Individual Progress

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, five days had gone by.

Xu Yuan and the others had already grown accustomed to their new lives as Martial Artists.

Compared to the previous closed, strict environment, life as a Martial Artist was much freer than being a Martial Student or a Laborer.

As long as you arrived at the training grounds on time every morning and didn't get caught skipping class by Master Chen, no one would bother you the rest of the time.

As long as you didn't stay out overnight, you could come and go from the Shangyang Family's main gate as you pleased.

You could say that this month's evaluation wasn't just testing Aptitude and comprehension, but also self-control, much like university in Xu Yuan's previous life.

Seeing that the rules weren't strict and having some spare money, Qin Yang's desire for entertainment resurfaced, and he couldn't hold back any longer, going out that afternoon.

To Xu Yuan's surprise, Chen Sanli actually accompanied him this time. Chen Sanli had a lot of social experience and had told Qin Yang about a few places with hidden rooms the previous night, which greatly piqued the latter's interest.

Thus, after just one day, the two of them had eagerly become kindred spirits.

By the time Xu Yuan and the others returned from practicing their martial skills in the evening, they came back to the dormitory arm in arm, looking completely satisfied.

Li Shan saw them and asked curiously, "You guys look so happy, like you found money. Did you go listen to opera again today?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yang looked a bit embarrassed. He sat on the bed with his head down, unconsciously rubbing his earlobe with his fingers, appearing somewhat guilty.

"Listen to opera?" Chen Sanli chuckled, winking and nudging him. "You could call it opera, but what we went to listen to was a live show!"

"Live show?" Li Shan had never heard of such things before and was completely bewildered.

Seeing this, Wang Huan shot Chen Sanli a displeased glance. "I say, you shouldn't be corrupting Qin Yang like this."

Do I need to corrupt him?

This brat is wilder than I am!

Chen Sanli scoffed inwardly but remained silent. After all, Qin Yang was treating him today, and he couldn't let him lose face. He smiled and said, "Brother Wang, how can you say that? Brother Qin is so infatuated with the female impersonators that he's gone crazy. I just took him to see some other good shows. They're cheap, practical, and help cool you down..."

Only then did Li Shan finally understand and immediately cursed with a laugh, "Damn it, aren't you afraid of catching a disease!"

"Can't catch anything, they're all old acquaintances, safe and reliable," Chen Sanli waved his hand and said slowly, "Besides, we're Martial Artists. Ordinary sicknesses can't get to us."

After speaking, his eyes darted around, and he asked, "Speaking of which, Brother Li, you probably haven't heard this kind of opera before, right? Want to give it a try?"

Hearing this, a flicker of interest flashed in Li Shan's eyes, but he quickly shook his head. He didn't have much money on him now, and every cent had to be spent on practicing martial arts. "Forget it, forget it. I'll just practice martial arts honestly."

Before he finished speaking, he felt a strange heat rise in his heart and quickly pushed open the door to wash up.

Hmph, weakling!

Chen Sanli sneered contemptuously, then asked again, "Then Brother Wang, want to give it a try?"

"I'll pass. Who knows if that place is clean," Wang Huan waved his hands repeatedly. Although he was usually arrogant, he didn't have such bad habits.

Meanwhile, seeing that the matter was out in the open, Qin Yang stopped being shy and patted Gao Yuan's shoulder next to him. "Yuanzi, want to go? My treat."

He and Gao Yuan were both Martial Students, and they had arrived in the dormitory on the same day, so they had a good relationship.

"No need." Gao Yuan frowned, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes. He subtly dodged the hand Qin Yang was about to place on his shoulder.

Who knows what that hand has touched?

"Then Brother Xu..." Thinking for a moment, Qin Yang asked Xu Yuan, who was to his left. Xu Yuan was steady and experienced, so it would be good to interact with him more.

"Thank you, but no thank you." Xu Yuan shook his head. He watched as Qin Yang asked the remaining few people and felt a sense of clarity.

This Qin Yang spends money so lavishly, how much does he have left?

It's best not to let him use this as an excuse to borrow money from me later.

This person has good comprehension. If he focused on practicing Thunderclap Fist, he might advance much faster than the others in the dormitory, but alas...

Xu Yuan mused to himself. This person was just like Tian Yang before.

He had decent aptitude, but was constantly disturbed by other trivial matters, almost failing to even break through to Martial Artist.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan put away his thoughts and began to review the Thunderclap Fist and Stance Practice he had been practicing earlier.

[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Major Accomplishment 1%) Stone Platform Stance Practice (Minor Accomplishment 6%) Thunderclap Fist (Novice 10%)]
[Aptitude: 8 (Uncommon Bone Structure)]

"This fist technique really has high requirements for aptitude. At my current speed, it's considered fast,"

Xu Yuan pondered. He didn't think his Uncommon Bone Structure made him invincible.

There were already some geniuses in the training grounds, similar to him, or even stronger. They were the true pearls that the Shangyang Family truly desired.

However, one must eat one bite at a time.

"I'll improve my martial skills first, then break through my Stance Practice. As for Tai Chi Exercise, I can use it to gain Aptitude points, so I can't completely neglect it either..."

Xu Yuan made some plans for his future path.

"Moreover, I still don't know when Quan Xiong will return. If he's determined to get revenge, it's fine for me to be in the Shangyang Family, but my elder brothers and the others might be in danger."

With that thought, Xu Yuan's lingering sense of complacency was reignited.

Things weren't completely resolved yet!

In the blink of an eye, another five days passed.

By evening, Xu Yuan and the others returned from martial arts practice. After washing up, they lay on their beds, discussing their training experiences.

At this moment, Qin Yang and Chen Sanli returned from outside, their faces still flushed from excitement after going to 'listen to opera' again.

Wang Huan had tried to dissuade them before and now no longer bothered. He asked the group, "Brothers, how's everyone's training going?"

Li Shan scratched his head. "It's okay, but the transition point for some movements feels awkward, and my Blood Essence circulation can't keep up. I guess I'm still far from entry-level. How about you, Brother Wang?"

Wang Huan replied rather smugly, "I feel pretty good. My Blood Essence is still being refined; it's just a matter of steady effort."

After much thought, he felt he couldn't waste his physical talents. So, he borrowed some money from his family and was now pushing towards the Second Meridian Realm.

Xiao Sheng stated concisely, "Getting the hang of it."

Tian Yang shook his head with a wry smile. "This Thunderclap Fist is indeed complicated. I estimate it will take quite some time."

"It's alright." Since the intensive training began, Gao Yuan no longer frequented the friends' dormitory often, though his relationship with the others remained somewhat distant.

"What's the rush? There's still plenty of time," Qin Yang yawned dismissively.

On the first day he practiced the Thunderclap Fist, he'd already had many insights and felt the martial art wasn't that difficult. He figured he'd just need to practice it a few more times.

"I'm just making do."

Chen Sanli felt a slight easing in his heart. It was fine if Wang Huan had the best talent, but the key was not to fall too far behind the others.

Finally, the gazes of several people fell, more or less, on Xu Yuan.

In the dormitory, he and Xiao Sheng trained the hardest, but they never spoke about their specific progress.

Xu Yuan's expression was calm as he slowly said, "It's alright. There are still some areas that need more thought."

Wang Huan glanced at him once and then looked away. He had long known when the other person had broken through to Martial Artist.

In his opinion, Xu Yuan's Aptitude was only slightly better than Xiao Sheng's. It was only natural for him to train diligently. Unlike himself, who could still maintain the top spot even without such effort.

This was the difference talent made!

Seeing the dormitory quiet down, Chen Sanli suddenly spoke, sharing some rumors he'd heard outside, reigniting the lively atmosphere.

Xu Yuan ignored him, lying on his bed and looking at the System Panel in his mind.

[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Major Accomplishment 1%) Stone Platform Stance Practice (Minor Accomplishment 11%) Thunderclap Fist (Entry-level 25%)]
[Aptitude: 8 (Bone Structure Peculiar)]

Seeing the progress getting closer and closer, Xu Yuan felt a sense of satisfaction.

With his peculiar bone structure Aptitude, coupled with his daily diligent practice, the results were very significant.

Especially with the progress of the Thunderclap Fist, he could faintly sense the nascent form of that internal force. It was just not strong enough to be unleashed yet.

"But it won't be long now."

Xu Yuan thought to himself.

Whether it was the threat from the Wild Wolf Gang's leader or choosing a task in the future, once he had the cultivation ability, everything would become much easier.

The current diligent practice, though seemingly mundane, was the phase of building walls before the storm arrived. It was always wise to be cautious.