Practical Class: Avoiding High Intensity, Skillfully Accumulating Slacking Value

Tang San leaned against the edge of his dorm bed, leisurely flipping through "Fundamentals of Martial Souls" given to him by Master Yu Xiaogang. Sunlight streamed through the window onto the pages, making him feel drowsy. He deliberately read slowly, rereading each line twice. This was both to "reduce reading speed and conserve energy" and to wait until the afternoon practical class. After all, going to the training ground early meant waiting, so he might as well rest longer in the dorm.

About half an hour later, the dorm door was pushed open, and Xiao Wu bounced in, still sweating on her forehead. "Tang San, let's go! It's the practical class this afternoon, and Teacher Li, who teaches Martial Soul application, is really strict. If we're late, we'll have to run ten laps around the training ground!"

Tang San closed his book, deliberately taking his time to put it into his cloth bag and straightening his clothes. "What's the rush? There's still a quarter of an hour before class. We can walk slowly and still make it on time. If we run, we'll just have to wait at the training ground, wasting our energy."

[Initiating delayed departure to avoid the physical exertion of rushing, Slacking Value +1, current total 23 points]

As soon as the system notification sounded, Xiao Wu grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. "No, no, Teacher Li hates tardiness the most. Last time Wang Hu was half an hour late, and he really ran ten laps!"

Pulled along by Xiao Wu, Tang San deliberately slowed his pace, occasionally exclaiming, "Ouch!" as if he'd tripped on a pebble by the roadside. "See? Walking too fast makes you prone to falling. It's better to go slower." Xiao Wu had no choice but to slow down, and the two ambled towards the training ground.

By the time they reached the training ground, most of the students had already arrived. Teacher Li stood in the center, a burly middle-aged man whose Martial Soul was a battle axe. He looked very stern. He glanced at Tang San and Xiao Wu, said nothing more, and simply waved his hand. "Get in line quickly, class is about to start."

Tang San pulled Xiao Wu to the back of the line, calculating in his mind—the practical class would definitely involve practicing Martial Soul application. He needed to find a way to "reduce high-intensity training" to accumulate Slacking Value.

Teacher Li cleared his throat. "Today's practical class will focus on the basic application of Martial Souls. Everyone will be divided into two groups. One group will practice summoning and retracting their Martial Souls, and the other will practice basic Martial Soul attacks. We'll switch after half an hour. Get moving, no slacking!"

The students dispersed. Wang Hu and his two companions called out to Tang San, "Tang San, come practice basic attacks with us! It'll be fun!"

Tang San quickly shook his head and pointed to the group practicing summoning their Martial Souls. "No, my Soul Power is weak, so I can't exert much force with basic attacks. I'll practice summoning first; it's simpler." He deliberately chose a less demanding, low-consumption activity, which fit his "slacking" persona and helped him avoid strenuous training.

[Voluntarily choosing a low-intensity training activity to avoid high-intensity physical exertion, Slacking Value +1, current total 24 points]

He walked over to the summoning group and began practicing with the other students. Everyone else summoned and retracted their Martial Souls quickly, practicing repeatedly. Only Tang San was slow and deliberate—he deliberately slowed down the summoning process, allowing the phantom image of the Blue Silver Grass to materialize gradually. He also deliberately delayed the retraction, being half a beat slower than everyone else.

Teacher Li came over to inspect and frowned upon seeing Tang San's performance. "Tang San, why are you practicing so slowly? Put some effort into it! Martial Soul summoning needs to be fast. If you encounter an enemy, you'll be defeated before you can even summon it!"

Tang San quickly feigned nervousness and slightly increased his speed, but deliberately controlled his strength, making the phantom image of the Blue Silver Grass appear weaker. "Teacher, my Soul Power is weak, so I can't be fast. I get dizzy if I exert myself."

Teacher Li glanced at his Blue Silver Grass and then felt his forehead. Finding no abnormalities, he sighed, "Then practice slowly and don't push yourself. Be careful." He then turned to check on the others.

[Using weak Soul Power as an excuse to reduce training intensity, evading the teacher's high-intensity demands, Slacking Value +1, current total 25 points]

Tang San breathed a sigh of relief and continued his slow practice. Xiao Wu, practicing basic attacks nearby, her rabbit Martial Soul was very agile, and she could unleash a wave of Soul Power with a light hop. Seeing Tang San practicing slowly, she took a moment to run over. "Tang San, let me teach you basic attacks, it's really simple. Look—"

Just as she was about to demonstrate, Tang San quickly waved his hands. "No, no, I'll focus on practicing summoning first. Basic attacks consume too much Soul Power. My current Soul Power would be gone after two attempts, and then I'd have to rest, which would delay things."

[Refusing others' high-intensity training suggestions, avoiding additional physical exertion, Slacking Value +1, current total 26 points]

Xiao Wu had no choice but to return to her practice. After practicing for a while, Tang San deliberately pretended to be "exhausted" and leaned against a nearby tree trunk to rest, holding his cloth bag and pretending to "wipe sweat." "I'm too tired, I need to rest before continuing. Otherwise, my Soul Power won't keep up."

The other students were diligently practicing, but he was leaning against a tree. Teacher Li glanced at him but said nothing—after all, Tang San's Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, and his Soul Power was weak, so he truly couldn't withstand high-intensity training.

[Proactively increasing rest time to avoid energy depletion from overtraining, Slacking Value +1, current total 27 points]

Half an hour passed quickly. Teacher Li blew a whistle. "Switch projects! Those practicing summoning will now practice basic attacks, and those practicing attacks will practice summoning!"

Tang San's heart skipped a beat, and he slowly walked to the basic attack area. Wang Hu patted his shoulder. "Tang San, don't worry, I'll teach you. It's simple!"

Tang San deliberately feigned "nervousness," summoned his Blue Silver Grass, and swung it forward gently—the Blue Silver Grass drooped softly to the ground, not even touching the grass blades. "See, I really don't have any strength; I can't swing it hard."

Wang Hu was exasperated. "Then just swing it lightly, make a show of it, and don't let Teacher Li accuse you of slacking."

Tang San nodded and continued to swing his Blue Silver Grass "for show," even slower and lighter than before. Teacher Li walked over, looked at his movements, and said nothing more, only admonishing, "Try to put in some effort. Practice as much as you can."

[Using weak Soul Power as an excuse to reduce training intensity, evading high-intensity demands, Slacking Value +1, current total 28 points]

Another half hour passed, and the dismissal bell finally rang. The students were all drenched in sweat, exhausted, except for Tang San, whose face was flushed and who didn't look tired at all. Xiao Wu ran over, panting, "I'm exhausted! I practiced all afternoon, and my Soul Power is almost depleted. Tang San, why aren't you tired at all?"

Tang San smiled and rubbed his arm. "I practice slowly, so I consume less energy, of course, I'm not tired. Look at you, practicing so intensely, you must be tired."

[Actively emphasizing the advantages of low-intensity training, reinforcing the slacking persona, Slacking Value +1, current total 29 points]

The two ambled back towards the dorms and encountered Master Yu Xiaogang on the way. He looked at Tang San and asked, "How was the practical class this afternoon? Did you encounter any difficulties?"

Tang San quickly shook his head. "No, Teacher Li was very considerate and let me practice simple exercises. It's just that my Soul Power is weak, so it's a bit strenuous." He continued to "downplay his abilities" to avoid attracting Master Yu Xiaogang's attention.

Master Yu Xiaogang nodded. "It's okay if your Soul Power is weak; take your time. In tomorrow's theory class, I'll teach you basic Soul Power recovery methods. Listen carefully; it will be helpful."

"Thank you, Master," Tang San said quickly, bowing his head and watching Master Yu Xiaogang leave.

Back in the dorm, Wang Hu and his two companions collapsed onto their beds, groaning, "I never want to attend another practical class again." Tang San sat on his own bed and opened his system panel—29 points of Slacking Value. He was still 11 points away from the next exchange for "trace soul power increase."

"Tomorrow's theory class should be enough to earn the remaining Slacking Value," he mused, leaning against the wall and slowly flipping through "Fundamentals of Martial Souls." The sky outside gradually darkened, and the dorm was quiet, with only the faint rustling of pages.

Tang San knew that as long as he persisted in "slacking," his Soul Power would steadily improve, without the need to train himself to exhaustion like the other students. This "peak slacking path," though slow, was steady.