Martial Saint!
Chapter 176 - 0143 Tiger Shadow Lost Trace (4k)_2

Chapter 176: 0143 Tiger Shadow Lost Trace (4k)_2

"Three months from Eighth Rank to Ninth Rank, it’s not a big deal."

Because he is Lu Chenzhou!

...

At two o’clock in the afternoon, Fist Technique class.

"Chenzhou, you’re at Ninth Rank? You’re almost catching up with me on the leaderboard."

Chen Xiaoyun today wore a crop top that showed off her midriff, accentuated by the whip worth 13 million tied around her slim waist, which Lu Chenzhou couldn’t help but take a second glance at every time.

What a fine whip indeed.

Seeing Chen Xiaoyun’s skeptical appearance,

He chuckled,

"I just had my breakthrough yesterday."

Chen Xiaoyun did some calculations; she remembered that Lu Chenzhou enrolled at the beginning of February, at that time just peaking at Sixth Rank Cultivation. In no more than half a year, he had gone from the last in class to breaking through three Realms... Could this really just be a sign of sudden enlightenment and talent? At this rate, the prospect of her, with Top Class root bone, being surpassed, was merely a matter of time.

"Xiaoyun, I’m off to class."

Lu Chenzhou left Chen Xiaoyun behind, still lost in her thoughts.

As Chen Xiaoyun watched his retreating figure, for the first time, she felt utterly ordinary, despite having been a prodigy in the Martial Arts University talent class since childhood.

"No wonder Iron-faced Tiger is so favorable towards Chenzhou."

...

Gymnasium.

Li Gui was beaming today; although he appeared calm on the outside, he was actually so excited last night that he couldn’t sleep a wink. He had told Principal Wang about Lu Chenzhou’s advancement to Ninth Rank yesterday. The principal was quite pleased and instructed Li Gui to pay special attention. Such seedlings bearing the potential to become Martial Arts Grandmasters were Top Martial University’s treasure, and even in today’s world filled with talents and scientific bursts, Grandmasters remained few and far between. Each additional Grandmaster at a Top Martial University added depth to its heritage and helped it climb the international rankings.

Hong Fu has sent over a fine disciple.

Lu Chenzhou, a Tiger Form prodigy to boot!

He will be the one to elevate Tiger Form to greater heights.

Li Gui looked at the eagerly waiting Lu Chenzhou and said,

"You have the foundation of the ’Mountain Crossing Body’, so you need not worry too much about the ’Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps’ being difficult. Just remember, the foundational Fist Theory of any Tiger Form Body Technique originates from third-rate movement techniques. The so-called quality of Martial Arts is also the result of later generations continuously innovating and differentiating based on what came before them. The same principle applies to Fist Techniques. This is why Top Martial Universities insist on everyone starting from third-rate Martial Arts—to lay the foundation!"

"The student understands."

"The training area for ’Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps’ needs to be more complex. The usual wooden stake arrays won’t help you improve anymore, so follow me."

Lu Chenzhou followed Li Gui to a special Martial Arts Room; half of the area was filled with shrubs, odd pines, rugged rocks, spiderweb-like vines sheltering the half sky, wooden spikes hanging down, moss on damp bluestone, and ferns, while the other half of the area encompassed ice, snow, and a coniferous forest... For a moment, he felt as if he had been transported to the primordial forests of Bengal and the snowy wilds of Siberia.

A place where fire and ice met.

Li Gui said,

"Tiger Form excels in forested environments. ’Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps’ is an advanced Martial Arts technique created by predecessors who integrated the essence of techniques like Mysterious Fist, Shadowless Step, Mountain Crossing Body... among various other schools. If you can manage to move in this complex environment without disturbing a leaf and landing punches on your target, doing so on flat ground will naturally pose no difficulty. Should you encounter real combat in the future, whether in an urban jungle or a wilderness, it’s all the same principle. On the one hand, disregard environmental disadvantages; on the other, use the surrounding environment to gain an advantage over your enemy!

This is the essence of ’Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps’!"

Lu Chenzhou was enlightened and asked,

"Teacher, nowadays, combat in forested environments seems to be rare."

His "Mountain Crossing Body" Divine Seed, possessed additional power when in a forest environment.

Li Gui said,

"You, if you reached my level, even a steel jungle would be a forest to you, and this city would be your hunting ground. Why get caught up in appearances? Moreover, as a student, you might not know that, in fact, in some wild forests, there are also Void Things and evil spirits lurking, waiting for Martial Artists to clear them out, not to mention the legendary Void Realm, which is a world profoundly different from ours. If we humans want to eradicate the Void Things, we must someday level the Void Realm and seal off its sources!"

Lu Chenzhou couldn’t help asking,

"Teacher, have you ever been to the Void Realm?"

Li Gui shook his head,

"With my power, I’m not qualified to enter. For now, only professional national exploration teams, clad in special equipment that works in the Void Realm and led by a Martial Arts Grandmaster, can enter, but even they are limited to the outer areas. The Void Realm is vast and boundless, as unknown and mysterious as the endless deep sea. Entering rashly is a life or death matter! This is why top-level experts above the status of Grandmasters are the pillars of a country—they silently guard the crossing points in other worlds, keeping the terrifying beings behind the gates. This is our... Gatekeeper."

Li Gui’s tone was solemn, his words filled with respect.

Images of top-level experts flashed through Lu Chenzhou’s mind—especially those who had made their names at the All Nations Martial Arts Competition as Sixth Rank and Seventh Rank Breakthroughs—who seemed to have retreated into history afterward, never to appear again, likely having become Gatekeepers.

Seeing Lu Chenzhou silent, Li Gui continued,

"However, the Void Realm isn’t all bad for humanity. Since entering the modern era, the number of human powerhouses has increased dramatically compared to ancient times. From Breakthrough Fifth as the Absolute Peak, to now Breakthrough Seven, one reason is scientific and technological progress, population explosion, and other modern factors...

Another important reason is the Void Realm itself. Within it lies many substances that can help humans break their limits, which in ancient times could have been called ’Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures’—Great Medicines and rare objects. Otherwise, relying only on herbs or materials from Earth, how could so many break through their limits?

The reason being that what we Martial Artists consume now would have been called ’Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures’ by wanderers of the ancient world—the Void Realm brings resources! That’s why those top-level experts voluntarily become Gatekeepers, also for resources. National teams explore for the same reason—to bring back resources and nurture more Martial Artists! Thus forming a virtuous cycle: using the Void to nurture Martial Arts, making Martial Arts stronger and more widespread, aiming for everyone to be as dragons, and ultimately, using Martial Arts to conquer the Void, suppressing all kinds of demons and deities with Martial Arts!"

Lu Chenzhou remembered that in the formula for the Bright God Potion, there were a few ingredients he hadn’t found in conventional herbal scriptures—they were from the Void Realm.

No wonder the potion was so expensive.

Ordinary herbs could be mass-produced to some extent with high technology, but herbs from the Void Realm were likely difficult to produce on a large scale in the short term.

"Fortune and disaster go hand in hand; the Void Realm is indeed so important."

"You just need to have a rough idea for now. Once you become a Martial Artist, many things will naturally become clear to you. There are top-level experts guarding our rear, and my task is to teach well, and your task is to learn well!"

Li Gui suddenly flipped a switch, and all the man-made environment—including metal imitation bushes, old trees, and strange rocks—began to buzz and tremble.

"The Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps mainly consist of two phases: ’Tiger Shadow’ and ’Mysterious Steps’. ’Tiger Shadow’ further strengthens and trains your movement technique, while ’Mysterious Steps’ lets you grasp the changes between illusion and reality, confusing your enemies. You use your movement technique to interfere with the enemy, so you can kill them in one blow, or...fleeing is the best strategy!"

Li Gui entered, and as the mechanisms operated, desiccated trees swept across, rocks shook, vines whipped—suddenly, it was as if he entered a Ghost Realm, facing enemies on all sides! His feet clawed the ground like tiger paws, casually stepping through, his figure turned into a black phantom; even with Lu Chenzhou’s Eye Power, it was difficult to see clearly, always feeling like the teacher turned into an apparition and disappeared.

"The Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps has many moves and 72 variations, facing rocks [Tiger Brave], facing trees [Tiger Turn], facing water [Tiger Jumping], facing abyss [Tiger Turn], facing enemies [Tiger Becoming Wind]... But what remains unchanged amidst all these variations is to adapt your strategy according to the terrain—treat the forest as your own home, freely and naturally!"

Under the teacher’s guidance, Lu Chenzhou also tried to enter the field. His Mountain Crossing Body was at Perfection, so he managed to hold on for a while, but compared to the teacher’s effortless grace, it was like a cub just learning to walk, somewhat awkward.

"Martial Arts requires a strong effort at the beginning. If you have nothing urgent this afternoon, then keep practicing with me. When you’re tired, take a short rest. I’ll see if you can grasp the basics before dinner?"

Li Gui looked at the disheveled Lu Chenzhou but didn’t scold him this time.

Lu Chenzhou also felt a surge of determination and said,

"Good, I have confidence!"

Li Gui rarely cracked a slight smile. If it had been before, he would have thought Lu Chenzhou was just bragging, but now, in front of him, was the Tiger Form prodigy praised by Principal Wang.

Watching Lu Chenzhou practice diligently, Li Gui felt content deep down.

This transfer from the main campus to the branch school, it was worth it.