Panel

As for the time left, naturally, it wasn't meant to be wasted. First, after finishing their sword practice, everyone was exhausted and could barely walk any distance, so they needed time to rest. Second, it was time for the students to ask questions.

There were always countless questions during cultivation, and everyone's circumstances were different, which made a teacher's guidance all the more important.

Zhao Cheng sat down where he was and breathed unhurriedly, following the rhythm of the breathing method.

Breathing alone, without visualization, wouldn't consume Vitality. On the contrary, it could speed up the recovery of his stamina.

Some people had swordsmanship etched into their very bones, and their bodies could naturally maintain the breathing method's rhythm at all times. Zhao Cheng was still far from that level. He had to consciously regulate his breathing, and the moment he forgot, it would fall into its natural rhythm.

Beyond that, legends spoke of powerful people who not only instinctively kept to the breathing method's rhythm at all times, but also maintained their visualizations in their minds every moment. They were said to be cultivating and growing stronger around the clock.

Of course, Zhao Cheng had never met anyone like that in real life. Even online, he'd only heard similar rumors. No one had ever come forward and claimed they could do it.

Getting stronger just by breathing sounded outrageous. People weren't perpetual-motion machines, after all. Even the strongest got tired and needed rest.

Some people in the group went to ask the teacher questions, while others continued resting or chatted noisily with their classmates.

Especially after everyone had just witnessed such a juicy scene, they were all eager to talk.

Zhao Cheng noticed that quite a few eyes were gathered on him.

This sense had gradually emerged as his swordsmanship improved and his mind and body began to grow purer.

In truth, ordinary people had this ability too. Many had occasionally felt someone watching them from behind, only to turn around and find that someone really was looking. It was an instinctive reaction, just difficult to control, which made it seem to work only now and then.

As people cultivated the way of the sword and their minds and bodies grew purer, their instincts gradually sharpened and became more reliable, allowing them to slowly gain control of this ability.

After all, purifying the body and mind was itself a form of control over them.

When he'd first gained this ability, he'd found it novel for a while. After some time, though, he'd grown used to it.

Ignoring the gazes, Zhao Cheng slowly emptied his mind. Unlike his earlier flights of fancy, now he thought of nothing at all and simply sat there in a daze.

In this state, his senses grew sharper, especially his hearing. He could make out many sounds he'd never heard before. Ordinary people could do this too when they quieted themselves, just not as well as he could.

But as soon as too many stray thoughts arose in his mind, this heightened hearing would fade.

Zhao Cheng heard many of his classmates talking. Today, right now, he was undoubtedly the center of attention.

Some spoke softly, others loudly, and the loudest of all was undoubtedly Zhou Yu.

Yet no one came over to disturb Zhao Cheng. Everyone knew that right after cultivation was when you felt most exhausted, and it took at least three to five minutes to recover a little.

That was the bond between classmates. Maybe some of them were a little "rotten," but very few were truly malicious.

Zhao Cheng felt calm. After that round of cultivation, his mind seemed just a little quieter. The improvement wasn't much, but it was definitely there.

It wasn't an illusion. The change was real.

This was one of his special abilities: he could clearly sense his own progress, or, more precisely, any positive change.

Over the past six months, this strange perception had helped him stay calm and cultivate diligently.

For ordinary people, the greatest blow was not being able to see any progress. Once they could, they would naturally be more motivated.

The sounds reached his ears, but left no trace in Zhao Cheng's mind. If they left a trace, a thought would arise, and his mind would no longer be still.

At first, Zhao Cheng's mind hadn't been pure enough, and his "Sage mode" after training was easily disturbed. Now, though, he could maintain it for quite some time.

In this state, his energy also recovered much faster than usual.

He didn't know how long he'd been in this state when a ripple suddenly stirred in Zhao Cheng's heart. Then his whole being seemed to settle into place. It felt as though a painted dragon had just been given its eyes, filling Zhao Cheng with a strange sense of completeness.

Right after that, a natural realization arose in his heart.

Some fundamental part of him had finally adapted to this world—or perhaps the world had adapted to that fundamental part of him.

As his thoughts turned, a nearly transparent Panel suddenly appeared before Zhao Cheng. Even with his eyes closed, he could see it clearly.

Panel

Source Point: 0

Realm: Quietude (52%)

Traits:

??? (?): Heaven Rewards Diligence; all effort brings its reward; Panel; ???

Sword Seed (Incomplete) 13% (Red): Swordsmanship level cap +3, sword affinity moderately increased, proficiency required to improve swordsmanship moderately reduced

Vitality: 1.5 (1.0)

Strength: 6.1 (5)

Agility: 6.5 (5)

Constitution: 5.5 (5)

Spirit: 7.2 (5)

Skills: 17th Basic Swordsmanship 6th Revised Edition lv4 (lv8) (6/300)

Simulation Count: 0

Shop

"???"

Zhao Cheng glanced over the Panel. It really was called a Panel. Even with only a cursory look, he couldn't find a plus sign.

Then he stopped rushing and began reading from the top, taking his time.

First was the Panel. The moment he focused on it, Zhao Cheng understood.

Panel: A manifestation of certain aspects of one's own traits.

Next was Source Point.

Source Point: An extraordinarily special kind of energy—or perhaps currency—that can be used to make certain transactions, or, more precisely, mysterious equivalent exchanges.

After that came Realm.

Realm: The datafied representation of one's self-perceived cultivation system.

Next were the traits.

Traits: The manifestation of one's origin; the foundation of life.

As for Vitality, Strength, Agility, Constitution, Spirit, and Skills, they were likewise manifestations of Zhao Cheng's self-perception.

Among them:

Vitality: The source of energy that sustains life.

Strength: A reflection of the body's explosive power.

Speed: A reflection of the speed of one's neural reactions.

Constitution: Body density and recovery ability.

Spirit: The strength of one's spiritual power.

Skills: Abilities within one's self-perception.

Simulation Count: A partial manifestation of the power of one's own traits. It possessed incredible abilities and could interfere with spacetime and transcend dimensions.

Shop: A partial manifestation of the power of one's own traits. Its core was equivalent exchange, while its outer form was affected by interference from spacetime information. Yet it would lean toward and select the beneficial parts of one's self-perception.