Efficiency Problems

From the second day onward, Wang Yu was nowhere to be seen in the main courtyard.

Still, he was only a provisional disciple. He usually trained alone and rarely dealt with others, so his absence did not draw much attention.

Only a few disciples, such as Song Hezheng and Ji Fei, knew what was going on. Wang Yu had received Sun Chengshan's special attention and was cultivating quietly in Sun Chengshan's private courtyard.

"What has this kid done to deserve Master's favor?" Ji Fei leaned against a gate pillar in the inner courtyard, watching Wang Yu memorize the key points of the fist technique atop a boulder in the yard. He frowned as he spoke.

"Junior Brother Wang's cultivation has progressed very quickly, even surpassing the two of us back then. It is only natural for Master to value him. There is nothing strange about it," Song Hezheng said calmly.

He had witnessed Wang Yu's cultivation speed firsthand, though he had not expected Master to notice it so quickly and take him away from the main courtyard.

"Hmph, anyone listening would think he has already reached the Body Tempering First Level." Ji Fei snorted, dissatisfied with Song Hezheng's words.

He did not believe he could be inferior to some brat whose origins no one even knew. He had reached the Body Tempering Third Layer in less than two years!

He wanted to see just when Wang Yu could break through to the Body Tempering First Level.

Not long after the two left, Wang Yu opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

"I finally memorized all the later training methods without missing a single detail."

He summoned the interface in his mind.

Name: Wang Yu

Race: Humanity

Cultivation: Body Tempering First Level

Martial Arts Technique: Shadowless Fist +1

The annotation for Basic Fist Style had disappeared from the martial arts technique section.

After obtaining the subsequent training methods, it had officially changed to Shadowless Fist, which encompassed the Basic Fist Style.

According to Sun Chengshan's guidance, Shadowless Fist had six levels in total, corresponding to all the training methods from the Body Tempering First Level through the Body Tempering Sixth Level.

Aside from tempering the body, the fist technique could also be used in actual combat.

Shadowless Fist possessed combat traits such as agility and swiftness.

Sun Chengshan had demonstrated his Shadowless Fist before, and it had truly opened Wang Yu's eyes.

With the cultivation of the Body Tempering Fifth Level and the fifth level of Shadowless Fist, every move Sun Chengshan made was dazzling beyond measure. Wang Yu could not even catch sight of the fist shadows he threw.

He could only feel gust after gust of fist wind smacking into his face, like a black snake springing up again and again to bite its prey. It chilled the heart and was impossible to guard against.

In one word: fast!

"Next, it is time to keep practicing my fists," Wang Yu thought to himself.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, nearly three months had passed since Wang Yu began learning martial arts.

Over those three months, he barely stepped outside. He remained at the fist gym, throwing himself wholeheartedly into repeated fist practice.

It was tedious, but every day brought visible progress. Bit by bit, the accumulation drew him ever deeper into this world's martial path, and he found joy in it.

It was worth mentioning that the provisional disciples who had entered alongside him had mostly either left or drifted away. Very few had truly reached the Body Tempering First Level.

His former roommate, Li Niushan, had relied on his decent innate physique to pass the test. He reached the Body Tempering First Level and officially entered the gate.

Wang Sanwa, unfortunately, had failed to pass. With no affinity for the martial path, he had left.

Bang!

In the main courtyard, Li Niushan struck the wooden post before him again and again as he practiced his fists. Born with great strength, after learning Shadowless Fist, not only were his punches fast, but they also carried tremendous force. The commotion he made while practicing was truly considerable.

"Morning." Wang Yu arrived in the main courtyard dressed in the black training uniform of a Shadowless Fist Gym disciple and greeted Li Niushan.

Quiet and sparing with words, Li Niushan nodded. "Morning."

His voice was rather deep and muffled, like the bellow of an ox. The man truly lived up to his name.

After greeting each other, the two went back to their own training.

Ever since Wang Yu reached the Body Tempering First Level, he had moved into a room of his own. In truth, the two were only somewhat more familiar with each other than with the other disciples.

He came to a wooden post in a corner. This had practically become his exclusive place for practicing fists.

Few people came to this corner to disturb him.

After loosening his joints a little, Wang Yu took a deep breath and suddenly threw a punch, striking the upper end of the wooden post like lightning.

Bang!

The post immediately shook violently, while a proficiency number, '+2', rose from his fist.

Then his body shifted, his fists flew, and he rapidly struck the wooden post.

Numbers continuously popped up. A few added only one point of proficiency, but most added two at a time.

Wang Yu's expression did not change. He had discovered this long ago.

If he practiced his fists against empty air, the fist technique's proficiency could only increase one point at a time.

But if he practiced against a fist post, he could gain two points of fist technique proficiency at once most of the time.

The conclusion was that different targets for fist practice yielded different amounts of proficiency.

For that reason, he had even sought out his Master, Sun Chengshan, for sparring. In his eyes, Sun Chengshan was the strongest person in the fist gym.

Using him as a training target would surely increase proficiency by much more.

And reality proved him right. Sparring with Sun Chengshan increased his proficiency by a tremendous margin, with efficiency nearly three to five times that of striking a post.

Unfortunately, such opportunities were few. Sun Chengshan seemed to be busy with something during ordinary days, often heading out and disappearing from sight.

Even when he was at the fist gym, he had to instruct others. No matter how much he valued Wang Yu, he could not spend all his time practicing fists with him.

Later, he had also sparred with Li Niushan. At first, when he was at the Body Tempering First Level, the efficiency was indeed higher than striking a post.

But once his cultivation had reached the Body Tempering Second Layer, sparring with Li Niushan became far less efficient.

That was right. In less than three months, he had filled the proficiency for the second level of the fist technique.

His cultivation had likewise reached the Body Tempering Second Layer.

Accordingly, his physical strength had undergone another transformation and enhancement.

But Li Niushan, at the Body Tempering First Level, often could not even withstand a few of his punches before collapsing.

Under such circumstances, he might as well practice on a wooden post that could be replaced without limit. Even if he broke one, he could simply get another from the fist gym.

He had considered sparring with other disciples at the Body Tempering Second Layer, but the disciples with some strength were, first, unfamiliar to him, and second, like Sun Chengshan, frequently away from the gym.

Those who could remain in the courtyard for long periods were mostly provisional disciples who had yet to pass the test, or disciples at the Body Tempering First Level who had only just passed.

Or there was Senior Disciple Brother Song Hezheng, who managed the place.

But this Senior Disciple Brother was also very busy. He had to practice his own fists while instructing all the disciples in the courtyard, so he simply could not spare much additional time to spar with Wang Yu.

Otherwise, he would have been a fine little experience bundle.

Bang bang bang!

A string of violent impacts rang out as Wang Yu threw punches rapidly, shaking the wooden post without pause.

By now, he had acquired a hint of the sharp ferocity Sun Chengshan displayed when throwing punches.

Only when his strength was exhausted and fatigue overwhelmed him did he stop. He was drenched in sweat again, breathing like an ox.

"As my cultivation rises, my stamina improves too. Accumulating proficiency has actually become faster. The third level of this Shadowless Fist should only take another two or three months.

"According to Master, completing the first three levels of the fist technique is relatively easy. The last three are the true major hurdles."

Wang Yu thought to himself as he looked at the battered, cracked wooden post before him.

Next time, he would switch to an iron post. Wooden posts were somewhat too fragile.

Other than their different durability, posts of the two materials gave nearly the same proficiency feedback.

He had tested that long ago.

Furthermore, if he practiced his fists during the period after consuming a treasure material, while its effects were active, the rate at which proficiency increased could also rise dramatically.

Take the salted dried fish in Sun Chengshan's collection, for example. After eating one, his fist-practice proficiency efficiency would basically double for two hours, then gradually weaken over time, with the effects lasting up to a day.

Unfortunately, Sun Chengshan had only a few of those good things. Over the past three months, he had given Wang Yu two, one when Wang Yu reached the Body Tempering First Level and another when he reached the Body Tempering Second Layer.

"Treasure materials..." Wang Yu somewhat missed the salty, bitter taste of that dried fish.

"If I could eat that fish every day, I would probably already be at the Body Tempering Third Layer. Unfortunately, even with money, this stuff cannot be bought now."

And once money was mentioned, Wang Yu's situation was rather strained as well.

After paying the tuition at the beginning, he had only had a little leftover for food.

Now, even that little leftover was gone.

If this continued, even his daily meals might become a problem.

"I need to find a way to make money."