Chapter 375: Attempting the Beginner Ceremony Combat Dance
After a round of enthusiastic promotion from the senior sisters at the front desk, I finally managed to obtain a membership card from one of the senior sisters. After swiping the card at the entrance, I went straight in.
The senior sisters at the front desk were keenly promoting various services offered here. After all, the essence of making money here is essentially selling services, at least that’s how it appears on the surface.
As for deeper layers, that’s hard to say.
The senior sister confirmed that it was my first visit and that I had just begun to practice body techniques. She eagerly promoted a one-on-one personal trainer service.
I only glanced at a few of the most popular senior sisters, and the starting price required payment in Aoqin, which truly shocked me. Wouldn’t it be more enjoyable to use that Aoqin for something else rather than being educated by a personal trainer here?
Unless the personal trainer’s teachings were mixed with personal ulterior motives.
From the current perspective, this speculation seems to have a considerable chance of being likely.
Fortunately, I declined quickly.
At this moment, I rubbed the body training ring that Sister Bai had given me on my right hand. Although my clothes were not very suitable for intense exercise, I was not picky about it.
However, I did make some plans to buy some sportswear specifically for exercise or body training.
Perhaps before going to buy, I should check the clothes that Sister Bai bought for me to see if there’s anything suitable because I really have a lot and didn’t pay much attention to some of them.
As I entered the interior of the body technique training hall, I was somewhat surprised because the internal layout seemed somewhat similar to what I remembered of a gym. Many of the equipment types were very common, and there were even treadmills and other standard machines. At that moment, quite a few young girls were energetically sweating it out on them.
Wow… they must be here for fitness and weight loss, right?
When did body technique practice become so casual?
This was completely different from my impression of body technique training. I didn’t even see anyone practicing the combat dance with the body training alchemical ring.
As it seemed I was just standing there, seemingly unfamiliar to everyone, a coach without any formal guidance came over to me.
Seeing that someone had taken the initiative, some of the coaches who were warming up or engaged in cardio paused and curiously glanced over here.
“Freshman, is it your first time here?”
“Yes.”
I nodded slightly and turned to look at the senior sister approaching me.
Her simple athletic wear accentuated her hot figure, and each movement she made coming toward me exuded confidence and composure. Her sun-kissed skin and the smooth, graceful lines of her muscles spoke volumes about her daily relentless effort and persistence.
As we locked eyes, I instinctively swallowed. I must say that the senior sisters here have a completely different style from those I’ve commonly interacted with.
Did Sister Bai really consider the actual situation when recommending this place to me?
Is she really at ease letting me come here?
I inwardly asked myself several questions, but soon I calmed down. It wasn’t me who was wrong; it was this body technique training center. I just wanted to find a spacious place to conduct my body training routinely.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m a coach here, my name is Liv, and here’s my business card. If you need anything, you can contact me or just come and find me directly. I’ll provide you with some free advice, as long as I’m available.”
“Thank you.” I took the business card and politely expressed my gratitude. However, I was indeed a bit confused and wanted to inquire, “Um, I’m curious to ask where the official body technique training area is?”
“The official body technique training?” Upon hearing my words, Liv was momentarily stunned and then wore a professional smile. “Body technique practice is not a joke; the entry threshold for body techniques is quite high. Beginners are not advised to start practicing body techniques right away.”
“And I see your little frame; your physical quality is somewhat concerning. If you train now, you could easily experience cramps, muscle strains, and other issues. Before officially engaging in body technique practice, I recommend getting some preliminary fitness training or yoga to improve your flexibility and overall physical condition.”
This senior sister kindly explained, treating me like a little freshman who had just come into contact with body training.
“No need, thank you for your kindness, senior sister. I have a bit of a body training foundation. I’m just here to find a place to conveniently practice the ceremony combat dance.” I politely declined her good intentions while raising the ring on my right hand to enhance my persuasion.
“Oh, really? I didn’t expect that… you seem a bit different, haha.” She looked at the ring on my finger, and a glimmer of surprise flashed in her eyes when she saw its design.
As for my claim of having a foundation in body training, she naturally didn’t believe that at all. After all, who comes to practice body training while still wearing normal clothes? And… I even have leg rings on; it doesn’t lend much credibility to my claim.
“I see that the body training ring on your finger seems to be an older model; it should be a bit outdated. Our body technique training center also has the latest model of body training rings. If you’re interested, you could switch to a new, more effective one!”
“No need, thank you. This ring has special significance for me. I just wanted to ask if there’s an area for body technique practice where I could be a bit more relaxed? I heard from another senior sister that this place has enough space for me to practice the ceremony combat dance.”
“Okay, okay, since you insist, the body technique training area is through this passage. Just go straight ahead. However, that’s not a place for small talk; the senior sisters there are serious about practicing. Although they may not attack a pretty and cute freshman like you, they might try to take advantage of you. If you can’t handle it, you can directly book a private training room there; no one will disturb you, but the prices are a bit expensive.”
“Thank you for the reminder, senior sister. I’ll go take a look first.”
I once again politely declined her offer. I had already been sold many things upon arriving here, and it felt like this was a place where you could enjoy any service as long as you paid.
But I just wanted to do some simple body training and didn’t want to spend that much.
As for what the senior sister mentioned about it being serious… who knows who might be serious when it actually comes down to it.
But I couldn’t be careless; if something unexpected happened, it would truly be at a level where it would be hard to ask for help.
At this moment, Liv watched me walk away and sighed. She hadn’t sold anything and was now watching a little freshman walk into the fire; it was really a sin…
Ultimately, she still felt a bit uneasy and quietly followed behind. After all, she was a senior member of the body training communication club. If things got out of hand, it wouldn’t be good.
After all, the other party should also be a little freshman visiting for the first time, seemingly referred by a familiar face. If the other party experienced what those hungry senior sisters were capable of doing, she couldn’t even imagine…
Once I passed down the hallway, the area behind suddenly opened up, and even I was surprised by the vast space. After surveying it, I realized through spirit vision that the space must be maintained by a spatial spell to support this giant indoor structure.
And this place was clearly different from the small skirmishes outside; even the equipment was filled with an aesthetic of violence.
The air here was not only thick with feminine hormones but also had a barely noticeable bloody scent.
It seemed there had been some spillage of bl**d; that senior sister had not lied.
Upon arriving here, the first image that caught my eye was that there weren’t many people, with the most prominent feature being the raised central area that resembled a fighting arena, and currently, there were no one competing up there.
Looking around, the other sections were divided into various zones, with many senior sisters practicing their own routines.
Instead of immediately finding someone to pick a fight with me as I had imagined, the senior sisters here merely glanced my way, curious about who had arrived.
However, my arrival did draw the curious gaze of many senior sisters because they didn’t recognize me. Most of the people who frequently come here were familiar faces; rarely did they see a newcomer, so naturally, they looked twice.
Similarly, some senior sisters revealed subtle, hidden smiles as if they were watching a show, some simply curious to see if I would be provoked and ready to watch the spectacle.
But unfortunately, nothing happened.
Everyone was very busy, and even I sighed a bit.
Then, I moved to an open area devoid of people, did a brief warm-up, and began to recall the ceremony combat dance that was to be practiced with the beginner body training ring.
Following that, memories related to the combat dance surged from the memory shelf—all the movements, connected postures, and key points flooded back at that instant.
Then, I instinctively controlled my body to begin dancing. The overall feeling of the ceremony combat dance was fairly light, emphasizing continuity and flowing seamlessly since it was fundamentally a behavioral ritual, an interpretation and application of ritual runes. Essentially, this ceremony combat dance was no different from a spell-casting ritual.
I roughly estimated that the full set of the ceremony combat dance would take about ten minutes to complete.
Just as I was contemplating this, I felt a slight warmth in my fingers. This sensation was familiar to me—it was exactly the same feeling when the spellbook autonomously absorbed magic power during spellcasting.
After all, for new students or lower-year students, mental power cannot harness magic power, so the spellbooks and alchemical items all use an autonomous absorption method.
It seems that the body training ring had begun to take effect under the influence of the ceremony.
I didn’t stop it from absorbing magic power because as it absorbed power, I felt a wave of warmth radiate from the ring, traveling through my right arm and spreading throughout my body, creating a delightful sensation that enveloped me.
Being self-awakened, I could naturally sense the subtle changes in my body; this energy was slowly nourishing me, gradually strengthening, altering, and metabolizing…
This slow improvement seemed visible to the n*ked eye, but before I could even complete the ceremony combat dance, I felt an abnormal depletion of stamina.
As the dance continued, fine beads of sweat began to seep out of the surface of my skin.
“Beginner ceremony combat dance? You don’t have any strength at all; it definitely won’t have good results.”
At this moment, a senior sister wearing a tight sports tank top approached me curiously, carrying her water bottle. After observing for a moment, she started offering pointed advice.
“Thank you.”
I politely responded amidst my movements. This was indeed my first complete practice of the ceremony combat dance, so there were many unfamiliar aspects, and I was also trying; it seemed that varying postures, exertion, and mental states could influence the strengthening power transmitted from the ring.
“When practicing the ceremony combat dance, don’t speak; just focus on listening.” After the senior sister took a gulp of water, she spoke. At that moment, her tank top was thoroughly soaked with sweat, glistening beads of sweat accumulating and finally trickling down her figure.
After all that, it had already been over ten minutes. I took a deep breath, savoring the feeling from before, and then looked at the senior sister again. Although she simply pointed out that I was a beginner, she indeed kept me from taking a few unnecessary detours and even provided me with some insights.
“Thank you, senior sister.”
Regardless, I had to express my gratitude, though she seemed to take it lightly and just walked away with her water bottle, as if there were things she needed to attend to. Her curiosity about the newcomer seemed to be the only reason she came by.
I was quite pleased with such a relationship; it was rare to find senior sisters at the Witch Academy who understood the importance of maintaining a distance these days.
After doing some more stretches, I prepared to continue practicing the ceremony combat dance a few more times. Following the recent attempt, I had gained some insights as well as many ideas; I needed extensive and repetitive practice to affirm my deductions.
The essence of the ceremony combat dance is the ceremony itself, an interpretation of the rite. The combat dance is a form of expression of that ceremony, involving variables such as movements, postures, strength, and mental state.
The previous senior sister mentioned my lack of strength; this might be a technique she discovered herself. Exertion is a crucial variable in ceremonies, as many movements require significant force to achieve precise control over certain actions.
However, I would not simply practice blindly since I am not the kind of brute who relies entirely on muscle. I am cerebral; I think.
What I described as some insights earlier came from attempting to deduce the ritual runes corresponding to these actions. I wanted to know which runes they reflected so that I could research them more intensively and use them as guidance; this would be more effective.
I wiped away a few beads of sweat and assessed my stamina; it seemed I still had enough energy for many more practices of the ceremony combat dance.
However, it wasn’t long before a few senior sisters surrounded me, just like that previous senior sister, starting to offer me guidance, but their tone was somewhat off. I didn’t pay them any mind and continued to try based on my ideas.
“Hey, little sister, you’re doing it wrong like this. I’m trying to teach you out of kindness; how can you be so disobedient? Is your comprehension too low? I can teach you step by step!”
