Chapter 103 – Direct Disciple, Candidate, Quota

Lu Yuan then tried to inhabit the bodies of Lin Zhiqin and Qin Feng.

Previously, he had only focused on the overall feeling, never really experiencing the details closely.

Inspired by “Fang Bear,” Lu Yuan now realized this point.

Reflecting back now, he could see the great terror from the minutiae.

“Hiss—”

Lu Yuan was currently inhabiting Qin Feng.

In the hallway on the second floor of Yuan Martial Arts Gym, he “provoked” and then was instantly killed by a grab from the opponent.

At the moment Qin Feng made his move, Lu Yuan slowed the process down infinitely.

He watched closely as Qin Feng, dressed in a black polo shirt, went through each step of his forearm swelling with power as he struck.

In his mind, he could almost visualize the muscle fibers underneath, tightening like steel wires bit by bit.

At its peak, the entire arm looked as if it was cast from steel, with mysterious qi energy flowing from the fingertips, creating white trails in the air…

Only now did he realize how much he had overlooked before.

He had been blinded by the precision and coordination of the overall feeling.

“Whoosh—”

In his bedroom, Lu Yuan opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Two different instances of inhabiting consciousness, two completely different powerful feelings.

“Can such a trained body block bullets?” Lu Yuan tugged at the skin and flesh on his arm, asking himself.

He didn’t know.

But he knew he still had a long way to go compared to Lin Zhiqin and Qin Feng.

Even when compared to someone like “Fang Bear,” there was still a gap.

His constitution attribute was too high, the fundamentals were solid, so it didn’t show particularly, with almost no horizontal improvement.

“With the same 15 points of constitution as a base, I can actually become stronger! There’s still a lot of potential to be tapped!”

Even if he only trained to the level of Fang Bear.

His skin and flesh would become harder and thicker, his defense power would increase, and his overall strength could reach a new level because of it.

“Tomorrow, when I see Lin Zhiqin, I’ll look for an opportunity to ask for his guidance on this. If he voluntarily teaches me, that would be even better…”

Thinking this, Lu Yuan began his daily crane stance practice.

After breaking through to level 4 in the crane stance, the growth rate of his experience points sharply decreased.

The ultimate true skill of the Crane Style boxing techniques, [Spirit Crane Technique: Crane Shadow Float], had been unlocked by Lu Yuan.

He had begun to grasp the true essence of Crane Style martial arts.

Now he was certain that this stance technique had genuinely reached a level where further progress without external help was impossible.

“I must mention this to Lin Zhiqin tomorrow as well.”

He had already sent his crow assistant to investigate Lin Zhiqin’s secrets.

If he could understand Lin Zhiqin’s true intentions for involving him in the Mosa boxing matches, he would be better positioned to “negotiate” with him.

Lin Zhiqin had previously mentioned that he had signed a contract with Mosa, and if he didn’t find participants, he would have to pay a hefty penalty for breach of contract.

Lu Yuan didn’t believe a word of it now.

Just like this time, Mosa had slightly increased the prize money for the competition, easily attracting a large number of experts.

Why spend extra money to have Lin Zhiqin bring in “fresh blood”?

“No matter what the purpose, at this stage, the benefits far outweigh the risks for me. As long as I withdraw before the real danger arrives, I’ll be fine. The stronger I become, the better I’ll be able to handle risks…”

After practicing the crane stance for more than half an hour, Lu Yuan felt the progress was too slow, so he stopped practicing.

He then sat at his desk and began studying ancient languages.

He spent a considerable amount of time on this every night.

The professional experience points for [Ancient Language Expert] were increasing rapidly, and he was close to reaching the next level.

Additionally, there was the secret of the temple that Lu Jing’s archaeological team had excavated.

This was also being further explored.

…

“Squeak—”

Hearing the front door of the gym being pushed open, the two receptionists, dressed in uniforms with the Yuan Martial Arts Gym logo, instinctively glanced toward the entrance.

Upon seeing who had arrived, the unique summer afternoon drowsiness and laziness instantly vanished.

In that moment, it even felt as if they were glowing with radiance.

“Xiao Yuan, you’re here so early today?”

The receptionist girl, with airy bangs and two small white tiger teeth showing when she smiled, greeted the newcomer cheerfully.

“Yeah, Coach Lin asked to see me.”

The young man speaking had a tall and well-proportioned build. His short, neat hair and bright eyes, while still slightly youthful, already hinted at the handsome features of a classic heartthrob with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes.

“You must be Coach Lin’s favorite student by now.”

The receptionist girl giggled, then quickly added, “Do you want something to drink? How about a cup of coffee to perk you up? We just got a fresh batch of coffee beans this morning, and they’re really good.”

“I’ll try Yan-Jie’s coffee later.”

The young man waved at them and headed toward the hall of the martial arts gym.

“Hey!”

The receptionist girl responded, watching him walk away, then immediately turned to her colleague, chattering excitedly.

“What do you think of Lu Yuan? Handsome and fit, totally a heartthrob!”

“He’s great. Do you have his contact info? Share it with me.”

“You already have a boyfriend, and you still want to get a handsome guy’s contact? Heartless woman”

“I’m not going to do anything, just want to add him on social media. He’s so good-looking.”

“He doesn’t like posting on social media…”

Lu Yuan walked leisurely towards the training rooms, his eyes scanning the nameplates on each door.

Lin Zhiqin had arranged to meet him in training room No. 8. He walked all the way to the innermost area of the first floor, the premium member section, and finally found training room No. 8.

The door to the training room was closed. As Lu Yuan stepped up and was about to knock, he heard Lin Zhiqin’s voice from inside.

“It’s not locked, come in.”

Uh.

Lu Yuan blinked and glanced down at his running shoes.

With his 13 agility points, he hadn’t tried to walk quietly, but his footsteps weren’t loud either.

Moreover, how did Lin Zhiqin know it was him?

“Looks like he’s ready to show me some real skills today…”

A sense of anticipation welled up in Lu Yuan’s heart.

Pushing open the door, Lu Yuan saw Lin Zhiqin sitting in the center of the room, dressed in black.

There was a rare seriousness and solemnity in his expression.

“Now it’s getting serious.”

Lu Yuan’s heartbeat quickened slightly.

It was like the scenes on TV where the master teaches the ultimate techniques of the sect. Lin Zhiqin’s current demeanor was just like that.

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but become serious as well, respectfully calling out, “Coach.”

Lin Zhiqin nodded and motioned for him to sit down.

Once Lu Yuan was seated, Lin Zhiqin spoke, “How is your crane stance coming along?”

“Not bad,” Lu Yuan replied modestly.

“Show me a set.”

“Alright.”

Lu Yuan, who had just sat down, quickly stood up, took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and then directly entered the lv3 [Absolute Concentration] state. He began practicing the crane stance with the same focus as during his usual training.

After reaching lv4 in the crane stance, perhaps even Lu Yuan himself hadn’t realized it, the movements of this stance technique had become fundamentally different from when he first learned it.

In his mind, he visualized the Spirit Crane soaring through the air as he practiced [Crane Shadow Float], and his spirit seemed to blend with it.

Unconsciously, he completed the entire set of stance techniques.

Exiting the [Absolute Concentration] state on his own, he checked his experience points…

Only 1 point had increased.

“Very good.”

Lin Zhiqin had watched Lu Yuan’s entire performance, his face gradually showing a complex and hard-to-read expression.

“You are much better than I was at your age.”

There was a hint of unnoticed melancholy in his words.

“Alright, sit down.”

Lin Zhiqin’s expression returned to calm, and he motioned for Lu Yuan to sit down again.

“Today, I’m going to teach you the true introductory method of our crane style. Every word I say next, you must remember carefully.”

Lu Yuan’s spirits lifted, knowing that this was what he had been waiting for.

“…Our crane style originates from the Sky Water Stream, created by the legendary martial arts master Xu Wenzhen, who was once renowned in the martial arts world of Xia State. The True Ancestor only accepted two disciples in his lifetime. Unfortunately, neither of the Founding Masters managed to learn all of his skills. Later, due to their different martial arts specialties and a series of other reasons, the Sky Water Stream gradually split into two martial arts factions, named after the snake and the crane…”

Lin Zhiqin didn’t rush into teaching; instead, he began by narrating a secret history of the martial arts world.

Lu Yuan listened intently, and his understanding of the Sky Water Stream, from which Yuan Martial Arts Gym originated, gradually became clearer.

It aligned with the information he had previously found online.

Indeed, the Sky Water Stream had split into the crane style and the Snake Sect.

Moreover, the truth behind the Snake-Crane Conflict was pretty much what he had suspected.

The members of the Snake Sect were insidious and deceitful, using underhanded tactics to win the conflict. Eventually, they drove the crane style practitioners away, forcing them to relocate to remote areas like Jiaoyan, far from the center of Xia State.

“…The sect leader of the Snake Sect envied the unparalleled talent of our crane style sect leader and coveted our true skill secrets. So, he resorted to despicable means, colluding with outsiders to harm our lineage…”

As Lu Yuan listened, he couldn’t help but internally scoff at the clichéd and melodramatic storyline. Yet, he maintained a facade of attentive listening, occasionally showing expressions of anger and sighs of regret.

It was as if his honor and disgrace were now tied to the crane style.

When Lin Zhiqin finished the story, he glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that more than half an hour had passed.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Lu Yuan, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Coach, does telling me all this mean I am officially part of the crane style, becoming a direct disciple?”

Lin Zhiqin had dangled this prospect before him early on, and Lu Yuan now wanted to confirm it.

Lin Zhiqin shook his head and said, “Not yet.

Every direct disciple is personally selected by the teacher, and I can’t make that decision.

I’m telling you this because I’m about to teach you the true methods of the crane style. This is because you’ve qualified to participate in the assessment for direct disciples. Even if you’re not selected, you’ll still be a core disciple and will definitely learn these techniques.”

“Uh…”

Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned by this information and instinctively asked, “An assessment for direct disciples? Coach, do you mean there are other competitors?”

“There are currently only six direct disciples in the crane style. The Grandmaster hasn’t taken a disciple in decades, so the competition is naturally fierce.”

Lin Zhiqin paused, then continued, “Actually, this assessment is conducted through internal recommendations. Each direct disciple can nominate one or two candidates. The sole direct disciple slot will be chosen from these candidates.”

“I see.”

Lu Yuan pondered this for a moment, then sincerely thanked Lin Zhiqin, “Thank you, Coach, for giving me this opportunity.”

Although it might be related to his own “remarkable talent,” he was still grateful that the promise Lin Zhiqin had made earlier had finally materialized.

However, to Lu Yuan’s surprise, Lin Zhiqin remained expressionless and said flatly, “There’s no need to thank me. I’m not a direct disciple and don’t have the authority to recommend anyone. Your slot was bought from the teacher by someone who spent twenty million.”

“???”

Lu Yuan was utterly bewildered.