Martial Dao Diligence Record

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

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

Spread out before him was a freshly distributed report card, still smelling of ink. At the top were the words: "First Mock Exam for Senior Year Martial Arts High Schools Across the City."

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

It was a score he had expected. Neither good nor bad, it barely brushed the edge of the previous years' first-tier university cutoff and would require some luck.

His gaze moved down to the martial arts section, which occupied a third of the right side of the report card.

Life Energy Level: 8.6.

Basic Body Tempering Method Rating: C.

Mountain Crushing Fist (Elective) Rating: C-.

"This year's martial arts undergraduate cutoff is estimated to be around Life Energy Level 9.0."

Xu Wuyi sighed inwardly.

Life Energy Level was the modern martial arts world's scientific standard for assessing a Martial Artist's vitality.

An adult man who had never practiced martial arts would generally have a Life Energy Level of around 5.0.

Xu Wuyi's Life Energy Level of 8.6 placed him in the middle among martial arts high school students, but he was still 0.4 levels short of even the minimum estimated undergraduate cutoff.

Only by passing the undergraduate cutoff could one take the Martial Combat Exam. Otherwise, it was all pointless.

At the podium, homeroom teacher Li Hong tapped the desk, quieting the commotion below somewhat.

"You've all seen your scores. Academic subjects are the foundation, and I won't repeat their importance." Her voice was steady, yet it carried its own pressure.

"Your martial arts results are the true dividing line. They determine whether you can enter a martial arts university, especially the Basic Body Tempering Method."

She turned around and wrote eight words on the blackboard in chalk:

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

"This cultivation method was tailor-made by national-level grandmasters for people your age. It is also 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 class.

"Don't dismiss it for being simple and tedious. The more basic something is, the more it determines how far you can go in the future. Whether your movements are standard and whether your mind is focused directly affect the efficiency of 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 receiving a high score."

Xu Wuyi listened quietly.

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

He turned to look out the window. Martial arts students were already putting in extra training on the field, and the setting sun stretched their shadows long.

He pressed his lips together, folded the report card in half, and put it into his backpack.

"A-Yi, how'd it go?" His deskmate Zhou Heng leaned over.

Zhou Heng was a tall guy. His academic grades were a little worse than Xu Wuyi's, and his martial arts performance was equally mediocre, with a Life Energy Level of 8.7.

After seeing his report card, Zhou Heng smacked his lips. "Tch, about the same. My Life Energy Level is 8.7, Body Tempering Method C, and fist technique C+. My mom said getting into a first-tier university is enough. She doesn't insist on a martial arts major. That stuff relies too much on talent."

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

"Yeah." Xu Wuyi gave a subdued response.

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

But Xu Wuyi couldn't do that. His faint expectations for martial arts and his unwillingness to accept his current situation were like a thorn lodged in his heart.

"I'm off. See you tomorrow." Zhou Heng patted him on the shoulder, slung on his backpack, and merged into the departing crowd.

Xu Wuyi's route home took him past the affiliated training base of Honghe Martial University.

Through the tall metal fence, he could see advanced facilities and students in professional training uniforms practicing inside.

Their movements were agile, their qi and blood vigorous. They were all true favored sons of heaven.

Every time Xu Wuyi passed by, he would unconsciously look a few extra times before lowering his head and pedaling faster.

His home was in an old residential complex, and the stairwell was filled with the mingled smell of cooking fumes and food.

When he pushed open the door, the sizzling of stir-frying came from the kitchen, along with an even richer aroma.

"You're back?" Mother Xu poked her head out from the kitchen in an apron, sweat dampening her temples. "Wash your hands and get ready to eat."

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

Father Xu was sitting on the sofa watching television.

The screen was playing highlight reels from the province's Youth Martial Arts Tournament. The visuals were dazzling, and the host spoke at a rapid pace.

"Look at that kid. He's really something!" Father Xu said without turning around, pointing at the television screen.

The image froze on a young man's fierce side kick. The move was clean and sharp, carrying the sound of wind tearing through the air.

Information about the contestant appeared in one corner of the screen: [Chu Shanhe, 17 years old, Linjiang No. 1 High School, Life Energy Level... estimated to be above 14].

"Old Xu, stop staring at the TV and come carry the dishes." Mother Xu called from the kitchen.

Father Xu answered and walked toward the kitchen.

For a moment, only the commentator's excited voice remained in the living room. "That kick from contestant Chu Shanhe has already grasped thirty percent of the true essence of Wind Splitting Leg! Truly, heroes emerge in their youth!"

The three of them sat down to eat.

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

"This Chu Shanhe is seriously impressive." Father Xu took a mouthful of rice and could not help commenting again. "I heard his family circumstances aren't great either. He fought his way up all by himself. That talent..."

Mother Xu cut him off. "Eat when you're eating. Why talk so much? No matter how capable other people's children are, it has nothing to do with us."

As she spoke, she picked up some vegetables and placed them in Xu Wuyi's bowl.

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

"Got it, Mom."

A little after ten, Xu Wuyi closed the last workbook.

The room fell completely quiet. Outside the window, only the scattered glow of streetlamps in the residential complex remained.

It was time for his daily martial arts practice.

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

Taking a deep breath, he cast aside distracting thoughts and assumed the opening stance of the Basic Body Tempering Method: [Holding the Origin and Guarding the One].

Sink the shoulders, drop the elbows, relax the waist, tuck the hips... He silently recited each key point in his mind.

With slow, deep breaths, he tried to guide the qi and blood within his body along specific pathways.

Once, twice, three times...

His body gradually heated up, and fine beads of sweat seeped across his skin.

Xu Wuyi could feel his qi and blood flowing, but the sensation was vague and scattered, difficult to gather. Efficiently breaking through barriers and strengthening himself was out of the question.

It was like carving stone with a dull blade—laborious and slow. That was what ordinary aptitude looked like.

The process was tedious and repetitive, with almost no sense of reward, but he did not stop. He still did his utmost to control every minute detail of his body and adjust his breathing rhythm.

This was the only clear path of improvement he knew. No matter how slow it was, he could not give up.

The image of Chu Shanhe and the cautious looks in his parents' eyes alternated in his mind.

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

Fatigue began to accumulate. His muscles ached and weakened, but even more obvious was the weariness in his mind.

Sustained intense concentration drained his mental energy, making it hard for him to focus. Errors in the precision of his movements inevitably began to appear.

After barely completing another closing sequence, Xu Wuyi stood where he was, panting as sweat slid down from his temples.

A familiar sense of helplessness surfaced again, just as it had on countless nights over the past three years.

He had worked hard and spent time and sweat, yet he could not see any progress at all. Even his condition during exams fluctuated wildly, and sometimes he even regressed.

Maybe Zhou Heng and his parents were right?

Accept reality and give up on unrealistic fantasies?

People like Chu Shanhe had been born to stand beneath the spotlight.

The moment that thought arose, an even stronger unwillingness crushed it.

He was unwilling to accept it.

Why?

Perhaps because that unwillingness was unusually intense, or perhaps because his mind had become more sensitive after reaching the limit of exhaustion, but just as his emotions churned and he was about to end tonight's training—

His consciousness suddenly blurred, as though he had lost weight and plunged downward.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, an ancient, illusory scroll quietly emerged, radiating a faint bronze glow.

It had no ornate decorations, only the weight of having endured endless ages.

Lines of ancient text appeared across the scroll's surface:

[Martial Dao Diligence Record]

Martial Art: Basic Body Tempering Method

Current Realm: Novice (97.3%)

Martial Art Traits: Not Unlocked

Assessment: Your foundation is weak, and your potential has yet to be unearthed.

Xu Wuyi suddenly froze, his breathing stopping for an instant.

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

The scroll still hovered deep within his consciousness, and the text had not changed in the slightest.

Realm... Novice 97.3%?