Breathing Technique Activated! Another Upgrade!

Morning.

The morning breeze parted the corner of the curtain, and sunlight flowed in like golden threads through the warp and weft of the silk.

Dust motes danced in Brownian motion within the light beams, blurring the wood grain on the desk into shimmering, moving spots of light.

Fang Qingyu got up and walked to the window, pulling open the curtains.

He wanted to air out the room, which hadn't seen much sun in a month.

Finally, it stopped raining.

There was a saying online, "You say spring isn't late, but my underwear hasn't dried in a month." That had become a reality in April.

Fang Qingyu basked in the sun for a while.

All his cells, dormant for a day, seemed to emerge with the sunlight, slowly awakening.

A feeling of weakness had stayed with him yesterday.

He had managed to follow the 12 two-hour periods of the day described in ancient historical texts precisely.

He only fully recovered this morning after waking up.

Time to train!

Fang Qingyu was already eager.

He grabbed his backpack and rushed downstairs. After a quick breakfast of three baskets of xiaolongbao and a bowl of wontons at a breakfast shop, he rode his electric scooter to the martial hall.

It had only been a day.

Looking up at the Chenfeng Martial Hall sign, he felt an unusual sense of familiarity.

"Are you going to stand there like a door god?"

Qin Hui's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Instructor Qin."

Hearing this, Fang Qingyu immediately turned his head and greeted him with a smile.

"Go on in. Did you rest well yesterday?"

Instructor Qin led the way into the martial hall, asking casually.

"Yes."

Yesterday, Fang Qingyu had only done four things.

Saving money, delivering food, working as a security guard, and practicing the breathing technique.

None of them were physically demanding. Compared to martial arts training, they were incredibly easy.

"Mm, while it's true that practicing martial arts is like sailing against the current – if you don't advance, you fall back – when your boat is about to capsize, you also need to pull ashore and repair it."

Instructor Qin was quite pleased to hear that Fang Qingyu had rested well.

It was rare to find a promising talent, and he didn't want him to burn himself out.

"Go train."

Upon entering the martial hall, Instructor Qin waved his hand dismissively.

"Got it."

Fang Qingyu then headed to the locker room to change.

"How's the breathing technique?"

Instructor Zheng stood by the weapon rack, as meticulous as ever. Seeing Fang Qingyu approach, his first question was about his progress.

"I feel like I'm close to mastering it."

Fang Qingyu answered truthfully, his gaze falling on Instructor Zheng's right hand, which was in a cast.

"Instructor Zheng, what happened to you?"

"Oh, I fell. It's nothing serious. How long can you maintain it now?"

Instructor Zheng glanced at his right hand, his expression unchanged, as if it were an insignificant matter.

"30 seconds."

Seeing this, Fang Qingyu didn't press the issue.

"Then you are indeed close to mastering it. Later, when you practice Baguazhang with Coach Lin, you'll need to maintain the rhythm of your breathing technique."

Instructor Zheng nodded in approval. It was clear from his words that Fang Qingyu hadn't slacked off during the holiday.

"Okay."

Although Instructor Zheng wasn't as personable as Instructor Qin, he was equally dedicated to teaching.

Even with his arm in a cast, he was constantly instructing others.

Fang Qingyu, as usual, found a corner with Qi Hao to practice the breathing technique through sparring.

"Stop, stop, stop!!"

After a short while, Qi Hao jumped back with a look of surprise, shouting.

"What's your punching power now?"

"I don't know, I haven't tested it these past two days."

Fang Qingyu shook his head.

"You test it first."

Qi Hao insisted on dragging Fang Qingyu to a machine nearby.

Bang—

Fang Qingyu held his breath, concentrating, and applied the little knowledge of Bajiquan he had learned.

155KG!!

"?"

"What was yours last time?"

Qi Hao was stunned and turned his head.

"143."

Fang Qingyu answered honestly.

He had added a bit of strength after practicing boxing the day before yesterday, so this number wasn't really surprising.

"."

Qi Hao fell silent, his mouth twitching.

Gaining over ten pounds of punching power in a day, and yesterday was a holiday.

"What, can't handle the blow?"

Fang Qingyu walked over to him, suppressing a laugh.

He had seen this scene before.

On Instructor Qin.

"Heh heh."

Qi Hao forced a smile, turning around.

"Come on, let's continue practicing."

"He's Fang Qingyu."

While the two were fighting intensely, Instructor Zheng introduced Fang Qingyu to someone nearby.

"Mm."

Coach Lin crossed his arms, watching calmly.

During their spar, even with his increased strength, Fang Qingyu was still being completely dominated.

However, Qi Hao wasn't using any martial arts techniques.

They were just using the most basic stance training, exchanging punches.

When the opponent's strength and reaction speed were superior, Fang Qingyu not only had to avoid getting beaten too badly but also maintain his breathing rhythm.

However, the scene wasn't as disastrous as one might imagine.

Whenever he entered the Dragon Hibernation Breath state.

After he could slightly make out Qi Hao's movements, the Weakness Gaze skill began to take effect.

For some movements he couldn't react to in time, his mind would automatically form the trajectory of the next move, allowing Fang Qingyu to anticipate.

"Have you learned martial arts before?"

Coach Lin frowned slightly as he watched from the side.

"No, Fang Qingyu, male, 18 years old, grew up in Guangyi Orphanage. He claimed to have a brain condition as a child, but no problems were found at the hospital. His grades were always very poor. He met Qi Hao in high school and was introduced here to study a few months after graduation. His records are very clean."

Instructor Zheng shook his head, having memorized Fang Qingyu's life story.

"That's rather interesting."

Coach Lin looked at the fight thoughtfully after hearing this.

However, before the fight was over, Fang Qingyu suddenly raised his hand.

Qi Hao, who was just throwing a punch, stopped abruptly in mid-air, almost suffocating himself.

Fang Qingyu ignored him, let out a long breath, and closed his eyes.

[Congratulations on activating the professional advancement skill "Dragon Hibernation Breath".]

A lot of insights about Dragon Hibernation Breath instantly flooded his mind.

It was another unique experience of learning a skill.

He could actually use it from the moment it was activated.

It's just that the duration is a bit hard to describe.

But now it's good.

Fang Qingyu flipped open the atlas.

[Profession: Martial Arts Apprentice Lv.2 (38/200)]
[Talent: Martial Seed (★)]
[.]
[Advancement Skill 2: Dragon Hibernation Breath Lv.1 (0/100)]+
[.]
[Skill Points: 2]

He currently had two skill points saved up; both the Delivery Driver and Security Guard professions had leveled up some time ago.

He was just waiting for this very moment!

He directly clicked the plus sign next to Dragon Hibernation Breath.

The instant the skill points were injected, Fang Qingyu felt as if he had fallen into a deep pool.

Waves formed an ancient rhythm by his ears, his pores opened and closed with the sound waves, and he could clearly sense the airflow rushing in through his nostrils.

The previously awkward breathing rhythm suddenly had its code cracked.

"Awesome!!!"

Fang Qingyu opened his eyes and couldn't help but let out a long breath.

He felt much more clear-headed.

"You've gotten started???"

Qi Hao, who was closest, looked at the familiar scene and asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

Fang Qingyu nodded, then looked at him with excitement.

"Again, you don't need to teach me the breathing technique this time!"

Dragon Hibernation Breath activated!

Fang Qingyu wanted to see how long the Level 2 breathing technique would last in combat.

"Damn it, how are we supposed to play if there are freaks like you!!"

Qi Hao was a little frantic at this, and shouted before charging forward as well.

Coach Lin stood to the side, frowning slightly.

If he remembered correctly, Fang Qingyu had only joined the Formal Class the day before yesterday.

He learned the breathing technique in two days!?