Full-Time Martial Saint

After Zhou Hongyang left, Chen Cong practiced his stance training alone in the training room for a while before returning directly to school.

Martial Arts Academy, Teachers' Dormitory.

Inside the villa courtyard, Chen Cong and Zhang Kui sat facing each other under the parasol of the martial arts arena. After Li Hong brought them tea, she, as usual, did not intend to participate in their conversation and turned to walk into the house.

"Teacher, I went to Hongyang Training Center this morning."

Chen handed a cup of tea to Zhang Kui and got straight to the point.

Li Hong, who was about to enter the house, stopped slowly upon hearing this and looked at Zhang Kui with a puzzled expression, as if waiting for him to give an explanation.

Zhang Kui took the teacup and placed it in front of him. He didn't say much, but looked at Chen Cong and smiled faintly, "Professional training equipment can help improve your overall physical fitness quickly. From now on, you can just go there on weekends."

Seeing that he didn't intend to explain anything, Li Hong didn't say anything either. She stood there for a moment, then went straight back to her room.

Chen Cong turned his head and glanced at it, then lowered his voice and said, "I met Zhou Hongyang, the owner of Hongyang Training Center."

Zhang Kui paused slightly in his teacup, but showed little surprise on his face. He simply hummed in agreement and continued sipping his tea.

"Boss Zhou asked me to pass on a message to you, teacher," Chen Cong continued. "He said he'll come to have drinks with you tonight."

"He also said... he also said that if you avoid him, he'll cause a scene at the martial arts academy on Monday."

Zhang Kui sipped his tea and listened quietly.

"Ha! Still has that damn temper. Let him make a scene if he dares." Zhang Kui suddenly cursed with a sneer.

Chen Cong looked somewhat strange and didn't respond.

He could tell that although Zhang Kui's words contained disdain, he seemed to be very happy inside, as if he had been relieved.

However, he didn't intend to get involved in this matter; he would leave it to the two of them to resolve themselves.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Kui took the initiative to change the subject, talking about martial arts and cultivation.

"Teacher, I have a question." After chatting for a while, Chen Cong suddenly remembered his roommate Luo Yunfeng's mention of mental strength and couldn't help but ask, "Does the strength of mental strength affect a martial artist's future cultivation?"

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Kui finally gave his answer: "I can't answer that question."

He paused, then added, "You may not know this, but the current martial arts system is fundamentally derived from ancient traditions that existed before the emergence of the fusion realm."

"Whether it's the martial arts techniques of Bajiquan and Twelve-Road Spring Leg, or the cultivation methods of Sanyuan Gong, they are all adapted by later generations based on those ancient traditions."

"Although later, various countries on Earth obtained a lot of 'Starry Sky Martial Arts Inheritance' from the Merging Realm Battlefield and some alien races, the foundation of martial arts today is still those ancient martial arts inheritances."

Chen did not interrupt, choosing to listen quietly.

Zhang Kui took a deep breath and continued, "The Great Xia civilization has a long history. Among those ancient traditions, besides martial arts and cultivation methods, there are indeed many 'divine cultivation' methods."

"All I know is that this 'cultivation of divinity' is what you call cultivating spiritual power, but as for the specifics..." Zhang Kui shook his head with a wry smile, "I'm not qualified to know."

"Didn't your homeroom teacher previously speculate that before long, overall physical fitness might no longer be the sole criterion for judging martial artists?"

"I reckon it's very likely that our predecessors at the Great Xia Martial Temple made new discoveries in this area."

Ultimately, Zhang Kui was only a third-tier martial artist, which was considered quite powerful relative to the small town of Xiangcheng. However, compared to the entire Great Xia Dynasty, he was indeed somewhat insignificant.

Most of what he knows is only what circulates within the martial arts community; the more crucial information is held by high-ranking officials in organizations such as the Martial Temple and the Research Institute.

"By the way, mental power is a very special thing in the Void Realm. It not only affects how long you can stay in the Void Realm, but it seems to have other effects as well. You'll have to look up the details yourself, as I don't have much research on this."

After listening, Chen Cong nodded: "Then I'll visit Teacher Ma later; he should know about these things."

Zhao Cheng once said that Ma Xinhua, in addition to being a virtual world researcher, has many other titles and is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. It's definitely the right thing to do to ask him about related issues.

After finishing the discussion on "mental strength," he asked Zhang Kui for advice on advanced training methods for Bajiquan. He managed to get 5 analysis points from Zhang Kui, which successfully increased his Bajiquan analysis progress to 17% of the minor mastery level. Only then did he get up to say goodbye and prepare to wait for Ning Yuhang at the school gate.

At three o'clock, Ning Yuhang arrived at the school gate on time on a cool motorcycle.

"Chen Cong, here." Ning Yuhang tossed a spare helmet to Chen Cong and patted the back seat of the motorcycle: "Get on."

Chen Cong put on the helmet with a strange expression, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

It seems that, regardless of past or present lives, among those wealthy men and women, there are always some who enjoy riding motorcycles.

Once he was confirmed to be seated, the futuristic silver-gray motorcycle sped off instantly.

"How was it? Exciting, right?"

Ning Yuhang's voice came through the helmet's built-in earpiece: "My family is strict. They don't usually let me touch this thing. This time, I only agreed to let me ride it because I said I was coming to pick you up."

Chen Cong laughed upon hearing this: "Then you're benefiting from my influence."

Ning Yuhang laughed heartily as he sped along the wide and straight Zhonghe Avenue.

More than ten minutes later, the motorcycle stopped in front of a very large ancient manor at the foot of the mountain in the western suburbs of Xiangcheng.

The two got out of the car, and Ning Yuhang tossed the car keys to a young bodyguard: "Help me park the car in the garage."

"Chen Cong, let's go."

The Ning family manor seems to have a long history; ancient trees are lush and green, and the courtyard walls are mottled, exuding the atmosphere of time.

"It's still early, the other guests haven't arrived yet. Shall I take you to my private training ground first?"

Walking along the winding corridor entwined with ancient vines, Ning Yuhang spoke slowly.

Chen Congzheng was about to respond when he saw Ning Yuhang answer the call on his bracelet with a strange expression.

"Okay, I'll ask."

Goodbye, Grandpa.

After hanging up the phone, Ning Yuhang turned to Chen Congdao and said, "The old man wants to see you, what do you think..."

Chen hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Since this is my first visit, I should pay my respects to him. It's just a pity that I'm empty-handed; I'm afraid I'll embarrass you."

After hearing this, Ning Yuhang punched him on the shoulder: "Give me a break..."

"The old man wants to see you, you scoundrel."

"Come on, I'll take you there."

The two turned at the fork in the road ahead of the corridor and soon arrived at a quiet courtyard.

Inside the courtyard pavilion, an elderly man with black-rimmed glasses, gray hair, and a navy blue jacket was writing something earnestly.

Ning Yuhang led Chen Cong into the courtyard and called out from afar, "Grandpa."

The old man in the pavilion slowly put down his brush, handed the brush to the quiet young woman in a plain dress beside him, stood up, adjusted his glasses, and looked at the two of them with a smile.

"Grandpa, this is Chen Cong."

The two approached, and Ning Yuhang introduced them: "Chen Cong, this is my grandfather, and that is my cousin Ning Shuang."

Chen Congmang bowed respectfully and called out "Grandpa Ning," then smiled and nodded at Ning Shuang on the other side.

Ning Zhenshan smiled and nodded, saying "Okay" several times. He then gestured and said, "Chen Cong, come and sit down."

"Xiao Shuang, have someone make a pot of tea."

The three took their seats according to their status as host and guest. Ning Zhenshan looked at Chen Cong again and said, "Yu Hang has told me everything about you. Whether there are any things he's hiding or not, let's leave that aside for now."

Chen Congwei nodded slightly without saying anything.

Ning Zhenshan continued, "Those people who have reached this level are not fools. Without a plausible excuse, it would be difficult to completely get rid of them."

Chen Cong remained silent for a moment, then respectfully said, "Please enlighten me, Grandpa Ning."

Ning Zhenshan glanced at Ning Yuhang beside him, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "Although Yuhang appears easygoing, he has a bit of arrogance in his bones. Over the years, there haven't been many people in his circle of peers who have caught his eye."

"I trust his judgment. You two hit it off. If you have no objections, you can become sworn brothers with him in front of everyone at the banquet later. That way, in the eyes of outsiders, you'll be half a member of the Ning family, which will save you a lot of trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, both grandfather and grandson looked at Chen Cong, waiting for his reply.