparring with a master of Bajiquan grants +50 points to Bajiquan analysis progress.]

[Current progress of Bajiquan analysis: 1.3% (Minor Success).]

He had used all his strength, including his movement techniques, against Zhang Kui, yet he was still easily and completely overwhelmed.

After finishing their sparring match, Chen Cong checked his bracelet and realized it was already 5:30 in the evening. Ignoring Zhang Kui and Li Hong's attempts to persuade him to stay, he hurriedly headed towards the martial arts academy's cafeteria.

I had already arranged to meet Lin Xiao and the others at our usual spot at six o'clock yesterday, and I also received a month's worth of tutoring fees from Ning Yuhang this morning, so it wouldn't be good to be late at this time.

Besides, he planned to spar with Hey that night before aiming for a higher rank, so he couldn't waste a single second.