Chapter 3: Qi and Blood
There were very few people in Changfeng Martial Hall right now. In addition to a couple of staff members, there were six people working out, and another three were in the midst of a martial arts training session.
In the approximately 3000 square meters hall, there were only a dozen or so people around, so the place was pretty empty. Of course, this might be because the place had opened for business just recently.
Shan Hu could tell what Li Pin was thinking.
She raised her brows slightly and said, "Ever since my master achieved Core Formation, many of his business friends and relatives wanted to send their kids over to learn martial arts from him. Many of them have a relatively high status, so my master couldn't really reject them. That's why he opened this martial hall.
"Changfeng Martial Hall exists for two purposes. One is to serve as a training studio for those kids to collectively train in martial arts. The other is to provide a place for my master's friends to spar whenever they feel like it, and this is the primary purpose of the martial hall. Teaching disciples is secondary, and only the better kids get accepted as disciples."
Hearing that, Fang Yubai felt a bit awkward. He couldn't help but feel that Shan Hu was insinuating something.
"Are these the coaches?" asked Li Pin.
"That's right." Shan Hu nodded. "My two senior martial brothers, Xu Huan and Zhang Le, both have martial arts certifications. They train here, but they also work as part-time coaches here. We also hired five Force Cultivators. Among them is Yang Danqing, a martial artist who has a level-three certificate—the Association-certified Intermediate professional title."
"There sure are many talented people here," remarked Li Pin, feeling awestruck.
If he had come to this world in his original body, which he had already pushed to its limits in terms of cultivation, he would only have been able to attain an Intermediate certification at best.
He was increasingly looking forward to just how amazing the martial arts of this world would be.
Shan Hu stopped at an area where the ground was composed of sturdy dark green rubber.
Looking at Li Pin, Shan Hu extended a hand and beckoned him over. "Come on."
Shan Hu, who was 1.73m tall and no shorter than the average man, struck a dashing pose.
Li Pin wished to witness the Core Force of a Core Formation Master, but why would Fang Lingjue show him that when they had no relations with each other at all? He had to show his value and make Fang Lingjue want to invest in him
At the next moment, Li Pin exerted Force beneath his feet. In just one step, he traveled over two meters.
To be exact, he had been able to travel 2.3 meters without any support whatsoever, purely relying on the strength of one leg.
Even the previously silent Fang Lingjue was slightly taken aback when he saw that.
"Not bad," he praised.
Seeing that there were people sparring, the coaches who were free at the moment all gathered around to watch.
"Let's start," said Li Pin, gesturing that he was ready.
"Yes, let's," responded Shan Hu and made her move, striking forward with a hand.
She was getting right into it. It didn't seem like she was planning on playing nice by letting Li Pin make the first move.
Li Pin countered Shan Hu's every move. By sparring with her, Li Pin could tell just how greatly the martial arts of this world differed from his previous world.
Shan Hu should be a year or two younger than him, but she was quite a skilled fighter. Be it fist techniques, movement techniques, or counters, she showed her proficiency in all of them.
It's just that… she seems to be lacking in ferocity.
As this thought flashed through Li Pin's mind at the end of their initial clash, Shan Hu suddenly exploded with power.
Exerting Force beneath her feet, she agilely leaped forth like an ape.
She made full use of her body—her toes, calves, thighs, waist, and shoulders—and exerted over 90% of her total power in that one lunge.
Before Fang Yubai could even tell what was going on in the spar, Shan Hu had already crossed the four-meter distance between her and Li Pin. She sent a palm strike flying toward Li Pin's chest.
Smack!
In that moment, Li Pin had glanced at Shan Hu's shoulder. Then when she lunged forward, Li Pin sidestepped and grabbed Shan Hu's wrist with his right hand.
Just as Li Pin was about to send Shan Hu flying, she flicked her wrist and broke out of his grasp.
Making use of the momentum from her lunge, Shan Hu pivoted just as she was about to move past Li Pin. She raised her right leg high at an angle of 180 degrees and then brought it down powerfully toward Li Pin's head like a brandished battleaxe.
The power of Shan Hu's long legs was far greater than that of her hands.
Additionally, Li Pin's keen senses had picked up earlier that his strength…was inferior to that of Shan Hu! He was actually weaker than a woman!
Nevertheless, instead of retreating to evade Shan Hu's leg, Li Pin moved forward while concentrating his Force on his feet.
Before Shan Hu could land her explosive attack, Li Pin charged forward fiercely. His shoulder collided with Shan Hu's right thigh first. Right after, his right hand pushed Shan Hu away with great momentum….
Li Pin hadn't used Force to push Shan Hu. However, he still sent Shan Hu, who weighed roughly 60 kilograms, flying three to four meters.
Despite that, Shan Hu did not smash painfully onto the ground. Instead, she flipped in mid-air and dispersed the force of the blow by taking three steps backward to steady herself.
"Good fight," said Li Pin calmly.
"It's not over yet! Again!" yelled Shan Hu.
Shan Hu didn't seem convinced of her defeat and wanted to go for a rematch.
"Alright, that's good enough," declared Fang Lingjue, putting a stop to Shan Hu's petulance. "This is just a simple spar to give me a rough estimate of Li Pin's skills. There doesn't need to be a victor!"
With that, Fang Lingjue turned to Li Pin with an appraising eye. "Have you fought for real before?"
"It was after I graduated from middle school. I was bold and reckless with my newfound skills, so I entered deep into the mountains and fought a wolf," fibbed Li Pin.
Hearing this, Fang Lingjue smiled. Though it wasn't evident if he bought Li Pin's lie, he did not pursue the matter.
Instead, Fang Lingjue just said, "It looks like you truly did stop training for a very long time! Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense that you possess such an average level of strength, especially considering your proficiency in using Force."
Li Pin nodded.
He had only been training with this new body of his for half a month now, so he was only slightly stronger than the average man.
"Come. Let's test your qi and blood," said Fang Lingjue, tossing over a device that somewhat resembled a watch. "One's qi and blood serve as the core foundation of a martial artist's abilities! However much you understand and can employ Force, that is still no match for the domination the gap in qi and blood can bring.
"Why is it that even Aura Force Masters cannot defeat an Astral Cultivator who has yet to even grasp Force? Even Martial Saints who have attained Spirit Force dare not meet new Astral Cultivators head-on in battle! That's all because Astral Cultivators' qi and blood reach readings that exceed 100; everyone else is simply not a match for them."
Li Pin looked at the watch-like device. "Qi and blood measuring device?"
With how much martial arts flourished in this world, there was undoubtedly an endless number of products and enterprises related to martial arts.
When equipped with a qi and blood measuring device, a person would be able to determine their physical prowess by using fist or movement techniques that could most stimulate all of their qi and blood. Thus, this was an essential tool for martial artists.
Various companies produced these devices, and even the cheapest model cost over a million.
That was enough to buy two flats in Hidden Dragon City.
Li Pin wore the device, but he did not immediately execute his fist techniques. Instead, he inhaled deeply.
His internal organs seemed to quiver slightly at the same time, emitting a low-frequency wave that was inaudible to humans.
However, this sound was picked up by Fang Lingjue, whose expression turned into one of shock.
"Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound!? His Force has gone from Overt to Covert!?"
A moment ago, Shan Hu had been unable to come to terms with her defeat. However, she was better able to accept it now.
Dozens of seconds later, Li Pin's internal organs stopped vibrating.
A bunch of numbers ran across the screen of the device, finally coming to a stop at "16."
"16, huh! Starry Splendor's qi and blood measuring device has a margin of error of only 1-3 points. It looks like you've really neglected your training for too long! Otherwise, it definitely wouldn't show such a poor result considering that you advanced from the Overt to the Covert cultivation realm," analyzed Fang Lingjue.
Li Pin had previously learned about how the different levels of qi and blood were distinguished in this world.
At the lowest level, ordinary people, their qi and blood level ranged between 10 and 20.
For Force Cultivators, it was between 20 and 30. For those experienced masters who had formed their Cores or even Auras, they would generally get a reading that was above 30.
As for those at 40 and above, they were just really super gifted.
The highest record for martial artists was 49 points. It had been achieved by a 2.3m tall Core Formation powerhouse from the Central Dynasty, who had been blessed with supreme strength from birth.
Despite being a Core Force Master, he could even beat Martial Saints to death with his powerful body.
"Yes, I neglected my training for quite a while," said Li Pin as he returned the device.
"You heard what Shan Hu said earlier. In truth, I'm just running this Changfeng Martial Hall to deal with the people my relatives and friends have been dumping on me. I don't get involved with the students," said Fang Lingjue unabashedly.
He continued, "I wish to walk further down the road of cultivation and advance to the realm of Aura Force, and even step into the world of Martial Saints, who achieved Spirit Force. I don't have the time to train disciples. Also, you are no amateur. With your high level of comprehension and use of Force, even Yang Danqing may not have anything to teach you. As soon as your qi and blood reach a sufficient level, even attaining Covert Force will pose you no challenge."
Fang Yubai opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But this was really no place for him to be generous at someone else's expense, so he just shut his mouth again.
"I have no time to train disciples, but I still come here to take a look around and interact with everyone every now and then. So, I have a suggestion for you. Would you be willing to consider it?"
"Sure."
"I would like to hire you as a coach here for six thousand a month, board included. When you get your Assistant certification, I'll raise it to ten thousand," offered Fang Lingjue.
Then he added, "There won't be too many people here. I think that half of those who were forced here by their elders will be gone in a year or so. That means it won't be very busy here. In addition, you can also ask me for advice if you face any problems in trying to attain Transformative Force and Core Formation. I'll advise you as best I can. So, how about it?"
The offer was for six thousand. Moreover, that was in Taibai's currency, which was currently rather valuable. This was equivalent to eighteen thousand on Earth. It was more or less a given for Force Cultivators to receive this amount of remuneration. On top of that, the chance to ask for guidance from a Core Force Master was a game changer.
Li Pin was already in his third year of university and didn't intend to waste any more time at Hanyang University. He'd purposely demonstrated the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound Art earlier as an act of self-promotion because he sought to get recruited here.
It was likely that Fang Lingjue noticed that was Li Pin's intention, which was why he then offered to hire Li Pin.
"Alright." Li Pin nodded decisively. "I will be troubling you from here on out, Hall Master Fang."
"Hahaha! Once you've supplemented your qi and blood and taken that step from Overt into Covert Force, you'll be a walking advertisement for Changfeng Martial Hall. After all, attaining Covert Force is no mean feat for someone of your age"
Fang Lingjue smiled and extended a hand toward Li Pin. "Welcome to the team!"
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