Chapter 375 : Chapter 375

Chapter 375: Attempting the Primary Ritual Battle Dance

After a round of their enthusiastic sales pitch, I finally managed to get a membership card from the senior student at the front desk.

I swiped the card at the entrance and walked straight in.

The senior students at the front desk had been enthusiastically promoting various services here, as the essence of making money here was selling services, at least on the surface.

As for the deeper implications, those were hard to say.

The senior student just now, after confirming I was a first-timer and a beginner in Physical Arts, eagerly pitched one-on-one personal coaching.

I just glanced at the starting price for the most popular senior students, which required payment in Arcanite Gold.

This truly shocked me.

Wouldn't doing something else fun with that Arcanite Gold be better than being tutored by a personal coach here?

Unless the teaching included some private, extra content.

Judging from the current situation, this speculation seemed quite plausible.

Fortunately, I refused quickly.

At this moment, my right hand was rubbing the Body Forging Alchemy Ring Big Sis Bai gave me on my finger.

Although my current clothes were not suitable for strenuous exercise, I was not picky about it.

However, I did make a tentative plan to buy some sportswear specifically for exercise or Body Forging.

Perhaps before buying, I should go back and check if any of the clothes Big Sis Bai bought for me included any, as there were so many that I hadn't paid close attention.

When I walked inside the Physical Arts Training Hall, I was a bit surprised because the internal layout was similar to the gyms I remembered.

Many of the pieces of equipment were the common types, even including regular machines like treadmills and some aerobic exercise equipment.

Many girls were enthusiastically sweating on them at the moment.

Good heavens... were these people here for fitness, weight loss, and maintaining their figure?

When did Physical Arts training become such a game?

This was completely different from the Body Cultivation I imagined.

I didn't even see anyone practicing the ritual battle dance with a Body Forging Alchemy Ring here.

It seemed that one of the coaches, who wasn't formally instructing a student, walked over when she saw me standing still and noticed I was an unfamiliar face.

Seeing that someone had gotten a head start, some of the coaches who were warming up or doing aerobic exercises stopped moving and simply looked over curiously.

"First-year girl, is this your first time here?"

"Mhm."

I nodded slightly, turning to look at the senior student walking towards me.

Her minimalist sportswear, combined with her fit figure, showed confidence and ease in every movement as she approached.

Her exposed tanned skin and smooth, graceful muscle lines all revealed her tireless effort and persistence.

As I met her gaze, I subconsciously swallowed.

I had to say, the senior students here were a completely different style from the ones I usually interacted with.

Did Big Sis Bai really consider the actual situation when recommending this place to me?

Could she truly be at ease letting me come here?

I quickly asked myself several questions, and soon calmed down.

It wasn't my fault; it was this Physical Arts Training Hall's fault.

I just wanted to find an open space here for my daily Body Forging practice.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm a coach here, and my name is Live. This is my business card. If you need anything, you can contact me, or just come find me. I'll provide you with some advice for free, provided I'm available."

"Thank you."

I took the business card and politely said thanks, but I did have a question now.

"Um, I do have a question I'd like to ask. Where is the area for formal Physical Arts training?"

"Formal Physical Arts training?"

Hearing my words, Live was also stunned, then put on a professional smile.

"Physical Arts training is not a child's game. The barrier to entry for Physical Arts is very high. Beginners are not recommended to jump straight into Physical Arts cultivation."

"And looking at your small stature, your physical fitness is a bit concerning. You might experience muscle cramps or strains at any time while practicing. So, before formally starting Physical Arts training, I recommend you engage in a certain level of fitness exercise, or yoga, to train your body's flexibility and overall quality."

This senior student patiently explained to me, treating me completely as a first-year girl who was just starting Body Cultivation.

"No need, thank you for your kind offer, Senior. I have a slight foundation in Body Cultivation. I'm just here to find a convenient place to practice the ritual battle dance."

I tactfully declined the senior student's offer, while explaining and raising my right hand to show the ring to add conviction.

"Oh, is that so? It's really... hard to tell, haha."

Her gaze fell upon the ring on my finger, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes when she saw the style.

As for my claim of having a Body Cultivation foundation, she naturally didn't believe it at all.

After all... who practices Body Cultivation while wearing normal clothes like this?

With a thigh strap on her leg... that didn't help with credibility at all.

"The Body Forging Alchemy Ring on your hand seems to be a very old model. It should be a bit outdated. Our Physical Arts Training Hall also has the latest model of Body Forging Rings. Are you interested in upgrading to a new, more efficient one, first-year girl?"

"No need, thank you. This ring has special significance to me. I just wanted to ask if there's an area for Body Cultivation where I can be a bit more open? I was introduced here by a senior, who said there was enough space for me to practice the ritual battle dance."

"Alright, alright. Since you insist, the Physical Arts training area is through this passage, and it's behind there. But that place is not for small-scale practice. The senior students there are all serious practitioners. Although they might not actively move against a pretty and cute first-year girl like you, flirting is possible. If you can't handle it, you can open an independent training room. No one will bother you there, but the price is a bit high."

"Thank you for the warning, Senior. I'll go take a look first."

I politely declined the senior student again.

I had been pitched so many things since I walked in here.

It felt like a place where you could enjoy any service as long as you paid.

But I just wanted to do some simple Body Forging; I didn't need to spend that much.

As for the senior student saying they were "serious" back there... well, we'd see who was serious then.

But I couldn't be careless.

If I accidentally stumbled, there would be no one to hear my pleas.

At this moment, Live looked at my departing back and sighed.

She hadn't sold anything and was watching a first-year girl walk into the fire pit.

What a sin...

In the end, she followed quietly, feeling a bit uneasy.

After all, she was a veteran Body Cultivation powerhouse in the Physical Arts Exchange Club.

It wouldn't be good if the situation became unmanageable here.

The other party was a newcomer, likely introduced by an acquaintance.

She couldn't imagine what would happen if that newcomer experienced the "craftsmanship" of those wolf-like senior students here...

After I passed through the passage, the area behind suddenly opened up.

Even I was surprised that there was such a large space here.

But after looking around, I used Spirit Vision to see the characteristics of spatial anomaly.

This must be an extra-large indoor structure maintained by a Spatial Type Spell.

And this area was clearly different from the minor exercises outside.

Even the equipment exuded a sense of brutal aesthetics.

The air here was filled not only with a strong scent of female hormones but also a faint smell of blood.

It seemed blood had been drawn here.

That senior student hadn't lied.

The first impression upon arriving was that there weren't many people.

The most conspicuous feature was the raised area in the center, which looked somewhat like an arena.

No one was sparring on it yet.

Looking around at the other sections, the area was divided into many parts.

Many senior students were practicing on their own.

Contrary to the expectation that a senior student would immediately come over to pick a fight, the seniors here mostly just glanced over to see who had arrived.

The regulars here were mostly familiar with each other, so seeing a newcomer naturally drew a second look.

Many senior students also flashed secretive smiles, as if watching a show.

Some were simply curious to see if anyone would come to pick a fight, ready for some excitement.

But unfortunately, no one did.

Everyone was very busy, I noted with a sigh.

Then, I found an unoccupied, open space.

After warming up slightly, I began to recall the ritual battle dance that complemented the Primary Body Forging Alchemy Ring.

Immediately, memories of the battle dance flooded in from the Memory Bookshelf, from every movement to the continuous postures and key points.

Then, I instinctively controlled my body and began to dance.

The ritual battle dance felt generally light and emphasized continuity and fluid execution.

After all, this was an Action Ritual, a form of interpretation and application of ritual runes.

Essentially, this ritual battle dance was no different from a Chant Ritual for casting a spell.

I estimated that the complete ritual battle dance would take about ten minutes.

Just as I was thinking, I felt a slight heat on my finger.

I was very familiar with this feeling—it was exactly the same as when a spellbook spontaneously absorbed magic power to cast a spell.

For newcomers or low-grade students, the Mental Power was unable to control magic power, so both spellbooks and alchemy items automatically absorbed magic power.

It seemed the Body Forging Ring was starting to take effect under the influence of the ritual.

I didn't stop it from absorbing magic power.

Because after it absorbed the magic power, I felt a warm current flowing from the ring.

It traveled through my right arm and then throughout my entire body.

A sense of comfort spread everywhere.

As a Self-Awakened Body Cultivator, I could naturally feel the subtle changes in my body.

This energy was nourishing my body bit by bit, strengthening, changing, and metabolizing...

This slow improvement seemed almost visible to the naked eye, but before I could finish this round of the ritual battle dance, I felt an abnormal consumption of stamina.

As the battle dance continued, tiny beads of sweat seeped out onto the surface of my skin.

"Primary Ritual Battle Dance? You won't get good results if you don't put any strength into it."

At this moment, a senior student wearing a tight sports crop top walked over curiously with her water bottle.

After watching for a bit, she offered her advice.

"Thank you."

I politely responded during a break in my movements.

This was actually my first complete practice of the ritual battle dance, so naturally, I was unfamiliar with many things.

I was also experimenting; it seemed that different postures, force, and mental states could affect the strengthening power coming from the ring.

"Don't talk while practicing the ritual battle dance. Just listen."

The senior student said after taking a gulp of water.

Her crop top was completely soaked with sweat, and glistening beads of sweat slowly trickled down her ab lines.

After one round, which was about ten minutes later, I took a deep breath, savoring the feeling.

Then, I looked at the senior student who had advised me.

Although she only offered pointers as a beginner, she did help me bypass some unnecessary detours and gave me some ideas.

"Thank you, Senior."

Regardless, I still needed to say thank you, but the other party didn't seem to care much.

She picked up her water bottle and walked away, seemingly having her own things to do.

Her coming over seemed to be purely out of curiosity for the newcomer.

I was naturally happy with this kind of distant relationship.

It was rare to find senior students at Witch Academy who knew how to maintain boundaries.

After a little more stretching, I prepared to practice the ritual battle dance a few more times.

After the previous attempt, I had gained some insights and many clues.

I needed extensive and repeated practice to confirm my hypotheses.

The important part of the ritual battle dance was the ritual, the interpretation of the ritual.

The battle dance was the manifestation of the ritual.

Movements, postures, force, and mental state all seemed to be variables in the ritual.

The senior student earlier said I didn't put enough force into my movements.

This might be a technique she had figured out herself.

Force was a very important ritual variable.

Many movements required powerful strength to achieve precise control over a certain action.

But I wouldn't just blindly practice.

I wasn't some muscle-brained brute; I was a brain-oriented person.

I would use my mind.

The insights I mentioned earlier came from these movements.

I was trying to reverse-engineer the ritual runes corresponding to these movements.

I wanted to know exactly which runes they mapped to, so I could study them specifically and use that as guidance.

That would be more effective.

I wiped off the fine beads of sweat and checked my stamina consumption.

I seemed to have enough for many more practice sessions of the ritual battle dance.

But before long, several senior students gathered around me, starting to offer advice just like the one before.

However, the tone of their advice was a bit off, so I ignored them and continued my attempts according to my own plan.

"Aiya First-year girl, you're doing it all wrong. I'm trying to teach you out of kindness, so how can you be so disobedient? Is your comprehension too low? I can teach you hand-in-hand, oh."