Chapter 1 - Three Great Martial Arts (1)
The rivers raged and rolled forth from the feet of a seemingly endless mountain chain. If one listened close enough, they could occasionally hear the roars of beasts bouncing over the rocky terrain like rolling thunder.
One of these rivers cut through a grassy plain on which a city had been erected.
Tianzhong city was located on the outskirts of the Great Zhou Empire. The surrounding area had been subjugated to a great number of wars over the last few years, however, due to the increasing power of the Great Zhou Empire, the city could be considered relatively safe.
Tianzhong City, Star Academy
The sun slowly crawled across the sky into its highest point, its light radiating softly onto the faces of those who stood outside. A burst of applause could be heard coming from an open space near the center of Star Academy. There sat a group of students, their eyes focused intently on the person in front of them.
Before them stood a young male instructor who was demonstrating martial skills. As if they existed to an ancient beast, the instructors arms were thick and sturdy, each one covered in black scales, glowing with metallic luster under the glare of the sun.
"The marital path is one that is extremely profound and full of mystery. Since ancient times, they have been subjugated to change after change. The only three remaining being the strongest ones. These three are the Flame, Dragon, and Star martial arts." The instructor said simply. "You may have guessed already based on my physical changes, but I am a Dragon Arts user."
"Dragon Arts Warriors draw upon the Dragon inheritance in their blood. By activating it, they are able to perform extraordinary physical actions as the bloodline strengthens their body and provides the cultivator with strength many times that of a normal human." The mentor breathed out through his nose before clenching his fist.
"Like this!"
A violent aura formed on the surface of the mans fist before spreading down his muscular build. A light buzzing sound could be heard from the instructors fist before he launched it at a large bolder next to him.
Boom!
Shards of stone flew everywhere, and when the smoke cleared, it could be seen that there was now a fist-sized hole in the center of the boulder. Its was easy to see that if the same punch was used on a human, the results would be devastating.
It was impossible for this group of young students to stay still after witnessing such a fearsome move. The class soon began buzzing with noise as the students were unable to contain themselves any longer. A martial artist could actually wield such amazing power!
However, among the chatting students sat a youth who was still silent, his gaze resting on his instructor. The teenager was dressed in a fairly plain manner and seemed about 15 to 16 years of age. His skin was lightly tanned, but he still maintained a delicate appearance.
This teenager was called Ye Xinghe and he was a native of Lanzhong town, a small village belonging to Tianzhong city. As it was, he was the only one from his hometown who had been admitted to Star Academy, something that was due to his talent and hard work.
After the students had settled down, the instructor continued. "In terms of martial artists, the mass majority of them are Dragon Martial Artists, however, they are actually last in terms of overall strength! Flame martial artists are actually stronger as a Dragon user can only defeat a Flame user of the same rank in hand to hand combat. Flame users are able to control fire as their flame seal can be used on a wider area as well as from a larger range. This allows them to defeat many Dragon users of the same rank simultaneously."
"What about the Star Martial Artists?" A young girls voice said.
"The path of Star Martial Arts is the cultivation of the powers belonging to stars. This path is extremely special and consists of many different and unique abilities. Such abilities include healing, increased speed and enhanced acrobatic skills. In ancient times, there were existences who used this ability to change the heavens." The instructor lectured, his eyes passing over the shocked appearance of the students.
The stunned silence was broken as a hand shot into the air. "So wouldn't that mean that the Star Martial Path is the strongest of the three?" All eyes turned to face the one who had spoken out. It was infact Ye Xinghe.
The instructor sighed as he shook his head. "Due to millions upon millions of years of endless war, a large majority of the Star cultivation methods were lost in time, after all, the Star cultivation path is one that goes against the Heavens. Nowadays, because of its incomplete techniques, those who cultivate the Star Martial Arts can at best only reach the Ninth Heavenly Layer."
Ye Xinghe clenched his fist after he heard these words. During the enrollment process, he had been told that with his physique, it was only possible for him to become a Star Martial Artist.
"Haha! Only Ninth Heavenly Layer? Those who traverse the Star Martial path is no better than trash!" A young boy said arrogantly with a large smile on his face. He had just recently been tested with an inborn Flame constitution and was naturally proud of it.
Ye Xinghe's face burned with shame as the rest of the class continued chatting on.