Martial Dao Diligence Record

Dongjiang Province, Honghe City, Honghe No. 1 High School.

Xu Wuyi sat in the middle row by the window, his gaze unfocused.

Spread out before him was a report card, just distributed and still smelling of printer ink, with "First Mock Exam for Grade 12 Students in Citywide Martial Arts High Schools" written at the top.

Xu Wuyi's eyes swept over the total score for academic subjects: 512 points.

It was a score within his expectations, neither good nor bad, barely touching the edge of the previous years' first-tier university cutoff, requiring a bit of luck to make the cut.

His gaze moved downward, landing on the martial arts section that occupied the right third of the report card.

Life Energy Level: 8.6.

Basic Body Tempering Method score: C.

Mountain Crushing Fist (elective) score: C-.

"The projected cutoff for martial arts undergraduate programs this year is around a Life Energy Level of 9.0."

Xu Wuyi sighed inwardly.

Life Energy Level was the modern martial arts world's scientific statistical method for evaluating a martial artist's vitality.

An average adult male who had never practiced martial arts had a Life Energy Level of approximately 5.0.

Xu Wuyi's 8.6 was in the middle tier among martial arts high school students, but he was still 0.4 short of the lowest projected undergraduate cutoff.

Only by passing the undergraduate cutoff could one participate in the Martial Combat Exam; otherwise, all efforts would be in vain.

On the podium, the homeroom teacher, Li Hong, tapped the desk to quiet the commotion below.

"You've all seen your results. Academic subjects are the foundation; I won't repeat their importance." Her voice was steady but carried an inherent pressure.

"Martial arts results are the true watershed, the key to determining whether you can get into a martial university, especially the Basic Body Tempering Method."

She turned and wrote eight characters on the blackboard with chalk:

The root of qi and blood, the foundation of circulation.

"This technique was tailor-made for your age group by national-level grandmasters, and it is the safest and most effective method for building a foundation. Every movement and every breath has been tempered through countless trials."

Teacher Li's gaze swept across the classroom.

"Don't complain that it's simple or boring. The more fundamental it is, the more it determines how far you can go in the future. Whether your movements are standard and whether your focus is fully engaged directly relates to the efficiency of your qi and blood growth and the stability of your foundation."

"During the Martial Combat Exam, the stronger your qi and blood, the greater your chance of obtaining a high score."

"..."

Xu Wuyi listened quietly.

He had heard these words too many times over the past three years.

He turned his head to look out the window, where martial arts students were already performing extra training on the playground, the setting sun casting long shadows behind them.

He pursed his lips, folded the report card, and tucked it into his bag.

"A-Yi, how'd you do?" his deskmate, Zhou Heng, leaned over.

Zhou Heng was tall, his academic scores were slightly worse than Xu Wuyi's, and his martial arts results were about the same, with a Life Energy Level of 8.7.

After seeing the report card, Zhou Heng clicked his tongue: "Tsk, about the same. My Life Energy Level is 8.7, Body Tempering Method is C, and my fist technique is C+. My mom said as long as I can get into a first-tier university, it's fine; I don't need to force a martial arts major. That stuff relies too much on talent."

His tone was relaxed, as if he had accepted reality long ago.

"Yeah," Xu Wuyi replied dully.

Zhou Heng's family was better off, and his parents seemed more open-minded.

But he couldn't be; that faint expectation for martial arts and the unwillingness to accept his current situation were like a thorn, always pricking at his heart.

"I'm heading out, see you tomorrow." Zhou Heng patted his shoulder, slung his bag over his shoulder, and merged into the departing crowd.

The route Xu Wuyi took home passed by the affiliated training base of Honghe Martial University.

Through the tall metal fence, he could see the advanced facilities inside, where students in professional training gear were practicing.

Their movements were vigorous, their qi and blood robust; they were the true darlings of heaven.

Every time Xu Wuyi passed by, he would subconsciously take a few extra looks before lowering his head and pedaling his bike faster.

His home was in an old residential complex, where the smell of cooking oil and food wafted through the stairwell.

Pushing open the door, the sizzling sound of stir-frying came from the kitchen, and the aroma grew stronger.

"You're back?" Mother Xu poked her head out of the kitchen, wearing an apron, her forehead damp with sweat. "Wash your hands, dinner is almost ready."

"Okay." Xu Wuyi changed his shoes and placed his bag on a chair in the living room.

Father Xu was sitting on the sofa watching television.

The screen was playing highlights from the provincial Youth Martial Arts Tournament, the visuals dazzling and the host speaking at a rapid pace.

"Look at this kid, truly remarkable!" Father Xu didn't turn his head, his finger pointing at the television screen.

The screen was frozen on a teenager's sharp side kick, the movement clean and crisp, accompanied by the sound of wind being torn apart.

In the corner of the screen, the contestant's information was displayed: [Chu Shanhe, 17 years old, Linjiang No. 1 High School, Life Energy Level... estimated 14 or above].

"Old Xu, don't just stand there watching, come over and bring the dishes." Mother Xu called from the kitchen.

Father Xu responded and walked toward the kitchen.

For a moment, only the excited voice of the commentator remained in the living room: "This kick from contestant Chu Shanhe has already captured three parts of the true essence of the 'Wind Splitting Leg'! Truly, a hero among the youth!"

The three of them sat down to eat.

The program on the television continued, with the host passionately analyzing Chu Shanhe's prospects for winning the championship, calling him the "rising star of the Dongjiang Province martial arts world."

"This Chu Shanhe is truly impressive," Father Xu said, shoveling a mouthful of rice into his mouth before he couldn't help but comment, "I heard his family background is average, and he achieved everything through his own hard work. This talent..."

Mother Xu interrupted him: "Eat your food, why talk so much? No matter how impressive other people's children are, it has nothing to do with us."

As she spoke, she placed a chopstick of greens into Xu Wuyi's bowl.

"A-Yi, eat more. Studying is tiring, and practicing martial arts consumes even more energy. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"I know, Mom."

After ten o'clock, Xu Wuyi closed his last workbook.

The room became completely quiet, with only the faint halos of the streetlights from the residential complex visible outside the window.

It was time for his daily martial arts homework.

He changed into loose sportswear, turned off the main light, leaving only a desk lamp on, and cleared a small space in the center of the room.

He took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, and assumed the starting stance of the "Basic Body Tempering Method": [Holding the Origin and Guarding the One].

Lower the shoulders, drop the elbows, relax the waist, tuck the hips... he recited the key points in his heart one by one.

Accompanied by slow, deep breaths, he attempted to guide the energy and blood within his body to flow along specific meridians.

Once, twice, three times...

His body gradually grew hot, and fine beads of sweat seeped out onto his skin.

Xu Wuyi could feel the energy and blood flowing, but the sensation was vague and scattered, difficult to condense, let alone use to efficiently break through barriers and strengthen himself.

It was like carving stone with a blunt knife; it was laborious and progress was slow. This was the manifestation of mediocre aptitude.

The process was dull and repetitive, with extremely low returns, but he did not stop, continuing to control every subtle aspect of his body and adjust his breathing rhythm with all his might.

This was the only clearly known path for improvement; no matter how slow, he could not give up.

The figure of the one called Chu Shanhe and the cautious, hopeful eyes of his parents surfaced in his mind alternately.

Time slipped away quietly, and the hands of the wall clock slid past eleven.

Fatigue began to accumulate; his muscles grew sore, and more noticeably, his spirit felt weary.

The sustained high level of focus consumed a large amount of his mental energy, making it difficult to concentrate and inevitably causing deviations in the precision of his movements.

After barely completing the final closing stance, Xu Wuyi stood in place, panting as sweat slid down his temples.

A familiar sense of powerlessness surfaced once again, just like on countless nights over the past three years.

He had tried, he had invested time and sweat, yet he couldn't see any progress at all. Sometimes his exam results even fluctuated, and occasionally he even regressed.

Perhaps the thoughts of Zhou Heng and his parents were right?

Should he recognize reality and abandon unrealistic fantasies?

People like Chu Shanhe were born to stand in the spotlight.

The moment this thought arose, it was suppressed by an even stronger sense of unwillingness.

He was not reconciled.

Why?

Perhaps it was because this unwillingness was exceptionally strong, or perhaps because his spirit had become even more sensitive after extreme exhaustion, but at the very moment his mind was in turmoil and he was preparing to end his cultivation for the night—

His consciousness suddenly blurred, sinking as if he were weightless.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, an ancient, illusory scroll quietly emerged, glowing with a faint bronze light.

It had no ornate decorations, only a sense of weightiness that had weathered endless years.

On the surface of the scroll, lines of ancient text appeared:

[Martial Dao Diligence Record]

Martial Art: Basic Body Tempering Method

Current Realm: Novice (97.3%)

Martial Art Trait: Not Unlocked

Assessment: Foundation is thin, potential has not been unearthed.

Xu Wuyi froze abruptly, his breathing stalling instantly.

A hallucination? He subconsciously closed his eyes, shook his head hard, and opened them again.

The scroll was still suspended in the depths of his consciousness, and the text had not changed in the slightest.

Realm... Novice 97.3%?