Datafication, Cultivating Dragon Sinews

The afternoon training room, the ceiling fan spun listlessly, emitting an old, creaky sound.

Qin Shi pushed open the door and strode in, silent. About seven or eight meters away from Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng, he planted his feet heavily, his body like a drawn bowstring full of tension.

Suddenly, a gust of wind erupted, and a figure shot out like an arrow!

With a violent contraction of his abdominal muscles, his arches and shins exerting force together, Qin Shi unleashed a kick.

"Brother Yuan, sorry about this!"

Snap!

This spinning kick was fierce and fast, like a whip lashing out in a sharp arc, striking directly at his opponent!

With no room or space to react, Li Yuan's head was hit by a heavy hammer, slanting to one side!

His solid body, weighing over a hundred pounds, was sent flying sideways, like a human sandbag smashing into the wall behind him!

Bang!

Large chunks of white wall plaster fell off!

After easily incapacitating Brother Yuan with one kick, Qin Shi acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head, twisting and raising his arms to block Xie Yucheng's ferocious swing.

He bent his knees slightly, lowered his shoulders, dissipating some of the force, and his stance remained firmly planted.

Immediately, his entire body coiled like a compressed spring, forcefully shoving aside Xie Yucheng, who was attempting to press his attack.

The immense Strength shattered Xie Yucheng's offensive, causing him to lose his balance and leaving his center wide open, revealing a weakness.

Swish!

Qin Shi advanced with quick steps, as if flashing through the air, like a sharp knife plunging straight into the heart.

In almost an instant, that slender palm, so well-suited for playing the piano, landed on Xie Yucheng's face.

His five fingers curled inward, tightening suddenly!

He lifted and pulled, as if yanking a white radish from the ground.

The sinews in his arm bulged, making popping sounds, like the terrifying noise of a tough bowstring being drawn.

The growing stream of heat instantly became scorching, his blood seemed to boil, stimulating his skin and membranes, and suddenly pumping out potent Strength!

Thud!

Xie Yucheng's feet left the ground, his entire skeleton loosening, and he was lifted into the air like a chick.

The next moment, the back of his head slammed heavily into the mat, a dull thud like a cloth bag falling from a dozen-story building.

His eyes widened in rage, bloodshot pupils.

A trickle of crimson seeped from his ears, nostrils, and mouth.

He instantly fell silent!

"One against two, and I still finished the fight quickly! My progress is too rapid, I feel my vitality growing stronger, filling every single cell!"

From entering the room to starting the fight, it had only taken fifteen seconds.

Besides Qin Shi, no one else in the training room could stand.

Fighting was exhilarating!

He felt the exhilaration of intense exercise, like drinking a cold beverage on a hot summer day, every pore opening up.

"Brother Yuan, Brother Cheng, there's no personal grudge here, I just wanted to spar."

Qin Shi chuckled. He was attending Old Liang's supplementary lessons, and his training duration far exceeded that of Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng. Facing his beginner's Fighting Style, they could barely last half a minute now.

Strength, speed, explosiveness, even reaction... it was an all-around crushing victory.

"As the saying goes, a small opening is not a true opening. My exaggerated rate of progress is all thanks to my own diligence!

Next, I need stronger opponents! I'll find an opportunity to spar with Old Liang and use Combat Rewind to gain experience.

With my current physical condition, I shouldn't be crushed by a single punch... right?"

Qin Shi waved his hand, his thoughts flashing.

The mental space was like a dormitory with the lights turned off, instantly plunging into darkness.

[Intermediate Achievement - Deep Sleep (4/30)]

"So comfortable!"

Every morning, the moment he woke up, Qin Shi felt immense satisfaction.

No matter how tired and exhausted he was during the day, as long as he could lie down and sleep, his energy bar would be completely refilled when he opened his eyes again.

"This feeling of going out to develop and then returning to the city to replenish my state is truly wonderful."

Qin Shi sat up energetically, put on his clothes, and while washing up, he received the information stream from the Monument panel.

[Anchor Point: Qin Shi]

[Growth Stage: Embryo]

[Progress: 0.009%]

[Monuments: Deep Sleep (Intermediate), Muscle Memory (Intermediate), Overgrowth (Beginner)]

[Skills: Combat Rewind, Internal Sight]

"The ten-point mark is truly difficult."

Qin Shi spat out his mouthwash and quickly wiped his face with a towel.

Currently, [Deep Sleep] was steadily progressing.

[Muscle Memory], having been promoted to an intermediate achievement, had its completion requirements raised, causing it to temporarily stagnate.

As for the "eating" and "foraging" required for [Overgrowth], he had no clue.

Synthetic meals, nutritional paste, and even the protein and carbohydrates consumed in daily life seemed insufficient to meet the requirements.

"I can't possibly be expected to inject energy liquid or pop supplements. A few days ago, I saw Zhou Ning. He mentioned that Coach Luo at the Silver Horse Gym seemed to be promoting some 'Nine Dragons Integration Package' to his trainees..."

Qin Shi's gaze swept across the semi-transparent black border, his thoughts wandering.

"[Muscle Memory]'s effect after upgrading is very useful, providing ample feedback."

He returned to his bedroom and stood before the full-length mirror.

Staring intently at himself, he saw lines of subtle data light up one after another.

Old Martial Arts Cultivation Method Level 1 (19/20)

Old Martial Arts Fighting Style Level 1 (17/20)

Physical Body 9.6 → 9.7

Spirit 9.8 → 9.9

"If the physical body and spirit values are, as I suspect, a comprehensive measure of vitality, then I am very, very close to the ten-point mark for entering the ranks."

This ability to completely digitize everything he learned and his own mortal body was also an achievement unlocked by a monument.

[Intermediate Achievement - Muscle Memory (2%)]

[Muscle Memory: Strength must be tempered through sweat. If it doesn't kill you, train to the brink of death. Willpower will lead you to break through!]

[Trait: Every improvement in your abilities will be precisely fed back in data form.]

[Advancement Path: Higher intensity training, a more disciplined life, and richer nutrition, pursued relentlessly, will sculpt a perfect mortal body and can be upgraded again.]

"The path forward is endless. And so is the harvest I can reap, the strength I can improve!"

Qin Shi smiled, and the neighboring boy in the mirror, whose delicate aura was fading, smiled just as brightly.

"The universe is so vast, I should go and see it."

"Your vitality has been completely stimulated."

In the empty training room, Old Liang looked at his disciple with satisfaction.

"Whether it's Old Martial Arts or New Martial Arts, the methods for developing vitality are more or less the same. They all involve squeezing your stamina, forcing your spirit, and excavating the potential of your physical body, ultimately allowing your mortal body to break free from mediocrity and transform upwards. It's like a pile of firewood; once it burns, it becomes more vigorous."

Qin Shi posed a mood-killing question: "What happens if it burns out, completely consumed?"

Old Liang shot the kid a look, too talkative.

"Of course, you add more firewood. How long can it last if you only burn the fire without adding fuel? Do you think the Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body came about for no reason? They are paths figured out by generations of Martial Artists who burned their bones and blood dry, their skin and flesh consumed, yet still refused to give up or accept their fate."

Speaking of this, Old Liang's expression turned a bit solemn, and then he added, "Many people call the start of Old Martial Arts 'lighting a fire' for this very reason. Xiao Shi, you have the advantage of youth; your fire is strong, your flames are vigorous. With a little more effort, it will be easy to ignite your vitality. We call this the 'newbie bonus period.'"

Was it like those beginner anglers who inexplicably had a great catch?

Qin Shi rubbed his hands, his eyes full of anticipation: "Master Liang, tell me more about 'a little more effort.' Do you have some secret human elixir you've been saving to supplement me?"

Old Liang automatically ignored his disciple's flippancy. If he had any deep reserves, he wouldn't have even managed to hold onto the name "Hong Sheng."

"This is the last Golden Elixir from Old Gu's place. Originally, two bottles should have been enough, but your physique is too resilient. You're a rare tough bone, enduring the pain of Burning Sinews without a whimper. I figured I needed to add more fuel, to burn the major sinews within your body and break through this first limit."

Qin Shi looked down at the glass bottle wrapped in silk cloth, his mouth opening slightly:

"Old Liang, this thing isn't cheap..."

He remembered the man in the bathrobe selling the divine oil had priced it at four thousand a bottle.

Old Liang's meager salary, at best, was just over three thousand.

"We're master and disciple, no need to talk about money. If you were a student from a cram school, not a penny less would be expected, but since you call me master and are learning the Hong Sheng legacy, what you'll pursue in the future is different."

Old Liang waved his hand, touching his lame leg and sighed:

"A master is much like a parent, all they hope for is for their disciple to achieve something.

I'm a failure, stuck like this, a disappointment to my own master. You'll definitely be better than me when you were young.

Come on, burn twelve Sinews, and you can nurture a dragon within your Mortal Body!"