Popularity and Rhythm 1

Days flew by at the pace of a "Grind Emperor," like film sped up, page after page turning, all marked by sweat and the rustle of books. It was just that a new, fixed routine had been added to the usual – every other day, as Chen Mo sat in meditation, a familiar warm current would rise from his Dantian. It was gentle yet potent, flowing slowly through his meridians, and wherever it passed, his sore, aching muscles felt as comfortable as if they'd been soothed. This was the effect of the 500 yuan Qi and Blood Capsules, acting as "cultivation acceleration fuel." Each surge was adding bricks and mortar to his Qi and Blood.

The effect of the Qi and Blood Capsules could truly be called "immediate." Combined with the efficient learning and cultivation feedback from the System, Chen Mo's progress was visibly rapid. The proficiency levels in all his academic subjects were steadily climbing higher. Even math, which had always been his biggest headache, had successfully broken through to Lv.2. Those functions and derivatives that once seemed like a foreign language were now, in his eyes, just puzzles with traceable patterns. Though he was still a distance from the level of a top student, he was more than capable of handling the Gaokao.

His progress in Martial Arts was even more gratifying. The proficiency in the Black Tiger Stance and Body Tempering Fist, nourished by abundant Qi and Blood, had more than doubled compared to before. The warm energy in his Dantian grew stronger day by day, transforming from an initial wisp into a palm-sized vortex. Every time he practiced his stances, the vortex would spin, causing his Qi and Blood to surge throughout his body, leaving his limbs filled with inexhaustible energy. He could clearly feel himself getting closer and closer to that critical point where quantity would transform into quality.

The biggest change, however, occurred within the class's social dynamics.

The source of it all was Chen Mo's visible progress. Before, he was like a transparent person in class, with average grades and mediocre martial arts skills, easily lost in any crowd. But now, he could accurately answer difficult questions posed by the teacher in class and practice the Black Tiger Stance with rock-solid stability in martial arts lessons. It was hard not to be noticed.

The change first began in the back rows. This area was where a group of boys, whose grades weren't top-tier but whose personalities were exceptionally easygoing, gathered. Before, they were just acquaintances who would nod at each other. Now, during breaks, they gradually started approaching him to strike up conversations.

"Brother Mo, wait up!" A guy wearing black-rimmed glasses, holding a geography worksheet, jogged over with a hint of embarrassment. "That big question yesterday, about monsoon circulation, I always feel like my answer wasn't complete. How did you write yours?"

Chen Mo was looking down at a martial arts theory book. He put it down upon hearing the question and took the paper, glancing over it. It was densely filled with writing, but he'd gotten stuck at a crucial point. He pointed to the mountain range contours on the map and clearly analyzed, "You can't just copy the textbook's explanation of monsoon formation here; you need to combine it with the regional topography map provided in the question. Look, this mountain range runs east-west. It blocks some of the southward-moving cold air and also changes the path of warm, moist airflow. That's why the local precipitation shows a 'more in the east, less in the west' characteristic... When answering, it's best to point out this topographical influence; that's how you get to the core of the question."

"Oh! So that's how it is!" The guy slapped his thigh, suddenly enlightened, his eyes lighting up. "No wonder I felt like something was missing; I missed the key point about topography! Thanks, Brother Mo!" He said, thanking Chen Mo repeatedly before happily running off with his worksheet.

Similar scenes played out every few days. Sometimes it was reading comprehension in Chinese, sometimes fill-in-the-blanks in English, and more often, it was topics related to Martial Arts.

"Chen Mo, your Black Tiger Stance is really steady!" A solidly built guy, sweating profusely from practice, came over, scratching his head with a troubled look. "Instructor Xu has praised you several times. Why can't I do it? I always feel like my Qi is floating in my chest and won't sink down, and my legs start shaking after just ten minutes. Any tips?"

Chen Mo thought about his own cultivation experience and said earnestly, "I think it might have to do with coordinating your breathing. Don't deliberately try to 'press' your Qi down; that's counterproductive. Try imagining, as you exhale, that your breath is flowing down your spine all the way to the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of your foot. Also, when you're in a stance, pay attention to gripping the ground with your toes, like tree roots digging into the soil. Find that feeling of being 'rooted,' and your Qi might sink more easily."

"Hey! That makes sense!" The guy's eyes lit up, and he excitedly ran to a corner of the field, took a horse stance, and started trying it out, muttering to himself, "Exhale... Qi sinks to the feet... Toes grip the ground..."

Chen Mo watched his retreating back and couldn't help but smile. His responses were always like this: calm, patient, and willing to share everything, yet never appearing condescending. After giving advice, he would always add something like, "I'm just guessing, it might not be right," or "Instructor Xu's explanation is the standard answer." This way of speaking allowed him to share his insights while saving face for the other person, preventing them from feeling pressured. This mature approach to handling things, combined with his solid progress, quickly earned him the goodwill of the "commoner circle" in the back rows.

The changes didn't stop there.

Even the top students in the front rows began to cast glances of attention toward Chen Mo. This was the class's "first tier," a gathering of excellent students who excelled in both academics and martial arts. They usually kept their heads down, focusing on their studies, and rarely paid attention to what was happening in the back rows.

Class monitor Li Haoran was a prime example. He was recognized as the "academic god" of the class, consistently ranking in the top ten of the grade in academics and having long ago broken through the bottleneck of Body Tempering Fist. His personality was reserved and dignified, and he rarely initiated conversations with classmates. Yet, during one break, as he walked past Chen Mo's seat, he uncharacterhetically stopped.

"Chen Mo." Li Haoran adjusted his glasses, his tone calm, his gaze falling on the math paper Chen Mo had spread out. "For that last derivative problem on the last quiz, you used a variation of the Lagrange Mean Value Theorem? That's a very clever approach."

Chen Mo was working on a problem he'd gotten wrong. He looked up upon hearing Li Haoran's voice, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that a problem-solving method he'd casually written down would be noticed by Li Haoran. He smiled modestly. "Monitor, you have sharp eyes. I was stuck with the standard method and, with no other choice, I tried to adapt it. Compared to your systematic approach, it's far from it."

Upon hearing this, Li Haoran's lips seemed to curve slightly, revealing a faint smile. He nodded, his tone still calm but with a hint more approval. "Being able to think of an adaptation during an exam is already very difficult. If you have time in the future, we can exchange problem-solving ideas." After speaking, he turned and walked back to his seat.

Although it was just a few brief sentences, it was like a stone dropped into a pond, creating small ripples in the class. It was known that Li Haoran rarely praised others, let alone proactively offered to discuss things with them. This recognition from the class's first tier held unusual significance.