Bottleneck

Xu Wuyi slowly drew his stance to a close. His chest rose and fell evenly with his breathing as words appeared on the Bronze Ancient Tome in his Sea of Consciousness:

[Standard training completed today: 1 session]

[Basic Body Tempering Method current realm: Novice (97.6%)]

Although his realm had not changed and remained at 97.6%, Xu Wuyi could feel his own improvement.

Just as expected, those movements had been extremely standard this time!

"Beeep—!"

The shrill assembly whistle rang out, interrupting the sounds of panting in the training hall.

"Fifteen-minute break." Teacher Wang's voice was like muffled thunder, leaving no room for objection.

The students quickly stopped and began loosening up their limbs. Xu Wuyi, meanwhile, strode back to his spot, unscrewed his old plastic water bottle, and took a gulp.

The slightly cool water slid down his throat, somewhat calming his accelerated heartbeat.

For the training that followed, Xu Wuyi continued breaking down the movements for practice, repeatedly polishing every detail like the most exacting craftsman.

Teacher Wang's roars echoed through the hall:

"Waist and stance as one! The root of your force lies in your waist, not your arms!"

"When you exhale, exert force! When you inhale, store it!"

"Focus! If your mind is scattered, how can your blood and qi gather?"

To most students, those words were merely pressure. But to Xu Wuyi, they corresponded perfectly with the harsh prompts from the panel in his Sea of Consciousness.

He tried to combine Teacher Wang's guidance with the panel's feedback.

When performing the [Bow Stance Punch], he deliberately focused on the "root of force in the waist," sensing the subtle feeling of his waist and abdomen twisting to drive his arm.

Once, failure.

The panel displayed [Movement not standard].

Twice, failure.

The inertia of muscle memory was powerful.

The third time... he adjusted his breathing, slowed down, and cast aside every distracting thought.

At the very instant that force rose from his waist, ran through his spine, and drove his arm forward—

The number in his Sea of Consciousness flickered slightly: 97.7%!

[Standard training completed today: 2 sessions]

He had done it!

Xu Wuyi forcefully suppressed his excitement and carefully relived that marvelous instant.

The sensation of power flowing through him without obstruction was unlike anything he had ever felt.

At that moment, Xu Wuyi gained another insight.

"The panel's judgment of 'standard movements' seems strict, but it probably still leaves quite a bit of leeway. It is nowhere near 'perfect.'"

"That [Bow Stance Punch] just now was more accurate than any of my previous attempts, and its training effect was better as well."

"Right. If it demanded 'perfect' from the start, I probably wouldn't be able to complete it even once."

He unconsciously raised his head and happened to meet Teacher Wang's sweeping gaze.

Those sharp eyes lingered on him for a fraction of a second longer than usual. A trace of surprise flashed through them before they returned to normal, as though it had only been a casual glance. Teacher Wang soon turned to instruct another student.

Xu Wuyi's heart tightened, but he quickly relaxed.

Teacher Wang was a Quasi-Martial Master with a keen eye. It was only natural for him to notice that Xu Wuyi's movements had become more standard.

As long as the panel remained hidden, everything was fine.

When the final bell rang, the panel showed:

[Basic Body Tempering Method current realm: Novice (97.8%)]

[Standard training completed today: 14 sessions]

Fatigue crashed over him like a tide, but the light in Xu Wuyi's eyes burned even brighter.

"Let's go, A-Yi!" Zhou Heng slung an arm around his shoulder. "Hurry up, I'm starving! They have braised pork in the cafeteria today. If we get there late, there won't even be scraps left!"

Only as Zhou Heng dragged him outside did Xu Wuyi emerge from his state of intense concentration.

The cafeteria was abuzz with voices.

Zhou Heng forced his way into the crowd and soon returned carrying two trays piled high with food.

"Here, yours." He pushed one tray in front of Xu Wuyi, eagerly shoveled a huge mouthful of rice into his mouth, and mumbled, "Did you take the wrong medicine today? You trained so hard you couldn't even hear me calling you."

Xu Wuyi picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of braised pork. The meat was soft and tender, rich with oil and dark sauce—the cafeteria's most popular hearty dish.

As he chewed the meat and felt the tangible replenishment of energy entering his body, he smiled. "It's nothing. I just feel like... I might've found the right feeling."

"The right feeling?" Zhou Heng's eyes widened before understanding dawned on him. "I get it, I get it. Every time I finish an exam, I feel like I'll make a comeback next time, and then... heh."

He laughed at himself, not particularly bothered by it.

Xu Wuyi said nothing more and simply lowered his head to eat.

Over the next few days, Xu Wuyi's life became extraordinarily routine.

He went to school, seized every moment between academic classes to rest, and threw himself wholeheartedly into training during martial arts class.

The moment the final bell rang, he was usually the first to rush from the classroom, all so he could get home earlier and begin his evening practice.

The atmosphere at the dinner table also seemed to have relaxed somewhat.

"A-Yi, your appetite's gotten better lately." Mother Xu watched him finish his second bowl of rice, then ladled him another bowl of soup. "Eat more. Martial arts training burns a lot of energy."

Father Xu nodded as well. "Train if you want, but don't push yourself too hard. Take care of your body."

Xu Wuyi nodded in response while calculating the time in his mind.

He wolfed down his dinner, rushed to wash the dishes, then immediately burrowed back into his tiny room.

Change clothes, clear the floor, begin training.

His understanding of "effective training" deepened by the day.

It was not merely about the outward form of the movements being standard. It required a high degree of unity between the circulation of blood and qi within the body, the rhythm of breathing, and the focus of the mind.

The slightest error in any part would cause the panel to ruthlessly display [Movement not standard, practice interrupted].

This training method was extraordinarily efficient, but it also consumed an enormous amount of mental energy. Often, one hour of training left him more exhausted than a full day of aimless practice in the past.

Fortunately, the [Martial Dao Diligence Record] seemed to bring some hidden benefits as well. His energy recovered slightly faster than before, and his sleep quality had improved, allowing him to sustain this intensity.

A week passed swiftly amid sweat and concentration.

Friday evening, Xu Wuyi's room.

He had just completed a set of [Viscera-Shaking Breathing]. Sweat had already soaked through his training clothes and spread into a small dark stain on the floor.

Panting heavily, he eagerly sank into his Sea of Consciousness.

[Martial Dao Diligence Record]

Martial art: Basic Body Tempering Method

Current realm: Novice (99.8%)

Martial art traits: Not unlocked

Assessment: Foundation gradually solidifying; bottleneck reached.

99.8%.

The faint smile that had just appeared on Xu Wuyi's lips quickly faded.

This past week, he had progressed at an astonishing rate.

His Life Energy Level had risen from 8.6 to 8.7, taking another step toward the undergraduate cutoff. He had also broken down each of the nine movements of the Basic Body Tempering Method, polishing them all to the "standard" level.

But a problem had followed.

The closer he came to the final "Entry Level," the more negligible the proficiency gains from each "standard movement" became.

At first, one standard movement could raise it by 0.1% or even more. But now, he often had to repeat more than a dozen or even dozens of flawless "standard movements" before that percentage reluctantly ticked up by 0.1%.

It had taken him a full two days to go from 99.7% to 99.8%, exhausting his mind completely.

That final 0.2% was like an invisible yet incomparably resilient barrier, firmly blocking his path.

A familiar sense of powerlessness, mixed with fresh anxiety, quietly crept into his heart.

Xu Wuyi had a feeling that he could perhaps grind through this bottleneck with repeated practice, but it might take half a month, or even a full month.

Winter break was about to begin, and there were less than seven months left until the College Entrance Examination.

If he wanted to get into a good martial arts university, he had to make every second count.

Perhaps bringing every movement of the Basic Body Tempering Method to the "standard" level had always been a prerequisite for entering the method, but it was not the only condition.

"What am I still missing?"

Just as Xu Wuyi was pondering this, new words appeared on the panel at the perfect moment:

[Bottleneck encountered. External stimulation or profound insight required.]

"External stimulation... profound insight..." Xu Wuyi murmured, his brows tightly furrowed.