Chapter Thirty-Nine: Are You Willing to Practice with Me?

As soon as Chang Sui'an said this, Du Huaishan guessed that this old gentleman must be the Chief Martial Arts Instructor of the Tri-Service Forces that Lai Yanlong had mentioned—Luo Zongwen.

That made sense.

Since the man had spoken up on his behalf, he ought to thank him in person.

So, Du Huaishan followed the two men out of the recruit training ground and walked along the main road toward the northern district.

That was where the Army Command Academy was located—a place reserved for officers of vice-platoon level and above, who needed the approval of the regimental command to attend.

If the recruit training ground was akin to undergraduate studies, then the Command Academy was equivalent to graduate school.

Thus, everyone Du Huaishan saw here wore rank insignia on their shoulders.

The buildings of the Command Academy were obviously more impressive than those at the recruit training ground. Four- and five-story Western-style mansions built of the finest stone rose everywhere.

The training fields were also much larger than those for the recruits.

Du Huaishan even saw several armored sergeants armed with sabers, launching grappling hooks at a massive wooden dummy six or seven meters high, practicing coordinated attacks.

The three of them walked straight to a standalone three-story Western-style house.

Two armored guards stood at the entrance, rifles in hand.

Chang Sui'an and Zhou Zhong'ai were clearly frequent visitors. The guards didn't even question them, simply straightening up and saluting as they passed.

From the decor alone, it was clear that the resident was a person of considerable wealth or influence.

Not only was the front hall splendid, but even the wooden staircase was covered with a deep red woolen carpet.

Du Huaishan followed quietly behind and arrived at a study at the end of the second floor. At the entrance sat a young adjutant at a desk.

When the adjutant saw the three of them, he immediately stood up and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Du Huaishan heard a voice from within—resonant and commanding.

The adjutant opened the door a crack. "Sir Luo, it's Lieutenant Chang and Lieutenant Zhou, and they've brought a recruit. Understood."

He turned back, opened the door wide, and gestured for them to enter. "Please, Lieutenants."

Upon entering, Du Huaishan barely had time to glance at the study’s furnishings before his gaze was drawn to the old man behind the desk.

The elderly man wore a black long tunic, his frame powerfully built. His hair was cropped short, and his upturned mustache and long beard lent him a commanding presence. Sitting there, he was like a towering mountain.

Behind him hung a calligraphic scroll, the ink strokes bold and fierce, inscribed with four characters: "No Divide Between Spear and Fist!"

The old man's eyes glimmered with hidden brilliance; in each socket flickered a quartet of pupils, swirling with the fire of lotus blossoms.

This was Luo Zongwen, the Spear God—Chief Martial Arts Instructor of the Tri-Service Forces in Yingzhou.

It was Du Huaishan’s first time meeting someone with four guardian spirits.

Beside Luo Zongwen stood a striking female officer, her figure delicate yet curvaceous, her skin flawless and radiant with a rare cleanliness akin to Guo Tingyu—obviously born to a great household.

Even Zhou Zhong'ai seemed somewhat overshadowed.

"Instructor Luo, Lieutenant Ren is here as well," someone announced.

Chang Sui'an and Zhou Zhong'ai greeted them first.

"I've come to seek your guidance on a few matters, Instructor Luo."

"Ren Zhu has been visiting lately to discuss lower-body strength with me," Luo Zongwen said, his tone free of pretension, though his voice was so deep it was almost thunderous. "Reminds me of the determination you both had in your youth, haha..."

"Instructor Luo, this is the recruit Zhou Zhong'ai and I mentioned to you," Chang Sui'an said, stepping aside.

Du Huaishan understood at once and stepped forward, standing straight and saluting. "Class Eight, 173rd Intake, Recruit Du Huaishan, reporting to Instructor Luo and Lieutenant Ren!"

Luo Zongwen rose from his seat.

He stood well over one meter ninety, taller than Chang Sui'an by half a head, exuding an overwhelming presence.

Unexpected as it was, Du Huaishan felt that a true master ought to be thus.

Physical prowess was the foundation of battlefield combat.

Since arriving in this otherworld, everyone he had met—Chang Sui'an, Lai Yanlong, Zhou Zhong'ai, and even Ren Zhu before him—were all formidable men and women.

That trope of the withered old master only existed in novels and comics...

Thud, thud.

Luo Zongwen strode over to Du Huaishan.

Beneath his black tunic, his powerful chest rose and fell with each breath, brimming with vitality—not like an old man, but a mature tiger in its prime!

"Let me have a feel," he said.

Without warning, Luo Zongwen extended a thick finger and jabbed it, spear-like, into Du Huaishan’s thigh.

Ugh!

Du Huaishan felt as if his rectus femoris had been struck by a bullet, knotting up so tightly his leg nearly gave out.

"Solid lower body," Luo Zongwen remarked with interest, his hands exploring Du Huaishan’s frame as if reading bones by touch, each squeeze like an iron clamp.

When he gripped Du Huaishan’s abdomen, it was as though a stone had plunged into a lake, sending waves rippling through his rectus abdominis.

His hand on Du Huaishan’s spine was like an eagle seizing a snake—he seemed to grasp the entire length of the dragon within, and with a final push—crack!—a joint popped audibly.

Pain shot through Du Huaishan; that spot had always been sensitive. Fortunately, thanks to several days of grueling training, he managed not to cry out.

Luo Zongwen released his spine and let go.

Du Huaishan nearly collapsed, saved only by Zhou Zhong'ai catching him from behind. Wiping his brow, he realized he was sweating profusely.

"This boy is gifted—must have had a good teacher," Luo Zongwen nodded.

Those words not only excited Chang Sui'an and Zhou Zhong'ai; even Ren Zhu looked on in astonishment.

To earn a "not bad" from Luo Zongwen, the Spear God—one of the Four Grandmasters of Martial Arts in the Chiyu Empire—was no small feat.

More importantly, with Luo Zongwen’s standing in the martial arts world, any teacher he acknowledged would have to be one of the other three Grandmasters.

"However," Luo Zongwen continued, "your master is not around to guide you personally. Much of your practice and conditioning, you’ve done on your own. While your bones are well-formed and your muscles are free of latent injuries, whoever has been massaging you uses a weak technique—doesn't penetrate to the bone, nor have they used medicinal oils. Your diet is ordinary, too. Otherwise, your muscles and bones would be even stronger."

"And because you train for speed and volume, your spine has become slightly misaligned. Luckily, you haven’t been at it long, so I’ve corrected it for you. But if you keep training this way, over time you’ll develop hidden injuries that will hinder your progress."

Luo Zongwen stroked his beard and analyzed the situation in a deep, steady voice.

Every word hit the mark.

Du Huaishan could hardly believe that such an ordinary-seeming examination could so accurately diagnose the state of his body, painstakingly forged through scientific training. Truly, this was the Tri-Service Martial Arts Chief Instructor!

But why was his spine misaligned?

He pushed himself up from Zhou Zhong'ai’s support, straightened his back, inhaled deeply, and exhaled.

His eyes widened in astonishment.

He could breathe more smoothly than ever before!

Facet joint disorder!

The term flashed through Du Huaishan’s mind. His sports rehabilitation instructor had mentioned it in class—overexertion or improper form during training often led to minor joint misalignments, especially in the thoracic spine. While the effects might not be felt immediately, over time the spine could deform or even the vertebral ring could shift.

He’d had Tan Hai help correct his form, but there were still errors.

Remarkable! Simply remarkable!

No wonder the martial arts of a great civilization had endured for thousands of years.

While Du Huaishan was still lost in thought, Luo Zongwen spoke again: "Sui'an, since he already has a master..."

Chang Sui'an hurriedly interjected, "Instructor Luo, Du Huaishan has indeed practiced martial arts for three years, but his village has been destroyed—he is now without a home. For such a gifted child to be wasted under my care would be a shame. I implore you to help him, Instructor Luo!"

What!?

Du Huaishan was stunned by these words.

Weren’t they bringing him here to thank Luo Zongwen for rescuing him from the Special Service Platoon? How did it come to this...

"Alas, the havoc of monsters and ghosts brings endless suffering to the people..." Luo Zongwen sighed deeply, stroking his beard. At last, he turned to Du Huaishan, his four-colored pupils flashing with keen light. "Child, are you willing to train under me?"