Bab 3: Dojo No. 9
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"This sound?"
Lu Heng could not help but pause; surprise was evident on his childish face.
"This seems to be the sound that the dojo instructor described... Could it be that I've mastered this moveset?"
Back then, the dojo instructor had made it very clear that as long as one could master this introductory moveset to the point of creating this sound, it would be considered a success.
The less time it took to master it, the greater the possibility of one becoming a martial artist.
"That might have been a coincidence. Let me try again."
Lu Heng suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and once again began practicing the introductory moveset from the beginning.
Pa!
Another crisp sound rang out.
"Again!"
Pa!
The sound gradually became clearer and clearer each time he repeated the moveset. Reality proved that this was not a coincidence.
"Did I really succeed?!"
This time, Lu Heng could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart. He wanted nothing more than to throw his head back and let out a loud roar.
Although mastering this moveset did not mean that he would definitely become a martial artist, it allowed him to see a glimmer of hope in his desperate situation.
As such, how could he not be ecstatic?
After a full half an hour, the heated excitement in his heart finally calmed down.
"No, I can't jump to conclusions just yet."
After calming down, Lu Heng touched his chin and thought, "Whether or not I have mastered this moveset is for the dojo instructor to assess. I can't make the call on my own."
Lu Heng felt that the situation was a little too surreal. How could a student who had only stepped onto the path of martial arts halfway through successfully master this martial arts moveset so quickly? Had it not been a stumbling block for countless beginners?
If he was so talented in martial arts, he should have been discovered back then when his batch of students was being divided into civil and martial arts classes by the school. Why would he have waited until now otherwise?
Therefore, after he calmed down and thought about it further, he felt that something was amiss. He figured that he might have misjudged things. As such, he needed the dojo instructor's confirmation first.
"I won't sleep in tomorrow morning. I'll head to the dojo first thing in the morning!"
After making up his mind, Lu Heng continued to work while taking the time to practice his moves. He wanted to be absolutely sure that he would be able to properly perform the moveset in front of the instructor.
...
The next morning at six o'clock, his shift replacement arrived on time. After Lu Heng and the other party finished their handover, he rushed over to the dojo in the city.
There were a total of 16 districts in Jiangnan City, with each district having at least three dojos.
These dojos were all operated by the government in order to strengthen people's physical fitness as much as possible to give them a fighting chance against monsters.
Therefore, anyone and everyone could go to these dojos to receive basic martial arts training without paying a cent.
However, for the vast majority of people, the dojos only helped to strengthen their physical fitness. Most people could never hope to become martial artists through this kind of training.
After all, to become a martial artist, one needed substantial talent in martial arts, comprehension, physique, and so on.
Such people would have already been discovered and allocated by the education system much earlier. In the end, those talented people would be sent to the University of Martial Arts to be trained.
There should have been no possibility of a diamond going undiscovered.
Eight o'clock in the morning.
Lu Heng had first gone home to check up on Xiaoxiao. By the time he rushed over to Dojo No. 9, which was located in the Eastern 3rd district, it was already bustling with people.
People of all ages could be seen coming and going here. It was much livelier here than elsewhere in the city.
After all, everyone understood the principle that strength was paramount in this era. Even if one's physical capabilities were limited to simply running faster than others, it would mean that they had a better chance of survival when encountering monsters.
Therefore, everyone was very enthusiastic about practicing martial arts.
"Lu Heng, why are you here too?"
While he was waiting in line, a loud greeting rang out from afar.
Lu Heng turned his head and saw that it was Fan Kun, his best friend from the third year of junior high school. Fan Kun had not passed the junior high school exam, so he had stopped studying.
Fan Kun ran like the wind and reached Lu Heng quickly. He asked curiously, "Weren't you on the night shift? Have you changed shifts?"
"No, I haven't changed shifts. I just happened to encounter some problems while I was practicing martial arts, so I came to consult the instructor. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to make it in the afternoon," Lu Heng explained.
He did not mention the fact that he had supposedly mastered the introductory moveset. After all, it was not a fact yet.
Fan Kun nodded in realization. Just as he was about to say something, a car slowly drove over, attracting the attention of everyone in the queue.
Fan Kun took one glance before saying excitedly, "Awesome! He's really awesome! Senior brother Xu just passed the martial artist assessment yesterday, and he's already driving a private car today."
"I have to say, senior brother Xu's luck is really good. He completed his military service safely and, during his time in the military, he even earned the recognition of the martial arts officer. Then, after he was discharged from the military, he became a martial artist..."
Fan Kun was so excited that he could not finish his words. However, Lu Heng did not hear a single word clearly because he saw a familiar person emerging from the passenger seat.
It was none other than Sun Hao, who lived upstairs.
"Why is Sun Hao in that car? Does he know senior brother Xu?"
Lu Heng turned to look at Fan Kun curiously and asked.
"Doesn't Sun Hao live above your unit..."
As soon as Fan Kun said this, he suddenly remembered that Lu Heng worked night shifts every day. The latter probably was not well-informed, so he explained, "Sun Hao and senior brother Xu's sister got engaged a few days ago. Why wouldn't they know each other?"
When Lu Heng heard those, he could not help but think back to the smug look on Sun Hao's mother's face yesterday. It turned out that it was due to this matter.
Her son's brother-in-law had become a martial artist. Of course, it was something truly worth being happy about.
"The world is really an unpredictable place. To think that Sun Hao would actually be getting married this soon. I really didn't see this coming."
Fan Kun sighed next to him, "He just turned 18 years old and is already getting married. Moreover, his wife is the sister of a martial artist. This kid is definitely a winner in life."
It was legal for one to get married at 18 but, in reality, very few people would do so.
This was because most young people who turned 18 would have to undergo compulsory military service. Only people like Sun Hao who entered a vocational school would have the luxury and option of getting married at that age.
It was completely normal for Fan Kun to sigh like that.
He was truly envious of Sun Hao.
"When the time comes, senior brother Xu will likely pull some strings and have the city assign them a big house in a high-end residential area as a wedding gift. They'll live a good life there."
"Sigh, on the other hand, we will be living a life filled with gunfire and artillery shells in the outskirts of the city, fighting with monsters... Ugh, why didn't I study hard and get into a vocational school back then?"
It was said that, 'comparison was the thief of joy'. Fan Kun kept sighing with regret.
"Forget it, even if I made it into a vocational school, my life wouldn't be like Sun Hao's. The most important thing wasn't that he got into a vocational school, but rather that he got lucky and married senior brother Xu's sister."
Fan Kun could only comfort himself like this.
Nowadays, houses were allocated by the government according to their work contributions.
Fan Kun was aware that even if he got into a vocational school and successfully graduated, he would only be able to get a slightly bigger house in an ordinary neighborhood. He definitely would not qualify for an allocation into a high-end neighborhood.
Only by becoming a martial artist or a scientist could Lu Heng obtain privileges that far surpassed ordinary people.
At that time, just like senior brother Xu, as long as pulled some strings, he would be able to get a big house for his sister and future brother-in-law.
While Fan Kun was lamenting, the conversation between senior brother Xu and the other two people could be heard from afar.
"Brother, what exactly did the braised pork taste like?"
"I can't explain it in one or two sentences. Though suffice to say it's very delicious! How about I bring the two of you to the dojo's cafeteria for a taste of the braised pork at noon?"
"..."
The three of them continued chatting as they passed by Lu Heng and Fan Kun. They walked towards the dojo's main entrance, and a few staff members quickly bowed to welcome them.
"Braised pork..."
Fan Kun smacked his lips. His face was filled with envy.
Lu Heng could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. According to the records, in the old era, even ordinary people could eat pork, and there were all sorts of ways to cook it. Just by looking at the pictures and words in the records, one could tell that it was very delicious.
It would be great if he could taste it himself someday.
"Oh right, speaking of which..."
Fan Kun retracted his gaze and turned to look at Lu Heng. A mysterious smile appeared on his face.
-- Hadiah diterima