Saving Enough Slacking Value to Raise Soul Power, Guiding Fish-Slacking to Maintain Rhythm

The morning dew still clung to the windowsill when Tang San was woken by Wang Hu tossing and turning. He opened his eyes, gazing at the dimly lit sky outside, but didn't rush to get up. He'd calculated yesterday that he was just 4 Slacking Value points away from exchanging for Soul Power. Today, he needed to accumulate them steadily, no slip-ups allowed.

"Tang San, hurry up and get up! Today's morning training is testing 'Martial Soul Entanglement Duration.' They say we have to entangle a wooden stake for half an hour. If you're late, there won't be any spots left; they'll all be taken!" Wang Hu said, rubbing his eyes as he sat up and put on his clothes.

Tang San rolled over and slowly sat up. "What's the rush? Morning training doesn't start for another fifteen minutes. Going now just means waiting. I'll wash up first. You guys go grab a stake, I'll be there shortly." He deliberately took his time folding his blanket, adjusting his pillow back and forth. Only after Wang Hu and the other two had left did he grab his towel to wash up. He even took extra time to fill a basin with water and wipe down the table. By the time he walked to the training grounds, quite a few people were already practicing.

[Proactively delayed arrival at morning training, avoided early waiting and consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 47 points]

At the training grounds, Teacher Zhang was walking back and forth with a stopwatch. Seeing Tang San arrive, he pointed to the stake at the far end. "Tang San, get over there and practice. I'll check in half an hour. If you can't hold it, or if it falls off mid-way, you'll be punished with ten laps!"

Tang San quickly walked to the stake and summoned his Blue Silver Grass. Unlike the others who wrapped their grass blades tightly, he merely let them loosely encircle the stake, just enough to hold without slipping. He only channeled twenty percent of his Soul Power. This way, he could conserve Soul Power and easily last the half hour.

Li Qing, standing nearby, glanced over and whispered, "Tang San, if you wrap it so loosely, what if the wind blows it off?"

"I'll just re-wrap it if it falls. There's still time. It's better than using up all my Soul Power by wrapping it too tightly," Tang San chuckled. He loosened the Blue Silver Grass in his hand a bit more, just enough to keep it stable.

Half an hour later, Teacher Zhang came over to inspect. Seeing Tang San's loosely hanging Blue Silver Grass, he frowned. "Tang San, can't you wrap it tighter? If it's this loose, an enemy could break it off instantly!"

"Teacher, my Soul Power is weak. If I wrap it tightly, I can't last half an hour. Looser allows me to persist until the end, which is better than falling off mid-way and getting punished with laps," Tang San quickly replied. He exerted a little more force with his hands, making the grass blades a bit tighter, but still not to the point of being "secure."

[Used "persisting until the end" as an excuse to reduce entanglement strength, avoided excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 48 points]

Teacher Zhang didn't say anything further and turned to check on the others. After morning training concluded, Xiao Wu handed him a handkerchief. "Tang San, if you had loosened it any more just now, your Blue Silver Grass would have definitely fallen off. Luckily, Teacher Zhang didn't make a fuss."

"I had it under control, it wouldn't have fallen," Tang San wiped the sweat from his brow. "Let's go to the mess hall for lunch. We need to get there early today, or the meat buns will be gone."

As the two walked towards the mess hall, they encountered Yu Xiaogang. He was holding a yellowed book, likely just borrowed from the library. "Tang San, after training this afternoon, come to my office. We need to consolidate the 'Blue Silver Grass Perception' I taught you yesterday. I've also found a book on plant Martial Soul perception for you to look at."

Tang San's heart skipped a beat, wanting to find an excuse to refuse, but Yu Xiaogang beat him to it. "Don't make excuses. I've already told the mess hall to save two meat buns for you. Eat quickly and then head to training. If your perception is still clumsy this afternoon, you'll train for an extra hour."

With no other choice, Tang San nodded. "Understood, Master."

The morning's extra class was "Soul Power Recovery Practice." Students were to release their Martial Souls and then meditate in place to recover Soul Power, seeing who could recover the fastest. Wang Hu and the others closed their eyes as soon as they sat down, their Soul Power fluctuations clearly visible. Only Tang San sat there, seemingly meditating, but in reality, he only channeled ten percent of his Soul Power, deliberately slowing his recovery speed to more than half that of the others.

Teacher Li, in charge of the training, walked over and looked at Tang San. "Tang San, why is your recovery so slow? Are you not meditating seriously?"

"Teacher, my Soul Power is weak, so my recovery is naturally slow. Recovering any faster would harm my body. It's safer to recover slowly," Tang San opened his eyes, feigning exhaustion. "See, I've only recovered thirty percent, much slower than them."

Teacher Li glanced at his Soul Power fluctuations; they were indeed weak, so he could only nod. "Alright, then recover slowly, don't push yourself."

[Used "safe recovery" as an excuse to reduce recovery speed, avoided excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 49 points]

After the extra class ended, Tang San hurried to the mess hall. He'd only eaten two meat buns that morning and was starving now. As soon as he arrived, he saw Wang Hu and the other two waiting for him. "Tang San, you were so slow recovering just now. We all finished, and you were only at thirty percent."

"My Soul Power is weak, there's nothing I can do. I'll take it slow," Tang San picked up a meat bun and ate it slowly. "We have training this afternoon, eat quickly so you're not late."

The afternoon's extra class was "Martial Soul Basic Defense Sparring." Students paired up, using their Martial Souls to defend against basic attacks from their partners, seeing whose defense could last longer. Wang Hu wanted to team up with Tang San, but Tang San shook his head. "My defense is weak, I'd only drag you down. You should team up with Li Qing. I'll pair with Zhao Yu."

Zhao Yu's Martial Soul was a calligraphy brush, and its attack power was inherently weak. Teaming up with him was perfect for "easy defense." During their spar, Tang San deliberately kept his Blue Silver Grass limp. Every time Zhao Yu's brush touched the grass, Tang San would intentionally bend the blades, just enough to block the attack without exerting much effort or breaking through his defense.

"Tang San, can you be a bit more serious? Every time you bend the grass this much, it'll break if you bend it any further!" Zhao Yu said with some exasperation. "If this continues, the teacher will scold both of us."

"I'm just afraid of hurting you. It's a spar, after all, no need to be so serious," Tang San said with a smile, his Blue Silver Grass remaining limp. As long as his defense wasn't broken, it wouldn't count as failing, and he'd use less Soul Power.

[Used "afraid of hurting you" as an excuse to reduce defensive strength, avoided excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 50 points]

As soon as the system notification sounded, Tang San's heart leaped with joy. He finally had enough Slacking Value points! After training ended, he found an excuse to split from Xiao Wu and Wang Hu, returning to the dormitory first.

Closing the door, Tang San quickly opened the system panel and clicked "Exchange for Trace Soul Power Increase." A warm current instantly surged through his body. The Soul Power in his dantian felt noticeably fuller, a stronger sensation than the last time. The system notification chimed: [Successfully exchanged for "Trace Soul Power Increase," current Soul Power Level: Level 15 (Trace Increase), remaining Slacking Value: 0 points].

"Level 15!" Tang San was ecstatic. He leaned against the wall, resting for a moment before heading to Yu Xiaogang's office.

In the office, Yu Xiaogang had already placed a book on the desk. Beside it was a basin of clear water with a few leaves floating in it. "You're here? Start with 'Blue Silver Grass Perception.' Put your Blue Silver Grass into the water, use your Soul Power to guide it, and perceive the position of the leaves. This time, you must accurately state the number of leaves and their arrangement; no mistakes."

Tang San followed the instructions, placing his Blue Silver Grass into the water. He deliberately channeled only forty percent of his Soul Power. The Blue Silver Grass swayed gently in the water. After perceiving the leaves, he deliberately slowed his response, pausing several times as if he had "just perceived it."

"Not bad, much more proficient than yesterday," Yu Xiaogang nodded, handing the book to Tang San. "Take this book with you and study it carefully. It contains many techniques for plant Martial Soul perception that will be helpful. Come back tomorrow, and I'll teach you how to use perception to evade enemy attacks."

Tang San took the book and quickly thanked him. "Thank you, Master. I will read it carefully."

By the time he left the office, it was already dark. Xiao Wu was waiting for him at the door. "Tang San, why did you take so long? I've been waiting for you for half an hour. I thought you were being punished by a teacher."

"No, Master was teaching me perception techniques and lent me a book," Tang San waved the book in his hand. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

As they walked towards the mess hall, Tang San pondered: His Soul Power was already Level 15, higher than many classmates, yet no one knew. This was all thanks to slacking off. As long as he continued at this pace, he would definitely grow stronger.

The mess hall lights were on. Tang San looked at the food before him and ate slowly. He knew that as long as he persisted in slacking, his "Peak Slacking Path" would continue, and even with Master's supervision, he could find opportunities to slack off and steadily grow stronger.