Standard Movements

Realm... Novice 97.3%?

After three years of high school, Xu Wuyi, like most of his classmates, was still stuck at the "Novice" realm, yet he had never known his true progress.

Even Teacher Wang, who taught martial arts, could only tell that they were not far from "Entry Level," but not exactly how close they were.

Could this Martial Dao Diligence Record panel actually quantify martial arts progress?

Xu Wuyi thought for a moment, then assumed the opening stance of the Basic Body Tempering Method, [Holding the Origin and Guarding the One], once more.

This time, his mindset was completely different. No longer did he repeat the motions mechanically and numbly; instead, he focused with all his might, striving to make his posture as perfect as possible.

At the same time, his "gaze" remained fixed on the screen of light within his mind.

Almost at the instant his movement settled into its standard form, the "97.3%" at the end of the line representing his "Current Realm" blurred ever so slightly.

It moved!

It became 97.4%!

At the same time, a new line of small text quietly appeared beneath the screen:

[Standard training completed today: 1 time]

Xu Wuyi's breath caught, and his movement nearly lost its shape.

He hurriedly steadied himself and transitioned into the next movement. But perhaps because his focus had relaxed for a moment earlier, this movement was not standard enough. A line of dark red text appeared on the panel:

[Movement not standard. Training interrupted.]

"Failed..."

Xu Wuyi was not discouraged, because he had grasped the key—only standard movements performed with total focus would be judged qualified!

He carefully recalled the feeling of that movement just now and compared it with Teacher Wang's usual explanations. His arm seemed to have been raised slightly too high, causing a faint tremor in his shoulder muscles.

When he practiced by himself before, he would never have noticed such minute differences. As long as the general framework was right, he would keep going.

Sometimes, if he was lucky, his movements would be standard. If he was unlucky, he would practice incorrect movements, which not only failed to produce any training effect but might even have the opposite effect.

Xu Wuyi gained some understanding. Perhaps this was why his martial arts had stagnated?

Having figured that out, Xu Wuyi was delighted rather than alarmed. He had never feared hardship; he only feared having no path forward!

And the Martial Dao Diligence Record's feedback mechanism, strict to the extreme, was like an absolutely precise top-tier instructor—the very thing he needed most right now!

He stopped rushing to complete a full cycle of the technique. Instead, he changed his strategy and broke the Basic Body Tempering Method's nine forms apart, practicing each movement individually.

He once again assumed the starting stance of [Holding the Origin and Guarding the One], then raised his arm with extreme slowness, feeling the way his muscles exerted force and the changes in the angle of that force while watching the panel closely.

When the movement approached the point where he had made his mistake before, he became especially careful.

Once, the panel gave no response.

He made a tiny adjustment to the angle and tried again.

[Movement not standard. Training interrupted.]

The glaring red text popped up again.

He had failed again.

Yet Xu Wuyi's eyes brightened. He could feel that he was getting closer and closer to that "standard" point.

He calmed himself and repeatedly tried, adjusted, and sensed, as though polishing a precision instrument.

Finally, during one attempt, as he raised his arm, guided his blood and qi to sink slightly with his intent, and naturally tightened his waist and abdomen to exert force, a smooth, solid sensation flowed through the entire movement.

Almost at the same time, the number on the panel changed again:

97.5%!

[Standard training completed today: 2 times]

Success!

Xu Wuyi let out a long breath. Sweat had already appeared on his brow. This was not merely physical exertion, but the fatigue of intense mental concentration.

Just two recognized "standard movements" had exhausted him more than over half an hour of his previous muddled practice.

But he relished it.

For the rest of the time, Xu Wuyi immersed himself completely in this cycle of "breaking down, trial and error, correction."

The Martial Dao Diligence Record's harsh "interruption" prompts repeatedly cut off his training, yet they were like the most precise navigation system, dragging him step by step out of his erroneous habits and guiding him onto the correct path.

When turning his body, his hip angle was off by several degrees; the rhythm of his breathing and movements was half a beat out of sync; the timing of using intent to guide his blood and qi was slightly too early or too late...

These seemingly insignificant deviations had undoubtedly greatly affected his training efficiency over time.

And now, the panel laid every one of his errors bare, forcing him to correct them.

The process was immensely draining, a dual test of Xu Wuyi's physical strength and mental energy.

Who knew how much time passed? When [Standard training completed today] reached [7 times] and his Current Realm became [Novice (97.6%)], a powerful wave of dizziness and emptiness struck him. His vision went black, his movement abruptly collapsed, and he staggered before barely managing to keep his footing.

His mental energy had been depleted too severely.

He panted heavily, feeling waves of needle-like fatigue in his mind, and did not force himself to continue.

Too much was as bad as too little. His mind could no longer sustain standard movements. Forcing himself to train would not only bring no benefit, but would have the opposite effect, just like his previous practice.

He slowly finished the routine, walked to his desk, and glanced at the alarm clock. Less than an hour had passed, while his results were a 0.3% increase in proficiency and seven valid counts.

0.3%... It seemed insignificant, but Xu Wuyi clearly remembered that he had been stuck at 97.3% for nearly two months!

At his previous efficiency, reaching his current progress would probably have required at least another half month of grueling effort.

But now, it had taken only one hour.

The enormous difference in efficiency made his heart burn.

He washed his face and forced himself to stop thinking about training, allowing himself to relax completely. The school had long taught them that deep sleep was the best way to restore mental energy.

That night, Xu Wuyi slept exceptionally soundly.

The next morning, Honghe No. 1 High School, Martial Arts Training Hall.

Heavy breathing and Teacher Wang's booming reprimands echoed through the spacious hall.

"Breathe! Deep, long, and even! Where is the rhythm in your movements? Don't rush! Use your intent to follow your blood and qi—don't just flail around blindly!"

Wang Wenhai, the martial arts instructor and a Quasi-Martial Master, swept his gaze over the rows like lightning, occasionally calling out corrections.

Other than a handful of outstanding martial arts students, most wore serious expressions, but their movements carried more or less the numbness of habit.

Three years and tens of thousands of repetitions had long worn away the novelty of the beginning, leaving behind little more than the sense of duty needed to pass exams.

After all, they were destined to have no chance of entering martial arts schools. Training in martial arts was merely a requirement of the nation and the school, something they had no choice but to obey.

Beside Xu Wuyi, Zhou Heng listlessly performed [Bow Stance Punch] while muttering under his breath, "Sigh, Black-Faced Wang is even harsher than Researcher Li. We train every day, but our blood and qi barely increase. What a pointless grind."

Xu Wuyi did not respond.

His gaze was calm, and his movements were meticulous—more standard and more fluid than usual.

Most of his attention was immersed in the Bronze Scroll deep within his mind.

Last night, I got the opening stance, [Holding the Origin and Guarding the One], down fairly well, but when I perform the full Basic Body Tempering Method, I might not succeed even once in ten tries. Clearly, I'm not proficient enough in the remaining eight forms.

Today, I'll focus on the second form—Bow Stance Punch!

With his mind wholly focused on practice, Xu Wuyi continuously adjusted his angles as the panel's "Movement not standard" prompt appeared again and again.

Time flew by in his concentration. The instant Xu Wuyi precisely found a certain angle and exerted force, a faint warmth rose at his lower back. A weak sensation of airflow followed upward, and the usual sluggishness in his practice truly vanished!

The movement flowed smoothly, and his force ran through without obstruction.

Following that force, Xu Wuyi performed the entire Basic Body Tempering Method from beginning to end. As expected, a prompt appeared on the panel:

[Standard training completed today: 1 time]