Ever-Increasing Proficiency, the Late-Night Extra Trainer

At eight-thirty that evening, the door opened again. A tall figure entered through the doorway. Lin Ye caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye—it was the Martial Arts representative, Zhang Zhen.

"Everyone, pay attention. There are thirty minutes left before class ends."

Zhang Zhen clapped his hands. "If you have any questions, ask me now."

At once, Zhao Qiang, the sports committee member, raised his hand. "Old Zhang, in the seventh form of the Basic Body Tempering Fist, Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain, I can never get the timing right between twisting my waist and throwing the punch..."

Hearing this, Zhang Zhen walked over and began explaining it in detail. Zhou Qian also leaned in nearby, listening to Zhang Zhen's explanation.

Lin Ye hesitated for a moment, but continued with his own practice. He did not want to interrupt his current rhythm, and with the panel by his side, he was more inclined to figure things out himself. Based on the experience of a bookworm from his past life, a proficiency breakthrough would bring corresponding understanding. There was no need to ask anyone else.

At nine o'clock that evening, the dismissal bell rang.

Lin Ye stopped moving. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and his arms ached and swelled so badly that even raising them took effort. But when he looked at the System Panel, more than half his exhaustion immediately vanished:

[Rolling Stone Fist (Proficient): 270/300]

In two hours, his fist technique had gained another 10 points of proficiency. At this rate, it would successfully break through in another two and a half days.

At that moment, Li Weiwei walked over and asked with a smile, "How's the training going?"

"Not bad."

Lin Ye wiped away his sweat, feeling that his face was covered in it.

"I noticed you were training with great focus."

As class monitor, Li Weiwei admired Lin Ye's state of mind.

"Keep it up. You'll gain something from it."

"Thank you."

Lin Ye nodded.

That was true. He would gain something from it.

With the help of the Proficiency Panel, he could see a return for every bit of effort he made. Every time he persevered, he drew closer to his goal.

"It's time. I'm heading out first."

Li Weiwei smiled and went to gather the water bottles and wrist guards from the floor. "The Martial Arts Pavilion officially closes at ten. The administrator will come lock the doors."

Meanwhile, Zhao Qiang and Zhou Qian had already slung on their backpacks. Wang Hao and Chen Lin had also finished their final practice. One after another, the group headed toward the door, leaving only the Martial Arts representative, Zhang Zhen.

As the Martial Arts representative, Zhang Zhen was generally the one responsible for turning off the lights and wrapping things up in Class Five's Martial Arts Hall. Yet Lin Ye was still standing where he was, regulating his breathing, which surprised him somewhat.

"Lin Ye, aren't you leaving?"

"I still want to train for a while."

Seeing that Zhang Zhen had noticed him, Lin Ye scratched his head as he spoke.

Zhang Zhen was stunned. He had only seen cases like Lin Ye's back in the first and second years of high school. By senior year, everyone paid attention to training scientifically and would not excessively drain their bodies.

But he quickly came to his senses and reminded him, "The Martial Arts Pavilion closes at ten. You can stay only until then. Also, don't train too hard. Overtraining can damage your body."

"I understand. Thank you."

Lin Ye nodded.

Seeing how determined he was, Zhang Zhen found it difficult to say anything more. He then explained some precautions regarding closing the Martial Arts Hall before turning and leaving.

Lin Ye watched Zhang Zhen's retreating figure disappear. The door to the Martial Arts Hall was gently pulled shut behind him.

In the vast space, only Lin Ye remained.

Once he saw that no one was around, Lin Ye slowly sat down on the floor and rubbed his sore, swollen arms again.

He knew Zhang Zhen was right. Overtraining was indeed harmful. Over time, it could cause muscle strains, worn joints, and disordered Blood Qi. In severe cases, it could even leave permanent damage and sever one's path in Martial Dao.

But for him, he had no choice but to fight with everything he had.

First, there were only three months left until the High School Entrance Exam. This was his last chance. If he did not give it everything now, he might not even have the chance to give it everything later. That might have sounded somewhat exaggerated, but without the resources provided by a Martial Arts University, even with the Proficiency Panel, his Martial Dao progress would be terribly slow.

On the path of Martial Dao, proficiency in cultivation methods and martial skills was certainly important, but resources were just as important. Neither could be spared.

Second, his golden finger was the Proficiency Panel. Its meaning was clear as day: the more he gave, the more he gained. Every drop of sweat could be transformed into proficiency, and every act of perseverance brought him closer to a breakthrough. If he did not push himself, it would be the same as wasting this system.

Therefore, he had no choice.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Ye rose to his feet, bent his legs slightly, and adjusted his breathing.

His arms were aching badly. Clearly, Stake Training was more suitable for him now.

[Primordial Stance (Beginner): 92/100]

He needed only 8 more points to break through to the Proficient Grade. If he could gain a few more points tonight, perhaps he could successfully break through tomorrow.

At that thought, a little strength surged into his previously weak legs once more.

Nine fifteen.

[Primordial Stance (Beginner): 93/100]

Continue.

Another ten minutes passed: 94/100.

On his third attempt, he was forced to stop in the sixth minute because his legs had stiffened.

After resting briefly, he began his fourth round of practice.

The fourth time, he lasted eight minutes before the soreness in his calves left him unable to maintain the posture.

Lin Ye gritted his teeth and kneaded his cramped muscles loose. From the unused medical supplies nearby, he took out a medicinal liniment that opened the channels and invigorated the collaterals. After rubbing some on, he started again.

Time slipped quietly by. Nine fifty.

On the second-floor corridor, Zheng Huai had finished his inspection rounds and was preparing to clock out when he suddenly noticed that the lights in Class Five's Martial Arts Hall were still burning. He could not help but freeze.

What was going on?

Was someone still in Class Five's Martial Arts Hall?

So he walked to the door of the Martial Arts Hall and glanced inside through the observation window.

Under the lights, a thin figure held a standard Primordial Stance, perfectly motionless. Sweat dripped from the youth's chin.

It was Lin Ye.

Zheng Huai's brows furrowed slightly. This kid... was pushing himself too hard.

He trained during the day in class, then continued with extra training until so late at night. Given his current physique and foundation, this level of training was already nearing the limit—perhaps even beyond it.

This was not a good thing.

Zheng Huai had seen too many students like this—ordinary in talent and from average families, trying to make up the gap through desperate training. But Martial Dao was not something one could succeed in through hard work alone. Excessive training would only drain one's potential and could even cause irreversible injuries.

Thinking this, he was just about to push open the door and sternly tell Lin Ye to stop. But when his hand rested on the doorknob, he paused.

Through the glass, he could see Lin Ye's eyes.

He had seen that kind of look before.

It was perseverance and focus.

Young men with that kind of gaze were stubborn. They would not listen to persuasion.

In the end, Zheng Huai did not push open the door.

He stood in the corridor and watched through the observation window for a full minute, silently watching Lin Ye's legs tremble faintly from exhaustion and the expression on his face as he gritted his teeth and held on.

Then, he turned and left.

Although Zheng Huai did not understand why Lin Ye still wanted to cultivate Martial Dao at a time like this, with the High School Entrance Exam so close, as a teacher, he knew he could not crudely interrupt him like this.

That would be disrespectful to Martial Dao, and disrespectful to himself.

Perhaps he should think of another way.

At nine fifty-five, the panel jumped again.

[Primordial Stance (Beginner): 95/100]

Seeing the number on the panel rise again, Lin Ye revealed a strained smile. Then he collapsed onto the floor and vigorously rubbed his legs.

He could feel that his legs were almost at their limit and that it would be difficult to continue. He looked at the time again.

It was time to go.

Realizing this, Lin Ye rubbed his legs for a little while, then took out his water bottle and towel from the cabinet and packed them into his backpack.

He turned off the lights and locked the door.

The corridor was silent. Only the green emergency exit sign gave off a faint glow. The doors to the other Martial Arts Halls were all tightly shut, and the rooms beyond them were pitch-black.

But when Lin Ye reached the stairwell, he suddenly heard a door opening from the other side. He turned to look and saw the door of another Martial Arts Hall open. A youth in training clothes, much like his own, walked out. He was built similarly to Lin Ye, thin as well, with exhaustion on his face. His sweat-soaked hair clung to his forehead.

The two met in the middle of the corridor. Their eyes met briefly for a second before each looked away.

Lin Ye recognized him. It was Chen Mo from Class Six. He had heard that Chen Mo also came from an ordinary family and had average talent, but had always persisted in the Martial Arts Stream. Previously, Lin Ye had heard that he also stayed late for extra training, that he was a grind king, though he had never known whether it was true. Now, it seemed the rumor was true.

Chen Mo recognized Lin Ye as well. Though they were not in the same class, they had occasionally crossed paths in the Martial Arts Pavilion, so they could recognize each other.

After their gazes parted, neither greeted the other nor nodded in acknowledgment. They simply went downstairs one after the other in silence.

Though they had not exchanged greetings, in that instant of eye contact, Lin Ye saw something in the other man that resembled what he himself possessed.

They went down the stairs one after the other, then parted ways at the school gate.

Lin Ye headed east. Chen Mo headed west.