"Alright. When Zhao Pu gets here, follow him and familiarize yourself with the Gated Community." Even though Jia Liangcai was an official from an ancient dynasty, Qin Ziwen didn’t believe that Civil Servants from that time were just useless bookworms who only knew how to parrot classical texts.

Jia Liangcai, especially, had clawed his way up from a destitute scholar to his current position. He was definitely capable—certainly more so than the average person.

"Yes, my lord. Thank you," Jia Liangcai said with a bow.

Qin Ziwen nodded, then turned to the empty clearing. He took out the Martial Arts Arena Card and activated it.

A brilliant light flared, engulfing a 1200-square-meter patch of land.

When the light faded, a vast, rugged training ground had replaced a section of the grassy field.

The ground was hard-packed yellow earth, gleaming with a dry luster under the Gobi Desert sun that shone through the dome overhead.

A simple fence made of thick logs, each deeply embedded in the ground, encircled the arena.

On the western side of the grounds stood a platform built of bluestone.

On the eastern side were rows of wooden training posts of varying heights.

On the northern side, a large, golden-yellow flag fluttered, emblazoned with the words "Martial Arts."

[Level 1 Martial Arts Arena: Level 2 Physical Training Boost, Level 1 Stamina Recovery, Level 1 Long Weapon Buff] (Special Effect: True masters are forged only in the crucible of life and death. Sparring on the platform causes no physical damage, but taking hits will lower one’s mental fortitude and induce fatigue.)

’A Level 2 Physical Training Boost... This will allow us to reach our physical limits much faster.’

Qin Ziwen mused that without external aid, a Three-Star physique was likely the peak an ordinary person could achieve through normal training.

Anyone with a rating higher than Three Stars had either used a Card or was exceptionally gifted.

Then there was the Stamina Recovery. While not as potent as the Level 2 effect from the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery, the Martial Arts Arena’s advantage was its larger size, which allowed more people to benefit simultaneously.

The Long Weapon Buff was a trait similar to the Bow Skill buff, allowing one to attain a higher level of proficiency with long weapons much sooner.

The final special effect was just insane.

’No physical damage from sparring on the platform? Doesn’t that mean we can go all out without holding back?’

Carrying his Three-pronged Fork, Qin Ziwen stepped into the arena. The moment he entered, the weapon felt much more natural in his hands. With a light swing, he casually executed a Rotating Piercing Strike. The head of the fork spun rapidly while the shaft remained perfectly straight.

"Everyone, come on in," he said to the others behind him.

Qin Ziwu, Du Yu, and the others walked in but didn’t feel any different.

Qin Ziwu looked around curiously. "Brother, what kind of effects does this place have?"

Qin Ziwen said, "Go find a long weapon and bring it back here."

Hearing this, something clicked for Qin Ziwu, and he had a good idea of what was happening.

He excitedly fetched his Long-Handled Broadsword and hurried back to the Martial Arts Arena.

"Whoa~" Qin Ziwu let out a few consecutive slashes. They were fast and precise, a clear step up from his previous abilities.

"Liangcai, when you have free time, you should come here and train more often," Qin Ziwen said, turning to Jia Liangcai.

Jia Liangcai hesitated, then said with a bitter smile, "My lord, I am getting on in years. Don’t put an old man like me through this."

"So what if you’re getting on in years? Have you forgotten about revenge? Our living conditions here are harsh. If you don’t improve your physical fitness, I’m afraid a simple illness could leave you bedridden."

These words struck a nerve with the old scholar. He fell silent for a long moment, his eyes turning red. He cupped his hands in a deep bow. "I will obey your command."

With a wave of his hand, Qin Ziwen said, "Du Yu, come on. Let’s get on the platform. Xiaowu, go upstairs and get Cao Biansheng."

A moment later, Qin Ziwen, Qin Ziwu, and Cao Biansheng were standing in a line on the platform.

Across from them stood Du Yu, spear in hand, his presence as serene as a deep pool and as immovable as a mountain.

"Are we really going to fight for real?" Cao Biansheng stammered, looking a bit sheepish. "It’d be bad if one of us can’t pull their punch and someone gets hurt."

"Don’t worry," Qin Ziwen reassured him. "As long as we’re on this platform, you’d probably survive even if a spear went through your throat. You can’t get truly injured up here."

"Brother, what do you mean ’probably’?!" Cao Biansheng couldn’t help but retort. "Shouldn’t you be telling me I *definitely* won’t get hurt?!"

"Alright, fine, you won’t get hurt. At least, that’s what the building’s description says," Qin Ziwen said, patting his shoulder. The reason for his uncertainty was that he had never tested it himself.

It was like knowing ghosts weren’t real, but still feeling a chill run down your spine if you heard a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK from inside a drawer while walking alone through an abandoned hospital’s morgue.

Cao Biansheng confirmed one last time, "So, survival is guaranteed?"

"Guaranteed."

Receiving Qin Ziwen’s firm reassurance, Cao Biansheng’s voice suddenly filled with vigor. "Alright! If I’m guaranteed to live, then today I’m going to find out just how big the gap is between me and a real master!"

With that, Cao Biansheng raised the 2.3-meter-long Long Spear that Qin Ziwen had confiscated just the day before and charged at Du Yu.

THWIP.

Cao Biansheng staggered back, clutching his neck.

He touched his neck, his heart still pounding with residual fear.

"Holy crap, did my neck just get run through?" he asked, turning to the other two.

"I saw it. The tip of the spear poked out the back of your neck," Qin Ziwu confirmed with a firm nod.

Cao Biansheng kept touching his neck, the fear still lingering. He was panting heavily. In that instant, as the spearhead pierced his throat, the sensation of cold metal passing through his windpipe had felt incredibly, terrifyingly real!

He felt as if he had truly died for a moment!

Qin Ziwen looked at Cao Biansheng with admiration. ’This kid has some serious guts.’

After recovering from the shock, a wild grin slowly spread across Cao Biansheng’s face. "If I can’t die, then what’s there to be afraid of? Brother Du, your spear skills are incredible! Can you teach me?"

Du Yu replied honestly, "My spear skills aren’t actually that amazing. I’m just getting a buff in here."

"So what? I got the buff too, and you still one-shot me," Cao Biansheng said, waving it off.

"Could it be because your fundamentals are so bad that even a one-level boost doesn’t help much?" Qin Ziwu chimed in.

"Of course my fundamentals are bad. I’ve never studied martial arts. Before this, I was just a regular college student. The only ’skill’ I have is the rough-and-tumble style I developed fighting beasts after I got here," Cao Biansheng admitted frankly.

Du Yu said, "With any weapon, the foundation is paramount. This platform is merely a place to test your progress and gain experience. I can teach you the techniques, but whether or not you can truly master them and make them your own will depend on your own diligent, daily practice."

"A valuable lesson," Qin Ziwen said with a nod.

After that, the three of them began sparring with Du Yu on the platform.

At first, they lacked any coordination, and Du Yu easily dismantled their offense, taking them down one by one.

After "dying" a few more times, the trio got smarter. They stopped rushing in and instead advanced cautiously. They knew they couldn’t out-skill Du Yu, so they focused on making fewer mistakes. A steady, stable approach was the key!

However, because they all used different types of weapons, the rhythm of their attacks was out of sync.

Du Yu still found openings and defeated them in succession.

It was at this moment that Qin Ziwen finally understood why soldiers in the same formation during the age of cold-weapon warfare all used the same type of weapon.

At the edge of the training grounds, Jia Liangcai watched the sparring with some surprise. He had seen plenty of military officers in Great Yong, but he felt that even the warriors renowned for their martial prowess in the army fell short of what he was seeing now.

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