Chapter 74 - 73: The Grand Competition Begins! Summer Country Promotion! (Please Follow)

Matching hands. In the martial arts of the Xia Country, there exists a courtesy known as matching hands. Without engaging in combat, practitioners can understand each other’s abilities simply by a touch. At this moment, Xie Feichen’s gesture of matching hands was intended to help Jiang Shu further understand what it meant to have ’flexible sinews and bones, and skin and hair ready to attack.’ As his internal force circulated, his pores tightened and relaxed, as if containing myriad sharp steel needles that subtly pricked upwards, rising and falling, potent yet restrained. This exemplified the principle of ’skin and hair on the offensive’! Jiang Shu, with their hands still matched, continued to sense Xie Feichen’s state: externally hard, yet internally soft. It was like lead encasing mercury. He closed his eyes and gradually relaxed his body, circulating his own force, trying to grasp the sensation. Seeing Jiang Shu immersed in the experience, Xie Feichen kept one hand still while waving the other, signaling the onlookers to depart quietly. Before long, only the two of them remained in the classroom. Xie Feichen was utterly motionless; even his breathing was almost imperceptible. "Phew... I think I understand a little now. Thank you, Master Xie." A full fifteen minutes later, Jiang Shu finally opened his eyes, having gained some insight. However, he knew it would still take some time to truly master it. "When you comprehend Bright Force, you learn to align shoulder with hip, elbow with knee, and hand with foot. To master Dark Force, you need to align heart with intent, intent with qi, and qi with force." Xie Feichen withdrew his hand. "Now that we’re alone, I’ll control my force, and we shall spar." "Alright!" Jiang Shu stepped back and offered a disciple’s salute. The Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength should not be displayed carelessly. But the Famished Tiger Cave Stance and its breathing techniques, with his current strength, what harm was there in revealing them? Jiang Shu crouched like a tiger, breathed like a tiger. Before Xie Feichen’s slightly astonished gaze, he adjusted his state. A killing intent brewed within him, like gathering power, then suddenly erupted! PAK! His punch struck like a tiger! Jiang Shu held nothing back; his first move was the Pounce, one of the three techniques of the Tiger Form. "Good!" Xie Feichen couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. He stood his ground, merely extending one hand, controlling his own qi and blood, and executing Bright Force. He allowed Jiang Shu’s fierce punches and kicks to assail him, each move like a pouncing tiger. Xie Feichen himself remained as immovable as a mountain. With just one hand, he blocked Jiang Shu’s relentless assaults countless times. While parrying, he said casually, "Actually, geniuses more or less all have their own fortuitous encounters. Even Yang Kai, whom you spar with, possesses the Triple Form Stance. The Xia Country won’t pry into your minor windfalls. If you have a trump card, you should use it. In this upcoming tournament, strive for the top ten. The benefits will last you a lifetime." Indeed. The more talented one is, the more information they can access. He had no time to guess what these benefits entailed. Jiang Shu walked out of the classroom, drenched in sweat yet feeling tireless. His spine and arms were still continuously moving, practicing each form. In his past life, there was a term, ’Zhuangzi’s butcher carving an ox.’ It wasn’t about looking at the ox as a whole, but rather understanding its underlying structure, the grain of its muscles. During his bout with Xie Feichen, he vaguely grasped this concept: in combat, one shouldn’t just watch the opponent’s physical movements. Instead, one should perceive the changes in the opponent’s internal force. The martial arts of the Xia Country and the Da Jing Dynasty might differ, but their essence was still internal force, a principle he could also apply. Avoid their strengths. Attack their weaknesses. If he had realized this sooner, his fight with the masked martial artist after escaping the black market could have been far less desperate. He shadowboxed as he walked, like some martial arts fanatic. 「The student dormitory!」 Martial arts freshmen naturally received different treatment than ordinary ones: single rooms in a separate dormitory building, convenient for their individual training schedules and rest. With no intention of resting, Jiang Shu began practicing the first thirty-six forms of the Innate Guiding Skill. He had already mastered all the basic martial arts from the Famished Tiger Martial Arts Hall to the Break Limit stage. And the techniques that could significantly enhance his combat power, the Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength and the Famished Tiger Annihilating Claw, weren’t really suitable for display in the tournament. The former was too distinctive; the latter too vicious. This wasn’t a life-or-death duel; revealing these two trump cards would be purely unwise. What he could do now was only to continually grow stronger on the martial arts path in the Xia Country! Shang Jibei. Zhu Qingyun. Wu Zhiming. The names of the top ten contenders surfaced one by one in his mind. He had his opportunities, and these geniuses had theirs. Well then... let’s compete! I hope I don’t disappoint myself! The top ten was never my goal. Jiang Shu trained diligently day and night, oblivious to the passage of time. 「Meanwhile, in the outside world.」 The entire Xia Country was building momentum for the University Martial Arts Genius Tournament! All advertisements at airports and high-speed rail stations were promptly replaced with slogans for the tournament. The Newcomer Rankings were clearly printed on the ads! First and second-tier celebrities appeared one after another, announcing on social media their plans to go to Shengjing to watch the event in person. The traffic on short video and live-streaming platforms was impacted, with many streamers noticing a shift in their viewership. All attention was focused on content related to the University Martial Arts Genius Tournament! "Martial Arts Realms: Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force."NovelFire "Become a Martial Artist, receive a monthly martial arts stipend of 10,000 Xia Country currency! Qualify directly as a high school martial arts teacher!" "A Martial Artist’s status far surpasses that of a civil servant! Free air and high-speed rail travel! Free entry to tourist attractions!" "The best time to practice martial arts was a year ago. The next best time is now." "The CEO of Xia Country’s XX Footwear has offered 30 million to hire Shang Jibei, number one on the Newcomer Rankings, as a brand spokesperson." "Full exposé on the 36 geniuses on the Newcomer Rankings! From kindergarten to university!" Official media accounts were relentlessly promoting martial arts. During this period, all citizens of Xia Country believed they were about to witness history. Even the Olympics of old had never received such promotion! 「The Jiang Family.」 Because of Jiang Shu’s existence, Qingjiang Gardens had become a ’celebrity’ residential complex in Ji City. Many high school students aspiring to learn martial arts came to rent apartments there, hoping to absorb some of Jiang Shu’s auspicious aura. Especially now, with Xia Country fully promoting martial arts, after the news that Jiang Shu ranked 19th on the Newcomer Rankings spread, the property prices in the entire Qingjiang Gardens basically doubled. Yet, properties were unavailable—high demand, no supply! Jiang Yongyi glanced out the window, marveling at the sight of several luxury cars worth millions parked in the community. He couldn’t help but feel astonished. He had never imagined that their lives, their surroundings, would one day undergo such a monumental change because his son practiced martial arts! "Yanyue, have you bought the tickets yet?" "Bought them! Wow, Dad, you have no idea, tickets to Shengjing were incredibly hard to get. I managed to get tickets to Ji City, and from there, I’ll take a ’green-skin’ train to Shengjing. It’s a bit of a hassle, but there’s no choice; this University Martial Arts Genius Tournament is just too popular." Looking at the ticket-purchasing app that had crashed numerous times, Jiang Yanyue felt a bit overwhelmed. She had just started high school. How had her brother already become such a big star? Ranked 19th on the Newcomer Rankings. He was so popular that business owners had already offered 7 to 8 million to invite Jiang Shu for endorsements. Seven to eight million! In her wildest dreams, she had never imagined earning so much money in a year from starting her own business! Jiang Shu’s martial arts practice... it truly changed destinies. She opened Weixun and looked at their last chat. After a moment’s thought, she decided not to send a message. Anyway, the whole family is going to Shengjing. Better not say anything for now. I’ll give him a surprise when we meet! Hmph, serves him right for not telling me about his martial arts progress after he started! I wonder if the roast duck in Shengjing is as good as they say... Her thoughts gradually drifted. 「October.」 It was fast approaching.