Chapter Four: The Golden Scales

The school’s Martial Arts Hall covered an area of roughly fifteen hundred square meters and also served as the school’s gymnasium, with its layout adjusted as needed. When the Middle School Martial Arts League was held, a competition ring would be set up temporarily. The hall itself had a roof of steel sheeting, concrete walls, and a rubberized floor. The ceiling rose to twelve meters, with a row of windows installed to ensure ample natural light and ventilation on all sides. Without heating, the temperature inside was little different from the outdoors during winter. The principal’s philosophy was that members of the martial arts team should temper themselves in harsh conditions to forge both strong bodies and indomitable wills.

At one in the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the skylights, illuminating the hall and bringing a touch of warmth. The martial arts team attended academic classes in the morning and began training at half past one in the afternoon, resting on weekends. Martial artists were not machines; high-intensity training required time for the body to recover and adjust.

At this moment, the hall was empty. Gao Wu strode straight to the punch strength testing machine and pressed the red button to activate it. He regulated his breathing, planted his feet firmly, twisted his waist, and drove his fist forward, channeling the power from his entire body into his left fist. With a heavy thud, he landed a straight punch on the target pad. The testing machine’s screen flashed a red number: 811.

Gao Wu’s face shone with excitement. His previous best was six hundred kilograms; this time, his punch strength had increased by over thirty percent. The target pad simulated the hardness of the human body. Without wrapping his hands or wearing fingerless gloves, a full-force punch would normally tear the skin and even risk bruising or fracturing the knuckles. Now, though his fist stung fiercely, not a single bit of skin was broken.

A punch of eight hundred kilograms could easily kill a bull. For an ordinary person, a blow like that would break bones and rupture tendons, no matter where it landed. The key lay in his powerful physique, which allowed him to harness and transmit force more efficiently, achieving such impressive results.

The Martial Arts League’s evaluation system was simple and direct: a punch strength of three hundred kilograms made one a beginner martial artist; five hundred kilograms, an intermediate; and one thousand kilograms, an advanced martial artist. It seemed crude, but was entirely reasonable. Reaching several hundred kilograms of punch strength required rigorous training and mastery of complex technique. The League offered substantial support for martial arts training, with various incentive policies. There was no drug testing for evaluations or competitions, all to encourage ordinary people to take up martial arts.

For most people, through exercise and injections of strengthening agents, the limit was to achieve intermediate martial artist status. Without martial arts talent, it was nearly impossible to become advanced. Gao Wu’s family situation was complicated, and he couldn’t afford the expensive enhancement drugs. Moreover, these drugs often had severe side effects, causing significant bodily harm even as they provided short-term gains. At least eighty percent of youths sustained chronic injuries during their training.

He relied solely on the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation to strengthen his body, allowing him to endure extreme training and remain healthy. Because he never took enhancement drugs, his coach looked down on him, and he could only ever serve as a substitute on the martial arts team. The Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation strengthened his constitution, primarily improving resilience and endurance, advantages not easily demonstrated in the straightforward punch strength test.

Now, with his punch strength increased by thirty percent, it was his robust physique that would let him dominate the team. As the name suggested, Ninth Middle School was not among the top schools in Dongjiang City—not even in the top ten. Ruling Ninth Middle School didn’t mean much. To break into Dongjiang’s top-ten martial arts ranking, one had to at least reach advanced martial artist status. If he could awaken his energy center and become a Warrior before the college entrance exams, he could pick any top university in Dongzhou at will. Unfortunately, he was still far from that goal.

Taking advantage of the empty hall, Gao Wu tested his leg sweep power as well, nearly a thousand kilograms—another over thirty percent improvement. The same held for bench press, deadlift, and squat; all saw notable gains. The hall was monitored by cameras, which didn’t show punch test results but would clearly display any feats of strength, so Gao Wu didn’t want to draw too much attention.

After a round of testing, Gao Wu found an open spot to practice the Nine Forms of the Dragon. This foundational martial art had tutorials readily available online, but correct practice required guidance from someone knowledgeable. Gao Wu had studied under Shang Hongyi, and his form was flawless, with no errors or omissions. Still, his martial arts talent was average; after several years, he had only achieved proficiency.

Reaching mastery in the Nine Forms of the Dragon was a different matter entirely...

When Coach Huang Hai entered, he saw Gao Wu practicing the Nine Forms. As a Warrior who had opened his energy center, Huang Hai recognized at a glance that Gao Wu’s martial skills had greatly improved—his moves already carried a hint of the dragon’s spirit.

Huang Hai’s brow furrowed slightly. He had just checked the surveillance footage and noticed Gao Wu’s improvements in the three major strength disciplines, sparking curiosity—had this kid come into money for enhancement drugs? Yet Gao Wu’s progress in the Nine Forms was even more remarkable. The Nine Forms of the Dragon was not a combat technique but a method for adjusting body and mind through movement, breathing, and visualization, to sense and gather source energy.

This method was easy to start but became more complex and profound with advancement. Gao Wu’s current level was outstanding among Dongjiang’s middle school students. Enhancement drugs could only stimulate the body and boost strength and reflexes; they did nothing for martial prowess. How had Gao Wu suddenly become so formidable?

“Could it be that the kid has awakened his energy center?” Huang Hai’s expression grew complicated. If the boy rose up, there would be no place for Huang Long. Ninth Middle School was usually allotted one guaranteed admission spot for martial arts students, traditionally given to the one with the highest martial arts points. Gao Wu was average in all areas except for lagging slightly in strength and speed—he seemed unremarkable. In reality, his endurance and resistance to blows were extraordinary. If he ever stepped into the ring, he would surely perform well.

Previously, there were plenty of reasons to hold him back from competition—mainly because Gao Wu would not let himself be manipulated. Outwardly, he appeared to be a good-natured lad, but inside, he was stubborn and difficult to control. Now, with his martial skills greatly improved, it would be much harder to suppress him.

To complicate matters, the principal had just called, instructing Huang Hai to give Gao Wu more opportunities to compete, since this was a valuable chance for the school to shine.

After practicing the Nine Forms of the Dragon twice, Gao Wu finished and greeted Coach Huang Hai warmly, “Coach, I didn’t notice you come in earlier while I was practicing my punches.”

“Good progress. Not bad.” Huang Hai was not stingy with his praise. He continued, “Your weaknesses are insufficient strength, slow speed, and poor close-combat technique. If you can improve in these areas, you’ll have a chance to compete in the league in the future.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Coach. I’ll work hard.” Gao Wu was polite. Although Huang Hai had deliberately held him back, he had never subjected him to corporal punishment or verbal abuse. There was no need for hostility. Under someone else’s roof, it was best to keep a low profile without the strength to oppose them. Huang Hai was a novice Warrior; whatever his character, his strength far surpassed Gao Wu’s. In a real fight, Huang Hai could easily crush him single-handedly.

“In a bit, Principal Jiang will come by to commend you. Prepare yourself and don’t embarrass the martial arts team.” With this, Huang Hai, uninterested in further conversation, turned and left.

Gao Wu felt a surge of anticipation. With the principal coming, surely there would be a cash reward this time!