The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

Meanwhile, the conversation between the three boys continued.

Wu You listened while eating a steamed bun.

Another boy, who looked no more than eighteen or nineteen, nodded in agreement, saying, "I've seen the martial arts promotional videos the school showed. That's not just fancy footwork; it's real martial arts!"

"One punch can punch a hole in a brick wall, one kick can bend an iron pipe, and I've even heard that with advanced training, they're not afraid of handguns!"

"And I heard that if you're admitted to the martial arts university, you can get a job in the police department after graduation!"

He took a deep breath before continuing, "That's the ultimate 'iron rice bowl' job—it comes with special allowances, a clear path for career advancement, and retirement benefits that are a level above ordinary positions!"

"Brother Zhang, if you become rich and powerful, don't forget me!"

As he spoke, he picked up the vinegar pot on the table and poured another round of vinegar into the dish in front of the young man surnamed Zhang.

The boy who had been engrossed in eating his steamed buns looked up, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and said in a more composed voice than the other two: "This was just a coincidence, coinciding with national policy. A few years ago, there wouldn't even be such a thing as a martial arts major."

The boy who spoke first hesitated for a moment and looked at the boy surnamed Zhang who had been admitted to the martial arts university.

"Brother Zhang, I'm thinking of repeating a year to take the martial arts exam. Do you think... I have a chance?"

The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the table subtly changed.

The boy who had been fawning over them stopped making a fuss, and the two of them looked at the boy surnamed Zhang.

The young man surnamed Zhang put down his chopsticks and thought seriously for a moment.

"Training for only one year... is a bit difficult."

"Judging from this year's martial arts exam requirements, you'll probably need to reach the 'combat skill' level to pass with a certainty."

He paused, seemingly considering his next words.

"Although this level is just the entry level of martial arts, to put it bluntly, it's just a threshold. If you can't even pass the threshold, then don't talk about martial arts or anything like that."

"But for an ordinary person who has never practiced martial arts, starting from scratch, it would normally take at least two to three years to reach the level of combat skill. This is based on the premise of consistent daily practice, correct methods, and guidance from someone."

The boy's face darkened, but the boy surnamed Zhang did not stop.

"Of course, if you have good natural talent, a year might be enough. I'm not talking about any mystical stuff; it's about your physical attributes, such as flexibility, coordination, explosive power, and recovery ability. These innate factors directly affect your speed of progress."

"Some people are born to practice martial arts. They can learn the same move after three repetitions and see results after practicing the same martial art for a month. Such people do exist."

"Or there might be some powerful medicines to aid in martial arts training, which could accelerate progress. But those things are generally unavailable to ordinary people, and they're not cheap either."

The young man surnamed Zhang gave a wry smile as he said this, "And don't be fooled by how easy it seemed to me, since I passed it on the first try."

"But I started practicing martial arts when I was ten years old, and it's been seven or eight years now."

Upon hearing this, the boy who started it all seemed somewhat dejected.

"Sigh, never mind." His voice softened considerably. "I'm definitely not some kind of genius, and my family's circumstances are just so-so. As for those kinds of medicines, let alone buying them, I've never even seen them. If I repeat a year and still don't get into university, it'll be a complete waste of a year, and I'll just be a burden on my family..."

Seeing him like this, the young man surnamed Zhang felt a little sorry for him.

He hesitated for a moment, tapped his fingers unconsciously on the table a few times, and finally leaned forward.

"Actually, you still have a chance."

Upon hearing this, the other two boys immediately stepped forward: "Please teach us, Brother Zhang!"

The boy surnamed Zhang looked around to make sure no one was watching before turning slightly to the side and lowering his voice.

"What I'm about to say, you can tell others, but you can't say it's me. And I can't guarantee it's accurate."

Hearing this, the two boys became even more excited and nodded repeatedly: Could it be that there is always a way out?

The boy surnamed Zhang lowered his voice even further: "Next, probably this month—a new set of radio calisthenics will be announced!"

"If you want to practice martial arts, just practice that!"

"Don't learn anything else!"

"As long as you're not too bad at it, or too lazy."

"It generally takes about a year to reach the combat skill level!"

The two were puzzled upon hearing this: "New calisthenics? Martial arts training?"

The two boys exchanged a glance, then looked at the boy surnamed Zhang.

The young man surnamed Zhang simply nodded and said nothing more.

He picked up his chopsticks again, took the last soup dumpling, and put it in his mouth, indicating that the topic was over.

Meanwhile, Wu You, who was eating a steamed bun, heard all of this.

Wu You, of course, knew what this so-called new set of broadcast gymnastics was.

It is the third edition of the basic martial arts tutorial, which has been improved by the Dongling Research Institute.

However, it is now being packaged and promoted in a form that is more familiar to students and will not cause resistance.

After all, directly telling the entire nation, "Come on, let's all practice martial arts together," does have a rather strange feel to it.

But changing it to "New semester, new look, introducing a new set of radio calisthenics to strengthen the body and improve physical fitness" makes much more sense.

This young man surnamed Zhang likely has a direct relative working in the Public Security Bureau or the Investigation Bureau.

That's how we know about things that haven't been officially released to the public yet.

Of course, the fact that this information could be leaked was also due to the tacit approval of the investigation bureau.

Or rather, this is exactly what the investigation bureau hopes to see: to spread information in advance within a controlled scope, creating a rumor effect, so that when it is officially announced, the public will be more accepting and there will be less resistance.

As for the martial arts system of this world, Wu You was naturally familiar with it.

For ordinary people, if they cannot spontaneously awaken their abilities, they can only take the path of martial arts to increase the probability of awakening their abilities.

The true high-level powerhouses in this world are all ability users. The mainstream of this world is the awakening, development, and application of abilities. Martial arts, from beginning to end, has always been a stepping stone, a stepping stone for ordinary people to become ability users.

Its purpose is to help ordinary people lay a foundation, improve their physical fitness, and then wait for the light called awakening to descend.

After all, the upper limit of martial arts is there, at most it can only reach the third level, while ability users can keep rising to the eighth level, the ninth level or even higher, the upper limit is completely different from other things.

After listening to their words, Wu You couldn't help but think of himself.

He wasn't a superhuman; he hadn't experienced any power awakening. He relied on the Sword Manual and practiced various sword techniques, starting from the most basic sword techniques, then moving on to the Phantom Cloud Sword, the Seven Luminaries Star Pivot Sword, and now the Seven Tribulations Sword Chapter.

His path to becoming stronger is different from everyone else in this world.

Thinking of this, an idea suddenly sprouted from the depths of Wu You's mind.

If you teach basic swordsmanship to others, will they be able to master it?

Can you train yourself to generate the same kind of coolness as your own body?

This is a very tempting idea.

Wu You paused for a moment, his mind already simulating various possibilities.

If the sword techniques, mental methods, and power manipulation skills obtained from the sword manual were taught to others, would they be able to master them?

Is it possible to cultivate those special energies?

If possible, it would mean that, besides awakening to become an ability user, ordinary people in this world would have another path to possess strength above the third tier.

If this path is successful, ordinary people can also have the ability to fight against the zombies. They will no longer need to hide behind the torchbearers. Everyone can pick up a sword and everyone can fight.

That would save many people from dying.

But then, Wu You thought of some even worse scenarios.

What if these sword techniques obtained from the sword manual can only be practiced by oneself?

After all, the sword manual is bound to him alone. Those sword techniques were taught to him through some mechanism he hasn't figured out yet, and perhaps they contain some unique mark that can only be activated and used by him.

Others who receive the same sword manual and the same internal cultivation method may also fail to master anything.

Or, what if others can cultivate and improve their health, but can't cultivate that coolness and those special energies?

With this in mind, Wu You began to let his thoughts wander.

If that's the case, then what can replace coolness and those special energies?

He thought of energy stones and the power of a martial artist's blood and qi.

The energy in the energy stone can be used to replace the cool air to perform sword techniques. Wu You had already experimented with this at the beginning (Chapter 51).

The efficiency of using the air conditioning is far less than that of the accompanying cooling system, which will also reduce the power of the sword technique.

As for the martial artist's qi and blood power, that has not been tried yet.

We can try that later.

If the power of qi and blood cultivated through martial arts could replace the cold air, even if it was less efficient, it would be better than anything else.

Because this means that the way of martial arts, a path that already exists in this world and has been traversed countless times by countless predecessors, can be connected with the way of the sword in the sword manual.

Martial artists can practice sword techniques from sword manuals that have never appeared in this world before. The two paths intertwine, and perhaps they can forge a new path that no one has ever walked before.

Thinking about this, Wu You's thoughts became even more divergent.

If the energy stone is too inefficient, or if the Qi and Blood power are incompatible.

If none of these work, could we modify the sword techniques taught in the Sword Manual?

How about transforming it into a sword style more suitable for the physical constitution of people in this world?

Furthermore, drawing inspiration from the paths of those with special abilities and martial artists, a swordsmanship path suitable for this world was developed.

With Wu You's current strength, coupled with his understanding of swordsmanship, sword techniques, sword intent, and the way of the sword, modifying basic sword techniques is not a difficult task for him at all.

Wu You thought more and more, and his thoughts gradually drifted away.

At this moment

"Old Wu, what are you daydreaming about? Let's go."

Wang Qi's words brought Wu You back to reality.

All the steamers on the table were empty, and Wang Qi and the other two had stood up.

Seeing this, Wu You also stood up from his chair, the hem of his black trench coat swaying slightly with his movement.

He adjusted his sunglasses, concealing his emotionless eyes: "Let's go."

Just as Wu Yougang lifted his foot to walk out, his watch suddenly vibrated.

He looked at the watch screen, which displayed a notification: "Dear Torchbearer LH-36, your identity information security level has been upgraded to MAX level, and the relevant information of your immediate family members has been blocked simultaneously."