Resource Gap, Changing Proficiency

Open the detailed page for Lost Track Steps.

A more detailed introduction slowly unfolds, especially the expected effects after practice: the ability to perform rapid changes in direction, dodging, and displacement over short distances, creating visual misalignment and rhythm gaps during close-quarters combat to disrupt an opponent's predictions and lock-on.

This description strikes a chord with Lin Ye. He immediately anchors his interest in Lost Track Steps, but after considering it for a moment, he chooses not to purchase it right away, thinking instead of the data on his Proficiency Panel for Rolling Stone Fist.

[Rolling Stone Fist (Great Success, 200/1000)]

With only 800 proficiency points left until perfection, Lin Ye plans to wait until Rolling Stone Fist is perfected before purchasing it, so he can focus wholeheartedly on practicing Lost Track Steps then.

"800 points, and I can gain 20-30 points a day, which means it will take over twenty days to reach perfection. By then, I'll have the free time to practice Lost Track Steps."

Lin Ye calculates in his mind. After roughly determining the time required, he adds the Lost Track Steps page to his favorites, then checks the time: five minutes past eight in the evening.

"Since I have time now, I might as well go practice my punches."

He takes off his helmet, rises from the learning pod, and heads out to the empty public Martial Arts Hall. He assumes the starting stance of Rolling Stone Fist, practicing the routines he knows by heart over and over again, feeling the subtle stretching of his muscles, the slow flow of his qi and blood, and immersing his intent in the rise and fall of his fist momentum.

The next day, at noon.

Lin Ye arrives at the luxury meal window to queue. While waiting, he sees many familiar faces, including Li Weiwei, Zhang Zhen, and Chen Mo. After nodding to acknowledge them, everyone queues quietly.

The dishes in the serving window have a visible difference compared to the basic tier.

The "beast meat stew" from the basic tier has been replaced here by whole, dark red meat steaks with clear textures, labeled as "Iron-Horned Rhino Belly Meat." The vegetables aren't boiled but stir-fried in light oil, looking emerald green and appetizing. In addition to high-quality rice, the staple food includes a "Qi-Nourishing Steamed Bun" that emits a faint fragrance and is said to contain trace amounts of star power, as well as a cup of emerald green tea with a label that reads: "Green Spirit Leaf Extract, aids digestion, gently regulates qi and blood."

Lin Ye carries his tray to his usual seat, drawing envious looks from the others. After the initial surprise and envy, everyone eats their meals in silence.

Facing this luxury meal, Lin Ye first takes a sip of the Green Spirit Leaf Extract. Once it hits his stomach, the slight feeling of dryness in his gut quickly transforms into a long-lasting surge of strength. As for the beast meat steak, the texture is firm and chewy. With every bite, a warm current travels from his abdomen to his entire body, then is quickly absorbed. He can clearly feel wisps of qi and blood energy settling deep into his body along with this lunch.

"So this is the gap in resources..."

"No wonder the class monitor and the others progress so quickly."

Lin Ye thinks silently, chewing slowly to absorb every bit of nutrition possible. The tray is soon clean, and the cup of Green Spirit Leaf Extract is finished as well. His stomach feels warm and his spirit is full, without any of the bloating or lethargy that follows a regular meal.

During the afternoon martial arts class, everything proceeds as usual.

In the fist technique class, besides having everyone practice their punches, Zheng Huai also explains additional force-application techniques to help more students break through to the mastery level in their fist techniques.

In the evening, on the fourth floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

After finishing dinner, Lin Ye does not go to the Martial Arts Hall on the second floor, but instead comes to the fourth floor. Unlike the first three floors used for daily training, the fourth floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion requires special authorization to enter.

At the only entrance stands a heavy alloy door, equipped with a card reader and an iris recognition device. Lin Ye taps his campus card, the green light turns on, and he is cleared.

"Beep—Authorization confirmed!!!"

The alloy door slides open silently, and air mixed with a faint medicinal scent, a metallic tang, and the fluctuations of some kind of energy field rushes toward him.

The layout of the fourth floor is simple and efficient. At the entrance is a small lounge area with a few sofas and an electronic screen displaying the real-time status of resource usage. The corridor on the left leads to two Gravity Chambers, with the monitoring area further inside, while the right side houses the Recovery Room, where Medicinal Bath Body Tempering takes place.

The entire floor is quiet to the point of solemnity, with only a faint humming of energy coming from the direction of the Gravity Chambers.

After checking the layout of the fourth floor at the entrance, Lin Ye first enters the lounge area and glances at the electronic screen. Gravity Chamber No. 1: In use; Gravity Chamber No. 2: Available. Recovery Room No. 1: In use; Pools 2-3: All available.

He ponders for a moment and decides to push his body to the limit over the next two days before using the Medicinal Bath Body Tempering to stimulate his potential, feeling that it would be better that way. He walks to the left, arrives in front of the door to Gravity Chamber No. 2, and swipes his card to enter.

The Gravity Chamber is not large, about twenty square meters, with walls and floors made of some kind of dark silver sound-absorbing material.

In the center of the room, a circular metal device covered in precise patterns and indicator lights is fixed to the floor. It is called a Miniature Gravity Generator. At the same time, there is a clear light blue circular mark on the floor within a three-meter radius around the device. The control panel on the side is lit, with a simple interface:

Gravity multiplier adjustment (1.0-2.0x)

Time setting (15 minutes-1 hour), and a red emergency stop button.

Lin Ye puts his bag in the locker by the door and changes into the special training suit provided inside. He first stands in the center of the light blue circle, feeling the normal gravity environment around him.

"For the first time, I'll start by adapting to the most basic level."

Having made up his mind, he begins to set the control panel: gravity multiplier 1.2x, time 1 hour.

Confirm!

"Hum—"

A low startup sound rings out. It isn't harsh, but it feels as if it acts directly on his bones and internal organs. Lin Ye instantly feels his body sink heavily. This isn't just a simple increase in weight, but a sense of oppression transmitted from all directions, down to the level of every cell.

The air seems to have become viscous at this moment, and breathing requires a little more effort. He lifts his arms and takes a step, feeling a distinct resistance compared to usual. He tries moving his hands and feet to adapt to this sudden load.

"Start with the stake training."

A moment later, Lin Ye calms his mind and assumes the Primordial Stance. Under 1.2x gravity, maintaining the standard Stake Training posture becomes much more difficult. Even though many of the force-application points that had already formed muscle memory are now deforming, he needs to control and fine-tune them more actively to resist the changed gravity.

In less than five minutes, fine beads of sweat seep from his forehead, and the muscles in his calves begin to ache slightly. The pressure on his lower back and core area is particularly noticeable. Fortunately, his qi and blood remain unobstructed, and his micro-circulation is still functioning.

[Primordial Stance proficiency +1.1...+1.1...]

The interval of the system prompts feels slightly slower than usual, but the proficiency gained is also a bit higher.

After half an hour of stake training, his body begins to gradually adapt to this gravity. As he slowly withdraws his stance, he finds that he is drenched in sweat, but at the same time, he feels that his control over his body's center of gravity has become much sharper in the process.

"Next, practice punching."

After trying the stake training under gravity, Lin Ye immediately attempts to practice his punches under the same conditions.

He takes a deep breath and assumes the starting stance of Rolling Stone Fist.

The first punch was thrown, its speed noticeably a fraction slower than usual. The edge of his fist sliced through the viscous air, emitting a dull, muffled sound. At this moment, the rotation of his body and the coordination of his footsteps seemed as if they were submerged in some high-resistance liquid; every movement required the mobilization of more muscle groups and the consumption of more stamina.

Yet, precisely because of this, the subtle flaws usually masked by inertia and the slight hitches in his power transition were exposed with absolute clarity.

"Here, the waist rotation isn't thorough enough..."

"For this punch, the trajectory could be straighter to reduce unnecessary arc-related waste..."

"Breathing needs to sync with the fluctuations of gravity; adjust the rhythm here..."

Lin Ye was single-minded, completely immersed in refining his Rolling Stone Fist within the gravity-heavy environment, sweat soaking through his training gear and dripping onto the dark silver floor.

His movements, initially sluggish, gradually found a unique rhythm under the pressure; although slow, they became increasingly stable and solid.

[Rolling Stone Fist proficiency +1.5...+1.5...+1.5...]

Throughout this process, his proficiency in the fist technique was also increasing faster than usual.