Opportunity

"What? The proficiency jumped by two points at once!"

Li Jinshui froze.

Ever since discovering the function of the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" plaque in his mind ten days ago, he had practiced Stake Standing without fail every day.

He stood for ten hours a day, accumulating two points of proficiency.

Earlier today, he had already gained one point of proficiency.

This was the second time. He clearly had not practiced for anywhere near five hours yet, but that interruption outside had not only granted him two points at once—it had also let him gain proficiency at least two hours early.

"Heaven Rewards Diligence" could be used like this too?

As long as he was in a particular environment, the rate at which proficiency grew would receive a bonus?

"In other words, if I secretly hide somewhere and stand stake while other people are fighting—or in other dangerous places—I might be able to scrape together over ten points of proficiency a day!"

Li Jinshui's eyes lit up.

That way, the Basic Stance Technique could reach the beginner level even faster.

With the brawl outside still in full swing, he could not waste such a perfect opportunity.

He immediately adjusted his breathing and stance, stirred his qi and blood, and resumed the Basic Stance Technique.

"Beginner level. As long as my Stake Standing reaches beginner level, everything will be secure."

Li Jinshui's gaze was firm, his fighting spirit soaring.

He was penniless now. If the Security Squad dismissed him, he would immediately fall beneath society's execution line. With nowhere to live and no job to be found, one vicious cycle after another would come crashing down on him.

His life should not have been like this.

Although both his parents had died, they had left him an apartment and a considerable sum in subsidies, enough to cover both his daily expenses and schooling.

But two years ago, just after entering his first year of high school, he had somehow been poisoned, knocked unconscious, and sent to the hospital.

In the end, the exorbitantly priced life-nourishing fluids, treatment fees, and care fees had drained every cent from his account. Even his only apartment had been forcibly taken by the hospital to offset the past two years of hospitalization fees.

Of course, the apartment had still been worth somewhat more than the hospitalization fees.

So, in order to get Li Jinshui to sign the handover documents smoothly, the hospital had offered to introduce him to a property security position, calling it "premium compensation."

Li Jinshui had only just awakened then, his memories still in chaos. In a daze, he had been coaxed into signing the contract by the hospital, then promptly driven out.

Only after arriving at Green Osmanthus Garden and joining the Security Squad with his letter of introduction had he been told that he had to begin as an intern and undergo assessments.

First, within the first month of his internship, his Basic Stance Technique had to reach "beginner level."

Then there were assessments such as "Stake Standing reaches minor accomplishment in three months" and "any martial art reaches beginner level in six months." The moment he failed to meet a requirement, he would be dismissed immediately.

It was an utterly absurd assessment. Ordinary people simply could not complete it.

Before falling unconscious, Li Jinshui had been a student at a martial arts high school.

Reaching "minor accomplishment" in the Basic Stance Technique was a core course that high school students needed three years to complete.

Beginner level in the first year, proficiency in the second, minor accomplishment in the third.

Yet under the Security Squad's so-called assessment, that process had been compressed into three months.

Was that reasonable?

Actually, it was quite reasonable, because the official hiring requirement for Green Osmanthus Garden's Security Squad started with a university degree.

To university graduates, these harsh assessment conditions were no assessment at all. They could join as soon as they arrived.

But for temporary interns like Li Jinshui, who entered with a letter of introduction, it was essentially a perfectly justified dismissal clause: "Sorry, you don't meet the requirements."

Green Osmanthus Garden's security force did not allow weaklings who had not even graduated university. That would lower the caliber of the residential complex's owners!

From beginning to end, the job introduced by the hospital had been a scam—a game whose rules had been set long ago.

"Luckily, I have Heaven Rewards Diligence. Keeping this job is no longer difficult!"

Li Jinshui had long thought it through. Even if he passed the first assessment at the end of the month, it would not attract attention.

Before his coma, he had already spent more than half a semester at school. Thus, when he awoke, his Basic Stance Technique proficiency had been 62/100.

Taking another month to reach beginner level was still within a reasonable range. At most, people would think he had a little talent for martial arts.

As for the second assessment three months from now, with Heaven Rewards Diligence helping him, he was confident he could meet that as well.

But doing so would inevitably draw unnecessary attention and trouble.

If he came from a wealthy family and had an endless supply of food supplements and medicinal supplements, then practicing the Basic Stance Technique to "minor accomplishment" in three months would seem more normal.

But he was a penniless vegetative patient who had been poisoned and comatose for two years. What gave him the nerve to reach "minor accomplishment" in Stake Standing within three months?

Before he figured out the poisoner's identity and purpose—and before he had truly been driven into a corner—he naturally needed to lie low whenever possible.

So Li Jinshui planned to leave after collecting three months of wages. That money would be enough to set everything in motion again.

Then he could choose to return to school, make up the tuition, work part-time while studying, and get into university.

Or he could rent a place outside. Once he had a "stable residence," he would qualify to seek other jobs that did not require academic credentials.

The future was full of hope, full of light!

"Sure enough, all those years I spent on Earth, I was held back by the quack doctors at that mental hospital.

"If I were mentally ill, could I still calmly sort everything out after going through two transmigrations, then plan my way forward so methodically?

"Heaven Rewards Diligence; earnest toil never deceives!

"One day, I, Li Jinshui, will surely ascend to the pinnacle of martial arts, shatter the void, return to Earth, and tell that mental hospital of its doom!"

Inside the stuffy, reeking little restroom, Li Jinshui made a grand vow.

As he stood stake, he vaguely felt his qi and blood grow even more surging.

But what followed closely behind was an intense sense of emptiness.

The pressure that had vaguely shrouded him in danger and driven his qi and blood to churn seemed to have faded.

Li Jinshui frowned slightly and pricked up his ears to listen carefully. There were still sounds of smashing and shouting outside, but the commotion was clearly much smaller than before.

"No way, are they finishing the fight already?"

Li Jinshui was at a loss for words.

That was not good news. He normally had to stand guard in the residential complex, so he could not stay outside for long. It would be difficult to encounter this kind of dangerous environment again.

After pondering for a moment, he slowly straightened his back, taut as a hard-drawn bow, and ended the stance.

Several faint cracks came from his joints. Then the aching, swollen sensation brought by pushing his muscles to their limit swept through his entire body.

"Phew!"

Li Jinshui slowly exhaled, barely suppressing the numb soreness and discomfort in his body.

He pressed his ear against the restroom door, held his breath, and listened. Only after confirming no one was waiting in ambush outside did he cautiously turn the handle and push the door open a narrow crack.

Through that crack, the scene outside came into view.

The food stall was a complete mess. Shattered glass bottles, red chili oil broth, and broken plastic chair legs littered the floor. The true main battlefield had already moved from the food stall's front hall all the way out into the street.

But the situation was somewhat different from what Li Jinshui had initially imagined.

Though both sides were still brawling and making quite a racket, the force and fury behind their blows clearly did not match the scale of the commotion.

Most importantly, after fighting for this long, neither group had anyone truly bloodied or injured.

Clearly, this was not some life-or-death gang war.

They were all workhorses grinding away for a living. It was enough to fight over benefits and flex their muscles; everyone was deliberately controlling their strength. With proper jobs to keep, no one wanted to cause a death lightly.

Even so, if Li Jinshui involved himself in this "restrained" fight with his current strength, he could still easily be seriously injured.

"It's only a possibility of serious injury. This is actually an opportunity."

Li Jinshui licked his lips.

Wealth and honor were sought amid danger. Since these people did not dare truly strike to kill, this was a ready-made treasure ground for farming proficiency.

He decisively removed his riot-control uniform, leaving himself in only a yellowed short-sleeved shirt so he would not be focused down the moment he stepped out.

Then he pushed open the restroom door, hunched his waist, and slipped straight into the nearby crowd of spectators.

Merely reaching the front of the crowd, he could feel the qi-and-blood fluctuations spilling out from the collision of the two groups.

"This is the place!"

Li Jinshui felt that pressure again. After confirming once more the sense of security provided by the onlooking crowd around him, he nodded in relief.

His legs sank, his waist dropped, his abdomen tightened, and he assumed the Stake Standing stance once more.

Not long after.

Clang!

Half a plastic stool leg suddenly came spinning through the air from ahead.

The crowd reacted swiftly. With cries of "Whoa!" they all backed away to dodge it.

"Damn it!"

Li Jinshui cursed inwardly too. He wanted to withdraw from the stance and evade, but it was already too late. The plastic stool leg struck him squarely on the shoulder.

A wave of soreness shot through him.

Yet the circulation of qi and blood inside him abruptly accelerated.

[Persisting in Stake Standing in a dangerous environment. Heaven Rewards Diligence. Basic Stance Technique +1]

[Basic Stance Technique (Not yet beginner 84/100)]

"Hiss!"

Li Jinshui's eyes flew wide. He had merely been unlucky enough to take a hit from a plastic stool leg, and it had worked so quickly?

Less than a minute had passed!

Wonderful—simply wonderful!

But the difference was far too great.

Compared to this, what had all those ten-hour days of painstaking Stake Standing amounted to?

Sure enough, hard work was worthless before talent. I, Li Jinshui, was destined to become a powerhouse who grew amid danger.

"Well, young man, you're tough. You took a hit like that without even changing expression."

"You've trained before, right? What year of high school are you in?"

"You've got a bit of my style from when I was young."

The spectators gathered back around. Some even teased Li Jinshui a little, though their eyes also held faint surprise.

That stool leg had been thrown by a genuine martial artist. Even if it was plastic, the force could not be underestimated, not to mention that it carried a trace of qi-and-blood power.

Yet this kid had not even tried to dodge. He had stood motionless and taken the blow head-on. He was probably some young expert too.

Li Jinshui had no time to care about the attention around him. His breathing was steady, his qi sank into his dantian, and his feet were nailed firmly to the ground.

Feeling the qi and blood roiling within him, his heart surged with excitement.

This efficiency was indeed far greater than in the restroom.

Bang!

At that moment, a security guard was sent flying by a rider's flying kick from behind. He shot sideways through the air and crashed into the open space in front of the crowd.

The man turned his head and immediately spotted Li Jinshui. He instantly shouted in fury at the top of his lungs, "Damn it, Li Jinshui! Where the hell is your riot-control uniform? You've got the nerve to hide here and watch? Get over here and help!"