Martial Arts for All

When Xiao Nan regained consciousness, he was immediately overwhelmed by a boundless exhaustion. His limbs felt limp and powerless, as if he were completely drained. He gasped for breath uncontrollably, struggling like a dying fish to lift his body…

What greeted his eyes was a wash of crimson.

He retched.

The stench of blood was overpowering.

Caught unprepared, he inhaled the thick, metallic air and was seized by a wave of nausea. Blood glistened across the floor, and the dim, red candlelight that flickered through the room sent a chill through his heart.

"Where… is this place?"

Confusion filled his mind.

Behind him, a girl's sobs cut through the silence, thin and trembling, making the air even colder.

The wooden floor beneath his feet was carved with strange, curving lines that formed an intricate pattern. Blood flowed along the grooves, shimmering with a dark red glow.

Half the room was empty. Except for the blood-soaked pattern, a short altar stood against the distant wall, incense burning atop it.

The smoke curled upward, blending with the scent of blood into a nauseating miasma.

Upon the altar stood a statue of reddish-brown wood, carved with beastly features—humanoid in form but with the head of a fierce animal, bulging eyes, fangs bared, a visage cruel and menacing, part wolf, part lion, part tiger…

Though it was nothing but dead carved wood, it seemed ready to pounce at any moment, to tear him to shreds, devour his flesh, and crush his bones.

At a glance, Xiao Nan broke ou