After the snow, the sky cleared. Morning light streamed through the window cracks onto the dormitory floor, casting scattered specks of light. Tang San was awakened by the sound of snow being swept outside. When he opened his eyes, Wang Hu and the other two were already gathered around the table, sorting out their training gear. Seeing that he was awake, Li Qing handed him a warm roasted sweet potato. "Tang San, eat up. This morning's training is 'practical prediction.' Teacher Zhang said we'll be simulating real combat scenarios, using moving dummies as targets. We need to get there early and familiarize ourselves with the dummies' movement patterns."
Tang San took the sweet potato but did not eat it right away. Instead, he stretched lazily and slowly folded his blanket. "What's the rush? The ground is still slippery after the snow, and the dummies definitely won't move fast. Going early would just mean waiting around. I'll wash up first. You guys go claim spots closer to the dummies so you can see their movements clearly." Only after the three of them left with sweet potatoes tucked away did he slowly nibble on his own. While washing up, he deliberately spent another half an incense stick's worth of time wiping snow stains from his boots. By the time he headed to the morning training ground, a path had already been cleared through the snow by the field.
Proactively delay morning training departure, avoiding post-snow ground hazards and excessive waiting, Slacking Value +1, current total: 17 points
At the morning training ground, several wooden dummies had been fixed onto Slide Rails. With a push, they could move along the tracks. Their arms were also tied with cork "weapons." Teacher Zhang stood beside the rails with a control lever in hand. "Today, we're practicing practical prediction. The dummies will move along the tracks and swing their 'weapons.' While they're moving, you need to sense their attack paths, dodge the 'weapons,' and lightly block the dummies with your martial souls. Five effective blocks each, and you pass!"
Tang San stood at the back of the line, watching the students ahead quickly dodge the dummies' "attacks" and accurately block them. He calculated silently, Practical training consumes too much Soul Power. I need to find another excuse to reduce the expenditure. When his turn came, he summoned Blue Silver Grass and deliberately slowed the sensing frequency of its leaves by half a beat. When the dummy moved in front of him, he "just barely" sidestepped the "weapon." When blocking, he merely let the Blue Silver Grass lightly touch the dummy without exerting force, making it seem as though he was adapting to the dummy's movement rhythm.
"Tang San, why are you only dodging and not blocking? The dummy isn't even moving that fast. Is blocking really so difficult?" Teacher Zhang walked over, still slowly pushing the dummy with the control lever.
"Teacher, practical scenarios are different from the wooden targets we used before. The dummy has an 'attack' motion, so I need to determine the 'weapon's' path before I can block it. If I move too quickly, I might get hit by the 'weapon' instead, and then I'd fail." Tang San put on a serious expression as he observed the dummy's movements. When it approached again, he lightly blocked its arm with Blue Silver Grass. "See? I've just gotten a grasp on its 'attack' rhythm. Next time, I'll be able to block more steadily."
Using "adapting to practical attack rhythms" as a reason to reduce blocking strength, avoiding excessive expenditure, Slacking Value +1, current total: 18 points
Teacher Zhang said nothing more and merely told him to "practice three more sets." Tang San trained at an unhurried pace, completing only one effective block per set. He maintained the perfect state of "adapting to the rhythm but not yet proficient," avoiding any additional punishment training.
After morning training ended, Xiao Wu handed him a bottle of warm water. "Tang San, you clearly could have blocked quickly just now. Why did you deliberately slow down? Teacher Zhang could tell you were adapting to the rhythm."
"Real combat values steadiness, not speed. Adapting to the rhythm means making fewer mistakes." Tang San unscrewed the cap and drank slowly. "Come on, let's go eat. There'll definitely be hot noodle soup today, and if we're late, it'll be gone."
As the two headed toward the cafeteria, they ran into Master Yu Xiaogang. He carried a cloth bag containing several small cork dummies. "Tang San, come to my office after training this afternoon. I'll teach you 'multi-target practical prediction.' We'll use the small dummies to simulate multiple enemies and sense the attack order in advance. It'll reduce your chances of getting hurt in real combat."
Tang San had just been about to make an excuse when Master Yu Xiaogang spoke first. "Don't tell me you're still adapting to the rhythm. I prepared slow-moving small dummies. We'll start with the simple exercises, and they won't consume much Soul Power."
With no other choice, Tang San nodded. "Understood, Master."
The extra lesson that morning was "team combat simulation training"—the students were divided into two teams of five, using cork weapons in low-intensity confrontations. The focus was on team coordination and predicting teammates' movements to avoid accidental injury. Wang Hu and the other two were assigned to Tang San's team. When roles were assigned, Wang Hu wanted Tang San to be the main attacker, but Tang San shook his head. "I just finished practical prediction training, and my Soul Power hasn't recovered yet. I'll be support. I can block some 'attacks' for you and fill in where needed."
The support role did not need to attack proactively. It only had to help block whenever teammates were being "attacked." During the confrontation, Tang San deliberately slowed his repositioning. Each time, he only used Blue Silver Grass to wrap around a weapon when a teammate was "just about" to be struck by a cork weapon. That way, he kept them from being "injured" without pulling too hard and consuming too much Soul Power.
"Tang San, can't you reposition faster? I was practically about to get 'hit' just now!" Wang Hu was somewhat anxious, his cork sword still fending off the enemy's attacks.
"Team coordination is about balance. If I reposition too quickly, I might disrupt your attacking rhythm. Steady support makes for better coordination." Tang San said with a smile, lightly pulling the cork weapon aside with Blue Silver Grass. "See? You weren't 'hurt,' and it didn't affect your attack either. Isn't that perfect?"
Using "balanced team coordination" as a reason to reduce repositioning speed, avoiding excessive expenditure, Slacking Value +1, current total: 19 points
After the extra lesson ended, Tang San headed to the cafeteria. The moment he reached the entrance, he smelled the fragrance of hot noodle soup. Wang Hu and the other two had already gotten their noodles and were waiting for him. "Tang San, your support was so steady just now. If it had been anyone else, they would've panicked long ago."
"Team coordination relies on understanding, not speed." Tang San accepted a bowl of noodles and ate slowly. "Master's guidance is still waiting this afternoon, so I need to conserve Soul Power. Hurry and eat before it gets cold."
The afternoon extra lesson was "multi-target practical consolidation"—Teacher Zhang placed three moving dummies on the field and had the students sense all three of their "attack" paths at once, dodging while completing blocks. The other students could barely handle two dummies simultaneously, but Tang San deliberately focused on only one. When the other two approached, he "just happened" not to sense them and could only dodge in a rush, failing to block them.
"Tang San, why are you only dealing with one dummy? There may be three of them, but they're moving slowly. Can't you sense one more?" Teacher Zhang walked over, still adjusting the dummies' speed with the control lever.
"Teacher, multi-target combat has to be handled one at a time. First, I need to master one, then increase the number. Otherwise, I'll lose sight of one thing while focusing on another and end up handling neither well." Tang San hurriedly replied, his eyes fixed on the dummy before him. "See? I've only just mastered this dummy's 'attack' rhythm. If I add another, I'll definitely be able to handle it."
Teacher Zhang considered it and found his words reasonable, so he could only nod. "Fine. Practice with one for now. Tomorrow, we'll increase it to two."
Using "gradually improving multi-target ability" as a reason to reduce the number of targets handled, avoiding excessive expenditure, Slacking Value +1, current total: 20 points
After the extra lesson ended, Tang San went straight to Master Yu Xiaogang's office. Inside, Master Yu Xiaogang had already arranged the small dummies on the desk. Each dummy was connected to a thin string, and pulling the string would make it perform an "attack" motion. "Today, we'll practice multi-target practical prediction. Watch these two small dummies. I'll pull the strings and have them 'attack' in turns. You need to tell me which dummy attacks first. You only pass if you answer correctly every time."
Following the instructions, Tang San summoned Blue Silver Grass and deliberately restricted the sensing range of its leaves to cover only the two small dummies. Whenever the strings were pulled, he would "just happen" to pause, as though distinguishing the "attack" order. Occasionally, he even gave the wrong answer, pretending that he had only just become familiar with the dummies' movements.
"How are you still getting it wrong? The interval between the two dummies' 'attacks' is so long, yet you still can't tell them apart?" Master Yu Xiaogang frowned and lengthened the intervals between the string pulls.
"The small dummies' 'attack' motions are too similar. I need to carefully observe the details to tell their order apart. If it's too fast, it's easy to misidentify them." Tang San quickly explained. When the strings were pulled again, he slowly stated the "attack" order. "See? I've only just distinguished the movement details. Next time, I'll get it right."
Master Yu Xiaogang said nothing more and simply told him to "practice five more sets." Tang San trained at an unhurried pace, getting only three answers right in each set. He maintained the perfect state of "becoming familiar with the details but not yet proficient," avoiding any extra practice.
When he left the office, the sky had already turned rosy with sunset. Xiao Wu was waiting outside. "Tang San, you got out pretty early today. Master didn't keep you for extra practice?"
"Master slowed down the intervals between the small dummies' 'attacks,' so it wasn't as tiring." Tang San stretched. "Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving."
As the two headed toward the cafeteria, Tang San calculated silently, I earned four points of Slacking Value today, and I practiced prediction during practical training too. Even with Master watching me, I didn't consume much Soul Power. That's a guaranteed profit. As long as I keep finding new excuses like 'adapting to practical rhythms' and 'team coordination,' I'll definitely accumulate Slacking Value even faster.
The cafeteria lights were on. Tang San looked at the food before him and ate slowly. He knew that as long as he kept using new reasons like "gradual improvement" and "adapting to the rhythm" to reduce his expenditure, then no matter how much practical training the academy added or how detailed Master's guidance became, he could steadily continue down his "path to the peak of slacking," growing stronger step by step.
Before you continue