"You’re going to freeze into a little dried fish... I told you to train, but you insisted on cramming for exams instead." Andrew Han glanced at Monica Zhang’s flushed cheeks, a faint smile lingering at the corner of his mouth.
He had originally intended to teach Monica the Solar Pillar Stance.
But with finals at Jiangnan Academy approaching, and with mastering the art of force control taking a full three days, he hadn’t found time to teach her any stance training.
Besides—
He was still weighing whether Monica was truly suited for the Solar Pillar Stance.
Though it was a rather advanced stance art with powerful effects, it required a blazing, spirited temperament to succeed in practice.
"Training?"
"Martial arts can ward off the cold?"
Monica’s bright eyes flickered with surprise, a hint of curiosity in her gaze.
In daily life, Andrew often did things that astonished her—catching a tipping tray in an instant, or wearing just a short-sleeve shirt under his windbreaker in winter.
Andrew chuckled softly. "Mm, it’s good for your health."
The Three Martial Realms of martial arts are all about strengthening the body—though the strength they grant is almost inconceivable.
At his current Martial General Realm, he could shape his fingers into blades, unleash Presented Liquid Internal Power, and slice through building-grade steel bars as if it were nothing.
If he reached Solidified Core Internal Power, he might even be able to manifest it physically.
For example, Internal Power could be shaped into all sorts of bizarre weapons, or flow throughout the body to form a defensive barrier as solid as iron walls—not just blocking air, but even heat itself.
The difference between Solidified Core and Presented Liquid Internal Power was like the gulf between heaven and earth.
That’s why the Martial Lord Realm was far superior to the Martial General Realm—and the body-forging process of a Martial Lord was nothing short of miraculous.
"Forget it."
"Those things are too far away for me—for now, I just need to focus on the marrow-washing of the Martial General Realm."
Andrew pushed aside his wandering thoughts, looked carefully at Monica’s face, red from the cold, and suddenly came up with a suitable solution.
Indeed.
The Solar Pillar Stance was a rather advanced technique, a rare form of stance training.
Even for those in the Martial Artist Realm, it held considerable allure. But for a Martial General, it was merely a decent stance art.
So why insist on the Solar Pillar Stance?
Since the stance wasn’t suited for Monica, he might as well search for a technique more appropriate for women, and teach it to her slowly—so she could begin her own martial path.
"Let’s go."
"Rice noodles for lunch today."
The two of them chatted and laughed, walking side by side toward the academy cafeteria.
......
Inside the dorm at Jiangnan Academy.
Crack, crack!
A series of crisp pops from joints and tendons echoed through the room.
The dorm’s pale yellow wooden door was tightly shut, the curtains drawn, yet the room—normally dim—was aglow with dazzling light.
It was the radiance of Presented Liquid Internal Power.
Andrew, now a lower-tier Martial General, was practicing his stance.
Huff, huff.
With each steady breath, the glow on his skin pulsed, as if an unimaginable wellspring of energy was spreading its power throughout the dorm, filling it with a profound, tranquil silence.
Buzz! Buzz!
Presented Liquid Internal Power swirled, stirring the air.
As time trickled by, Andrew’s understanding of the Mountain-Sketch Pillar Stance and the First Mountain Realm grew ever deeper—a process of combining posture and visualization, forcing the body to transform.
"Calculus?"
"Review materials?"
Andrew Han was momentarily stunned. He studied Kevin Lin closely, and suddenly realized he had truly stepped into the Martial Arts World—his life was now entirely different from the other martial arts students.
In other words—
Kevin Lin was still worrying about how to pass his finals.
But Andrew himself was thinking about how to intercept the Demons and Specters invading Southvale Province, and looking forward to the Peerless Prodigy Battle in mid-March.
Their beliefs, hopes, and goals were completely different.
"What?" Kevin scratched his head, eyeing Andrew in his tank top and shorts, as if Andrew's gaze was fixed on him. He instinctively took two steps back and awkwardly said, "A-Andrew, are you sure you don't need any review notes?"
"Heh."
"You really don't need them... Well, I'll just go then."
A chill ran down his spine as he forced a smile.
Andrew snapped out of it, then leisurely sat down in his chair and smirked, "Kevin, what are you so worried about? My orientation is perfectly normal—and besides, with your looks, you really don't need to worry."
As soon as he said that—
Kevin breathed a sigh of relief, then protested, "I was about to help you copy the notes, and this is how you repay me?"
Andrew burst out laughing.
"Hey, have you been really busy lately?" Kevin dragged over a chair, hesitated for a moment, then sat down. "You haven't even joined any of our class activities."
In fact, he was a bit surprised.
Recently, Andrew had changed in ways that were hard to describe—he carried an aura of quiet authority and pressure, making Kevin feel as if he were facing a battle-hardened warrior.
But—
Andrew's gentle, spring-like smile left him uncertain.
Andrew's inner ferocity was restrained, his dignity held in check. He leaned back in his chair and said quietly, "If I have time in the future, I'll try to join class activities."
Kevin pulled a face and muttered, "You say that like you don't have any time at all."
He'd seen it plenty of times.
Andrew was often with Monica Zhang—they studied together, ate together, practically inseparable... Though Kevin never said it out loud, that was the reality!
"Sigh."
"My girlfriend is still in senior high," Kevin said, his eyes full of envy. "I'm always alone, just tasting loneliness."
Andrew replied softly, "Less longing, more training."
The atmosphere at Southland University was honestly a bit too comfortable. Martial arts students knew they'd have to do Border Duty after graduation, but few truly took it seriously.
It was almost like job hunting after graduation.
Freshmen and sophomores, even if they had thoughts about it, rarely took any real steps to prepare early.
But the real issue was—
Border Duty for martial arts students was nothing like a regular job—it was a matter of life and death!
Across from him, on the other chair—
"I want to train too," Kevin said, spreading his hands. "But for some reason, Professor Yan isn't around. We'll have to wait until next semester for martial arts classes to resume."
After saying that—
He'd found a suitable excuse, and seemed to relax a little.
Carter Yan from Group Nineteen was gravely injured and couldn't teach martial arts—information that none of the other students were privy to.
"Training on your own isn't so bad either."
Thinking of how close he was with Kevin—often going to the cafeteria together, his only real friend at Southland University—Andrew added, "If you gain something, you have to give something in return. Martial arts students get a lot, but we also have a lot to pay back."
"Huh?"
Kevin looked a little lost.
How did a casual chat turn into a life lesson?
"Train more, get stronger—that's the foundation of everything." Andrew patted Kevin's shoulder and said no more.
He hadn't actually done Border Duty himself yet.
But—
As a member of the second line of defense, Andrew had come to understand that life and death were commonplace.
"Yeah."
Kevin nodded heavily.
For some reason, after hearing Andrew's advice, his heart felt heavy. He seemed to understand what Andrew was trying to say.
Would Border Duty after graduation really be that difficult?
......
Winter deepened, and temperatures kept dropping.
A sudden heavy snow blanketed Greenfield City in white. The rare sight excited the students, who took photos all around campus between bouts of exam revision.
Buzz—buzz—
Andrew sat at the wheel of his Red Flag LA, glanced at the university, and drove off campus.
According to Martial Arts Alliance regulations, today he had to go with Carter Yan to the Southvale Provincial Formation Branch to complete the formal enlistment process.
"Formation Branch?"
"Martial Arts Alliance?"
Two terms flashed through Andrew's mind, and he couldn't help but reflect... he really had stepped into the Martial Arts World.