Re-entering the Dreamscape

Two hours later.

[Progress +1]

[Sanshou: Beginner (21%)]

The panel prompt appeared automatically. Chen Feng stopped his movements, breathing heavily, feeling his entire body's muscles sore and swollen, his lungs burning as if on fire.

Huff! Huff! Huff!

"My talent... really isn't all that great."

Sweat dripped into his mouth, bringing a salty taste. His soaked clothes clung to his skin like glue.

Chen Feng shook his head inwardly and clicked his tongue.

Two hours of practice, and the progress had only increased by 1% in total.

It was easy to foresee that if he kept training like this normally, breaking through to the next proficiency level—Sanshou Mastery—would probably take several months.

Even so, Chen Feng wasn't too disappointed.

If his talent was lacking, so be it. He hadn't planned on relying solely on talent anyway.

Tap! Tap!

He walked to the side, picked up his gray sports bottle, quickly unscrewed the cap, and gulped down a mouthful.

Gulp! Gulp!

The room-temperature water felt incredibly refreshing in that moment. After resting a bit to recover, once the class ended, he headed straight to the changing room.

Grumble!

While changing, a strange sound came from his abdomen. Chen Feng felt hungry.

The afternoon's practice had drained a lot of energy; the cells within his body were like greedy wolves.

"How's your job search going?"

Lin Hao also came into the changing room, but he had clearly taken a shower—his shoulder-length hair was still dripping wet.

"Still looking." Chen Feng paused in his movements, not hiding his current situation.

And as he recalled, this guy Lin Hao was also a freshly graduated college student, likewise unemployed.

"Oh."

Lin Hao nodded lightly, changed his clothes, and didn't ask further.

Then, as if remembering something, he leaned in close and lowered his voice. "By the way, there's something I don't know if you've heard."

"What?"

"I heard the academy is planning to expand its Core Disciple recruitment soon. Once this training course ends, they'll test us."

"If you pass, you know the deal."

Lin Hao patted Chen Feng on the shoulder. Chen Feng raised an eyebrow.

The academy's Core Disciple?

That was completely different from their current status as ordinary students.

They paid tuition fees—only then could they use the academy's equipment and facilities, and receive coaching at set times.

But Core Disciples could enjoy all of that for free. On top of that, if they ever participated in martial arts competitions in the future, they'd get the academy's team support and free recommendations.

And most importantly—

Core Disciples seemed to have the chance to come into contact with real Martial Dao Schools.

Unlike ordinary combat styles like Sanshou or Jujutsu, these were the martial arts techniques truly unique to Yan Wu Academy.

The original owner had never seen them, but he had watched broadcasts of other Martial Dao Schools' matches on TV boxing tournaments.

Fists that could shatter bricks. Intent that could shake steel.

Interesting.

His eyes flickered. Chen Feng nodded.

But soon, he sensed something off.

"How do you know this?" he asked Lin Hao.

"Heh, guess."

Lin Hao shrugged, his expression carefree.

And in that moment, Chen Feng suddenly realized that the original owner had never really understood this guy.

Though both were unemployed college graduates, Lin Hao's family background and everything else were a complete mystery.

"Later."

Lin Hao waved his hand and walked off coolly.

Watching his retreating figure, Chen Feng didn't dwell on it further.

He shook his head, and before long left the martial arts hall too, taking the bus back.

"The beef's almost gone, and the eggs too. Looks like I'll have to restock at the supermarket tomorrow."

Sitting at the wooden dining table inside the house, Chen Feng finished his dinner contentedly.

The feeling of fullness settled his mind, but glancing at the mere thousand yuan left in his phone, he couldn't help but feel a renewed urgency to survive.

"I won't bother with job listings anymore. I'll just try places in person tomorrow."

"First, check the supermarket for a cashier position. If that doesn't work, the bar, or maybe food delivery."

The thought flashed by, and Chen Feng wanted to make the most of his spare time while still keeping up with his boxing practice.

The martial arts hall's course still had a week left, and on top of that, what Lin Hao said today about being a Core Disciple had piqued his interest. There was no way he'd skip the training sessions now.

So, to free up his afternoons, the jobs he could choose from were truly limited.

With the plan set, Chen Feng's thoughts were clear.

Before long, scrolling through his phone, he quickly got in touch with the numbers for those job listings and smoothly scheduled meeting times for tomorrow.

Gradually, the sky outside the window darkened, and the noise downstairs grew quieter.

Fatigue washed over him, and Chen Feng set down his phone, turning over.

His consciousness began to sink, and he drifted into sleep.

Not long after, when he opened his eyes again, the visible world had quietly shifted.

"I'm in again."

Looking at the abstract oil painting of a figure hanging on the wall, and the white-and-yellow plush carpet on the floor, Chen Feng let out a breath of relief.

He had been worried that last night's dream changes might cause trouble, preventing him from entering here again.

As it turned out, he was overthinking.

Not wasting any more time, knowing that dream time was precious and limited, he quickly got up, stepped onto the carpet, and walked over to the red-painted wooden door.

Bending slightly, he peered through the peephole.

The environment outside was empty, eerily quiet.

Click!

He twisted the doorknob and smoothly opened the door.

Outside was a clean corridor, with two rooms opposite, their doors also closed red wood.

The floor was dark brown solid wood. Looking left and right along the corridor, the ends were different.

To the right was a sealed gray wall, also hung with an oil painting.

To the left, the end opened into a spacious living room.

A larger, more exquisite crystal chandelier cast a warm glow.

Below it were a brown Leather Sofa and a solid wood coffee table.

Chen Feng walked slowly toward the living room and soon spotted a projector hanging from the ceiling, along with a screen mounted on the opposite white wall.

The machine wasn't running. Aside from the lights, there were no other points of light or movement in the room.

Whoosh!

Chen Feng reached out and touched the sofa, then lifted his hand to see dust on his fingers.

It was the same as the previous rooms—the coffee table, the tables, everything in the living room had a thin layer of dust on the surface.

This solidified Chen Feng's guess.

"It seems this house really is empty."

His expression relaxed a little. Chen Feng turned to look at the red wooden front door and the carved windows on either side.

Outside, the sky was pitch black, as if thick black fog had blocked out all light.

This house felt like the only thing left in the world, and it made Chen Feng a bit uneasy.

Seeing This, he thought for a moment.

Before long, he slowed his steps and went to open the two rooms he had seen earlier.

The first was a bedroom, laid out similarly to his previous room, only larger.

Also empty, with nothing gained.

As for the second—

Click!

The red wooden door opened.

Rows of bookshelves lined the walls, and a withered potted plant stood in the corner.

Beneath the window was a dusty wooden table and chair. Aside from that, what caught Chen Feng's eye were two glowing orbs.

Each was the size of a fist, floating respectively above the wooden table and the wooden chair.

The pale red one on the table was identical to yesterday's Limit Breaking Light Orb.

The one on the chair was pure white, like a piece of warm jade emitting a faint glow.

Seeing this, Chen Feng felt pleasantly surprised.

He quickly looked around to assess his surroundings, reining in his excitement.

Only after confirming there was no danger did he step forward, reaching out to touch both light orbs in turn.