[Intermediate Achievement - Deep Sleep (1/30)]
The next day, Qin Shi still got up early. A full night of meditative training hadn't caused him any trouble.
He was still full of energy, absurdly so.
The mild bruises he'd gotten from yesterday's "beating" in the training room—little scrapes and contusions from taking blows—had healed quickly, too.
The bruises on his arms, calves, and lower back had faded, leaving only faint red marks.
"As the saying goes, sleeping through the night is better than taking ginseng. The wisdom of the old folks really does have something to it.
It's like fast-traveling back to base in a game: close your eyes, heal up in a hot spring, and open them again at full health."
Qin Shi mused that when Old Liang discussed Old Martial Arts theory with him, he often quoted long passages of obscure, hard-to-understand classical text. The parts that had stuck with him most were about sleep.
For example: "In cultivating and nourishing one's qi, good sleep must come first. Sleep restores essence, benefits the body, strengthens the bones, and builds the sinews," and "A sound night's sleep is worth a thousand gold. Seek no immortal prescription—seek a prescription for sleep."
"Scientifically speaking, getting enough quality sleep every day helps maintain cellular vitality, regulate hormones, and improve the immune system and physical fitness."
Qin Shi let out a long breath. The sense of fulfillment that came from improving every day made him relax without even realizing it.
It was like knowing there was an oasis ahead, so he didn't fear the heat or thirst he faced now.
He only needed to keep his head down and walk until he reached his destination.
"Let it sink in! Keep letting it sink in! When school starts, I'll return as a top student and take off in one leap!"
Qin Shi silently cheered himself on, got dressed, and went outside. He filled a basin with cold water and wiped his face with a towel.
While washing up, he looked at the translucent Monument Panel.
[Basic Achievement - Muscle Memory (72%)]
"If I keep training, I'll unlock the related skill next week."
Qin Shi couldn't help humming a few notes. Combat Rewind had helped him tremendously.
An entire night of meditative training had been twice as effective, engraving the basic movements of his fighting techniques deep into his mind.
And his muscles didn't accumulate fatigue or exceed his body's limit.
"Pummeling Brother Yuan over and over was pretty cathartic. I got all my negative feelings out."
After breakfast with his little sister, Qin Lan, Qin Shi headed to Ninth High School as usual.
He arrived late today, but there were no students from the tutoring class. The sports field was deserted, with only the limping Old Liang sitting at the top of the stands.
Feeling a gaze that seemed almost tangible, Qin Shi's heart skipped a beat.
"Old Liang's pretty serious today. Could he have lost money playing cards and drinking last night, and now he's got a bellyful of anger with nowhere to vent it?"
It was said that Martial Artists with high Life Force could project their spirit outward, alter their surroundings, and even trigger weather changes almost like natural disasters.
Old Liang clearly wasn't that powerful, but Qin Shi remembered how he'd felt when they first met: one glare from the man had sent a shiver through him, as if electricity had run across his whole body.
It had been unforgettable!
That was why he believed that this unassuming PE teacher had really fought in the Stellar Cup, and that his Life Force was at least Amateur Seventh Rank.
"Qin Shi, come up. Let's talk."
Old Liang's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't slept all night.
"Whoa, did he not even go home?"
Qin Shi walked over to the stands and caught a pungent whiff of alcohol. A glance from the corner of his eye revealed cigarette butts littering the ground.
In his previous life, he'd seen a scene like this only twice. Once, his childhood friend had confessed to his crush in public and been rejected, only to watch her get into some rich guy's car. With no other choice, he'd sat down to drown his sorrows.
The other time was when he learned that his dad had sold the house and bet everything on soccer, losing it all. Before Qin Shi had even graduated, he was already facing the grim prospect of repaying his father's debts.
"Looking at all the bottles and cigarette butts around Old Liang, I feel like he's hurting even more than I was those two times."
Qin Shi grumbled to himself, but aloud he asked with concern:
"Teacher Liang, why are you drinking so early in the morning? You should've had something to eat with it. Drinking on an empty stomach must feel awful."
Old Liang stared blankly at the boy in front of him. There wasn't a trace of drunkenness in his eyes as he spoke bluntly:
"I want to teach you what I know, Qin Shi."
"Teacher Liang, I've been learning Old Martial Arts from you for quite a while. I haven't paid you, but I'm still your student, right?"
Qin Shi felt uneasy. For some reason, Old Liang's gaze seemed off—far too intense.
I'm not wearing white socks, and I haven't shaved my head. Surely I'm not attracting men's attention?
He'd already decided: if things looked bad, he'd run!
"Teacher and student—it's nothing more than a business arrangement. You pay, I teach, and I fulfill my responsibilities.
I'm not a particularly kind person. I don't have the compassion to reach out and help every down-and-out person I meet."
Old Liang braced his hands on his knees, his gaze sharp, like a tiger crouched to pounce. Gone was the downcast middle-aged man who usually limped along, stooped and dispirited.
"Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng have some talent. They work hard and can endure hardship, but they can't cross the threshold, and they aren't the sort who'll grow into pillars capable of holding up the sky.
So once they've learned to fight, whether they go mining or get mixed up in street life, I won't interfere. I'll only help them develop their Life Force and give them the results they want."
Hearing this, Qin Shi didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
When all was said and done, teaching was just a job that earned you a paycheck.
As long as you fulfilled your duties and did what was expected of you, you were a perfectly adequate teacher.
The sort of selfless, nurturing teacher who devoted himself to his students like a gardener or a candle was rare.
"But you're different, Qin Shi. You learned the training method in two days and picked up the fighting techniques in one. In nearly ten years of teaching at No. 9 Vocational Middle School, I've never seen a talent like you."
Old Liang's eyes shone as he stared at Qin Shi's young face, as if watching the years fly past and seeing countless memories rise to the surface.
"I've been called a 'genius' before, so I know what one looks like."
Was he praising me, or himself?
Qin Shi's mouth twitched.
With the rapid-recovery buff from [Deep Sleep] and the faster training speed from [Muscle Memory], he really did deserve to be called an "Old Martial Arts genius"!
With the two top-tier traits "can train without injury" and "learns fast," who could possibly out-grind me?
When Qin Shi said nothing, Old Liang's gaze dimmed, and his tone softened a little.
"I know I'm just a PE teacher with no prospects, stuck at Ninth High School. Maybe before long, this school will be turned into a Sports Academy, lose its public education bureau positions, and leave me unemployed.
But I'm no medicine peddler from the Metropolitan Area, making a living by bluffing and cheating people. The real skills I have are enough to help a genius like you reach the professional ranks and take a shot at becoming a Martial Artist!
You don't need to worry about that. New No. 1 Middle School's computer classes have access to the Metropolitan Area's public network. With your senior-year Identity Card, you should be able to log in to the Martial Arts Association's official website. My competition history is all recorded there in detail.
Please believe me, Qin Shi."
Old Liang spoke those last few words with heartfelt sincerity.
When he was young, he'd lived recklessly and couldn't stand the slightest injustice. He'd demanded fairness in everything, only to run into obstacles at every turn and end up battered and bruised.
By the time he'd mellowed a little as a young man, he still couldn't bend his back. People looked down on him, and in the end he'd been left with a crippled leg.
Decades had passed in frustration. His temples were speckled with gray, and he had neither son nor daughter.
Even Old Liang himself felt that he was running out of spirit. He'd thought he'd spend the rest of his days living quietly as a useless old man.
But Heaven delighted in toying with people, and sent Qin Shi to him.
The rusted furnace inside him, extinguished long ago, had finally begun to spark again.
"Teacher Liang, what do you want to teach me?"
Qin Shi asked seriously.
"Old Martial Arts says: the Seven Limits of the Physical Body, the Shackles that bind the mortal body. Unless you break free of the Shackles, you can't become a true sage!"
Old Liang spoke each word slowly, his expression solemn:
"Tendons, bones, skin, membranes, qi, strength, spirit! I can help you break through the limits and open four gates!"
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