Chapter 2: Changfeng
This was a world where martial arts flourished.
Li Pin recalled a report he had read regarding a survey on middle schoolers' future career plans.
According to the survey, most middle schoolers in Taibai wished to become Astral Cultivators and enter the realm of the extraordinary.
However, Astral Cultivation was all about aptitude, and most people had zero affinity with it.
So, technically speaking, that didn't count.
Astral Cultivators aside, the job that ordinary people liked the most was… being a celebrity!?
However, this wasn't a realistic choice. A person needed a lot of financial support to become a celebrity.
Putting those two options aside, the career path that came in third in the rankings was to become a public servant.
Almost half of the public servants in Taibai became public servants through nepotism. People found it very hard to pass the required examination to become a public servant through their own efforts.
This career path can be taken out of consideration too.
If these three major professions were excluded, martial artists would be ranked number one. Even professions such as teachers, doctors, and lawyers would have to take a backseat. This showed how popular martial artists were.
"Martial arts serve as reinforcements for Astral Cultivators. It is true that however much the martial artists train, their bodies are still fleshly vessels that cannot withstand bullets and cannonballs. Still, the societal position that Martial Saints at their pinnacle enjoy is no inferior to that of an Astral Cultivator with mediocre performance."
Over the past half month he'd been here, Li Pin had already come to understand this world.
This was the perfect era for a martial artist like him who pursued the limits of the human body.
Martial arts flourished so much here that Core Formation Masters, who had been virtually extinct on Blue Planet, emerged endlessly.
Even so, this was, in a way, also the worst era for martial artists.
To martial artists, Astral Cultivators were like towering mountains that couldn't be surpassed. This meant that it was difficult for martial artists to stand at the pinnacle of the world.
"It's extremely fortunate that I was given another life. In my previous life, I was stuck in at the stage of Transformative Force up till the day I died. Let me see just what I can achieve in this life."
Li Pin was in high spirits.
He was totally unaffected by Jing Yunshan, Wang Gang, and An Wanyi.
Li Pin arrived at the dormitory. He was planning on packing his things and applying for a leave of absence from school.
"Old Li[1], you're here?" someone called out to him.
It was Fang Yubai, Li Pin's roommate. He seemed to have been waiting for Li Pin.
This was a private university, so it had pretty good facilities. Each dorm room could accommodate four students.
Li Pin was on fairly okay terms with all of his roommates, but he was closest with Fang Yubai, who was a warm-hearted person.
Well… no! Fang Yubai was actually on very good terms with all three of his roommates.
Fang Yubai was handsome, good at socializing, and from a wealthy family, so he was a pretty well-known figure at Hanyang University.
At this moment, Fang Yubai passed a document to him.
"Take a look."
Li Pin glanced at him. "A flier for Changfeng Martial Hall?"
"Old Li, I know what you're like. I believe that you definitely didn't molest An Wanyi. However, she has too many admirers, and some of them are even in the martial arts faculty. What if one of them loses their mind and comes to beat you up? Well, it's alright. Even if you can't beat them, you'll be able to run faster if you train in martial arts, so your safety will be assured." Fang Yubai said, "My fourth uncle, Fang Lingjue, just opened a martial hall and is accepting students. I got you a discounted price of just three thousand per month."
Afraid that Li Pin would find this price expensive, Fang Yubai hurriedly elaborated, "He's a master in martial arts with the Associate Senior professional title. Three thousand a month is definitely a fair rate."
"Associate Senior professional title?" Li Pin's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "Core Formation!?"
"Right. Certified by the Taibai Martial Association," Fang Yubai affirmed.
Martial arts were definitely not considered insignificant in this world. Martial artists would even get actual certifications to prove their skills.
These were the clear professional certifications: Junior, Assistant, Intermediate, Associate Senior, and Senior.
Ranked above these titles was Martial Saint. The Martial Saint title was given by the Martial Federation once every two years.
The Deputy title was for martial artists who had achieved Core Force. If it were in ancient times, martial artists capable of reaching the phase of Core Force would be equivalent to the commanding generals.
At the provincial martial arts society level, people could rely on connections to get certified first before they achieved the stage of Core Formation. However, the Taibai Martial Association entertained no pretense or falsehood.
"So? Are you going?"
"I'll go," answered Li Pin decisively.
In his previous life, Core Formation Masters had been virtually extinct, and reaching the stage of Transformative Force had been the peak of the martial path.
With no reputable teachers to guide him and no like-minded peers, he'd fully relied on his unflagging efforts.
So soon after getting used to his new identity as Li Pin, he was presented with an opportunity to meet a Core Formation Master. How great was that!
"Let's go then," said Fang Yubai.
He quickly led Li Pin to the university's parking lot.
Thanks to his wealthy parents, Fang Yubai owned a Blue Horse X5 even though he was just a university student. This car cost over two hundred thousand, which was equivalent to ten years' worth of income for many adults.
While Li Pin wasn't a very materialistic person, he knew the saying, "The poor should study to become scholars while the rich should learn martial arts."[2]
If he had sufficient funds to purchase supplemental medicines, then the time needed for him to regain his former strength at the pinnacle of Transformative Force would be further shortened.
Fang Yubai quickly drove out of the university and entered the flow of traffic.
Thanks to the sixty years of peaceful development following the last world war, Taibai, spanning six million square kilometers in total area, stood as one of the world's few developed countries. Its population reached as high as 304 million.
However, Taibai largely comprised of wild, mountainous regions with danger lurking everywhere. Most of its population was concentrated in the south, within an area that was less than a hundred million square kilometers in size.
Even Zanglong City, which wasn't one of the country's capitals, still had a population of over 3 million citizens, with close to 2 million people residing in the inner city.
The traffic there was endless, and people could be stuck at a red light for a good several minutes.
While waiting for a red light to turn green, Fang Yubai unconsciously glanced at Li Pin and remarked, "You seem a bit… different."
He added, "I have had this feeling for about half a month now."
Li Pin smiled and told him, "Well, I did stare death in the face and barely survive… It's no surprise that I'd change a little!"
After all, Li Pin was a martial artist who had formerly been at the pinnacle of the Transformative Force, and he had begun training his new body half a month ago. So, his manners of speech and overall demeanor would naturally be different.
"Right. Some people even have epiphanies and suddenly understand everything! It looks like I won't have to persuade you much," said Fang Yubai with a laugh.
Well, it seemed that he had accepted Li Pin's explanation.
The reason Fang Yubai was eager to introduce Li Pin to his fourth uncle was not only because of their friendship. It was primarily because of the changes he had observed in Li Pin over the past half a month. To be exact, he thought of this gesture as sowing seeds of goodwill for the future.
Half an hour later, the Blue Horse X5 drove into the underground parking lot of a tall office building. Fang Yubai parked the car, and they entered the elevator, heading straight to the sixth floor.
Changfeng Martial Hall's signboard greeted them, with couplets hanging by the sides.
Written on the couplets were the words: The time will come to ride the wind and brave the waves; at that time, I'll raise the sails and travel across the seas. [3].
There was a horizontal banner too, which said: The Heavens Reward The Diligent.
As Li Pin appraised Changfeng Martial Hall's entrance, a tall girl approached them.
She said, "Hello, welcome… Are you here to train in martial arts for general fitness? Do you want to hear about our latest seasonal package?"
Then, a rather elegant woman hurried over. "Young Master Fang, you're here!"
She explained to the girl, "This is Young Master Fang. Go on with your work. I'll handle this!"
"Manager Su, where's my uncle?" asked Fang Yubai.
"In his office. I'll bring you over."
The woman referred to as Manager Su led the two past a folding screen and through the room that contained the training equipment.
Changfeng Martial Hall was not a small place. It had brand-new, comprehensive facilities and one could still faintly tell from the lingering scent that it had just undergone renovation not so long ago.
A few people were in the midst of training.
Nearby, there were two people facing off on a sparring platform that was about a hundred square meters.
Li Pin watched them carefully.
Both of them seemed to have already attained Force.
Indeed, martial arts was truly flourishing in this world!
Manager Su knocked on the door of the office.
A voice rang out from inside. "Come in".
Manager Su pushed open the door.
Inside, a burly and robust man sat there, going through a document in a graceful manner.
Li Pin could clearly witness the explosive power his muscles contained through the outline of his clothes. Additionally, he was probably at least 1.9m tall.
He was such a powerful and mighty person, yet he did not give off an intimidating or threatening vibe.
This… As expected, he's a Core Formation Master! A true Core Formation Master! He condensed his qi to form a unified Core!
Fang Lingjue raised his head and looked at his nephew. "Little Bai, you're here."
Fang Yubai helplessly complained, "Uncle, can you please not call me Little Bai? It sounds just like the name of someone's pet dog…"[4]
He let his words trail off when he saw that Fang Lingjue's gaze had already landed on Li Pin.
Having yet to form his Core, Li Pin was unable to suppress all his qi and vitality. As he stood there, he exuded a sense of vigor and vitality.
Most ordinary people would only perceive this young man as energetic. However, in the eyes of a Core Formation Master like Fang Lingjue…
"Little Bai, when did you come to know such a young Force Cultivator?"
"Force Cultivator?" uttered Fang Yubai, momentarily stumped. His eyes abruptly widened, and he stared at Li Pin, exclaiming incredulously, "You've manifested Force!?"
Li Pin nodded.
This isn't something that can be easily achieved with money! Fang Yubai thought.
Force Cultivation referred to Overt Force, wherein the cultivator would possess a toughened Force that could create strong wind and thunderous sounds with each punch.
For ordinary people to attain Force Cultivation, they would have to train in the bitter cold of winter and scorching heat of summer for about eight to ten years. If they slacked off even a little, it wouldn't be strange for them to remain stuck at the threshold even after half of their lifespan had elapsed.
A good comprehension ability was essential for Force Cultivation. Despite the flourishing of martial arts in this world, it was quite normal to waste three to five years during this step without the guidance of a renowned teacher.
"I thought we'd agreed to work together after graduating as corporate slaves of the new era. Dude, you actually went and became a Force Cultivator out of nowhere?" complained Fang Yubai.
Li Pin glanced speechlessly at him. "Really? You? Working as a corporate slave?? You're not going to inherit your family's hundreds of millions anymore?"
"That's my dad's! What's that got to do with me?!" retorted Fang Yubai.
He glanced at his fourth uncle and remarked, "I was originally going to let you learn from Fourth Uncle! But hey, since you've already achieved Force Cultivation, you can just apply for a martial arts certification and become a coach."
"How long have you trained in martial arts for?" asked Fang Lingjue as he accepted a cup of tea from Manager Su.
She'd made tea for all three of them.
"Oh, I started training a long time ago. But university's really stressful, so I was training intermittently and have just resumed recently," answered Li Pin.
Li Pin took a cup of tea from Manager Su and thanked her.
"Recently? Half a month ago?" said Fang Yubai, quickly connecting the dots.
Li Pin nodded.
Fang Lingjue felt excited.
After a long bout of sporadic training, it had taken just half a month for Li Pin to attain this level of proficiency in his skills.
There was an ancient saying in the martial arts community: Before achieving Core Formation, missing a day of practice would slow down one's cultivation progress. Missing two days would lead to forgetting half of what one has learned, and missing three days would result in a decline to the level of people who had never trained in martial arts.
In just half a month, Li Pin was able to manifest Force again…
It seemed he was pretty talented.
"How about I get someone to spar with you?" suggested Fang Lingjue
"Alright."
"Shan Hu!" called Fang Lingjue.
Soon after, a healthy, radiant-looking ponytailed girl in a body suit walked into the room. "You called for me, Master?"
Fang Lingjue began, "You, and…."
He paused, glancing at Li Pin.
"Li Pin," said Li Pin calmly.
Every martial artist was arrogant in some way.
Had Li Pin not managed to manifest Force, a Core Formation Master like Fang Lingjue would probably not have seen the need to commit Li Pin's name to memory just because Fang Yubai had introduced Li Pin to him.
Fang Lingjue said, "Right. Li Pin and Shan Hu, you two should have a spar."
1. Referring to someone as Old <Surname> or Little <Surname> is just a naming convention for nicknames ☜
2. In ancient times, the poor could study and earn themselves a title through taking the imperial examinations, improving their lives. However, to learn martial arts, one would have to look for a good teacher and they would need to pay the teacher to receive good training. Moreover, nutrition is also very important for those trying to learn martial arts. Therefore, the poor generally would not be able to afford to learn martial arts ☜
3. Extract of a poem written by Li Bai ☜
4. In China, there are many dogs that are nicknamed 小白 (Xiao Bai) which means Little Bai. Little Bai can also be translated as "Whitey", which is much like an easy name for pets. ☜
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