Chapter 20: Comprehension

Two identical chills, two identical countdowns. After numerous attempts, Zhang Yu discovered that the directions of pressure from these two ritualistic forces were different.

One stopped counting down after he circulated spiritual energy.

The other stopped counting down after he comprehended the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram.

Zhang Yu immediately became even more certain of one thing: one of these two countdowns was fake.

"It's probably the effect of the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram."

"Facing the terror in my heart... so it reproduced the ritualistic pressure on me?"

"But I didn't expect the ritualistic power reproduced by the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram to conflict with the genuine ritualistic power on my body."

But which of the two ritualistic powers was fake?

"Is it the one that stopped counting down after I circulated energy?"

"Or the one that stopped counting down after I comprehended the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram?"

Zhang Yu was more inclined towards the latter, but he couldn't make a decision lightly.

Because the price of choosing wrongly was death.

"Which one to choose?"

Listening to the ever-changing countdowns in his heart, Zhang Yu was filled with tangled thoughts, unable to make a decision.

"Since I can't choose, then I simply won't choose."

His gaze hardened, and he made a decision: "I'll treat both countdowns as real."

He then sat down cross-legged on the spot, and began to circulate the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

As the countdown in his heart continued, from 10 to 5 to 3, Zhang Yu stood up again, and looked towards the direction of the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram, trying to comprehend the martial arts contained within.

In this way, Zhang Yu alternated between the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method and comprehending the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram under the simultaneous pressure of the two countdowns, progressing alternately.

At the same time, people in the art exhibition gradually began to notice Zhang Yu's strangeness.

The Songyang City director of the Immortal Rhythm Group looked curiously at Zhang Yu, and said, "This kid is either circulating energy or standing up to comprehend martial arts. What did he see?"

Li Xuelian, standing beside him, also turned her gaze to Zhang Yu, and said thoughtfully, "It looks like someone is forcing him to circulate energy."

"Perhaps it's out of real-life reverence for a teacher."

Just then, they noticed that Zhang Yu had changed his actions again, and was no longer circulating energy but had started practicing the Thirty-Six Styles of Body Strengthening.

It turned out that Zhang Yu had suddenly realized that the essence of the countdown that stopped counting down after he circulated energy might not be forcing him to circulate energy, but rather forcing him onto the path of studying, cultivating, going to college, and working to earn money.

So he began to try practicing martial arts while looking at the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram.

Anyway, his Thirty-Six Styles of Body Strengthening had long become muscle memory. If he could practice martial arts while looking at the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram to comprehend it, he could focus most of his mind on the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram.

After all, his main goal at the moment was to comprehend the martial arts on the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram.

After this attempt was successful, he began to feel that practicing and comprehending at the same time was still a bit troublesome, so he simply took out his phone and tried studying the textbooks on his phone while looking at the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram.

Finding that studying the textbooks was also not a problem, he simply played the textbooks on speakerphone, listening to the content while comprehending the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram.

…

Li Xuelian looked at Zhang Yu's behavior of circulating energy, practicing martial arts, and studying, and sincerely marveled, "This child must have a ruthless teacher behind him, constantly pushing him to work hard, gradually becoming an image of immense fear in his heart."

"Next, it depends on whether he can use his mind to break through under layers of pressure…"

But before Li Xuelian could finish speaking, Zhang Yu actually moved away from the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram, went directly to the buffet table, took a large plate of seafood, and returned to the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram to eat while comprehending.

Because he suddenly remembered that eating should also be something that the ritual would not hinder.

Looking at this scene, Li Xuelian was slightly surprised and said, "Oh? A fast breakthrough. Under layers of pressure, did he directly establish the philosophy of 'lying flat'? Only then can he face the terror in his heart and continue to comprehend the martial arts in the diagram."

"Perhaps even he has not realized that, unconsciously, he has overcome the fear in his heart, passed the test of the martial arts diagram, and everything is proceeding as usual."

Seeing that a security guard wanted to step forward to stop Zhang Yu, Li Xuelian waved her hand, dismissing him. She was now quite curious to see how much Zhang Yu could comprehend from the martial arts diagram.

While eating lobster and looking at the martial arts diagram, Zhang Yu gradually saw clearly what martial art the figure was practicing.

"It seems to be a set of fist techniques?"

The fist technique itself was not complicated. After watching it several times, Zhang Yu vaguely had a concept, but when he looked at his Feather Book, he found that there was no change at all. Obviously, he had not truly learned this martial art, let alone mastered it.

According to his experience in learning the basic high school sword techniques and the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method, similar martial arts should display a level 0 skill on the Feather Book after he watched them once.

"Where is it wrong?"

Just then, Lian Tianji laughed loudly, and said with a confident look, "I have fully comprehended the martial arts within, it is indeed a profound palm technique."

Before he could finish speaking, Qian Shen, who was not far away, said, "What palm technique? It is clearly a set of leg techniques."

If it were normal times, Qian Shen, with a total score of 600, would definitely not dare to speak loudly in front of Lian Tianji, with a total score of 670.

But at this moment, having just undergone a period of heart-mind tempering at the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram, was precisely when Qian Shen was at his boldest.

The words of the two quickly aroused the opposition of others.

Someone argued, "No, no, the martial arts diagram clearly hides a set of saber techniques."

Someone began indiscriminate ridicule, "A bunch of blind people, that's clearly a set of finger techniques."

Bai Zhenzhen frowned slightly. What she saw before her was a sword art.

Obviously, while Zhang Yu was eating and comprehending, more and more students had completed their comprehension of the martial arts diagram.

Listening to everyone's discussion, Lian Tianji simply turned his gaze to Li Xuelian and asked, "Ms. Li, I don't know what martial art is hidden in this martial arts diagram?"

Seeing everyone present looking over, Li Xuelian smiled slightly and said, "I cannot tell you what the specific martial art is."

"However, I would like to remind you that the martial arts diagram has its own mysteries. If anyone present has mastered the martial art within, there will be an indication."

Everyone understood that this meant that if anyone mastered the martial art in the martial arts diagram, the martial arts diagram would naturally have a prompt appear.

Thinking of this, Lian Tianji stepped forward without hesitation.

Lian Tianji, from Ziyun High School, had absolute confidence as a prodigy.

After undergoing the recent test, his confidence had swelled to a peak state. At this moment, he immediately used the palm technique that he had just comprehended from the martial arts diagram.

Between his moves, bursts of wind and thunder sounded, and surging power and killing intent burst out from his body, as if to blow the entire art exhibition away.

Zhao Tianxing, who had been observing the results here, felt a burst of amazement in his heart after seeing this scene.

"What high physical strength, what terrifying palm technique, this is a combat-oriented martial art of slaughter."

Although Lian Tianji's physical strength was considered powerful among high school students, there were many cultivators who had already graduated from high school present. They were even more surprised by the proficiency of the martial art displayed by Lian Tianji.

Someone marveled in their heart, "Is this really the palm technique he just comprehended from the martial arts diagram? Every move is so pure and skilled, the top students from Ziyun High School are truly geniuses among geniuses."

However, after Lian Tianji finished performing this set of palm techniques, the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram remained unmoved, without the slightest reaction.

"How is that possible?" Lian Tianji said in disbelief, "I have clearly mastered the martial art on the diagram, how could it not work?"

Qian Shen chuckled and walked up to Lian Tianji, "I told you, this is a set of leg techniques."

Next, he also performed the martial art he had learned from the diagram in front of the martial arts diagram. Although he did not perform as smoothly as Lian Tianji, he was already familiar with the moves.

Bai Zhenzhen frowned again as she looked at this scene. "This is a body refining martial art? Specifically used to train legs."

As Qian Shen finished performing the last move, the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram remained unmoved, without the slightest strangeness.

"How is that possible?"

Saying the same words as Lian Tianji, Qian Shen also looked at the martial arts diagram in disbelief.

Next, students continued to come forward to demonstrate the martial arts they had comprehended.

Including Lian Tianji and Qian Shen, 12 students successively displayed a total of nine sets of martial arts: fist, palm, leg, finger, claw, saber, sword, spear, and staff techniques.

Among them, 3 people had comprehended martial arts that were repeated with others.

But after this round of martial arts performances, no one could cause a reaction from the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram.

Lian Tianji couldn't help turning his head to look at Li Xuelian, and asked again, "Ms. Li, with so many of us, is it really that no one has succeeded?"

Li Xuelian did not answer, but shook her head slightly, her eyes seemingly showing disappointment.

Just then, Bai Zhenzhen walked up slowly, and under everyone's gaze, she used her fingers as a sword and practiced a set of sword techniques.

Although the sword technique was unparalleled in sharpness between the moves, and Bai Zhenzhen's every move could be called an entrance to the hall, everyone present stopped paying attention after watching it for a few glances.

After all, there were also two people who had performed martial arts before, displaying sword techniques, but they had not been able to cause the martial arts diagram to change.

But who knew that after Bai Zhenzhen finished performing this set of sword techniques, the style changed, and she used her hands as a saber to perform a set of saber techniques.

Then it was fist techniques, palm techniques, leg techniques…

Zhao Tianxing said in surprise, "Bai Zhenzhen has learned all the martial arts that everyone practiced before?"

Lian Tianji frowned as he looked at this scene, thinking, "In such a short period of time, she was able to replicate the martial arts that everyone demonstrated after watching them once. Which top high school is this woman from?"

Looking at Bai Zhenzhen, whose every move was as if she had practiced hard for a long time, Qian Shen's thoughts were also surging in his heart.

On the one hand, he was amazed that Bai Zhenzhen was able to perform all nine sets of martial arts, and on the other hand, he was constantly filled with doubts: "Is it really possible to perform all nine sets of martial arts comprehended by everyone?"

Just then, in the surprised gazes of everyone, the man on the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram moved, looking at Bai Zhenzhen with a smile, and two words appeared on the painting.

"Not bad."