175: Chapter 175 The Academy Sets Sail: A Grand Ceremony for the Inheritance of Traditional Martial Arts at the Foot of Taiji Mountain

Academy Completion: The Global traditional martial arts Holy Land at the Foot of Taiji Mountain

Three months after the completion of the Global Leyline Guardian Array, the "Global Martial Arts Academy" was officially established on the south side of Taiji Villa on Zhongnan Mountain.

This complex, spanning across the valley, integrated the architectural features of the world's top ten traditional martial arts heritage sites: the main entrance was an Egyptian pyramid-style Qi Energy portico, with the Taiji totem carved into the pale gold stone; the main teaching building adopted the Gothic spire of ancient European castles, yet embedded the spiral patterns of Asian Ninja martial arts into the window frames; the training ground in the backyard was paved with the mud of the ancient African city of Djenné, with its edges surrounded by transparent Ice Soul Energy railings from the Antarctic ice sheet.

Even the streetlights in the courtyard were "Qi Energy Sensor Lamps" crafted with Mayan sun patterns and Sanxingdui bronze patterns; they absorbed sunlight during the day to convert into Qi Energy, and released a soft, pastel glow at night, illuminating the entire campus.

Chen Wu stood with the mentor team in front of the "Global traditional martial arts Totem Pillar" in the academy square—this 30-meter-tall totem pillar was pieced together from Materials from the top ten heritage sites: the base was Antarctic Ice Soul stone, the middle section was African Shamanic Martial Force totem wood, and the top was Egyptian pyramid Qi Energy stone.

The pillar body was entwined with miniature weapons such as European knight swords, Asian Ninja throwing stars, and Chinese Taiji rings. The fusion jade sub-guide core at the top of the pillar radiated five-colored light—pale gold, pale blue, silver, pale brown, and pale green—resonating with the Leyline Qi Energy of Zhongnan Mountain.

"This totem pillar is not only the symbol of the academy but also the 'Global traditional martial arts Resonance Core'," Chen Wu explained to the first batch of students gathered around, while stroking the Taiji ring on the pillar. "As long as you circulate your Qi Energy here, you can resonate with the marking stones of the world's top ten heritage sites, learn the Legacy of various schools at any time, and even draw upon a small amount of Leyline Qi Energy to assist in your training."

Xiao Kaya gripped the Ice Soul stone section, injecting pale blue Ice Soul Energy into the pillar body: "In the future, the Antarctic ice sheet traditional martial arts classes will be taught synchronously via the totem pillar's holographic projection. You won't need to go to the Antarctic to feel the Qi Energy environment of the ice sheet."

Amina touched the Shamanic Martial Force totem wood, and the pale brown Shamanic Martial Force caused a phantom image of ancient African trees to appear on the pillar: "The Shamanic Martial Force herbal medicine classes will be taught on-site here in the 'traditional martial arts Herb Garden.' We have cultivated traditional martial arts herbs from all over the world, including Amazonian detox herbs and Egyptian Leyline flowers."

The first batch of students included Xiao Zhao, the son of Old Zhao from the Chinese construction traditional martial arts team; Mohammed, the nephew of Amir from the Egyptian pyramid traditional martial arts team; Lily, the apprentice of Eric from the European Knight traditional martial arts Association; and Mei, the niece of the Asian Ninja traditional martial arts successor Sato (named the same as the new generation Mei, so she is called "Xiao Mei" to distinguish her)—they were all "traditional martial arts Seed Students" selected through the Global traditional martial arts APP, aged between 12 and 18, with top-tier Qi Energy sensing talent and martial virtue scores.

In the globally broadcast "Academy Completion" footage, the audience was stunned by the cross-civilization aesthetics of the architecture. The live comments were filled with exclamations like "So spectacular! Every detail has traditional martial arts characteristics!" "The totem pillar can actually resonate globally!" and "I really want to sign up for admission!" Data from the Technical Department showed that within just one hour of the academy's application channel opening, the number of global applicants exceeded 5 million, with 30% coming from non-traditional martial arts regions, marking the true landing of the "globalization of traditional martial arts Legacy."

Opening Ceremony: The Heritage Display of the Ten Major Schools

The opening ceremony was held in the academy's "Global traditional martial arts Auditorium"—the interior dome of the auditorium was a 360-degree holographic sky screen capable of projecting real-time images of the world's top ten heritage sites. The stage background was a "Global traditional martial arts Symbiosis Map" made of "Qi Energy Tapestry," with pale gold silk threads outlining the training postures of various schools. As the Qi Energy flowed, the image could dynamically display the trajectories of the energy techniques.

At the start of the ceremony, Chen Wu delivered a speech as the Dean of the Academy: "The mission of the Global Martial Arts Academy is not to cultivate 'traditional martial arts experts,' but to cultivate 'traditional martial arts guardians'—you must not only learn the energy techniques of various schools but also remember the original intention that 'traditional martial arts know no borders, and guardians share the same heart.' In the future, carry this Legacy to guard every inch of the leyline and everyone who needs help."

After the speech, mentors from the ten major schools took turns showcasing their legacies—Eric held a Holy Light Qi sword, carving an arc of silver light in the center of the stage. The dome projection synchronously switched to the knight training ground of an ancient European black stone castle. Virtual knight Puppets sparred with Eric, and the Qi Energy waves from the colliding blades caused the auditorium's Qi Energy lamps to flicker slightly: "The core of Knight traditional martial arts is 'Guardianship of Light.' This Move, 'Holy Light Evil-Breaking Slash,' can purify all dark Qi Energy."

Sato formed Ninja Qi seals, and pale blue light transformed into throwing stars in his palms, precisely hitting the bullseyes on both sides of the stage. The bullseyes instantly revealed Ninja martial arts runes: "The core of Ninja martial arts is 'Guardianship of Concealment.' This Move, 'Qi Energy Evasion Star,' can both detect danger and restrain enemies without hurting them. Remember, Ninja martial arts is not a tool for sneak attacks; it is the eyes of guardianship."

Amina held the Shamanic Martial Force totem staff and tapped the ground gently, causing tender green herb sprouts to emerge from the mud on the stage: "The core of Shamanic Martial Force is 'Natural Symbiosis.' This Move, 'Totem Spirit Invocation,' can communicate with plants and perceive the health of the leyline. In the future, you will learn in the herb garden how to use Shamanic Martial Force to cultivate herbs and heal wounds."

The most eye-catching display was from the "New Generation Mentor Team"—Xiao Juan, Karim, Mei, and Leila, four young guardians, stood in the center of the stage, respectively wielding Nature Qi, Pyramid Force, Ninja Qi, and Shamanic Martial Force. The four-colored Qi Energy converged on the dome into "Cross-Civilization Fusion Energy," striking a virtual Spirit-Devouring Puppet on the sky screen, which was instantly purified into particles of light filling the sky. "This is the 'Youth Guardian Energy' we learned in the Antarctic," Xiao Juan smiled at the microphone. "As long as we are of one heart, the energy techniques of different civilizations can also fuse into the strongest power of guardianship."

The students in the audience were fired up. Xiao Zhao raised the Qi Energy sensor in his hand, and the instrument's screen synchronously displayed the trajectory of the "Youth Guardian Energy." Mohammed followed Karim's movements, secretly circulating Pyramid Force, with a faint golden light appearing on his palms. Lily was so excited that she stood up and shouted at the stage: "I want to learn Fusion Energy Technique too!"

In the live comments of the globally broadcast "Opening Ceremony," 380 billion viewers were filled with cheers: "The new generation mentors are so cool! Youth Guardian Energy is so handsome!" "The display of the ten major schools is so wonderful; I want to learn them all!" and "The academy's teaching methods are so advanced; I envy the students!" Data from the Technical Department showed that at this moment, "Academy Course Appointments" on the Global traditional martial arts APP exceeded 200 million, and the registration channel for "traditional martial arts Seed Students" had to temporarily open three additional server groups due to excessive traffic.

Trial Tower Abnormality: Energy Disorder of Ancient Runes

After the ceremony, the mentor team led the students to visit the academy's "Ancient traditional martial arts Trial Tower"—this 10-story tower was built using ancient stone Materials from the ten major heritage sites, with each floor corresponding to the trial content of one school. The tower walls were engraved with ancient traditional martial arts runes, which could automatically adjust the trial difficulty according to the students' level of energy technique, serving as the academy's core practical training facility.

When everyone arrived in front of the tower, they found that the tower's runes were abnormal—the runes, which originally glowed with pale gold light, had now turned partially pale black, and the Qi Energy fluctuations at the top of the tower had also become chaotic, with even fine black Qi Energy threads seeping out from the gaps in the runes. "It's an energy imbalance in the ancient runes!" Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan said, holding a Qi Energy detector, his face solemn. "The core of the Trial Tower is connected to the Global Leyline Guardian Array. The concentrated release of various schools' energy techniques during the ceremony just now caused a brief fluctuation in the Leyline Qi Energy, leading to an imbalance in the energy supply to the runes. If not adjusted in time, it may trigger the tower's 'self-protection mechanism' and temporarily seal the Trial Tower."

Xiao Kaya approached the tower wall and injected Ice Soul Energy into the runes. The pale blue light caused some of the black runes to return to normal, but they were quickly covered by disordered Qi Energy again. "The runes require 'synchronous resonance of the Top Ten Energy Techniques' to stabilize. A single energy technique can only suppress them temporarily and cannot provide a permanent cure," she said.

Eric added, "Furthermore, it requires 'pure Youth Guardian Energy' to guide them. Because Youth Guardian Energy is free of distracting thoughts, it can precisely match the frequency of the ancient runes, just like the Four Guardians of the Antarctic ice sheet."

Chen Wu immediately issued deployments: "Instructors Eric, Xiao Kaya, Amina, and Sato, please stand at the east, south, west, and north corners of the Trial Tower respectively. Use Holy Light Qi, Ice Soul Energy, Shamanic Martial Force, and Ninja Qi to stabilize the runes; Mu Qing and I will stand in front of the tower, using the Dual Energy and Five Elements Energy to build an 'Energy Buffer Layer'; Xiao Juan, Karim, Mei, and Leila, you four stand directly below the tower tip and use Youth Guardian Energy to guide the energy and activate the resonance frequency of the runes."

The students gathered outside the safety line, watching the instructors and the new generation nervously—Little Zhao held up his phone for a live broadcast, aiming the camera at the Trial Tower, and the comments from the global audience instantly boiled over: "Trial Tower, please don't seal up!" "Go, Instructor Team and the Four Guardians!" "Believe that they can handle it!"

Data from the Technical Department showed that the number of participants in the global "Remote Qi Energy Support" had exceeded 300 million. A pale golden shimmer passed through the live stream signal, converging on the Trial Tower and injecting faint but firm energy into the runes.

Highlight of the New Generation: Breakthrough in Fusion of Youth Guardian Energy

The four instructors released their energy techniques simultaneously—Eric's silver Holy Light Qi shot toward the tower wall like a beam of light; Xiao Kaya's pale blue Ice Soul Energy spread along the runes; Amina's pale brown Shamanic Martial Force resonated with the ancient wood grain of the tower wall; and Sato's pale blue Ninja Qi repaired the gaps in the runes like silk threads. The four-colored energy techniques wove a "temporary protective net" on the tower wall, and the spread of the black runes was finally contained.

"It's our turn!" Xiao Juan took a deep breath and injected Nature Qi into the ground. Pale green light flowed along the leyline toward the tower tip; Karim's Pyramid Force followed closely, with the pale golden light interweaving with the Nature Qi to form an "Energy Guidance Line"; Mei's Ninja Qi made the guidance line more flexible, allowing it to Move precisely through the gaps in the runes; Leila's Shamanic Martial Force formed a "Resonance Core" at the end of the guidance line, waiting to connect with the instructors' energy techniques.

"Inject synchronously!" Chen Wu shouted, injecting the Dual Energy and Mu Qing's Five Elements Energy into the "Energy Buffer Layer." Pale gold, pale green, and multi-colored lights formed a semi-transparent Qi Energy shield in front of the tower, merging the energy techniques of the instructors and the new generation into one—when the guidance line of the Youth Guardian Energy connected with the protective net of the instructors, a miracle occurred: the runes on the Trial Tower suddenly all lit up, the pale black traces vanished instantly, and the Qi Energy fluctuations at the tower tip became stable, even stronger than before. Surprisingly, "Ancient Fusion Runes" that had never been seen before appeared on the tower wall, glowing with seven-colored light.

"It's the 'Global Guardian Rune'!" Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan shouted excitedly. "Ancient books record that this rune needs 'Top Ten Energy Techniques + pure Youth Qi' to be activated. It can upgrade the trial content of the Trial Tower to 'Cross-Civilization Fusion Energy Training,' where students can learn Fusion techniques of multiple schools of energy simultaneously!"

Even more surprisingly, the fusion jade sub-guiding core at the tower tip suddenly projected a holographic image of an ancient traditional martial artist—in the image, the ancient traditional martial artist, wearing an outfit that combined the characteristics of the ten major schools, demonstrated a brand-new energy technique: "This is the 'Global Guardian Energy.' It requires the strengths of Taiji Dual Energy, Knight's Holy Light, Ice Sheet's Ice Soul, Shamanic Nature, and Ninja Stealth. With guardianship as the heart and the leyline as the foundation, only then can one achieve Major Achievement."

The Four Guardians followed the image and imitated it. The Youth Guardian Energy resonated with the holographic energy technique, and the four-colored Qi Energy gradually merged into seven-colored light. They actually mastered the basic Moves of "Global Guardian Energy" in a short time; the students offstage also followed along; Little Zhao's Hard Energy and Lily's Holy Light Qi unexpectedly merged, and although they were not proficient, they still managed to strike out a weak Fusion energy wave. Chen Wu watched this scene and smiled at the instructors: "This is the meaning of the Academy—to make the Legacy no longer isolated, and to make Fusion the norm."

In the "New Generation Highlight" scene of the global live broadcast, the audience was moved to tears. The comments were full of exclamations: "The Four Guardians are so awesome! They actually learned the Global Guardian Energy!" "The Trial Tower has been upgraded! The students are so lucky!" "The future of traditional martial arts really lies in these children!" The Traditional Martial Arts Protection Bureau subsequently announced that the Trial Tower would open a "Remote Experience Mode" to global martial arts fans. Through VR equipment, fans could learn basic Fusion Energy Techniques in the virtual Trial Tower, truly making the Legacy of traditional martial arts "accessible to all."

New Clues: Foreshadowing of the Deep-Sea traditional martial arts Ruins

After the Trial Tower stabilized, Chen Wu and Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan discovered a new secret in the "Ancient Rune Room" at the bottom of the tower—when the energy was disordered earlier, a stone slab on the tower wall had accidentally loosened, revealing a "Deep-Sea traditional martial arts Totem" carved inside: the totem depicted a giant whale wrapped in Qi Energy, with runes similar to the Antarctic Ice Soul mark carved on the whale's back. Below it was a line of ancient text, which translated to: "The leyline connects to the deep sea, the whale's call transmits the Origin, guardianship has no boundaries, and traditional martial arts connect the sea and sky."

"This is a clue pointing to the 'Deep-Sea traditional martial arts Ruins'!" Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan said excitedly, holding the rubbing of the totem. "Previously, the global leyline guardian array covered land and ice sheets, but it didn't involve the deep sea. It seems that ancient traditional martial artists had already explored the deep sea and even left behind a Legacy there!" Granny Yao leaned in and brought the Spirit Herb close to the rubbing; the leaves instantly glowed with pale blue light: "The reaction of the Spirit Herb proves that the Qi Energy of the deep-sea ruins is of the same Origin as the Antarctic Ice Soul Energy. Both belong to 'traditional martial arts that coexist with extreme environments.' If we can find them, the Legacy of global traditional martial arts will be more complete."

Chen Wu handed the rubbing to Xiao Juan and the other members of the new generation: "This is your 'after-school assignment'," he said with a smile. "The Academy will establish a 'Deep-Sea traditional martial arts Exploration Team.' You can use your spare time to study the totem with the instructors and analyze the Qi Energy data of the deep-sea leylines. In the future, perhaps it will be you who uncover the secrets of the deep-sea traditional martial arts."

Xiao Juan took the rubbing and gently stroked the giant whale on the totem: "We will definitely find the deep-sea ruins! By then, we will let the Guardian Energy of traditional martial arts cover every inch of the leylines on the seabed!" Karim, Mei, and Leila also nodded, their eyes full of anticipation for the future.

At the end of the opening ceremony, the sun was setting, and the afterglow of Zhongnan Mountain sprinkled over the building complex of the Global Martial Arts Academy—the multi-colored light of the totem pillars intertwined with the sunset glow. The silhouette of the Trial Tower was particularly solemn in the twilight. Students were practicing the newly learned Fusion Energy Techniques on the training ground, while instructors were cultivating new traditional martial arts herbs in the medicinal garden. The lens of the global live broadcast slowly pulled back, freezing this scene as an "epitome of the Legacy of traditional martial arts."

In the comments, 380 billion viewers sent "Academy set sail, traditional martial arts continue forever!" and "Deep-sea exploration, the future is promising!" simultaneously, forming a "River of Light of Legacy" that covered the globe, intertwining with the Leyline Qi Energy of Zhongnan Mountain, and illuminating the new journey of traditional martial arts "from land to the deep sea." Chen Wu stood at the entrance of the Academy, looking at the distant Taiji Villa. The Dual Energy in his Dantian resonated with the global leylines—he knew that the completion of the Global Martial Arts Academy was not the end, but the starting point for the systematic and globalized Legacy of traditional martial arts; as long as the Legacy continues and exploration does not stop, the power of guardianship of traditional martial arts will eventually cross mountains and seas, connect heaven and earth, and become the common spiritual wealth of all mankind.

(At the end of this chapter, Chen Wu's tactical tablet received the latest report from the Technical Department: "The deep-sea Leyline Qi Energy monitor has been deployed. Near the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, Qi Energy fluctuations matching the totem have been detected—it is recommended to start a preliminary exploration next month." This lays a clear foreshadowing for the next chapter, "Deep-Sea traditional martial arts Exploration".)