[Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, the Clown

The golden light represented skill!

The bronze statue had merely struck a punching pose. I had only watched it; I hadn't grasped the subtlety of the movement at all. And yet so much golden light had already appeared in my Consciousness World.

This sculpture was anything but simple.

I watched the statue quietly as a steady stream of golden light flowed through my Consciousness World, nourishing the Saint Breaking Tree.

Before my eyes, fresh green buds appeared on the new branch, growing at a visible rate until its leaves had grown full.

[Skill]: 2/100

3/100

4/100

The progress of the [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit was changing at a breathtaking speed. Chen Yan was stunned. Could he really just keep watching and get a ripe [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit?

"Chen Yan, how long did you sleep last night?"

But then he heard Wang Yang's voice beside him.

"Five hours." Chen Yan smiled. In reality, he'd slept far less than five hours.

But after taking the [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, all his negative effects had vanished. The soreness in his muscles and his drowsiness were both completely gone.

"Five hours?" Wang Yang frowned.

"No, go back and sleep. I'm giving you the morning off." Wang Yang shook his head.

"Training your body takes more than exercise. Diet, exercise, sleep—every aspect matters. If you overtrain, you'll only damage your body."

"Teacher, I slept just fine," Chen Yan said. He couldn't exactly tell him he had reached the Saint Breaking Realm.

"No..." Wang Yang was speaking when he saw Chen Yan lower into a stance and throw a punch.

The faint sound of his fist cutting through the air caught in Wang Yang's throat, stopping his words.

A faint sonic boom?

He must have imagined it.

Chen Yan's punch hadn't even been properly executed. So why had it made a sonic boom?

"You..."

Wang Yang grabbed Chen Yan's arm with one hand and squeezed it.

"When we did the strength test yesterday, you weren't giving it your all?"

"I held back a little, but mostly I'd regained my strength after sleeping," Chen Yan replied.

"Hit my hand." Wang Yang held out his palm.

Chen Yan punched him in the palm, without using all his strength.

"Hey!"

Wang Yang grimaced in pain and backed up two steps, clutching his right hand.

"I haven't even said go!"

"Teacher, are you okay?" Chen Yan asked with concern.

"I-I'm fine."

The pain faded quickly. Wang Yang opened his mouth, but for a long moment he couldn't say a word. He just stared at Chen Yan, studying him closely.

That punch had definitely been stronger than yesterday's.

And Chen Yan definitely hadn't used all his strength.

Until now, Wang Yang had only thought of Chen Yan as a hardworking student. That was why he'd admired him.

But now, this hardworking student seemed to have a talent for Hardening Body.

"Ah, what a shame!" A hint of helplessness appeared in Wang Yang's eyes.

"Why didn't you show this sooner? If you had, I could've recommended you to Director Xia Tong."

Wang Yang shook his head, a trace of reproach in his eyes.

"It's Friday. The Town Martial Bonus will be decided next Monday. There's no way your punching technique can improve enough in such a short time."

Wang Yang shook his head. He seemed to have found an uncut jade, but it had started to shine a little too late.

Compared to Zhang Qingsi winning the Town Martial Bonus, he'd much rather see Chen Yan win it.

The Town Martial Bonus was a matter of little importance to Zhang Qingsi, but for Chen Yan, it could change the course of his life.

With a soft sigh, Wang Yang shook his head and turned to leave.

"Teacher, can I skip class today? I want to keep practicing on the Sports Field."

Wang Yang looked back at Chen Yan, his eyes full of sincerity.

"Chen Yan, keep working hard. You work hard, and you have talent. You still have the College Entrance Exam. You still have one last, most important chance. Keep working hard and show me!"

"Okay!"

Chen Yan nodded earnestly.

"Teacher, do you know who this statue is of?"

"The statue?" Wang Yang shook his head. "Director Xia Tong brought it here. I don't know either."

Chen Yan planned to spend the whole day studying the statue.

Standing alone on the Sports Field was bound to attract attention. Chen Yan thought for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"What do other people's eyes have to do with me?"

He came to the statue and studied it carefully.

The [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit began to grow rapidly.

5/100

6/100

8/100

At 13/100, its progress slowed.

Did he have to copy its movements?

Chen Yan murmured to himself and struck the same pose as the statue. But the golden light in his Consciousness World grew thinner.

"Why did it get weaker?"

Chen Yan frowned and examined the statue carefully.

"The legs are wrong."

Chen Yan struck the pose again, turning his right foot outward by about thirteen degrees and bending his left leg a little more.

This time, an even denser golden light appeared in his Consciousness World.

Chen Yan was startled. The more precisely he copied the movement, the more nourishment the [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit produced.

Chen Yan studied the statue again and noticed more differences between his stance and its own.

"But..."

Chen Yan struck a pose almost identical to the statue's, and sweat suddenly beaded on his forehead.

"It looks like such an ordinary movement. Why is it so exhausting?"

In his Consciousness World, not only did golden light appear, but vast amounts of Orange Light also streaked through the endless darkness.

The Orange Light was more powerful than anything Chen Yan had ever produced through running or deadlifting.

And it wasn't just his Consciousness World that changed. His body quickly began to feel exhausted, too.

The movement differed from an ordinary punch in only a few ways, yet his heart rate suddenly soared, and even his breathing became extremely rapid.

What did this movement represent?

Chen Yan was stunned. He kept trying, adjusting the smallest details of his movements. The Orange Light and golden light in his Consciousness World grew denser and denser, and his fatigue grew more severe.

At last, less than ten minutes later—

Thump.

Chen Yan collapsed onto the grass, gasping for breath.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (0/15)]

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Strength: (11/100)

Blood (8/100)

Skill: (27/100)]

Two branches of the Saint Breaking Tree each bore a fruit: a golden one about the size of a quail's egg, and a smaller Orange Light one.

Sitting on the grass, Chen Yan's eyes gleamed. That was the result of just ten minutes of training!

What a miraculous movement!

Right after that, he started copying it again.

Time passed slowly.

Before long, it was afternoon.

Chen Yan lay helplessly on the grass, drained of energy. Everyone who'd passed the Sports Field that day had looked at him strangely.

Chen Yan was only doing a simple punching movement, but he looked exactly like someone who'd just run fifty kilometers.

Quite a few people looked at him with disdain. Some knew his Punching Strength Test results and sensed something unusual, so they copied his movements. But they couldn't discover anything special about them.

They hadn't reached the Saint Breaking Realm, so they couldn't notice what was wrong with their movements. They looked identical, but in truth, they differed by a thousand miles.

Near noon, in the teachers' building.

Director Xia Tong's reprimands rang out without pause. Soon, Yu Zhiwen from Class One, Wang Yu from Class Two, and Zhang Qingsi from Class Three came out of the office.

Yu Zhiwen and Wang Yu looked normal, but Zhang Qingsi's expression was grim.

"Zhang Qingsi, if you don't start working harder, you might not even get the Town Martial Bonus next Monday!"

Director Xia Tong came out of the room, locking the door as he spoke with displeasure.

"Teacher Xia, only two students in Zhang Qingsi's class passed the Punching Strength Test," Wang Yu said with a smile.

Director Xia Tong gave a quiet snort. He knew Zhang Qingsi would certainly get the Town Martial Bonus, but Zhang Qingsi's performance these past few days had truly infuriated him.

He was simply too lazy.

Nearby, Zhang Qingsi pressed his lips together, looking none too pleased. He'd had to beg Director Xia Tong to teach him, and yet he didn't appreciate it.

Director Xia Tong had spent several days teaching him, and several days scolding him. Zhang Qingsi had grown up in comfort and had never been treated that way.

Besides, he knew exactly why Director Xia Tong wanted to teach him: he'd awakened his Blood Qi, and Director Xia Tong wanted to curry favor with him.

If not for his father's objection, he would've left Director Xia Tong's tutelage long ago.

As for the Town Martial Bonus, who the hell could possibly beat him?

Class Three was such a mess that only two students had passed the Punching Strength Test. Who could take the Town Martial Bonus away from him?

"That should be Chen Yan, the only student in Class Three besides Zhang Qingsi who passed the Punching Strength Test."

Yu Zhiwen, who'd been silent until now, spoke up and pointed at a young man below, his body covered in sweat as he practiced a punching movement.

Zhang Qingsi and Wang Yu glanced at him, then lost interest.

Director Xia Tong's gaze swept over the field. He paused briefly, then took a closer look at Chen Yan.

"That kid's got a little cleverness to him."

Zhang Qingsi and the others were taken aback, then looked at Chen Yan.

They soon noticed something strange, too. Chen Yan was only doing a punching movement, yet he seemed to be pushing himself to the limit, as though he were exhausted.

"That statue's pose is the starting stance of an external Hard Body Martial Arts technique. That kid's copying it." Director Xia Tong spoke calmly, then shook his head.

"But he's doing it wrong. Hard Body Martial Arts are vast and profound. His pose may look the same as the statue's, but the details are worlds apart. His breathing rhythm, punching angle, and blood flow all need to be just right."

As Director Xia Tong spoke, Yu Zhiwen furrowed her brows slightly.

"But he looks exhausted."

"Of course he does. He's trying to imitate it as closely as possible. The more he tries, the more exhausted he'll get. In the end, it'll all be wasted effort."

When Director Xia Tong finished speaking, Zhang Qingsi and Wang Yu, who'd initially been surprised, looked away. Disdain showed in their eyes.

They either had renowned teachers taking an interest in them or had broad horizons.

But someone ordinary like Chen Yan had limited knowledge, no opportunities, and no resources. All he could do was feel his way forward blindly.

To them, it was truly pitiful.

"Teacher Xia, should we tell him?" Yu Zhiwen asked hesitantly. Perhaps she was reminded of her younger self, and a complicated feeling stirred in her heart.

"Respect other people's fate." Director Xia Tong spoke calmly.

"You're talented, the darlings of heaven. In the future, you'll meet plenty more people like Chen Yan. You can't help them all, because people like them are born to serve you."

Director Xia Tong walked with his hands behind his back. He was a teacher, but he was also one of Green Mountain Town's upper-class citizens. He would teach what he was supposed to teach, but he wouldn't get involved in anything more.

Because there was no value in it.

The years never lingered; the seasons flowed on like a stream.

Afternoon.

After a whole day of experimenting, Chen Yan had discovered that the movement also required careful attention to breathing. Changes in his breathing rhythm affected the density of the golden light it produced.

There were even more details. The tension in different muscles could also change the amount of golden light.

It was only a punching movement, yet the intricacies within it left Chen Yan stunned.

And although he was still experimenting, he was sure there were plenty of details he hadn't noticed yet.

But each time, he could hold the movement for less time than before. In all, he'd managed only a few tries that day.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (0/15)]

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Strength: (41/100)

Blood (9/100)

Skill: (96/100)]

On the Data Panel, the [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit was almost ripe, and the [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit had grown to half its size.

This was what made Chen Yan happiest.

His body had also reached its limit once, giving the [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit a little more time to grow.

Could it be that he really had no chance of awakening his Qi and Blood?

Chen Yan felt dejected.

"Get up and keep going!"

Chen Yan barked, preparing to get up.

A graceful figure came to his side. Chen Yan turned his head and saw that it was Yu Zhiwen from Class One.

The most dazzling girl at Qingshan High School was walking toward him.

"Chen Yan..." Yu Zhiwen pressed her lips together and said, "I asked the teacher. This move you're doing is actually pointless."

Chen Yan's expression shifted slightly. He smiled and said, "Thanks for letting me know."

He could tell that Yu Zhiwen meant well. If he didn't have the Saint Breaking Realm, he might not even have been able to imitate the move.

But with the Saint Breaking Realm, everything was different.

Yu Zhiwen nodded, her eyes curving slightly like crescent moons.

"But I still want to give it a try."

As he spoke, Chen Yan once again assumed the pose for a punch.

Yu Zhiwen, who had been about to leave, paused and looked at Chen Yan in surprise. But she said nothing more and walked away.

Yu Zhiwen shook her head, deciding not to say anything else, when Chen Yan called out, "Yu Zhiwen, do you know who this Bronze Statue depicts, and what move it's doing?"

Yu Zhiwen turned back. "Director Xia said it's the opening stance of a Body Tempering Martial Art. I don't know what it's called, though."

The school bell rang, and a sea of students poured out of the Teaching Building.

Hu Yuan and a group of students came out of the classroom. They spotted Chen Yan sitting on the Sports Field, and for some reason, Hu Yuan and the others sat down nearby to wait.

"Hang on, Brother Zhang. Old Man Xia has him training. He probably won't be out for a while." Hu Yuan glanced toward Chen Yan now and then. When he saw Chen Yan start doing that punching move again, he let out a quiet snort.

"Ah, how long are we supposed to wait?"

"Don't worry. Brother Zhang told me he'd find a chance to slip out." Hu Yuan laughed. "Tell me what you want to eat today."

Hu Yuan's generosity filled the whole class with anticipation. Of course, they all knew treating them was secondary; Hu Yuan's real goal was to get on Zhang Qingsi's good side.

Over the past two days, Zhang Qingsi and Hu Yuan had indeed grown close.

Even those who looked down on Hu Yuan had to admit they wanted the same thing he did: to curry favor with Zhang Qingsi and lay some groundwork for their own futures.

Hu Yuan glanced around. He had treated nearly everyone in the class, except Chen Yan. He wanted to see resentment and longing in Chen Yan's eyes.

His family was so poor, he probably hadn't even tasted barbecue seasoning in a year.

But Hu Yuan was disappointed. Ever since Chen Yan had started practicing that punching move, he hadn't paid him the slightest attention.

Hu Yuan narrowed his eyes and continued, "I heard the mayor has approved those shops east of the school for Zhang Qingsi's dad to build a restaurant. Once it's open, we can have Brother Zhang take us there."

When Hu Yuan finished speaking, someone asked, "Which shops?"

"The Women's Clothing Store, the Children's Shoe Store, and the Noodle Shop—that whole stretch." Hu Yuan grinned, turning his head to shoot Chen Yan a cold glance.

One of the students' expressions shifted. He looked strangely at Chen Yan and asked in a low voice, "You mean the shop owned by Chen Yan's dad?"

"Yeah. The mayor's approving it, so there's no way to stop it."

Hu Yuan smiled, barely able to contain his glee now.

His family was about to lose its shop. How could he still look so calm?

Hu Yuan acted as if he didn't care about Chen Yan, but every word carried a hint of provocation. In his mind, he was already imagining how Chen Yan must be feeling.

Nearby, Chen Yan finally stopped practicing the punch and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky and panted heavily. An almost imperceptible golden glint flashed in his eyes.

After a full day of effort, Chen Yan had finally consumed the fully matured [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit.

In an instant, an unfathomable wealth of martial knowledge appeared in his mind.

It was as if he had truly lived through spring, summer, autumn, and winter; as if, day and night without pause, he had practiced his punches, pondered, and improved.

Punching, over and over.

He had continually honed his precise control of his muscles, the exact shifts of his gaze, and the rhythm of his breathing...

All of it had been contained within that [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, and now he had absorbed it.

It all sank deep into his mind.

His heart thumped. This time, after consuming the [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, the physical backlash hadn't been dispelled, but by controlling his breathing, he had at least managed to stay on his feet.

Picking up his Backpack, Chen Yan looked at Hu Yuan. Their eyes met.

The group, who had been chatting, fell silent. A smile appeared at the corner of Hu Yuan's mouth.

"Clown," Chen Yan said flatly, preparing to leave.

The moment Chen Yan spoke, the students who had been chatting fell silent.

Hu Yuan froze slightly. He pressed his tongue against his lower lip. Though he said nothing, his gaze fixed on Chen Yan grew more and more furious.

Chen Yan was his cousin, someone he had looked down on since childhood. The Chen Family had always been trampled beneath the Hu Family's feet.

Yet this person he had always looked down on had just called him a clown in front of everyone.

Amid the students' gleeful stares, Hu Yuan said nothing. He sprang to his feet, rushed behind Chen Yan, raised his fist, and slammed it toward the back of Chen Yan's head.

The students beside them gaped, as if they could already see Chen Yan sprawled on the ground.

Hu Yuan was sneaking up on him, and it was obvious he wasn't holding back. Chen Yan was done for.

But in the next instant, before Hu Yuan's fist could land, the sweat-soaked young man spun around.

Their eyes met. Hu Yuan was stunned.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Yan's gaze turned cold. He bent his body, his right arm tensing like a drawn bow, his fist clenched. The movement flowed like water, as though he had practiced it thousands, tens of thousands of times.

In an instant.

Hu Yuan's movement stalled, and a clap of thunder seemed to rumble through his mind.

He seemed to see a ferocious tiger lunging at him, jaws wide.

Thud!

A figure sailed through the air, flew over the grass, and crashed heavily to the ground beside the students watching the show.

In the silence, Chen Yan lowered his fist, turned, and walked away without a word.

"Clown."