The morning mist had yet to disperse when the bugle sounded across the training grounds. Tang San turned over in bed, listening to Wang Hu and the other two hurriedly get dressed without even opening his eyes. After being forced by the master to train until dark yesterday, today was the perfect excuse to "rest." Even if he only stayed in bed a little longer, he could still save up some Slacking Value.
"Tang San, get up! Teacher Zhang is checking our Martial Soul Entanglement proficiency today. If you're late, you'll definitely be punished!" Zhao Yu shouted as he tied his belt, urgency in his voice.
Tang San rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up. "What's the rush? We don't assemble until the third bugle call. This is only the first one. I'll wash up first. You guys go save us a spot so there won't be anywhere to train later." He deliberately stalled. Only after the three of them had left did he slowly fold his blanket. He even fetched water twice while washing up. By the time he headed for the training grounds, the second bugle call was nearly over.
By deliberately delaying his departure and avoiding premature high-intensity training preparation, Slacking Value +1. Current total: 42 points.
On the training grounds, Teacher Zhang was taking attendance with a roster in hand. When he saw Tang San running over, his expression darkened. "Tang San, you're the last one here again! Get in line. Today, we're practicing 'Martial Soul Entanglement Speed-Up.' Everyone must bind a wooden post tightly within ten breaths. Anyone who fails will run five laps!"
Tang San quickly took his place at the end of the line. Watching the students ahead rapidly bind their wooden posts, he calculated silently. Binding one within ten breaths was not difficult, but binding it too tightly consumed Soul Power. It would be better to barely meet the standard—he could avoid punishment while using less energy. When his turn came, he summoned Blue Silver Grass and deliberately moved slowly for the first seven breaths. Only during the final three did he exert a little force, making the grass blades barely tighten around the post at exactly the ten-breath mark.
"Tang San, you're far too slow! If you're this slow again next time, you'll be punished even if you manage to bind it!" Teacher Zhang frowned, but said nothing more. After all, Tang San had bound it successfully, so there was no reason to punish him.
"Understood, Teacher. I'll try to be faster next time." Tang San agreed aloud, but did not take it to heart. Next time, I can still say my Soul Power is weak and I can't speed up.
By lowering his training intensity under the pretext of "barely meeting the standard" and avoiding excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1. Current total: 43 points.
After morning training ended, Xiao Wu handed him a bottle of water. "Tang San, you nearly ran out of time just now. Why didn't you bind it faster?"
"Binding it quickly uses too much Soul Power. There are extra lessons this morning, so I need to save my strength." Tang San unscrewed the bottle and drank slowly. "Come on, let's eat at the cafeteria. There should be meat buns today."
The two headed toward the cafeteria. As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw Master Yu Xiaogang standing there with the cloth bundle from yesterday in his hand. "Tang San, after this morning's extra lessons, come to my office. I'll teach you how to use Blue Silver Grass to sense your surroundings. It will help with your future cultivation."
Tang San's heart skipped a beat. Sensing the surroundings sounded mentally exhausting, but Master Yu Xiaogang gave him no chance to refuse. He turned and left after speaking. Tang San could only sigh helplessly. "Looks like I can't avoid it today either."
The morning extra lesson was "Soul Power Precision Control Practice." The students had to use their Soul Power to lift pebbles and keep them suspended one inch above their palms for a quarter of an hour without shaking. Wang Hu and the others kept their pebbles perfectly steady, while Tang San's pebble swayed from time to time. He deliberately made it seem as though his control was unstable, yet it never actually fell.
"Tang San, can't you keep it steady? How are you supposed to practice precision control when the pebble is shaking like that?" Teacher Li, who was overseeing the training, walked over with impatience in his tone.
"Teacher, my Soul Power is too weak. I always feel a little strained when controlling it, so I can only do my best to keep it stable." Tang San hurriedly adjusted the Soul Power in his hand slightly, and the pebble swayed less. "Look, it's much better now. If I practice a little longer, I should be able to stabilize it."
Teacher Li said nothing further and turned to guide the others. Tang San inwardly relaxed and continued to "deliberately shake the pebble." As long as it did not fall, he had not failed the requirement, and he could save some Soul Power.
By lowering his control precision under the pretext of "weak Soul Power" and avoiding excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1. Current total: 44 points.
After the extra lesson ended, Tang San had no choice but to go to Master Yu Xiaogang's office. A basin of clear water had already been prepared inside, with several leaves beside it. "Today, I'll teach you 'Blue Silver Grass Sensing.' Put Blue Silver Grass into the water, stimulate it with Soul Power, and sense the positions of the leaves in the water. Without looking, tell me how many leaves there are and the directions in which they are arranged."
Following the instructions, Tang San placed Blue Silver Grass into the water, deliberately using only thirty percent of his Soul Power. The Blue Silver Grass swayed gently in the water, allowing him to sense only a few leaves vaguely. He deliberately gave two wrong directions and omitted one leaf.
"Wrong. Sense it again." Master Yu Xiaogang frowned. "You're using too little Soul Power. Add another thirty percent and sense carefully."
With no other choice, Tang San added another thirty percent of his Soul Power. This time, he finally sensed everything clearly, but deliberately answered slowly and paused several times, pretending he had only just figured it out.
"That's right." Master Yu Xiaogang nodded. "Remember this feeling. Practice for a quarter of an hour every day, and you'll become proficient in half a month. That's enough for today. Don't be late for afternoon training."
Forced to increase sensing intensity. No Slacking Value gained, but by "answering slowly," he avoided excessive performance and lost no value.
Leaving the office, Tang San hurried toward the cafeteria. He had barely eaten in the morning and was already starving. As soon as he arrived, he saw Wang Hu and the other two waiting for him. "Tang San, where did you go just now? We thought the teacher had punished you."
"No, the master called me over to make up the basics." Tang San picked up a meat bun and ate it slowly. "There's training this afternoon too. Eat quickly, or you'll be late."
The afternoon extra lesson was "Basic Martial Soul Attack Sparring." The students formed pairs and exchanged basic attacks. They were not allowed to use Soul Power to injure one another; only attack speed and precision were compared. Wang Hu wanted to pair up with Tang San, but Tang San shook his head. "My attack speed is slow. I'll only hold you back if we're together. Go with Li Qing. I'll pair up with Zhao Yu."
Zhao Yu's martial soul was a writing brush, and his attack speed was slow to begin with. Pairing with him was perfect for a "slow-paced spar." During their practice, Tang San deliberately slowed his attacks. Each time Blue Silver Grass swung out, it only reached halfway before pulling back. His precision was deliberately a little off as well, always narrowly avoiding Zhao Yu's brush without touching him.
"Tang San, can you take this seriously? You miss every time." Zhao Yu sounded helpless. "At this rate, the teacher will criticize both of us."
"I'm just afraid of hurting you. It's only sparring, so there's no need to take it too seriously." Tang San smiled, while the Blue Silver Grass in his hand continued swinging at the same slow pace. As long as the teacher did not reprimand him, slow was fine. It was better than wasting Soul Power.
By lowering sparring intensity under the pretext of "being afraid of hurting someone" and avoiding excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1. Current total: 45 points.
After training ended, Xiao Wu ran over. "Tang San, training ended early today. Let's take a walk around the field and relax."
Tang San's eyes flickered. A walk was easy enough, but reducing extra activity could earn Slacking Value. He deliberately rubbed his leg. "No, I trained all day and my legs are a little sore. I want to go back to the dorm and rest. If you want to take a walk, go find Wang Hu and the others. They'll definitely be willing to go with you."
By declining an extra invitation for a walk and avoiding unnecessary energy expenditure, Slacking Value +1. Current total: 46 points.
Xiao Wu had no choice but to give up and went to find Wang Hu and the other two. Tang San returned to the dorm alone and opened the system panel. He had 46 points of Slacking Value, only 4 points short of his next Soul Power Increase exchange. Leaning against the wall, he calculated silently: If I save 1 point during morning training tomorrow, 2 during the morning extra lessons, and 1 during afternoon training, I'll have 50 points.
The sky outside gradually darkened, and the dorm was quiet. Tang San took out Martial Soul Basic Theory and slowly flipped through it. Before long, he yawned. Although the master had forced him to practice sensing today, he had still accumulated quite a bit of Slacking Value overall. As long as he worked a little harder tomorrow, he could exchange it for a Soul Power Increase.
He closed the book and lay down on the bed with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. No matter how many extra lessons the academy added or how Master Yu Xiaogang urged him on, he could steadily continue down his "path to the pinnacle of slacking." After all, a slow pace and low consumption were the key to saving value and growing stronger.
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