As morning light filtered through the window gauze, Tang San gently infused Soul Power into the Soul Power crystal ball by his pillow. The crystal ball gave off only a faint blue glow, maintained precisely at a level that looked like he was trying without truly giving it his all. Wang Hu and the other two were gathered around the table organizing last night's training notes. Seeing that he was awake, Zhao Yu handed him a warm sesame flatbread. "Tang San, eat up. This morning's training is on 'Soul Skill Connection and Soul Power Distribution.' Teacher Zhang said we need to control our Soul Power output through connected movements. We can't waste Soul Power, so we need to get there early and adapt to the distribution rhythm."
Tang San withdrew his Soul Power and accepted the flatbread, but instead of eating it immediately, he first rotated his wrist. "What's the rush? There's still the time it takes an incense stick to burn before morning training. I'll wash up first. You guys go save spots near the wooden stakes so you can see the Soul Power trails clearly." Only after the three of them left with their flatbreads did he slowly start nibbling his. While washing up, he deliberately spent another half an incense stick's worth of time applying cold water to his hands—"pretending to ease training fatigue" could both delay him and make his later "slow-paced distribution" seem more reasonable. By the time he headed to the training ground, quite a few people were already practicing Soul Power control against the wooden stakes.
Proactively delay morning training departure, avoiding the drain of overly early, high-intensity Soul Power distribution training. Slacking Value +1. Current total: 29.
At the morning training ground, several wooden boxes containing Soul Power sensing paper had been placed beside the stakes. Teacher Zhang held a small scale, while bamboo slips for recording Soul Power output lay beside him. "Today, we're training Soul Skill Connection and Soul Power Distribution. During the continuous sequence of 'dodge—initiate—simulated output,' you must control the Soul Power consumed at every stage. Use ten percent for dodging, twenty percent for initiating, and thirty percent for output. Total consumption must not exceed sixty percent. Complete three qualified distributions, and you pass!" After saying that, he stuck a sheet of sensing paper onto a wooden stake. "When you output, lighting the sensing paper up to halfway counts as meeting the standard. Too bright means wasted Soul Power."
Tang San stood at the back of the line, watching the students ahead rapidly complete their movements, their sensing paper lighting up exactly halfway. He calculated silently—Soul Power distribution training drained too much energy. He had to find another excuse to reduce the consumption. When it was his turn, he summoned Blue Silver Grass and deliberately slowed his Soul Power distribution rhythm by half a beat. He used only five percent Soul Power while dodging, making his movements look somewhat stiff. When initiating, he barely used twenty percent, and even the phantom of Blue Silver Grass looked unstable. For output, he used only twenty percent as well, making the sensing paper light up only one-third of the way, nowhere near halfway.
"Tang San, why is your distribution so skewed? Too little Soul Power while dodging could get you hurt, and too little for output makes it ineffective!" Teacher Zhang walked over, still weighing the simulated Soul Power on his small scale. "Didn't I teach the basic distribution ratios yesterday? Why are you still getting it wrong?"
"Teacher, Soul Power distribution can't just be forced into fixed ratios. It has to adapt to your own movement rhythm. My dodging movements are slow, so five percent Soul Power is just enough to keep them steady. When initiating, I have to adjust Blue Silver Grass's toughness, and twenty percent is just enough to control it. If I use thirty percent for output, it could disrupt the previous rhythm and waste even more Soul Power instead." Tang San pretended to seriously adjust its toughness. When he performed the movement again, he still used only twenty percent Soul Power for output, and the sensing paper lit up one-quarter of the way. "See? I've only just started to get a feel for adapting to the rhythm. I still need more practice before the ratio and rhythm can match."
Adjusting consumption ratios under the excuse of "adapting Soul Power distribution to movement rhythm," avoiding excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1. Current total: 30.
Teacher Zhang said nothing further and merely told him to "practice three more sets." Tang San trained at an unhurried pace, making the sensing paper light up between one-third and one-quarter of the way in every set. He maintained the exact state of "adapting to the rhythm but not yet meeting the standard," avoiding any extra punishment training.
After morning training ended, Xiao Wu handed him a bottle of warm water. "Tang San, you clearly could have followed the ratios just now. Why did you deliberately lower your output? Teacher Zhang was practically too embarrassed to point out that your sensing paper didn't light up enough."
"Distribution is about adapting to the rhythm, not forcing the ratios. Slow adaptation wastes less Soul Power." Tang San unscrewed the cap and drank slowly. "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria. There'll definitely be vegetable buns today. If we're late, they'll be gone."
As the two walked toward the cafeteria, they ran into Master Yu Xiaogang. He carried a cloth bundle containing bamboo slips with records of last night's combat sparring. "Tang San, come to my office after training this afternoon. I'll teach you 'Combat Review and Soul Power Distribution Adjustment.' After every spar, you need to know where your distribution went wrong so you can fix it next time. Wasting Soul Power in real combat is the same as waiting to die."
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 a simplified review form. We'll start with one sparring session, so it won't consume much energy."
With no other choice, Tang San nodded. "Understood, Master."
The morning extra lesson was "Simulated Combat Sparring and Review"—the students paired up for low-intensity sparring, then reviewed together where their Soul Power distribution had gone wrong and where their connections had been slow. The focus was on practicing the ability to adjust movements after reviewing them. Wang Hu wanted to pair with Tang San, but Tang San shook his head. "I just finished Soul Power distribution training, and my rhythm still isn't stable. Pairing with you might disrupt your rhythm. Find Li Qing instead. I'll pair with Zhao Yu. His rhythm is slow, so he can cooperate with me for the review."
Zhao Yu's martial soul was a writing brush, and his attack rhythm had always been slow, making it convenient for Tang San to adjust at a leisurely pace during their spar. When the two reviewed their match afterward, Tang San deliberately explained the places where his "Soul Power distribution was wrong" in great detail. From using five percent Soul Power while dodging to twenty percent during output, he found an excuse for every stage, claiming it was all "to adapt to the rhythm." Half a quarter-hour passed, and he still had not finished adjusting his movements. Instead, Zhao Yu's rhythm slowed along with his.
"Tang San, can't you review any faster? There are only a few stages. Why are you talking for so long?" Teacher Li, who was overseeing the reviews, walked over with review records from the other groups in hand. "Hurry up and adjust your movements. Any slower, and you'll miss the next spar."
"Teacher, reviewing isn't just about finding the mistakes. You have to sort out where the mistake happened and why it happened. I used five percent Soul Power while dodging because Zhao Yu's attacks are slow. Using ten percent would make me wait too long instead. I used twenty percent for output because his defense is weak, and twenty percent is enough to suppress him. Using thirty percent would be wasteful. If I don't sort out these details, adjusting the movements would be pointless. I'd make the same mistakes next time." Tang San quickly pointed at the record slip. "Look, I've only just figured out this detail. Once I adjust the movements, they'll definitely be right."
Extending review time under the excuse of "sorting out review details," avoiding the drain of additional sparring. Slacking Value +1. Current total: 31.
Teacher Li said nothing more and turned to guide the other groups. Tang San slowly adjusted his movements with Zhao Yu. By the time they finished, the extra lesson was nearly over. They only had time for one more spar, and they had barely consumed any Soul Power.
After the extra lesson, Tang San headed toward the cafeteria. The moment he reached the entrance, he smelled the fragrance of vegetable buns. Wang Hu and the other two had already gotten their food and were waiting for him. "Tang San, your review was way too detailed just now. Teacher Li was practically urging you along."
"Reviews are about details. Once you sort them out, you'll make fewer mistakes. That's better than blindly adjusting." Tang San picked up a vegetable bun and ate it slowly. "Master's guidance is still waiting this afternoon, so I need to conserve my energy. Hurry up and eat before it gets cold."
The afternoon extra lesson was "Consolidating Multi-Group Combat Reviews"—Teacher Zhang had the students take turns examining other groups' sparring records and analyze where others had made mistakes in Soul Power distribution, training their ability to quickly spot errors. The other students could rapidly point out two or three mistakes, but Tang San deliberately examined everything slowly. Each time, he waited until someone else had finished identifying one mistake before slowly pointing out a "minor error," such as, "He used an extra five percent Soul Power while dodging, which slowed his next initiation."
"Tang San, why are you looking so slowly? You haven't even pointed out such obvious mistakes?" Teacher Zhang walked over, a recording brush still in hand. "The others have already identified three, but you've only named one, and such a tiny detail at that?"
"Teacher, finding mistakes isn't just about the obvious ones. Minor mistakes are the easiest to repeat. Look at this record. He used an extra five percent Soul Power while dodging. It doesn't seem like much, but it delayed his next initiation by half a second. To make up for that half-second, he used another five percent during initiation, and by the final output, he didn't have enough Soul Power left. If you only look at the surface of this kind of Chain Error, you'll make the same mistake again next time." Tang San quickly pointed to the timeline in the record. "Look, I've only just sorted out this Chain Error. After that, finding the other mistakes will be more accurate."
Teacher Zhang thought it over and found his reasoning sound, so he could only nod. "Fine. Then focus on finding detailed mistakes first. Tomorrow, practice finding obvious mistakes."
Reducing error-finding speed under the excuse of "identifying detailed Chain Errors," avoiding excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1. Current total: 32.
After the extra lesson, Tang San headed straight for Master Yu Xiaogang's office. Inside, Master Yu Xiaogang had already spread out the review form, which had a simple combat timeline drawn on it. "Today, we're practicing combat review and Soul Power distribution adjustment. Look at this timeline. Where did the Soul Power distribution go wrong, and how should it be adjusted?"
Tang San leaned closer and deliberately studied it slowly. His finger moved along the timeline bit by bit. Each time, he pointed out a minor mistake first, then slowly explained an adjustment method. Occasionally, he would "accidentally" suggest the wrong adjustment direction, pretending that he had only just sorted out the Chain Error.
"How could you still get the adjustment direction wrong? Didn't I just tell you that if there isn't enough Soul Power for dodging, you should increase it slightly, not reduce it?" Master Yu Xiaogang frowned and drew an adjustment line on the form with his pen. "You must remember that minor mistakes are connected in a chain. When adjusting one part, you need to consider the later stages. You can't focus only on what is right in front of you."
"Chain Errors are more complicated than I thought. I have to slowly sort out how every stage relates to the others. If I go too fast, I'll lose sight of one thing while attending to another." Tang San quickly adjusted his thinking. When he analyzed another timeline, he finally gave the correct adjustment method. "See? Now that I've sorted out the relationships between the stages, I'll be able to adjust them correctly next time."
Master Yu Xiaogang said nothing further and merely told him to "practice five more sets." Tang San trained at an unhurried pace, correctly analyzing only two timelines in each set. He maintained the exact state of "sorting out the connections between stages but not yet proficient," avoiding any additional training.
When he left the office, the sky had already been dyed orange by the evening glow. Xiao Wu was waiting at the door. "Tang San, you got out pretty early today. Master didn't keep you for extra training?"
"Master helped me sort out the connections between the stages and even drew adjustment lines for me, so practicing wasn't so exhausting." Tang San stretched lazily. "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria. I'm starving."
As the two headed toward the cafeteria, Tang San calculated silently. He had accumulated four points of Slacking Value today, and he had also practiced connecting the stages during the reviews. Although Master had kept an eye on him, he had not spent too much Soul Power or energy. It was a guaranteed profit. As long as he kept finding new excuses like "sorting out stage connections" and "detailed Chain Errors," he would definitely accumulate Slacking Value even faster.
The cafeteria lamps shone brightly. Tang San looked at the food before him and ate slowly—he knew that as long as he persisted in using excuses like "sorting out stage connections" and "rhythm adaptation adjustments" to reduce consumption, then no matter how many review drills the academy added or how meticulously Master refined his Soul Power distribution guidance, his path to the "Peak of Slacking" would continue steadily onward, and he would grow stronger step by step.
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