Tang San leaned against the edge of his dorm bed, slowly flipping through the Martial Soul Basic Theory Master Yu Xiaogang had given him. Sunlight streamed through the window onto the pages, warm enough to make him drowsy. He deliberately read very slowly, rereading every line twice, both to "reduce reading speed and lower energy consumption" and to wait until the afternoon practical class drew closer—after all, getting to the training ground early only meant waiting, so he might as well rest in the dorm a little longer.
About half an hour later, the dorm door was pushed open, and Xiao Wu skipped back inside, sweat still on her forehead. "Tang San, hurry up! This afternoon is practical class. Teacher Li, who teaches martial soul application, is really strict. If you're late, you'll have to run ten laps around the training ground!"
Tang San closed his book and deliberately took his time putting it into his cloth bag before straightening his clothes. "What's the rush? There's still fifteen minutes before class. We can walk slowly and still make it. If we run there, we'll just have to wait when we arrive. What a waste of energy."
Deliberately delayed departure, avoiding the physical exertion of rushing. Slacking Value +1, current total: 23 points
As soon as the system prompt faded, Xiao Wu grabbed him and pulled him outside. "No, no! Teacher Li hates lateness most. Last time, Wang Hu was late by fifteen minutes and really had to run ten laps!"
Tang San let her pull him along, deliberately slowing his pace. Every so often, he cried, "Ow!" and pretended to trip over a pebble by the roadside. "See? Walking too fast makes it easy to fall. Slower is better." Xiao Wu had no choice but to slow down as well, and the two of them strolled toward the training ground.
By the time they arrived, most of the students were already there. Teacher Li stood in the middle of the training ground. He was a burly middle-aged man whose martial soul was a battle axe, and he looked stern. He glanced at Tang San and Xiao Wu but said nothing, merely waving a hand. "Get in line. Class is about to begin."
Tang San pulled Xiao Wu to the back of the formation, calculating to himself—practical class would definitely involve training martial soul application. He needed to find a way to "reduce intense training" if he wanted to earn Slacking Value.
Teacher Li cleared his throat. "Today's practical class is basic martial soul application. Everyone will divide into two groups. One group will practice summoning and dismissing martial souls, while the other will practice basic martial soul attacks. You'll switch after half an hour. Get moving, and don't slack off!"
The students scattered at once. Wang Hu and two others called out to Tang San, "Tang San, come practice basic attacks with us! It'll be lively!"
Tang San quickly shook his head and pointed to the group practicing martial soul summoning. "No, my Soul Power is weak. Basic attacks won't have much force anyway. I'll practice summoning first. It's easier." He deliberately chose the less difficult, less demanding exercise. It suited his "slacker" image while helping him avoid intense training.
Deliberately chose a low-intensity training exercise, avoiding high-intensity physical exertion. Slacking Value +1, current total: 24 points
He walked over to the martial soul summoning group and practiced alongside the other students. Everyone else rapidly summoned their martial souls, then quickly dismissed them, repeating the process over and over. Only Tang San moved at a snail's pace—when summoning his martial soul, he deliberately slowed down and made the phantom of Blue Silver Grass appear bit by bit. When dismissing it, he dragged things out as well, always half a beat slower than everyone else.
Teacher Li came over to inspect them. Seeing Tang San's pace, he frowned. "Tang San, why are you practicing so slowly? Put some strength into it. Martial souls need to be summoned quickly. Otherwise, when you encounter an enemy, you'll be knocked down before you can even summon yours!"
Tang San hurriedly put on a nervous expression and increased his speed a little, but he deliberately controlled his strength so that the phantom of Blue Silver Grass looked even weaker. "Teacher, my Soul Power is weak. I can't go any faster. Whenever I exert myself, I get dizzy."
Teacher Li glanced at his Blue Silver Grass, then touched his forehead. Finding nothing unusual, he could only sigh. "Then practice slowly. Don't force yourself, and be careful." With that, he turned to inspect the others.
Used weak Soul Power as an excuse to reduce training intensity, avoiding the teacher's high-intensity demands. Slacking Value +1, current total: 25 points
Tang San relaxed and continued practicing at an unhurried pace. Xiao Wu was nearby practicing basic attacks. Her rabbit martial soul was nimble, and with a light jump, she could unleash a wave of Soul Power. Seeing Tang San move so slowly, she took a moment to run over. "Tang San, let me teach you basic attacks. It's really simple, look—"
Before she could demonstrate, Tang San hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no. I should master summoning first. Basic attacks consume too much Soul Power. With the little Soul Power I have, I'd be drained after just two tries. Then I'd have to rest, which would only waste time."
Refused another person's high-intensity training suggestion, avoiding additional physical exertion. Slacking Value +1, current total: 26 points
Xiao Wu could only return to her practice. After training for a while, Tang San deliberately pretended to be "too exhausted to continue" and leaned against a nearby tree trunk to rest. He even held his cloth bag in one hand, pretending to "wipe sweat." "I'm too tired. I'll rest for a while before continuing, or my Soul Power won't keep up."
The other students were all training hard with their heads down, while he alone rested against the 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. He really could not withstand high-intensity training.
Deliberately increased rest time, avoiding the energy drain of excessive training. Slacking Value +1, current total: 27 points
Half an hour passed quickly. Teacher Li blew his whistle. "Switch exercises! Those practicing summoning, go practice basic attacks. Those practicing attacks, go practice summoning!"
Tang San's heart skipped a beat. He could only slowly make his way to the basic attack area. Wang Hu patted him on the shoulder. "Tang San, don't be afraid. I'll teach you. It's easy!"
Tang San deliberately put on a "nervous" expression and summoned Blue Silver Grass, then lightly swung it forward—Blue Silver Grass flopped softly onto the ground without even touching the blades of grass beneath it. "See? I really don't have any strength. I can't swing it."
Wang Hu said helplessly, "Then just swing it lightly. At least make it look like you're doing something, so Teacher Li won't accuse you of slacking off."
Tang San nodded and continued making token swings with Blue Silver Grass, even slower and lighter than before. Teacher Li came over, glanced at his movements, and said nothing more than, "Try to put some strength into it. Practice as much as you can."
Used weak Soul Power as an excuse to lower training intensity, avoiding high-intensity demands. Slacking Value +1, current total: 28 points
After another half hour of practice, the dismissal bell finally rang. The students were all drenched in sweat and exhausted, while Tang San's complexion was rosy and he was not tired in the slightest. Xiao Wu ran over, panting. "I'm exhausted! After practicing all afternoon, my Soul Power is almost drained. Tang San, why aren't you tired at all?"
Tang San smiled and rubbed his arm. "I practiced slowly, so I used less energy. Of course I'm not tired. Look at you—you trained so hard, so naturally you're exhausted."
Deliberately emphasized the advantages of low-intensity training, reinforcing the slacker persona. Slacking Value +1, current total: 29 points
The two of them slowly headed back toward the dorm, where they ran into Master Yu Xiaogang. He glanced at Tang San and asked, "How was the practical class this afternoon? Did you run into any difficulties?"
Tang San quickly shook his head. "No. Teacher Li took good care of me and let me practice easier exercises. It's just that my Soul Power is weak, so training is a bit difficult." He continued to downplay his strength, avoiding drawing Master Yu Xiaogang's attention.
Master Yu Xiaogang nodded. "Weak Soul Power is not a problem. Take it slowly. In tomorrow's theory class, I'll explain the basic methods for recovering Soul Power. Listen carefully. It will help you."
"Thank you, Master." Tang San hurriedly thanked him and watched Master Yu Xiaogang leave.
When they returned to the dorm, Wang Hu and the other two collapsed onto their beds, repeatedly crying that they never wanted to attend practical class again. Tang San sat on his own bed and opened the system panel—29 points of Slacking Value. He still needed 11 more points before he could exchange them for a "minor Soul Power increase."
Tomorrow's theory class should be enough to earn the remaining Slacking Value. He leaned against the wall and slowly opened the Martial Soul Basic Theory. Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. The dorm was quiet, with only the soft sound of pages turning.
Tang San knew that as long as he kept "slacking off," his Soul Power would steadily improve. He would not need to train himself to exhaustion like the other students. This road to the "peak of slacking," though slow, was steady.
Before you continue