Time seemed to have hit fast-forward, and with Roll King Chen Mo setting the pace like a man possessed, it hurtled onward. The students of Class 7, Third Year High School, had long since grown used to this life swept along by the grind. Some were even starting to get hooked on it. After all, watching their grades and Qi and Blood steadily improve gave them a tangible sense of progress that felt even better than winning a game.
But no one enjoyed it more than Chen Mo himself.
To him, this stretch of intense preparation wasn't some agonizing high school hell. It was a custom-made, ultra-hardcore, real-world role-playing game—with a cheat code built in. Other people might work hard for ages without knowing whether it was paying off, but every time he threw a punch, practiced a stance, or worked through a math problem, his personal System Panel would give a timely ding, displaying a friendly notification as the corresponding Experience Bar visibly nudged forward.
[Black Tiger Stance Proficiency +1] [Body Tempering Fist Proficiency +1] [Math Comprehension +0.2] [English Vocabulary Proficiency +0.1]
Those *ding*s were more addictive than notifications for legendary loot drops in a game. Sometimes, Chen Mo even found himself thinking that grinding for those nebulous items in games in his previous life, or working on levels that would eventually be made obsolete by a new update, had been a complete waste of time. Look at how good things were now: every point of proficiency translated directly into surging strength in his body, solid knowledge in his mind, and... a slowly growing balance in his bank account.
Well, all right, his bank balance really was growing a little too slowly for comfort. But that was okay. At least the few dozen yuan he earned each day from his novel, along with the notification that popped up on his phone whenever the money came in, could sort of count as a "daily quest reward," couldn't it? It all added up. Every little bit helped, and it was enough to buy a bottle of water and add an egg to a meal.
The joy of getting instant feedback for his efforts had Chen Mo completely hooked. He finally understood those legendary martial arts fanatics who couldn't live without going mad for their art. Watching himself grow stronger day by day, throw harder punches, and solve problems faster really did give him a sense of control over his own life. It was more thrilling than any game and more addictive than any other pastime.
Immersed in this state of "grinding experience," he hardly noticed time slipping by. In the blink of an eye, the morning of the planned fifty-fifth day arrived.
Dawn had just begun to break. A faint strip of pale light showed in the east, and a thin mist still hung over the familiar Small Woods. The air was so fresh it seemed almost tangible, carrying the damp scent of plants and trees. Chen Mo appeared right on time and immediately settled into the Black Tiger Stance. His breathing was long and steady, like a bottomless ancient well, without the slightest ripple.
The Qi and Blood in his body no longer needed deliberate guidance as they once had. They were like a river tamed with care, flowing steadily and powerfully along familiar meridians, following the mysterious path he imagined befitting the Major Accomplishment Realm. Each cycle of Qi and Blood quietly nourished his muscles, bones, and flesh, making his stance steadier and steadier.
He held the stance for nearly thirty minutes. At this point in the past, his body would already have begun sending faint signals of fatigue, and his focus would have started to waver ever so slightly. He would have needed to concentrate deliberately to maintain his stance. But today was completely different. He didn't feel tired at all. Instead, the longer he held the stance, the more alert he became. His posture was so steady it seemed to merge with the earth beneath his feet, while his intent had condensed into a sharp needle, able to pierce the mist around him with ease.
More wondrous still, he could clearly feel that as his Qi and Blood coursed through him, they seemed to resonate in some subtle way with the breathing of the plants around him and the faint pulse of the earth. The rustle of wind through leaves, the soft patter of dew drops hitting the ground, even the faint movement of earthworms beneath the soil—all reached his ears with perfect clarity. Through those sounds, he could even sense the flow of energy in the surrounding environment.
Then, in a single moment, without warning—as naturally as water finding its way downhill, and like a volcano that had built pressure for too long finally finding an outlet—
Though no real sound rang out in his mind, Chen Mo clearly felt the invisible barrier between Proficient and Major Accomplishment shatter beneath an irresistible force! A flood of insight, several times greater and purer than the one he had experienced when breaking through to Proficient, swept through his entire consciousness.
Before, he had only "understood" the Black Tiger Stance's many secrets as knowledge stored in his mind. He had to consciously recall them and put them into practice. Now, those secrets had become instinct! How to keep Qi and Blood from escaping as much as possible; how to use the terrain to strengthen the "root" beneath his feet; how to nurture the most explosive power while remaining still; how to adjust the rhythm of Qi and Blood through his breathing... Countless mysteries that had once eluded him, things he hadn't been able to figure out or grasp, now came to him like a sudden, enlightening infusion, each one crystal clear.
Without even consciously thinking about it, his body made several almost imperceptible adjustments. His toes pressed into the ground with just a little more force, perfectly gripping the points where the ground could bear his weight. His tailbone tucked in with millimeter precision, aligning his spine into a straight line. The tip of his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth with just the right amount of force, perfectly connecting the flow of Qi and Blood through the Conception and Governor Vessels...
From the outside, his stance seemed almost unchanged. But within, his very spirit had undergone a world-shaking transformation! Chen Mo could clearly feel like a fierce tiger lurking in the mountains. He appeared calm and harmless, but the Qi and Blood throughout his body surged like thunder, and his muscles and bones moved in perfect harmony. Every inch of him brimmed with explosive power. At any moment, if he wished, he could unleash a blow that would split the heavens and shatter the earth!
The System Panel in his mind refreshed right on time, faithfully recording his breakthrough:
[Black Tiger Stance: Lv.5 (Major Accomplishment) (1/1000)]
Major Accomplishment! He'd reached it a full six days ahead of schedule!
Chen Mo slowly came out of the stance and breathed out a long stream of Turbid Qi. The breath shot out like an arrow, carrying the Turbid Qi from inside him. It left a faint white trail in the cool morning mist that lingered for quite a while before fading. He loosened up his arms and legs, feeling warm all over and unbelievably full of energy. The fatigue left over from last night's training vanished completely. He even felt as if he'd just slept soundly for ten hours and could immediately drag Zhao Peng into another three hundred rounds of practice.
"I did it! I finally did it!" Chen Mo clenched his fist, his knuckles turning slightly white. His eyes shone with excitement he couldn't hide. He'd gained his first skill at Major Accomplishment. Next up was the second one!
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