Chen Mo returned to his seat at the back of the classroom, the warmth from Martial Arts Class still lingering in his muscles and bones. His fingertips tapped unconsciously against the cool desktop, making a soft tok, tok as if keeping time with the thoughts racing through his mind. His brain was like a precision machine running at full power, every gear spinning madly as he carefully calculated how to invest each minute over the next two months, the returns from every training session, and all the variables and possibilities along the road to his goal.
With a thought, the pale blue System Panel appeared clearly in his mind. Each set of numbers was cold and objective, yet directly tied to his future: [Qi and Blood Value: 78.6] [Skills: Black Tiger Stance Lv.4 (Proficient) (12/500)] [Body Tempering Fist Lv.4 (Proficient) (8/500)].
His eyes fixed on the proficiency requirement, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Each breakthrough, from beginner to Minor Accomplishment and then from Minor Accomplishment to Proficient, had required an additional 100 proficiency points. He had been prepared for the jump from 300 to the 400-point threshold for Proficient. But this time, the threshold for reaching Major Accomplishment (Lv.5) from Proficient hadn't increased by the expected 100 points to 400. Instead, it had surged by 200, leaping straight to 500.
Five hundred proficiency points were no easy feat. Chen Mo did the math in his head. At the training rate he'd had during the Minor Accomplishment stage, that was nearly half a year of hard work. The figure no longer looked like a cold string of code. It was more like a towering peak, steep and wreathed in clouds, which he would have to climb day and night without stopping for even a moment.
To plan his next steps, he first needed to understand his current baseline. Chen Mo gathered his thoughts and reviewed his training since reaching Proficient, precisely calculating his current rate of progress. The biggest change after reaching Proficient was that he no longer understood the essence of the techniques only on a superficial level. He had truly internalized them. He could now control his Qi and Blood nodes while lowering his shoulders and elbows, channel the Great Dragon of his spine while keeping his back straight, and coordinate precisely with his flow of energy as he breathed. These insights had greatly improved the efficiency of his Qi and Blood circulation, eliminating every bit of unnecessary waste.
On top of that, the Nutritional Meals Zhao Peng had provided kept replenishing his Qi and Blood, leaving his body in a relatively full state at all times. At the Minor Accomplishment stage, one complete training session that earned the System's recognition and reliably added a proficiency point took a full 30 minutes. Now, he had cut that down to a steady 25 minutes. It seemed like a mere five-minute reduction, but those savings added up. By the end of the day, they would give him nearly an extra hour, enough to turn into a real proficiency advantage during his sprint.
Once he'd calculated his basic training rate, Chen Mo immediately turned his attention to restructuring his daily schedule. Like a meticulous commander, he began laying out an invisible timetable in his mind, trying to make the most of every moment and wring every bit of training value from it.
First was the early morning block, from 5:30 to 7:00. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was freshest then, and his own mind was at its sharpest. It was also the best time to practice stance work. Chen Mo planned it out carefully: get up at 5:30 sharp, wash up quickly, and head straight for the familiar Small Woods, a ten-minute walk away. Once there, he'd make a few adjustments, loosen up to wake his body, and spend five minutes settling his mind. He'd be ready to start training at 5:50. He'd practice Black Tiger Stance for 25 minutes, rest briefly for five, then spend another 25 minutes on Body Tempering Fist, for a total of 50 minutes of training. Afterward, he'd get himself together and head home, arriving before seven to eat breakfast and prepare for his morning Cultural Classes. He'd filled every minute of those 90 golden minutes, leaving no room for waste.
Next came the lunch break, from 12:30 to 1:30. Before, he'd had to line up with his classmates outside the Cafeteria, waiting ten or twenty minutes to get food. By the time he finished eating, he'd often have only a few minutes left to rest—nowhere near enough time to train. Zhao Peng's Nutritional Meals had solved that problem. As soon as school let out at noon, Chen Mo could quickly clear his desk, grab his meal, and eat in a quiet corner in no more than 20 minutes. That would leave him a full 50 minutes to train. The midday session had two main purposes: first, to ease the mental fatigue from his morning Cultural Classes; second, to use gentle Qi and Blood circulation to build up his energy for the afternoon's intense training. It would bridge the two halves of the day. Chen Mo had even decided to focus on stance work during this session, supplemented by simple fist techniques, so he wouldn't wear himself out and feel sluggish in the afternoon.
The afternoon block, from 2:30 to 5:30, was the centerpiece of his entire training plan. The school's Martial Arts Class already included high-quality group training, and Instructor Xu's professional guidance made every movement more precise. The results were far better than fumbling through the techniques alone. Based on his past experience, one full Martial Arts Class was worth at least two complete independent training sessions, reliably earning him two proficiency points. More importantly, the Martial Arts Hall wouldn't close as soon as class ended. Many students would leave once they'd finished training, letting him use the empty space—or find a quiet corner—to grit his teeth and train twice more. That meant the afternoon block could theoretically contribute four effective sessions and earn him four proficiency points, making it the most productive time of the day.
Next came evening self-study, from 7:00 to 10:00. This had been prime time for studying his Cultural Classes, but now he needed to divide it up differently. Chen Mo knew that after a day of intense physical training, he'd inevitably be mentally drained in the evening, lowering his training efficiency. Forcing himself through high-intensity sessions would only backfire. But he couldn't waste those three hours, either. He planned to set aside 100 minutes for two high-quality sessions: two rounds of stance work to settle his mind and two rounds of fist techniques to reinforce his moves. He'd use the remaining time to review and consolidate his Cultural Classes, focusing on difficult questions left over from the morning, organizing his error notebook, and memorizing humanities subjects to ensure his grades didn't fall below the line. After all, the college entrance exam depended on more than his Martial Arts ability; his grades in Cultural Classes were also important for getting into college. He couldn't devote all his time to Martial Arts training, and training needed moderation, or his efficiency would suffer and the effort wouldn't be worth it.
Finally, there was the time after he got home late at night, from 10:30 onward. There were many restrictions at that hour: his family would be asleep, so he couldn't practice fist techniques that made a lot of noise or do anything that would disturb them. Still, Chen Mo didn't want to give up. He planned to train once in the open space downstairs. He'd practice Black Tiger Stance and Body Tempering Fist once each. But since he'd have to get up early the next day, he couldn't train too late. He'd keep the session to around 60 minutes, then head home to wash up and rest, ensuring he got six hours of sleep each night so his body could recover properly.
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